Modelling spring flood in the area of the Upper Volga basin

Integrated river-basin management for the Volga river requires understanding and modelling of the flow process in its macro-scale tributary catchments. At the example of the Kostroma catchment (16 000 km²), a method combining existing hydrologic simulation tools was developed that allows operational modelling even when data are scarce. Emphasis was placed on simulation of three processes: snow cover development using a snow-compaction model, runoff generation using a conceptual approach with parameters for seasonal antecedent moisture conditions, and runoff concentration using a regionalised unit hydrograph approach. Based on this method, specific regional characteristics of the precipitation-runoff process were identified, in particular a distinct threshold behaviour of runoff generation in catchments with clay-rich soils. With a plausible overall parameterisation of involved tools, spring flood events could successfully be simulated. Present paper mainly focuses on the simulation of a 16-year sample of snowmelt events in a meso-scale catchment. An example of regionalised simulation in the scope of the modelling system "Flussgebietsmodell" shows the capabilities of developed method for application in macro-scale tributary catchments of the Upper Volga basin

Current research into brain barriers and the delivery of therapeutics for neurological diseases: a report on CNS barrier congress London, UK, 2017.

This is a report on the CNS barrier congress held in London, UK, March 22-23rd 2017 and sponsored by Kisaco Research Ltd. The two 1-day sessions were chaired by John Greenwood and Margareta Hammarlund-Udenaes, respectively, and each session ended with a discussion led by the chair. Speakers consisted of invited academic researchers studying the brain barriers in relation to neurological diseases and industry researchers studying new methods to deliver therapeutics to treat neurological diseases. We include here brief reports from the speakers

A systematic literature review of the use of social media for business process management

In today’s expansion of new technologies, innovation is found necessary for organizations to be up to date with the latest management trends. Although organizations are increasingly using new technologies, opportunities still exist to achieve the nowadays essential omnichannel management strategy. More precisely, social media are opening a path for benefiting more from an organization’s process orientation. However, social media strategies are still an under-investigated field, especially when it comes to the research of social media use for the management and improvement of business processes or the internal way of working in organizations. By classifying a variety of articles, this study explores the evolution of social media implementation within the BPM discipline. We also provide avenues for future research and strategic implications for practitioners to use social media more comprehensively

Paper Session III-A - Advanced Development of Ground Instrumentation as a Key Strategy in Improving the Safety and Efficiency of Space Shuttle Checkout and Launch

This paper describes some of the advanced technology instruments produced by the Instrumentation Development Laboratories at Kennedy Space Center. These systems contribute to the realization of the goals of “better, faster, cheaper” set by the NASA Administrator and provide a steady stream of inventions which benefit the commercial marketplace through NASA’s Commercialization and Dual Use Programs. The paper discusses advanced sensors and systems developed in the technical disciplines of cryogenic and toxic gas detection, leak location, hydrogen flame detection, data acquisition, navigation and positioning, payload contamination monitoring, non-destructive inspection, and the specific contributions made to improve safety and efficiency of the Space Shuttle checkout and launch process. These technologies are government programs or for technology transfer to the commercial sector

Paper Session III-A - Commercialization of KSC Instrumentation Developed to Improve Safety, Reliability, and Cost Effectiveness of Space Shuttle Processing, Launch, and Landing

The top priority at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is safety of the flight crew and Shuttle vehicle. This priority is followed by safety of the personnel and physical assets of KSC, and reducing the costs associated with processing the Shuttle and other flight components, driven by budget and down sizing pressures. The KSC Instrumentation Laboratories, managed and staffed by both civil service NASA personnel and by I-NET, the Engineering Support Contractor, help ensure the accomplishment of these priorities by adapting or developing technologies to improve operational safety and decrease processing costs. The Laboratories are organized by technical discipline into nine laboratory teams, each being generally self contained with highly skilled scientists, engineers, and technicians providing the skills necessary to conceive, develop and test innovative technical solutions. The laboratories are the Hazardous Gas Detection Laboratory specializing in the detection of cryogenic propellants using mass spectrometer-based instruments; the Toxic Vapor Detection Laboratory providing very low level detection capabilities for highly toxic hypergolic propellants and other chemicals; the Landing Aids Laboratory which develops navigation and positioning systems to calibrate Shuttle landing guidance systems; the Optical Instrumentation Laboratory specializing in development of low cost optical and ultrasonic instruments; the Transducer Development Laboratory which provides sustaining engineering for the KSC inventory of process measurements; the Contamination Monitoring Laboratory which develops and tests clean room monitoring systems; the Special Instrumentation Laboratory and Special Development Laboratory which each develop and support instruments for non-destructive inspection; and the Data Acquisition Systems Laboratory which provides and develops data acquisition, analysis and recording systems for special tests and permanent installations. These laboratories support all functional areas of KSC and each other in accomplishing a wide range of projects which are improving the techniques involved in processing and testing the flight systems to ensure that the Shuttle remains the prime human space flight system well into the next century

Giga-voxel computational morphogenesis for structural design

In the design of industrial products ranging from hearing aids to automobiles and aeroplanes, material is distributed so as to maximize the performance and minimize the cost. Historically, human intuition and insight have driven the evolution of mechanical design, recently assisted by computer-aided design approaches. The computer-aided approach known as topology optimization enables unrestricted design freedom and shows great promise with regard to weight savings, but its applicability has so far been limited to the design of single components or simple structures, owing to the resolution limits of current optimization methods1,2. Here we report a computational morphogenesis tool, implemented on a supercomputer, that produces designs with giga-voxel resolution- more than two orders of magnitude higher than previously reported. Such resolution provides insights into the optimal distribution of material within a structure that were hitherto unachievable owing to the challenges of scaling up existing modelling and optimization frameworks. As an example, we apply the tool to the design of the internal structure of a full-scale aeroplane wing. The optimized full-wing design has unprecedented structural detail at length scales ranging from tens of metres to millimetres and, intriguingly, shows remarkable similarity to naturally occurring bone structures in, for example, bird beaks. We estimate that our optimized design corresponds to a reduction in mass of 2-5 per cent compared to currently used aeroplane wing designs, which translates into a reduction in fuel consumption of about 40-200 tonnes per year per aeroplane. Our morphogenesis process is generally applicable, not only to mechanical design, but also to flow systems3, antennas4, nano-optics5 and micro-systems.</p

Commercialization of Kennedy Space Center Instrumentation Developed to Improve Safety, Reliability, Cost Effectiveness of Space Shuttle Processing, Launch, and Landing

Priorities and achievements of the Kennedy Space Center (KSF) Instrumentation Laboratories in improving operational safety and decreasing processing costs associated with the Shuttle vehicle are addressed. Technologies that have been or are in the process of technology transfer are reviewed, and routes by which commercial concerns can obtain licenses to other KSF Instrumentation Laboratory technologies are discussed

Comparative yields of early- and late-harvested corn

Caption title. "March, 1956.

Molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the evolution of form and function in the amniote jaw.

The amniote jaw complex is a remarkable amalgamation of derivatives from distinct embryonic cell lineages. During development, the cells in these lineages experience concerted movements, migrations, and signaling interactions that take them from their initial origins to their final destinations and imbue their derivatives with aspects of form including their axial orientation, anatomical identity, size, and shape. Perturbations along the way can produce defects and disease, but also generate the variation necessary for jaw evolution and adaptation. We focus on molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate form in the amniote jaw complex, and that enable structural and functional integration. Special emphasis is placed on the role of cranial neural crest mesenchyme (NCM) during the species-specific patterning of bone, cartilage, tendon, muscle, and other jaw tissues. We also address the effects of biomechanical forces during jaw development and discuss ways in which certain molecular and cellular responses add adaptive and evolutionary plasticity to jaw morphology. Overall, we highlight how variation in molecular and cellular programs can promote the phenomenal diversity and functional morphology achieved during amniote jaw evolution or lead to the range of jaw defects and disease that affect the human condition