Planning for Waterway Renewal: Balancing Institutional Reproduction and Institutional Change

ABSTRACT

Modern waterway networks are ageing and need to be renewed, yet the institutional context in the waterway sector is averse to change because of path dependencies. Waterway renewal requires actors to navigate between institutional reproduction and change. Applying an innovative framework for analysing institutions in a case study of the Dutch national waterways, we mainly find instances of institutional reproduction, which turns waterway renewal into a technical and financial exercise. However, institutional change becomes increasingly evident through a new functional-relational path, suggesting that planning for waterway renewal also entails reconsidering novel waterway configurations and incorporating neighbouring spatial developments.     

Improved prediction of interface-trap generation in NMOST's

Hot-carrier-induced interface-trap generation in NMOSFET's is a serious reliability hazard for CMOS circuits. Its prediction has been either inaccurate or it needed many process dependent fitting parameters. We introduce a new method that improves lifetime prediction by orders of magnitude. Our method requires no additional fitting parameter and is applicable in existing circuit simulators. From the (time dependent) voltages and currents, available in a circuit simulator, we predict the number of generated interface traps. Our prediction method has been checked in more than a hundred experiments on NMOSFET's with 0.2-2.0-μm length, 0.8-10-μm width, and 5.5-25-nm oxide thickness     

Emerging citizen contributions,roles and interactions with public authorities in Dutch pluvial flood risk management

ABSTRACT

This article focuses on the emerging role of citizens and their increasing contributions to local pluvial flood risk management in the Netherlands. A qualitative research approach is followed with semi-structured interviews, and analysis of policy documents and media reports. A typology of physical resources and actions, knowledge and advocacy activities shows evidence of locally focused citizen contributions to pluvial flood risk management in the Dutch city of Arnhem. We find that this emerging citizen role is being shaped by traditional authority-led interactions, creative and dialogical approaches to citizen engagement, and citizen-initiated contributions that then interact with authorities.     

Integrating Water Management and Spatial Planning

A close connection is emerging between water management and spatial planning in the Netherlands as a result of a new acceptance of water on land, and the European Union's recent emphasis on managing water at the scale of entire river basins. We review Dutch and European trends in water management and identify four potential approaches to integrating water management and spatial planning in the Netherlands or elsewhere, depending on whether we adopt a regulatory or more strategic approach to planning, and whether we make water policy for areas defined by their water related functions (like watersheds or coastlines) or incorporate water issues into policy for broader socio cultural regions.     

Modeling of oxide-charge generation during hot-carrier degradationof PMOSFET's

Oxide-charge generation determines the lifetime for hot-carrier degradation of PMOSFET's. We present a model for the generation of oxide charge and its influences on transistor characteristics. Our model explains the logarithmic time dependence for the generation of oxide charge that is observed systematically for many PMOSFET types. This model is in accordance with an empirical prediction method for PMOSFET degradation that has been published earlier. Furthermore, a relation between the injected charge and the amount of degradation is presented. The paper ends with some applications     

Positive oxide-charge generation during 0.25 μm PMOSFEThot-carrier degradation

A new hot-carrier degradation mechanism becomes important in 0.25 μm PMOSFET's. Hot-hole injection generates positive oxide charge near the drain. We determine the time dependence and the oxide-thickness dependence and we show a considerable enhancement of this degradation mechanism for nitrided gate oxides. For many bias conditions and many geometries, the time dependence of PMOSFET degradation can be successfully described by a summation of the time dependences of three separate degradation mechanisms: generation of interface states, negative oxide charge and positive oxide charge     

Sensemaking following surprise in the cockpit—a re-framing problem

Re-framing is the process by which a person “fills the gap” between what is expected and what has been observed, that is, to try and make sense of what is going on following a surprise. It is an active and adaptive process guided by expectations, which are based on knowledge and experience. In this article, surprise situations in cockpit operations are examined by investigating the re-framing process. The results show difficulties that pilots have in re-framing following surprise, including the identification of subtle cues and managing uncertainties regarding automated systems, coping with multiple goals, tasks and narrow time frames and identifying an appropriate action. A crew-aircraft sensemaking model is presented, outlining core concepts of re-framing processes and sensemaking activities. Based on the findings, three critical areas are identified that deserve further attention to improve pilot abilities to cope with unexpected events; (1) identification of what enables and obstructs re-framing, (2) training to build frames and develop re-framing strategies and (3) control strategies as part of the re-framing process.