The self-organizing desk is a system that enhances a physical desk-top with electronic information. It can remember, organize, update, and manipulate the information contained in the documents on a desk. The system consists of a simple robot eye that can survey the desk, a module for smart extraction of information from the images taken by the robot, a module for representing this information i...

The increasing number of hardware and software at Daimler-Benz personal car development in Sindelfingen combined with the constant number of help-desk operators demanded a help-desk system which goes beyond the classical trouble-ticket approach. In this application paper we give an overview of the situation at the CAD/CAM Help-Desk in Sindelfingen and the development of the case-based help-desk...

Abstract It is essential to investigate person-to-person contaminant transport in mechanically ventilated spaces to improve air distribution design and reduce the infection risk from airborne infectious diseases. This paper provides a systematic study of the effects of ventilation mode, ventilation rate, and person-to-person distance on person-to-person contaminant transport. This study first c...

The pelvis of crocodilians is highly derived in that the pubic bones are isolated from the acetabulum and are attached to the ischia via moveable joints. We examined the possible role of this unusual morphology in lung ventilation by measuring ventilation, abdominal pressure and the electrical activity of several abdominal and pelvic muscles in the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis...

Health care facility ventilation design greatly affects disease transmission by aerosols. The desire to control infection in hospitals and at the same time to reduce their carbon footprint motivates the use of unconventional solutions for building design and associated control measures. This paper considers indoor sources and types of infectious aerosols, and pathogen viability and infectivity ...

Ventilation flows generated by a localised heat source within room containing two openings to the ambient environment are examined. The representative of doorway and high-level vent, steady two-layer stratification well-mixed fluid is established for all cases considered. Classical displacement ventilation flow observed when interface between layers above height doorway. Displacement can persis...

Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques to model buoyancy-driven airflows has always proved challenging. This work investigates CFD modelling of buoyancy-driven natural ventilation flows in a single-storey space connected to an atrium. The atrium is taller than the ventilated space and when warmed by internal heat gains producing a column of warm air in the atrium and connect space ...

Buoyancy-driven displacement natural ventilation in a simple multi-storey building structure is investigated. The storeys are connected to a common atrium and top-down-chimneys, and the internal heat gains of the storeys are represented by localised point heat sources on each floor. The heat sources generate thermal plumes which entrain the surrounding air and transport warm air upwards. Simple...