scholarly journals HESS Opinions On the use of laboratory experimentation: "Hydrologists, bring out shovels and garden hoses and hit the dirt"

2010 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 369-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. G. Kleinhans ◽  
M. F. P. Bierkens ◽  
M. van der Perk
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Experimental Investigations ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Laboratory Experimentation ◽  
Controlled Experimentation ◽  
Modelling Approaches

Abstract. From an outsider's perspective, hydrology combines field work with modelling, but mostly ignores the potential for gaining understanding and conceiving new hypotheses from controlled laboratory experiments. Sivapalan (2009) pleaded for a question- and hypothesis-driven hydrology where data analysis and top-down modelling approaches lead to general explanations and understanding of general trends and patterns. We discuss why and how such understanding is gained very effectively from controlled experimentation in comparison to field work and modelling. We argue that many major issues in hydrology are open to experimental investigations. Though experiments may have scale problems, these are of similar gravity as the well-known problems of fieldwork and modelling and have not impeded spectacular progress through experimentation in other geosciences.

scholarly journals <i>HESS Opinions</i> "Hydrologists, bring out shovels and garden hoses and hit the dirt"

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 6581-6610
Author(s):  
M. G. Kleinhans ◽  
M. F. P. Bierkens ◽  
M. van der Perk
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Experimental Investigations ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Controlled Experimentation ◽  
Modelling Approaches

Abstract. From an outsider's perspective, hydrology combines field work with modelling, but mostly ignores the potential for gaining understanding and conceiving new hypotheses from controlled laboratory experiments. Sivapalan (2009) pleaded for a question- and hypothesis-driven hydrology where data analysis and top-down modelling approaches lead to general explanations and understanding of general trends and patterns. We discuss why and how such understanding is gained very effectively from controlled experimentation in comparison to field work and modelling. We argue that many major issues in hydrology are open to experimental investigations. Though experiments may have scale problems, these are of similar gravity as the well-known problems of fieldwork and modelling and have not impeded spectacular progress through experimentation in other geosciences.

Data Analysis and Interpretation in Metabolomics

2013 ◽  
pp. 1494-1521
Author(s):  
Jose M. Garcia-Manteiga
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Systems Biology ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Biological System ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Other ◽  
Top Down

Metabolomics represents the new ‘omics’ approach of the functional genomics era. It consists in the identification and quantification of all small molecules, namely metabolites, in a given biological system. While metabolomics refers to the analysis of any possible biological system, metabonomics is specifically applied to disease and physiopathological situations. The data collected within these approaches is highly integrative of the other higher levels and is hence amenable to be explored with a top-down systems biology point of view. The aim of this chapter is to give a global view of the state of the art in metabolomics describing the two analytical techniques usually used to give rise to this kind of data, nuclear magnetic resonance, NMR, and mass spectrometry. In addition, the author will focus on the different data analysis tools that can be applied to such studies to extract information with special interest at the attempts to integrate metabolomics with other ‘omics’ approaches and its relevance in systems biology modeling.

Data Analysis and Interpretation in Metabolomics

2011 ◽  
pp. 29-56
Author(s):  
Jose M. Garcia-Manteiga
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Systems Biology ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Biological System ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Other ◽  
Top Down

Metabolomics represents the new ‘omics’ approach of the functional genomics era. It consists in the identification and quantification of all small molecules, namely metabolites, in a given biological system. While metabolomics refers to the analysis of any possible biological system, metabonomics is specifically applied to disease and physiopathological situations. The data collected within these approaches is highly integrative of the other higher levels and is hence amenable to be explored with a top-down systems biology point of view. The aim of this chapter is to give a global view of the state of the art in metabolomics describing the two analytical techniques usually used to give rise to this kind of data, nuclear magnetic resonance, NMR, and mass spectrometry. In addition, the author will focus on the different data analysis tools that can be applied to such studies to extract information with special interest at the attempts to integrate metabolomics with other ‘omics’ approaches and its relevance in systems biology modeling.

A model-based approach for the analysis of aircraft seating comfort

Work ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 68 (s1) ◽  
pp. S251-S255
Author(s):  
Amalia Vanacore ◽  
Antonio Lanzotti ◽  
Chiara Percuoco ◽  
Agostino Capasso ◽  
Bonaventura Vitolo
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Lumbar Region ◽  
User Characteristics ◽  
Model Based ◽  
Adopted Model ◽  
Comfort Perception ◽  
Seating Comfort ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Data Analysis Methods

BACKGROUND: Aircraft seating comfort has a significant impact on passenger on-board experience. Its assessment requires the adoption of well-designed strategies for data collection as well as appropriate data analysis methods in order to obtain accurate and reliable results. OBJECTIVES: This paper focuses on the assessment of aircraft seating comfort based on subjective comfort responses collected during laboratory experiments and taking into account seat features and passenger characteristics. METHODS: The subjective comfort evaluations have been analyzed using a model-based approach to investigate the relationship between overall seating comfort and specific seat/user characteristics. RESULTS: The results show that the overall seating comfort perception is significantly influenced by the thickness of the seat pan, the backrest position (upright or reclined), the age of the passenger and the passenger perception of being comfortably supported at the lumbar region. CONCLUSIONS: The adopted model-based approach allows the analysis of subjective seating comfort data taking into account their ordinal nature as well as the dependency between evaluations provided by the same subject.

Methodology of Schema Integration for New Database Applications

2002 ◽  
pp. 194-218
Author(s):  
Joseph Fong ◽  
Kamalakar Karlapalem ◽  
Qing Li ◽  
Irene Kwan
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Functional Data Analysis ◽  
Functional Data ◽  
Schema Integration ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Database Applications ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Integration Techniques ◽  
New Applications

A practitioner’s approach to integrate databases and evolve them so as to support new database applications is presented. The approach consists of a joint bottom-up and top-down methodology; the bottom-up approach is taken to integrate existing database using standard schema integration techniques (B-Schema), the top-down approach is used to develop a database schema for the new applications (T-Schema). The T-Schema uses a joint functional-data analysis. The B-schema is evolved by comparing it with the generated T-schema. This facilitates an evolutionary approach to integrate existing databases to support new applications as and when needed. The mutual completeness check of the T-Schema against B-Schema derive the schema modification steps to be performed on B-Schema to meet the requirements of the new database applications. A case study is presented to illustrate the methodology.

Exploring destination brand disengagement in a top-down policy context

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 347-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Narcís Bassols ◽  
Thomas Leicht
Keyword(s):  
Place Branding ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Brand Strategy ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Depth Study

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the case of Cartagena, Colombia, as a case of a failed destination branding. It also broadens the findings by connecting them to the extant literature about place branding, thus making this paper more explanatory. It tries to fit the fieldwork’s findings into the two main streams of branding research (bottom-up vs top-down). This paper also gives practical insights into the destination’s network of stakeholders and discusses ways to improve the destination’s management and branding. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a mixed methodology approach. Field work consisted of online questionnaire to hospitality employees in the city plus semi-structured interviews conducted with 18 “expert” stakeholders in the destination. This paper is of empirical nature. Findings The main cause of the destination’s brand failure is found to be the top-down approach to the place brand strategy. The literature shows that cases such as this one are more common than assumed, and a possible way out of the problem is the application of bottom-up or “mixed” approaches, as these may circumvent the problems found. Research limitations/implications Cases like this one illustrate very well a local context but might be difficult to transfer to other contexts, so the generalization power of this paper is limited to similar places in the sociopolitical sense of the term. Practical implications For place branding practitioners and destination management organizations , this paper is a call for participative approaches which include all of the stakeholders of a place. Originality/value This paper offers an in-depth study of a branding case in Latin America, a part of the world relatively unexplored in the branding literature. On the basis of the presented case, this paper pitches top-down versus bottom-up approaches. Finally, it explains the findings by connecting the place to its broad geographical context.

scholarly journals Plant production on the Fladen ground

1956 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
John H. Steele
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Chlorophyll Concentration ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Plant Production ◽  
Phytoplankton Production ◽  
Oxygen Production ◽  
Full Account ◽  
Dark Bottle ◽  
Direct Estimation ◽  
Relevant Variables

The quantitative study of phytoplankton production may be pursued in many ways, but these ways can be divided into two general methods of approach. There is, first, the direct estimation of a production rate for a particular sample of the population; for example, the light-dark bottle technique for measuring oxygen production (Gaarder & Gran, 1927; Riley, 1939) and the new 14C technique (Steeman Nielsen, 1952). These estimates are made under conditions which must be, to some extent, artificial. Secondly, there is the direct estimation of relevant variables in the sea (phosphate, oxygen, chlorophyll concentration, etc.) from which production is calculated on the basis of hypotheses about the behaviour of phytoplankton. These hypotheses are, of necessity, simplifications of a mass of laboratory experiments and of previous field work. Riley, Stommel & Bumpus (1949) give a full account of this approach and of the difficulties involved in it.

Mapping the Domain of Electronic Repair Shops: A Field Study in Fault Diagnosis

1995 ◽  
Vol 39 (9) ◽  
pp. 464-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dal Vernon C. Reising ◽  
Penelope M. Sanderson
Keyword(s):  
Fault Diagnosis ◽  
Concept Maps ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Problem Definition ◽  
Experimental Investigations ◽  
Simple Explanation ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
Multiple Faults ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
In Series

Recent experimental research has indicated that different multiple faults impose differing levels of objective and subjective difficulty on human troubleshooters. Technological advances suggest that systems are becoming more complex and integrated, in which case multiple components will fail. Operators will have to be able to deal with these more complex failures. In this paper we report field work conducted in order to build and substantiate a model of the factors influencing fault diagnosis in the field. By conducting field observations and by constructing concept maps, we investigated how expert troubleshooters handle the difficulty associated with diagnosing multiple faults. The troubleshooters were expert electronic technicians in departmental repair shops on a large university campus. The end product of the research is a model of fault diagnosis that is grounded in field data. Our results suggest that diagnostic difficulty arises from several factors: (1) organizational structure, (2) technicians' strategies for fault diagnosis, and (3) equipment design. The field observations and concept maps indicate that technicians approach the diagnostic task with standard, ritualistic methods that they have developed over years of experience. They generally go through two phases of troubleshooting: (1) the problem definition phase and (2) what we call the At-the-Equipment-TroubleShooting (AETS) phase. Technicians also reason about multiple failures in series, considering one simple explanation at a time. Our principal conclusion is that in real-world settings the three previously mentioned factors have evolved to avoid situations in which technicians must engage in prolonged functional reasoning. These findings will be used (1) to develop further the model of fault diagnosis, and (2) to guide future experimental investigations studying the influences of fault diagnosis.

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