Human-centred appraoches to control and information technology: European experiences

In this paper, the concept of Human-Centred Technology will be described with regard to the different dimensions of workplace, groupwork and networks and in terms of the frameworks of both society and the natural environment. These different aspects of Human-Centred Systems will be illustrated by a series of case studies representing several European countries. The report covers a wide range of research fields. The emphasis is on technology: the roles of control and information technology in enterprises today — including issues of applying AI — and the strategies of designing and implementing technology taking into account the specific aspects which characterize human-centred systems.     

Correction of temperature dependency of a standard; case-study – magnetic flux density standard

Temperature dependence of measuring instruments represents one of the most influential error sources in measurement of most physical quantities. There are several methods of reducing or cancelling substantial temperature influence on instruments.

In this paper we are describing a calculative correction method in the field of precision magnetic flux density measurements, which involves mathematical correction of the instrument properties. For dc magnetic fields under 5 mT, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements are both impractical and time-consuming and in some environments even impossible. To avoid complex NMR measurements, field coils as magnetic flux density transfer standards are often used. A method for correction of an air-cored field coil’s coil-constant in order to take into account its temperature dependence is presented. As a result, instead of a complex NMR measurement only a simple current and temperature measurement were needed to calculate the generated magnetic flux density with relative uncertainty of 0.025%.     

Algorithmic estimation of risk factors in financial markets with stochastic drift

We assume a financial market governed by a diffusion process reverting to a stochastic mean which is itself governed by an unobservable ergodic diffusion, similar to those observed in electricity and other energy markets. We develop a moment method algorithm for the estimation of the parameters of both the observable process and the unobservable stochastic mean. Our approach is contrasted with other methods for parameter estimation of partially observed diffusions, and applications to the modelling of interest rates and commodity prices are discussed.     

Microfluidic pump based on the phenomenon of electroosmosis of the second kind

A micropump based on strong polarization of ion-exchange beads and corresponding actuation by electroosmosis of the second kind was designed and fabricated. Experimental results from operation with AC and DC voltage showed a close to second order relationship between flow and voltage, in good agreement with theory. The difference between experimental and theoretical flow rates and pressures is attributed to the hydrodynamic resistance of the channel network. A modified pump design which should yield higher flow rates and pressures was suggested.     

A remark on the high-conductance calcium-activated potassium channel in human endothelial cells

Iron plays a central role in the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the principal causative agent of tuberculosis. To learn more about iron acquisition by this bacterium, its iron regulated proteins (IRPs) were investigated. Seven IRPs were identified - three increased by high iron concentrations, and four by low iron concentrations. The smallest protein induced by low iron, Irp10, is tightly iron regulated as it is virtually absent in bacteria cultured in the presence of high iron concentrations. The gene (irpA ) encoding this protein and an adjacent open reading frame, mtaA, were cloned and sequenced. The protein encoded by mtaA (Mta72) has striking homology to metal transporting P-type ATPases. This study suggests that Irp10 and Mta72 function as a two-component metal transport system in M. tuberculosis.     

Calculated Uncertainty of Temperature Due to the Size-of-Source Effect in Commercial Radiation Thermometers

The article evaluates the uncertainty in the temperature indicated by a radiation thermometer with a direct readout in temperature, due to the uncertainty in measuring the size-of-source effect (SSE) by the so-called “direct method.” Radiation thermometers of this type are the ones most frequently used in practice. The uncertainty of the SSE characteristic is usually not a useful quantity to report to users of commercial radiation thermometers. Instead, they would prefer to know the uncertainty in the measured temperature that results from the uncertainty of the SSE characteristic, and this will be the result of our analysis. The user of a direct reading radiation thermometer will be able to take into account the uncertainty of temperature due to the SSE, if a target with known dimensions is measured. The uncertainty in temperature due to the SSE of analyses based on Planck’s law and its approximation, Wien’s law is compared.     

Challenges and Costs of Asexuality: Variation in Premeiotic Genome Duplication in Gynogenetic Hybrids from Cobitis taenia Complex

The transition from sexual reproduction to asexuality is often triggered by hybridization. The gametogenesis of many hybrid asexuals involves premeiotic genome endoreplication leading to bypass hybrid sterility and forming clonal gametes. However, it is still not clear when endoreplication occurs, how many gonial cells it affects and whether its rate differs among clonal lineages. Here, we investigated meiotic and premeiotic cells of diploid and triploid hybrids of spined loaches (Cypriniformes: Cobitis) that reproduce by gynogenesis. We found that in naturally and experimentally produced F1 hybrids asexuality is achieved by genome endoreplication, which occurs in gonocytes just before entering meiosis or, rarely, one or a few divisions before meiosis. However, genome endoreplication was observed only in a minor fraction of the hybrid’s gonocytes, while the vast majority of gonocytes were unable to duplicate their genomes and consequently could not proceed beyond pachytene due to defects in bivalent formation. We also noted that the rate of endoreplication was significantly higher among gonocytes of hybrids from natural clones than of experimentally produced F1 hybrids. Thus, asexuality and hybrid sterility are intimately related phenomena and the transition from sexual reproduction to asexuality must overcome significant problems with genome incompatibilities with a possible impact on reproductive potential.     

Characterisation of melt spun Ni-Ti shape memory Ribbons’ microstructure

NiTi alloys are the most technologically important medical Shape Memory Alloys in a wide range of applications used in Orthopaedics, Neurology, Cardiology and interventional Radiology as guide-wires, self-expandable stents, stent grafts, inferior vena cava filters and clinical instruments. This paper discusses the use of rapid solidification by the melt spinning method for the preparation of thin NiTi ribbons for medical uses. Generally, the application of rapid solidification via melt-spinning can change the microstructure drastically, which improves ductility and shape memory characteristics and leads to samples with small dimensions. As the increase in the wheel speed led to a reduced ribbon thickness, the cooling rate increased and, therefore, the martensitic substructure became finer. Furthermore, no transition from the crystalline phase to the amorphous phase was obtained by increasing the cooling rate, even at a wheel speed of 30 m/s. Specimens for our metallographic investigation were cut from the longitudinal cross sections of melt-spun ribbons. Conventional TEM studies were carried out with an acceleration voltage of 120 kV. Additionally, the chemical composition of the samples was examined with a TEM equipped with an EDX analyser. The crystallographic structure was determined using Bragg-Brentano x-ray diffraction with Cu-K?? radiation at room temperature.     

A CAD/CAE-integrated injection mold design system for plastic products

Mold design is a knowledge-intensive process. This paper describes a knowledge-based oriented, parametric, modular and feature-based integrated computer-aided design/computer-aided engineering (CAD/CAE) system for mold design. Development of CAx systems for numerical simulation of plastic injection molding and mold design has opened new possibilities of product analysis during the mold design. The proposed system integrates Pro/ENGINEER system with the specially developed module for the calculation of injection molding parameters, mold design, and selection of mold elements. The system interface uses parametric and CAD/CAE feature-based database to streamline the process of design, editing, and reviewing. Also presented are general structure and part of output results from the proposed CAD/CAE-integrated injection mold design system.