The non-uniform conditions and potential progression of fires in larger spaces calls for modelling methods extending outside of the traditional compartment fire framework. Even though a handful of studies in the area exist there is still little guidance available on how progressing fires in large enclosures can be modelled. Three different methods to calculate far-field gas temperature in large en

Blockchain, the technology underlying bitcoin, is an emerging financial technology (FinTech) that is poised to have strategic impacts on organizations. Because it is a new phenomenon, there are few studies on blockchain, and those studies have focused mainly on the technology's potential impacts, whereas how to effectively implement it in an organization remains unknown. Our study intends to fill

Purpose: To investigate the main concerns associated with being a parent of a child with cataract and how the parents deal with these concerns. Design and method: Twenty-three parents; 6 mothers, 5 fathers and 6 couples with a child with cataract were included in this study. The parents included some with a personal experience of cataract and some without. Data was collected through 17 in-depth in

Groundwater plays a key role in public water supplies around the world, and consideration of the social dimension is a key issue in sustainable groundwater management. In Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, the situation of groundwater resources is disastrous because the quality has seriously degraded recently. Hence, in this study, a social sustainability assessment framework of groundwater resources

Groundwater nitrate pollution is one of the most prevalent water-related environmental problems worldwide. The objective of this study is to identify the determinants of nitrogen pollutant changes with a focus on the nitrogen generation process. The novelty of our research framework is to cost-effectively identify the factors involved in nitrogen pollutant generation using public data. This study

Groundwater contamination by nitrate from agricultural fields is a problem shared by many parts of the world. Kagoshima prefecture, Japan, is an important agricultural district experiencing this problem. In this study, laboratory column experiments were performed and a numerical model was developed to improve understanding of nitrate transport process through volcanic ash soils overlying the aquif

Artificial subsurface barriers are among several countermeasures proposed to control seawater intrusion into coastal aquifers. We performed experimental and numerical studies to investigate the dynamics of residual saltwater trapped in the storage area upon installation of cutoff walls. Experimental results showed that after wall installation, the residual saltwater wedge initially flattened causi

Column experiments using two Japanese volcanic ash soils (Akahoya and Kuroboku soils) were carried out to improve understanding of solute transport characteristics through volcanic ash soil. As the contaminant source, a mixed solution of KNO3 and K2SO4 was applied from the top of the column. Temporal changes of cations and anions in the effluent were measured at prescribed time intervals. Breakthr

In a costal aquifer, saltwater intrusion is frequently observed due to an excess exploitation. There are many researches focused on the saltwater intrusion. However, there are few researches, which take into consideration the mixing processes in a stratified heterogeneous aquifer. In the present study, a laboratory experiment and numerical simulation are made in order to understand the phenomena i

In general, a natural aquifer has a hydrogeologically non-uniform structure. The movement of pollutants in groundwater is affected by such structural properties during transport by local advection and microscopic dispersion. The macroscopic dispersion coefficient increases linearly with travel distance or travel time at the initial stage after the pollutant is released, and then converges asymptot

Hyphal morphology and extracellular enzyme production of the fungus Mortierella isabellina were studied during grazing by a soil Collembola, Onychiurus armatus. Grazing induced switching from a "normal" hyphal mode, with appressed growth and sporulating hyphae, to fan shaped sectors of fast growing and nonsporulating mycelium which developed extensive aerial mycelium. Specific protease and α-amyla

As cell and molecular biology is becoming increasingly quantitative, there is an upsurge of interest in mechanistic modeling at different levels of resolution. Such models mostly concern kinetics and include gene and protein interactions as well as cell population dynamics. The final goal of these models is to provide experimental predictions, which is now taking on. However, even without matured

Aptitude for and proficiency in acquiring new languages varies in the human population but their neural bases are largely unknown. We investigated the influence of cortical thickness on language learning predictors measured by the LLAMA tests and a pitch-change discrimination test. The LLAMA tests are first language-independent assessments of language learning aptitude for vocabulary, phonetic wor

This paper aims to provide conceptual insight on ‘Circular business model experimentation’ by exploring the concept and potential approaches to pursue. The Circular Economy can be a successful driver for change by focusing efforts on economic and environmental issues while also addressing socio-economic challenges such as (un)employment. The business model of firms is viewed as a systematic driver

The Circular Economy is viewed as an important driver for resolving resource issues and tackling sustainability issues more broadly. The fashion industry operates in a largely linear way and suffers from various environmental, societal and economic challenges. In a Circular Economy, first and foremost, products need to be retained at the highest level, thus slowing resource loops. Slowing resource

This paper presents analysis of a scheme for iterated identification and control design. The approach is based on least squares identification in closed loop and pole placement design. It has previously been shown that the criteria for control and identification are the same provided that the data filters are chosen properly. The iterated scheme may be viewed as a recursion in model parameters. Ea

Mitochondrial dysfunction is thought to be a hallmark of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and plays a pivotal role in the resulting cellular injury. Cyclophilin D-mediated activation of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore has been suggested to contribute to this secondary injury cascade. Cyclosporine possesses neuroprotective properties that have been attributed to the desensitization of mi

Accurate determination of the genetic diversity present in the HIV quasispecies is critical for the development of a preventative vaccine: in particular, little is known about viral genetic diversity for the second type of HIV, HIV-2. A better understanding of HIV-2 biology is relevant to the HIV vaccine field because a substantial proportion of infected people experience long-term viral control,