Use Of Professional Software Research Articles

Model, analyse and prevent fatal aircraft manoeuvres

On 24 June 1994 at Fairchild Air Force Base, during practice for an air show, a low-flying B-52H aircraft banked its wings vertically and crashed. Emphasizing the activity of modeling drag and gravity, these notes examine the possibility of recovery with several models. First, with algebra, historical data lead to a model where in a free fall near Earth's surface, the distance fallen is proportional to time squared. Calculus then gives an ordinary differential equation to model free fall near Earth's surface. Second, with calculus, historical data lead to various models of drag on objects moving through air. Third, combining models of drag and gravity with Newton's Laws of Motion leads to ordinary differential equations that model free fall in air. Fourth, predictions from such models with ordinary differential equations are consistent with the aircraft crash. Further models examine the possibility of increasing engine thrust to regain the vertical component of lift. All models fit in a first course in differential equations, without requiring any computational machinery. However, numerical experiments show how uninformed use of professional software can produce rounding errors to cause the modelled aircraft to plunge to the bottom of the deepest oceans and shoot up into space.

Factors shaping buildings of low energy consumption

The Directive 2010/31/EU introduces a new building standard (NZEB) in all member states of the European Union from 1.01.2021. In Poland, a low-energy building has been defined. The design, construction and use of such building is a complex process and requires knowledge of many aspects concerning building materials, general construction, building physics, installations, renewable energy systems and architectural design. Implementation of the current technical requirements in this area encompasses examining many parameters of an entire building but also of its external walls and joints. Defining them according to the applicable legal regulations and relevant standards evokes many questions and uncertainties regarding calculation procedures and interpretation of physical aspects. On the basis of conducted calculations and analyses, the authors have started a discussion on calculation methods in this field, proposing changes in legal regulations and calculation procedures.
 The paper describes selected factors influencing low-energy buildings: physical parameters of building envelope elements, support of modern ventilation systems, energy performance parameters. The calculation part of the work concerns the analysis of physical parameters of the elements of low-energy building envelope and energy performance parameters of a buildings with consideration of energy saving and thermal insulation criteria. Formation of material systems of external walls and building joints requires taking into account innovative insulation materials and specific parameters of the air inside and outside of a building. The use of professional software for calculations and analyses provides reliable results.
 Many coherent factors such as: architecture of a building, structural and material solutions of the external walls and their joints (elements of the building envelope), type and efficiency of the ventilation, central heating and hot water systems, use of renewable energy sources, integral management of the building in the field of energy production help to obtain optimal parameters of energy performance of the building and reduce emissions of CO2 to the atmosphere.

The analysis of energy-saving technologies used in buildings with low energy consumption

Designing, constructing and using of buildings with low energy consumption are a complex process requiring knowledge of architectural design, construction physics and building systems with the use of renewable energy sources (RES). The article presents the legal bases and characteristics of low-energy buildings. Implementation of the binding technical requirements in the field of hygrothermal characteristics consists of monitoring numerous parameters of an entire building, and in particular of its partitions and their joints and building systems. Therefore, the paper presents calculations regarding determining the material systems of building partitions and building joints with the use of professional software. The main part of the article is to establish the impact of energy-saving technologies on the energy consumption of the newly designed buildings, but also of the buildings that are undergoing modernisation processes.

Reducing Water Losses for Sustainable Urban Development

From the point of view of water supply systems, and in particular of distribution networks, the environmental, social and economic criteria have had a significant role in the selection of urban water development decisions. In this respect, the article addresses the issue of reducing water losses in drinking water supply systems. Thus, there are presented the methods and technologies used and studied, currently, for the detection of damages on the pipes of the distribution networks. Continuous monitoring of the pipeline network has become an integral part of drinking water supply systems. Remote data transmission and the use of professional software allows for accurate loss detection in places where the probability of loss is maximum. The relocation method has the benefit of economies of time and money. In most developed countries, the percentage of water loss is significant. The article makes a theoretical analysis on the application of non-revenue water loss solutions (NRW) in Timisoara, Romania. At various points in the drinking water distribution network, measuring points are installed to measure the pressure, residual chlorine concentration, flow rate and flow direction. Measurement panels installed in underground fireplaces and sensors mounted directly on pipes transmit the measured data from sensors directly to the dispatcher via the GPRS data service. In addition to this information, the measurement point also generates alarms in the event of a home flood, unauthorized access, or lack of power from the grid. The results of the analysis highlight the fact that the loss reduction is quantified in water savings with positive effects on the reduction of pressure on the existing networks.

Time expenditure in computer aided time studies implemented for highly mechanized forest equipment

Time studies represent important tools that are used in forest operations research to produce empirical models or to comparatively assess the performance of two or more operational alternatives with the general aim to predict the performance of operational behavior, choose the most adequate equipment or eliminate the useless time. There is a long tradition in collecting the needed data in a traditional fashion, but this approach has its limitations, and it is likely that in the future the use of professional software would be extended is such preoccupations as this kind of tools have been already implemented. However, little to no information is available in what concerns the performance of data analyzing tasks when using purpose-built professional time studying software in such research preoccupations, while the resources needed to conduct time studies, including here the time may be quite intensive. Our study aimed to model the relations between the variation of time needed to analyze the video-recorded time study data and the variation of some measured independent variables for a complex organization of a work cycle. The results of our study indicate that the number of work elements which were separated within a work cycle as well as the delay-free cycle time and the software functionalities that were used during data analysis, significantly affected the time expenditure needed to analyze the data (α=0.01, p<0.01). Under the conditions of this study, where the average duration of a work cycle was of about 48 seconds and the number of separated work elements was of about 14, the speed that was used to replay the video files significantly affected the mean time expenditure which averaged about 273 seconds for half of the real speed and about 192 seconds for an analyzing speed that equaled the real speed. We argue that different study designs as well as the parameters used within the software are likely to produce different results, a fact that should trigger other studies based on variations of these parameters. However, the results of this study give an initial overview on the time resources needed in processing and analyzing the data, and may help researchers in allocating their resources.

The keys to CERN conference rooms - Managing local collaboration facilities in large organisations

For a long time HEP has been ahead of the curve in its usage of remote collaboration tools, like videoconference and webcast, while the local CERN collaboration facilities were somewhat behind the expected quality standards for various reasons. This time is now over with the creation by the CERN IT department in 2012 of an integrated conference room service which provides guidance and installation services for new rooms (either equipped for videoconference or not), as well as maintenance and local support. Managing now nearly half of the 246 meeting rooms available on the CERN sites, this service has been built to cope with the management of all CERN rooms with limited human resources. This has been made possible by the intensive use of professional software to manage and monitor all the room equipment, maintenance and activity. This paper focuses on presenting these packages, either off-the-shelf commercial products (asset and maintenance management tool, remote audio-visual equipment monitoring systems, local automation devices, new generation touch screen interfaces for interacting with the room) when available or locally developed integration and operational layers (generic audio-visual control and monitoring framework) and how they help overcoming the challenges presented by such a service. The aim is to minimise local human interventions while preserving the highest service quality and placing the end user back in the centre of this collaboration platform.

Does computer confidence relate to levels of achievement in ICT-enriched learning models?

Employer expectations have changed: university students are expected to graduate with computer competencies appropriate for their field. Educators are also harnessing technology as a medium for learning in the belief that information and communication technologies (ICT’s) can enliven and motivate learning across a wide range of disciplines. Alongside developing students’ computer skills and introducing them to the use of professional software, educators are also harnessing professional and scientific packages for learning in some disciplines. As the educational use of information and communication technologies increases dramatically, questions arise about the effects on learners. While the use of computers for delivery, support, and communication, is generally easy and unthreatening, higher-level use may pose a barrier to learning for those who lack confidence or experience. Computer confidence may mediate in how well students perform in learning environments that require interaction with computers. This paper examines the role played by computer confidence (or computer self-efficacy) in a technology-enriched science and engineering mathematics course in an Australian university. Findings revealed that careful and appropriate use of professional software did indeed enliven learning for the majority of students. However, computer confidence occupied a very different dimension to mathematics confidence: and was not a predictor of achievement in the mathematics tasks, not even those requiring use of technology. Moreover, despite careful and nurturing support for use of the software, students with low computer confidence levels felt threatened and disadvantaged by computer laboratory tasks. The educational implications of these findings are discussed with regard to teaching and assessment, in particular. The TCAT scales used to measure technology attitudes, computer confidence/self-efficacy and mathematics confidence are included in an Appendix. Well-established, reliable, internally consistent, they may be useful to other researchers. The development of the computer confidence scale is outlined, and guidelines are offered for the design of other discipline-specific confidence/self-efficacy scales appropriate for use alongside the computer confidence scale.

The effective use of professional software in an undergraduate mining engineering curriculum

The use of professional software is an integral part of a student's education in the mining engineering curriculum at The Pennsylvania State University. Even though mining engineering represents a limited market across U.S. educational institutions, the goal still exists for using this type of software to enrich the learning environment with visual elements and, therefore, enhance the students' ability to understand design principles in a more systematic manner. All of the students are required to develop a complete mine-design project, from conception to completion, which includes the selection of appropriate mining components and systems to meet desired needs. However, the question that is often asked is whether or not the desired benefits from using such software can be justified in terms of initial cost, and programming time required for both the instructor and students of small engineering programs, such as mining engineering. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the experiences of faculty and students with typical professional software tools available for mining-engineering educational programs, and to assess their ability to enhance active teaching and learning through computer-based problem solving in a manner which is cost effective for a small-enrolment engineering major.