Search results for " Transport"

Applying a new synthetic environmental indicator to urban transportation scenario

2002

Through this work will be presented a suitably modified version of a simple model devoted to the evaluation of pollutant matters released in urban contexts by the transportation sector. The method, essentially referring to the pollutant emission factors provided within the European "COPERT III" approach, only requires the knowledge of data concerning the running car fleet on the analysed site. The methodology is here utilised for comparing environmental and energy effects of different transportation policies to be adopted in a given urban area. By imposing modal changes to the transportation demand and, consequently, by re-allocating people from cars to public means, the effects on the rele…

T9+HUD: Physical Keypad and HUD can Improve Driving Performance while Typing and Driving

2016

We introduce T9+HUD, a text entry method designed to decrease visual distraction while driving and typing. T9+HUD combines a physical 3x4 keypad on the steering wheel with a head-up-display (HUD) for projecting output on the windshield. Previous work suggests this may be a visually less demanding way to type while driving than the popular case which requires shifts of visual attention away from the road. We present a prototype design and report first results from a controlled evaluation in a driving simulator. While driving, the T9+HUD text entry rate was equal compared to a dashboard-mounted touchscreen device, but it reduced lane deviations by 70%. Furthermore, there was no significant di…

Visual Distraction Effects of In-Car Text Entry Methods

2017

Three text entry methods were compared in a driving simulator study with 17 participants. Ninety-seven drivers’ occlusion distance (OD) data mapped on the test routes was used as a baseline to evaluate the methods’ visual distraction potential. Only the voice recognition-based text entry tasks passed the set verification criteria. Handwriting tasks were experienced as the most demanding and the voice recognition tasks as the least demanding. An individual in-car glance length preference was found, but against expectations, drivers’ ODs did not correlate with incar glance lengths or visual short-term memory capacity. The handwriting method was further studied with 24 participants with instru…

Hydro-mechanical modelling of MX-80 bentonite: one dimensional study

2016

As a first step towards modelling the coupled Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical-Chemical (THMC) behaviour of bentonite, the Barcelona Basic Model (BBM) has been implemented into Numerrin finite element code. This model has been fully coupled with the single phase flow equation for unsaturated soils which models liquid water transport. Suction obtained from solving the flow equation is used as an input for the BBM model and the volumetric deformations from the mechanical analysis are used to update the pore water pressure field. As an alternative, BBM is used alongside the Kröhn’s model which assumes that bentonite re-saturation is mainly driven by water vapour diffusion. The paper simulates one dimen…

L'espace de liberté comme mesure synthétique du développement territorial durable

2011

By discussing the concept of development itself, authors propose two synthetic indexes relying on estimation of potential: Development Space Value and Development Space Creation Under the weak hypothesis that any successful development improves future possibilities, changes in potential are a good development measure. In their path, authors show how development space is tied with freedom: a shrink in it results mechanically in indexes fall. So, "sustainable" and "economic" become two sides of same piece rather than enemies. Reliable in simulations, the approach is to be tested in real conditions, to verify full data availability and to secure calculating methods.

Drivers’ experiences during floods: Investigating the psychological influences underpinning decisions to avoid driving through floodwater

2018

Abstract A major risk factor for many flood-related drownings is driving through floodwater. We aimed to understand Australian drivers’ experiences and beliefs with respect to avoid driving through floodwater using the theory of planned behaviour as a framework. Study 1 (N = 23) used a qualitative design to gain an in-depth understanding of individuals’ experiences with driving through floodwater. Study 2 (N = 157) used a survey-based design to identify the factors related to this behaviour including knowledge, beliefs, and social-cognitive factors. In Study 1, drivers identified a range of advantages (e.g., didn’t damage car), disadvantages (e.g., inconvenient, but not so terrible), barrie…

On the Choice of the Extracellular Vesicles for Therapeutic Purposes

2019

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are lipid membrane vesicles released by all human cells and are widely recognized to be involved in many cellular processes, both in physiological and pathological conditions. They are mediators of cell-cell communication, at both paracrine and systemic levels, and therefore they are active players in cell differentiation, tissue homeostasis, and organ remodeling. Due to their ability to serve as a cargo for proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, which often reflects the cellular source, they should be considered the future of the natural nanodelivery of bio-compounds. To date, natural nanovesicles, such as exosomes, have been shown to represent a source of diseas…

Fabrication of free-standing piezoelectric nanostructures for thermal transport studies

2007

Simulation studies of electronic transport in a-Si:H thin film solar cells

2009

The thin film solar cells in Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon (a-Si:H) are attractive for cheaper production and used in ultra low cost, high volume applications but have a relatively lower electronic performance. These limitations are mainly due to properties of the a-Si:H and relies on the production technique. In this study we investigate the physical mechanisms which are on the basis of the electronic transport and their relation with the technological processes. The transport-simulation computer program ATLAS (Silvaco) has been used to examine the role of the mid gap defect density in determining the performance of a-Si:H p-i-n homojunction solar cell.

Implementing the 3-omega technique for thermal conductivity measurements

2013

Thermal conductivity of the constituent materials is one of the most important properties affecting the performance of micro- and nanofabricated devices. These devices often make use of thin films with thicknesses ranging from some nanometers to few micrometers. The thermal conductivity of thin films can be measured with the three-omega method. In three-omega technique a metal wire acting as a resistive heater is microfabricated on the sample. Alternating current passing through the metal heater at a frequency ω heats the sample periodically and generates oscillations in the resistance of the metal line at a frequency 2ω. The oscillating resistance component is coupled with the driving curr…