Specific Technical Constraints Research Articles

Повседневные взаимодействия в сети

The article analyzes the possibility of applying E. Goffman's microsociological frame analysis to everyday online interaction and the difficulties associated with this application. The article criticizes empirically unjustified and methodologically unproductive guiding distinctions: real/virtual and authentic/medial. Online interactions and digital technologies do not create a virtual reality separate from everyday life, do not make communication more mediated or less authentic, but are embedded in the existing everyday reality and provide alternative tools for impression management, impose specific technical constraints and provide specific opportunities. The rich tools of E. Hoffman's frame analysis can be effectively applied to the study of online interaction, provided that two assumptions are reconsidered: the special status of face-to-face interaction and blindness to things. In place of these positions, we propose a symmetrical description of face-to-face and online interaction, as well as an increased attention to the logic of technical and interface couplings of digital media. We conclude that revisiting these provisions will not destroy the conceptual core of E. Goffman's theory, but rather will allow us to apply frame analysis to the study of online interaction rituals. The microsociology of everyday life can complement the theoretical constructs of the Science and technology studies and Actor-network theory, which leave everyday interactions, the grammar of the interaction order, and the “Lebenswelt” on the periphery of research.

Void fraction measurement in cryogenic flows. Part I: Design and validation of a void fraction capacitive sensor

This manuscript presents the design of a capacitive void fraction sensor for cryogenic LN2 two phase flows and its validation at room conditions. The capacitive void fraction sensor is first designed by means of Electric Field Analysis (EFA) simulations taking into account specific technical constraints coming from the test section in which it should be accommodated. Then it is manufactured and validated using a proper combination of fluids (Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and air) having a dielectric constant ratio similar to the one encountered in LN2/GN2 two phase flows. The validation is performed through comparison with void fraction measured by means of optical visualizations and shows how the capacitive measurement technique robustness allows obtaining reasonable accurate values of void fraction also for the substitute fluid case. The sensor presented in this manuscript was used to evaluate the void fraction during LN2 chilldown of a rectangular cooling channel and the results are presented in the second part of this work.

Development and Application of a Novel SPE-Method for Bioassay-Guided Fractionation of Marine Extracts.

The biological diversity of marine habitats is a unique source of chemical compounds with potential use as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and dietary supplements. However, biological screening and chemical analysis of marine extracts pose specific technical constraints and require adequate sample preparation. Here we report an improved method on Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) to fractionate organic extracts containing high concentration of salt that hampers the recovery of secondary metabolites. The procedure uses a water suspension to load the extracts on a poly(styrene-divynylbenzene)-based support and a stepwise organic solvent elution to effectively desalt and fractionate the organic components. The novel protocol has been tested on MeOH-soluble material from three model organisms (Reniera sarai, Dendrilla membranosa and Amphidinium carterae) and was validated on a small panel of 47 marine samples, including sponges and protists, within discovery programs for identification of immuno-stimulatory and anti-infective natural products.

Synergistic Use of Remote Sensing for Snow Cover and Snow Water Equivalent Estimation

An increasing number of satellite sensors operating in the optical and mi crowave spectral bands represent an opportunity for utilizing multi -sensor fusion and data assimilation techniques for improving the estimation of snowpack properties using remote sensing. In this paper, the strength of a synergistic approach of leveraging optical, active and passive microwave remote sensing measurements to estimate snowpack characteristics is discussed and examples from recent work are given. Observations with each type of sensor have specific technical constraints and limitations. Optical sensor data has high spatial resolution but is limited to cloud free days, whereas passive microwave sensors have coarse spatial resolution and are sensitive to multiple snowpack properties. Multi source and multi-temporal remote sensing data therefore h old great promise for moving the monitoring and analysis of snow toward estimates of a suite of snow properties at high spatial and temporal resolution.

The regulation constraint modeling and semantic inferring in construction quality checking

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the feasibility that an ontological approach can be applied to formalize the construction regulation constraint knowledge in a computer-interpretable way, for construction quality checking, during construction stage. Design/methodology/approach – The ontological and semantic web technologies are used to model the construction quality constraints knowledge into Axioms/OWL and SWRL rules. Protégé platform is selected to illustrate how the construction quality checking, based on the Axioms/OWL and SWRL rules, is achieved. Findings – The ontology and semantic web technologies can be an alternative way for modeling the construction regulation constraints in a computer-interpretable way, and can be implemented for the regulation-based construction quality checking. Research limitations/implications – The approach is illustrated only with given specific technical constraints examples, the generality and practicality of the approach need further investigation. Originality/value – The paper introduces an ontological and semantic approach to model and formalize the construction regulation constraints for construction quality checking, and proves the feasibility by the case studies. The proposed approach enables the regulations can be understood and retrieved semantically by computers, which facilitates the using of regulation codes.

Accelerated and Improved Quantification of Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus (LCMV) Titers by Flow Cytometry

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), a natural murine pathogen, is a member of the Arenavirus family, may cause atypical meningitis in humans, and has been utilized extensively as a model pathogen for the study of virus-induced disease and immune responses. Historically, viral titers have been quantified by a standard plaque assay, but for non-cytopathic viruses including LCMV this requires lengthy incubation, so results cannot be obtained rapidly. Additionally, due to specific technical constraints of the plaque assay including the visual detection format, it has an element of subjectivity along with limited sensitivity. In this study, we describe the development of a FACS-based assay that utilizes detection of LCMV nucleoprotein (NP) expression in infected cells to determine viral titers, and that exhibits several advantages over the standard plaque assay. We show that the LCMV-NP FACS assay is an objective and reproducible detection method that requires smaller sample volumes, exhibits a ∼20-fold increase in sensitivity to and produces results three times faster than the plaque assay. Importantly, when applied to models of acute and chronic LCMV infection, the LCMV-NP FACS assay revealed the presence of infectious virus in samples that were determined to be negative by plaque assay. Therefore, this technique represents an accelerated, enhanced and objective alternative method for detection of infectious LCMV that is amenable to adaptation for other viral infections as well as high throughput diagnostic platforms.

Equipment and Strategies for Signal Quality Monitoring for Digital Television Transmission Networks

This paper identifies the problems of objective assessment of signal quality on digital TV networks. It aims also to present equipment for automatic audio and video quality assessment designed in the Quovadis project. Monitoring of signals on digital TV networks sets specific technical constraints that have to be taken into account.