12 CFR 13.100 - Obligations concerning institutional customers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... market, a market with a particularly broad institutional component. Accordingly, the OCC believes it is appropriate to provide further guidance to banks on their suitability obligations when making recommendations... suitability obligations in making recommendations to an institutional customer are the customer's capability...

12 CFR 13.100 - Obligations concerning institutional customers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... market, a market with a particularly broad institutional component. Accordingly, the OCC believes it is appropriate to provide further guidance to banks on their suitability obligations when making recommendations... suitability obligations in making recommendations to an institutional customer are the customer's capability...

Central Inertial and GPS Test Facility (CIGTF) Customer Handbook

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-08-01

capabilities offer the customer a cost-effective means to evaluate their guidance and navigation systems. The 746 TS also manages the tri-service GPS...minimum your test manager ur test or current phase of testing is complete. 4.0 Customer Feedback The 746 TS works very hard to provide its customers ... Customer Handbook August 2007 HOLLOMAN AFB, NEW MEXICO Distribution Statement A Approved for public release: distribution is

Feasibility study of using statistical process control to customized quality assurance in proton therapy.

PubMed

Rah, Jeong-Eun; Shin, Dongho; Oh, Do Hoon; Kim, Tae Hyun; Kim, Gwe-Ya

2014-09-01

To evaluate and improve the reliability of proton quality assurance (QA) processes and, to provide an optimal customized tolerance level using the statistical process control (SPC) methodology. The authors investigated the consistency check of dose per monitor unit (D/MU) and range in proton beams to see whether it was within the tolerance level of the daily QA process. This study analyzed the difference between the measured and calculated ranges along the central axis to improve the patient-specific QA process in proton beams by using process capability indices. The authors established a customized tolerance level of ±2% for D/MU and ±0.5 mm for beam range in the daily proton QA process. In the authors' analysis of the process capability indices, the patient-specific range measurements were capable of a specification limit of ±2% in clinical plans. SPC methodology is a useful tool for customizing the optimal QA tolerance levels and improving the quality of proton machine maintenance, treatment delivery, and ultimately patient safety.

Customer response to day-ahead wholesale market electricity prices: Case study of RTP program experience in New York

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Goldman, C.; Hopper, N.; Sezgen, O.

2004-07-01

There is growing interest in policies, programs and tariffs that encourage customer loads to provide demand response (DR) to help discipline wholesale electricity markets. Proposals at the retail level range from eliminating fixed rate tariffs as the default service for some or all customer groups to reinstituting utility-sponsored load management programs with market-based inducements to curtail. Alternative rate designs include time-of-use (TOU), day-ahead real-time pricing (RTP), critical peak pricing, and even pricing usage at real-time market balancing prices. Some Independent System Operators (ISOs) have implemented their own DR programs whereby load curtailment capabilities are treated as a system resource andmore » are paid an equivalent value. The resulting load reductions from these tariffs and programs provide a variety of benefits, including limiting the ability of suppliers to increase spot and long-term market-clearing prices above competitive levels (Neenan et al., 2002; Boren stein, 2002; Ruff, 2002). Unfortunately, there is little information in the public domain to characterize and quantify how customers actually respond to these alternative dynamic pricing schemes. A few empirical studies of large customer RTP response have shown modest results for most customers, with a few very price-responsive customers providing most of the aggregate response (Herriges et al., 1993; Schwarz et al., 2002). However, these studies examined response to voluntary, two-part RTP programs implemented by utilities in states without retail competition.1 Furthermore, the researchers had limited information on customer characteristics so they were unable to identify the drivers to price response. In the absence of a compelling characterization of why customers join RTP programs and how they respond to prices, many initiatives to modernize retail electricity rates seem to be stymied.« less

Augmenting Naval Capabilities in Remote Locations

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-01

suggested that the Navy adopt a different style of war fighting and that the Navy consider tailoring its forces by region and mission. Based on these...Vessel Return To Ship End 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 33 Figure 14. Future State Maps. From a Lean Six Sigma perspective, the project team was trained ...systems development and the training and support services robotics companies offer. In many cases, robotics firms and the customer sign up for modular

Credibility in Peril: The Mismatch Between UK Foreign Policy and Capability in Deterring Aggression in the South Atlantic

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-26

forms a part of the economy, as does as tourism , including ecotourism, which is 1 Her Majesty the Queen, "The Falkland Islands Constitution Order...integrates two existing customs unions (Mercorsur and the Andean Community of Nations(CAN)). The group includes Mercursor nations plus Colombia, Ecuador ...orientated philosophy upon which she heavily relies to argue her case on the international stage. Nevertheless, beyond 2015 continuing domestic instability

Cloud Computing

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-11-12

Service (IaaS) Software -as-a- Service ( SaaS ) Cloud Computing Types Platform-as-a- Service (PaaS) Based on Type of Capability Based on access Based...Mellon University Software -as-a- Service ( SaaS ) Application-specific capabilities, e.g., service that provides customer management Allows organizations...as a Service ( SaaS ) Model of software deployment in which a provider licenses an application to customers for use as a service on

An information model to support user-centered design of medical devices.

PubMed

Hagedorn, Thomas J; Krishnamurty, Sundar; Grosse, Ian R

2016-08-01

The process of engineering design requires the product development team to balance the needs and limitations of many stakeholders, including those of the user, regulatory organizations, and the designing institution. This is particularly true in medical device design, where additional consideration must be given for a much more complex user-base that can only be accessed on a limited basis. Given this inherent challenge, few projects exist that consider design domain concepts, such as aspects of a detailed design, a detailed view of various stakeholders and their capabilities, along with the user-needs simultaneously. In this paper, we present a novel information model approach that combines a detailed model of design elements with a model of the design itself, customer requirements, and of the capabilities of the customer themselves. The information model is used to facilitate knowledge capture and automated reasoning across domains with a minimal set of rules by adopting a terminology that treats customer and design specific factors identically, thus enabling straightforward assessments. A uniqueness of this approach is that it systematically provides an integrated perspective on the key usability information that drive design decisions towards more universal or effective outcomes with the very design information impacted by the usability information. This can lead to cost-efficient optimal designs based on a direct inclusion of the needs of customers alongside those of business, marketing, and engineering requirements. Two case studies are presented to show the method's potential as a more effective knowledge management tool with built-in automated inferences that provide design insight, as well as its overall effectiveness as a platform to develop and execute medical device design from a holistic perspective. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Breaking the trade-off between efficiency and service.

PubMed

Frei, Frances X

2006-11-01

For manufacturers, customers are the open wallets at the end of the supply chain. But for most service businesses, they are key inputs to the production process. Customers introduce tremendous variability to that process, but they also complain about any lack of consistency and don't care about the company's profit agenda. Managing customer-introduced variability, the author argues, is a central challenge for service companies. The first step is to diagnose which type of variability is causing mischief: Customers may arrive at different times, request different kinds of service, possess different capabilities, make varying degrees of effort, and have different personal preferences. Should companies accommodate variability or reduce it? Accommodation often involves asking employees to compensate for the variations among customers--a potentially costly solution. Reduction often means offering a limited menu of options, which may drive customers away. Some companies have learned to deal with customer-introduced variability without damaging either their operating environments or customers' service experiences. Starbucks, for example, handles capability variability among its customers by teaching them the correct ordering protocol. Dell deals with arrival and request variability in its high-end server business by outsourcing customer service while staying in close touch with customers to discuss their needs and assess their experiences with third-party providers. The effective management of variability often requires a company to influence customers' behavior. Managers attempting that kind of intervention can follow a three-step process: diagnosing the behavioral problem, designing an operating role for customers that creates new value for both parties, and testing and refining approaches for influencing behavior.

Feasibility study of using statistical process control to customized quality assurance in proton therapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rah, Jeong-Eun; Oh, Do Hoon; Shin, Dongho

Purpose: To evaluate and improve the reliability of proton quality assurance (QA) processes and, to provide an optimal customized tolerance level using the statistical process control (SPC) methodology. Methods: The authors investigated the consistency check of dose per monitor unit (D/MU) and range in proton beams to see whether it was within the tolerance level of the daily QA process. This study analyzed the difference between the measured and calculated ranges along the central axis to improve the patient-specific QA process in proton beams by using process capability indices. Results: The authors established a customized tolerance level of ±2% formore » D/MU and ±0.5 mm for beam range in the daily proton QA process. In the authors’ analysis of the process capability indices, the patient-specific range measurements were capable of a specification limit of ±2% in clinical plans. Conclusions: SPC methodology is a useful tool for customizing the optimal QA tolerance levels and improving the quality of proton machine maintenance, treatment delivery, and ultimately patient safety.« less

Reinventing the International Space Station Payload Integration Processes and Capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Rod; Price, Carmen; Copeland, Scott; Geiger, Wade; Geiger, Wade; Rice, Amanda; Lauchner, Adam

2011-01-01

The fundamental ISS payload integration philosophy, processes and capabilities were established in the context of how NASA science programs were conducted and executed in the early 1990 s. Today, with the designation of the United States (US) portion of ISS as a National Lab, the ISS payload customer base is growing to include other government agencies, private and commercial research. The fields of research are becoming more diverse expanding from the NASA centric physical, materials and human research sciences to test beds for exploration and technology demonstration, biology and biotechnology, and as an Earth and Space science platform. This new customer base has a broader more diverse set of expectations and requirements for payload design, verification, integration, test, training, and operations. One size fits all processes are not responsive to this broader customer base. To maintain an organization s effectiveness it must listen to its customers, understand their needs, learn from its mistakes, and foster an environment of continual process improvement. The ISS Payloads office is evolving to meet these new customer expectations.

19 CFR 24.13a - Car, compartment, and package seals; and fastenings; standards; acceptance by Customs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Car, compartment, and package seals; and... PROCEDURE § 24.13a Car, compartment, and package seals; and fastenings; standards; acceptance by Customs. (a) General standards. The seals and fastenings, together, shall (1) Be strong and durable; (2) Be capable of...

ISO 9000 and/or Systems Engineering Capability Maturity Model?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gholston, Sampson E.

2002-01-01

For businesses and organizations to remain competitive today they must have processes and systems in place that will allow them to first identify customer needs and then develop products/processes that will meet or exceed the customers needs and expectations. Customer needs, once identified, are normally stated as requirements. Designers can then develop products/processes that will meet these requirements. Several functions, such as quality management and systems engineering management are used to assist product development teams in the development process. Both functions exist in all organizations and both have a similar objective, which is to ensure that developed processes will meet customer requirements. Are efforts in these organizations being duplicated? Are both functions needed by organizations? What are the similarities and differences between the functions listed above? ISO 9000 is an international standard of goods and services. It sets broad requirements for the assurance of quality and for management's involvement. It requires organizations to document the processes and to follow these documented processes. ISO 9000 gives customers assurance that the suppliers have control of the process for product development. Systems engineering can broadly be defined as a discipline that seeks to ensure that all requirements for a system are satisfied throughout the life of the system by preserving their interrelationship. The key activities of systems engineering include requirements analysis, functional analysis/allocation, design synthesis and verification, and system analysis and control. The systems engineering process, when followed properly, will lead to higher quality products, lower cost products, and shorter development cycles. The System Engineering Capability Maturity Model (SE-CMM) will allow companies to measure their system engineering capability and continuously improve those capabilities. ISO 9000 and SE-CMM seem to have a similar objective, which is to document the organization's processes and certify to potential customers the capability of a supplier to control the processes that determine the quality of the product or services being produced. The remaining sections of this report examine the differences and similarities between ISO 9000 and SE-CMM and make recommendations for implementation.

Mapping online transportation service quality and multiclass classification problem solving priorities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alamsyah, Andry; Rachmadiansyah, Imam

2018-03-01

Online transportation service is known for its accessibility, transparency, and tariff affordability. These points make online transportation have advantages over the existing conventional transportation service. Online transportation service is an example of disruptive technology that change the relationship between customers and companies. In Indonesia, there are high competition among online transportation provider, hence the companies must maintain and monitor their service level. To understand their position, we apply both sentiment analysis and multiclass classification to understand customer opinions. From negative sentiments, we can identify problems and establish problem-solving priorities. As a case study, we use the most popular online transportation provider in Indonesia: Gojek and Grab. Since many customers are actively give compliment and complain about company’s service level on Twitter, therefore we collect 61,721 tweets in Bahasa during one month observations. We apply Naive Bayes and Support Vector Machine methods to see which model perform best for our data. The result reveal Gojek has better service quality with 19.76% positive and 80.23% negative sentiments than Grab with 9.2% positive and 90.8% negative. The Gojek highest problem-solving priority is regarding application problems, while Grab is about unusable promos. The overall result shows general problems of both case study are related to accessibility dimension which indicate lack of capability to provide good digital access to the end users.

Base stock system for patient vs impatient customers with varying demand distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fathima, Dowlath; Uduman, P. Sheik

2013-09-01

An optimal Base-Stock inventory policy for Patient and Impatient Customers using finite-horizon models is examined. The Base stock system for Patient and Impatient customers is a different type of inventory policy. In case of the model I, Base stock for Patient customer case is evaluated using the Truncated Exponential Distribution. The model II involves the study of Base-stock inventory policies for Impatient customer. A study on these systems reveals that the Customers wait until the arrival of the next order or the customers leaves the system which leads to lost sale. In both the models demand during the period [0, t] is taken to be a random variable. In this paper, Truncated Exponential Distribution satisfies the Base stock policy for the patient customer as a continuous model. So far the Base stock for Impatient Customers leaded to a discrete case but, in this paper we have modeled this condition into a continuous case. We justify this approach mathematically and also numerically.

Strategic Plan: 2000-2005

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-01-01

publications and other mecha- nisms for increasing information literacy will be enumerated along with the customer segments for which these are targeted. (2...training pro- vided. c. STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES: (1) Increase customer awareness of information sources/capabilities. (2) Increase information literacy ; encour

12 CFR 614.4900 - Foreign exchange.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... with relationship to the customer's financial capability to bear the financial risks assumed. The bank..., where such transactions or positions normally reduce risks in the conduct and management of..., liabilities, and foreign exchange contracts. (3) Outstanding contracts with individual customers and banks. (4...

12 CFR 614.4900 - Foreign exchange.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... with relationship to the customer's financial capability to bear the financial risks assumed. The bank..., where such transactions or positions normally reduce risks in the conduct and management of..., liabilities, and foreign exchange contracts. (3) Outstanding contracts with individual customers and banks. (4...

12 CFR 614.4900 - Foreign exchange.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... with relationship to the customer's financial capability to bear the financial risks assumed. The bank..., where such transactions or positions normally reduce risks in the conduct and management of..., liabilities, and foreign exchange contracts. (3) Outstanding contracts with individual customers and banks. (4...

How Customer Facing Professionals Adapt to Changing Customer Needs in a Digital Environment: A Single Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hendriks, Stefan

2017-01-01

This qualitative single case study explored how customer facing professionals (CFPs) adapt to changing customer needs in a digital environment. This study focuses on: (1) Changing customer needs; (2) Competencies needed in a digital environment; (3) How they learn; and (4) What factors help or hinder their success. The site is a global Human…

iHelp: an intelligent online helpdesk system.

PubMed

Wang, Dingding; Li, Tao; Zhu, Shenghuo; Gong, Yihong

2011-02-01

Due to the importance of high-quality customer service, many companies use intelligent helpdesk systems (e.g., case-based systems) to improve customer service quality. However, these systems face two challenges: 1) Case retrieval measures: most case-based systems use traditional keyword-matching-based ranking schemes for case retrieval and have difficulty to capture the semantic meanings of cases and 2) result representation: most case-based systems return a list of past cases ranked by their relevance to a new request, and customers have to go through the list and examine the cases one by one to identify their desired cases. To address these challenges, we develop iHelp, an intelligent online helpdesk system, to automatically find problem-solution patterns from the past customer-representative interactions. When a new customer request arrives, iHelp searches and ranks the past cases based on their semantic relevance to the request, groups the relevant cases into different clusters using a mixture language model and symmetric matrix factorization, and summarizes each case cluster to generate recommended solutions. Case and user studies have been conducted to show the full functionality and the effectiveness of iHelp.

SU-F-T-212: A Comparison of Treatment Strategies for Intracranial Stereotactic Radiosurgery

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lamberton, T; Slater, J; Wroe, A

2016-06-15

Purpose: Stereotactic radiosurgery is an effective and noninvasive treatment for intracranial lesions that uses highly focused radiation beams in a single treatment fraction. The purpose of this study is to investigate the dosimetric differences between the treatment brain metastasis with a proton beam vs. intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Methods: Ten separate brain metastasis targets where chosen and treatment plans were created for each, using three different strategies: custom proton beam shaping devices, standardized proton beam shaping devices, and IMRT. Each plan was required to satisfy set parameters for providing adequate coverage and minimizing risk to adjacent tissues. The effectivenessmore » of each plan was calculated by comparing the homogeneity index, conformity index, and V12 for each target using a paired one tailed T-test (α=0.05). Specific comparison of the conformity indices was also made using a subcategory containing targets with volume>1cc. Results: There was no significant difference between the homogeneity indices of the three plans (p>0.05), showing that each plan has the capability of adequately covering the targets. There was a statistically significant difference (p<0.01) between the conformity indices of the custom and the standard proton plan, as with the custom proton and IMRT (p<0.01), with custom proton showing stronger conformity to the target in both cases. There was also a statistical difference between the V12 of all three plans (Custom v. Standardized: p=0.02, Custom v. IMRT: p<0.01, Standardized v. IMRT: p<0.01) with custom proton supplying the lowest dose to surrounding tissues. For large targets (volume>1cc) there was no statistical difference between the proton plans and the IMRT treatment for the conformity index. Conclusion: A custom proton plan is the recommended treatment explored in this study as it is the most reliable way of effectively treating the target while sparing the maximum amount of normal tissue.« less

Structures and Materials Experimental Facilities and Capabilities Catalog

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horta, Lucas G. (Compiler); Kurtz-Husch, Jeanette D. (Compiler)

2000-01-01

The NASA Center of Excellent for Structures and Materials at Langley Research Center is responsible for conducting research and developing useable technology in the areas of advanced materials and processing technologies, durability, damage tolerance, structural concepts, advanced sensors, intelligent systems, aircraft ground operations, reliability, prediction tools, performance validation, aeroelastic response, and structural dynamics behavior for aerospace vehicles. Supporting the research activities is a complementary set of facilities and capabilities documented in this report. Because of the volume of information, the information collected was restricted in most cases to one page. Specific questions from potential customers or partners should be directed to the points of contacts provided with the various capabilities. Grouping of the equipment is by location as opposed to function. Geographical information of the various buildings housing the equipment is also provided. Since this is the first time that such an inventory is ever collected at Langley it is by no means complete. It is estimated that over 90 percent of the equipment capabilities at hand are included but equipment is continuously being updated and will be reported in the future.

The GIS map coloring support decision-making system based on case-based reasoning and simulated annealing algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Shuang; Xiang, Wenting; Tian, Yangge

2009-10-01

Map coloring is a hard task even to the experienced map experts. In the GIS project, usually need to color map according to the customer, which make the work more complex. With the development of GIS, more and more programmers join the project team, which lack the training of cartology, their coloring map are harder to meet the requirements of customer. From the experience, customers with similar background usually have similar tastes for coloring map. So, we developed a GIS color scheme decision-making system which can select color schemes of similar customers from case base for customers to select and adjust. The system is a BS/CS mixed system, the client side use JSP and make it possible for the system developers to go on remote calling of the colors scheme cases in the database server and communicate with customers. Different with general case-based reasoning, even the customers are very similar, their selection may have difference, it is hard to provide a "best" option. So, we select the Simulated Annealing Algorithm (SAA) to arrange the emergence order of different color schemes. Customers can also dynamically adjust certain features colors based on existing case. The result shows that the system can facilitate the communication between the designers and the customers and improve the quality and efficiency of coloring map.

75 FR 4031 - Streamlining Hard-Copy Postage Statement Processing

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-26

... account via the Business Customer Gateway. Additional information on the Business Customer Gateway is found at https://gateway.usps.com/bcg or by contacting their district Manager, Business Mail Entry. In... mailer or agent. Postal facilities with PostalOne! capability would enter mailing data electronically and...

Model-based Assessment for Balancing Privacy Requirements and Operational Capabilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Knirsch, Fabian; Engel, Dominik; Frincu, Marc

2015-02-17

The smart grid changes the way energy is produced and distributed. In addition both, energy and information is exchanged bidirectionally among participating parties. Therefore heterogeneous systems have to cooperate effectively in order to achieve a common high-level use case, such as smart metering for billing or demand response for load curtailment. Furthermore, a substantial amount of personal data is often needed for achieving that goal. Capturing and processing personal data in the smart grid increases customer concerns about privacy and in addition, certain statutory and operational requirements regarding privacy aware data processing and storage have to be met. An increasemore » of privacy constraints, however, often limits the operational capabilities of the system. In this paper, we present an approach that automates the process of finding an optimal balance between privacy requirements and operational requirements in a smart grid use case and application scenario. This is achieved by formally describing use cases in an abstract model and by finding an algorithm that determines the optimum balance by forward mapping privacy and operational impacts. For this optimal balancing algorithm both, a numeric approximation and – if feasible – an analytic assessment are presented and investigated. The system is evaluated by applying the tool to a real-world use case from the University of Southern California (USC) microgrid.« less

Prosthetic management of malpositioned implant using custom cast abutment

PubMed Central

Chatterjee, Aishwarya; Ragher, Mallikarjuna; Patil, Sanket; Chatterjee, Debopriya; Dandekeri, Savita; Prabhu, Vishnu

2015-01-01

Two cases are reported with malpositioned implants. Both the implants were placed 6–7 months back. They had osseointegrated well with the surrounding bone. However, they presented severe facial inclination. Case I was restored with custom cast abutment with an auto polymerizing acrylic gingival veneer. Case II was restored with custom cast UCLA type plastic implant abutment. Ceramic was directly fired on the custom cast abutments. The dual treatment strategy resulted in functional and esthetic restorations despite facial malposition of the implants. PMID:26538957

47 CFR 2.1205 - Filing of required declaration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... TREATY MATTERS; GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS Importation of Devices Capable of Causing Harmful... Customs has not been implemented, use FCC Form 740 to provide the needed information and declarations. Attach a copy of the completed FCC Form 740 to the Customs entry papers. (b)(1) For points of entry where...

47 CFR 2.1205 - Filing of required declaration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... TREATY MATTERS; GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS Importation of Devices Capable of Causing Harmful... Customs has not been implemented, use FCC Form 740 to provide the needed information and declarations. Attach a copy of the completed FCC Form 740 to the Customs entry papers. (b)(1) For points of entry where...

47 CFR 2.1203 - General requirement for entry into the U.S.A.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... AND RADIO TREATY MATTERS; GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS Importation of Devices Capable of Causing... may be imported into the Customs territory of the United States unless the importer or ultimate consignee, or their designated customs broker, declares that the device meets one of the conditions for...

47 CFR 2.1203 - General requirement for entry into the U.S.A.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... AND RADIO TREATY MATTERS; GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS Importation of Devices Capable of Causing... may be imported into the Customs territory of the United States unless the importer or ultimate consignee, or their designated customs broker, declares that the device meets one of the conditions for...

47 CFR 2.1205 - Filing of required declaration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... TREATY MATTERS; GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS Importation of Devices Capable of Causing Harmful... Customs has not been implemented, use FCC Form 740 to provide the needed information and declarations. Attach a copy of the completed FCC Form 740 to the Customs entry papers. (b)(1) For points of entry where...

47 CFR 2.1205 - Filing of required declaration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... TREATY MATTERS; GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS Importation of Devices Capable of Causing Harmful... Customs has not been implemented, use FCC Form 740 to provide the needed information and declarations. Attach a copy of the completed FCC Form 740 to the Customs entry papers. (b)(1) For points of entry where...

47 CFR 2.1203 - General requirement for entry into the U.S.A.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... AND RADIO TREATY MATTERS; GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS Importation of Devices Capable of Causing... may be imported into the Customs territory of the United States unless the importer or ultimate consignee, or their designated customs broker, declares that the device meets one of the conditions for...

47 CFR 2.1203 - General requirement for entry into the U.S.A.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... AND RADIO TREATY MATTERS; GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS Importation of Devices Capable of Causing... may be imported into the Customs territory of the United States unless the importer or ultimate consignee, or their designated customs broker, declares that the device meets one of the conditions for...

47 CFR 2.1203 - General requirement for entry into the U.S.A.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... AND RADIO TREATY MATTERS; GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS Importation of Devices Capable of Causing... may be imported into the Customs territory of the United States unless the importer or ultimate consignee, or their designated customs broker, declares that the device meets one of the conditions for...

Customized Geological Map Patterns for the Macintosh Computer.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyer, Paul Slayton

1986-01-01

Describes how the graphics capabilities of the Apple Macintosh computer can be used in geological teaching by customizing fill patterns with lithologic symbols. Presents two methods for doing this: creating a dummy document, or by changing the pattern resource resident in the operating system. Special symbols can also replace fonts. (TW)

Structural relationships between work environment and service quality perceptions as a function of customer contact intensity: implications for human service strategy.

PubMed

Scotti, Dennis J; Harmon, Joel; Behson, Scott J

2009-01-01

This study assesses the importance of customer-contact intensity at the service encounter level as a determinant of service quality assessments. Using data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, it shows that performance-driven human resources practices play an important role as determinants of employee customer orientation and service capability in both high-contact (outpatient healthcare) and low-contact (benefits claim processing) human service contexts. However, there existed significant differences across service delivery settings in the salience of customer orientation and the congruence between employee and customer perceptions of service quality, depending on the intensity of customer contact. In both contexts, managerial attention to high-performance work systems and customer-orientation has the potential to favorably impact perceptions of service quality, amplify consumer satisfaction, and enhance operational efficiency.

Transformational Spaceport and Range Capabilities Roadmap Interim Review to National Research Council External Review Panel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Poniatowski, Karen

2005-01-01

Contents include the following: Overview/Introduction. Roadmap Approach/Considerations. Roadmap Timeline/Spirals. Requirements Development. Spaceport/Range Capabilities. Mixed Range Architecture. User Requirements/Customer Considerations. Manifest Considerations. Emerging Launch User Requirements. Capability Breakdown Structure/Assessment. Roadmap Team Observations. Transformational Range Test Concept. Roadmap Team Conclusions. Next Steps.

Understanding Customers: The Jobs to Be Done Theory Applied in the Context of a Rural Food Pantry.

PubMed

Vaterlaus, J Mitchell; Cottle, Natalie Martineau; Patten, Emily Vaterlaus; Gibbons, Robyn

2018-04-28

Food insecurity, and particularly rural food insecurity, has unique challenges associated with it. Understanding the customer or patron needs is increasingly important in resolving this national concern. The Jobs to Be Done Theory posits that when considering customers, it is beneficial to move past demographic profiling and focus on what the customer wants to accomplish by using a particular product or service. This qualitative study aimed to determine customers' jobs to be done at a rural food pantry. In addition, it seeks to demonstrate the application of contemporary management theory to dietetics practice. A case study approach was used in this study. Case study data collection procedures included six male and six female food pantry patrons in Montana completing in-depth, audio-recorded interviews and surveys. Each person's interview and survey were constructed into individual case descriptions; the case descriptions were analyzed using uniform categories determined by researchers. To identify themes in the holistic case, word tables were created for each uniform category and assessed for key themes representing patrons' experiences. The key themes that emerged were the customer in context, customers' food relief needs, connecting with customers, and barriers to utilization. The application of Jobs to Be Done Theory to rural food pantry customers demonstrates that demographic segmentation does not capture the social, emotional, and functional dimensions for this sample. Investigation of customer experiences, circumstances, and obstacles is important for improving dietetics services. Copyright © 2018 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Analysis of on-call consultations with clinical pathologists--identification of customer's satisfaction].

PubMed

Yanai, M

2000-09-01

One aspect whereby effectiveness of clinical pathologists can be measured is customer service and satisfaction. Clinical pathologist should identify their customers, their processes and procedures to meet these needs to the customer's satisfaction. To identify customer's satisfaction, the records of on-call consultations with clinical pathologists were analyzed. Between January 1996 and December 1998, 1327 consultations were recorded, 40% of which were consultations from physicians, 50% from medical technologists. Physicians requested interpretation of laboratory data obtained, and clinical knowledge mainly concerning the microbiology and hematology during office hours. On holidays, physicians needed help performing emergency tests such as Gram stain and Wright-Giemsa stain. During office hours, medical technologists requested clinical information concerning patients in whom unreasonable data would be reported and the contact to the clinical side. Furthermore, technologists inquired about the methodology of laboratory tests during day duty on holidays. These results indicated that the clinical pathologist in our hospital could satisfy the customer(physicians and medical technologists), by providing 1) a wide range of clinical knowledge concerning not only the laboratory medicine but clinical medicine including therapeutics, 2) capability of performing emergency tests such as Gram stain and Wright-Giemsa stain, and 3) capability of interpreting the results obtained. Although these would not be adopted in every hospital, every clinical pathologist should examine his role in the hospital.

A new approach to power quality and electricity reliability monitoring-case study illustrations of the capabilities of the I-GridTM system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Divan, Deepak; Brumsickle, William; Eto, Joseph

2003-04-01

This report describes a new approach for collecting information on power quality and reliability and making it available in the public domain. Making this information readily available in a form that is meaningful to electricity consumers is necessary for enabling more informed private and public decisions regarding electricity reliability. The system dramatically reduces the cost (and expertise) needed for customers to obtain information on the most significant power quality events, called voltage sags and interruptions. The system also offers widespread access to information on power quality collected from multiple sites and the potential for capturing information on the impacts ofmore » power quality problems, together enabling a wide variety of analysis and benchmarking to improve system reliability. Six case studies demonstrate selected functionality and capabilities of the system, including: Linking measured power quality events to process interruption and downtime; Demonstrating the ability to correlate events recorded by multiple monitors to narrow and confirm the causes of power quality events; and Benchmarking power quality and reliability on a firm and regional basis.« less

Benchmarking Customer Service Practices of Air Cargo Carriers: A Case Study Approach

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-09-01

customer toll free hotlines, comment and complaint analysis, and consumer advisory panels (Zemke and Schaaf, 1989:31-34). The correct use of any or all of... customer service criteria. The research also provides a host of customer service criteria that the researchers find important to most consumers . Bhote...AD-A285 014 DTIC ELECI’E SEP 2 9 1994 kOF4 * BENCHMARKING CUSTOMER SERVICE -, PRACTICES OF AIR CARGO CARRIERS: A CASE STUDY APPROACH THESIS Patrick D

Applying CBR to machine tool product configuration design oriented to customer requirements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Pengjia; Gong, Yadong; Xie, Hualong; Liu, Yongxian; Nee, Andrew Yehching

2017-01-01

Product customization is a trend in the current market-oriented manufacturing environment. However, deduction from customer requirements to design results and evaluation of design alternatives are still heavily reliant on the designer's experience and knowledge. To solve the problem of fuzziness and uncertainty of customer requirements in product configuration, an analysis method based on the grey rough model is presented. The customer requirements can be converted into technical characteristics effectively. In addition, an optimization decision model for product planning is established to help the enterprises select the key technical characteristics under the constraints of cost and time to serve the customer to maximal satisfaction. A new case retrieval approach that combines the self-organizing map and fuzzy similarity priority ratio method is proposed in case-based design. The self-organizing map can reduce the retrieval range and increase the retrieval efficiency, and the fuzzy similarity priority ratio method can evaluate the similarity of cases comprehensively. To ensure that the final case has the best overall performance, an evaluation method of similar cases based on grey correlation analysis is proposed to evaluate similar cases to select the most suitable case. Furthermore, a computer-aided system is developed using MATLAB GUI to assist the product configuration design. The actual example and result on an ETC series machine tool product show that the proposed method is effective, rapid and accurate in the process of product configuration. The proposed methodology provides a detailed instruction for the product configuration design oriented to customer requirements.

77 FR 15024 - Privacy Act of 1974; Revised System of Records

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-14

... Agency customers and employees single sign-on capability and electronic authentication and authorization...Authentication acts as a single sign-on point for USDA Agency applications. This allows a USDA customer to sign onto any USDA applications they have been authorized on via a single sign-on. 2. When a record on its...

New mission requirements methodologies for services provided by the Office of Space Communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holmes, Dwight P.; Hall, J. R.; Macoughtry, William; Spearing, Robert

1993-01-01

The Office of Space Communications, NASA Headquarters, has recently revised its methodology for receiving, accepting and responding to customer requests for use of that office's tracking and communications capabilities. This revision is the result of a process which has become over-burdened by the size of the currently active and proposed missions set, requirements reviews that focus on single missions rather than on mission sets, and negotiations most often not completed early enough to effect needed additions to capacity or capability prior to launch. The requirements-coverage methodology described is more responsive to project/program needs and provides integrated input into the NASA budget process early enough to effect change, and describes the mechanisms and tools in place to insure a value-added process which will benefit both NASA and its customers. Key features of the requirements methodology include the establishment of a mechanism for early identification of and systems trades with new customers, and delegates the review and approval of requirements documents to NASA centers in lieu of Headquarters, thus empowering the system design teams to establish and negotiate the detailed requirements with the user. A Mission Requirements Request (MRR) is introduced to facilitate early customer interaction. The expected result is that the time to achieve an approved set of implementation requirements which meet the customer's needs can be greatly reduced. Finally, by increasing the discipline in requirements management, through the use of base lining procedures, a tighter coupling between customer requirements and the budget is provided. A twice-yearly projection of customer requirements accommodation, designated as the Capacity Projection Plan (CPP), provides customer feedback allowing the entire mission set to be serviced.

"Teaching Case": Who Renews? Who Leaves? Identifying Customer Churn in a Telecom Company Using Big Data Techniques

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asamoah, Daniel A.; Sharda, Ramesh; Kalgotra, Pankush; Ott, Mark

2016-01-01

Within the context of the telecom industry, this teaching case is an active learning analytics exercise to help students build hands-on expertise on how to utilize Big Data to solve a business problem. Particularly, the case utilizes an analytics method to help develop a customer retention strategy to mitigate against an increasing customer churn…

High resolution wind turbine wake measurements with a scanning lidar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herges, T. G.; Maniaci, D. C.; Naughton, B. T.; Mikkelsen, T.; Sjöholm, M.

2017-05-01

High-resolution lidar wake measurements are part of an ongoing field campaign being conducted at the Scaled Wind Farm Technology facility by Sandia National Laboratories and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory using a customized scanning lidar from the Technical University of Denmark. One of the primary objectives is to collect experimental data to improve the predictive capability of wind plant computational models to represent the response of the turbine wake to varying inflow conditions and turbine operating states. The present work summarizes the experimental setup and illustrates several wake measurement example cases. The cases focus on demonstrating the impact of the atmospheric conditions on the wake shape and position, and exhibit a sample of the data that has been made public through the Department of Energy Atmosphere to Electrons Data Archive and Portal.

Six-sigma application in tire-manufacturing company: a case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, Vikash; Jain, Rahul; Meena, M. L.; Dangayach, G. S.

2017-09-01

Globalization, advancement of technologies, and increment in the demand of the customer change the way of doing business in the companies. To overcome these barriers, the six-sigma define-measure-analyze-improve-control (DMAIC) method is most popular and useful. This method helps to trim down the wastes and generating the potential ways of improvement in the process as well as service industries. In the current research, the DMAIC method was used for decreasing the process variations of bead splice causing wastage of material. This six-sigma DMAIC research was initiated by problem identification through voice of customer in the define step. The subsequent step constitutes of gathering the specification data of existing tire bead. This step was followed by the analysis and improvement steps, where the six-sigma quality tools such as cause-effect diagram, statistical process control, and substantial analysis of existing system were implemented for root cause identification and reduction in process variation. The process control charts were used for systematic observation and control the process. Utilizing DMAIC methodology, the standard deviation was decreased from 2.17 to 1.69. The process capability index (C p) value was enhanced from 1.65 to 2.95 and the process performance capability index (C pk) value was enhanced from 0.94 to 2.66. A DMAIC methodology was established that can play a key role for reducing defects in the tire-manufacturing process in India.

The case for customer loyalty.

PubMed

Sturm, Arthur C

2004-09-01

How does customer loyalty grow? Through good customer experiences. Yet some organizations seem to genuinely fail to understand that they can keep or lose a customer in the proverbial blink of an eye. And in this era of increasing customer demands across all industries, it's important that healthcare financial managers understand the correlation between customer loyalty and customer experience.

Emailing Drones: From Design to Test Range to ARS Offices and into the Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuka, D. R.; Singer, S.; Rodriguez, R., III; Collick, A.; Cunningham, A.; Kleinman, P. J. A.; Manoukis, N. C.; Matthews, B.; Ralston, T.; Easton, Z. M.

2017-12-01

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or `drones') are one of the newest tools available for collecting geo- and biological-science data in the field, though today's commercial drones only come in a small range of options. While scientific research has benefitted from the enhanced topographic and surface characterization data that UAVs can provide through traditional image based remote sensing techniques, drones have significantly greater mission-specific potential than are currently utilized. The reasons for this under-utilization are twofold, 1) because with their broad capabilities comes the need to be careful in implementation, and as such, FAA and other regulatory agencies around the world have blanket regulations that can inhibit new designs from being implemented, and 2) current multi-mission-multi-payload commercial drones have to be over-designed to compensate for the fact that they are very difficult to stabilize for multiple payloads, leading to a much higher cost than necessary. For this project, we explore and demonstrate a workflow to optimize the design, testing, approval, and implementation of embarrassingly inexpensive mission specific drones, with two use cases. The first will follow the process from design (at VTech and UH Hilo) to field implementation (by USDA-ARS in PA and Extension in VA) of several custom water quality monitoring drones, printed on demand at ARS and Extension offices after testing at the Pan-Pacific UAS Test Range Complex (PPUTRC). This type of customized drone can allow for an increased understanding in the transition from non-point source to point source agri-chemical and pollutant transport in watershed systems. The second use case will follow the same process, resulting in customized drones with pest specific traps built into the design. This class of customized drone can facilitate IPM pest monitoring programs nationwide, decreasing the intensive and costly quarantine and population elimination measures that currently exist. This multi-institutional project works toward an optimized workflow where scientists can quickly 1) customize drones to meet specific purposes, 2) have them tested in FAA Test Ranges, and 3) get them certified and working in the field, while 4) cutting their cost to significantly less than what is currently available.

Applied 3D printing for microscopy in health science research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brideau, Craig; Zareinia, Kourosh; Stys, Peter

2015-03-01

The rapid prototyping capability offered by 3D printing is considered advantageous for commercial applications. However, the ability to quickly produce precision custom devices is highly beneficial in the research laboratory setting as well. Biological laboratories require the manipulation and analysis of delicate living samples, thus the ability to create custom holders, support equipment, and adapters allow the extension of existing laboratory machines. Applications include camera adapters and stage sample holders for microscopes, surgical guides for tissue preparation, and small precision tools customized to unique specifications. Where high precision is needed, especially the reproduction of fine features, a printer with a high resolution is needed. However, the introduction of cheaper, lower resolution commercial printers have been shown to be more than adequate for less demanding projects. For direct manipulation of delicate samples, biocompatible raw materials are often required, complicating the printing process. This paper will examine some examples of 3D-printed objects for laboratory use, and provide an overview of the requirements for 3D printing for this application. Materials, printing resolution, production, and ease of use will all be reviewed with an eye to producing better printers and techniques for laboratory applications. Specific case studies will highlight applications for 3D-printed devices in live animal imaging for both microscopy and Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Integrated Component-based Data Acquisition Systems for Aerospace Test Facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ross, Richard W.

2001-01-01

The Multi-Instrument Integrated Data Acquisition System (MIIDAS), developed by the NASA Langley Research Center, uses commercial off the shelf (COTS) products, integrated with custom software, to provide a broad range of capabilities at a low cost throughout the system s entire life cycle. MIIDAS combines data acquisition capabilities with online and post-test data reduction computations. COTS products lower purchase and maintenance costs by reducing the level of effort required to meet system requirements. Object-oriented methods are used to enhance modularity, encourage reusability, and to promote adaptability, reducing software development costs. Using only COTS products and custom software supported on multiple platforms reduces the cost of porting the system to other platforms. The post-test data reduction capabilities of MIIDAS have been installed at four aerospace testing facilities at NASA Langley Research Center. The systems installed at these facilities provide a common user interface, reducing the training time required for personnel that work across multiple facilities. The techniques employed by MIIDAS enable NASA to build a system with a lower initial purchase price and reduced sustaining maintenance costs. With MIIDAS, NASA has built a highly flexible next generation data acquisition and reduction system for aerospace test facilities that meets customer expectations.

Sensor to User - NASA/EOS Data for Coastal Zone Management Applications Developed from Integrated Analyses: Verification, Validation and Benchmark Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Callie; Arnone, Robert

2006-01-01

The NASA Applied Sciences Program seeks to transfer NASA data, models, and knowledge into the hands of end-users by forming links with partner agencies and associated decision support tools (DSTs). Through the NASA REASoN (Research, Education and Applications Solutions Network) Cooperative Agreement, the Oceanography Division of the Naval Research Laboratory (NRLSSC) is developing new products through the integration of data from NASA Earth-Sun System assets with coastal ocean forecast models and other available data to enhance coastal management in the Gulf of Mexico. The recipient federal agency for this research effort is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The contents of this report detail the effort to further the goals of the NASA Applied Sciences Program by demonstrating the use of NASA satellite products combined with data-assimilating ocean models to provide near real-time information to maritime users and coastal managers of the Gulf of Mexico. This effort provides new and improved capabilities for monitoring, assessing, and predicting the coastal environment. Coastal managers can exploit these capabilities through enhanced DSTs at federal, state and local agencies. The project addresses three major issues facing coastal managers: 1) Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs); 2) hypoxia; and 3) freshwater fluxes to the coastal ocean. A suite of ocean products capable of describing Ocean Weather is assembled on a daily basis as the foundation for this semi-operational multiyear effort. This continuous realtime capability brings decision makers a new ability to monitor both normal and anomalous coastal ocean conditions with a steady flow of satellite and ocean model conditions. Furthermore, as the baseline data sets are used more extensively and the customer list increased, customer feedback is obtained and additional customized products are developed and provided to decision makers. Continual customer feedback and response with new improved products are required between the researcher and customer. This document details the methods by which these coastal ocean products are produced including the data flow, distribution, and verification. Product applications and the degree to which these products are used successfully within NOAA and coordinated with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) is benchmarked.

Operation and cost of a small dehumidification dry kiln

Treesearch

Richard D. Bergman

2008-01-01

Obtaining small quantities of custom kiln-dried lumber can be an expensive process for an individual woodworker. Building and operating a small kiln capable of drying custom cuts of lumber (such as slabs, bowl blanks) gives woodworkers another option. Our approach was to build and operate a small dehumidification dry kiln. The four charges of lumber ranged from 600 to...

Large optical 3D MEMS switches in access networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madamopoulos, Nicholas; Kaman, Volkan; Yuan, Shifu; Jerphagnon, Olivier; Helkey, Roger; Bowers, John E.

2007-09-01

Interest is high among residential customers and businesses for advanced, broadband services such as fast Internet access, electronic commerce, video-on-demand, digital broadcasting, teleconferencing and telemedicine. In order to satisfy such growing demand of end-customers, access technologies such as fiber-to-the-home/building (FTTH/B) are increasingly being deployed. Carriers can reduce maintenance costs, minimize technology obsolescence and introduce new services easily by reducing active elements in the fiber access network. However, having a passive optical network (PON) also introduces operational and maintenance challenges. Increased diagnostic monitoring capability of the network becomes a necessity as more and more fibers are provisioned to deliver services to the end-customers. This paper demonstrates the clear advantages that large 3D optical MEMS switches offer in solving these access network problems. The advantages in preventative maintenance, remote monitoring, test and diagnostic capability are highlighted. The low optical insertion loss for all switch optical connections of the switch enables the monitoring, grooming and serving of a large number of PON lines and customers. Furthermore, the 3D MEMS switch is transparent to optical wavelengths and data formats, thus making it easy to incorporate future upgrades, such higher bit rates or DWDM overlay to a PON.

Novel laser induced photoacoustic spectroscopy for instantaneous trace detection of explosive materials.

PubMed

El-Sharkawy, Yasser H; Elbasuney, Sherif

2017-08-01

Laser photoacoustic spectroscopy (LPAS) is an attractive technology in terms of simplicity, ruggedness, and overall sensitivity; it detects the time dependent heat generated (thermo-elastic effect) in the target via interaction with pulsed optical radiation. This study reports on novel LPAS technique that offers instant and standoff detection capabilities of trace explosives. Over the current study, light is generated using pulsed Q-switched Nd:YAG laser; the generated photoacoustic response in stimulated explosive material offers signature values that depend on the optical, thermal, and acoustical properties. The generated acoustic waves were captured using piezoelectric transducer as well as novel customized optical sensor with remotely laser interferometer probe. A digital signal processing algorithm was employed to identify explosive material signatures via calculation of characteristic optical properties (absorption coefficient), sound velocity, and frequency response of the generated photoacoustic signal. Customized LPAS technique was employed for instantaneous trace detection of three main different high explosive materials including TNT, RDX, and HMX. The main outcome of this study is that the novel customized optical sensor signals were validated with traditional piezoelectric transducer. Furthermore, the customized optical sensor offered standoff detection capabilities (10cm), fast response, high sensitivity, and enhanced signal to noise ratio. This manuscript shaded the light on the instant detection of trace explosive materials from significant standoffs using novel customized LPAS technique. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Advances in Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging allowing for quantitative measurement of laterally heterogeneous samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raegen, Adam; Reiter, Kyle; Clarke, Anthony; Lipkowski, Jacek; Dutcher, John

2012-02-01

The Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) phenomenon is routinely exploited to qualitatively probe changes to materials on metallic surfaces for use in probes and sensors. Unfortunately, extracting truly quantitative information is usually limited to a select few cases -- uniform absorption/desorption of small biomolecules and films, in which a continuous ``slab'' model is a good approximation. We present advancements in the SPR technique that expand the number of cases for which the technique can provide meaningful results. Use of a custom, angle-scanning SPR imaging system, together with a refined data analysis method, allow for quantitative kinetic measurements of laterally heterogeneous systems. The degradation of cellulose microfibrils and bundles of microfibrils due to the action of cellulolytic enzymes will be presented as an excellent example of the capabilities of the SPR imaging system.

Experience Transitioning Models and Data at the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berger, Thomas

2016-07-01

The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center has a long history of transitioning research data and models into operations and with the validation activities required. The first stage in this process involves demonstrating that the capability has sufficient value to customers to justify the cost needed to transition it and to run it continuously and reliably in operations. Once the overall value is demonstrated, a substantial effort is then required to develop the operational software from the research codes. The next stage is to implement and test the software and product generation on the operational computers. Finally, effort must be devoted to establishing long-term measures of performance, maintaining the software, and working with forecasters, customers, and researchers to improve over time the operational capabilities. This multi-stage process of identifying, transitioning, and improving operational space weather capabilities will be discussed using recent examples. Plans for future activities will also be described.

Ensuring US National Aeronautics Test Capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marshall, Timothy J.

2010-01-01

U.S. leadership in aeronautics depends on ready access to technologically advanced, efficient, and affordable aeronautics test capabilities. These systems include major wind tunnels and propulsion test facilities and flight test capabilities. The federal government owns the majority of the major aeronautics test capabilities in the United States, primarily through the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Defense (DoD). However, changes in the Aerospace landscape, primarily the decrease in demand for testing over the last 20 years required an overarching strategy for management of these national assets. Therefore, NASA established the Aeronautics Test Program (ATP) as a two-pronged strategic initiative to: (1) retain and invest in NASA aeronautics test capabilities considered strategically important to the agency and the nation, and (2) establish a strong, high level partnership with the DoD. Test facility utilization is a critical factor for ATP because it relies on user occupancy fees to recover a substantial part of the operations costs for its facilities. Decreasing utilization is an indicator of excess capacity and in some cases low-risk redundancy (i.e., several facilities with basically the same capability and overall low utilization). However, low utilization does not necessarily translate to lack of strategic importance. Some facilities with relatively low utilization are nonetheless vitally important because of the unique nature of the capability and the foreseeable aeronautics testing needs. Unfortunately, since its inception, the customer base for ATP has continued to shrink. Utilization of ATP wind tunnels has declined by more than 50% from the FY 2006 levels. This significant decrease in customer usage is attributable to several factors, including the overall decline in new programs and projects in the aerospace sector; the impact of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) on the design, development, and research process; and the reductions in wind tunnel testing requirements within the largest consumer of ATP wind tunnel test time, the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD). Retirement of the Space Shuttle Program and recent perturbations of NASA's Constellation Program will exacerbate this downward trend. Therefore it is crucial that ATP periodically revisit and determine which of its test capabilities are strategically important, which qualify as low-risk redundancies that could be put in an inactive status or closed, and address the challenges associated with both sustainment and improvements to the test capabilities that must remain active. This presentation will provide an overview of the ATP vision, mission, and goals as well as the challenges and opportunities the program is facing both today and in the future. We will discuss the strategy ATP is taking over the next five years to address the National aeronautics test capability challenges and what the program will do to capitalize on its opportunities to ensure a ready, robust and relevant portfolio of National aeronautics test capabilities.

16 CFR 313.5 - Annual privacy notice to customers required.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... continuation of the customer relationship. Annually means at least once in any period of 12 consecutive months... customer by December 31 of year 2. (b)(1) Termination of customer relationship. You are not required to... any statements or notices to the customer concerning that relationship; (iv) In the case of mortgage...

16 CFR 313.5 - Annual privacy notice to customers required.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... continuation of the customer relationship. Annually means at least once in any period of 12 consecutive months... customer by December 31 of year 2. (b)(1) Termination of customer relationship. You are not required to... any statements or notices to the customer concerning that relationship; (iv) In the case of mortgage...

KSC Technical Capabilities Website

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nufer, Brian; Bursian, Henry; Brown, Laurette L.

2010-01-01

This document is the website pages that review the technical capabilities that the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has for partnership opportunities. The purpose of this information is to make prospective customers aware of the capabilities and provide an opportunity to form relationships with the experts at KSC. The technical capabilities fall into these areas: (1) Ground Operations and Processing Services, (2) Design and Analysis Solutions, (3) Command and Control Systems / Services, (4) Materials and Processes, (5) Research and Technology Development and (6) Laboratories, Shops and Test Facilities.

On-site customization of silicone stents: towards optimal palliation of complex airway conditions.

PubMed

Breen, David P; Dutau, Hervé

2009-01-01

Stents may be indicated as treatment of benign and malignant conditions of the central airways. Occasionally, aberrant and/or distorted airways secondary to therapy or surgery may preclude the use of commercially manufactured stents. The customization of stents is well described for nonpulmonary diseases, but to date there are only limited data in the literature on prosthesis customization for airway disease. To review all the different techniques and indications of on-site silicone stent customizations and their related complications. A retrospective study was undertaken to identify all patients who underwent treatment with a silicone stent which was customized on site by the physician. The study included subjects treated during an 8-year period. Forty-nine on-site customizations were performed in 43 patients (34 males, mean age 63 +/- 5.2 years). Stent customization was performed in 5.4% of the cases. Stent customization was performed for malignant and benign disease in 35 (81.3%) and 8 (18.7%) cases, respectively. In all cases, the stent deployed successfully and performed well while in situ. Stent manipulation did not increase complications. Customization of airway stents by the physician can lead to successful stenting of difficult airway lesions with a good short-term safety profile. Standard commercially available stents may have resulted in suboptimal management of complex airway pathologies. A prospective study is warranted to further investigate the safety profile and complications associated with stent customization. Copyright 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Integrating Customer Intimacy Into Radiology to Improve the Patient Perspective: The Case of Breast Cancer Screening.

PubMed

Chhor, Chloe M; Mercado, Cecilia L

2016-02-01

The customer intimacy business model has emerged as a key operational approach for health care organizations as they move toward patient-centered care. The question arises how the customer intimacy approach can be implemented in the clinical setting and whether it can help practitioners address problems and improve quality of care. Breast cancer screening and its emphasis on the patient perspective provides an interesting case study for understanding how the customer intimacy approach can be integrated into radiologic practice to improve the patient experience.

Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS): A case study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crandall, Karen S.; Auping, Judith V.; Megargle, Robert G.

1987-01-01

In the late 70's, a refurbishment of the analytical laboratories serving the Materials Division at NASA Lewis Research Center was undertaken. As part of the modernization efforts, a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) was to be included. Preliminary studies indicated a custom-designed system as the best choice in order to satisfy all of the requirements. A scaled down version of the original design has been in operation since 1984. The LIMS, a combination of computer hardware, provides the chemical characterization laboratory with an information data base, a report generator, a user interface, and networking capabilities. This paper is an account of the processes involved in designing and implementing that LIMS.

Thermal protection using very high temperature ceramics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adamczyk, George R.

1992-01-01

The purpose of the paper is to expose the reader to a technology that may solve some of the toughest materials problems facing thermal protection for use in aerospace. Supermaterials has created a system capable of producing unique material properties. Over 10 years and many man-hours have been invested in the development of this technology. Applications range from the food industry to the rigors of outer space. The flexibility of the system allows for customization not found in many other processes and at a reasonable cost. The ranges of materials and alloys that can be created are endless. Many cases with unique characteristics have been identified and we can expect even more with further development.

Surviving the Storm : Expanding Public Health’s Capabilities in Response to the Increasing Threats Posed by Novel Viruses

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-01

Therapy Citations Uses Pros Cons Medical Efficacy Mono-Therapy: Class: Statins Atorvastatin (Lipitor) Rosuvastatin (Crestor) Simvastatin...Considerations Citations Good Choice for a State Stockpile? Yes or No Mono-Therapy: Statins Atorvastatin (Lipitor) ↓ Virus Rep: No ↓ Imm...www.goodrx.com/lipitor/price#/?distance=13&filter-location=&coords=&label= atorvastatin &formtablet &strength=40mg&quantity=custom&qty-custom=18450&language

6th Annual National Small Business Conference

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-03

Extension Partnership – MIT Lean Advancement Initiative – Customers • Lean Tools – Value Stream Mapping – Kaizen Events Center for Management...Blue denotes kaizen events Most suppliers did not have in-house lean capability therefore the OEM and customer facilitated the events 36 Center for...Management & Economic Research 37 Kaizen Events • Kaizen is the process of: – Identifying & eliminating waste – as quickly as possible – at the

Large-scale Topographical Screen for Investigation of Physical Neural-Guidance Cues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Wei; Tang, Qing Yuan; Jadhav, Amol D.; Narang, Ankit; Qian, Wei Xian; Shi, Peng; Pang, Stella W.

2015-03-01

A combinatorial approach was used to present primary neurons with a large library of topographical features in the form of micropatterned substrate for high-throughput screening of physical neural-guidance cues that can effectively promote different aspects of neuronal development, including axon and dendritic outgrowth. Notably, the neuronal-guidance capability of specific features was automatically identified using a customized image processing software, thus significantly increasing the screening throughput with minimal subjective bias. Our results indicate that the anisotropic topographies promote axonal and in some cases dendritic extension relative to the isotropic topographies, while dendritic branching showed preference to plain substrates over the microscale features. The results from this work can be readily applied towards engineering novel biomaterials with precise surface topography that can serve as guidance conduits for neuro-regenerative applications. This novel topographical screening strategy combined with the automated processing capability can also be used for high-throughput screening of chemical or genetic regulatory factors in primary neurons.

A novel scalable manufacturing process for the production of hydrogel-forming microneedle arrays.

PubMed

Lutton, Rebecca E M; Larrañeta, Eneko; Kearney, Mary-Carmel; Boyd, Peter; Woolfson, A David; Donnelly, Ryan F

2015-10-15

A novel manufacturing process for fabricating microneedle arrays (MN) has been designed and evaluated. The prototype is able to successfully produce 14×14 MN arrays and is easily capable of scale-up, enabling the transition from laboratory to industry and subsequent commercialisation. The method requires the custom design of metal MN master templates to produce silicone MN moulds using an injection moulding process. The MN arrays produced using this novel method was compared with centrifugation, the traditional method of producing aqueous hydrogel-forming MN arrays. The results proved that there was negligible difference between either methods, with each producing MN arrays with comparable quality. Both types of MN arrays can be successfully inserted in a skin simulant. In both cases the insertion depth was approximately 60% of the needle length and the height reduction after insertion was in both cases approximately 3%. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A novel scalable manufacturing process for the production of hydrogel-forming microneedle arrays

PubMed Central

Lutton, Rebecca E.M.; Larrañeta, Eneko; Kearney, Mary-Carmel; Boyd, Peter; Woolfson, A.David; Donnelly, Ryan F.

2015-01-01

A novel manufacturing process for fabricating microneedle arrays (MN) has been designed and evaluated. The prototype is able to successfully produce 14 × 14 MN arrays and is easily capable of scale-up, enabling the transition from laboratory to industry and subsequent commercialisation. The method requires the custom design of metal MN master templates to produce silicone MN moulds using an injection moulding process. The MN arrays produced using this novel method was compared with centrifugation, the traditional method of producing aqueous hydrogel-forming MN arrays. The results proved that there was negligible difference between either methods, with each producing MN arrays with comparable quality. Both types of MN arrays can be successfully inserted in a skin simulant. In both cases the insertion depth was approximately 60% of the needle length and the height reduction after insertion was in both cases approximately 3%. PMID:26302858

Electronic business model for small- and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SME): a case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuen, Karina; Chung, Walter W.

2001-10-01

This paper identifies three essential factors (information infrastructure, executive information system and a new manufacturing paradigm) that are used to support the development of a new business model for competitiveness. They facilitate changes in organization structure in support of business transformation. A SME can source a good manufacturing practice using a model of academic-university collaboration to gain competitive advantage in the e-business world. The collaboration facilitates the change agents to use information systems development as a vehicle to increase the capability of executives in using information and knowledge management to gain higher responsiveness and customer satisfaction. The case company is used to illustrate the application of a web-based executive information system to interface internal communications with external operation. It explains where a good manufacturing practice may be re-applied by other SMEs to acquire skills as a learning organization grows in an extended enterprise setting.

Investigation of tissue cellularity at the tip of the core biopsy needle with optical coherence tomography.

PubMed

Iftimia, Nicusor; Park, Jesung; Maguluri, Gopi; Krishnamurthy, Savitri; McWatters, Amanda; Sabir, Sharjeel H

2018-02-01

We report the development and the pre-clinical testing of a new technology based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) for investigating tissue composition at the tip of the core biopsy needle. While ultrasound, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging are routinely used to guide needle placement within a tumor, they still do not provide the resolution needed to investigate tissue cellularity (ratio between viable tumor and benign stroma) at the needle tip prior to taking a biopsy core. High resolution OCT imaging, however, can be used to investigate tissue morphology at the micron scale, and thus to determine if the biopsy core would likely have the expected composition. Therefore, we implemented this capability within a custom-made biopsy gun and evaluated its capability for a correct estimation of tumor tissue cellularity. A pilot study on a rabbit model of soft tissue cancer has shown the capability of this technique to provide correct evaluation of tumor tissue cellularity in over 85% of the cases. These initial results indicate the potential benefit of the OCT-based approach for improving the success of the core biopsy procedures.

The Drivers of ERP Implementation and Its Impact on Organizational Capabilities and Performance and Customer Value

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hwang, Woosang

2011-01-01

In a constantly changing global business environment, firms have no other choice but to continually expand their capabilities and sharpen their competitive edge. Toward this goal, an increasing number of organizations are turning to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. An ERP system utilizes various kinds of information processing…

Development of a new modular aerial spray system and night application capability for the U.S. Air Force

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The U.S. Air Force maintains a capability with the C130 aircraft to conduct aerial spray operations over large areas for controlling insects of medical importance. The current modular aerial spray system (MASS) is custom designed to support a variety of configurations from ultralow volume space spra...

Defeating feature fatigue.

PubMed

Rust, Roland T; Thompson, Debora Viana; Hamilton, Rebecca W

2006-02-01

Consider a coffeemaker that offers 12 drink options, a car with more than 700 features on the dashboard, and a mouse pad that's also a clock, calculator, and FM radio. All are examples of "feature bloat", or "featuritis", the result of an almost irresistible temptation to load products with lots of bells and whistles. The problem is that the more features a product boasts, the harder it is to use. Manufacturers that increase a product's capability--the number of useful functions it can perform--at the expense of its usability are exposing their customers to feature fatigue. The authors have conducted three studies to gain a better understanding of how consumers weigh a product's capability relative to its usability. They found that even though consumers know that products with more features are harder to use, they initially choose high-feature models. They also pile on more features when given the chance to customize a product for their needs. Once consumers have actually worked with a product, however, usability starts to matter more to them than capability. For managers in consumer products companies, these findings present a dilemma: Should they maximize initial sales by designing high-feature models, which consumers consistently choose, or should they limit the number of features in order to enhance the lifetime value of their customers? The authors' analytical model guides companies toward a happy middle ground: maximizing the net present value of the typical customer's profit stream. The authors also advise companies to build simpler products, help consumers learn which products suit their needs, develop products that do one thing very well, and design market research in which consumers use actual products or prototypes.

19 CFR 162.78 - Presentations responding to prepenalty notice.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... Commissioner of Customs determines that the case involves an issue which is a proper matter for submission to... 19 Customs Duties 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Presentations responding to prepenalty notice. 162.78 Section 162.78 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY...

19 CFR 162.78 - Presentations responding to prepenalty notice.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... Commissioner of Customs determines that the case involves an issue which is a proper matter for submission to... 19 Customs Duties 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Presentations responding to prepenalty notice. 162.78 Section 162.78 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY...

19 CFR 162.78 - Presentations responding to prepenalty notice.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... Commissioner of Customs determines that the case involves an issue which is a proper matter for submission to... 19 Customs Duties 2 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Presentations responding to prepenalty notice. 162.78 Section 162.78 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY...

19 CFR 162.78 - Presentations responding to prepenalty notice.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... Commissioner of Customs determines that the case involves an issue which is a proper matter for submission to... 19 Customs Duties 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Presentations responding to prepenalty notice. 162.78 Section 162.78 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY...

76 FR 79025 - Privacy of Consumer Financial Information (Regulation P)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-21

... who has a customer relationship with you. (j)(1) Customer relationship means a continuing relationship... examples, and for purposes of this part only, in the case of a credit union, a customer relationship will... consumers and customers.\\2\\ Prior to July 21, 2011, rulemaking authority for the privacy provisions of the...

Case study: the health SmartLibrary experiences in web personalization and customization at the Galter health sciences library, Northwestern University.

PubMed

Shedlock, James; Frisque, Michelle; Hunt, Steve; Walton, Linda; Handler, Jonathan; Gillam, Michael

2010-04-01

How can the user's access to health information, especially full-text articles, be improved? The solution is building and evaluating the Health SmartLibrary (HSL). The setting is the Galter Health Sciences Library, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University. The HSL was built on web-based personalization and customization tools: My E-Resources, Stay Current, Quick Search, and File Cabinet. Personalization and customization data were tracked to show user activity with these value-added, online services. Registration data indicated that users were receptive to personalized resource selection and that the automated application of specialty-based, personalized HSLs was more frequently adopted than manual customization by users. Those who did customize customized My E-Resources and Stay Current more often than Quick Search and File Cabinet. Most of those who customized did so only once. Users did not always take advantage of the services designed to aid their library research experiences. When personalization is available at registration, users readily accepted it. Customization tools were used less frequently; however, more research is needed to determine why this was the case.

Large High Performance Optics for Spaceborne Missions: L-3 Brashear Experience and Capability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Canzian, Blaise; Gardopee, George; Clarkson, Andrew; Hull, Tony; Borucki, William J.

2010-01-01

Brashear is a division of L-3 Communications, Integrated Optical Systems. Brashear is well known for the ground-based telescopes it has manufactured at its facilities and delivered to satisfied customers. Optics from meter-class up to 8.3 meters diameter have been fabricated in Brashear's facilities. Brashear has demonstrated capabilities for large spaceborne optics. We describe in this paper both legacy and new Brashear capabilities for high performance spaceborne optics.

The Unmanned Mission Avionics Test Heliciopter - a Flexible and Versatile Vtol-Uas Experimental System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schulz, H.-W., , Dr.

2011-09-01

civil customers. These applications cover a wide spectrum from R&D programs for the military customer to special services for the civil customer. This paper focuses on the technical conversion of a commercially available VTOL-UAS to ESG's Unmanned Mission Avionics Test Helicopter (UMAT), its concept and operational capabilities. At the end of the paper, the current integration of a radar sensor is described as an example of the UMATs flexibility. The radar sensor is developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for High Frequency Physics and Radar Techniques (FHR). It is integrated by ESG together with the industrial partner SWISS UAV.

Service quality that improves customer satisfaction in a university: a case study in Institut Teknologi Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Theresia, L.; Bangun, R.

2017-12-01

Universities should provide better service quality to get more customers. The purpose of this study was to find service quality which has impact on the increasing of customer satisfaction in a university. This study is a case study in Institut Teknologi Indonesia (ITI). The result of the study will help ITI to improve its service quality to increase customer satisfaction. This study employs path analysis technique. The data were collected through questionnaires developed from the literature. Questionnaires have two parts namely 1) service quality and 2) customer satisfaction. Service quality is measured through 22 questions with five service quality dimensions: 1) Tangibles, 2) Reliability, 3) Responsiveness, 4) Assurance and 5) Empathy. Customer Satisfaction is measured through 4 questions. The data then are processed by SPSS. The results showed that the students preferred to tangible quality improvement than intangible aspect.

Development of an MR-compatible hand exoskeleton that is capable of providing interactive robotic rehabilitation during fMRI imaging.

PubMed

Kim, Sangjoon J; Kim, Yeongjin; Lee, Hyosang; Ghasemlou, Pouya; Kim, Jung

2018-02-01

Following advances in robotic rehabilitation, there have been many efforts to investigate the recovery process and effectiveness of robotic rehabilitation procedures through monitoring the activation status of the brain. This work presents the development of a two degree-of-freedom (DoF) magnetic resonance (MR)-compatible hand device that can perform robotic rehabilitation procedures inside an fMRI scanner. The device is capable of providing real-time monitoring of the joint angle, angular velocity, and joint force produced by the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints of four fingers. For force measurement, a custom reflective optical force sensor was developed and characterized in terms of accuracy error, hysteresis, and repeatability in the MR environment. The proposed device consists of two non-magnetic ultrasonic motors to provide assistive and resistive forces to the MCP and PIP joints. With actuation and sensing capabilities, both non-voluntary-passive movements and active-voluntary movements can be implemented. The MR compatibility of the device was verified via the analysis of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of MR images of phantoms. SNR drops of 0.25, 2.94, and 11.82% were observed when the device was present but not activated, when only the custom force sensor was activated, and when both the custom force sensor and actuators were activated, respectively.

Turkey BILSAT-1: a Case Study for the Surrey Know-How Transfer and Training Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghafoor, Nadeem; Murat Leloglu, Ugur; Sweeting, Martin, , Sir

2002-01-01

Surrey has established itself over the past 18 years as a world leader in providing hands-on spacecraft engineering training through its Small Satellite Engineering Know-How Transfer and Training (`KHTT') programme. This 18- month course runs alongside the construction of a microsatellite executed through SSTL, and strikes a balance between classroom-based teaching and total immersion within professional engineering teams. Hands-on training is provided covering the entire satellite engineering process, from mission and subsystem design, through module manufacture, assembly and integration, to qualification and flight model environmental tests, launch and commissioning. SSTL's experience in providing the KHTT programme has resulted in a well-defined course structure that yet retains the ability to accommodate individual customer requirements. The programme also takes full advantage of SSTL's intrinsic link with the Surrey Space Centre (`SSC') at the University of Surrey, offering a range of MSc and PhD research programmes pursuing common research interests of both SSTL and the customer, and in many cases complementing the development of either the customer's satellite or their future plans for an evolved space capability. Throughout 2002, three KHTT programmes have run in parallel at SSTL. A team of 11 engineers from the Centre Nationale des Techniques Spatiales in Algeria have now reached completion of their programme with Alsat-1, the first enhanced microsatellite of the Disaster Monitoring Constellation (`DMC'). In December 2001, 15 engineers from the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology in Nigeria arrived at SSTL and are now midway through their programme with Nigeriasat-1, the second enhanced microsatellite of the DMC. Thirdly, arriving slightly earlier in August 2001, a team from Tubitak-Bilten in Turkey commenced their KHTT programme with BILSAT-1, a high-capability enhanced microsatellite also contributing to the DMC, and are due to continue through February 2003. This paper explores the case of BILSAT-1 as a particular example of the SSTL KHTT approach. The BILSAT-1 KHTT team comprises a core group of 8 young engineers with strong backgrounds in mechanical, electrical and electronic engineering. Complementing the activities of this SSTL-based team are 4 MSc students conducting research at the Surrey Space Centre and a number of academic staff and technicians at Tubitak-Bilten in Ankara. The core team engineers, upon completing their academic lecture programme, immediately became involved in the development work on BILSAT-1. Hardware experience has been gained through the building, integrating and testing of an engineering model, before the team proceeds with testing of the assembled BILSAT-1 flight model. The team has also worked with their colleagues at Tubitak-Bilten in proposing and designing two of the BILSAT-1 payloads, the multispectral imager and the high-performance DSP card, both being manufactured in Turkey. In support of the new facility being built at Tubitak-Bilten several future cleanroom and ECAD staff visited SSTL earlier this year to attend soldering and PCB manufacturing courses. With training in project management forming the final component of the KHTT team's training a firm basis is established from which Tubitak-Bilten hopes to further develop its own satellite production capabilities.

Next-generation sequencing for genetic testing of familial colorectal cancer syndromes.

PubMed

Simbolo, Michele; Mafficini, Andrea; Agostini, Marco; Pedrazzani, Corrado; Bedin, Chiara; Urso, Emanuele D; Nitti, Donato; Turri, Giona; Scardoni, Maria; Fassan, Matteo; Scarpa, Aldo

2015-01-01

Genetic screening in families with high risk to develop colorectal cancer (CRC) prevents incurable disease and permits personalized therapeutic and follow-up strategies. The advancement of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies has revolutionized the throughput of DNA sequencing. A series of 16 probands for either familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP; 8 cases) or hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC; 8 cases) were investigated for intragenic mutations in five CRC familial syndromes-associated genes (APC, MUTYH, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6) applying both a custom multigene Ion AmpliSeq NGS panel and conventional Sanger sequencing. Fourteen pathogenic variants were detected in 13/16 FAP/HNPCC probands (81.3 %); one FAP proband presented two co-existing pathogenic variants, one in APC and one in MUTYH. Thirteen of these 14 pathogenic variants were detected by both NGS and Sanger, while one MSH2 mutation (L280FfsX3) was identified only by Sanger sequencing. This is due to a limitation of the NGS approach in resolving sequences close or within homopolymeric stretches of DNA. To evaluate the performance of our NGS custom panel we assessed its capability to resolve the DNA sequences corresponding to 2225 pathogenic variants reported in the COSMIC database for APC, MUTYH, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6. Our NGS custom panel resolves the sequences where 2108 (94.7 %) of these variants occur. The remaining 117 mutations reside inside or in close proximity to homopolymer stretches; of these 27 (1.2 %) are imprecisely identified by the software but can be resolved by visual inspection of the region, while the remaining 90 variants (4.0 %) are blind spots. In summary, our custom panel would miss 4 % (90/2225) of pathogenic variants that would need a small set of Sanger sequencing reactions to be solved. The multiplex NGS approach has the advantage of analyzing multiple genes in multiple samples simultaneously, requiring only a reduced number of Sanger sequences to resolve homopolymeric DNA regions not adequately assessed by NGS. The implementation of NGS approaches in routine diagnostics of familial CRC is cost-effective and significantly reduces diagnostic turnaround times.

27 CFR 19.607 - Marks on cases.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

.... Cases removed for export, transfer to customs bonded warehouses or customs manufacturing bonded warehouses, transfer to foreign-trade zones, or for use as supplies on certain vessels and aircraft, shall...; or (6) Labels or data describing the contents for commercial identification or accounting purposes...

Space Environmental Effects Testing Capability at the Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeWittBurns, H.; Craven, Paul; Finckenor, Miria; Nehls, Mary; Schneider, Todd; Vaughn, Jason

2012-01-01

Understanding the effects of the space environment on materials and systems is fundamental and essential for mission success. If not properly understood and designed for, the effects of the environment can lead to degradation of materials, reduction of functional lifetime, and system failure. In response to this need, the Marshall Space Flight Center has developed world class Space Environmental Effects (SEE) expertise and test facilities to simulate the space environment. Capabilities include multiple unique test systems comprising the most complete SEE testing capability available. These test capabilities include charged particle radiation (electrons, protons, ions), ultraviolet radiation (UV), vacuum ultraviolet radiation (VUV), atomic oxygen, plasma effects, space craft charging, lunar surface and planetary effects, vacuum effects, and hypervelocity impacts as well as the combination of these capabilities. In addition to the uniqueness of the individual test capabilities, MSFC is the only NASA facility where the effects of the different space environments can be tested in one location. Combined with additional analytical capabilities for pre- and post-test evaluation, MSFC is a one-stop shop for materials testing and analysis. The SEE testing and analysis are performed by a team of award winning experts nationally recognized for their contributions in the study of the effects of the space environment on materials and systems. With this broad expertise in space environmental effects and the variety of test systems and equipment available, MSFC is able to customize tests with a demonstrated ability to rapidly adapt and reconfigure systems to meet customers needs. Extensive flight experiment experience bolsters this simulation and analysis capability with a comprehensive understanding of space environmental effects.

Early warning system for potential churners among mortgage customers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irpan, Hamidah Muhd; Aidid, Sharifah Sakinah Syed Hassan; Mohmad, Sarahiza; Ibrahim, Noorazilah

2014-07-01

Retaining existing customer is a major task for many companies because cost to acquire new customers is higher than retaining existing customers. For mortgage business in Bank X, customer relationship management plays a big role to understand their customers' profile and churners so that suitable action can be done to retain their potential churners. Objectives of this study are (1) understanding their customers' profile and churners, (2) modeling potential churners using neural network model and (3) to deploy the model to identify potential churners. Data was divided into two parts: sampling (67,470 cases) and scoring (4,488 cases). Analysis was done using SAS Enterprise Miner. Dependent variable is churner/non churner while independent variables are balance and amount of loan, interest rate offered installment amount, loan performance, months in arrear, vintage, tenure, age, race and gender. Potential churners were identified as Malays, followed by Indian, other races and Chinese. Nonperforming loan and male customers tend to churn compared to performing loan and female customers. Younger customers with small loan amount, balance and monthly instalment, higher interest rate, have many months in arrears, longer vintage and tenure have higher tendency to churn from Bank X. Hence, Bank X should focus on the potential churners for their campaign to minimize the expenses of retaining existing customers by doing an effective campaign with high successful rate.

A smarter way to search, share and utilize open-spatial online data for energy R&D - Custom machine learning and GIS tools in U.S. DOE's virtual data library & laboratory, EDX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rose, K.; Bauer, J.; Baker, D.; Barkhurst, A.; Bean, A.; DiGiulio, J.; Jones, K.; Jones, T.; Justman, D.; Miller, R., III; Romeo, L.; Sabbatino, M.; Tong, A.

2017-12-01

As spatial datasets are increasingly accessible through open, online systems, the opportunity to use these resources to address a range of Earth system questions grows. Simultaneously, there is a need for better infrastructure and tools to find and utilize these resources. We will present examples of advanced online computing capabilities, hosted in the U.S. DOE's Energy Data eXchange (EDX), that address these needs for earth-energy research and development. In one study the computing team developed a custom, machine learning, big data computing tool designed to parse the web and return priority datasets to appropriate servers to develop an open-source global oil and gas infrastructure database. The results of this spatial smart search approach were validated against expert-driven, manual search results which required a team of seven spatial scientists three months to produce. The custom machine learning tool parsed online, open systems, including zip files, ftp sites and other web-hosted resources, in a matter of days. The resulting resources were integrated into a geodatabase now hosted for open access via EDX. Beyond identifying and accessing authoritative, open spatial data resources, there is also a need for more efficient tools to ingest, perform, and visualize multi-variate, spatial data analyses. Within the EDX framework, there is a growing suite of processing, analytical and visualization capabilities that allow multi-user teams to work more efficiently in private, virtual workspaces. An example of these capabilities are a set of 5 custom spatio-temporal models and data tools that form NETL's Offshore Risk Modeling suite that can be used to quantify oil spill risks and impacts. Coupling the data and advanced functions from EDX with these advanced spatio-temporal models has culminated with an integrated web-based decision-support tool. This platform has capabilities to identify and combine data across scales and disciplines, evaluate potential environmental, social, and economic impacts, highlight knowledge or technology gaps, and reduce uncertainty for a range of `what if' scenarios relevant to oil spill prevention efforts. These examples illustrate EDX's growing capabilities for advanced spatial data search and analysis to support geo-data science needs.

Customizing the JPL Multimission Ground Data System: Lessons learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murphy, Susan C.; Louie, John J.; Guerrero, Ana Maria; Hurley, Daniel; Flora-Adams, Dana

1994-01-01

The Multimission Ground Data System (MGDS) at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has brought improvements and new technologies to mission operations. It was designed as a generic data system to meet the needs of multiple missions and avoid re-inventing capabilities for each new mission and thus reduce costs. It is based on adaptable tools that can be customized to support different missions and operations scenarios. The MGDS is based on a distributed client/server architecture, with powerful Unix workstations, incorporating standards and open system architectures. The distributed architecture allows remote operations and user science data exchange, while also providing capabilities for centralized ground system monitor and control. The MGDS has proved its capabilities in supporting multiple large-class missions simultaneously, including the Voyager, Galileo, Magellan, Ulysses, and Mars Observer missions. The Operations Engineering Lab (OEL) at JPL has been leading Customer Adaptation Training (CAT) teams for adapting and customizing MGDS for the various operations and engineering teams. These CAT teams have typically consisted of only a few engineers who are familiar with operations and with the MGDS software and architecture. Our experience has provided a unique opportunity to work directly with the spacecraft and instrument operations teams and understand their requirements and how the MGDS can be adapted and customized to minimize their operations costs. As part of this work, we have developed workstation configurations, automation tools, and integrated user interfaces at minimal cost that have significantly improved productivity. We have also proved that these customized data systems are most successful if they are focused on the people and the tasks they perform and if they are based upon user confidence in the development team resulting from daily interactions. This paper will describe lessons learned in adapting JPL's MGDS to fly the Voyager, Galileo, and Mars Observer missions. We will explain how powerful, existing ground data systems can be adapted and packaged in a cost effective way for operations of small and large planetary missions. We will also describe how the MGDS was adapted to support operations within the Galileo Spacecraft Testbed. The Galileo testbed provided a unique opportunity to adapt MGDS to support command and control operations for a small autonomous operations team of a handful of engineers flying the Galileo Spacecraft flight system model.

Design of launch systems using continuous improvement process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Richard W.

1995-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to identify a systematic process for improving ground operations for future launch systems. This approach is based on the Total Quality Management (TQM) continuous improvement process. While the continuous improvement process is normally identified with making incremental changes to an existing system, it can be used on new systems if they use past experience as a knowledge base. In the case of the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV), the Space Shuttle operations provide many lessons. The TQM methodology used for this paper will be borrowed from the United States Air Force 'Quality Air Force' Program. There is a general overview of the continuous improvement process, with concentration on the formulation phase. During this phase critical analyses are conducted to determine the strategy and goals for the remaining development process. These analyses include analyzing the mission from the customers point of view, developing an operations concept for the future, assessing current capabilities and determining the gap to be closed between current capabilities and future needs and requirements. A brief analyses of the RLV, relative to the Space Shuttle, will be used to illustrate the concept. Using the continuous improvement design concept has many advantages. These include a customer oriented process which will develop a more marketable product and a better integration of operations and systems during the design phase. But, the use of TQM techniques will require changes, including more discipline in the design process and more emphasis on data gathering for operational systems. The benefits will far outweigh the additional effort.

Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Practice Guidelines: Customized for Iranian Population

PubMed Central

Rajavi, Zhale; Safi, Sare; Javadi, Mohammad Ali; Azarmina, Mohsen; Moradian, Siamak; Entezari, Morteza; Nourinia, Ramin; Ahmadieh, Hamid; Shirvani, Armin; Shahraz, Saeid; Ramezani, Alireza; Dehghan, Mohammad Hossein; Shahsavari, Mohsen; Soheilian, Masoud; Nikkhah, Homayoun; Ziaei, Hossein; Behboudi, Hasan; Farrahi, Fereydoun; Falavarjani, Khalil Ghasemi; Parvaresh, Mohammad Mehdi; Fesharaki, Hamid; Abrishami, Majid; Shoeibi, Nasser; Rahimi, Mansour; Javadzadeh, Alireza; Karkhaneh, Reza; Riazi-Esfahani, Mohammad; Manaviat, Masoud Reza; Maleki, Alireza; Kheiri, Bahareh; Golbafian, Faegheh

2016-01-01

Purpose: To customize clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for management of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in the Iranian population. Methods: Three DR CPGs (The Royal College of Ophthalmologists 2013, American Academy of Ophthalmology [Preferred Practice Pattern 2012], and Australian Diabetes Society 2008) were selected from the literature using the AGREE tool. Clinical questions were designed and summarized into four tables by the customization team. The components of the clinical questions along with pertinent recommendations extracted from the above-mentioned CPGs; details of the supporting articles and their levels of evidence; clinical recommendations considering clinical benefits, cost and side effects; and revised recommendations based on customization capability (applicability, acceptability, external validity) were recorded in 4 tables, respectively. Customized recommendations were sent to the faculty members of all universities across the country to score the recommendations from 1 to 9. Results: Agreed recommendations were accepted as the final recommendations while the non-agreed ones were approved after revision. Eventually, 29 customized recommendations under three major categories consisting of screening, diagnosis and treatment of DR were developed along with their sources and levels of evidence. Conclusion: This customized CPGs for management of DR can be used to standardize the referral pathway, diagnosis and treatment of patients with diabetic retinopathy. PMID:27994809

Decision Analysis Methods Used to Make Appropriate Investments in Human Exploration Capabilities and Technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams-Byrd, Julie; Arney, Dale C.; Hay, Jason; Reeves, John D.; Craig, Douglas

2016-01-01

NASA is transforming human spaceflight. The Agency is shifting from an exploration-based program with human activities in low Earth orbit (LEO) and targeted robotic missions in deep space to a more sustainable and integrated pioneering approach. Through pioneering, NASA seeks to address national goals to develop the capacity for people to work, learn, operate, live, and thrive safely beyond Earth for extended periods of time. However, pioneering space involves daunting technical challenges of transportation, maintaining health, and enabling crew productivity for long durations in remote, hostile, and alien environments. Prudent investments in capability and technology developments, based on mission need, are critical for enabling a campaign of human exploration missions. There are a wide variety of capabilities and technologies that could enable these missions, so it is a major challenge for NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) to make knowledgeable portfolio decisions. It is critical for this pioneering initiative that these investment decisions are informed with a prioritization process that is robust and defensible. It is NASA's role to invest in targeted technologies and capabilities that would enable exploration missions even though specific requirements have not been identified. To inform these investments decisions, NASA's HEOMD has supported a variety of analysis activities that prioritize capabilities and technologies. These activities are often based on input from subject matter experts within the NASA community who understand the technical challenges of enabling human exploration missions. This paper will review a variety of processes and methods that NASA has used to prioritize and rank capabilities and technologies applicable to human space exploration. The paper will show the similarities in the various processes and showcase instances were customer specified priorities force modifications to the process. Specifically, this paper will describe the processes that the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) Technology Assessment and Integration Team (TAIT) has used for several years and how those processes have been customized to meet customer needs while staying robust and defensible. This paper will show how HEOMD uses these analyses results to assist with making informed portfolio investment decisions. The paper will also highlight which human exploration capabilities and technologies typically rank high regardless of the specific design reference mission. The paper will conclude by describing future capability and technology ranking activities that will continue o leverage subject matter experts (SME) input while also incorporating more model-based analysis.

How Healthcare Can Refocus on Its Super-Customers (Patients, n =1) and Customers (Doctors and Nurses) by Leveraging Lessons from Amazon, Uber, and Watson.

PubMed

Kolker, Evelyne; Özdemir, Vural; Kolker, Eugene

2016-06-01

Healthcare is transforming with data-intensive omics technologies and Big Data. The "revolution" has already happened in technology, but the bottlenecks have shifted to the social domain: Who can be empowered by Big Data? Who are the users and customers? In this review and innovation field analysis, we introduce the idea of a "super-customer" versus "customer" and relate both to 21st century healthcare. A "super-customer" in healthcare is the patient, sample size of n = 1, while "customers" are the providers of healthcare (e.g., doctors and nurses). The super-customers have been patients, enabled by unprecedented social practices, such as the ability to track one's physical activities, personal genomics, patient advocacy for greater autonomy, and self-governance, to name but a few. In contrast, the originally intended customers-providers, doctors, and nurses-have relatively lagged behind. With patients as super-customers, there are valuable lessons to be learned from industry examples, such as Amazon and Uber. To offer superior quality service, healthcare organizations have to refocus on the needs, pains, and aspirations of their super-customers by enabling the customers. We propose a strategic solution to this end: the PPT-DAM (People-Process-Technology empowered by Data, Analytics, and Metrics) approach. When applied together with the classic Experiment-Execute-Evaluate iterative methodology, we suggest PPT-DAM is an extremely powerful approach to deliver quality health services to super-customers and customers. As an example, we describe the PPT-DAM implementation by the Benchmarking Improvement Program at the Seattle Children's Hospital. Finally, we forecast that cognitive systems in general and IBM Watson in particular, if properly implemented, can bring transformative and sustainable capabilities in healthcare far beyond the current ones.

The Effect of Non-technical Factors in B2C E-Commerce

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanayei, Ali; Shafe'Ei, Reza

As e-commerce grows across industries worldwide , business are building web sites for presence as well as for online business. It is more than transferring current business operations to a new medium. This situation requires explaining main models, changing infrastructures, and notice to customer needs as their vital rights. Whilst increasing numbers of firms have launched themselves on the Internet, they are trying to consideration of the strategic implications of developing, implementing or running a Web site. Global competition, laws, and customer preferences are among the issues being affected by e-commerce. In this study many factors that effect on e-commerce are considered these factors have no technical issue in nature. Companies related factors, customers' knowledge, customers' trust and customers' behavior are the main effective factors in development of B2C e-commerce. In this research we surveyed the mentioned aspects by offering questionnaire to experts of e-commerce for companies. The results show there is a meaningful relationship between perception, knowledge, trust and attitude of customers and the company's capabilities in the other side with B2C e-commerce development.

Design of customer knowledge management system for Aglaonema Nursery in South Tangerang, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugiarto, D.; Mardianto, I.; Dewayana, TS; Khadafi, M.

2017-12-01

The purpose of this paper is to describe the design of customer knowledge management system to support customer relationship management activities for an aglaonema nursery in South Tangerang, Indonesia. System. The steps were knowledge identification (knowledge about customer, knowledge from customer, knowledge for customer), knowledge capture, codification, analysis of system requirement and create use case and activity diagram. The result showed that some key knowledge were about supporting customer in plant care (know how) and types of aglaonema including with the prices (know what). That knowledge for customer then codified and shared in knowledge portal website integrated with social media. Knowledge about customer were about customers and their behaviour in purchasing aglaonema. Knowledge from customer were about feedback, favorite and customer experience. Codified knowledge were placed and shared using content management system based on wordpress.

Simulation and Analysis of EXPRESS Run Frequency

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-01

indicator, Customer Wait Time ( CWT ), is a measure of total wait time for a customer from the time they submit a need until it is fulfilled...Department of Defense 2000). MICAP hours is a special subset of CWT reserved for requirements that represent a mission capability need (i.e. an aircraft is...performance is tracked by total CWT and MICAP days, which are convertible to hours by multiplying by 24. CWT is tracked by measuring the total time

Custom Titanium Ridge Augmentation Matrix (CTRAM): A Case Report.

PubMed

Connors, Christopher A; Liacouras, Peter C; Grant, Gerald T

2016-01-01

This is a case report of a custom titanium ridge augmentation matrix (CTRAM). Using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), a custom titanium space-maintaining device was developed. Alveolar ridges were virtually augmented, a matrix was virtually designed, and the CTRAM was additively manufactured with titanium (Ti6Al4V). Two cases are presented that resulted in sufficient increased horizontal bone volume with successful dental implant placement. The CTRAM design allows for preoperative planning for increasing alveolar ridge dimensions to support dental implants, reduces surgical time, and prevents the need for a second surgical site to gain sufficient alveolar ridge bone volume for dental implant therapy.

Why Customers Use or Do Not Use Internet Banking: A Case Study of a Community Bank

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beadnell, Stephen Allen

2014-01-01

The banking industry is being challenged by shareholders and consumers to provide its products in the most efficient manner, provide good customer service, and earn a fair profit. Although the infrastructure is in place to serve most customers through Internet banking, the number of customers using this channel is less than expected. The purpose…

Case study: the Health SmartLibrary* experiences in web personalization and customization at the Galter Health Sciences Library, Northwestern University

PubMed Central

Shedlock, James; Frisque, Michelle; Hunt, Steve; Walton, Linda; Handler, Jonathan; Gillam, Michael

2010-01-01

Question: How can the user's access to health information, especially full-text articles, be improved? The solution is building and evaluating the Health SmartLibrary (HSL). Setting: The setting is the Galter Health Sciences Library, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University. Method: The HSL was built on web-based personalization and customization tools: My E-Resources, Stay Current, Quick Search, and File Cabinet. Personalization and customization data were tracked to show user activity with these value-added, online services. Main Results: Registration data indicated that users were receptive to personalized resource selection and that the automated application of specialty-based, personalized HSLs was more frequently adopted than manual customization by users. Those who did customize customized My E-Resources and Stay Current more often than Quick Search and File Cabinet. Most of those who customized did so only once. Conclusion: Users did not always take advantage of the services designed to aid their library research experiences. When personalization is available at registration, users readily accepted it. Customization tools were used less frequently; however, more research is needed to determine why this was the case. PMID:20428276

Practical marketing for dentistry. 3. Relationship marketing and patient/customer satisfaction.

PubMed

Ball, R

1996-06-22

In this article, we look at the philosophy of customer focus and value, and how dental practices can produce and deliver high customer value and satisfaction, to retain as well as attract their customers-the patients. Total quality concepts will also be discussed in the context of their relationship with marketing activities. In all cases, where 'customer' is referenced, this means 'patient' in the context of a dentistry, since patients are the customers, their requirements must be considered in targeting the marketing of a dental practice.

Mining Rare Events Data for Assessing Customer Attrition Risk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Au, Tom; Chin, Meei-Ling Ivy; Ma, Guangqin

Customer attrition refers to the phenomenon whereby a customer leaves a service provider. As competition intensifies, preventing customers from leaving is a major challenge to many businesses such as telecom service providers. Research has shown that retaining existing customers is more profitable than acquiring new customers due primarily to savings on acquisition costs, the higher volume of service consumption, and customer referrals. For a large enterprise, its customer base consists of tens of millions service subscribers, more often the events, such as switching to competitors or canceling services are large in absolute number, but rare in percentage, far less than 5%. Based on a simple random sample, popular statistical procedures, such as logistic regression, tree-based method and neural network, can sharply underestimate the probability of rare events, and often result a null model (no significant predictors). To improve efficiency and accuracy for event probability estimation, a case-based data collection technique is then considered. A case-based sample is formed by taking all available events and a small, but representative fraction of nonevents from a dataset of interest. In this article we showed a consistent prior correction method for events probability estimation and demonstrated the performance of the above data collection techniques in predicting customer attrition with actual telecommunications data.

Offering memorable patient experience through creative, dynamic marketing strategy

PubMed Central

Raţiu, M; Purcărea, T

2008-01-01

Creative, dynamic strategies are the ones that identify new and better ways of uniquely offering the target customers what they want or need. A business can achieve competitive advantage if it chooses a marketing strategy that sets the business apart from anyone else. Healthcare services companies have to understand that the customer should be placed in the centre of all specific marketing operations. The brand message should reflect the focus on the patient. Healthcare products and services offered must represent exactly the solutions that customers expect. The touchpoints with the patients must be well mastered in order to convince them to accept the proposed solutions. Healthcare service providers must be capable to look beyond customer's behaviour or product and healthcare service aquisition. This will demand proactive and far–reaching changes, including focusing specifically on customer preference, quality, and technological interfaces; rewiring strategy to find new value from existing and unfamiliar sources; disintegrating and radically reassembling operational processes; and restructuring the organization to accommodate new typess of work and skill. PMID:20108466

Offering memorable patient experience through creative, dynamic marketing strategy.

PubMed

Purcărea, Victor Lorín; Raţíu, Monica; Purcărea, Theodor; Davila, Carol

2008-01-01

Creative, dynamic strategies are the ones that identify new and better ways of uniquely offering the target customers what they want or need. A business can achieve competitive advantage if it chooses a marketing strategy that sets the business apart from anyone else. Healthcare services companies have to understand that the customer should be placed in the centre of all specific marketing operations. The brand message should reflect the focus on the patient. Healthcare products and services offered must represent exactly the solutions that customers expect. The touchpoints with the patients must be well mastered in order to convince them to accept the proposed solutions. Healthcare service providers must be capable to look beyond customer's behaviour or product and healthcare service aquisition. This will demand proactive and far-reaching changes, including focusing specifically on customer preference, quality, and technological interfaces; rewiring strategy to find new value from existing and unfamiliar sources: disintegrating and radically reassembling operational processes: and restructuring the organization to accommodate new types of work and skill.

Implementation of age and gender recognition system for intelligent digital signage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Sang-Heon; Sohn, Myoung-Kyu; Kim, Hyunduk

2015-12-01

Intelligent digital signage systems transmit customized advertising and information by analyzing users and customers, unlike existing system that presented advertising in the form of broadcast without regard to type of customers. Currently, development of intelligent digital signage system has been pushed forward vigorously. In this study, we designed a system capable of analyzing gender and age of customers based on image obtained from camera, although there are many different methods for analyzing customers. We conducted age and gender recognition experiments using public database. The age/gender recognition experiments were performed through histogram matching method by extracting Local binary patterns (LBP) features after facial area on input image was normalized. The results of experiment showed that gender recognition rate was as high as approximately 97% on average. Age recognition was conducted based on categorization into 5 age classes. Age recognition rates for women and men were about 67% and 68%, respectively when that conducted separately for different gender.

Patch testing custom isocyanate materials from the workplace.

PubMed

Burrows, Dianne; Houle, Marie-Claude; Holness, D Linn; DeKoven, Joel; Skotnicki, Sandy

2015-01-01

Patch testing with standard trays of commercially available allergens is the current practice for investigating suspected cases of isocyanate-induced allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). In some facilities, these standard trays are further supplemented with custom preparations of isocyanate-containing materials. The aim was to determine whether added value exists in patch testing patients to custom isocyanate preparations in suspected cases of ACD. We performed a retrospective analysis of 11 patients referred to our specialty clinic between January 2003 and March 2011 for suspected patients of ACD who had custom testing with isocyanate materials from their workplace. In addition to standard trays of allergens, all patients were patch tested with custom isocyanate materials from their workplaces. Three (27%) of 11 patients showed an added value in testing to custom isocyanate allergens. Of these 3 patients, one had a reaction that reinforced positive reactions to the standard isocyanate tray, but the other 2 (18%) had no reactions to any of the commercially available allergens. Because of the high proportion of reactions (27%), we recommend the use of custom testing to workplace isocyanate products as a supplement to current standard patch testing procedures.

Design of a graphical user interface for an intelligent multimedia information system for radiology research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taira, Ricky K.; Wong, Clement; Johnson, David; Bhushan, Vikas; Rivera, Monica; Huang, Lu J.; Aberle, Denise R.; Cardenas, Alfonso F.; Chu, Wesley W.

1995-05-01

With the increase in the volume and distribution of images and text available in PACS and medical electronic health-care environments it becomes increasingly important to maintain indexes that summarize the content of these multi-media documents. Such indices are necessary to quickly locate relevant patient cases for research, patient management, and teaching. The goal of this project is to develop an intelligent document retrieval system that allows researchers to request for patient cases based on document content. Thus we wish to retrieve patient cases from electronic information archives that could include a combined specification of patient demographics, low level radiologic findings (size, shape, number), intermediate-level radiologic findings (e.g., atelectasis, infiltrates, etc.) and/or high-level pathology constraints (e.g., well-differentiated small cell carcinoma). The cases could be distributed among multiple heterogeneous databases such as PACS, RIS, and HIS. Content- based retrieval systems go beyond the capabilities of simple key-word or string-based retrieval matching systems. These systems require a knowledge base to comprehend the generality/specificity of a concept (thus knowing the subclasses or related concepts to a given concept) and knowledge of the various string representations for each concept (i.e., synonyms, lexical variants, etc.). We have previously reported on a data integration mediation layer that allows transparent access to multiple heterogeneous distributed medical databases (HIS, RIS, and PACS). The data access layer of our architecture currently has limited query processing capabilities. Given a patient hospital identification number, the access mediation layer collects all documents in RIS and HIS and returns this information to a specified workstation location. In this paper we report on our efforts to extend the query processing capabilities of the system by creation of custom query interfaces, an intelligent query processing engine, and a document-content index that can be generated automatically (i.e., no manual authoring or changes to the normal clinical protocols).

Silo busting: how to execute on the promise of customer focus.

PubMed

Gulati, Ranjay

2007-05-01

For many senior executives, shifting from selling products to selling solutions--packages of products and services--is a priority in today's increasingly commoditized markets. Companies, however, aren't always structured to make that shift. Knowledge and expertise often reside in silos, and many companies have trouble harnessing their resources across those boundaries in a way that customers value and are willing to pay for. Some companies--like GE Healthcare, Best Buy, and commercial real estate provider Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL)--have restructured themselves around customer needs to deliver true solutions. They did so by engaging in four sets of activities: COORDINATION: To deliver customer-focused solutions, three things must occur easily across boundaries: information sharing, division of labor, and decision making. Sometimes this involves replacing traditional silos with customer-focused ones, but more often it entails transcending existing boundaries. JLL has experimented with both approaches. COOPERATION: Customer-centric companies, such as Cisco Systems, develop metrics for customer satisfaction and incentives that reward customer-focused cooperation. Most also shake up the power structure so that people who are closest to customers have the authority to act on their behalf. CAPABILITY: Delivering customer-focused solutions requires some employees to be generalists instead of specialists. They need experience with more than one product or service, a deep knowledge of customer needs, and the ability to traverse internal boundaries. CONNECTION: By combining their offerings with those of a partner, companies can cut costs even as they create higher-value solutions, as Starbucks has found through its diverse partnerships. To stand out in a commoditized market, companies must understand what customers value. Ultimately, some customers may be better off purchasing products and services piecemeal.

18 CFR 281.206 - Priority 1 reclassification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... entitlements” means, with respect to a particular interstate pipeline. (1) In the case of a direct sale customer, the volume of natural gas such direct sale customer is entitled to receive for high-priority uses...; (2) In the case of a local distribution company, the volume of natural gas which such local...

Aggregating Case Study Data in Customer Service Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrington, Gail V.

An evaluation was conducted to determine the outcomes and impacts of participation in the ALBERTA BEST training program in terms of participant attitudes toward service excellence and business profitability. ALBERTA BEST is a customer service program offered by the Alberta (Canada) government. The evaluation involved a series of case studies…

Selectable light-sheet uniformity using tuned axial scanning

PubMed Central

Duocastella, Martí; Arnold, Craig B.; Puchalla, Jason

2016-01-01

Light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) is an optical sectioning technique capable of rapid three-dimensional (3D) imaging of a wide range of specimens with reduced phototoxicity and superior background rejection. However, traditional light-sheet generation approaches based on elliptical or circular Gaussian beams suffer an inherent trade-off between light-sheet thickness and area over which this thickness is preserved. Recently, an increase in light-sheet uniformity was demonstrated using rapid biaxial Gaussian beam scanning along the lateral and beam propagation directions. Here we apply a similar scanning concept to an elliptical beam generated by a cylindrical lens. In this case, only z-scanning of the elliptical beam is required and hence experimental implementation of the setup can be simplified. We introduce a simple dimensionless uniformity statistic to better characterize scanned light-sheets and experimentally demonstrate custom tailored uniformities up to a factor of 5 higher than those of un-scanned elliptical beams. This technique offers a straightforward way to generate and characterize a custom illumination profile that provides enhanced utilization of the detector dynamic range and field of view, opening the door to faster and more efficient 2D and 3D imaging. PMID:28132409

Enhancing reproducibility in scientific computing: Metrics and registry for Singularity containers.

PubMed

Sochat, Vanessa V; Prybol, Cameron J; Kurtzer, Gregory M

2017-01-01

Here we present Singularity Hub, a framework to build and deploy Singularity containers for mobility of compute, and the singularity-python software with novel metrics for assessing reproducibility of such containers. Singularity containers make it possible for scientists and developers to package reproducible software, and Singularity Hub adds automation to this workflow by building, capturing metadata for, visualizing, and serving containers programmatically. Our novel metrics, based on custom filters of content hashes of container contents, allow for comparison of an entire container, including operating system, custom software, and metadata. First we will review Singularity Hub's primary use cases and how the infrastructure has been designed to support modern, common workflows. Next, we conduct three analyses to demonstrate build consistency, reproducibility metric and performance and interpretability, and potential for discovery. This is the first effort to demonstrate a rigorous assessment of measurable similarity between containers and operating systems. We provide these capabilities within Singularity Hub, as well as the source software singularity-python that provides the underlying functionality. Singularity Hub is available at https://singularity-hub.org, and we are excited to provide it as an openly available platform for building, and deploying scientific containers.

Enhancing reproducibility in scientific computing: Metrics and registry for Singularity containers

PubMed Central

Prybol, Cameron J.; Kurtzer, Gregory M.

2017-01-01

Here we present Singularity Hub, a framework to build and deploy Singularity containers for mobility of compute, and the singularity-python software with novel metrics for assessing reproducibility of such containers. Singularity containers make it possible for scientists and developers to package reproducible software, and Singularity Hub adds automation to this workflow by building, capturing metadata for, visualizing, and serving containers programmatically. Our novel metrics, based on custom filters of content hashes of container contents, allow for comparison of an entire container, including operating system, custom software, and metadata. First we will review Singularity Hub’s primary use cases and how the infrastructure has been designed to support modern, common workflows. Next, we conduct three analyses to demonstrate build consistency, reproducibility metric and performance and interpretability, and potential for discovery. This is the first effort to demonstrate a rigorous assessment of measurable similarity between containers and operating systems. We provide these capabilities within Singularity Hub, as well as the source software singularity-python that provides the underlying functionality. Singularity Hub is available at https://singularity-hub.org, and we are excited to provide it as an openly available platform for building, and deploying scientific containers. PMID:29186161

Designing components using smartMOVE electroactive polymer technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenthal, Marcus; Weaber, Chris; Polyakov, Ilya; Zarrabi, Al; Gise, Peter

2008-03-01

Designing components using SmartMOVE TM electroactive polymer technology requires an understanding of the basic operation principles and the necessary design tools for integration into actuator, sensor and energy generation applications. Artificial Muscle, Inc. is collaborating with OEMs to develop customized solutions for their applications using smartMOVE. SmartMOVE is an advanced and elegant way to obtain almost any kind of movement using dielectric elastomer electroactive polymers. Integration of this technology offers the unique capability to create highly precise and customized motion for devices and systems that require actuation. Applications of SmartMOVE include linear actuators for medical, consumer and industrial applications, such as pumps, valves, optical or haptic devices. This paper will present design guidelines for selecting a smartMOVE actuator design to match the stroke, force, power, size, speed, environmental and reliability requirements for a range of applications. Power supply and controller design and selection will also be introduced. An overview of some of the most versatile configuration options will be presented with performance comparisons. A case example will include the selection, optimization, and performance overview of a smartMOVE actuator for the cell phone camera auto-focus and proportional valve applications.

Areca nut chewing in an expatriate population in Sydney: report of two cases.

PubMed

Sukumar, S; Coleman, H G; Cox, S C

2012-09-01

Areca nut (betel nut) consumption occurs in a variety of forms, either on its own or with the addition of a number of products. This habit is prevalent in the Indian Subcontinent and South-East Asia. Recent immigration statistics indicate that 30% of new arrivals in Australia are from these geographical regions and are known to perpetuate this custom long after migration. The objective of this paper is to highlight the variety of oral presentations that may occur as a result of areca nut consumption in these particular demographic subgroups. Dental practitioners must be familiar with the wide spectrum of oral lesions that may present in this setting. More significantly, they must be aware that some of these lesions possess the potential for malignant transformation and hence require more specific management. Best practice mandates that dental practitioners in a multicultural society must: (1) be capable of recognizing the expatriate populations in which this custom is widely practised; (2) incorporate this particular line of questioning into the routine risk factor analysis that is undertaken for every patient from these particular sub-populations; and (3) institute appropriate referral and follow-up of these lesions if required. © 2012 Australian Dental Association.

Adopting Quality Assurance Technology in Customer-Vendor Relationships: A Case Study of How Interorganizational Relationships Influence the Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heeager, Lise Tordrup; Tjørnehøj, Gitte

Quality assurance technology is a formal control mechanism aiming at increasing the quality of the product exchanged between vendors and customers. Studies of the adoption of this technology in the field of system development rarely focus on the role of the relationship between the customer and vendor in the process. We have studied how the process of adopting quality assurance technology by a small Danish IT vendor developing pharmacy software for a customer in the public sector was influenced by the relationship with the customer. The case study showed that the adoption process was shaped to a high degree by the relationship and vice versa. The prior high level of trust and mutual knowledge helped the parties negotiate mutually feasible solutions throughout the adoption process. We thus advise enhancing trust-building processes to strengthen the relationships and to balance formal control and social control to increase the likelihood of a successful outcome of the adoption of quality assurance technology in a customer-vendor relationship.

2009 Ground Robotics Capabilities Conference and Exhibition

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-26

adaptability to varying social cues and context – ARL via the Robotics Collaborative Technology Alliance program • Autonomy is “conditional” … largely...roadmaps, alliances and robotics organizations have been established to synchronize development efforts • Many emerging robotics capabilities can...Crossing Plan ( B2B ) 1. Target Customer 2. Compelling Reason to Buy 3. Whole Product 4. Partners & Allies 5. Distribution 6. Pricing 7. Competition 8

NASA Global Hawk Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Naftel, Chris

2014-01-01

The NASA Global Hawk Project is supporting Earth Science research customers. These customers include: US Government agencies, civilian organizations, and universities. The combination of the Global Hawks range, endurance, altitude, payload power, payload volume and payload weight capabilities separates the Global Hawk platform from all other platforms available to the science community. This presentation includes an overview of the concept of operations and an overview of the completed science campaigns. In addition, the future science plans, using the NASA Global Hawk System, will be presented.

Post-marketing surveillance of CustomBone Service implanted in children under 7 years old.

PubMed

Frassanito, Paolo; Tamburrini, Gianpiero; Massimi, Luca; Di Rocco, Concezio; Nataloni, Angelo; Fabbri, Greta; Caldarelli, Massimo

2015-01-01

The CustomBone Service is a bioceramic implant suitable for cranial repair in both adults and children, although there are no clinical data about its use in children under 7 years of age. This surveillance study investigates the outcome in this age group. Twenty-eight children under 7 years old (range, 2.5-6 years) received CustomBone Service from July 2006 to May 2013 in 16 international hospitals. Data of 23 children (12 males and 11 females), harboring 24 prosthesis, were available with a minimum follow-up of 1 year. Sites of the cranial defect were frontal or parietal (20.8 % each), parieto-temporal (16.7 %), fronto-parietal or occipital (12.5 % each), fronto-parieto-temporal or fronto-temporal (8.3 % each). Initial diseases were trauma (54.2 %), malformation (37.5 %), or tumor of the bone/skin (8.3 %). Rupture of the implant occurred in a single case during the implant (1/26 surgeries, 3.8 %) and the cranial repair was achieved by means of the back-up prosthesis. Five adverse events were registered during the follow-up period consisting of three cases of fracture and two of exposure/infection of the prosthesis. All cases required the removal of the device (20.8 %). The failure rate of CustomBone Service under 7 years of age was higher than reported in adults and children over 7 years old (20.8 vs. 3.8 %), However, CustomBone Service may be considered a valid option under 7 years old since other materials are burdened by more significant rates of complications in the long-term period. Due to specific properties of this material, indication to CustomBone Service in toddlers should be carefully evaluated by the surgeon on a case-by-case basis.

Treatment of Severely Resorbed Maxilla Due to Peri-Implantitis by Guided Bone Regeneration Using a Customized Allogenic Bone Block: A Case Report

PubMed Central

Blume, Oliver; Hoffmann, Lisa; Donkiewicz, Phil; Wenisch, Sabine; Back, Michael; Franke, Jörg; Schnettler, Reinhard

2017-01-01

The objective of this case report is to introduce a customized CAD/CAM freeze-dried bone allograft (FDBA) block for its use in Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR) procedures for severely deficient maxillary bones. Additionally, a special newly developed remote incision technique is presented to avoid wound dehiscence. The results show optimal integration behavior of the FDBA block after six months and the formation of new vital bone. Thus, the results of the present case report confirm the use of the customized CAD/CAM bone block for augmentation of complex defects in the maxillary aesthetic zone as a successful treatment concept. PMID:29065477

Treatment of Severely Resorbed Maxilla Due to Peri-Implantitis by Guided Bone Regeneration Using a Customized Allogenic Bone Block: A Case Report.

PubMed

Blume, Oliver; Hoffmann, Lisa; Donkiewicz, Phil; Wenisch, Sabine; Back, Michael; Franke, Jörg; Schnettler, Reinhard; Barbeck, Mike

2017-10-21

The objective of this case report is to introduce a customized CAD/CAM freeze-dried bone allograft (FDBA) block for its use in Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR) procedures for severely deficient maxillary bones. Additionally, a special newly developed remote incision technique is presented to avoid wound dehiscence. The results show optimal integration behavior of the FDBA block after six months and the formation of new vital bone. Thus, the results of the present case report confirm the use of the customized CAD/CAM bone block for augmentation of complex defects in the maxillary aesthetic zone as a successful treatment concept.

Building a leadership brand.

PubMed

Ulrich, Dave; Smallwood, Norm

2007-01-01

How do some firms produce a pipeline of consistently excellent managers? Instead of concentrating merely on strengthening the skills of individuals, these companies focus on building a broad organizational leadership capability. It's what Ulrich and Smallwood--cofounders of the RBL Group, a leadership development consultancy--call a leadership brand. Organizations with leadership brands take an "outside-in" approach to executive development. They begin with a clear statement of what they want to be known for by customers and then link it with a required set of management skills. The Lexus division of Toyota, for instance, translates its tagline--"The pursuit of perfection"--into an expectation that its leaders excel at managing quality processes. The slogan of Bon Secours Health System is "Good help to those in need." It demands that its managers balance business skills with compassion and caring. The outside-in approach helps firms build a reputation for high-quality leaders whom customers trust to deliver on the company's promises. In examining 150 companies with strong leadership capabilities, the authors found that the organizations follow five strategies. First, make sure managers master the basics of leadership--for example, setting strategy and grooming talent. Second, ensure that leaders internalize customers' high expectations. Third, incorporate customer feedback into evaluations of executives. Fourth, invest in programs that help managers hone the right skills, by tapping customers to participate in such programs. Finally, track the success of efforts to build leadership bench strength over the long-term. The result is outstanding management that persists even when individual executives leave. In fact, companies with the strongest leadership brands often become "leader feeders"--firms that regularly graduate leaders who go on to head other companies.

How to sell services more profitably.

PubMed

Reinartz, Werner; Ulaga, Wolfgang

2008-05-01

When products become commodities, manufacturing companies may seek to differentiate themselves with value-added services--a potentially profitable strategy. Unfortunately, companies often stumble in the effort. Reinartz and Ulaga conducted in-depth studies of 18 leading companies in a broad variety of product markets to learn what distinguished the successes from the rest. They discovered four steps to developing a profitable services capability. RECOGNIZE THAT YOU ALREADY HAVE A SERVICE COMPANY: You can identify and charge for simple services--as Merck did when it stopped quietly absorbing shipping costs. Switching services from free to fee clarifies their value for managers as well as for customers. INDUSTRIALIZE THE BACK OFFICE: To prevent delivery costs from eating up service-offering margins, build flexible service platforms, closely monitor process costs, and exploit new technologies that enable process innovations. The Swedish bearings manufacturer SKF provided off-site access to an online monitoring tool that could warn of potential failure in customers' machines. CREATE A SERVICE-SAVVY SALES FORCE: Services require longer sales cycles and, often, decisions from high up in a customer's hierarchy; what's more, product salespeople may be inimical to change. Schneider-Electric did a major overhaul of its sales organization and trained its people to switch from cost-plus pricing to value-based pricing. FOCUS ON CUSTOMERS' PROCESSES AND THE OPPORTUNITIES THEY AFFORD FOR NEW SERVICE OFFERINGS: You may need to acquire new capabilities to take advantage of those opportunities: The industrial coatings specialist PPG had to learn how painting robots function after it offered to take over Fiat's Torino paint shop. Services can both lock in customers and help acquire new accounts. They should be developed with care and attention.

Cross-cultural communication capabilities of U.S. military trainers: host nation perspective.

PubMed

Mahmood, Maysaa; Alameri, Ali; Jawad, Shakir; Alani, Yasir; Zuerlein, Scott; Nakano, Gregg; Anderson, Warner; Beadling, Charles

2013-06-01

A survey was conducted to assess trainee perception of the cross-cultural communication competency of U.S. military trainers and their satisfaction with the training they received. Findings from the survey show that U.S. military trainers rely significantly on local interpreters. This indicates variability in the ability of the trainers to communicate effectively with host nation partners, the variability being dependent on the capabilities of the individual interpreter. The findings illustrate the importance of providing military health personnel with training on how to work effectively with interpreters. The use of supplementary resources such as electronic translation devises when the interpreter is not capable of conveying health-related training information with the desired level of accuracy is recommended. Expanding the availability of general cultural training, which provides baseline information on local values, traditions, and customs in addition to health-specific cultural orientation, is also recommended to help military health trainers customize their training content and methods to fit the local environment. Reprint & Copyright © 2013 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

Developing a gate-array capability at a research and development laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balch, J. W.; Current, K. W.; Magnuson, W. G., Jr.; Pocha, M. D.

1983-03-01

Experiences in developing a gate array capability for low volume applications in a research and development (R and D) laboratory are described. By purchasing unfinished wafers and doing the customization steps in-house. Turnaround time was shortened to as little as one week and the direct costs reduced to as low as $5K per design. Designs generally require fast turnaround (a few weeks to a few months) and very low volumes (1 to 25). Design costs must be kept at a minimum. After reviewing available commercial gate array design and fabrication services, it was determined that objectives would best be met by using existing internal integrated circuit fabrication facilities, the COMPUTERVISION interactive graphics layout system, and extensive computational capabilities. The reasons and the approach taken for; selection for a particular gate array wafer, adapting a particular logic simulation program, and how layout aids were enhanced are discussed. Testing of the customized chips is described. The content, schedule, and results of the internal gate array course recently completed are discussed. Finally, problem areas and near term plans are presented.

COSTMODL: An automated software development cost estimation tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roush, George B.

1991-01-01

The cost of developing computer software continues to consume an increasing portion of many organizations' total budgets, both in the public and private sector. As this trend develops, the capability to produce reliable estimates of the effort and schedule required to develop a candidate software product takes on increasing importance. The COSTMODL program was developed to provide an in-house capability to perform development cost estimates for NASA software projects. COSTMODL is an automated software development cost estimation tool which incorporates five cost estimation algorithms including the latest models for the Ada language and incrementally developed products. The principal characteristic which sets COSTMODL apart from other software cost estimation programs is its capacity to be completely customized to a particular environment. The estimation equations can be recalibrated to reflect the programmer productivity characteristics demonstrated by the user's organization, and the set of significant factors which effect software development costs can be customized to reflect any unique properties of the user's development environment. Careful use of a capability such as COSTMODL can significantly reduce the risk of cost overruns and failed projects.

Support for User Interfaces for Distributed Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eychaner, Glenn; Niessner, Albert

2005-01-01

An extensible Java(TradeMark) software framework supports the construction and operation of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for distributed computing systems typified by ground control systems that send commands to, and receive telemetric data from, spacecraft. Heretofore, such GUIs have been custom built for each new system at considerable expense. In contrast, the present framework affords generic capabilities that can be shared by different distributed systems. Dynamic class loading, reflection, and other run-time capabilities of the Java language and JavaBeans component architecture enable the creation of a GUI for each new distributed computing system with a minimum of custom effort. By use of this framework, GUI components in control panels and menus can send commands to a particular distributed system with a minimum of system-specific code. The framework receives, decodes, processes, and displays telemetry data; custom telemetry data handling can be added for a particular system. The framework supports saving and later restoration of users configurations of control panels and telemetry displays with a minimum of effort in writing system-specific code. GUIs constructed within this framework can be deployed in any operating system with a Java run-time environment, without recompilation or code changes.

Evaluation of Oral Performance in Outsourced Call Centres: An Exploratory Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friginal, Eric

2013-01-01

This case study discusses the development and use of an oral performance assessment instrument intended to evaluate Filipino agents' customer service transactions with callers from the United States (US). The design and applications of the instrument were based on a longitudinal, qualitative observation of language training and customer service…

Competitive Employment for People with Autism: Correlates of Successful Closure in Competitive and Supported Employment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaller, James; Yang, Nancy K.

2005-01-01

Differences in rates of case closure, case service cost, hours worked per week, and weekly wage between customers with autism closed successfully in competitive employment and supported employment were found using the Rehabilitation Service Administration national database of 2001. Using logistic regression, customer demographic variables related…

Branding and Positioning to Satisfy the Customer's Appetite: An Educational Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ham, Tim

2010-01-01

Rebranding and positioning a school district has become critical to satisfy the "customer's" appetite, enhance public relations, and advance consumer perceptions. A service design model provides a district with the framework to advance its position by identifying attributes and prompts to satisfy customer needs and increase student…

The utility of 3D printing for surgical planning and patient-specific implant design for complex spinal pathologies: case report.

PubMed

Mobbs, Ralph J; Coughlan, Marc; Thompson, Robert; Sutterlin, Chester E; Phan, Kevin

2017-04-01

OBJECTIVE There has been a recent renewed interest in the use and potential applications of 3D printing in the assistance of surgical planning and the development of personalized prostheses. There have been few reports on the use of 3D printing for implants designed to be used in complex spinal surgery. METHODS The authors report 2 cases in which 3D printing was used for surgical planning as a preoperative mold, and for a custom-designed titanium prosthesis: one patient with a C-1/C-2 chordoma who underwent tumor resection and vertebral reconstruction, and another patient with a custom-designed titanium anterior fusion cage for an unusual congenital spinal deformity. RESULTS In both presented cases, the custom-designed and custom-built implants were easily slotted into position, which facilitated the surgery and shortened the procedure time, avoiding further complex reconstruction such as harvesting rib or fibular grafts and fashioning these grafts intraoperatively to fit the defect. Radiological follow-up for both cases demonstrated successful fusion at 9 and 12 months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS These cases demonstrate the feasibility of the use of 3D modeling and printing to develop personalized prostheses and can ease the difficulty of complex spinal surgery. Possible future directions of research include the combination of 3D-printed implants and biologics, as well as the development of bioceramic composites and custom implants for load-bearing purposes.

Emerging Technology Creator of Worlds

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-01

periencing even more profound uses. Artificial intelligence, brain inter- face, robotics, autonomous systems, biotechnology , lasers, hypersonics, and......capability to create customized medical treatments using biotechnology , particu- larly in treating certain types of cancer and a variety of other

SSE Transition to POWER

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-06-13

... web portal at https://power.larc.nasa.gov with improved solar and meteorology data and greatly enhanced capabilities to facilitate ... Agroclimatology communities.    The surface solar energy parameters have been customized and validated from NASA/GEWEX Surface ...

Emulation Platform for Cyber Analysis of Wireless Communication Network Protocols

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Van Leeuwen, Brian P.; Eldridge, John M.

Wireless networking and mobile communications is increasing around the world and in all sectors of our lives. With increasing use, the density and complexity of the systems increase with more base stations and advanced protocols to enable higher data throughputs. The security of data transported over wireless networks must also evolve with the advances in technologies enabling more capable wireless networks. However, means for analysis of the effectiveness of security approaches and implementations used on wireless networks are lacking. More specifically a capability to analyze the lower-layer protocols (i.e., Link and Physical layers) is a major challenge. An analysis approachmore » that incorporates protocol implementations without the need for RF emissions is necessary. In this research paper several emulation tools and custom extensions that enable an analysis platform to perform cyber security analysis of lower layer wireless networks is presented. A use case of a published exploit in the 802.11 (i.e., WiFi) protocol family is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the described emulation platform.« less

COPD case finding by spirometry in high-risk customers of urban community pharmacies: a pilot study.

PubMed

Castillo, D; Guayta, R; Giner, J; Burgos, F; Capdevila, C; Soriano, J B; Barau, M; Casan, P

2009-06-01

COPD case finding is currently recommended at primary and tertiary care levels only. To evaluate the feasibility of a community pharmacy program for COPD case finding in high-risk customers by means of spirometry. Pilot cross-sectional descriptive study in 13 urban community pharmacies in Barcelona, Spain, from April to May 2007. Customers >40 years old with respiratory symptoms and/or a history of smoking were invited to participate in the study during pharmacists' routine work shifts. High-risk customers were identified by means of a 5-item COPD screening questionnaire based on criteria of the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease, and were invited to perform spirometry accordingly. Those with an FEV(1)/FVC ratio less than 0.70 were referred to the hospital for a repeat spirometry. Of the 161 pharmacy customers studied, 100 (62%) scored 3 or more items in the COPD screening questionnaire, and after spirometry, 21 (24%) had an FEV(1)/FVC ratio<0.7. When these subjects with airflow limitation were offered referral to a hospital respiratory function laboratory for further assessments, 11 (52%) attended the appointment. Over 70% of spirometries were rated as being of acceptable quality. No significant differences were observed in lung function parameters between the pharmacy and hospital measurements. COPD case finding by spirometry in high-risk customers of urban community pharmacies is feasible. Similarly to primary care practitioners, pharmacists have access to high-risk, middle-aged subjects who have never been tested for COPD. Pharmacists can help with early detection of COPD if they are correctly trained.

Hitchhiker capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldsmith, Theodore C.

1988-01-01

A carrier system has been developed for economical and quick response flight of small attached payloads on the space shuttle. Hitchhiker can accommodate up to 750 lb of customer payloads in canisters or mounted to an exposed side-mount plate, or up to 1200 lb mounted on a cross-bay structure. The carrier connects to the orbiter's electrical systems and provides up to six customers with standard electrical services including power, real time telemetry and commands. A transparent data and command system concept is employed to allow the customer to easily use his own ground support equipment and personnel to control his payload during integration and flight operations. A general description of the Hitchhiker program and the Shuttle Payload of Opportunity Carrier (SPOC) is given and future enhancements are outlined.

Using stereotactic brain atlases for small rodents and nonhuman primates for optrode array customization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boutte, Ronald W.; Merlin, Sam; Griffiths, Brandon; Parry, Trent; Blair, Steve

2017-02-01

As the optogenetic field expands its need to target with high specificity only grows more crucial. This work will show a method for customizing soda-lime glass optrode arrays so that fine structures within the brains of small rodents and nonhuman primates can be optically interrogated below the outer cortical layer. An 8 × 6 array is customized for optrode length (400 μm ), optrode width (75 μm ), optrode pitch (400 μm ), backplane thickness (500 μm ), and overall form factor (3.45 mm × 2.65 mm ). The 400 μm long optrode is capable of illuminating the cortical Layer IV of rhesus macaque ( Macaca Fascicularis ) and the motor cortex of small mice ( Mus Musculus ).

Shuttle operations era planning for flight operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holt, J. D.; Beckman, D. A.

1984-01-01

The Space Transportation System (STS) provides routine access to space for a wide range of customers in which cargos vary from single payloads on dedicated flights to multiple payloads that share Shuttle resources. This paper describes the flight operations planning process from payload introduction through flight assignment to execution of the payload objectives and the changes that have been introduced to improve that process. Particular attention is given to the factors that influence the amount of preflight preparation necessary to satisfy customer requirements. The partnership between the STS operations team and the customer is described in terms of their functions and responsibilities in the development of a flight plan. A description of the Mission Control Center (MCC) and payload support capabilities completes the overview of Shuttle flight operations.

WebPresent: a World Wide Web-based telepresentation tool for physicians

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sampath-Kumar, Srihari; Banerjea, Anindo; Moshfeghi, Mehran

1997-05-01

In this paper, we present the design architecture and the implementation status of WebPresent - a world wide web based tele-presentation tool. This tool allows a physician to use a conference server workstation and make a presentation of patient cases to a geographically distributed audience. The audience consists of other physicians collaborating on patients' health care management and physicians participating in continuing medical education. These physicians are at several locations with networks of different bandwidth and capabilities connecting them. Audiences also receive the patient case information on different computers ranging form high-end display workstations to laptops with low-resolution displays. WebPresent is a scalable networked multimedia tool which supports the presentation of hypertext, images, audio, video, and a white-board to remote physicians with hospital Intranet access. WebPresent allows the audience to receive customized information. The data received can differ in resolution and bandwidth, depending on the availability of resources such as display resolution and network bandwidth.

4D Origami by Smart Embroidery.

PubMed

Stoychev, Georgi; Razavi, Mir Jalil; Wang, Xianqiao; Ionov, Leonid

2017-09-01

There exist many methods for processing of materials: extrusion, injection molding, fibers spinning, 3D printing, to name a few. In most cases, materials with a static, fixed shape are produced. However, numerous advanced applications require customized elements with reconfigurable shape. The few available techniques capable of overcoming this problem are expensive and/or time-consuming. Here, the use of one of the most ancient technologies for structuring, embroidering, is proposed to generate sophisticated patterns of active materials, and, in this way, to achieve complex actuation. By combining experiments and computational modeling, the fundamental rules that can predict the folding behavior of sheets with a variety of stitch-patterns are elucidated. It is demonstrated that theoretical mechanics analysis is only suitable to predict the behavior of the simplest experimental setups, whereas computer modeling gives better predictions for more complex cases. Finally, the applicability of the rules by designing basic origami structures and wrinkling substrates with controlled thermal insulation properties is shown. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Limitations of Strategic Management in Bureaus: The Case of the Department of Defense

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-04-17

exchanges of goods and serv- ices between customers and suppliers. At the other end of the continuum, polyarchy describes bargaining and persuasion among...fairly stable environments -- organizations with consist- ent routines experiencing fewer changes in their technologies, competitors, customers ...closer to its "markets and customers " than a centralized struc- ture permits. Its goal is to be innovative and flexible in response to customer needs. The

Black Box Thinking: Analysis of a Service Outsourcing Case in Insurance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Witman, Paul D.; Njunge, Christopher

2016-01-01

Often, users of information systems (both automated and manual) must analyze those systems in a "black box" fashion, without being able to see the internals of how the system is supposed to work. In this case of business process outsourcing, an insurance industry customer encounters an ongoing stream of customer service issues, with both…

Technical Knowledge and Skills Development in the Informal Sector in Kenya: The Case of Custom Tailors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Apunda, Edwinah Amondi; de Klerk, Helena M.; Ogina, Teresa

2017-01-01

Custom tailors working in the informal sector in Nairobi, Kenya, mainly acquire technical skills through undertaking traditional apprenticeships (TAs). However, most of these tailors are semi-skilled, produce low-quality products and are often poorer than their formally trained counterparts. This qualitative case study explores the aspects of…

Driving Change: The Role of "Emotional Connectedness"--A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lacoste, Sylvie M.; Dekker, Janet

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand which change process the supplying organization should define for its customer-facing organization in order to successfully increase customer orientation and to be on the short list of their customers' key suppliers. Design/methodology/approach: Action research was used to carry out this…

78 FR 39038 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board; Notice of Filing of a...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-28

... dealer that maintains the customer relationship. MSRB Response: The MSRB disagrees for the reasons stated... for issuers and customers and provide additional tools to assist with the administration and...'' customers to determine whether the investor would like to purchase the bonds.\\6\\ \\5\\ In some cases the...

26 CFR 1.132-3 - Qualified employee discounts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... being offered to customers at the time of the employee's purchase is controlling. For example, assume... being offered to customers is $25. In this case, the price from which the employee discount is measured... at which the product is being offered to customers is $15 and the price charged the employee is $12...

Kennedy Space Center Payload Processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawson, Ronnie; Engler, Tom; Colloredo, Scott; Zide, Alan

2011-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the payload processing functions at Kennedy Space Center. It details some of the payloads processed at KSC, the typical processing tasks, the facilities available for processing payloads, and the capabilities and customer services that are available.

Cost and Business Analysis Module (CABAM). Revision A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Michael Hosung

1997-01-01

In the recent couple of decades, due to international competition, the US launchers lost a considerable amount of market share in the international space launch industry'. Increased international competition has continuously affected the US dominance to eventually place great pressure on future US space launch programs. To compete for future payload and passenger delivery markets, new launch vehicles must first be capable of reliably reaching a number of desired orbital destinations with customer-desired payload capacities. However, the ultimate success of a new launch vehicle program will depend on the launch price it is capable of offering it's customers. Extremely aggressive pricing strategies will be required for a new domestic launch service to compete with low-price international launchers. Low launch prices, then, naturally require a tight budget for the launch program economy. Therefore, budget constraints established by low-pricing requirements eventually place pressure on new launch vehicles to have unprecedentedly low Life Cycle Costs (LCC's).

Hardware for dynamic quantum computing.

PubMed

Ryan, Colm A; Johnson, Blake R; Ristè, Diego; Donovan, Brian; Ohki, Thomas A

2017-10-01

We describe the hardware, gateware, and software developed at Raytheon BBN Technologies for dynamic quantum information processing experiments on superconducting qubits. In dynamic experiments, real-time qubit state information is fed back or fed forward within a fraction of the qubits' coherence time to dynamically change the implemented sequence. The hardware presented here covers both control and readout of superconducting qubits. For readout, we created a custom signal processing gateware and software stack on commercial hardware to convert pulses in a heterodyne receiver into qubit state assignments with minimal latency, alongside data taking capability. For control, we developed custom hardware with gateware and software for pulse sequencing and steering information distribution that is capable of arbitrary control flow in a fraction of superconducting qubit coherence times. Both readout and control platforms make extensive use of field programmable gate arrays to enable tailored qubit control systems in a reconfigurable fabric suitable for iterative development.

Space Environment Testing of Photovoltaic Array Systems at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Phillips, Brandon S.; Schneider, Todd A.; Vaughn, Jason A.; Wright, Kenneth H., Jr.

2015-01-01

To successfully operate a photovoltaic (PV) array system in space requires planning and testing to account for the effects of the space environment. It is critical to understand space environment interactions not only on the PV components, but also the array substrate materials, wiring harnesses, connectors, and protection circuitry (e.g. blocking diodes). Key elements of the space environment which must be accounted for in a PV system design include: Solar Photon Radiation, Charged Particle Radiation, Plasma, and Thermal Cycling. While solar photon radiation is central to generating power in PV systems, the complete spectrum includes short wavelength ultraviolet components, which photo-ionize materials, as well as long wavelength infrared which heat materials. High energy electron radiation has been demonstrated to significantly reduce the output power of III-V type PV cells; and proton radiation damages material surfaces - often impacting coverglasses and antireflective coatings. Plasma environments influence electrostatic charging of PV array materials, and must be understood to ensure that long duration arcs do not form and potentially destroy PV cells. Thermal cycling impacts all components on a PV array by inducing stresses due to thermal expansion and contraction. Given such demanding environments, and the complexity of structures and materials that form a PV array system, mission success can only be ensured through realistic testing in the laboratory. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center has developed a broad space environment test capability to allow PV array designers and manufacturers to verify their system's integrity and avoid costly on-orbit failures. The Marshall Space Flight Center test capabilities are available to government, commercial, and university customers. Test solutions are tailored to meet the customer's needs, and can include performance assessments, such as flash testing in the case of PV cells.

Competing on capabilities: the new rules of corporate strategy.

PubMed

Stalk, G; Evans, P; Shulman, L E

1992-01-01

In the 1980s, companies discovered time as a new source of competitive advantage. In the 1990s, they will discover that time is only one piece of a more far-reaching transformation in the logic of competition. Using examples from Wal-Mart and other highly successful companies, Stalk, Evans, and Shulman of the Boston Consulting Group provide managers with a guide to the new world of "capabilities-based competition." In today's dynamic business environment, strategy too must become dynamic. Competition is a "war of movement" in which success depends on anticipation of market trends and quick response to changing customer needs. In such an environment, the essence of strategy is not the structure of a company's products and markets but the dynamics of its behavior. To succeed, a company must weave its key business processes into hard-to-imitate strategic capabilities that distinguish it from its competitors in the eyes of customers. A capability is a set of business processes strategically understood--for example, Wal-Mart's expertise in inventory replenishment, Honda's skill at dealer management, or Banc One's ability to "out-local the national banks and out-national the local banks." Such capabilities are collective and cross-functional--a small part of many people's jobs, not a large part of a few. Finally, competing on capabilities requires strategic investments in support systems that span traditional SBUs and functions and go far beyond what traditional cost-benefit metrics can justify. A CEO's success in building and managing a company's capabilities will be the chief test of management skill in the 1990s. The prize: companies that combine scale and flexibility to outperform the competition.

Capitalizing on capabilities.

PubMed

Ulrich, Dave; Smallwood, Norm

2004-06-01

By making the most of organizational capabilities--employees' collective skills and fields of expertise--you can dramatically improve your company's market value. Although there is no magic list of proficiencies that every organization needs in order to succeed, the authors identify 11 intangible assets that well-managed companies tend to have: talent, speed, shared mind-set and coherent brand identity, accountability, collaboration, learning, leadership, customer connectivity, strategic unity, innovation, and efficiency. Such companies typically excel in only three of these capabilities while maintaining industry parity in the other areas. Organizations that fall below the norm in any of the 11 are likely candidates for dysfunction and competitive disadvantage. So you can determine how your company fares in these categories (or others, if the generic list doesn't suit your needs), the authors explain how to conduct a "capabilities audit," describing in particular the experiences and findings of two companies that recently performed such audits. In addition to highlighting which intangible assets are most important given the organization's history and strategy, this exercise will gauge how well your company delivers on its capabilities and will guide you in developing an action plan for improvement. A capabilities audit can work for an entire organization, a business unit, or a region--indeed, for any part of a company that has a strategy to generate financial or customer-related results. It enables executives to assess overall company strengths and weaknesses, senior leaders to define strategy, midlevel managers to execute strategy, and frontline leaders to achieve tactical results. In short, it helps turn intangible assets into concrete strengths.

Model-Based Engineering Design for Trade Space Exploration throughout the Design Cycle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lamassoure, Elisabeth S.; Wall, Stephen D.; Easter, Robert W.

2004-01-01

This paper presents ongoing work to standardize model-based system engineering as a complement to point design development in the conceptual design phase of deep space missions. It summarizes two first steps towards practical application of this capability within the framework of concurrent engineering design teams and their customers. The first step is standard generation of system sensitivities models as the output of concurrent engineering design sessions, representing the local trade space around a point design. A review of the chosen model development process, and the results of three case study examples, demonstrate that a simple update to the concurrent engineering design process can easily capture sensitivities to key requirements. It can serve as a valuable tool to analyze design drivers and uncover breakpoints in the design. The second step is development of rough-order- of-magnitude, broad-range-of-validity design models for rapid exploration of the trade space, before selection of a point design. At least one case study demonstrated the feasibility to generate such models in a concurrent engineering session. The experiment indicated that such a capability could yield valid system-level conclusions for a trade space composed of understood elements. Ongoing efforts are assessing the practicality of developing end-to-end system-level design models for use before even convening the first concurrent engineering session, starting with modeling an end-to-end Mars architecture.

Comparative study on the customization of natural language interfaces to databases.

PubMed

Pazos R, Rodolfo A; Aguirre L, Marco A; González B, Juan J; Martínez F, José A; Pérez O, Joaquín; Verástegui O, Andrés A

2016-01-01

In the last decades the popularity of natural language interfaces to databases (NLIDBs) has increased, because in many cases information obtained from them is used for making important business decisions. Unfortunately, the complexity of their customization by database administrators make them difficult to use. In order for a NLIDB to obtain a high percentage of correctly translated queries, it is necessary that it is correctly customized for the database to be queried. In most cases the performance reported in NLIDB literature is the highest possible; i.e., the performance obtained when the interfaces were customized by the implementers. However, for end users it is more important the performance that the interface can yield when the NLIDB is customized by someone different from the implementers. Unfortunately, there exist very few articles that report NLIDB performance when the NLIDBs are not customized by the implementers. This article presents a semantically-enriched data dictionary (which permits solving many of the problems that occur when translating from natural language to SQL) and an experiment in which two groups of undergraduate students customized our NLIDB and English language frontend (ELF), considered one of the best available commercial NLIDBs. The experimental results show that, when customized by the first group, our NLIDB obtained a 44.69 % of correctly answered queries and ELF 11.83 % for the ATIS database, and when customized by the second group, our NLIDB attained 77.05 % and ELF 13.48 %. The performance attained by our NLIDB, when customized by ourselves was 90 %.

Reliability Assessment of the Defense Automated Neurobehavioral Assessment (DANA) in Extreme Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-01

multiple automated cognitive tests, data management and reporting capabilities, and executive menu. The DANA battery was given on a Trimble NOMAD ...handheld computing device using a stylus for consistency. The NOMAD runs a custom version of the Android Operating System and has a color 3.5 inch... digit pairs are shown below a key, & the participant indicates it matches the one in the key. PRO This test targets decision-making capabilities

2016 Summer Series - Michael Flynn - Synthetic Biological Membrane

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-08-02

Full understanding leads to creation capability, which results in customization capacity. Synthetic biology uses our knowledge of biology to engineer novel biological devices or organisms that can perform tasks not found in nature. For Human space exploration, synthetic biology approaches will reduce risk, mass carried and increase Human reach. Michael Flynn will discuss the International Space Station (ISS) water recycling and his current work on developing a water filtration system capable of self-repair.

Twenty-First Century Defense and Disruptive Innovation

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-22

organizations (or nations)—those not captive to the dominant paradigm—are more likely to find applications where disruptive technologies meet different...smaller, cheaper, and less capable drive, and dismissed their potential. The new firms, however, were not held captive by customer demands and were... balloon that does not carry a human operator and is capable of flight under remote control or autonomous programming.” 17 UAS refers to the “system whose

ECOTOX knowledgebase: Search features and customized reports

EPA Science Inventory

The ECOTOXicology knowledgebase (ECOTOX) is a comprehensive, publicly available knowledgebase developed and maintained by ORD/NHEERL. It is used for environmental toxicity data on aquatic life, terrestrial plants and wildlife. ECOTOX has the capability to refine and filter search...

A Common Cockpit Training System

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-01-01

a learning environment where students can practice ASW via free - play simulated tactical situations while receiving feedback and instruction customized...Mission Display and includes free play simulation capability to maximize training. This intelligent tutoring system (ITS) will observe the operator’s

Software support for improving technology infusion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feather, M. S.; Hicks, K. A.; Johnson, K. R.; Cornford, S. L.

2003-01-01

This paper focuses on describing the custom software tool, DDP, that was developed to support the TIMA process, and on showing how the needs of the TIMA process have influenced the development of the structure and capabilities of the DDP software.

Creating customer-oriented employees: the case in home health care.

PubMed

Hoffman, K D; Ingram, T N

1991-06-01

Little empirical research has examined the organizational factors that influence the extent to which health care providers engage in customer-oriented behaviors. The authors examine the influence of role ambiguity, role conflict, and job satisfaction on the customer-oriented behaviors of home health care representatives. Managerial implications based on the study findings are discussed.

Using Research Case Studies in eCommerce Marketing Courses: Customer Satisfaction at Point-of-Purchase and Post-Purchase

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nawi, Noorshella Che; Fong, Michelle; Tatnall, Arthur

2014-01-01

This paper describes a research case study of Internet apparel marketing by small businesses in Malaysia which can beneficially be included in postgraduate business courses for understanding the importance of measuring customer satisfaction at point-of-purchase and post-purchase in online purchases. The sample size in this research is 154…

Student-Generated Questioning Activity in Second Language Courses Using a Customized Personal Response System: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Song, Donggil; Oh, Eun Young; Glazewski, Krista

2017-01-01

This case study reports on the implementation of student-generated questioning using a customized personal response system (PRS) by two groups of students in second language (L2) courses at a university in the United States. This study aimed to understand more about instructor and student experience with student-generated questioning for promoting…

Customer-centered brand management.

PubMed

Rust, Roland T; Zeithaml, Valarie A; Lemon, Katherine N

2004-09-01

Most executives today agree that their efforts should be focused on growing the lifetime value of their customers. Yet few companies have come to terms with the implications of that idea for their marketing management. Oldsmobile, for example, enjoyed outstanding brand equity with many customers through the 1980s. But as the century wore further on, the people who loved the Olds got downright old. So why did General Motors spend so many years and so much money trying to reposition and refurbish the tired,tarnished brand? Why didn't GM managers instead move younger buyers along a path of less resistance, toward another of the brands in GM's stable--or even launch a wholly new brand geared to their tastes? Catering to new customers, even at the expense of the brand, would surely have been the path to profits. The reason, argue the authors, is that in large consumer-goods companies like General Motors, brands are the raison d'etre. They are the focus of decision making and the basis of accountability. But this overwhelming focus on growing brand equity is inconsistent with the goal of growing customer equity. Drawing on a wide range of current examples, the authors offer seven tactics that will put brands in the service of growing customer equity. These include replacing traditional brand managers with a new position--the customer segment manager; targeting brands to as narrow an audience as possible; developing the capability and the mind-set to hand off customers from one brand to another within the company; and changing the way brand equity is measured by basing calculations on individual, rather than average, customer data.

Development of a flight data acquisition system for small unmanned aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hood, Scott

Current developments surrounding the use of unmanned aerial vehicles have produced a need for a high quality data acquisition platform developed specifically a research environment. This work was undertaken to produce such a system that is low cost, extensible, and better supports fixed wing research through the inclusion of a custom vane based air data probe capable of measuring airspeed, angle of attack, and angle of sideslip. This was accomplished by starting with the open source Pixhawk system as the core and then modifying the device firmware and adding sensors to suit the needs of current aerospace research at OSU. An overview of each component of the system is presented, as well as a description of various firmware modifications to the stock Pixhawk system. Tests were then performed on all of the major sensors using bench testing, wind tunnel analysis, and flight maneuvers to determine the final performance of each part of the system. This research shows that all of the critical sensors on the data acquisition platform produce data acceptable for flight research. The accelerometer has been shown to have an overall tolerance of +/-0.0545 m/s², with +/-0.223 deg/s for the gyroscopic sensor, +/-1.32 hPa for the barometric sensor, +/-0.318 m/s for the airspeed sensor, +/-1.65 °C for the outside air temperature sensor, and +/-0.00115 V for the analog to digital converter. The stock calibration curve for the airspeed sensor was determined to be correct to within +/-0.5 in H2O through wind tunnel testing, and an experimental step input analysis on the flow direction vanes showed that worst case steady state error and time to damp are acceptable for the system. Power spectral density and spectral coherence analysis of flight data was used to show that the custom air data probe is capable of following the flight dynamics of a given aircraft to within a 10 percent tolerance across a range of frequencies. Finally, general performance of the system was proven using basic aircraft system identification data collection as a test case.

Chattanooga Electric Power Board Case Study Distribution Automation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Glass, Jim; Melin, Alexander M.; Starke, Michael R.

In 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) awarded a grant to the Chattanooga, Tennessee, Electric Power Board (EPB) as part of the Smart Grid Investment Grant Program. The grant had the objective “to accelerate the transformation of the nation’s electric grid by deploying smart grid technologies.” This funding award enabled EPB to expedite the original smart grid implementation schedule from an estimated 10-12 years to 2.5 years. With this funding, EPB invested heavily in distribution automation technologies including installing over 1,200 automated circuit switches and sensors on 171 circuits. For utilities consideringmore » a commitment to distribution automation, there are underlying questions such as the following: “What is the value?” and “What are the costs?” This case study attempts to answer these questions. The primary benefit of distribution automation is increased reliability or reduced power outage duration and frequency. Power outages directly impact customer economics by interfering with business functions. In the past, this economic driver has been difficult to effectively evaluate. However, as this case study demonstrates, tools and analysis techniques are now available. In this case study, the impact on customer costs associated with power outages before and after the implementation of distribution automation are compared. Two example evaluations are performed to demonstrate the benefits: 1) a savings baseline for customers under normal operations1 and 2) customer savings for a single severe weather event. Cost calculations for customer power outages are performed using the US Department of Energy (DOE) Interruption Cost Estimate (ICE) calculator2. This tool uses standard metrics associated with outages and the customers to calculate cost impact. The analysis shows that EPB customers have seen significant reliability improvements from the implementation of distribution automation. Under normal operations, the investment in distribution automation has enabled a 43.5% reduction in annual outage minutes since 2012. This has led to an estimated total savings of $26.8 million per year. Examining a single severe weather event3, the distribution automation was able to restore power to 40,579 (nearly 56%) customers within 1–2 seconds and reduce outage minutes by 29.0%. This saved customers an estimated $23.2 million over the course of the storm.« less

DSM for transmission and distribution deferral in Queensland, Australia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gishkariany, G.; Hoch, L.; King, M.

1995-12-01

The South East Queensland Electricity Board (SEQEB) is a distributor of electricity serving the greater Brisbane area. The service area is characterized by relatively high growth, which is creating pressure on the adequacy of transmission and distribution capacity in the area. The utility has embarked on two initial efforts to assess the ability of DSM to provide cost-effective deferral of these capital projects. In both cases, the timing of the need for new transmission and/or distribution capacity has made it imperative that the DSM programs selected for implementation be capable of penetrating the market and achieving results quickly. SEQEB`s Southmore » Gold Coast area is characterized by an affluent customer base with an increasing concern for the environment. In 1990, SEQEB undertook a Value Management Study, and produced an integrated supply-and demand-side plan for the area for the next ten years. The plan that was developed identified the potential for saving Australian $7 million (NPV) over five years through targeted DSM initiatives. To achieve these savings it was also determined that the DSM programs would have to reduce area peak demand by at least 2 MW per year for a period of ten years altogether. Three programs were implemented in the 1991-1992 program year, and achieved the targeted level of peak demand reduction. Results for the first half of the 1992-1993 program also look encouraging. In the utility`s Beaudesert Branch, the customer base is more rural, with significant numbers of farms, although one area is characterized by significant new suburban residential development. In this study, (which began in the second half of 1992), the planning methodology has been refined along the lines of that used in Pacific Gas and Electric`s Delta Project. Because the Beaudesert area contains only approximately 10,000 customers, it has proven important to undertake a significant amount of customer and end-use research in order to understand.« less

Research on Capturing of Customer Requirements Based on Innovation Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

junwu, Ding; dongtao, Yang; zhenqiang, Bao

To exactly and effectively capture customer requirements information, a new customer requirements capturing modeling method was proposed. Based on the analysis of function requirement models of previous products and the application of technology system evolution laws of the Theory of Innovative Problem Solving (TRIZ), the customer requirements could be evolved from existing product designs, through modifying the functional requirement unit and confirming the direction of evolution design. Finally, a case study was provided to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed approach.

Innovation management based on proactive engagement of customers: A case study on LEGO Group. Part II: Challenge of engaging the digital customer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avasilcăi, S.; Rusu, G.

2015-11-01

To foster the development of innovative products and new technologies, nowadays companies use an open innovation system, encouraging stakeholders to contribute, using the companies’ online platforms for open innovation or social media, bringing and sharing creative solutions and ideas in order to respond to challenging needs the company directly expresses. Accordingly, the current research continues the analysis of the LEGO Group innovation efforts, aiming to provide a case study approach based on describing the most important projects and online instruments company uses to interact with customers and other external stakeholders. Thus, by analysing the experience of the company in developing projects of involving stakeholders in the innovation processes, the article emphasizes the objective of these past projects developed by LEGO Group, outlining their objectives regarding the focus on the product or process innovation, the team management and stakeholders involved in the innovation actions and the results they obtained. Moreover, the case study highlights the features of the most important online instruments LEGO Group uses at the moment for engaging LEGO fans, children, parents, and other external stakeholders in developing new LEGO sets. Thus, LEGO online instruments provide the opportunity for customers to be creative and to respond to LEGO management team challenges. Accordingly, LEGO involve customers in bringing innovative ideas for LEGO sets through LEGO Ideas instrument, which aims to engage customers in submitting projects, voting and supporting ideas and also sharing them on social media. Also, the research emphasizes the role of supporting the open dialogue and interaction with customers and other external stakeholders through LEGO.com Create & Share Galleries instrument, using their creativity to upload innovative models in the public galleries. The continuous challenges LEGO launches for their fans create a long-term connection between company and its customers, supporting the value co-creation process, as the submitted ideas can materialize in new LEGO products which can be found on the market. As a consequence, customers’ engagement in the co-creation process facilitated by the multiple online instruments provided by LEGO, resulted in positive outcomes for the company regarding new product development for the sets launched on the market to satisfy changing needs of their customers. The results provided by this case study approach can be useful for the business environment and academia as well in order to understand the role of engaging customers in the open innovation process, creating a competitive advantage on the market for companies.

Innovative Product Design Based on Comprehensive Customer Requirements of Different Cognitive Levels

PubMed Central

Zhao, Wu; Zheng, Yake; Wang, Rui; Wang, Chen

2014-01-01

To improve customer satisfaction in innovative product design, a topology structure of customer requirements is established and an innovative product approach is proposed. The topology structure provides designers with reasonable guidance to capture the customer requirements comprehensively. With the aid of analytic hierarchy process (AHP), the importance of the customer requirements is evaluated. Quality function deployment (QFD) is used to translate customer requirements into product and process design demands and pick out the technical requirements which need urgent improvement. In this way, the product is developed in a more targeted way to satisfy the customers. the theory of innovative problems solving (TRIZ) is used to help designers to produce innovative solutions. Finally, a case study of automobile steering system is used to illustrate the application of the proposed approach. PMID:25013862

Innovative product design based on comprehensive customer requirements of different cognitive levels.

PubMed

Li, Xiaolong; Zhao, Wu; Zheng, Yake; Wang, Rui; Wang, Chen

2014-01-01

To improve customer satisfaction in innovative product design, a topology structure of customer requirements is established and an innovative product approach is proposed. The topology structure provides designers with reasonable guidance to capture the customer requirements comprehensively. With the aid of analytic hierarchy process (AHP), the importance of the customer requirements is evaluated. Quality function deployment (QFD) is used to translate customer requirements into product and process design demands and pick out the technical requirements which need urgent improvement. In this way, the product is developed in a more targeted way to satisfy the customers. the theory of innovative problems solving (TRIZ) is used to help designers to produce innovative solutions. Finally, a case study of automobile steering system is used to illustrate the application of the proposed approach.

Low-cost microcontroller platform for studying lymphatic biomechanics in vitro

PubMed Central

Kornuta, Jeffrey A.; Nipper, Matthew E.; Dixon, J. Brandon

2012-01-01

The pumping innate to collecting lymphatic vessels routinely exposes the endothelium to oscillatory wall shear stress and other dynamic forces. However, studying the mechanical sensitivity of the lymphatic endothelium remains a difficult task due to limitations of commercial or custom systems to apply a variety of time-varying stresses in vitro. Current biomechanical in vitro testing devices are very expensive, limited in capability, or highly complex; rendering them largely inaccessible to the endothelial cell biology community. To address these short-comings, the authors propose a reliable, low-cost platform for augmenting the capabilities of commercially available pumps to produce a wide variety of flow rate waveforms. In particular, the Arduino Uno, a microcontroller development board, is used to provide open-loop control of a digital peristaltic pump using precisely-timed serial commands. In addition, the flexibility of this platform is further demonstrated through its support of a custom-built cell-straining device capable of producing oscillatory strains with varying amplitudes and frequencies. Hence, this microcontroller development board is shown to be an inexpensive, precise, and easy-to-use tool for supplementing in vitro assays to quantify the effects of biomechanical forces on lymphatic endothelial cells. PMID:23178036

Low-cost microcontroller platform for studying lymphatic biomechanics in vitro.

PubMed

Kornuta, Jeffrey A; Nipper, Matthew E; Dixon, J Brandon

2013-01-04

The pumping innate to collecting lymphatic vessels routinely exposes the endothelium to oscillatory wall shear stress and other dynamic forces. However, studying the mechanical sensitivity of the lymphatic endothelium remains a difficult task due to limitations of commercial or custom systems to apply a variety of time-varying stresses in vitro. Current biomechanical in vitro testing devices are very expensive, limited in capability, or highly complex; rendering them largely inaccessible to the endothelial cell biology community. To address these shortcomings, the authors propose a reliable, low-cost platform for augmenting the capabilities of commercially available pumps to produce a wide variety of flow rate waveforms. In particular, the Arduino Uno, a microcontroller development board, is used to provide open-loop control of a digital peristaltic pump using precisely timed serial commands. In addition, the flexibility of this platform is further demonstrated through its support of a custom-built cell-straining device capable of producing oscillatory strains with varying amplitudes and frequencies. Hence, this microcontroller development board is shown to be an inexpensive, precise, and easy-to-use tool for supplementing in vitro assays to quantify the effects of biomechanical forces on lymphatic endothelial cells. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

New Solutions for Enabling Discovery of User-Centric Virtual Data Products in NASA's Common Metadata Repository

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pilone, D.; Gilman, J.; Baynes, K.; Shum, D.

2015-12-01

This talk introduces a new NASA Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) capability to automatically generate and maintain derived, Virtual Product information allowing DAACs and Data Providers to create tailored and more discoverable variations of their products. After this talk the audience will be aware of the new EOSDIS Virtual Product capability, applications of it, and how to take advantage of it. Much of the data made available in the EOSDIS are organized for generation and archival rather than for discovery and use. The EOSDIS Common Metadata Repository (CMR) is launching a new capability providing automated generation and maintenance of user-oriented Virtual Product information. DAACs can easily surface variations on established data products tailored to specific uses cases and users, leveraging DAAC exposed services such as custom ordering or access services like OPeNDAP for on-demand product generation and distribution. Virtual Data Products enjoy support for spatial and temporal information, keyword discovery, association with imagery, and are fully discoverable by tools such as NASA Earthdata Search, Worldview, and Reverb. Virtual Product generation has applicability across many use cases: - Describing derived products such as Surface Kinetic Temperature information (AST_08) from source products (ASTER L1A) - Providing streamlined access to data products (e.g. AIRS) containing many (>800) data variables covering an enormous variety of physical measurements - Attaching additional EOSDIS offerings such as Visual Metadata, external services, and documentation metadata - Publishing alternate formats for a product (e.g. netCDF for HDF products) with the actual conversion happening on request - Publishing granules to be modified by on-the-fly services, like GES-DISC's Data Quality Screening Service - Publishing "bundled" products where granules from one product correspond to granules from one or more other related products

47 CFR 20.18 - 911 Service.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES COMMERCIAL MOBILE RADIO... have commercial agreements with resellers will not be required to include the resellers' handset counts... customers for voice communications and sold after December 31, 2006 are capable of transmitting enhanced 911...

1995 Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

United States. Bonneville Power Administration.

1995-12-01

The study establishes the planning basis for supplying electricity to customers. The study presents projections of regional and Federal system load and resource capabilities, and serves as a benchmark for annual BPA determinations made pursuant to the 1981 regional power sales contracts.

Service employees give as they get: internal service as a moderator of the service climate-service outcomes link.

PubMed

Ehrhart, Karen Holcombe; Witt, L A; Schneider, Benjamin; Perry, Sara Jansen

2011-03-01

We lend theoretical insight to the service climate literature by exploring the joint effects of branch service climate and the internal service provided to the branch (the service received from corporate units to support external service delivery) on customer-rated service quality. We hypothesized that service climate is related to service quality most strongly when the internal service quality received is high, providing front-line employees with the capability to deliver what the service climate motivates them to do. We studied 619 employees and 1,973 customers in 36 retail branches of a bank. We aggregated employee perceptions of the internal service quality received from corporate units and the local service climate and external customer perceptions of service quality to the branch level of analysis. Findings were consistent with the hypothesis that high-quality internal service is necessary for branch service climate to yield superior external customer service quality. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved.

Providing Limited Local Electric Service During a Major Grid Outage: A First Assessment Based on Customer Willingness to Pay.

PubMed

Baik, Sunhee; Morgan, M Granger; Davis, Alexander L

2018-02-01

While they are rare, widespread blackouts of the bulk power system can result in large costs to individuals and society. If local distribution circuits remain intact, it is possible to use new technologies including smart meters, intelligent switches that can change the topology of distribution circuits, and distributed generation owned by customers and the power company, to provide limited local electric power service. Many utilities are already making investments that would make this possible. We use customers' measured willingness to pay to explore when the incremental investments needed to implement these capabilities would be justified. Under many circumstances, upgrades in advanced distribution systems could be justified for a customer charge of less than a dollar a month (plus the cost of electricity used during outages), and would be less expensive and safer than the proliferation of small portable backup generators. We also discuss issues of social equity, extreme events, and various sources of underlying uncertainty. © 2017 Society for Risk Analysis.

Decoding Problem Gamblers' Signals: A Decision Model for Casino Enterprises.

PubMed

Ifrim, Sandra

2015-12-01

The aim of the present study is to offer a validated decision model for casino enterprises. The model enables those users to perform early detection of problem gamblers and fulfill their ethical duty of social cost minimization. To this end, the interpretation of casino customers' nonverbal communication is understood as a signal-processing problem. Indicators of problem gambling recommended by Delfabbro et al. (Identifying problem gamblers in gambling venues: final report, 2007) are combined with Viterbi algorithm into an interdisciplinary model that helps decoding signals emitted by casino customers. Model output consists of a historical path of mental states and cumulated social costs associated with a particular client. Groups of problem and non-problem gamblers were simulated to investigate the model's diagnostic capability and its cost minimization ability. Each group consisted of 26 subjects and was subsequently enlarged to 100 subjects. In approximately 95% of the cases, mental states were correctly decoded for problem gamblers. Statistical analysis using planned contrasts revealed that the model is relatively robust to the suppression of signals performed by casino clientele facing gambling problems as well as to misjudgments made by staff regarding the clients' mental states. Only if the last mentioned source of error occurs in a very pronounced manner, i.e. judgment is extremely faulty, cumulated social costs might be distorted.

Customization of the acoustic field produced by a piezoelectric array through interelement delays

PubMed Central

Chitnis, Parag V.; Barbone, Paul E.; Cleveland, Robin O.

2008-01-01

A method for producing a prescribed acoustic pressure field from a piezoelectric array was investigated. The array consisted of 170 elements placed on the inner surface of a 15 cm radius spherical cap. Each element was independently driven by using individual pulsers each capable of generating 1.2 kV. Acoustic field customization was achieved by independently controlling the time when each element was excited. The set of time delays necessary to produce a particular acoustic field was determined by using an optimization scheme. The acoustic field at the focal plane was simulated by using the angular spectrum method, and the optimization searched for the time delays that minimized the least squared difference between the magnitudes of the simulated and desired pressure fields. The acoustic field was shaped in two different ways: the −6 dB focal width was increased to different desired widths and the ring-shaped pressure distributions of various prescribed diameters were produced. For both cases, the set of delays resulting from the respective optimization schemes were confirmed to yield the desired pressure distributions by using simulations and measurements. The simulations, however, predicted peak positive pressures roughly half those obtained from the measurements, which was attributed to the exclusion of nonlinearity in the simulations. PMID:18537369

Advanced Atmospheric Ensemble Modeling Techniques

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Buckley, R.; Chiswell, S.; Kurzeja, R.

Ensemble modeling (EM), the creation of multiple atmospheric simulations for a given time period, has become an essential tool for characterizing uncertainties in model predictions. We explore two novel ensemble modeling techniques: (1) perturbation of model parameters (Adaptive Programming, AP), and (2) data assimilation (Ensemble Kalman Filter, EnKF). The current research is an extension to work from last year and examines transport on a small spatial scale (<100 km) in complex terrain, for more rigorous testing of the ensemble technique. Two different release cases were studied, a coastal release (SF6) and an inland release (Freon) which consisted of two releasemore » times. Observations of tracer concentration and meteorology are used to judge the ensemble results. In addition, adaptive grid techniques have been developed to reduce required computing resources for transport calculations. Using a 20- member ensemble, the standard approach generated downwind transport that was quantitatively good for both releases; however, the EnKF method produced additional improvement for the coastal release where the spatial and temporal differences due to interior valley heating lead to the inland movement of the plume. The AP technique showed improvements for both release cases, with more improvement shown in the inland release. This research demonstrated that transport accuracy can be improved when models are adapted to a particular location/time or when important local data is assimilated into the simulation and enhances SRNL’s capability in atmospheric transport modeling in support of its current customer base and local site missions, as well as our ability to attract new customers within the intelligence community.« less

Survival analysis for customer satisfaction: A case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hadiyat, M. A.; Wahyudi, R. D.; Sari, Y.

2017-11-01

Most customer satisfaction surveys are conducted periodically to track their dynamics. One of the goals of this survey was to evaluate the service design by recognizing the trend of satisfaction score. Many researchers recommended in redesigning the service when the satisfaction scores were decreasing, so that the service life cycle could be predicted qualitatively. However, these scores were usually set in Likert scale and had quantitative properties. Thus, they should also be analyzed in quantitative model so that the predicted service life cycle would be done by applying the survival analysis. This paper discussed a starting point for customer satisfaction survival analysis with a case study in healthcare service.

Analyzing Tabular and State-Transition Requirements Specifications in PVS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Owre, Sam; Rushby, John; Shankar, Natarajan

1997-01-01

We describe PVS's capabilities for representing tabular specifications of the kind advocated by Parnas and others, and show how PVS's Type Correctness Conditions (TCCs) are used to ensure certain well-formedness properties. We then show how these and other capabilities of PVS can be used to represent the AND/OR tables of Leveson and the Decision Tables of Sherry, and we demonstrate how PVS's TCCs can expose and help isolate errors in the latter. We extend this approach to represent the mode transition tables of the Software Cost Reduction (SCR) method in an attractive manner. We show how PVS can check these tables for well-formedness, and how PVS's model checking capabilities can be used to verify invariants and reachability properties of SCR requirements specifications, and inclusion relations between the behaviors of different specifications. These examples demonstrate how several capabilities of the PVS language and verification system can be used in combination to provide customized support for specific methodologies for documenting and analyzing requirements. Because they use only the standard capabilities of PVS, users can adapt and extend these customizations to suit their own needs. Those developing dedicated tools for individual methodologies may find these constructions in PVS helpful for prototyping purposes, or as a useful adjunct to a dedicated tool when the capabilities of a full theorem prover are required. The examples also illustrate the power and utility of an integrated general-purpose system such as PVS. For example, there was no need to adapt or extend the PVS model checker to make it work with SCR specifications described using the PVS TABLE construct: the model checker is applicable to any transition relation, independently of the PVS language constructs used in its definition.

Experimental results from magnetized-jet experiments executed at the Jupiter Laser Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manuel, M. J.-E.; Kuranz, C. C.; Rasmus, A. M.; Klein, S. R.; MacDonald, M. J.; Trantham, M. R.; Fein, J. R.; Belancourt, P. X.; Young, R. P.; Keiter, P. A.; Drake, R. P.; Pollock, B. B.; Park, J.; Hazi, A. U.; Williams, G. J.; Chen, H.

2015-12-01

Recent experiments at the Jupiter Laser Facility investigated magnetization effects on collimated plasma jets. Laser-irradiated plastic-cone-targets produced collimated, millimeter-scale plasma flows as indicated by optical interferometry. Proton radiography of these jets showed no indication of strong, self-generated magnetic fields, suggesting a dominantly hydrodynamic collimating mechanism. Targets were placed in a custom-designed solenoid capable of generating field strengths up to 5 T. Proton radiographs of the well-characterized B-field, without a plasma jet, suggested an external source of trapped electrons that affects proton trajectories. The background magnetic field was aligned with the jet propagation direction, as is the case in many astrophysical systems. Optical interferometry showed that magnetization of the plasma results in disruption of the collimated flow and instead produces a hollow cavity. This result is a topic of ongoing investigation.

Don't throw out the customer.

PubMed

Deffenbaugh, J L

1997-01-01

Addresses the severe criticism by the Health Service Commissioner of NHS trusts for their handling of patient complaints, particularly the attitude of managers and the new NHS trust culture, which emphasized that patients should be considered as more than just customers. Argues that the word "customer" should not be thrown out because managers are uncomfortable with it; takes the view that while they may have tried to adopt the term, they have failed to appreciate its meaning. Makes a comparison between customer and consumer and presents a case for regarding patients as customers. Concludes that lessons can be learned from private business in developing the provider-customer relationship and that attitude and behaviour changes can be brought about by a long-term cultural change programme.

Custom-made Stent Grafts for the Treatment of Pseudoaneurysms after Childhood Coarctation Surgery.

PubMed

Lescan, Mario; Hornung, Andreas; Hofbeck, Michael; Schlensak, Christian

2018-05-17

 Post-coarctation of the aorta (CoA) pseudoaneurysms is a complication of open repair. Thoracic endovascular repair (TEVAR) is feasible but complicated by proximity to the supra-aortic trunks and severe arch angulation.  We describe three cases of post-CoA pseudoaneurysms treated with custom-made Relay stent grafts (Vascutek, Scotland).  Technical and clinical success was achieved in all three cases with no mortality, morbidity, endoleaks, or complications. In all three, pseudoaneurysm sac shrinkage was observed at the follow-ups; in one case, there was complete resolution.  Redo open surgery is challenging because of adhesions of the thoracic cavity and associated morbidity and mortality. TEVAR is less invasive and offers fewer complications. Custom-made modifications overcome difficult anatomies including short landing zones and diameter variability. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Evaluating practical vs. theoretical inspection system capability with a new programmed defect test mask designed for 3X and 4X technology nodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glasser, Joshua; Pratt, Tim

2008-10-01

Programmed defect test masks serve the useful purpose of evaluating inspection system sensitivity and capability. It is widely recognized that when evaluating inspection system capability, it is important to understand the actual sensitivity of the inspection system in production; yet unfortunately we have observed that many test masks are a more accurate judge of theoretical sensitivity rather than real-world usable capability. Use of ineffective test masks leave the purchaser of inspection equipment open to the risks of over-estimating the capability of their inspection solution and overspecifying defect sensitivity to their customers. This can result in catastrophic yield loss for device makers. In this paper we examine some of the lithography-related technology advances which place an increasing burden on mask inspection complexity, such as MEEF, defect printability estimation, aggressive OPC, double patterning, and OPC jogs. We evaluate the key inspection system component contributors to successful mask inspection, including what can "go wrong" with these components. We designed and fabricated a test mask which both (a) more faithfully represents actual production use cases; and (b) stresses the key components of the inspection system. This mask's patterns represent 32nm, 36nm, and 45nm logic and memory technology including metal and poly like background patterns with programmed defects. This test mask takes into consideration requirements of advanced lithography, such as MEEF, defect printability, assist features, nearly-repetitive patterns, and data preparation. This mask uses patterns representative of 32nm, 36nm, and 45nm logic, flash, and DRAM technology. It is specifically designed to have metal and poly like background patterns with programmed defects. The mask is complex tritone and was designed for annular immersion lithography.

Transforming Multidisciplinary Customer Requirements to Product Design Specifications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Xiao-Jie; Ding, Guo-Fu; Qin, Sheng-Feng; Li, Rong; Yan, Kai-Yin; Xiao, Shou-Ne; Yang, Guang-Wu

2017-09-01

With the increasing of complexity of complex mechatronic products, it is necessary to involve multidisciplinary design teams, thus, the traditional customer requirements modeling for a single discipline team becomes difficult to be applied in a multidisciplinary team and project since team members with various disciplinary backgrounds may have different interpretations of the customers' requirements. A new synthesized multidisciplinary customer requirements modeling method is provided for obtaining and describing the common understanding of customer requirements (CRs) and more importantly transferring them into a detailed and accurate product design specifications (PDS) to interact with different team members effectively. A case study of designing a high speed train verifies the rationality and feasibility of the proposed multidisciplinary requirement modeling method for complex mechatronic product development. This proposed research offersthe instruction to realize the customer-driven personalized customization of complex mechatronic product.

The Integration of COTS/GOTS within NASA's HST Command and Control System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pfarr, Thomas; Reis, James E.; Obenschain, Arthur F. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

NASA's mission critical Hubble Space Telescope (HST) command and control system has been re-engineered with COTS/GOTS and minimal custom code. This paper focuses on the design of this new HST Control Center System (CCS) and the lessons learned throughout its development. CCS currently utilizes 31 COTS/GOTS products with an additional 12 million lines of custom glueware code; the new CCS exceeds the capabilities of the original system while significantly reducing the lines of custom code by more than 50%. The lifecycle of COTS/GOTS products will be examined including the pack-age selection process, evaluation process, and integration process. The advantages, disadvantages, issues, concerns, and lessons teamed for integrating COTS/GOTS into the NASA's mission critical HST CCS will be examined in detail. Command and control systems designed with traditional custom code development efforts will be compared with command and control systems designed with new development techniques relying heavily on COTS/COTS integration. This paper will reveal the many hidden costs of COTS/GOTS solutions when compared to traditional custom code development efforts; this paper will show the high cost of COTS/GOTS solutions including training expenses, consulting fees, and long-term maintenance expenses.

DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Case Study: Sterling Brook Custom Homes — Village Park Eco Home, Double Park, TX

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

none,

This builder won a Custom Builder honor in the 2014 Housing Innovation Awards for this showcase home that serves as an energy-efficient model home for the custom home builder: 1,300 visitors toured the home, thousands more learned about the home’s advanced construction via the webpage, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Empirical research on Kano’s model and customer satisfaction

PubMed Central

Lin, Feng-Han; Tsai, Sang-Bing; Lee, Yu-Cheng; Hsiao, Cheng-Fu; Zhou, Jie; Wang, Jiangtao; Shang, Zhiwen

2017-01-01

Products are now developed based on what customers desire, and thus attractive quality creation has become crucial. In studies on customer satisfaction, methods for analyzing quality attributes and enhancing customer satisfaction have been proposed to facilitate product development. Although substantial studies have performed to assess the impact of the attributes on customer satisfaction, little research has been conducted that quantitatively calculate the odds of customer satisfaction for the Kano classification, fitting a nonlinear relationship between attribute-level performance and customer satisfaction. In the present study, the odds of customer satisfaction were determined to identify the classification of quality attributes, and took customer psychology into account to suggest how decision-makers should prioritize the allocation of resources. A novel method for quantitatively assessing quality attributes was proposed to determine classification criteria and fit the nonlinear relationship between quality attributes and customer satisfaction. Subsequently, a case study was conducted on bicycle user satisfaction to verify the novel method. The concept of customer satisfaction odds was integrated with the value function from prospect theory to understand quality attributes. The results of this study can serve as a reference for product designers to create attractive quality attributes in their products and thus enhance customer satisfaction. PMID:28873418

Empirical research on Kano's model and customer satisfaction.

PubMed

Lin, Feng-Han; Tsai, Sang-Bing; Lee, Yu-Cheng; Hsiao, Cheng-Fu; Zhou, Jie; Wang, Jiangtao; Shang, Zhiwen

2017-01-01

Products are now developed based on what customers desire, and thus attractive quality creation has become crucial. In studies on customer satisfaction, methods for analyzing quality attributes and enhancing customer satisfaction have been proposed to facilitate product development. Although substantial studies have performed to assess the impact of the attributes on customer satisfaction, little research has been conducted that quantitatively calculate the odds of customer satisfaction for the Kano classification, fitting a nonlinear relationship between attribute-level performance and customer satisfaction. In the present study, the odds of customer satisfaction were determined to identify the classification of quality attributes, and took customer psychology into account to suggest how decision-makers should prioritize the allocation of resources. A novel method for quantitatively assessing quality attributes was proposed to determine classification criteria and fit the nonlinear relationship between quality attributes and customer satisfaction. Subsequently, a case study was conducted on bicycle user satisfaction to verify the novel method. The concept of customer satisfaction odds was integrated with the value function from prospect theory to understand quality attributes. The results of this study can serve as a reference for product designers to create attractive quality attributes in their products and thus enhance customer satisfaction.

Total quality management in American industry.

PubMed

Widtfeldt, A K; Widtfeldt, J R

1992-07-01

The definition of total quality management is conformance to customer requirements and specifications, fitness for use, buyer satisfaction, and value at an affordable price. The three individuals who have developed the total quality management concepts in the United States are W.E. Deming, J.M. Juran, and Philip Crosby. The universal principles of total quality management are (a) a customer focus, (b) management commitment, (c) training, (d) process capability and control, and (e) measurement through quality improvement tools. Results from the National Demonstration Project on Quality Improvement in Health Care showed the principles of total quality management could be applied to healthcare.

Antenna pattern study, task 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harper, Warren

1989-01-01

Two electromagnetic scattering codes, NEC-BSC and ESP3, were delivered and installed on a NASA VAX computer for use by Marshall Space Flight Center antenna design personnel. The existing codes and certain supplementary software were updated, the codes installed on a computer that will be delivered to the customer, to provide capability for graphic display of the data to be computed by the use of the codes and to assist the customer in the solution of specific problems that demonstrate the use of the codes. With the exception of one code revision, all of these tasks were performed.

Case Study: South Texas Veterans Health Care System’s Communication Center

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-07-14

appropriate access to health care; technical quality is providing world-class care to our veterans; customer satisfaction is ensuring the STVHCS patients and...were not called. These results not only improved access to health care, but also positively affected customer service. 111 Case Study: South Texas...increased waiting times for the patient . With current regulatory requirements calling for improved access to health care services, many hospital and

Finding your next core business.

PubMed

Zook, Chris

2007-04-01

How do you know when your core needs to change? And how do you determine what should replace it? From an in-depth study of 25 companies, the author, a strategy consultant, has discovered that it's possible to measure the vitality of a business's core. If it needs reinvention, he says, the best course is to mine hidden assets. Some of the 25 companies were in deep crisis when they began the process of redefining themselves. But, says Zook, management teams can learn to recognize early signs of erosion. He offers five diagnostic questions with which to evaluate the customers, key sources of differentiation, profit pools, capabilities, and organizational culture of your core business. The next step is strategic regeneration. In four-fifths of the companies Zook examined, a hidden asset was the centerpiece of the new strategy. He provides a map for identifying the hidden assets in your midst, which tend to fall into three categories: undervalued business platforms, untapped insights into customers, and underexploited capabilities. The Swedish company Dometic, for example, was manufacturing small absorption refrigerators for boats and RVs when it discovered a hidden asset: its understanding of, and access to, customers in the RV market. The company took advantage of a boom in that market to refocus on complete systems for live-in vehicles. The Danish company Novozymes, which produced relatively low-tech commodity enzymes such as those used in detergents, realized that its underutilized biochemical capability in genetic and protein engineering was a hidden asset and successfully refocused on creating bioengineered specialty enzymes. Your next core business is not likely to announce itself with fanfare. Use the author's tools to conduct an internal audit of possibilities and pinpoint your new focus.

On Profit-Maximizing Pricing for the Highway and Tollbooth Problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elbassioni, Khaled; Raman, Rajiv; Ray, Saurabh; Sitters, René

In the tollbooth problem on trees, we are given a tree T= (V,E) with n edges, and a set of m customers, each of whom is interested in purchasing a path on the graph. Each customer has a fixed budget, and the objective is to price the edges of T such that the total revenue made by selling the paths to the customers that can afford them is maximized. An important special case of this problem, known as the highway problem, is when T is restricted to be a line. For the tollbooth problem, we present an O(logn)-approximation, improving on the current best O(logm)-approximation. We also study a special case of the tollbooth problem, when all the paths that customers are interested in purchasing go towards a fixed root of T. In this case, we present an algorithm that returns a (1 - ɛ)-approximation, for any ɛ> 0, and runs in quasi-polynomial time. On the other hand, we rule out the existence of an FPTAS by showing that even for the line case, the problem is strongly NP-hard. Finally, we show that in the discount model, when we allow some items to be priced below zero to improve the overall profit, the problem becomes even APX-hard.

Spark innovation through empathic design.

PubMed

Leonard, D; Rayport, J F

1997-01-01

Companies are used to bringing in customers to participate in focus groups, usability laboratories, and market research surveys in order to help in the development of new products and services. And for improving products that customers know well, those tools are highly sophisticated. For example, knowledgeable customers are adept at identifying the specific scent of leather they expect in a luxury vehicle or at helping to tune the sound of a motorcycle engine to just the timbre that evokes feelings of power. But to go beyond improvements to the familiar, companies need to identify and meet needs that customers may not yet recognize. To accomplish that task, a set of techniques called empathic design can help. Rather than bring the customers to the company, empathic design calls for company representatives to watch customers using products and services in the context of their own environments. By doing so, managers can often identify unexpected uses for their products, just as the product manager of a cooking oil did when he observed a neighbor spraying the oil on the blades of a lawn mower to reduce grass buildup. They can also uncover problems that customers don't mention in surveys, as the president of Nissan Design did when he watched a couple struggling to remove the backseat of a competitor's minivan in order to transport a couch. The five-step process Dorothy Leonard and Jeffrey Rayport describe in detail is a relatively low-cost, low-risk way to identify customer needs, and it has the potential to redirect a company's existing technological capabilities toward entirely new businesses.

NASA Enterprise Managed Cloud Computing (EMCC): Delivering an Initial Operating Capability (IOC) for NASA use of Commercial Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Brien, Raymond

2017-01-01

In 2016, Ames supported the NASA CIO in delivering an initial operating capability for Agency use of commercial cloud computing. This presentation provides an overview of the project, the services approach followed, and the major components of the capability that was delivered. The presentation is being given at the request of Amazon Web Services to a contingent representing the Brazilian Federal Government and Defense Organization that is interested in the use of Amazon Web Services (AWS). NASA is currently a customer of AWS and delivered the Initial Operating Capability using AWS as its first commercial cloud provider. The IOC, however, designed to also support other cloud providers in the future.

Fuzzy Evaluating Customer Satisfaction of Jet Fuel Companies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Haiying; Fang, Guoyi

Based on the market characters of jet fuel companies, the paper proposes an evaluation index system of jet fuel company customer satisfaction from five dimensions as time, business, security, fee and service. And a multi-level fuzzy evaluation model composing with the analytic hierarchy process approach and fuzzy evaluation approach is given. Finally a case of one jet fuel company customer satisfaction evaluation is studied and the evaluation results response the feelings of the jet fuel company customers, which shows the fuzzy evaluation model is effective and efficient.

KSC-01pp1560

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-09-11

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., the Atlas Centaur booster segment of an Atlas II rocket is offloaded. It will be mated to the first segment on Launch Pad 36-A, CCAFS, in preparation for launch of the TDRS-I spacecraft Oct. 30. The 40-minute launch window begins at 11:19 p.m. EST. The TDRS System (TDRSS) is a communication signal relay system that provides tracking and data acquisition services between low-Earth orbiting spacecraft and NASA/customer control and/or data processing facilities. The system is capable of transmitting to and receiving data from customer spacecrafts over 100 percent of their orbit (some limitations may apply depending on actual orbit). The TDRS-I provides a Ka-band service that will allow customers with extremely high data rates to be supported by TDRSS if they desire

A method for determining customer requirement weights based on TFMF and TLR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ai, Qingsong; Shu, Ting; Liu, Quan; Zhou, Zude; Xiao, Zheng

2013-11-01

'Customer requirements' (CRs) management plays an important role in enterprise systems (ESs) by processing customer-focused information. Quality function deployment (QFD) is one of the main CRs analysis methods. Because CR weights are crucial for the input of QFD, we developed a method for determining CR weights based on trapezoidal fuzzy membership function (TFMF) and 2-tuple linguistic representation (TLR). To improve the accuracy of CR weights, we propose to apply TFMF to describe CR weights so that they can be appropriately represented. Because the fuzzy logic is not capable of aggregating information without loss, TLR model is adopted as well. We first describe the basic concepts of TFMF and TLR and then introduce an approach to compute CR weights. Finally, an example is provided to explain and verify the proposed method.

Crew Transportation Plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zeitler, Pamela S. (Compiler); Mango, Edward J.

2013-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Commercial Crew Program (CCP) has been chartered to facilitate the development of a United States (U.S.) commercial crew space transportation capability with the goal of achieving safe, reliable, and cost effective access to and from low Earth orbit (LEO) and the International Space Station (ISS) as soon as possible. Once the capability is matured and is available to the Government and other customers, NASA expects to purchase commercial services to meet its ISS crew rotation and emergency return objectives.

NASA Armstrong's Approach to Store Separation Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Acuff, Chris; Bui, Trong

2015-01-01

Presentation will an overview of NASA Armstrong's store separation capabilities and how they have been applied recently. Objective of the presentation is to brief Generation Orbit and other potential partners on NASA Armstrong's store separation capabilities. It will include discussions on the use of NAVSEP and Cart3D, as well as some Python scripting work to perform the analysis, and a short overview of this methodology applied to the Towed Glider Air Launch System. Collaboration with potential customers in this area could lead to funding for the further development of a store separation capability at NASA Armstrong, which would boost the portfolio of engineering expertise at the center.

Statistical Capability Study of a Helical Grinding Machine Producing Screw Rotors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holmes, C. S.; Headley, M.; Hart, P. W.

2017-08-01

Screw compressors depend for their efficiency and reliability on the accuracy of the rotors, and therefore on the machinery used in their production. The machinery has evolved over more than half a century in response to customer demands for production accuracy, efficiency, and flexibility, and is now at a high level on all three criteria. Production equipment and processes must be capable of maintaining accuracy over a production run, and this must be assessed statistically under strictly controlled conditions. This paper gives numerical data from such a study of an innovative machine tool and shows that it is possible to meet the demanding statistical capability requirements.

Customized Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of Adult Cataract in Iran

PubMed Central

Rajavi, Zhaleh; Javadi, Mohammad Ali; Daftarian, Narsis; Safi, Sare; Nejat, Farhad; Shirvani, Armin; Ahmadieh, Hamid; Shahraz, Saeid; Ziaei, Hossein; Moein, Hamidreza; Motlagh, Behzad Fallahi; Feizi, Sepehr; Foroutan, Alireza; Hashemi, Hassan; Hashemian, Seyed Javad; Jabbarvand, Mahmoud; Jafarinasab, Mohammad Reza; Karimian, Farid; Mohammad-Rabei, Hossein; Mohammadpour, Mehrdad; Nassiri, Nader; Panahi-Bazaz, Mahmoodreza; Rohani, Mohammad Reza; Sedaghat, Mohammad Reza; Sheibani, Kourosh

2015-01-01

Purpose: To customize clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for cataract management in the Iranian population. Methods: First, four CPGs (American Academy of Ophthalmology 2006 and 2011, Royal College of Ophthalmologists 2010, and Canadian Ophthalmological Society 2008) were selected from a number of available CPGs in the literature for cataract management. All recommendations of these guidelines, together with their references, were studied. Each recommendation was summarized in 4 tables. The first table showed the recommendation itself in clinical question components format along with its level of evidence. The second table contained structured abstracts of supporting articles related to the clinical question with their levels of evidence. The third table included the customized recommendation of the internal group respecting its clinical advantage, cost, and complications. In the fourth table, the internal group their recommendations from 1 to 9 based on the customizing capability of the recommendation (applicability, acceptability, external validity). Finally, customized recommendations were sent one month prior to a consensus session to faculty members of all universities across the country asking for their comments on recommendations. Results: The agreed recommendations were accepted as conclusive while those with no agreement were discussed at the consensus session. Finally, all customized recommendations were codified as 80 recommendations along with their sources and levels of evidence for the Iranian population. Conclusion: Customization of CPGs for management of adult cataract for the Iranian population seems to be useful for standardization of referral, diagnosis and treatment of patients. PMID:27051491

Optimal Electric Vehicle Scheduling: A Co-Optimized System and Customer Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maigha

Electric vehicles provide a two pronged solution to the problems faced by the electricity and transportation sectors. They provide a green, highly efficient alternative to the internal combustion engine vehicles, thus reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. Secondly, they bear the potential of supporting the grid as energy storage devices while incentivising the customers through their participation in energy markets. Despite these advantages, widespread adoption of electric vehicles faces socio-technical and economic bottleneck. This dissertation seeks to provide solutions that balance system and customer objectives under present technological capabilities. The research uses electric vehicles as controllable loads and resources. The idea is to provide the customers with required tools to make an informed decision while considering the system conditions. First, a genetic algorithm based optimal charging strategy to reduce the impact of aggregated electric vehicle load has been presented. A Monte Carlo based solution strategy studies change in the solution under different objective functions. This day-ahead scheduling is then extended to real-time coordination using a moving-horizon approach. Further, battery degradation costs have been explored with vehicle-to-grid implementations, thus accounting for customer net-revenue and vehicle utility for grid support. A Pareto front, thus obtained, provides the nexus between customer and system desired operating points. Finally, we propose a transactive business model for a smart airport parking facility. This model identifies various revenue streams and satisfaction indices that benefit the parking lot owner and the customer, thus adding value to the electric vehicle.

Iris Positioning Using a Grid Attached to a Spring Bow for a Custom Ocular Prosthesis.

PubMed

Chamaria, Ankita; Aras, Meena Ajay; Chitre, Vidya; Costa, Godwin Clovis Da

2017-03-01

Eyes are among the first features of the face to be noticed. Loss of an eye due to congenital, traumatic or pathologic aetiologies causes disfigurement and loss of sensory feedback. It leaves a psychological impact on the patient, thus prosthesis should be provided at the earliest to raise the spirits of the afflicted. Iris positioning is one of the important steps in fabricating customized ocular prosthesis. In facial asymmetry cases, comparison of both irises together can be a major disadvantage. This case report illustrates the use of a unique customized frame spring bow assembly to position the iris disk using the established parallelism between inter pupillary line to the horizontal plane.

14 CFR 1214.101 - Eligibility for flight of a non-U.S. government reimbursable payload on the Space Shuttle.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Flights of Payloads for Non-U.S. Government, Reimbursable Customers § 1214.101 Eligibility for flight of a..., reimbursable payloads must require the unique capabilities of the Shuttle, or be important for either national...

MCST Research Operations | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Readiness. Laboratory Utilization. Custom Research Equipment Design-Build Capabilities. Add short description Concept and Design Design Requirements Assessment Controls and Automation Design-Build Services International (SEMI) S2 standard assessment Computer-Aided Design (CAD)/Piping and Instrumentation Diagram (P

32 CFR 260.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...-controlled property. Cafeteria. A food dispensing facility capable of providing a broad variety of prepared foods and beverages (including hot meals) primarily through the use of a line where the customer serves... facilities are always provided. The DoD Component food dispensing facilities that conduct cafeteria-type...

A Study on Intelligence of High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rani, M. Usha; Prakash, Srinivasan

2015-01-01

Intelligence involves the ability to think, solve problems, analyze situations, and understand social values, customs, and norms. Intelligence is a general mental capability that involves the ability to reason, plan, think abstractly, comprehend ideas and language, and learn. Intellectual ability involves comprehension, understanding, and learning…

A high-speed trapezoid image sensor design for continuous traffic monitoring at signalized intersection approaches.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-10-01

The goal of this project is to monitor traffic flow continuously with an innovative camera system composed of a custom : designed image sensor integrated circuit (IC) containing trapezoid pixel array and camera system that is capable of : intelligent...

Academic Libraries in Japan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cullen, Rowena; Nagata, Haruki

2008-01-01

Academic libraries in Japan are well resourced by international standards, and support Japan's internationally recognized research capability well, but there are also ways in which they reflect Japan's strong bureaucratic culture. Recent changes to the status of national university libraries have seen a new interest in customer service, and…

A design approach for small vision-based autonomous vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwards, Barrett B.; Fife, Wade S.; Archibald, James K.; Lee, Dah-Jye; Wilde, Doran K.

2006-10-01

This paper describes the design of a small autonomous vehicle based on the Helios computing platform, a custom FPGA-based board capable of supporting on-board vision. Target applications for the Helios computing platform are those that require lightweight equipment and low power consumption. To demonstrate the capabilities of FPGAs in real-time control of autonomous vehicles, a 16 inch long R/C monster truck was outfitted with a Helios board. The platform provided by such a small vehicle is ideal for testing and development. The proof of concept application for this autonomous vehicle was a timed race through an environment with obstacles. Given the size restrictions of the vehicle and its operating environment, the only feasible on-board sensor is a small CMOS camera. The single video feed is therefore the only source of information from the surrounding environment. The image is then segmented and processed by custom logic in the FPGA that also controls direction and speed of the vehicle based on visual input.

Consolidating NASA's Arc Jets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balboni, John A.; Gokcen, Tahir; Hui, Frank C. L.; Graube, Peter; Morrissey, Patricia; Lewis, Ronald

2015-01-01

The paper describes the consolidation of NASA's high powered arc-jet testing at a single location. The existing plasma arc-jet wind tunnels located at the Johnson Space Center were relocated to Ames Research Center while maintaining NASA's technical capability to ground-test thermal protection system materials under simulated atmospheric entry convective heating. The testing conditions at JSC were reproduced and successfully demonstrated at ARC through close collaboration between the two centers. New equipment was installed at Ames to provide test gases of pure nitrogen mixed with pure oxygen, and for future nitrogen-carbon dioxide mixtures. A new control system was custom designed, installed and tested. Tests demonstrated the capability of the 10 MW constricted-segmented arc heater at Ames meets the requirements of the major customer, NASA's Orion program. Solutions from an advanced computational fluid dynamics code were used to aid in characterizing the properties of the plasma stream and the surface environment on the calorimeters in the supersonic flow stream produced by the arc heater.

PScan 1.0: flexible software framework for polygon based multiphoton microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yongxiao; Lee, Woei Ming

2016-12-01

Multiphoton laser scanning microscopes exhibit highly localized nonlinear optical excitation and are powerful instruments for in-vivo deep tissue imaging. Customized multiphoton microscopy has a significantly superior performance for in-vivo imaging because of precise control over the scanning and detection system. To date, there have been several flexible software platforms catered to custom built microscopy systems i.e. ScanImage, HelioScan, MicroManager, that perform at imaging speeds of 30-100fps. In this paper, we describe a flexible software framework for high speed imaging systems capable of operating from 5 fps to 1600 fps. The software is based on the MATLAB image processing toolbox. It has the capability to communicate directly with a high performing imaging card (Matrox Solios eA/XA), thus retaining high speed acquisition. The program is also designed to communicate with LabVIEW and Fiji for instrument control and image processing. Pscan 1.0 can handle high imaging rates and contains sufficient flexibility for users to adapt to their high speed imaging systems.

The Mobile Chamber

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scharfstein, Gregory; Cox, Russell

2012-01-01

A document discusses a simulation chamber that represents a shift from the thermal-vacuum chamber stereotype. This innovation, currently in development, combines the capabilities of space simulation chambers, the user-friendliness of modern-day electronics, and the modularity of plug-and-play computing. The Mobile Chamber is a customized test chamber that can be deployed with great ease, and is capable of bringing payloads at temperatures down to 20 K, in high vacuum, and with the desired metrology instruments integrated to the systems control. Flexure plans to lease Mobile Chambers, making them affordable for smaller budgets and available to a larger customer base. A key feature of this design will be an Apple iPad-like user interface that allows someone with minimal training to control the environment inside the chamber, and to simulate the required extreme environments. The feedback of thermal, pressure, and other measurements is delivered in a 3D CAD model of the chamber's payload and support hardware. This GUI will provide the user with a better understanding of the payload than any existing thermal-vacuum system.

On the optimal sizing of batteries for electric vehicles and the influence of fast charge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verbrugge, Mark W.; Wampler, Charles W.

2018-04-01

We provide a brief summary of advanced battery technologies and a framework (i.e., a simple model) for assessing electric-vehicle (EV) architectures and associated costs to the customer. The end result is a qualitative model that can be used to calculate the optimal EV range (which maps back to the battery size and performance), including the influence of fast charge. We are seeing two technological pathways emerging: fast-charge-capable batteries versus batteries with much higher energy densities (and specific energies) but without the capability to fast charge. How do we compare and contrast the two alternatives? This work seeks to shed light on the question. We consider costs associated with the cells, added mass due to the use of larger batteries, and charging, three factors common in such analyses. In addition, we consider a new cost input, namely, the cost of adaption, corresponding to the days a customer would need an alternative form of transportation, as the EV would not have sufficient range on those days.

Association between pregnancy complications and small-for-gestational-age birth weight defined by customized fetal growth standard versus a population-based standard.

PubMed

Odibo, Anthony O; Francis, Andre; Cahill, Alison G; Macones, George A; Crane, James P; Gardosi, Jason

2011-03-01

To derive coefficients for developing a customized growth chart for a Mid-Western US population, and to estimate the association between pregnancy outcomes and smallness for gestational age (SGA) defined by the customized growth chart compared with a population-based growth chart for the USA. A retrospective cohort study of an ultrasound database using 54,433 pregnancies meeting inclusion criteria was conducted. Coefficients for customized centiles were derived using 42,277 pregnancies and compared with those obtained from other populations. Two adverse outcome indicators were defined (greater than 7 day stay in the neonatal unit and stillbirth [SB]), and the risk for each outcome was calculated for the groups of pregnancies defined as SGA by the population standard and SGA by the customized standard using 12,456 pregnancies for the validation sample. The growth potential expressed as weight at 40 weeks in this population was 3524 g (standard error: 402 g). In the validation population, 4055 cases of SGA were identified using both population and customized standards. The cases additionally identified as SGA by the customized method had a significantly increased risk of each of the adverse outcome categories. The sensitivity and specificity of those identified as SGA by customized method only for detecting pregnancies at risk for SB was 32.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 27.0-38.8%) and 95.1% (95% CI: 94.7-95.0%) versus 0.8% (95% CI 0.1-2.7%) and 98.0% (95% CI 97.8-98.2%)for those identified by only the population-based method, respectively. SGA defined by customized growth potential is able to identify substantially more pregnancies at a risk for adverse outcome than the currently used national standard for fetal growth.

Automatic user customization for improving the performance of a self-paced brain interface system.

PubMed

Fatourechi, Mehrdad; Bashashati, Ali; Birch, Gary E; Ward, Rabab K

2006-12-01

Customizing the parameter values of brain interface (BI) systems by a human expert has the advantage of being fast and computationally efficient. However, as the number of users and EEG channels grows, this process becomes increasingly time consuming and exhausting. Manual customization also introduces inaccuracies in the estimation of the parameter values. In this paper, the performance of a self-paced BI system whose design parameter values were automatically user customized using a genetic algorithm (GA) is studied. The GA automatically estimates the shapes of movement-related potentials (MRPs), whose features are then extracted to drive the BI. Offline analysis of the data of eight subjects revealed that automatic user customization improved the true positive (TP) rate of the system by an average of 6.68% over that whose customization was carried out by a human expert, i.e., by visually inspecting the MRP templates. On average, the best improvement in the TP rate (an average of 9.82%) was achieved for four individuals with spinal cord injury. In this case, the visual estimation of the parameter values of the MRP templates was very difficult because of the highly noisy nature of the EEG signals. For four able-bodied subjects, for which the MRP templates were less noisy, the automatic user customization led to an average improvement of 3.58% in the TP rate. The results also show that the inter-subject variability of the TP rate is also reduced compared to the case when user customization is carried out by a human expert. These findings provide some primary evidence that automatic user customization leads to beneficial results in the design of a self-paced BI for individuals with spinal cord injury.

Wartime Transitions: Historical Case Analyses Applied to the US Campaign in Afghanistan (2001 to Present)

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-25

operate independently without external nation support; (3) a custom approach is necessary in security forces development based on political requirements...independently without external nation support; (3) a custom approach is necessary in security forces development based on political requirements...interventions both successful and unsuccessful, that an external country must craft a custom approach to develop local security forces based on the

Performance of the score systems Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II and III at an interdisciplinary intensive care unit, after customization

PubMed Central

Markgraf, Rainer; Deutschinoff, Gerd; Pientka, Ludger; Scholten, Theo; Lorenz, Cristoph

2001-01-01

Background: Mortality predictions calculated using scoring scales are often not accurate in populations other than those in which the scales were developed because of differences in case-mix. The present study investigates the effect of first-level customization, using a logistic regression technique, on discrimination and calibration of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II and III scales. Method: Probabilities of hospital death for patients were estimated by applying APACHE II and III and comparing these with observed outcomes. Using the split sample technique, a customized model to predict outcome was developed by logistic regression. The overall goodness-of-fit of the original and the customized models was assessed. Results: Of 3383 consecutive intensive care unit (ICU) admissions over 3 years, 2795 patients could be analyzed, and were split randomly into development and validation samples. The discriminative powers of APACHE II and III were unchanged by customization (areas under the receiver operating characteristic [ROC] curve 0.82 and 0.85, respectively). Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit tests showed good calibration for APACHE II, but insufficient calibration for APACHE III. Customization improved calibration for both models, with a good fit for APACHE III as well. However, fit was different for various subgroups. Conclusions: The overall goodness-of-fit of APACHE III mortality prediction was improved significantly by customization, but uniformity of fit in different subgroups was not achieved. Therefore, application of the customized model provides no advantage, because differences in case-mix still limit comparisons of quality of care. PMID:11178223

Temporomandibular Joint Disorders: A Review of Etiology, Clinical Management, and Tissue Engineering Strategies

PubMed Central

Murphy, Meghan K.; MacBarb, Regina F.; Wong, Mark E.; Athanasiou, Kyriacos A.

2015-01-01

Epidemiology reports state temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) affect up to 25% of the population, yet their etiology and progression are poorly understood. As a result, treatment options are limited and fail to meet the long-term demands of the relatively young patient population. TMD are a class of degenerative musculoskeletal conditions associated with morphological and functional deformities. In up to 70% of cases, TMD are accompanied by malpositioning of the TMJ disc, termed “internal derangement.” Though onset is not well characterized, correlations between internal derangement and osteoarthritic change have been identified. Due to the complex and unique nature of each TMD case, diagnosis requires patient-specific analysis accompanied by various diagnostic modalities. Likewise, treatment requires customized plans to address the specific characteristics of each patient’s disease. In the mechanically demanding and biochemically active environment of the TMJ, therapeutic approaches capable of restoring joint functionality while responding to changes in the joint have become a necessity. Capable of integration and adaptation in the TMJ, one such approach, tissue engineering, carries significant potential in the development of repair and replacement tissues. The following review presents a synopsis of etiology, current treatment methods, and the future of tissue engineering for repairing and/or replacing diseased joint components, specifically the mandibular condyle and TMJ disc. Preceding the current trends in tissue engineering is an analysis of native tissue characterization, toward identifying tissue engineering objectives and validation metrics for restoring healthy and functional structures of the TMJ. PMID:24278954

OpinionSeer: interactive visualization of hotel customer feedback.

PubMed

Wu, Yingcai; Wei, Furu; Liu, Shixia; Au, Norman; Cui, Weiwei; Zhou, Hong; Qu, Huamin

2010-01-01

The rapid development of Web technology has resulted in an increasing number of hotel customers sharing their opinions on the hotel services. Effective visual analysis of online customer opinions is needed, as it has a significant impact on building a successful business. In this paper, we present OpinionSeer, an interactive visualization system that could visually analyze a large collection of online hotel customer reviews. The system is built on a new visualization-centric opinion mining technique that considers uncertainty for faithfully modeling and analyzing customer opinions. A new visual representation is developed to convey customer opinions by augmenting well-established scatterplots and radial visualization. To provide multiple-level exploration, we introduce subjective logic to handle and organize subjective opinions with degrees of uncertainty. Several case studies illustrate the effectiveness and usefulness of OpinionSeer on analyzing relationships among multiple data dimensions and comparing opinions of different groups. Aside from data on hotel customer feedback, OpinionSeer could also be applied to visually analyze customer opinions on other products or services.

Reasoning and Knowledge Acquisition Framework for 5G Network Analytics

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Autonomic self-management is a key challenge for next-generation networks. This paper proposes an automated analysis framework to infer knowledge in 5G networks with the aim to understand the network status and to predict potential situations that might disrupt the network operability. The framework is based on the Endsley situational awareness model, and integrates automated capabilities for metrics discovery, pattern recognition, prediction techniques and rule-based reasoning to infer anomalous situations in the current operational context. Those situations should then be mitigated, either proactive or reactively, by a more complex decision-making process. The framework is driven by a use case methodology, where the network administrator is able to customize the knowledge inference rules and operational parameters. The proposal has also been instantiated to prove its adaptability to a real use case. To this end, a reference network traffic dataset was used to identify suspicious patterns and to predict the behavior of the monitored data volume. The preliminary results suggest a good level of accuracy on the inference of anomalous traffic volumes based on a simple configuration. PMID:29065473

Advances in Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging enable quantitative measurement of laterally heterogeneous coatings of nanoscale thickness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raegen, Adam; Reiter, Kyle; Clarke, Anthony; Lipkowski, Jacek; Dutcher, John

2013-03-01

The Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) phenomenon is routinely exploited to qualitatively probe changes to the optical properties of nanoscale coatings on thin metallic surfaces, for use in probes and sensors. Unfortunately, extracting truly quantitative information is usually limited to a select few cases - uniform absorption/desorption of small biomolecules and films, in which a continuous ``slab'' model is a good approximation. We present advancements in the SPR technique that expand the number of cases for which the technique can provide meaningful results. Use of a custom, angle-scanning SPR imaging system, together with a refined data analysis method, allow for quantitative kinetic measurements of laterally heterogeneous systems. We first demonstrate the directionally heterogeneous nature of the SPR phenomenon using a directionally ordered sample, then show how this allows for the calculation of the average coverage of a heterogeneous sample. Finally, the degradation of cellulose microfibrils and bundles of microfibrils due to the action of cellulolytic enzymes will be presented as an excellent example of the capabilities of the SPR imaging system.

Reasoning and Knowledge Acquisition Framework for 5G Network Analytics.

PubMed

Sotelo Monge, Marco Antonio; Maestre Vidal, Jorge; García Villalba, Luis Javier

2017-10-21

Autonomic self-management is a key challenge for next-generation networks. This paper proposes an automated analysis framework to infer knowledge in 5G networks with the aim to understand the network status and to predict potential situations that might disrupt the network operability. The framework is based on the Endsley situational awareness model, and integrates automated capabilities for metrics discovery, pattern recognition, prediction techniques and rule-based reasoning to infer anomalous situations in the current operational context. Those situations should then be mitigated, either proactive or reactively, by a more complex decision-making process. The framework is driven by a use case methodology, where the network administrator is able to customize the knowledge inference rules and operational parameters. The proposal has also been instantiated to prove its adaptability to a real use case. To this end, a reference network traffic dataset was used to identify suspicious patterns and to predict the behavior of the monitored data volume. The preliminary results suggest a good level of accuracy on the inference of anomalous traffic volumes based on a simple configuration.

The four faces of mass customization.

PubMed

Gilmore, J H; Pine, B J

1997-01-01

Virtually all executives today recognize the need to provide outstanding service to customers. Focusing on the customer, however, is both an imperative and a potential curse. In their desire to become customer driven, many companies have resorted to inventing new programs and procedures to meet every customer's request. But as customers and their needs grow increasingly diverse, such an approach has become a surefire way to add unnecessary cost and complexity to operations. Companies around the world have embraced mass customization in an attempt to avoid those pitfalls. Readily available information technology and flexible work processes permit them to customize goods or services for individual customers in high volumes at low cost. But many managers have discovered that mass customization itself can produce unnecessary cost and complexity. They are realizing that they did not examine thoroughly enough what kind of customization their customers would value before they plunged ahead. That is understandable. Until now, no framework has existed to help managers determine the type of customization they should pursue. James Gilmore and Joseph Pine provide managers with just such a framework. They have identified four distinct approaches to customization. When designing or redesigning a product, process, or business unit, managers should examine each approach for possible insights into how to serve their customers best. In some cases, a single approach will dominate the design. More often, however, managers will need a mix of some or all of the four approaches to serve their own particular set of customers.

Quality Management Builds Solid eTraining

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Echard, Rachel D.; Berge, Zane L.

2008-01-01

History has shown effective training techniques can produce significant business results especially in customer service, product development, and capability in obtaining new skill sets. This linkage of training to business strategy has given many businesses the needed competitive edge in today's global market. In today's technology age,…

Understanding Floppy Disks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valentine, Pamela

1980-01-01

The author describes the floppy disk with an analogy to the phonograph record, and discusses the advantages, disadvantages, and capabilities of hard-sectored and soft-sectored floppy disks. She concludes that, at present, the floppy disk will continue to be the primary choice of personal computer manufacturers and their customers. (KC)

Southern Impact Testing Alliance (SITA)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hubbs, Whitney; Roebuck, Brian; Zwiener, Mark; Wells, Brian

2009-01-01

Efforts to form this Alliance began in 2008 to showcase the impact testing capabilities within the southern United States. Impact testing customers can utilize SITA partner capabilities to provide supporting data during all program phases-materials/component/ flight hardware design, development, and qualification. This approach would allow programs to reduce risk by providing low cost testing during early development to flush out possible problems before moving on to larger scale1 higher cost testing. Various SITA partners would participate in impact testing depending on program phase-materials characterization, component/subsystem characterization, full-scale system testing for qualification. SITA partners would collaborate with the customer to develop an integrated test approach during early program phases. Modeling and analysis validation can start with small-scale testing to ensure a level of confidence for the next step large or full-scale conclusive test shots. Impact Testing Facility (ITF) was established and began its research in spacecraft debris shielding in the early 1960's and played a malor role in the International Space Station debris shield development. As a result of return to flight testing after the loss of STS-107 (Columbia) MSFC ITF realized the need to expand their capabilities beyond meteoroid and space debris impact testing. MSFC partnered with the Department of Defense and academic institutions as collaborative efforts to gain and share knowledge that would benefit the Space Agency as well as the DoD. MSFC ITF current capabilities include: Hypervelocity impact testing, ballistic impact testing, and environmental impact testing.

The Integration of COTS/GOTS within NASA's HST Command and Control System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pfarr, Thomas; Reis, James E.

2001-01-01

NASA's mission critical Hubble Space Telescope (HST) command and control system has been re-engineered with commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS/GOTS) and minimal custom code. This paper focuses on the design of this new HST Control Center System (CCS) and the lessons learned throughout its development. CCS currently utilizes more than 30 COTS/GOTS products with an additional 1/2 million lines of custom glueware code; the new CCS exceeds the capabilities of the original system while significantly reducing the lines of custom code by more than 50%. The lifecycle of COTS/GOTS products will be examined including the package selection process, evaluation process, and integration process. The advantages, disadvantages, issues, concerns, and lessons learned for integrating COTS/GOTS into the NASA's mission critical HST CCS will be examined in detail. This paper will reveal the many hidden costs of COTS/GOTS solutions when compared to traditional custom code development efforts; this paper will show the high cost of COTS/GOTS solutions including training expenses, consulting fees, and long-term maintenance expenses.

Iris Positioning Using a Grid Attached to a Spring Bow for a Custom Ocular Prosthesis

PubMed Central

Aras, Meena Ajay; Chitre, Vidya; Costa, Godwin Clovis Da

2017-01-01

Eyes are among the first features of the face to be noticed. Loss of an eye due to congenital, traumatic or pathologic aetiologies causes disfigurement and loss of sensory feedback. It leaves a psychological impact on the patient, thus prosthesis should be provided at the earliest to raise the spirits of the afflicted. Iris positioning is one of the important steps in fabricating customized ocular prosthesis. In facial asymmetry cases, comparison of both irises together can be a major disadvantage. This case report illustrates the use of a unique customized frame spring bow assembly to position the iris disk using the established parallelism between inter pupillary line to the horizontal plane. PMID:28511522

A conjoint analysis to consumer choice in Brazil: Defining device attributes for recognizing customized foods characteristics.

PubMed

Calegari, L P; Barbosa, J; Marodin, G A; Fettermann, D C

2018-07-01

the availability of information about food products may be an essential factor in the consumer's value perception in their purchasing decision. As the food product becomes personalized, the customization of this information becomes complex due to the possible combinations of product components. The use of smart technology in devices is one way to provide customers with customized food information. In the following research five attributes were identified in the composition of these devices: (A) portability; (B) precision; (C) diet customization; (D) food quality analysis; and (E) price. This study aims to identify the appropriate combination of possible functionalities or attributes that must be present in a device in order to detect the food composition of customized foods and their relation to market characteristics. One experiment used fractional factorial project to present the attributes in the form of scenarios following the Choice-Based Conjoint Analysis (CBCA) method. The data collection was done using survey methodology, through online questionnaire, with some 303 Brazilian respondents. So, the Logistic Regression was applied to data analysis. The moderating variables-gender, age, gluten restriction, lactose restriction and other restrictions-were also added to verify potential interactions with the primary attributes. From the results obtained, it was possible to observe higher significance for the primary attributes of diet personalization and quality food analyzes function. Our study contributes to the literature by enhancing the understanding about what the attributes should be in a technological device that has the purpose of recognizing food characteristics and is capable of generating information about customized food products. Furthermore, this device can enabler the production of mass customized food with the nutritional labels for each possible combination. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Offshore Standards and Research Validation | Wind | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Research Capabilities 35 years of wind turbine testing experience Custom high speed data acquisition system turbine testing expertise, NREL has developed instrumentation for high resolution measurements at sea by and technicians, who conduct a wide range of field measurements to verify turbine performance and

Teaching Culture in the Classroom to Arabic Language Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eldin, Ahmad Abdel Tawwab Sharaf

2015-01-01

Arabic language learning comprises of certain elements, including syntactic ability, oral capability, dialect proficiency, and a change in state of mind towards different culture or society. For teachers and laymen alike, cultural competence, i.e., the knowledge of the customs, beliefs, and systems of another country, is indisputably an integral…

A Customized Campaign against Bullying

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruder, Robert

2005-01-01

Delivering a powerful anti-bullying message to middle school students is a challenge for middle level administrators, their staff members, and their students. However, there are many options to tackle this challenge. One option is to import a well-respected and capable external expert to present an anti-bullying program to students and offer…

Custom 3D Printable Silicones with Tunable Stiffness

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Durban, Matthew M.; Lenhardt, Jeremy M.; Wu, Amanda S.

Silicone elastomers have broad versatility within a variety of potential advanced materials applications, such as soft robotics, biomedical devices, and metamaterials. Furthermore, a series of custom 3D printable silicone inks with tunable stiffness is developed, formulated, and characterized. The silicone inks exhibit excellent rheological behavior for 3D printing, as observed from the printing of porous structures with controlled architectures. Here, the capability to tune the stiffness of printable silicone materials via careful control over the chemistry, network formation, and crosslink density of the ink formulations in order to overcome the challenging interplay between ink development, post-processing, material properties, and performancemore » is demonstrated.« less

Advance release of data for the 1980 Statistical Year Book of the electric utility industry. [Monograph; data tables

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1981-01-01

This monograph consists of 25 data tables that will be included in the subject year book, revealing such information as: total US installed generating capacity; installed capacity by states; installed capacity by ownership and type of prime mover; capability - peak load - kWh requirements; generation by states; generation by fuel; sales by years and classes of service; ultimate customers - by years and classes of service; revenues - by years and classes of service; average use and revenue per customer; average revenues per kWh sold; consumption of fossil fuels for electric generation; construction expenditures; and public-utility long-term financing.

Custom 3D Printable Silicones with Tunable Stiffness

DOE PAGES

Durban, Matthew M.; Lenhardt, Jeremy M.; Wu, Amanda S.; ...

2017-12-06

Silicone elastomers have broad versatility within a variety of potential advanced materials applications, such as soft robotics, biomedical devices, and metamaterials. Furthermore, a series of custom 3D printable silicone inks with tunable stiffness is developed, formulated, and characterized. The silicone inks exhibit excellent rheological behavior for 3D printing, as observed from the printing of porous structures with controlled architectures. Here, the capability to tune the stiffness of printable silicone materials via careful control over the chemistry, network formation, and crosslink density of the ink formulations in order to overcome the challenging interplay between ink development, post-processing, material properties, and performancemore » is demonstrated.« less

Robotic NDE inspection of advanced solid rocket motor casings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcneelege, Glenn E.; Sarantos, Chris

1994-01-01

The Advanced Solid Rocket Motor program determined the need to inspect ASRM forgings and segments for potentially catastrophic defects. To minimize costs, an automated eddy current inspection system was designed and manufactured for inspection of ASRM forgings in the initial phases of production. This system utilizes custom manipulators and motion control algorithms and integrated six channel eddy current data acquisition and analysis hardware and software. Total system integration is through a personal computer based workcell controller. Segment inspection demands the use of a gantry robot for the EMAT/ET inspection system. The EMAT/ET system utilized similar mechanical compliancy and software logic to accommodate complex part geometries. EMAT provides volumetric inspection capability while eddy current is limited to surface and near surface inspection. Each aspect of the systems are applicable to other industries, such as, inspection of pressure vessels, weld inspection, and traditional ultrasonic inspection applications.

Development of the Internet-Based Customer-Oriented Ordering System Framework for Complicated Mechanical Product

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ong, Mingwei; Watanuki, Keiichi

Recently, as consumers gradually prefer buying products that reflect their own personality, there exist some consumers who wish to involve in the product design process. Parallel with the popularization of e-business, many manufacturers have utilized the Internet to promote their products, and some have even built websites that enable consumers to select their desirable product specifications. Nevertheless, this method has not been applied on complicated mechanical product due to the facts that complicated mechanical product has a large number of specifications that inter-relate among one another. In such a case, ordinary consumers who are lacking of design knowledge, are not capable of determining these specifications. In this paper, a prototype framework called Internet-based consumer-oriented product ordering system has been developed in which it enables ordinary consumers to have large freedom in determining complicated mechanical product specifications, and meanwhile ensures that the manufacturing of the determined product is feasible.

Experimental results from magnetized-jet experiments executed at the Jupiter Laser Facility

DOE PAGES

Manuel, M. J. -E.; Kuranz, C. C.; Rasmus, A. M.; ...

2014-08-20

Recent experiments at the Jupiter Laser Facility investigated magnetization effects on collimated plasma jets. Laser-irradiated plastic-cone-targets produced collimated, millimeter-scale plasma flows as indicated by optical interferometry. Proton radiography of these jets showed no indication of strong, self-generated magnetic fields, suggesting a dominantly hydrodynamic collimating mechanism. Targets were placed in a custom-designed solenoid capable of generating field strengths up to 5 T. Proton radiographs of the well-characterized B-field, without a plasma jet, suggested an external source of trapped electrons that affects proton trajectories. The background magnetic field was aligned with the jet propagation direction, as is the case in many astrophysicalmore » systems. Optical interferometry showed that magnetization of the plasma results in disruption of the collimated flow and instead produces a hollow cavity. Furthermore, this result is a topic of ongoing investigation.« less

Experimental results from magnetized-jet experiments executed at the Jupiter Laser Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Manuel, M. J. -E.; Kuranz, C. C.; Rasmus, A. M.

Recent experiments at the Jupiter Laser Facility investigated magnetization effects on collimated plasma jets. Laser-irradiated plastic-cone-targets produced collimated, millimeter-scale plasma flows as indicated by optical interferometry. Proton radiography of these jets showed no indication of strong, self-generated magnetic fields, suggesting a dominantly hydrodynamic collimating mechanism. Targets were placed in a custom-designed solenoid capable of generating field strengths up to 5 T. Proton radiographs of the well-characterized B-field, without a plasma jet, suggested an external source of trapped electrons that affects proton trajectories. The background magnetic field was aligned with the jet propagation direction, as is the case in many astrophysicalmore » systems. Optical interferometry showed that magnetization of the plasma results in disruption of the collimated flow and instead produces a hollow cavity. Furthermore, this result is a topic of ongoing investigation.« less

Satellite Servicing's Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking Testbed on the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Naasz, Bo J.; Strube, Matthew; Van Eepoel, John; Barbee, Brent W.; Getzandanner, Kenneth M.

2011-01-01

The Space Servicing Capabilities Project (SSCP) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has been tasked with developing systems for servicing space assets. Starting in 2009, the SSCP completed a study documenting potential customers and the business case for servicing, as well as defining several notional missions and required technologies. In 2010, SSCP moved to the implementation stage by completing several ground demonstrations and commencing development of two International Space Station (ISS) payloads-the Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) and the Dextre Pointing Package (DPP)--to mitigate new technology risks for a robotic mission to service existing assets in geosynchronous orbit. This paper introduces the DPP, scheduled to fly in July of 2012 on the third operational SpaceX Dragon mission, and its Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking (AR&D) instruments. The combination of sensors and advanced avionics provide valuable on-orbit demonstrations of essential technologies for servicing existing vehicles, both cooperative and non-cooperative.

Maritime microwave radar and electro-optical data fusion for homeland security

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seastrand, Mark J.

2004-09-01

US Customs is responsible for monitoring all incoming air and maritime traffic, including the island of Puerto Rico as a US territory. Puerto Rico offers potentially obscure points of entry to drug smugglers. This environment sets forth a formula for an illegal drug trade - based relatively near the continental US. The US Customs Caribbean Air and Marine Operations Center (CAMOC), located in Puntas Salinas, has the charter to monitor maritime and Air Traffic Control (ATC) radars. The CAMOC monitors ATC radars and advises the Air and Marine Branch of US Customs of suspicious air activity. In turn, the US Coast Guard and/or US Customs will launch air and sea assets as necessary. The addition of a coastal radar and camera system provides US Customs a maritime monitoring capability for the northwestern end of Puerto Rico (Figure 1). Command and Control of the radar and camera is executed at the CAMOC, located 75 miles away. The Maritime Microwave Surveillance Radar performs search, primary target acquisition and target tracking while the Midwave Infrared (MWIR) camera performs target identification. This wide area surveillance, using a combination of radar and MWIR camera, offers the CAMOC a cost and manpower effective approach to monitor, track and identify maritime targets.

19 CFR 351.503 - Benefit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Benefit. 351.503 Section 351.503 Customs Duties INTERNATIONAL TRADE ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE ANTIDUMPING AND COUNTERVAILING DUTIES Identification and Measurement of Countervailable Subsidies § 351.503 Benefit. (a) Specific rules. In the case of a...

The Business Case for Systems Engineering Study: Detailed Response Data

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-11-01

of Carnegie Mellon University. DM -0000794 CMU/SEI-2012-SR-011 | i Table of Contents Acknowledgments ix Executive Summary xi Abstract xiii...providing an SRD25 upfront with crisp requirements. Customer/acquirer consistently talks about SE but never practices SE. Customer practices SE

The Uses Of State DOT Research: Customer Use Of Completed Projects From NJDOT's Research Bureau

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-01-01

Based on case-study synthesis of ten projects completed between 1991-1998, this report explores factors that relate to how internal customers use the work completed for them by the New Jersey Department of Transportation's (NJDOT's) Research Bureau. ...

Zipf's law in city size from a resource utilization model.

PubMed

Ghosh, Asim; Chatterjee, Arnab; Chakrabarti, Anindya S; Chakrabarti, Bikas K

2014-10-01

We study a resource utilization scenario characterized by intrinsic fitness. To describe the growth and organization of different cities, we consider a model for resource utilization where many restaurants compete, as in a game, to attract customers using an iterative learning process. Results for the case of restaurants with uniform fitness are reported. When fitness is uniformly distributed, it gives rise to a Zipf law for the number of customers. We perform an exact calculation for the utilization fraction for the case when choices are made independent of fitness. A variant of the model is also introduced where the fitness can be treated as an ability to stay in the business. When a restaurant loses customers, its fitness is replaced by a random fitness. The steady state fitness distribution is characterized by a power law, while the distribution of the number of customers still follows the Zipf law, implying the robustness of the model. Our model serves as a paradigm for the emergence of Zipf law in city size distribution.

Zipf's law in city size from a resource utilization model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, Asim; Chatterjee, Arnab; Chakrabarti, Anindya S.; Chakrabarti, Bikas K.

2014-10-01

We study a resource utilization scenario characterized by intrinsic fitness. To describe the growth and organization of different cities, we consider a model for resource utilization where many restaurants compete, as in a game, to attract customers using an iterative learning process. Results for the case of restaurants with uniform fitness are reported. When fitness is uniformly distributed, it gives rise to a Zipf law for the number of customers. We perform an exact calculation for the utilization fraction for the case when choices are made independent of fitness. A variant of the model is also introduced where the fitness can be treated as an ability to stay in the business. When a restaurant loses customers, its fitness is replaced by a random fitness. The steady state fitness distribution is characterized by a power law, while the distribution of the number of customers still follows the Zipf law, implying the robustness of the model. Our model serves as a paradigm for the emergence of Zipf law in city size distribution.

Space Power Facility-Capabilities for Space Environmental Testing Within a Single Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sorge, Richard N.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to describe the current and near-term environmental test capabilities of the NASA Glenn Research Center's Space Power Facility (SPF) located at Sandusky, Ohio. The paper will present current and near-term capabilities for conducting electromagnetic interference and compatibility testing, base-shake sinusoidal vibration testing, reverberant acoustic testing, and thermal-vacuum testing. The paper will also present modes of transportation, handling, ambient environments, and operations within the facility to conduct those tests. The SPF is in the midst of completing and activating new or refurbished capabilities which, when completed, will provide the ability to conduct most or all required full-scale end-assembly space simulation tests at a single test location. It is envisioned that the capabilities will allow a customer to perform a wide range of space simulation tests in one facility at reasonable cost.

Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers using commercial multi-user MUMPs process: capability and limitations

PubMed Central

Liu, Jessica; Oakley, Clyde; Shandas, Robin

2009-01-01

The objective of this work is to construct capacitive micromachined ultrasouind transducers (cMUTs) using multi-user MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems) process (MUMPs) and to analyze the capability of this process relative to the customized processes commonly in use. The MUMPs process has the advantages of low cost and accessibility to general users since it is not necessary to have access to customized fabrication capability such as wafer-bonding and sacrificial release processes. While other researchers have reported fabricating cMUTs using the MUMPs process none has reported the limitations in the process that arise due to the use of standard design rules that place limitations on the material thicknesses, gap thicknesses, and materials that may be used. In this paper we explain these limitations, and analyze the capabilities using 1D modeling, Finite Element Analysis, and experimental devices. We show that one of the limitations is that collapse voltage and center frequency can not be controlled independently. However, center frequencies up to 9 MHz can be achieved with collapse voltages of less than 200 volts making such devices suitable for medical and non-destructive evaluation imaging applications. Since the membrane and base electrodes are made of polysilicon, there is a larger series resistance than that resulting from processes that use metal electrodes. We show that the series resistance is not a significant problem. The conductive polysilicon can also destroy the cMUT if the top membrane is pulled in the bottom. As a solution we propose the application of an additional dielectric layer. Finally we demonstrate a device built with a novel beam construction that produces transmitted pressure pulse into air with 6% bandwidth and agrees reasonably well with the 1D model. We conclude that cMUTS made with MUMPS process have some limitations that are not present in customized processes. However these limitations may be overcome with the proper design considerations that we have presented putting a low cost, highly accessible means of making cMUT devices into the hands of academic and industrial researchers. PMID:19640557

The development of an integrated Indonesian health care model using Kano's model, quality function deployment and balanced scorecard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonny, Zagloed, Teuku Yuri M.

2017-11-01

This paper aims to present an integrated health care model for Indonesian health care industry. Based on previous researches, there are two health care models in the industry such as decease- and patient-centered care models. In their developments, the patient-centered care model is widely applied due to its capability in reducing cost and improving quality simultaneously. However, there is still no comprehensive model resulting in cost reduction, quality improvement, patient satisfaction and hospital profitability simultaneously. Therefore, this research is intended to develop that model. In doing so, first, a conceptual model using Kano's Model, Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is developed to generate several important elements of the model as required by stakeholders. Then, a case study of an Indonesian hospital is presented to evaluate the validity of the model using correlation analysis. As a result, it can be concluded that the model is validated implying several managerial insights among its elements such as l) leadership (r=0.85) and context of the organization (r=0.77) improve operations; 2) planning (r=0.96), support process (r=0.87) and continual improvement (r=0.95) also improve operations; 3) operations improve customer satisfaction (r=0.89) and financial performance (r=0.93) and 4) customer satisfaction improves the financial performance (0.98).

Applications for General Purpose Command Buffers: The Emergency Conjunction Avoidance Maneuver

USGS Publications Warehouse

Scheid, Robert J; England, Martin

2016-01-01

A case study is presented for the use of Relative Operation Sequence (ROS) command buffers to quickly execute a propulsive maneuver to avoid a collision with space debris. In this process, a ROS is custom-built with a burn time and magnitude, uplinked to the spacecraft, and executed in 15 percent of the time of the previous method. This new process provides three primary benefits. First, the planning cycle can be delayed until it is certain a burn must be performed, reducing team workload. Second, changes can be made to the burn parameters almost up to the point of execution while still allowing the normal uplink product review process, reducing the risk of leaving the operational orbit because of outdated burn parameters, and minimizing the chance of accidents from human error, such as missed commands, in a high-stress situation. Third, the science impacts can be customized and minimized around the burn, and in the event of an abort can be eliminated entirely in some circumstances. The result is a compact burn process that can be executed in as few as four hours and can be aborted seconds before execution. Operational, engineering, planning, and flight dynamics perspectives are presented, as well as a functional overview of the code and workflow required to implement the process. Future expansions and capabilities are also discussed.

Space Mission Operations Ground Systems Integration Customer Service

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roth, Karl

2014-01-01

The facility, which is now the Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL, has provided continuous space mission and related services for the space industry since 1961, from Mercury Redstone through the International Space Station (ISS). Throughout the long history of the facility and mission support teams, the HOSC has developed a stellar customer support and service process. In this era, of cost cutting, and providing more capability and results with fewer resources, space missions are looking for the most efficient way to accomplish their objectives. One of the first services provided by the facility was fax transmission of documents to, then, Cape Canaveral in Florida. The headline in the Marshall Star, the newspaper for the newly formed Marshall Space Flight Center, read "Exact copies of Documents sent to Cape in 4 minutes." The customer was Dr. Wernher von Braun. Currently at the HOSC we are supporting, or have recently supported, missions ranging from simple ISS payloads requiring little more than "bentpipe" telemetry access, to a low cost free-flyer Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology Satellite (FASTSAT), to a full service ISS payload Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer 2 (AMS2) supporting 24/7 operations at three operations centers around the world with an investment of over 2 billion dollars. The HOSC has more need and desire than ever to provide fast and efficient customer service to support these missions. Here we will outline how our customer-centric service approach reduces the cost of providing services, makes it faster and easier than ever for new customers to get started with HOSC services, and show what the future holds for our space mission operations customers. We will discuss our philosophy concerning our responsibility and accessibility to a mission customer as well as how we deal with the following issues: initial contact with a customer, reducing customer cost, changing regulations and security, and cultural differences, to ensure an efficient response to customer issues using a small Customer Service Team (CST) and adaptability, constant communication with customers, technical expertise and knowledge of services, and dedication to customer service. The HOSC Customer Support Team has implemented a variety of processes, and procedures that help to mitigate the potential problems that arise when integrating ground system services for a variety of complex missions and the lessons learned from this experience will lead the future of customer service in the space operations industry.

Utilities Power Change: Engaging Commercial Customers in Workplace Charging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lommele, Stephen; Dafoe, Wendy

As stewards of an electric grid that is available almost anywhere people park, utilities that support workplace charging are uniquely positioned to help their commercial customers be a part of the rapidly expanding network of charging infrastructure. Utilities understand the distinctive challenges of their customers, have access to technical information about electrical infrastructure, and have deep experience modeling and managing demand for electricity. This case study highlights the experiences of two utilities with workplace charging programs.

A Study of Novice Systems Analysis Problem Solving Behaviors Using Protocol Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-09-01

conducted. Each subject was given the same task to perform. The task involved a case study (Appendix B) of a utility company’s customer order processing system...behavior (Ramesh, 1989). The task was to design a customer order processing system that utilized a centralized telephone answering service center...of the utility company’s customer order processing system that was developed based on information obtained by a large systems consulting firm during

Sustained Energy Savings Achieved through Successful Industrial Customer Interaction with Ratepayer Programs: Case Studies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Goldberg, Amelie; Hedman, Bruce; Taylor, Robert P.

Many states have implemented ratepayer-funded programs to acquire energy efficiency as a predictable and reliable resource for meeting existing and future energy demand. These programs have become a fixture in many U.S. electricity and natural gas markets as they help postpone or eliminate the need for expensive generation and transmission investments. Industrial energy efficiency (IEE) is an energy efficiency resource that is not only a low cost option for many of these efficiency programs, but offers productivity and competitive benefits to manufacturers as it reduces their energy costs. However, some industrial customers are less enthusiastic about participating in these programs.more » IEE ratepayer programs suffer low participation by industries across many states today despite a continual increase in energy efficiency program spending across all types of customers, and significant energy efficiency funds can often go unused for industrial customers. This paper provides four detailed case studies of companies that benefited from participation in their utility’s energy efficiency program offerings and highlights the business value brought to them by participation in these programs. The paper is designed both for rate-payer efficiency program administrators interested in improving the attractiveness and effectiveness of industrial efficiency programs for their industrial customers and for industrial customers interested in maximizing the value of participating in efficiency programs.« less

Critical Success Factors of Internet Shopping: The Case of Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atchariyachanvanich, Kanokwan; Okada, Hitoshi; Sonehara, Noboru

This paper presents the results from a study conducted on the effect of differing factors on a customer's attitude towards using Internet shopping in Japan. The research model used was an extended version of the consumers' acceptance of virtual stores model with the addition of a new factor, need specificity, and a grouping of critical success factors based on their customer-centric and website-centric viewpoints sources. It examines how differences in the individual characteristics of customers affect the actual use of Internet shopping. According to an online questionnaire filled out by 1,215 online customers used to conduct a multiple regression analysis and a structural equation modeling analysis, the participant's gender, education level, innovativeness, net-orientation, and need specificity, which are the factors for the customer-centric viewpoints, have a positive impact on the actual use of Internet shopping. The implication also shows that Japanese online customers do not worry about the quality of service of Internet shopping, a factor in the website-centric viewpoint, as significantly as offline customers do.

Customization of Advia 120 thresholds for canine erythrocyte volume and hemoglobin concentration, and effects on morphology flagging results.

PubMed

Grimes, Carolyn N; Fry, Michael M

2014-12-01

This study sought to develop customized morphology flagging thresholds for canine erythrocyte volume and hemoglobin concentration [Hgb] on the ADVIA 120 hematology analyzer; compare automated morphology flagging with results of microscopic blood smear evaluation; and examine effects of customized thresholds on morphology flagging results. Customized thresholds were determined using data from 52 clinically healthy dogs. Blood smear evaluation and automated morphology flagging results were correlated with mean cell volume (MCV) and cellular hemoglobin concentration mean (CHCM) in 26 dogs. Customized thresholds were applied retroactively to complete blood (cell) count (CBC) data from 5 groups of dogs, including a reference sample group, clinical cases, and animals with experimentally induced iron deficiency anemia. Automated morphology flagging correlated more highly with MCV or CHCM than did blood smear evaluation; correlation with MCV was highest using customized thresholds. Customized morphology flagging thresholds resulted in more sensitive detection of microcytosis, macrocytosis, and hypochromasia than default thresholds.

Laparoscopic optical coherence tomographic imaging of human ovarian cancer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hariri, Lida P.; Bonnema, Garret T.; Schmidt, Kathy; Hatch, Kenneth; Brewer, Molly; Barton, Jennifer K.

2008-02-01

Ovarian cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death among women in the United States. If diagnosed at an early stage, the 5-year survival rate is 94%, but drops to 68% for regional disease and 29% for distant metastasis; only 19% of all cases are diagnosed at the early, localized stage. Optical coherence tomography is a recently emerging non-destructive imaging technology, achieving high axial resolutions (10-20 microns) at imaging depths up to 2 mm. Previously, we studied OCT imaging in normal and diseased human ovary ex vivo to determine the features OCT is capable of resolving. Changes in collagen were suggested with several of the images that correlated with changes in collagen seen in malignancy. Areas of necrosis and blood vessels were also visualized using OCT, indicative of an underlying tissue abnormality. We recently developed a custom side-firing laparoscopic OCT (LOCT) probe fabricated specifically for in vivo laparoscopic imaging. The LOCT probe consists of a 38 mm diameter handpiece terminated in an 280 mm long, 4.6 mm diameter tip for insertion into the laparoscopic trocar and is capable of obtaining up to 9.5 mm image lengths at 10 micron axial resolution. In this study, we utilize the LOCT probe to image one or both ovaries of 20 patients undergoing laparotomy or transabdominal endoscopy and oophorectomy to determine if OCT is capable of identifying and/or differentiating normal and neoplastic ovary. To date, we have laparoscopically imaged the ovaries of ten patients successfully with no known complications.

Economics of automation for the design-to-mask interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erck, Wesley

2009-04-01

Mask order automation has increased steadily over the years through a variety of individual mask customer implementations. These have been supported by customer-specific software at the mask suppliers to support the variety of customer output formats. Some customers use the SEMI P10 1 standard, some use supplier-specific formats, and some use customer-specific formats. Some customers use little automation and depend instead on close customer-supplier relationships. Implementations are varied in quality and effectiveness. A major factor which has prolonged the adoption of more advanced and effective solutions has been a lack of understanding of the economic benefits. Some customers think standardized automation mainly benefits the mask supplier in order entry automation, but this ignores a number of other significant benefits which differ dramatically for each party in the supply chain. This paper discusses the nature of those differing advantages and presents simple models suited to four business cases: integrated device manufacturers (IDM), fabless companies, foundries and mask suppliers. Examples and estimates of the financial advantages for these business types will be shown.

Solving inverse problem for Markov chain model of customer lifetime value using flower pollination algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Ma'shumah, Fathimah; Permana, Dony; Sidarto, Kuntjoro Adji

2015-12-01

Customer Lifetime Value is an important and useful concept in marketing. One of its benefits is to help a company for budgeting marketing expenditure for customer acquisition and customer retention. Many mathematical models have been introduced to calculate CLV considering the customer retention/migration classification scheme. A fairly new class of these models which will be described in this paper uses Markov Chain Models (MCM). This class of models has the major advantage for its flexibility to be modified to several different cases/classification schemes. In this model, the probabilities of customer retention and acquisition play an important role. From Pfeifer and Carraway, 2000, the final formula of CLV obtained from MCM usually contains nonlinear form of the transition probability matrix. This nonlinearity makes the inverse problem of CLV difficult to solve. This paper aims to solve this inverse problem, yielding the approximate transition probabilities for the customers, by applying metaheuristic optimization algorithm developed by Yang, 2013, Flower Pollination Algorithm. The major interpretation of obtaining the transition probabilities are to set goals for marketing teams in keeping the relative frequencies of customer acquisition and customer retention.

Application of the 2-piece orthodontic C-implant for provisional restoration with laser welded customized coping: a case report.

PubMed

Paek, Janghyun; Ahn, Hyo-Won; Jeong, Do-Min; Shim, Jeong-Seok; Kim, Seong-Hun; Chung, Kyu-Rhim

2015-03-25

This article presents the application of laser welding technique to fabricate an orthodontic mini-implant provisional restoration in missing area after limited orthodontic treatment. A 15-year-old boy case is presented. Two-piece orthodontic C-implant was placed after regaining space for missing right mandibular central incisor. Due to angular deviation of implant, customized abutment was required. Ready-made head part was milled and lingual part of customized abutment was made with non-precious metal. Two parts then were laser welded (Master 1000, Elettrolaser Italy, Verona, Italy) and indirect lab composite (3 M ESPE Sinfony, St. Paul, MN, USA) was built up. The patient had successful result, confirmed by clinical and radiographic examinations. Before the patient is ready to get a permanent restoration later on, this provisional restoration will be used. This case shows that a two-piece orthodontic C-implant system can be used to maintain small edentulous space after orthodontic treatment.

Implementing a low-cost web-based clinical trial management system for community studies: a case study.

PubMed

Geyer, John; Myers, Kathleen; Vander Stoep, Ann; McCarty, Carolyn; Palmer, Nancy; DeSalvo, Amy

2011-10-01

Clinical trials with multiple intervention locations and a single research coordinating center can be logistically difficult to implement. Increasingly, web-based systems are used to provide clinical trial support with many commercial, open source, and proprietary systems in use. New web-based tools are available which can be customized without programming expertise to deliver web-based clinical trial management and data collection functions. To demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing low-cost configurable applications to create a customized web-based data collection and study management system for a five intervention site randomized clinical trial establishing the efficacy of providing evidence-based treatment via teleconferencing to children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The sites are small communities that would not usually be included in traditional randomized trials. A major goal was to develop database that participants could access from computers in their home communities for direct data entry. Discussed is the selection process leading to the identification and utilization of a cost-effective and user-friendly set of tools capable of customization for data collection and study management tasks. An online assessment collection application, template-based web portal creation application, and web-accessible Access 2007 database were selected and customized to provide the following features: schedule appointments, administer and monitor online secure assessments, issue subject incentives, and securely transmit electronic documents between sites. Each tool was configured by users with limited programming expertise. As of June 2011, the system has successfully been used with 125 participants in 5 communities, who have completed 536 sets of assessment questionnaires, 8 community therapists, and 11 research staff at the research coordinating center. Total automation of processes is not possible with the current set of tools as each is loosely affiliated, creating some inefficiency. This system is best suited to investigations with a single data source e.g., psychosocial questionnaires. New web-based applications can be used by investigators with limited programming experience to implement user-friendly, efficient, and cost-effective tools for multi-site clinical trials with small distant communities. Such systems allow the inclusion in research of populations that are not usually involved in clinical trials.

"We Serve You, Right?" A Case Study Adapting Coorientation to Customer Service Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williamson, JoAnna

2010-01-01

An abundance of academic research has focused on identifying, explicating, operationalizing, and analyzing variables used to understand the dynamics of customer service. Despite this scholarly attention, applied researchers and the popular press have long reported consumers' dissatisfaction with the service received during their customer…

78 FR 37261 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.; Notice of Filing of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-20

... Change Relating to Amendments to the Discovery Guide Used in Customer Arbitration Proceedings June 13... Discovery Guide (``Guide'') used in customer arbitration proceedings to provide general guidance on electronic discovery (``e-discovery'') issues and product cases and to clarify the existing provision...

Modernization: A Case Study of the Interaction of Setting, Custom, and Ideology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frankel, Daniel G.; Roer-Bornstein, Dorit

An investigation was conducted to better understand the interaction between physical and social settings, culturally based customs for parenting, and the ideology of caretakers in two Israeli cultures undergoing modernization. Yemenite and Kurdish parenting systems were examined by observing mother/infant interactions in unstructured naturalistic…

Remaking the Facilities Organization. APPA Thought Leaders Series 2016

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

APPA: Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers, 2016

2016-01-01

The 2016 Thought Leaders symposium, supported in part by long-time sponsor Jacobs, focused on "Remaking the Facilities Organization." The report makes the case for a customer-centric higher education facilities organization. Experts provide their insights on how a focus on the customer provides a framework for driving change. The…

Linking hospital security to customer service: making the case for 'world class' security.

PubMed

Hill, Scott A

2011-01-01

The reluctance of many hospitals today to invest money and resources into security and safety while at the same time promoting customer good will is a fallacy that has to be corrected, according to the author. He demonstrates how high customer satisfaction scores, as well as regulatory compliance, can only be achieved if a hospital takes the steps necessary to provide adequate safety and security to patients, visitors, physicians and to all who come to the hospital.

Throw Away that Telework Manual!’ - the Limitations of Existing Telework Literature in the B2C e-Business Context

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-06-01

of Case B identified the importance of a Customer Relationship Management ( CRM ) strategy in their e-business for effective telework to occur as...telework that acknowledge and take account of the heterogeneity of teleworkers. Keywords. Telework, e-Business, Customer relationship management ...to build rapport on-line with the customers makes it easier to work from outside the office. Fourthly, the employees (T3 and T4) and manager (M2

Software Acquisition Program Dynamics

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-10-24

greatest capability, which requires latest technologies • Contractors prefer using latest technologies to boost staff competency for future bids Risk...mistakes Build foundation to test future mitigation/solution approaches to assess value • Qualitatively validate new approaches before applying them to...classroom training, eLearning , certification, and more—to serve the needs of customers and partners worldwide.

Examining Impacts of Organizational Capabilities in Information Security: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Jacqueline Huynh

2011-01-01

In today's modern business world, most organizations use information as a critical business asset to gain competitive advantage and create market value. Increasingly, an organization's ability to protect information assets plays a critical role in its ability to meet regulatory compliance requirements, increase customer trust, preserve brand…

Curriculum Complexities: The Chair's and Dean's Agenda.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Able, Jean Ann; And Others

As the newest college in the 10-member Maricopa Community College System, Arizona's Estrella Mountain Community College Center (EMCCC) is highly capable of innovation since it does not have to battle years of tradition. As part of its emphasis on innovation, EMCCC operates under the relatively new paradigm of being a customer-driven organization.…

NASA's Software Bank (ASAP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

The NASA-developed Artificial Satellite Analysis Program (ASAP), was purchased from COSMIC and used to enhance OPNET, a program for developing simulations of communications satellite networks. OPNET's developer, MIL3, applied ASAP to support predictions of low Earth orbit, enabling the company to offer satellite modeling capability to customers earlier than if they had to actually develop the program.

Teachers of Students with Visual Disability: Their Perceptions and Knowledge of Assistive Technology in Saudi Arabia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alsolmi, Abdulaziz

2017-01-01

Assistive technology devices are defined as any "product, device, or equipment, whether acquired commercially, modified or customized, that is used maintain, increase, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities" (P.L 100-407, 1997). There is a strong relationship since ancient civilizations between…

Performance Plan: Progress Report, 3rd Quarter Fiscal Year 2000.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department of Education, Washington, DC. Student Financial Assistance.

The U.S. Department of Education Student Financial Assistance (SFA) outlines its three major objectives for fiscal year 2000 in its progress report. The objectives are: 1)customer satisfaction; 2) reduction in the overall cost of delivering student aid; and 3) employee satisfaction. Several new capabilities were added to the Direct Loan servicing…

Assistive and Instructional Technology: Understanding the Differences to Enhance Programming and Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shepley, Collin; Lane, Justin D.; Ayres, Kevin; Douglas, Karen H.

2017-01-01

The Assistive Technology Act of 2004 (29 U.S.C. Sec 2202(2)) defines AT as "any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities." Instructional Technology (IT), a term not…

Cobalt: A GPU-based correlator and beamformer for LOFAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broekema, P. Chris; Mol, J. Jan David; Nijboer, R.; van Amesfoort, A. S.; Brentjens, M. A.; Loose, G. Marcel; Klijn, W. F. A.; Romein, J. W.

2018-04-01

For low-frequency radio astronomy, software correlation and beamforming on general purpose hardware is a viable alternative to custom designed hardware. LOFAR, a new-generation radio telescope centered in the Netherlands with international stations in Germany, France, Ireland, Poland, Sweden and the UK, has successfully used software real-time processors based on IBM Blue Gene technology since 2004. Since then, developments in technology have allowed us to build a system based on commercial off-the-shelf components that combines the same capabilities with lower operational cost. In this paper, we describe the design and implementation of a GPU-based correlator and beamformer with the same capabilities as the Blue Gene based systems. We focus on the design approach taken, and show the challenges faced in selecting an appropriate system. The design, implementation and verification of the software system show the value of a modern test-driven development approach. Operational experience, based on three years of operations, demonstrates that a general purpose system is a good alternative to the previous supercomputer-based system or custom-designed hardware.

A business case for quality improvement in addiction treatment: evidence from the NIATx collaborative.

PubMed

Quanbeck, Andrew R; Madden, Lynn; Edmundson, Eldon; Ford, James H; McConnell, K John; McCarty, Dennis; Gustafson, David H

2012-01-01

The Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx) promotes treatment access and retention through a customer-focused quality improvement model. This paper explores the issue of the "business case" for quality improvement in addiction treatment from the provider's perspective. The business case model developed in this paper is based on case examples of early NIATx participants coupled with a review of the literature. Process inefficiencies indicated by long waiting times, high no-show rates, and low continuation rates cause underutilization of capacity and prevent optimal financial performance. By adopting customer-focused practices aimed at removing barriers to treatment access and retention, providers may be able to improve financial performance, increase staff retention, and gain long-term strategic advantage.

Real time data acquisition of a countrywide commercial microwave link network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chwala, Christian; Keis, Felix; Kunstmann, Harald

2015-04-01

Research in recent years has shown that data from commercial microwave link networks can provide very valuable precipitation information. Since these networks comprise the backbone of the cell phone network, they provide countrywide coverage. However acquiring the necessary data from the network operators is still difficult. Data is usually made available for researchers with a large time delay and often at irregular basis. This of course hinders the exploitation of commercial microwave link data in operational applications like QPE forecasts running at national meteorological services. To overcome this, we have developed a custom software in joint cooperation with our industry partner Ericsson. The software is installed on a dedicated server at Ericsson and is capable of acquiring data from the countrywide microwave link network in Germany. In its current first operational testing phase, data from several hundred microwave links in southern Germany is recorded. All data is instantaneously sent to our server where it is stored and organized in an emerging database. Time resolution for the Ericsson data is one minute. The custom acquisition software, however, is capable of processing higher sampling rates. Additionally we acquire and manage 1 Hz data from four microwave links operated by the skiing resort in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. We will present the concept of the data acquisition and show details of the custom-built software. Additionally we will showcase the accessibility and basic processing of real time microwave link data via our database web frontend.

Quality and customer satisfaction: A case study in Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barcellos, Paulo Fernando Pinto

The dissertation deals with the case of CEEE-Companhia Estadual de Energia Eletrica, an electric power utility located in Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of Brazil. Customer satisfaction with the services provided by CEEE is investigated within three groups of consumers: residential, commercial, and industrial. The purpose of the dissertation is to find answers to the following research questions: (1) What is service quality in public utilities, and particularly in an electric power company? (2) What service quality dimensions do customers want to be provided and favor the most? (3) How does the market measure service quality? (4) What should be done by companies, and particularly by an electric utility monopoly, to increase the performance of the rendered service? (5) How does this impact customer satisfaction, retention, and intention to recommend? and (6) How do we start a company-wide quality program provided that the resources are scarce and therefore priorities should be set forth? To investigate the posed questions, the study begins with an exploratory survey of CEEE's Board. The survey is followed by qualitative research of the three customer groups. After qualitative analysis of the data is concluded, questionnaires for the quantitative research, as well as hypothetical models, are developed. Dillman's "Total Design Method" is used to design the questionnaires. The basic ACSI (American Customer Satisfaction Model) is used to approach customer satisfaction. Data are processed by PLS (Partial Least Squares) which follows the procedure developed at the National Quality Research Center of the University of Michigan Business School. In summary, commercial customers are the most dissatisfied with the services provided by CEEE, while residential customers are the most satisfied. To improve quality, priority should be placed on commercial customers and include efforts to improve productivity gains throughout the company. Also, CEEE's image should be improved through a better communication process with the market and an intensive and extensive training of personnel. A special marketing campaign could help build a better image by explaining CEEE's goals to improve quality. Finally, a bottom line of satisfaction scores (as quality indicators) should be set for the entire company.

Custom 3D Printable Silicones with Tunable Stiffness.

PubMed

Durban, Matthew M; Lenhardt, Jeremy M; Wu, Amanda S; Small, Ward; Bryson, Taylor M; Perez-Perez, Lemuel; Nguyen, Du T; Gammon, Stuart; Smay, James E; Duoss, Eric B; Lewicki, James P; Wilson, Thomas S

2018-02-01

Silicone elastomers have broad versatility within a variety of potential advanced materials applications, such as soft robotics, biomedical devices, and metamaterials. A series of custom 3D printable silicone inks with tunable stiffness is developed, formulated, and characterized. The silicone inks exhibit excellent rheological behavior for 3D printing, as observed from the printing of porous structures with controlled architectures. Herein, the capability to tune the stiffness of printable silicone materials via careful control over the chemistry, network formation, and crosslink density of the ink formulations in order to overcome the challenging interplay between ink development, post-processing, material properties, and performance is demonstrated. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Design automation techniques for custom LSI arrays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feller, A.

1975-01-01

The standard cell design automation technique is described as an approach for generating random logic PMOS, CMOS or CMOS/SOS custom large scale integration arrays with low initial nonrecurring costs and quick turnaround time or design cycle. The system is composed of predesigned circuit functions or cells and computer programs capable of automatic placement and interconnection of the cells in accordance with an input data net list. The program generates a set of instructions to drive an automatic precision artwork generator. A series of support design automation and simulation programs are described, including programs for verifying correctness of the logic on the arrays, performing dc and dynamic analysis of MOS devices, and generating test sequences.

Renaissance architecture for Ground Data Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perkins, Dorothy C.; Zeigenfuss, Lawrence B.

1994-01-01

The Mission Operations and Data Systems Directorate (MO&DSD) has embarked on a new approach for developing and operating Ground Data Systems (GDS) for flight mission support. This approach is driven by the goals of minimizing cost and maximizing customer satisfaction. Achievement of these goals is realized through the use of a standard set of capabilities which can be modified to meet specific user needs. This approach, which is called the Renaissance architecture, stresses the engineering of integrated systems, based upon workstation/local area network (LAN)/fileserver technology and reusable hardware and software components called 'building blocks.' These building blocks are integrated with mission specific capabilities to build the GDS for each individual mission. The building block approach is key to the reduction of development costs and schedules. Also, the Renaissance approach allows the integration of GDS functions that were previously provided via separate multi-mission facilities. With the Renaissance architecture, the GDS can be developed by the MO&DSD or all, or part, of the GDS can be operated by the user at their facility. Flexibility in operation configuration allows both selection of a cost-effective operations approach and the capability for customizing operations to user needs. Thus the focus of the MO&DSD is shifted from operating systems that we have built to building systems and, optionally, operations as separate services. Renaissance is actually a continuous process. Both the building blocks and the system architecture will evolve as user needs and technology change. Providing GDS on a per user basis enables this continuous refinement of the development process and product and allows the MO&DSD to remain a customer-focused organization. This paper will present the activities and results of the MO&DSD initial efforts toward the establishment of the Renaissance approach for the development of GDS, with a particular focus on both the technical and process implications posed by Renaissance to the MO&DSD.

Design and validation of a diffuse reflectance and spectroscopic microendoscope with poly(dimethylsioxane)-based phantoms

PubMed Central

Greening, Gage J.; Powless, Amy J.; Hutcheson, Joshua A.; Prieto, Sandra P.; Majid, Aneeka A.; Muldoon, Timothy J.

2015-01-01

Many cases of epithelial cancer originate in basal layers of tissue and are initially undetected by conventional microendoscopy techniques. We present a bench-top, fiber-bundle microendoscope capable of providing high resolution images of surface cell morphology. Additionally, the microendoscope has the capability to interrogate deeper into material by using diffuse reflectance and broadband diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The purpose of this multimodal technique was to overcome the limitation of microendoscopy techniques that are limited to only visualizing morphology at the tissue or cellular level. Using a custom fiber optic probe, high resolution surface images were acquired using topical proflavine to fluorescently stain non-keratinized epithelia. A 635 nm laser coupled to a 200 μm multimode fiber delivers light to the sample and the diffuse reflectance signal was captured by a 1 mm image guide fiber. Finally, a tungsten-halogen lamp coupled to a 200 μm multimode fiber delivers broadband light to the sample to acquire spectra at source-detector separations of 374, 729, and 1051 μm. To test the instrumentation, a high resolution proflavine-induced fluorescent image of resected healthy mouse colon was acquired. Additionally, five monolayer poly(dimethylsiloxane)-based optical phantoms with varying absorption and scattering properties were created to acquire diffuse reflectance profiles and broadband spectra. PMID:25983372

Design and validation of a diffuse reflectance and spectroscopic microendoscope with poly(dimethylsiloxane)-based phantoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greening, Gage J.; Powless, Amy J.; Hutcheson, Joshua A.; Prieto, Sandra P.; Majid, Aneeka A.; Muldoon, Timothy J.

2015-03-01

Many cases of epithelial cancer originate in basal layers of tissue and are initially undetected by conventional microendoscopy techniques. We present a bench-top, fiber-bundle microendoscope capable of providing high resolution images of surface cell morphology. Additionally, the microendoscope has the capability to interrogate deeper into material by using diffuse reflectance and broadband diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The purpose of this multimodal technique was to overcome the limitation of microendoscopy techniques that are limited to only visualizing morphology at the tissue or cellular level. Using a custom fiber optic probe, high resolution surface images were acquired using topical proflavine to fluorescently stain non-keratinized epithelia. A 635 nm laser coupled to a 200 μm multimode fiber delivers light to the sample and the diffuse reflectance signal was captured by a 1 mm image guide fiber. Finally, a tungsten-halogen lamp coupled to a 200 μm multimode fiber delivers broadband light to the sample to acquire spectra at source-detector separations of 374, 729, and 1051 μm. To test the instrumentation, a high resolution proflavine-induced fluorescent image of resected healthy mouse colon was acquired. Additionally, five monolayer poly(dimethylsiloxane)-based optical phantoms with varying absorption and scattering properties were created to acquire diffuse reflectance profiles and broadband spectra.

Using Object Storage Technology vs Vendor Neutral Archives for an Image Data Repository Infrastructure.

PubMed

Bialecki, Brian; Park, James; Tilkin, Mike

2016-08-01

The intent of this project was to use object storage and its database, which has the ability to add custom extensible metadata to an imaging object being stored within the system, to harness the power of its search capabilities, and to close the technology gap that healthcare faces. This creates a non-disruptive tool that can be used natively by both legacy systems and the healthcare systems of today which leverage more advanced storage technologies. The base infrastructure can be populated alongside current workflows without any interruption to the delivery of services. In certain use cases, this technology can be seen as a true alternative to the VNA (Vendor Neutral Archive) systems implemented by healthcare today. The scalability, security, and ability to process complex objects makes this more than just storage for image data and a commodity to be consumed by PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) and workstations. Object storage is a smart technology that can be leveraged to create vendor independence, standards compliance, and a data repository that can be mined for truly relevant content by adding additional context to search capabilities. This functionality can lead to efficiencies in workflow and a wealth of minable data to improve outcomes into the future.

Automated Web-Based Request Mechanism for Workflow Enhancement in an Academic Customer-Focused Biorepository.

PubMed

McDonald, Sandra A; Ryan, Benjamin J; Brink, Amy; Holtschlag, Victoria L

2012-02-01

Informatics systems, particularly those that provide capabilities for data storage, specimen tracking, retrieval, and order fulfillment, are critical to the success of biorepositories and other laboratories engaged in translational medical research. A crucial item-one easily overlooked-is an efficient way to receive and process investigator-initiated requests. A successful electronic ordering system should allow request processing in a maximally efficient manner, while also allowing streamlined tracking and mining of request data such as turnaround times and numerical categorizations (user groups, funding sources, protocols, and so on). Ideally, an electronic ordering system also facilitates the initial contact between the laboratory and customers, while still allowing for downstream communications and other steps toward scientific partnerships. We describe here the recently established Web-based ordering system for the biorepository at Washington University Medical Center, along with its benefits for workflow, tracking, and customer service. Because of the system's numerous value-added impacts, we think our experience can serve as a good model for other customer-focused biorepositories, especially those currently using manual or non-Web-based request systems. Our lessons learned also apply to the informatics developers who serve such biobanks.

Automated Web-Based Request Mechanism for Workflow Enhancement in an Academic Customer-Focused Biorepository

PubMed Central

Ryan, Benjamin J.; Brink, Amy; Holtschlag, Victoria L.

2012-01-01

Informatics systems, particularly those that provide capabilities for data storage, specimen tracking, retrieval, and order fulfillment, are critical to the success of biorepositories and other laboratories engaged in translational medical research. A crucial item—one easily overlooked—is an efficient way to receive and process investigator-initiated requests. A successful electronic ordering system should allow request processing in a maximally efficient manner, while also allowing streamlined tracking and mining of request data such as turnaround times and numerical categorizations (user groups, funding sources, protocols, and so on). Ideally, an electronic ordering system also facilitates the initial contact between the laboratory and customers, while still allowing for downstream communications and other steps toward scientific partnerships. We describe here the recently established Web-based ordering system for the biorepository at Washington University Medical Center, along with its benefits for workflow, tracking, and customer service. Because of the system's numerous value-added impacts, we think our experience can serve as a good model for other customer-focused biorepositories, especially those currently using manual or non-Web–based request systems. Our lessons learned also apply to the informatics developers who serve such biobanks. PMID:23386921

The design and development of a long-term fall detection system incorporated into a custom vest for the elderly.

PubMed

Bourke, Alan K; van de Ven, Pepijn W J; Chaya, Amy E; OLaighin, Gearóid M; Nelson, John

2008-01-01

A fall detection system and algorithm, incorporated into a custom designed garment has been developed. The developed fall detection system uses a tri-axial accelerometer, microcontroller, battery and Bluetooth module. This sensor is attached to a custom designed vest, designed to be worn by the elderly person under clothing. The fall detection algorithm was developed and incorporates both impact and posture detection capability. The vest and fall algorithm was tested on young healthy subjects performing normal activities of daily living (ADL) and falls onto crash mats, while wearing the best and sensor. Results show that falls can de distinguished from normal activities with a sensitivity >90% and a specificity of >99%, from a total data set of 264 falls and 165 normal ADL. By incorporating the fall-detection sensor into a custom designed garment it is anticipated that greater compliance when wearing a fall-detection system can be achieved and will help reduce the incidence of the long-lie, when falls occur in the elderly population. However further long-term testing using elderly subjects is required to validate the systems performance.

D Geomarketing Segmentation: a Higher Spatial Dimension Planning Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suhaibah, A.; Uznir, U.; Rahman, A. A.; Anton, F.; Mioc, D.

2016-09-01

Geomarketing is a discipline which uses geographic information in the process of planning and implementation of marketing activities. It can be used in any aspect of the marketing such as price, promotion or geo targeting. The analysis of geomarketing data use a huge data pool such as location residential areas, topography, it also analyzes demographic information such as age, genre, annual income and lifestyle. This information can help users to develop successful promotional campaigns in order to achieve marketing goals. One of the common activities in geomarketing is market segmentation. The segmentation clusters the data into several groups based on its geographic criteria. To refine the search operation during analysis, we proposed an approach to cluster the data using a clustering algorithm. However, with the huge data pool, overlap among clusters may happen and leads to inefficient analysis. Moreover, geomarketing is usually active in urban areas and requires clusters to be organized in a three-dimensional (3D) way (i.e. multi-level shop lots, residential apartments). This is a constraint with the current Geographic Information System (GIS) framework. To avoid this issue, we proposed a combination of market segmentation based on geographic criteria and clustering algorithm for 3D geomarketing data management. The proposed approach is capable in minimizing the overlap region during market segmentation. In this paper, geomarketing in urban area is used as a case study. Based on the case study, several locations of customers and stores in 3D are used in the test. The experiments demonstrated in this paper substantiated that the proposed approach is capable of minimizing overlapping segmentation and reducing repetitive data entries. The structure is also tested for retrieving the spatial records from the database. For marketing purposes, certain radius of point is used to analyzing marketing targets. Based on the presented tests in this paper, we strongly believe that the structure is capable in handling and managing huge pool of geomarketing data. For future outlook, this paper also discusses the possibilities of expanding the structure.

Evaluation Method for Service Branding Using Word-of-Mouth Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirahada, Kunio; Kosaka, Michitaka

Development and spread of internet technology contributes service firms to obtaining the high capability of brand information transmission as well as relative customer feedback data collection. In this paper, we propose a new evaluation method for service branding using firms and consumers data on the internet. Based on service marketing 7Ps (Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Physical evidence, Process) which are the key viewpoints for branding, we develop a brand evaluation system including coding methods for Word-of-Mouth (WoM) and corporate introductory information on the internet to identify both customer's service value recognition vector and firm's service value proposition vector. Our system quantitatively clarify both customer's service value recognition of the firm and firm's strength in service value proposition, thereby analyzing service brand communication gaps between firm and consumers. We applied this system to Japanese Ryokan hotel industry. Using six ryokan-hotels' data on Jyaran-net and Rakuten travel, we made totally 983 codes from WoM information and analyzed their service brand value according to three price based categories. As a result, we found that the characteristics of customers' service value recognition vector differ according to the price categories. In addition, the system clarified that there is a firm that has a different service value proposition vector from customers' recognition vector. This helps to analyze corporate service brand strategy and has a significance as a system technology supporting service management.

19 CFR 351.509 - Direct taxes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 3 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Direct taxes. 351.509 Section 351.509 Customs... Identification and Measurement of Countervailable Subsidies § 351.509 Direct taxes. (a) Benefit—(1) Exemption or remission of taxes. In the case of a program that provides for a full or partial exemption or remission of a...

46 CFR Sec. 5 - General Agent's authority to effect payment of duties.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... AUTHORITY GENERAL AGENT'S RESPONSIBILITY IN CONNECTION WITH FOREIGN REPAIR CUSTOM'S ENTRIES Sec. 5 General... section 3 of SRM-4 do not prevail, the General Agent shall effect payment of duties imposed by Customs and... cases, he shall refer the matter to the appropriate Coast Director for his (The Director) determination...

46 CFR Sec. 5 - General Agent's authority to effect payment of duties.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... AUTHORITY GENERAL AGENT'S RESPONSIBILITY IN CONNECTION WITH FOREIGN REPAIR CUSTOM'S ENTRIES Sec. 5 General... section 3 of SRM-4 do not prevail, the General Agent shall effect payment of duties imposed by Customs and... cases, he shall refer the matter to the appropriate Coast Director for his (The Director) determination...

46 CFR Sec. 5 - General Agent's authority to effect payment of duties.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... AUTHORITY GENERAL AGENT'S RESPONSIBILITY IN CONNECTION WITH FOREIGN REPAIR CUSTOM'S ENTRIES Sec. 5 General... section 3 of SRM-4 do not prevail, the General Agent shall effect payment of duties imposed by Customs and... cases, he shall refer the matter to the appropriate Coast Director for his (The Director) determination...

46 CFR Sec. 5 - General Agent's authority to effect payment of duties.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... AUTHORITY GENERAL AGENT'S RESPONSIBILITY IN CONNECTION WITH FOREIGN REPAIR CUSTOM'S ENTRIES Sec. 5 General... section 3 of SRM-4 do not prevail, the General Agent shall effect payment of duties imposed by Customs and... cases, he shall refer the matter to the appropriate Coast Director for his (The Director) determination...

46 CFR Sec. 5 - General Agent's authority to effect payment of duties.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... AUTHORITY GENERAL AGENT'S RESPONSIBILITY IN CONNECTION WITH FOREIGN REPAIR CUSTOM'S ENTRIES Sec. 5 General... section 3 of SRM-4 do not prevail, the General Agent shall effect payment of duties imposed by Customs and... cases, he shall refer the matter to the appropriate Coast Director for his (The Director) determination...

78 FR 13130 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; ICE Clear Europe Limited; Order Approving Proposed Rule Change, as...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-26

... already the case for single-name CDS). Recognizing the highly correlated relationship between long-short...' proprietary positions. ICE Clear Europe does not currently clear CDS positions of customers of its Clearing Members, but it plans to introduce customer clearing for CDS upon receipt of applicable regulatory...

12 CFR 344.5 - Content and time of notification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... transaction; or (C) In the case of open end investment company securities, the bank has provided the customer... remuneration from the customer or any other source in connection with the transaction, a statement of the source and amount of any remuneration to be received if such would be required under paragraph (b)(6) of...

Development of Integrated Public Administration Custom Services in Hungary.

PubMed

Laki, Tamas

2015-01-01

The paper is a case-study introducing a national project in Hungary establishing a countrywide public administration customer service system where accessibility was a key issue. Starting from the concept the paper describes the methods and organisational background how accessible design was integrated in the planning method and gives a feedback of site experiences.

Developing Black and Minority Ethnic Leaders: The Case for Customized Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ogunbawo, Dolapo

2012-01-01

The provision of customized black and minority ethnic (BME) leadership courses and programmes is one of the measures being employed to address the under-representation of teachers and school leaders from minority ethnic backgrounds. This strategy has always attracted controversy as opinions have been divided about its value and benefits. Yet there…

Online Student Induction: A Case Study of the Use of Mass Customization Techniques

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillips, Marion; Hawkins, Rachel; Lunsford, Jane; Sinclair-Pearson, Andrew

2004-01-01

New technology within Open and Distance learning (ODL) provides new opportunities for the delivery of learner support resources. Mass customization techniques offer the advantages of efficient production combined with the development of a learning experience precisely tailored for the individual's study requirements. In this article, we discuss…

78 FR 48441 - Office of Urban Indian Health Programs Proposed Single Source Grant With Native American...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-08

... outreach and case management, the program has expanded offering to include on-site dental service and... Care: Customer service is the key to quality care. Treating patients well is the first step to improving quality and access. This area also incorporates Best Practices in customer service. Identify...

19 CFR 351.503 - Benefit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 3 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Benefit. 351.503 Section 351.503 Customs Duties... and Measurement of Countervailable Subsidies § 351.503 Benefit. (a) Specific rules. In the case of a government program for which a specific rule for the measurement of a benefit is contained in this subpart E...

19 CFR 351.503 - Benefit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 3 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Benefit. 351.503 Section 351.503 Customs Duties... and Measurement of Countervailable Subsidies § 351.503 Benefit. (a) Specific rules. In the case of a government program for which a specific rule for the measurement of a benefit is contained in this subpart E...

19 CFR 351.503 - Benefit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 3 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Benefit. 351.503 Section 351.503 Customs Duties... and Measurement of Countervailable Subsidies § 351.503 Benefit. (a) Specific rules. In the case of a government program for which a specific rule for the measurement of a benefit is contained in this subpart E...

19 CFR 351.503 - Benefit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 3 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Benefit. 351.503 Section 351.503 Customs Duties... and Measurement of Countervailable Subsidies § 351.503 Benefit. (a) Specific rules. In the case of a government program for which a specific rule for the measurement of a benefit is contained in this subpart E...

19 CFR 113.21 - Information required on the bond.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 113.21 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; DEPARTMENT... residence shall appear in the bond. In the case of a corporate principal or surety, its legal designation... unincorporated divisions of a corporate principal. The principal may list on the bond trade names and the names...

19 CFR 113.21 - Information required on the bond.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 113.21 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; DEPARTMENT... residence shall appear in the bond. In the case of a corporate principal or surety, its legal designation... unincorporated divisions of a corporate principal. The principal may list on the bond trade names and the names...

19 CFR 113.21 - Information required on the bond.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 113.21 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; DEPARTMENT... residence shall appear in the bond. In the case of a corporate principal or surety, its legal designation... unincorporated divisions of a corporate principal. The principal may list on the bond trade names and the names...

19 CFR 113.21 - Information required on the bond.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 113.21 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; DEPARTMENT... residence shall appear in the bond. In the case of a corporate principal or surety, its legal designation... unincorporated divisions of a corporate principal. The principal may list on the bond trade names and the names...

19 CFR 113.21 - Information required on the bond.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 113.21 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; DEPARTMENT... residence shall appear in the bond. In the case of a corporate principal or surety, its legal designation... unincorporated divisions of a corporate principal. The principal may list on the bond trade names and the names...

Designing for Communication at Work: A Case for Technology-Enhanced Boundary Objects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bakker, Arthur; Kent, Phillip; Hoyles, Celia; Noss, Richard

2011-01-01

In this article we conceptualise the challenges of communication between a mortgage company and its customers in terms of crossing boundaries between communities. Through an ethnographic study we first address the question: what are the challenges of communication between sales agents and customers of a mortgage company around mathematical…

Developing Customized Programs for Steel and Other Heavy Industries: A Case Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Day, Philip R., Jr.

1984-01-01

This article discusses the successful implementation of a unique customized training program for steel and other industries. A contextual framework for understanding both the process and the product is presented. Traditional labor management problems are examined as well as the DACUM (Developing a Curriculum) procedure of identifying job-related…

The HPT Model Applied to a Kayak Company's Registration Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Florence; Hall, Herman A., IV; Blakely, Amanda; Gayford, Matthew C.; Gunter, Erin

2009-01-01

This case study describes the step-by-step application of the traditional human performance technology (HPT) model at a premier kayak company located on the coast of North Carolina. The HPT model was applied to address lost revenues related to three specific business issues: misinformed customers, dissatisfied customers, and guides not showing up…

Human Research Program Exploration Medical Capability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barsten, Kristina

2010-01-01

NASA s Human Research Program (HRP) conducts and coordinates research projects that provide human health and performance countermeasures, knowledge, technologies, and tools to enable safe, reliable, and productive human space exploration. The Program is divided into 6 major elements, which a) Provide the Program s knowledge and capabilities to conduct research, addressing the human health and performance risks. b) Advance the readiness levels of technology and countermeasures to the point of transfer to the customer programs and organizations. The National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) is a partner with the HRP in developing a successful research program. 3

Verification of a Finite Element Model for Pyrolyzing Ablative Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Risch, Timothy K.

2017-01-01

Ablating thermal protection system (TPS) materials have been used in many reentering spacecraft and in other applications such as rocket nozzle linings, fire protection materials, and as countermeasures for directed energy weapons. The introduction of the finite element model to the analysis of ablation has arguably resulted in improved computational capabilities due the flexibility and extended applicability of the method, especially to complex geometries. Commercial finite element codes often provide enhanced capability compared to custom, specially written programs based on versatility, usability, pre- and post-processing, grid generation, total life-cycle costs, and speed.

An innovative on-board processor for lightsats

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Henshaw, R. M.; Ballard, B. W.; Hayes, J. R.; Lohr, D. A.

1990-01-01

The Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) has developed a flightworthy custom microprocessor that increases capability and reduces development costs of lightsat science instruments. This device, called the FRISC (FORTH Reduced Instruction Set Computer), directly executes the high-level language called FORTH, which is ideally suited to the multitasking control and data processing environment of a spaceborne instrument processor. The FRISC will be flown as the onboard processor in the Magnetic Field Experiment on the Freja satllite. APL has achieved a significant increase in onboard processing capability with no increase in cost when compared to the magnetometer instrument on Freja's predecessor, the Viking satellite.

Neural-Network Simulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, Paul H.

1991-01-01

F77NNS (FORTRAN 77 Neural Network Simulator) computer program simulates popular back-error-propagation neural network. Designed to take advantage of vectorization when used on computers having this capability, also used on any computer equipped with ANSI-77 FORTRAN Compiler. Problems involving matching of patterns or mathematical modeling of systems fit class of problems F77NNS designed to solve. Program has restart capability so neural network solved in stages suitable to user's resources and desires. Enables user to customize patterns of connections between layers of network. Size of neural network F77NNS applied to limited only by amount of random-access memory available to user.

Which long-term care residents should be asked to complete a customer satisfaction survey?

PubMed

Van De Water, Margaret S; Kutner, Michael; Parmelee, Patricia A; Johnson, Theodore

2003-01-01

(1) To compare staff members' opinions of long-term care (LTC) residents' ability to complete a customer satisfaction survey (CSS) with a measure of cognition (MDS-COGS) derived from Minimum Data Set data; and (2) to examine the association between CSS answer reliability and MDS-COGS score. Retrospective comparison of the staff's assessment and MDS-COGS score for each respondent, as well as a prospective comparison of MDS-COGS scores with reliability measures from repeated survey administration. A 100-bed Veterans Affairs (VA) nursing home. We administered a CSS designed by our VA network following an assigned protocol. We later calculated each respondent's MDS-COGS score (grouped into 4 categories) and compared it with the staff's opinion of whether that resident was "capable of responding" (yes/no) to a CSS. We subsequently modified the CSS for low reading level and low vision, and randomly selected 40 LTC residents for repeated survey administration (T1 and T2 1 week later). Test-retest reliability was estimated by examining the extent to which T1 and T2 answers agreed (agreed exactly; meaningfully agreed as defined by VA network personnel who designed the survey; or meaningfully agreed as decided by paper authors). Staff judged that 25 of 76 LTC residents were not and 51 of 76 were capable of responding to the CSS. In 82% of cases, MDS-COGS score category and staff opinion agreed ("no cognitive impairment"/"mild-moderate cognitive impairment" with "able to complete"; and "moderate-severe cognitive impairment"/"severe cognitive impairment" with "unable to complete"). Cohen's kappa was 0.57 with a P value of <0.001. Of the 40 LTC residents randomly selected for repeated survey administration, 32 successfully completed surveys at T1 and T2. Higher MDS-COGS scores, suggesting greater cognitive impairment, were significantly associated with lower answer reliability. The answers given by LTC residents changed meaningfully (by network criteria) from T1 to T2 by 12%, 27%, and 28% across categories of no-to-mild cognitive impairment, mild-to-moderate impairment, and moderate-to-severe impairment, respectively. The rate of decline in reliability, however, was small for each unit of increase in MDS-COGS. Although the staff's opinions about residents' ability to complete a CSS were significantly associated with an objective MDS-COGS assessment, staff nonetheless failed on several occasions to let cognitively intact residents complete their own surveys. Although higher MDS-COGS scores were significantly related to lower reliability, there were no natural cut-points in the data to suggest a participate/do not participate line and the trend line between MDS-COGS level, and percent of questions answered reliably was not very strong. These results suggest that LTC residents with mild to moderate dementia might be capable of reliably answering certain types of customer satisfaction surveys.

Optical Instruments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

Precision Lapping and Optical Co. has developed a wide variety of hollow retroreflector systems for applications involving the entire optical spectrum; they are, according to company literature, cheaper, more accurate, lighter and capable of greater size than solid prisms. Precision Lapping's major customers are aerospace and defense companies, government organizations, R&D and commercial instrument companies. For example, Precision Lapping supplies hollow retroreflectors for the laser fire control system of the Army's Abrams tank, and retroreflectors have been and are being used in a number of space tests relative to the Air Force's Strategic Defense Initiative research program. An example of a customer/user is Chesapeake Laser Systems, producer of the Laser Tracker System CMS-2000, which has applications in SDI research and industrial robotics. Another customer is MDA Scientific, Inc., manufacturer of a line of toxic gas detection systems used to monitor hazardous gases present in oil fields, refineries, offshore platforms, chemical plants, waste storage sites and other locations where gases are released into the environment.

Ideas for Future GPS Timing Improvements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hutsell, Steven T.

1996-01-01

Having recently met stringent criteria for full operational capability (FOC) certification, the Global Positioning System (GPS) now has higher customer expectations than ever before. In order to maintain customer satisfaction, and the meet the even high customer demands of the future, the GPS Master Control Station (MCS) must play a critical role in the process of carefully refining the performance and integrity of the GPS constellation, particularly in the area of timing. This paper will present an operational perspective on several ideas for improving timing in GPS. These ideas include the desire for improving MCS - US Naval Observatory (USNO) data connectivity, an improved GPS-Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) prediction algorithm, a more robust Kalman Filter, and more features in the GPS reference time algorithm (the GPS composite clock), including frequency step resolution, a more explicit use of the basic time scale equation, and dynamic clock weighting. Current MCS software meets the exceptional challenge of managing an extremely complex constellation of 24 navigation satellites. The GPS community will, however, always seek to improve upon this performance and integrity.

Alcohol-based instant hand sanitizer use in military settings: a prospective cohort study of Army basic trainees.

PubMed

Mott, Peter J; Sisk, Brian W; Arbogast, James W; Ferrazzano-Yaussy, Cristina; Bondi, Cara A M; Sheehan, James J

2007-11-01

We investigated the impact of a customized alcohol-based instant hand sanitizer hand-hygiene regimen in an Army basic training setting. The entire population at the U.S. Army Field Artillery Training Center, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, participated in the 13-week prospective cohort study between January 18, 2005 and April 18, 2005. Two training battalions were randomly assigned to the control group, one to the primary intervention group (customized Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer regimen, education, reinforcement) and one to the secondary intervention group (customized Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer regimen). When compared to the control group, intervention groups experienced 40% less respiratory illness (p < 0.001), 48% less gastrointestinal illness (p < 0.02), 44% less lost training time (p < 0.001), and 31% fewer health care encounters (p < 0.001). These findings suggest that this intervention is capable of significantly reducing illness in this setting and has the potential to help reduce absenteeism in the military workforce as a whole.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

O'Shaughnessy, Eric; Ardani, Kristen; Cutler, Dylan

Solar 'plus' refers to an emerging approach to distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) deployment that uses energy storage and controllable devices to optimize customer economics. The solar plus approach increases customer system value through technologies such as electric batteries, smart domestic water heaters, smart air-conditioner (AC) units, and electric vehicles We use an NREL optimization model to explore the customer-side economics of solar plus under various utility rate structures and net metering rates. We explore optimal solar plus applications in five case studies with different net metering rates and rate structures. The model deploys different configurations of PV, batteries, smart domesticmore » water heaters, and smart AC units in response to different rate structures and customer load profiles. The results indicate that solar plus improves the customer economics of PV and may mitigate some of the negative impacts of evolving rate structures on PV economics. Solar plus may become an increasingly viable model for optimizing PV customer economics in an evolving rate environment.« less

Fulfilment of administrative and professional organisational obligations and nurses' customer-oriented behaviours.

PubMed

Trybou, Jeroen; Gemmel, Paul

2016-07-01

The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between the perceived quality of organisational exchange and nurses' customer-oriented behaviours. Hospitals face increasing competitive market conditions. Registered nurses interact closely with patients and therefore play an important front-office role towards patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted. Registered nurses (n = 151) of a Belgian hospital received a questionnaire to assess the fulfilment of administrative and professional organisational obligations and their customer-oriented behaviours. We found a positive relationship between psychological contract fulfilment and nurses' customer-oriented behaviours. More precisely administrative and professional psychological contract fulfilment relates significantly to nurses' service delivery and external representation. In case of internal influence only administrative psychological contract fulfilment was significantly related. Nurses' perceptions of the fulfilment of administrative and professional obligations are important to their customer-oriented behaviours. Nurse managers must be aware of the impact of fulfilling both administrative and professional obligations of registered nurses in order to optimise their customer-oriented behaviours. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Solar Plus: A Holistic Approach to Distributed Solar PV

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

OShaughnessy, Eric J.; Ardani, Kristen B.; Cutler, Dylan S.

Solar 'plus' refers to an emerging approach to distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) deployment that uses energy storage and controllable devices to optimize customer economics. The solar plus approach increases customer system value through technologies such as electric batteries, smart domestic water heaters, smart air-conditioner (AC) units, and electric vehicles We use an NREL optimization model to explore the customer-side economics of solar plus under various utility rate structures and net metering rates. We explore optimal solar plus applications in five case studies with different net metering rates and rate structures. The model deploys different configurations of PV, batteries, smart domesticmore » water heaters, and smart AC units in response to different rate structures and customer load profiles. The results indicate that solar plus improves the customer economics of PV and may mitigate some of the negative impacts of evolving rate structures on PV economics. Solar plus may become an increasingly viable model for optimizing PV customer economics in an evolving rate environment.« less

Mapping High Dimensional Sparse Customer Requirements into Product Configurations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiao, Yao; Yang, Yu; Zhang, Hongshan

2017-10-01

Mapping customer requirements into product configurations is a crucial step for product design, while, customers express their needs ambiguously and locally due to the lack of domain knowledge. Thus the data mining process of customer requirements might result in fragmental information with high dimensional sparsity, leading the mapping procedure risk uncertainty and complexity. The Expert Judgment is widely applied against that background since there is no formal requirements for systematic or structural data. However, there are concerns on the repeatability and bias for Expert Judgment. In this study, an integrated method by adjusted Local Linear Embedding (LLE) and Naïve Bayes (NB) classifier is proposed to map high dimensional sparse customer requirements to product configurations. The integrated method adjusts classical LLE to preprocess high dimensional sparse dataset to satisfy the prerequisite of NB for classifying different customer requirements to corresponding product configurations. Compared with Expert Judgment, the adjusted LLE with NB performs much better in a real-world Tablet PC design case both in accuracy and robustness.

A Framework for the Design of Service Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Yao-Hua; Hofman, Wout; Gordijn, Jaap; Hulstijn, Joris

We propose a framework for the design and implementation of service systems, especially to design controls for long-term sustainable value co-creation. The framework is based on the software support tool e3-control. To illustrate the framework we use a large-scale case study, the Beer Living Lab, for simplification of customs procedures in international trade. The BeerLL shows how value co-creation can be achieved by reduction of administrative burden in international beer export due to electronic customs. Participants in the BeerLL are Heineken, IBM and Dutch Tax & Customs.

Custom-fit total knee arthroplasty: our initial experience with 30 knees.

PubMed

Bonicoli, Enrico; Andreani, Lorenzo; Parchi, Paolo; Piolanti, Nicola; Lisanti, Michele

2014-10-01

We report our initial experience of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) using customized cutting block technology in 30 TKAs from December 2010 to September 2012. Customized blocks were generated for each of the knees using preoperative magnetic resonance imaging of knee and long-leg weight-bearing radiographs. At 30 days, long-leg radiographs were obtained to evaluate the coronal alignment. Twenty-six of the 30 knees had a mechanical axis restored to within 3° of neutral. We conclude that this technology can be safely used in most of the cases of osteoarthritis.

Meeting the Needs of Students with 2e: It Takes a Team

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coleman, Mary Ruth; Gallagher, Shelagh

2015-01-01

The provision of flexible, multidimensional, customized supports and services for a twice-exceptional (2e) child requires a system of education that is capable of dynamic and personalized interventions that respond to a 2e student's learning strengths and challenges. We believe that this kind of educational response entails more than an excellent…

Selecting Advanced Software Technology in Two Small Manufacturing Enterprises

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-05-01

improving workflow to further reduce delivery times, enhance customer service, and obtain a competitive advantage . The company wanted help... environment , stakeholders’ needs, ecommerce , shop floor visualization, and collaboration capability. These statements are not significantly different...for the purpose of describing a software environment . This identification does not imply any recommendation or endorsement by NIST, the SEI, CMU, or

UAV Research, Operations, and Flight Test at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cosentino, Gary B.

2009-01-01

This slide presentation reviews some of the projects that have extended NASA Dryden's capabilities in designing, testing, and using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's). Some of the UAV's have been for Science and experimental applications, some have been for flight research and demonstration purposes, and some have been small UAV's for other customers.

Practices of Assistive Technology Implementation and Facilitation: Experiences of Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments in Singapore

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wong, Meng Ee; Law, Janet S. P.

2016-01-01

Assistive technology is defined by the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) of 2004 as "any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a child with a disability"…

Retooling for the future.

PubMed

Andrews, D

1999-04-01

Several trends will accelerate changes in the industry initiated by Medicare's change in payment methodology, including explosive growth fueled by changing demographics, patient preferences, and technological advances; altered customer buying incentives created by managed care organization-provider partnerships; and accelerated consolidation. Home care agencies should "take inventory" of current practices and systems to determine capability gaps for competing in the new environment.

The Resource-Based View and Value: The Customer-Based View of the Firm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clulow, Val; Barry, Carol; Gerstman, Julie

2007-01-01

Purpose: The resource-based view (RBV) explores the role of key resources, identified as intangible assets and capabilities, in creating competitive advantage and superior performance. To a great extent the conceptual analysis and empirical research within the RBV has focused on the firm's perspective of key resources and the value to the firm of…

Forward-Looking Intracardiac Ultrasound Imaging Using a 1-D CMUT Array Integrated With Custom Front-End Electronics

PubMed Central

Nikoozadeh, Amin; Wygant, Ira O.; Lin, Der-Song; Oralkan, Ömer; Ergun, A. Sanlı; Stephens, Douglas N.; Thomenius, Kai E.; Dentinger, Aaron M.; Wildes, Douglas; Akopyan, Gina; Shivkumar, Kalyanam; Mahajan, Aman; Sahn, David J.; Khuri-Yakub, Butrus T.

2009-01-01

Minimally invasive catheter-based electrophysiological (EP) interventions are becoming a standard procedure in diagnosis and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. As a result of technological advances that enable small feature sizes and a high level of integration, nonfluoroscopic intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) imaging catheters are attracting increasing attention. ICE catheters improve EP procedural guidance while reducing the undesirable use of fluoroscopy, which is currently the common catheter guidance method. Phased-array ICE catheters have been in use for several years now, although only for side-looking imaging. We are developing a forward-looking ICE catheter for improved visualization. In this effort, we fabricate a 24-element, fine-pitch 1-D array of capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUT), with a total footprint of 1.73 mm × 1.27 mm. We also design a custom integrated circuit (IC) composed of 24 identical blocks of transmit/receive circuitry, measuring 2.1 mm × 2.1 mm. The transmit circuitry is capable of delivering 25-V unipolar pulses, and the receive circuitry includes a transimpedance preamplifier followed by an output buffer. The CMUT array and the custom IC are designed to be mounted at the tip of a 10-Fr catheter for high-frame-rate forward-looking intracardiac imaging. Through-wafer vias incorporated in the CMUT array provide access to individual array elements from the back side of the array. We successfully flip-chip bond a CMUT array to the custom IC with 100% yield. We coat the device with a layer of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to electrically isolate the device for imaging in water and tissue. The pulse-echo in water from a total plane reflector has a center frequency of 9.2 MHz with a 96% fractional bandwidth. Finally, we demonstrate the imaging capability of the integrated device on commercial phantoms and on a beating ex vivo rabbit heart (Langendorff model) using a commercial ultrasound imaging system. PMID:19126489

Software agents for the dissemination of remote terrestrial sensing data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Toomey, Christopher N.; Simoudis, Evangelos; Johnson, Raymond W.; Mark, William S.

1994-01-01

Remote terrestrial sensing (RTS) data is constantly being collected from a variety of space-based and earth-based sensors. The collected data, and especially 'value-added' analyses of the data, are finding growing application for commercial, government, and scientific purposes. The scale of this data collection and analysis is truly enormous; e.g., by 1995, the amount of data available in just one sector, NASA space science, will reach 5 petabytes. Moreover, the amount of data, and the value of analyzing the data, are expected to increase dramatically as new satellites and sensors become available (e.g., NASA's Earth Observing System satellites). Lockheed and other companies are beginning to provide data and analysis commercially. A critical issue for the exploitation of collected data is the dissemination of data and value-added analyses to a diverse and widely distributed customer base. Customers must be able to use their computational environment (eventually the National Information Infrastructure) to obtain timely and complete information, without having to know the details of where the relevant data resides and how it is accessed. Customers must be able to routinely use standard, widely available (and, therefore, low cost) analyses, while also being able to readily create on demand highly customized analyses to make crucial decisions. The diversity of user needs creates a difficult software problem: how can users easily state their needs, while the computational environment assumes the responsibility of finding (or creating) relevant information, and then delivering the results in a form that users understand? A software agent is a self-contained, active software module that contains an explicit representation of its operational knowledge. This explicit representation allows agents to examine their own capabilities in order to modify their goals to meet changing needs and to take advantage of dynamic opportunities. In addition, the explicit representation allows agents to advertize their capabilities and results to other agents, thereby allowing the collection of agents to reuse each others work.

Evaluation of Margins of Safety in Brazed Joints

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flom, Yury; Wang, Len; Powell, Mollie M.; Soffa, Matthew A.; Rommel, Monica L.

2009-01-01

One of the essential steps in assuring reliable performance of high cost critical brazed structures is the assessment of the Margin of Safety (MS) of the brazed joints. In many cases the experimental determination of the failure loads by destructive testing of the brazed assembly is not practical and cost prohibitive. In such cases the evaluation of the MS is performed analytically by comparing the maximum design loads with the allowable ones and incorporating various safety or knock down factors imposed by the customer. Unfortunately, an industry standard methodology for the design and analysis of brazed joints has not been developed. This paper provides an example of an approach that was used to analyze an AlBeMet 162 (38%Be-62%Al) structure brazed with the AWS BAlSi-4 (Al-12%Si) filler metal. A practical and conservative interaction equation combining shear and tensile allowables was developed and validated to evaluate an acceptable (safe) combination of tensile and shear stresses acting in the brazed joint. These allowables are obtained from testing of standard tensile and lap shear brazed specimens. The proposed equation enables the assessment of the load carrying capability of complex brazed joints subjected to multi-axial loading.

Using integrated information systems in supply chain management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzálvez-Gallego, Nicolás; Molina-Castillo, Francisco-Jose; Soto-Acosta, Pedro; Varajao, Joao; Trigo, Antonio

2015-02-01

The aim of this paper is to empirically test not only the direct effects of information and communication technology (ICT) capabilities and integrated information systems (IS) on firm performance, but also the moderating role of IS integration along the supply chain in the relationship between ICT external and capabilities and business performance. Data collected from 102 large Iberian firms from Spain and Portugal are used to test the research model. The hierarchical multiple regression analysis is employed to test the direct effects and the moderating relationships proposed. Results show that external and internal ICT capabilities are important drivers of firm performance, while merely having integrated IS do not lead to better firm performance. In addition, a moderating effect of IS integration in the relationship between ICT capabilities and business performance is found, although this integration only contributes to firm performance when it is directed to connect with suppliers or customers rather than when integrating the whole supply chain.

Computer graphics for management: An abstract of capabilities and applications of the EIS system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Solem, B. J.

1975-01-01

The Executive Information Services (EIS) system, developed as a computer-based, time-sharing tool for making and implementing management decisions, and including computer graphics capabilities, was described. The following resources are available through the EIS languages: centralized corporate/gov't data base, customized and working data bases, report writing, general computational capability, specialized routines, modeling/programming capability, and graphics. Nearly all EIS graphs can be created by a single, on-line instruction. A large number of options are available, such as selection of graphic form, line control, shading, placement on the page, multiple images on a page, control of scaling and labeling, plotting of cum data sets, optical grid lines, and stack charts. The following are examples of areas in which the EIS system may be used: research, estimating services, planning, budgeting, and performance measurement, national computer hook-up negotiations.

Towards Customer-Driven Management in Hospitality Education: A Case Study of the Higher Hotel Institute, Cyprus.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Varnavas, Andreas P.; Soteriou, Andreas C.

2002-01-01

Presents and discusses the approach used by the Higher Hotel Institute in Cyprus to incorporate total quality management through establishment of a customer-driven management culture in its hospitality education program. Discusses how it collects and uses service-quality related data from future employers, staff, and students in pursuing this…

Customer Relationship Management: A Case Study from a Metropolitan Campus of a Regional University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pember, Edward R.; Owens, Alison; Yaghi, Shazhi

2014-01-01

This paper investigates the users and uses of a centralised customer relationship management (CRM) system at a regional Australian university to improve the understanding of the staff experience of interacting with this customised technology. How and why the software is used by a cross section of university departments is explored through…

Research Says / Mindsets Are Key to Effective Data Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodwin, Bryan

2015-01-01

All around us are examples of people and organizations with good information making bad decisions. Consider the case of Blockbuster. Less than a decade ago, Blockbuster had 8,000 stores in 17 countries and millions of customers. It was awash in data, including customer surveys that said people disliked going to video stores and hated late fees.…

76 FR 42129 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Case Submission Form, Case Assistance Form

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-18

... is in the final phase of development with successful testing of a pilot version conducted in the 4th... will refer case specific issues to the Customer Assistance Office for USCIS for further research, and...

Arthrodesis of the knee: experience with intramedullary nailing.

PubMed

Incavo, S J; Lilly, J W; Bartlett, C S; Churchill, D L

2000-10-01

Knee arthrodesis using an intramedullary nail has gained acceptance as treatment in difficult cases such as infection after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), neuropathic joint, and obesity. A retrospective review of 22 cases treated at our institution using an intramedullary nail for knee arthrodesis was performed. Deep infection after primary (11) or revision (6) TKA was the most common indication for this procedure. A long intramedullary nail was used in 3 cases, a long nail with a proximal interlocking screw was used in 6 cases, and a customized nail with a valgus bend and a proximal interlocking screw was used in 11 cases. A modular knee fusion nail was used in 1 case. Successful fusion occurred in all cases, although 4 patients required additional surgery. Average operative blood loss was 748 mL, and average time to union was 7 months. Shortening of the extremity averaged 3.2 cm. Tibiofemoral alignment was improved by using a customized valgus nail (average, 3.1 valgus; range, 1-5) when compared with a straight nail (average, 0.2 valgus; range, 3 varus to 3 valgus). No patient developed infection in the hip or ankle region as a result of the long intramedullary nail. Intramedullary nailing is an excellent technique for knee arthrodesis in difficult cases. A customized proximal interlocking nail with 5 degrees to 7 degrees of valgus and 5 degrees of anterior angulation improves tibiofemoral alignment and is straightforward to insert or extract should it be necessary. Stability and pain relief are rapid, and the fusion rate is maximized.

How much should customers be compensated for interruptions in the drinking water supply?

PubMed

Molinos-Senante, María; Sala-Garrido, Ramon

2017-05-15

Water supply interruptions directly affect customers, and customers should be compensated accordingly. However, few water regulators have applied compensation policies given the difficulty of estimating the economic value of compensation to customers. In this study, a pioneering approach based on the concept of shadow prices is proposed to determine the compensation that customers should receive for unplanned water interruptions. The Chilean water industry was selected as a case study because there is an ongoing policy discussion between the use of penalties or compensation as an incentive to prevent water supply interruptions. The estimated results indicate that for 2014, the value of compensation ranges between 2.4% and 35.4% of the fixed charge of the water tariff. The methodology and findings of this study are of great relevance to water regulators in defining incentives to prompt water companies to provide reliable water service. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Customer demand prediction of service-oriented manufacturing using the least square support vector machine optimized by particle swarm optimization algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Jin; Jiang, Zhibin; Wang, Kangzhou

2017-07-01

Many nonlinear customer satisfaction-related factors significantly influence the future customer demand for service-oriented manufacturing (SOM). To address this issue and enhance the prediction accuracy, this article develops a novel customer demand prediction approach for SOM. The approach combines the phase space reconstruction (PSR) technique with the optimized least square support vector machine (LSSVM). First, the prediction sample space is reconstructed by the PSR to enrich the time-series dynamics of the limited data sample. Then, the generalization and learning ability of the LSSVM are improved by the hybrid polynomial and radial basis function kernel. Finally, the key parameters of the LSSVM are optimized by the particle swarm optimization algorithm. In a real case study, the customer demand prediction of an air conditioner compressor is implemented. Furthermore, the effectiveness and validity of the proposed approach are demonstrated by comparison with other classical predication approaches.

Analysis of Electric Power Board of Chattanooga Smart Grid Investment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Starke, Michael; Ollis, Ben; Glass, Jim

The deployment of a Smart Grid within the EPB electrical system has brought significant value to EPB customers and to EPB operations. The Smart Grid implementation has permitted the capability to automate many of the existing systems, increasing the overall efficiency and decreasing round trip time for many required operation functions. This has both reduced the cost of operations and increased the reliability of customer service. This boost in performance can be primarily linked to two main components: the communication network and the availability of data. The existence of a fiber communication backbone has opened numerous opportunities for EPB. Largemore » data sets from remote devices can be continuously polled and used to compute numerous metrics. The speed of communication has provided a pathway to sophisticated distribution automation that would not otherwise be possible. The data have been shown to provide a much broader view of the actual electrical system that was not previously available, opening many new opportunities in data analytics. This report documents many of the existing systems and operational features of the EPB system. Many of these systems have seen significant improvement with the deployment of Smart Grid technologies. The research behind this report found that in some cases, the value was directly computable or estimable for these enhancements. Currently, several ongoing research topics are under investigation within EPB. Through a grant from TVA, EPB is currently installing a 1.3MW solar photovoltaic system, which will be the first-generation asset owned by EPB.« less

Improvement of the customer satisfaction through Quality Assurance Matrix and QC-Story methods: A case study from automotive industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sicoe, G. M.; Belu, N.; Rachieru, N.; Nicolae, E. V.

2017-10-01

Presently, in the automotive industry, the tendency is to adapt permanently to the changes and introduce the market tendency in the new products that leads of the customer satisfaction. Many quality techniques were adopted in this field to continuous improvement of product and process quality and advantages were also gained. The present paper has focused on possibilities that offers the use of Quality Assurance Matrix (QAM) and Quality Control Story (QC Story) to provide largest protection against nonconformities in the production process, throughout a case study in the automotive industry. There is a direct relationship from the QAM to a QC Story analysis. The failures identified using QAM are treated with QC Story methodology. Using this methods, will help to decrease the PPM values and will increase the quality performance and the customer satisfaction.

Identifying Potential Markets for Behind-the-Meter Battery Energy Storage: A Survey of U.S. Demand Charges

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McLaren, Joyce A; Gagnon, Pieter J; Mullendore, Seth

This paper presents the first publicly available comprehensive survey of the magnitude of demand charges for commercial customers across the United States -- a key predictor of the financial performance of behind-the-meter battery storage systems. Notably, the analysis estimates that there are nearly 5 million commercial customers in the United States who can subscribe to retail electricity tariffs that have demand charges in excess of $15 per kilowatt (kW), over a quarter of the 18 million commercial customers in total in the United States. While the economic viability of installing battery energy storage must be determined on a case-by-case basis,more » high demand charges are often cited as a critical factor in battery project economics. Increasing use of demand charges in utility tariffs and anticipated future declines in storage costs will only serve to unlock additional markets and strengthen existing ones.« less

Customized mandibular reconstruction plates improve mechanical performance in a mandibular reconstruction model

PubMed Central

Gutwald, Ralf; Jaeger, Raimund; Lambers, Floor M.

2017-01-01

Abstract The purpose of this paper was to analyze the biomechanical performance of customized mandibular reconstruction plates with optimized strength. The best locations for increasing bar widths were determined with a sensitivity analysis. Standard and customized plates were mounted on mandible models and mechanically tested. Maximum stress in the plate could be reduced from 573 to 393 MPa (−31%) by increasing bar widths. The median fatigue limit was significantly greater (p < 0.001) for customized plates (650 ± 27 N) than for standard plates (475 ± 27 N). Increasing bar widths at case-specific locations was an effective strategy for increasing plate fatigue performance. PMID:27887036

Final Technical Report for EE0006091: H2Pump Hydrogen Recycling System Demonstration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Staudt, Rhonda

The objective of this project is to demonstrate the product readiness and to quantify the benefits and customer value proposition of H2Pump’s Hydrogen Recycling System (HRS-100™) by installing and analyzing the operation of multiple prototype 100-kg per day systems in real world customer locations. The data gathered will be used to measure reliability, demonstrate the value proposition to customers, and validate our business model. H2Pump will install, track and report multiple field demonstration systems in industrial heat treating and semi-conductor applications. The customer demonstrations will be used to develop case studies and showcase the benefits of the technology to drivemore » market adoption.« less

Development of the Self-Powered Extravehicular Mobility Unit Extravehicular Activity Data Recorder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bernard, Craig; Hill, Terry R.; Murray, Sean; Wichowski, Robert; Rosenbush, David

2012-01-01

The Self-Powered Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Data Recorder (SPEEDR) is a field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based device designed to collect high-rate EMU Primary Life Support Subsystem (PLSS) data for download at a later time. During EVA, the existing EMU PLSS data downlink capability is one data packet every 2 minutes and is subject to bad packets or loss of signal. Higher-rate PLSS data is generated by the Enhanced Caution and Warning System but is not normally captured or distributed. Access to higher-rate data will increase the capability of EMU anomaly resolution team to pinpoint issues remotely, saving crew time by reducing required call-down Q&A and on-orbit diagnostic activities. With no Space Shuttle flights post Fiscal Year 2011 (FY11), and potentially limited down-mass capability, the ISS crew and ground support personnel will have to be capable of on-orbit operations to maintain, diagnose, repair, and return to service EMU hardware, possibly through 2028. Collecting high-rate EMU PLSS data during both intravehicular activity (IVA) and EVA operations will provide trending analysis for life extension and/or predictive performance. The SPEEDR concept has generated interest as a tool/technology that could be used for other International Space Station subsystems or future exploration-class space suits where hardware reliability/availability is critical and low/variable bandwidth may require store then forward methodology. Preliminary work in FY11 produced a functional prototype consisting of an FPGA evaluation board, custom memory/interface circuit board, and custom software. The SPEEDR concept includes a stand-alone battery that is recharged by a computer Universal Serial Bus (USB) port while data are being downloaded.

Development of the ISS EMU SPEEDR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bernard. Craig; Hill, Terry R.

2011-01-01

The Self Powered EVA EMU Data Recorder (SPEEDR) is an FPGA (Field-programmable gate array) based device designed to collect high-rate EMU (Extravehicular Mobility Unit) PLSS (Primary Life Support Subsystem) data for download at a later time. The existing EMU PLSS data down-link capability during EVA is one data packet every 2 minutes and is subject to bad packets or loss of signal. High-rate PLSS data is generated by the ECWS (Enhanced Caution and Warning System) but is not normally captured or distributed. Access to high-rate data will increase the capability of EMU anomaly resolution team to pinpoint issues remotely, saving crew time by reducing required call-down Q&A and on-orbit diagnostic activities. With no Shuttle flights post FY11, and potentially limited down-mass capability, the ISS crew and ground support personnel will have to be capable of on-orbit operations to maintain, diagnose, repair, and return to service EMU hardware, possibly through 2028. Collecting high-rate EMU PLSS data during both IVA (Intravehicular Activity) and EVA (Extravehicular Activity) operations will provide trending analysis for life extension and/or predictive performance. The SPEEDR concept has generated interest as a tool/technology that could be used for other ISS subsystems or future exploration-class space suits where hardware reliability/availability is critical and low/variable bandwidth may require "store then forward" methodology. Preliminary work in FY11 produced a functional prototype consisting of an FPGA evaluation board, custom memory/interface circuit board, and custom software. The SPEEDR concept includes a stand-alone battery that is recharged by a computer USB (Universal Serial Bus) port while data is being downloaded.

OVERFLOW-Interaction with Industry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buning, Pieter G.; George, Michael W. (Technical Monitor)

1996-01-01

A Navier-Stokes flow solver, OVERFLOW, has been developed by researchers at NASA Ames Research Center to use overset (Chimera) grids to simulate the flow about complex aerodynamic shapes. Primary customers of the OVERFLOW flow solver and related software include McDonnell Douglas and Boeing, as well as the NASA Focused Programs for Advanced Subsonic Technology (AST) and High Speed Research (HSR). Code development has focused on customer issues, including improving code performance, ability to run on workstation clusters and the NAS SP2, and direct interaction with industry on accuracy assessment and validation. Significant interaction with NAS has produced a capability tailored to the Ames computing environment, and code contributions have come from a wide range of sources, both within and outside Ames.

Microgrid Controllers : Expanding Their Role and Evaluating Their Performance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maitra, Arindam; Pratt, Annabelle; Hubert, Tanguy

Microgrids have long been deployed to provide power to customers in remote areas as well as critical industrial and military loads. Today, they are also being proposed as grid-interactive solutions for energy-resilient communities. Such microgrids will spend most of the time operating while synchronized with the surrounding utility grid but will also be capable of separating during contingency periods due to storms or temporary disturbances such as local grid faults. Properly designed and grid-integrated microgrids can provide the flexibility, reliability, and resiliency needs of both the future grid and critical customers. These systems can be an integral part of futuremore » power system designs that optimize investments to achieve operational goals, improved reliability, and diversification of energy sources.« less

SAM International Case Studies: DPV Analysis in Mexico

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McCall, James D

Presentation demonstrates the use of the System Advisor Model (SAM) in international analyses, specifically Mexico. Two analyses are discussed with relation to SAM modelling efforts: 1) Customer impacts from changes to net metering and billing agreements and 2) Potential benefits of PV for Mexican solar customers, the Mexican Treasury, and the environment. Along with the SAM analyses, integration of the International Utility Rate Database (I-URDB) with SAM and future international SAM work are discussed. Presentation was created for the International Solar Energy Society's (ISES) webinar titled 'International use of the NREL System Advisor Model (SAM) with case studies'.

AlphaACT

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-07-20

t**k HOUM 1i7iOSh»d, uro .*fto»d ^Sunflower V«()*Uil«n Rviiauiani :{31 Chkn Bii^ R:ad •Pel Lov*ri Cotnpanton ^&i«na’i RMUuram 1U17 VVtMjltfl...Select a case to tailor • Click Customize CUSTOMIZE lO ) Alpha j[~:: 0:09:15 3 .~^’’ I ~J^’ Purpose Tasks Tailor the case to scenario...present o o ® =T Does the event area have tall buildings o o ® a^ ^KBPPB^ or choose up lo 3 n«nts Irom the VKiii^P Knowledge Base bela» Tim

Comparison of custom to standard TKA instrumentation with computed tomography.

PubMed

Ng, Vincent Y; Arnott, Lindsay; Li, Jia; Hopkins, Ronald; Lewis, Jamie; Sutphen, Sean; Nicholson, Lisa; Reader, Douglas; McShane, Michael A

2014-08-01

There is conflicting evidence whether custom instrumentation for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) improves component position compared to standard instrumentation. Studies have relied on long-limb radiographs limited to two-dimensional (2D) analysis and subjected to rotational inaccuracy. We used postoperative computed tomography (CT) to evaluate preoperative three-dimensional templating and CI to facilitate accurate and efficient implantation of TKA femoral and tibial components. We prospectively evaluated a single-surgeon cohort of 78 TKA patients (51 custom, 27 standard) with postoperative CT scans using 3D reconstruction and contour-matching technology to preoperative imaging. Component alignment was measured in coronal, sagittal and axial planes. Preoperative templating for custom instrumentation was 87 and 79 % accurate for femoral and tibial component size. All custom components were within 1 size except for the tibial component in one patient (2 sizes). Tourniquet time was 5 min longer for custom (30 min) than standard (25 min). In no case was custom instrumentation aborted in favour of standard instrumentation nor was original alignment of custom instrumentation required to be adjusted intraoperatively. There were more outliers greater than 2° from intended alignment with standard instrumentation than custom for both components in all three planes. Custom instrumentation was more accurate in component position for tibial coronal alignment (custom: 1.5° ± 1.2°; standard: 3° ± 1.9°; p = 0.0001) and both tibial (custom: 1.4° ± 1.1°; standard: 16.9° ± 6.8°; p < 0.0001) and femoral (custom: 1.2° ± 0.9°; standard: 3.1° ± 2.1°; p < 0.0001) rotational alignment, and was similar to standard instrumentation in other measurements. When evaluated with CT, custom instrumentation performs similar or better to standard instrumentation in component alignment and accurately templates component size. Tourniquet time was mildly increased for custom compared to standard.

19 CFR Appendix B to Part 171 - Customs Regulations, Guidelines for the Imposition and Mitigation of Penalties for Violations of...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... introduction of merchandise by such means. It should be noted that the language “entry, introduction, or... document, statement, act, or omission is material if it has the natural tendency to influence or is capable...) determination of whether an unfair act has been committed involving patent, trademark, or copyright infringement...

19 CFR Appendix B to Part 171 - Customs Regulations, Guidelines for the Imposition and Mitigation of Penalties for Violations of...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... introduction of merchandise by such means. It should be noted that the language “entry, introduction, or... document, statement, act, or omission is material if it has the natural tendency to influence or is capable...) determination of whether an unfair act has been committed involving patent, trademark, or copyright infringement...

19 CFR Appendix B to Part 171 - Customs Regulations, Guidelines for the Imposition and Mitigation of Penalties for Violations of...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... introduction of merchandise by such means. It should be noted that the language “entry, introduction, or... document, statement, act, or omission is material if it has the natural tendency to influence or is capable...) determination of whether an unfair act has been committed involving patent, trademark, or copyright infringement...

19 CFR Appendix B to Part 171 - Customs Regulations, Guidelines for the Imposition and Mitigation of Penalties for Violations of...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... introduction of merchandise by such means. It should be noted that the language “entry, introduction, or... document, statement, act, or omission is material if it has the natural tendency to influence or is capable...) determination of whether an unfair act has been committed involving patent, trademark, or copyright infringement...

19 CFR Appendix B to Part 171 - Customs Regulations, Guidelines for the Imposition and Mitigation of Penalties for Violations of...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... introduction of merchandise by such means. It should be noted that the language “entry, introduction, or... document, statement, act, or omission is material if it has the natural tendency to influence or is capable...) determination of whether an unfair act has been committed involving patent, trademark, or copyright infringement...

Medical Equipment Used to Support Operations in Southwest Asia

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-30

services. USCENTCOM Medical Logistics Management In February 2006, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff designated the U.S. Army Medical...Microbiology Psychiatry/Mental Health Pediatrics Radiology* Prosthesis Trauma Surgery (General, Orthopedic, Urologic, Obstetrics and Gynecology... automated capability to manage equipment assets from the time a customer starts the research for an equipment item to the point at which the equipment

Improving Mastery of Fractions by Blending Video Games into the Math Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masek, M.; Boston, J.; Lam, C. P.; Corcoran, S.

2017-01-01

Concepts from the Australian mathematics curriculum on fractions were used as core elements to design three computer games. In each game, the concepts were presented in the form of tangible puzzles, customized to a difficulty level based on student capability. The games were integrated into a single virtual game world, and a fantasy story was used…

The status of accurately locating forest inventory and analysis plots using the Global Positioning System

Treesearch

Michael Hoppus; Andrew Lister

2007-01-01

Historically, field crews used Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates to establish and relocate plots, as well as document their general location. During the past 5 years, the increase in Geographic Information System (GIS) capabilities and in customer requests to use the spatial relationships between Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plot data and other GIS...

A Study of the Influence of Learning Organization on Organizational Creativity and Organizational Communication in High Tech Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duan, Qingying

2017-01-01

The value of a high-tech industry no longer lies in the number of plants, equipment, and products but the intellectual property, customer confidence, capability of collaborating with business partners, telecommunication infrastructure, and the creativity potential and skills of its employees. This study is motivated by investigating the way of…

Mobile, Virtual Enhancements for Rehabilitation (MOVER)

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-02-28

patient uses COTS input devices, such as the Microsoft Kinect and the Wii Balance Board , to perform therapeutic exercises that are mapped to...by hardcoding specific, commonly used balance exercises into the system and enabling the therapists to select and customize pre-identified... balance disorder patients. We made these games highly customizable to enable therapists to tune each game to the capabilities of individual patients

Radiation-Hardened Electronics for the Space Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keys, Andrew S.; Watson, Michael D.

2007-01-01

RHESE covers a broad range of technology areas and products. - Radiation Hardened Electronics - High Performance Processing - Reconfigurable Computing - Radiation Environmental Effects Modeling - Low Temperature Radiation Hardened Electronics. RHESE has aligned with currently defined customer needs. RHESE is leveraging/advancing SOA space electronics, not duplicating. - Awareness of radiation-related activities through out government and industry allow advancement rather than duplication of capabilities.

Exploiting Sequential Patterns Found in Users' Solutions and Virtual Tutor Behavior to Improve Assistance in ITS

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fournier-Viger, Philippe; Faghihi, Usef; Nkambou, Roger; Nguifo, Engelbert Mephu

2010-01-01

We propose to mine temporal patterns in Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITSs) to uncover useful knowledge that can enhance their ability to provide assistance. To discover patterns, we suggest using a custom, sequential pattern-mining algorithm. Two ways of applying the algorithm to enhance an ITS's capabilities are addressed. The first is to…

Internal Drivers of External Flexibility: A Detailed Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-08-14

example, order processing within a supplier’s firm is a competence. Meeting customer demand by providing a consistent delivery schedule is a capability...Focus interview on the following logistics areas: a. order processing b. inventory c. transportation d. warehousing, materials handling...demands. In logistics, superior service depends upon order processing (Byrne and Markham 1991); quality of contact personnel (Innis and LaLonde 1994

NREL and Hawaiian Electric Navigate Uncharted Waters of Energy

Science.gov Websites

potential grid impact of adding customer-side storage to rooftop solar systems-a scenario that could soon Systems Integration Facility's (ESIF's) power hardware-in-the-loop capability. NREL's ESIF was one of the justify activation of a specific grid support function called "volt-var control" for all new

Web-based document and content management with off-the-shelf software

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schuster, J

1999-03-18

This, then, is the current status of the project: Since we made the switch to Intradoc, we are now treating the project as a document and image management system. In reality, it could be considered a document and content management system since we can manage almost any file input to the system such as video or audio. At present, however, we are concentrating on images. As mentioned above, my CRADA funding was only targeted at including thumbnails of images in Intradoc. We still had to modify Intradoc so that it would compress images submitted to the system. All processing ofmore » files submitted to Intradoc is handled in what is called the Document Refinery. Even though MrSID created thumbnails in the process of compressing an image, work needed to be done to somehow build this capability into the Document Refinery. Therefore we made the decision to contract the Intradoc Engineering Team to perform this custom development work. To make Intradoc even more capable of handling images, we have also contracted for customization of the Document Refinery to accept Adobe PhotoShop and Illustrator file in their native format.« less

Perspectives for Web Service Intermediaries: How Influence on Quality Makes the Difference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scholten, Ulrich; Fischer, Robin; Zirpins, Christian

In the service-oriented computing paradigm and the Web service architecture, the broker role is a key facilitator to leverage technical capabilities of loose coupling to achieve organizational capabilities of dynamic customer-provider-relationships. In practice, this role has quickly evolved into a variety of intermediary concepts that refine and extend the basic functionality of service brokerage with respect to various forms of added value like platform or market mechanisms. While this has initially led to a rich variety of Web service intermediaries, many of these are now going through a phase of stagnation or even decline in customer acceptance. In this paper we present a comparative study on insufficient service quality that is arguably one of the key reasons for this phenomenon. In search of a differentiation with respect to quality monitoring and management patterns, we categorize intermediaries into Infomediaries, e-Hubs, e-Markets and Integrators. A mapping of quality factors and control mechanisms to these categories depicts their respective strengths and weaknesses. The results show that Integrators have the highest overall performance, followed by e-Markets, e-Hubs and lastly Infomediaries. A comparative market survey confirms the conceptual findings.

Advanced uncooled infrared system electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neal, Henry W.

1998-07-01

Over the past two decades, Raytheon Systems Company (RSC), formerly Texas Instruments Defense Systems & Electronics Group, developed a robust family of products based on a low- cost, hybrid ferroelectric (FE) uncooled focal-plane array (FPA) aimed at meeting the needs for thermal imaging products across both military and commercial markets. Over the years, RSC supplied uncooled infrared (IR) sensors for applications such as in combat vehicles, man-portable weaponry, personnel helmets, and installation security. Also, various commercial IR systems for use in automobiles, boats, law enforcement, hand-held applications, building/site security, and fire fighting have been developed. These products resulted in a high degree of success where cooled IR platforms are too bulky and costly, and other uncooled implementations are less reliable or lack significant cost advantage. Proof of this great success is found in the large price reductions, the unprecedented monthly production rates, and the wide diversity of products and customers realized in recent years. The ever- changing needs of these existing and potential customers continue to fuel the advancement of both the primary technologies and the production capabilities of uncooled IR systems at RSC. This paper will describe a development project intended to further advance the system electronics capabilities of future uncooled IR products.

Focusing on customer service.

PubMed

1996-01-01

This booklet is devoted to a consideration of how good customer service in family planning programs can generate demand for products and services, bring customers back, and reduce costs. Customer service is defined as increasing client satisfaction through continuous concern for client preferences, staff accountability to clients, and respect for the rights of clients. Issues discussed include the introduction of a customer service approach and gaining staff commitment. The experience of PROSALUD in Bolivia in recruiting appropriate staff, supervising staff, soliciting client feedback, and marketing services is offered as an example of a successful customer service approach. The key customer service functions are described as 1) establishing a welcoming atmosphere, 2) streamlining client flow, 3) personalizing client services, and 4) organizing and providing clear information to clients. The role of the manager in developing procedures is explored, and the COPE (Client-Oriented Provider-Efficient) process is presented as a good way to begin to make improvements. Techniques in staff training in customer service include brainstorming, role playing, using case studies (examples of which are provided), and engaging in practice sessions. Training also leads to the development of effective customer service attitudes, and the differences between these and organizational/staff-focused attitudes are illustrated in a chart. The use of communication skills (asking open-ended questions, helping clients express their concerns, engaging in active listening, and handling difficult situations) is considered. Good recovery skills are important when things go wrong. Gathering and using client feedback is the next topic considered. This involves identifying, recording, and discussing customer service issues as well as taking action on these issues and evaluating the results. The booklet ends by providing a sample of customer service indicators, considering the maintenance of a customer service focus, and reporting comments from the reviewers of the booklet.

19 CFR 158.26 - Loss or theft in public stores.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Loss or theft in public stores. 158.26 Section 158... Casualty, Loss, or Theft While in Customs Custody § 158.26 Loss or theft in public stores. In the case of alleged loss or theft while the merchandise is in the public stores, there shall be filed a declaration of...

Students-as-Customers' Satisfaction, Predictive Retention with Marketing Implications: The Case of Malaysian Higher Education Business Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Stephen; Yeo, Amy Chu-May

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate two areas of interest: first, to determine business student customer satisfiers that could be contributors to students' current and predicted retention in a higher educational institution (HEI) and second, to use these satisfiers to inform HEI marketing planning. Design/Methodology/Approach: The…

User-Customizing HIS Interface by Light Programming Tool: the Case of Redesigning the Nursing Kardex with InfoPath 2003

PubMed Central

Chang, Tsuei-Rung; Chang, Polun

2006-01-01

Due to lack of IT resources, the End-User Computing strategy seems useful for the front-end users to develop and customize their own information application. We taught the nurses to use the InfoPath 2003 to design their own card-filing Kardex system and observed promising results. PMID:17238497

Continuing Professional Education of Insurance and Risk Management Practitioners: A Comparative Case Study of Customer Service Representatives, Insurance Agents and Risk Managers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krauss, George E.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study is to understand how selected insurance practitioners learn and developed in their practices setting. The selected insurance practitioners (collectively customer service representatives, insurance agents, and risk managers) are responsible for the counseling and placement of insurance products and the implementation of…

Custom E-Learning Experiences: Working with Profiles for Multiple Content Sources Access and Adaptation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferretti, Stefano; Roccetti, Marco; Salomoni, Paola; Mirri, Silvia

2009-01-01

It is a common belief that the problem of extracting learners' profiles to be used for delivering custom learning experiences is a closed case. Yet, practical solutions do not completely cope with the complex issue of capturing all the features of users, especially those of heterogeneous learners, who may have special needs or characteristics…

Senior Executives' Perceptions of Business-to-Consumer (B2C) Online Marketing Strategies: The Case of Singapore.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teo, Thompson S. H.; Tan, Jek Swan

2002-01-01

Describes a study on Internet marketing strategies of business-to-consumer (B2C) firms in Singapore. Results of a survey and hierarchical regression analyses indicate that strategies to attract customers and to relate to customers have significant positive relationships to online brand equity, which is positively related to financial growth.…

A Novel Paradigm for Computer-Aided Design: TRIZ-Based Hybridization of Topologically Optimized Density Distributions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardillo, A.; Cascini, G.; Frillici, F. S.; Rotini, F.

In a recent project the authors have proposed the adoption of Optimization Systems [1] as a bridging element between Computer-Aided Innovation (CAI) and PLM to identify geometrical contradictions [2], a particular case of the TRIZ physical contradiction [3]. A further development of the research [4] has revealed that the solutions obtained from several topological optimizations can be considered as elementary customized modeling features for a specific design task. The topology overcoming the arising geometrical contradiction can be obtained through a manipulation of the density distributions constituting the conflicting pair. Already two strategies of density combination have been identified as capable to solve geometrical contradictions and several others are under extended testing. The paper illustrates the most recent results of the ongoing research mainly related to the extension of the algorithms from 2D to 3D design spaces. The whole approach is clarified by means of two detailed examples, where the proposed technique is compared with classical multi-goal optimization.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gearhart, Jared Lee; Adair, Kristin Lynn; Durfee, Justin David.

When developing linear programming models, issues such as budget limitations, customer requirements, or licensing may preclude the use of commercial linear programming solvers. In such cases, one option is to use an open-source linear programming solver. A survey of linear programming tools was conducted to identify potential open-source solvers. From this survey, four open-source solvers were tested using a collection of linear programming test problems and the results were compared to IBM ILOG CPLEX Optimizer (CPLEX) [1], an industry standard. The solvers considered were: COIN-OR Linear Programming (CLP) [2], [3], GNU Linear Programming Kit (GLPK) [4], lp_solve [5] and Modularmore » In-core Nonlinear Optimization System (MINOS) [6]. As no open-source solver outperforms CPLEX, this study demonstrates the power of commercial linear programming software. CLP was found to be the top performing open-source solver considered in terms of capability and speed. GLPK also performed well but cannot match the speed of CLP or CPLEX. lp_solve and MINOS were considerably slower and encountered issues when solving several test problems.« less

VLC-beacon detection with an under-sampled ambient light sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, Jacob; Pérez-Olivas, Huetzin; Martínez-Díaz, Saúl; García-Márquez, Jorge; Domínguez-González, Carlos; Santiago-Montero, Raúl; Guan, Hongyu; Rozenblat, Marc; Topsu, Suat

2017-08-01

LEDs will replace in a near future the current worldwide lighting mainly due to their low production-cost and energy-saving assets. Visible light communications (VLC) will turn gradually the existing lighting network into a communication network. Nowadays VLC transceivers can be found in some commercial centres in Europe; some of them broadcast continuously an identification tag that contains its coordinate position. In such a case, the transceiver acts as a geolocation beacon. Nevertheless, mobile transceivers represent a challenge in the VLC communication chain, as smartphones have not integrated yet a VLC customized detection stage. In order to make current smartphones capable to detect VLC broadcasted signals, their Ambient Light Sensor (ALS) is adapted as a VLC detector. For this to be achieved, lighting transceivers need to adapt their modulation scheme. For instance, frequencies representing start bit, 1, and 0 logic values can be set to avoid flicker from illumination and to permit detecting the under-sampled signal. Decoding the signal requires a multiple steps real-time signal processing as shown here.

Cancer based pharmacogenomics network supported with scientific evidences: from the view of drug repurposing.

PubMed

Wang, Liwei; Liu, Hongfang; Chute, Christopher G; Zhu, Qian

2015-01-01

Pharmacogenomics (PGx) as an emerging field, is poised to change the way we practice medicine and deliver health care by customizing drug therapies on the basis of each patient's genetic makeup. A large volume of PGx data including information among drugs, genes, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) has been accumulated. Normalized and integrated PGx information could facilitate revelation of hidden relationships among drug treatments, genomic variations, and phenotype traits to better support drug discovery and next generation of treatment. In this study, we generated a normalized and scientific evidence supported cancer based PGx network (CPN) by integrating cancer related PGx information from multiple well-known PGx resources including the Pharmacogenomics Knowledge Base (PharmGKB), the FDA PGx Biomarkers in Drug Labeling, and the Catalog of Published Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS). We successfully demonstrated the capability of the CPN for drug repurposing by conducting two case studies. The CPN established in this study offers comprehensive cancer based PGx information to support cancer orientated research, especially for drug repurposing.

DEsubs: an R package for flexible identification of differentially expressed subpathways using RNA-seq experiments.

PubMed

Vrahatis, Aristidis G; Balomenos, Panos; Tsakalidis, Athanasios K; Bezerianos, Anastasios

2016-12-15

DEsubs is a network-based systems biology R package that extracts disease-perturbed subpathways within a pathway network as recorded by RNA-seq experiments. It contains an extensive and customized framework with a broad range of operation modes at all stages of the subpathway analysis, enabling so a case-specific approach. The operation modes include pathway network construction and processing, subpathway extraction, visualization and enrichment analysis with regard to various biological and pharmacological features. Its capabilities render DEsubs a tool-guide for both the modeler and experimentalist for the identification of more robust systems-level drug targets and biomarkers for complex diseases. DEsubs is implemented as an R package following Bioconductor guidelines: http://bioconductor.org/packages/DEsubs/ CONTACT: tassos.bezerianos@nus.edu.sgSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Automated, Parametric Geometry Modeling and Grid Generation for Turbomachinery Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harrand, Vincent J.; Uchitel, Vadim G.; Whitmire, John B.

2000-01-01

The objective of this Phase I project is to develop a highly automated software system for rapid geometry modeling and grid generation for turbomachinery applications. The proposed system features a graphical user interface for interactive control, a direct interface to commercial CAD/PDM systems, support for IGES geometry output, and a scripting capability for obtaining a high level of automation and end-user customization of the tool. The developed system is fully parametric and highly automated, and, therefore, significantly reduces the turnaround time for 3D geometry modeling, grid generation and model setup. This facilitates design environments in which a large number of cases need to be generated, such as for parametric analysis and design optimization of turbomachinery equipment. In Phase I we have successfully demonstrated the feasibility of the approach. The system has been tested on a wide variety of turbomachinery geometries, including several impellers and a multi stage rotor-stator combination. In Phase II, we plan to integrate the developed system with turbomachinery design software and with commercial CAD/PDM software.

Technology and Tool Development to Support Safety and Mission Assurance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Denney, Ewen; Pai, Ganesh

2017-01-01

The Assurance Case approach is being adopted in a number of safety-mission-critical application domains in the U.S., e.g., medical devices, defense aviation, automotive systems, and, lately, civil aviation. This paradigm refocuses traditional, process-based approaches to assurance on demonstrating explicitly stated assurance goals, emphasizing the use of structured rationale, and concrete product-based evidence as the means for providing justified confidence that systems and software are fit for purpose in safely achieving mission objectives. NASA has also been embracing assurance cases through the concepts of Risk Informed Safety Cases (RISCs), as documented in the NASA System Safety Handbook, and Objective Hierarchies (OHs) as put forth by the Agency's Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA). This talk will give an overview of the work being performed by the SGT team located at NASA Ames Research Center, in developing technologies and tools to engineer and apply assurance cases in customer projects pertaining to aviation safety. We elaborate how our Assurance Case Automation Toolset (AdvoCATE) has not only extended the state-of-the-art in assurance case research, but also demonstrated its practical utility. We have successfully developed safety assurance cases for a number of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) operations, which underwent, and passed, scrutiny both by the aviation regulator, i.e., the FAA, as well as the applicable NASA boards for airworthiness and flight safety, flight readiness, and mission readiness. We discuss our efforts in expanding AdvoCATE capabilities to support RISCs and OHs under a project recently funded by OSMA under its Software Assurance Research Program. Finally, we speculate on the applicability of our innovations beyond aviation safety to such endeavors as robotic, and human spaceflight.

Exploring utilitarian and hedonic antecedents for adopting information from a recommendation agent and unplanned purchase behaviour

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Li-Ting

2016-01-01

Research indicated that in order for properly utilizing recommendation agents (RAs), customers must rationally evaluate capability and suggestions of RAs during the interaction process. However, enjoying interactive processes and interface is also important. Methods for increasing user enjoyment of RAs are yet unknown. This study investigated the influences of utilitarian and hedonic factors on intention to adopt RAs suggestions and their antecedents. Involvement influences relative importance of utilitarian and hedonic factors. Contrary to common assumptions, customers may make unplanned purchases, rather than rational purchase. A field experiment with 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design reveals main findings. First, information diagnosticity and enjoyment enhance adoption intention simultaneously. Information diagnosticity is more important than enjoyment. Diagnosticity was determined by outcome similarity, and enjoyment was determined by both outcome similarity and atmospherics. The context of interacting with RAs is important. Outcome similarity even directly affects adoption intention. Second, highly involved users considered enjoyment and diagnosticity when forming adoption intentions, while users with low involvement only considered enjoyment. Third, information cascades altered the relationship between adoption intention and unplanned purchases. Most customers change selection after seeing ratings from other customers, even if they originally strongly want to adoption suggestion from RAs. Theoretical and managerial implications are proposed.

Client-oriented Building Mass Customization (CoBMC)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Xia Sheng; Faris Khamidi, Mohd; Kuppusamy, Sivaraman; Tuck Heng, Chin

2017-12-01

Although much later compared to other industries including aerospace, automobile, oil and gas etc., digital technology development has been cresting towards an exponential curve in the construction industry. Technological diversity and abundance change the game from “what you can” to “what you want”. Society is changing at an unprecedented rate. Consequently adaptability will be crucial. This research paper explores the integration of digital adaptive technologies that transform the construction industry from the mass production to that of a possible client-oriented mass customization. The focus on the design, construction and performance stages of a building project, currently undergoing major overhaul faces a paradigm shift globally that will impact and compel attention for the next three decades with viable solutions such as Building Information Modelling (BIM) to manage massive data cum information. Customization maximizes clients’ participation during the design process thereby achieving greater effective value and higher satisfaction. A study between customized and standardized examples will investigate how adaptive customization will shift the design paradigm from cost to value centric. This action research will explore different aspects of emerging innovative systems already in place pushing the edge of frontiers, and transforming the building industry landscape whether micro or giga, to compliment new technologies to create an unprecedented exhilaration of freshness over the mundane, routine and mediocrity. Three identified fundamental aspects that are instrumental to Client-oriented Building Mass Customization (CoBMC) are design option visualization, parametric product information and n-dimensional modelling. The study concluded that a paradigm shift is therefore inevitable for every stakeholder including clients who will need to re-examine their roles, capabilities, and competencies in preparation towards challenging future.

Just being on the Internet is Old News

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koczor, Ronald J.

2003-01-01

E-Gov is an idea that is very popular these days. Many government agencies are adopting electronic information technology to improve both their internal and external capabilities to communicate with stakeholders and customers. This is an area where the Internet offers huge improvements in responsiveness. Unfortunately, Internet outreach traditionally has not been a budget area that received strong support in most agencies. Today, almost every government agency has some Internet presence: some extensive; others minimal. However, if you really want to reach your stakeholders and customers, just putting information out is not enough to assure it is useful. The most effective outreach sites are those that have moved beyond first generation static designs and concepts to newer communications approaches that stress two-way communication and collection and analysis of customer-oriented performance metrics. This talk discusses a few basic concepts in customer/stakeholder interaction as practiced by the very successful NASA family of websites, Science@NASA. Started 7 years ago as a single website, focusing on the science output of the Space Science Lab at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Science@NASA in 2002 consisted of 6 websites with 450,000 subscribers and garnered over 700 million hits (approx. 64 million visits) in 2002 plus 3 international awards in the past 3 years. Focused content, tying presentation techniques to advanced communications concepts, managing and soliciting subscribers lists, automatic collection of performance metrics, soliciting and responding to customer feedback, and subscriber surveys are among the topics to be discussed. The successful NASAKids Club and the interactivity offered to children will also be covered. The attempt to make the customer/stakeholder DO SOMETHING is critical to our success.

Measuring the Internal Environment of Solid Rocket Motors During Ignition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weisenberg, Brent; Smith, Doug; Speas, Kyle; Corliss, Adam

2003-01-01

A new instrumentation system has been developed to measure the internal environment of solid rocket test motors during motor ignition. The system leverages conventional, analog gages with custom designed, electronics modules to provide safe, accurate, high speed data acquisition capability. To date, the instrumentation system has been demonstrated in a laboratory environment and on subscale static fire test motors ranging in size from 5-inches to 24-inches in diameter. Ultimately, this system is intended to be installed on a full-scale Reusable Solid Rocket Motor. This paper explains the need for the data, the components and capabilities of the system, and the test results.

A CBR-Based and MAHP-Based Customer Value Prediction Model for New Product Development

PubMed Central

Zhao, Yu-Jie; Luo, Xin-xing; Deng, Li

2014-01-01

In the fierce market environment, the enterprise which wants to meet customer needs and boost its market profit and share must focus on the new product development. To overcome the limitations of previous research, Chan et al. proposed a dynamic decision support system to predict the customer lifetime value (CLV) for new product development. However, to better meet the customer needs, there are still some deficiencies in their model, so this study proposes a CBR-based and MAHP-based customer value prediction model for a new product (C&M-CVPM). CBR (case based reasoning) can reduce experts' workload and evaluation time, while MAHP (multiplicative analytic hierarchy process) can use actual but average influencing factor's effectiveness in stimulation, and at same time C&M-CVPM uses dynamic customers' transition probability which is more close to reality. This study not only introduces the realization of CBR and MAHP, but also elaborates C&M-CVPM's three main modules. The application of the proposed model is illustrated and confirmed to be sensible and convincing through a stimulation experiment. PMID:25162050

A CBR-based and MAHP-based customer value prediction model for new product development.

PubMed

Zhao, Yu-Jie; Luo, Xin-xing; Deng, Li

2014-01-01

In the fierce market environment, the enterprise which wants to meet customer needs and boost its market profit and share must focus on the new product development. To overcome the limitations of previous research, Chan et al. proposed a dynamic decision support system to predict the customer lifetime value (CLV) for new product development. However, to better meet the customer needs, there are still some deficiencies in their model, so this study proposes a CBR-based and MAHP-based customer value prediction model for a new product (C&M-CVPM). CBR (case based reasoning) can reduce experts' workload and evaluation time, while MAHP (multiplicative analytic hierarchy process) can use actual but average influencing factor's effectiveness in stimulation, and at same time C&M-CVPM uses dynamic customers' transition probability which is more close to reality. This study not only introduces the realization of CBR and MAHP, but also elaborates C&M-CVPM's three main modules. The application of the proposed model is illustrated and confirmed to be sensible and convincing through a stimulation experiment.

Comparing hospital staff and patient perceptions of customer service: a pilot study utilizing survey and focus group data.

PubMed

Fottler, Myron D; Dickson, Duncan; Ford, Robert C; Bradley, Kenneth; Johnson, Lee

2006-02-01

The measurement of patient satisfaction is crucial to enhancing customer service and competitive advantage in the health-care industry. While there are numerous approaches to such measurement, this paper provides a case study which compares and contrasts patient and staff perceptions of customer service using both survey and focus group data. Results indicate that there is a high degree of correlation between staff and patient perceptions of customer service based on both survey and focus group data. However, the staff and patient subgroups also provided complementary information regarding patient perceptions of their service experience. Staff members tended to have more negative perceptions of service attributes than did the patients themselves. The focus group results provide complementary information to survey results in terms of greater detail and more managerially relevant information. While these results are derived from a pilot study, they suggest that diversification of data sources beyond patient surveys may enhance the utility of customer service information. If further research can affirm these findings, they create exciting possibilities for gathering valid, reliable and cost-effective customer service information.

Challenges in New Service Development and Value Creation through Service

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edvardsson, Bo; Gustafsson, Anders; Enquist, Bo

Many companies are at a crossroad where they try to' stay competitive by creating customer value through service development. This combination produces the prerequisites that are necessary for favorable customer experiences. Our focus is not on issues directly related to the new service development process as such, which has often been the case in the service literature (Gupta and Wilemon 1990; Martin and Home 1993, Martin and Home 1995; Edvardsson et al., 1995, Edvardsson et al., 2000; John and Storey 1998; Scheuing and Johnson 1989; Kelly and Storey 2000). First we focus on challenges in the new business landscape where service competition, IT, and value creation through service, put pressure on companies and markets to develop service offerings preferredby demanding customers. Secondly, we focus on service value creation through favorable customer experiences.

State formulating lifeline program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1978-09-01

The Board of Public Utilities (BPU) of New Jersey is formulating a lifeline program which would provide low-income and elderly customers with reduced utility rates. It is estimated that 30% of the households in New Jersey will qualify for the program. While the legislation calls for the lowest effective rate of any customer class, each utility would have its own lifeline program because of differing rates among utility companies. Eligibility requirements would be applied statewide. The utilities will fund the new program by restructuring the existing rates for regular customers. In which case lifeline recipients' rate would decrease while regularmore » customers' bills would increase. Eventually, the BPU expects to fund about 10% of the senior citizens' portion of the program with the state's casino gambling revenues.« less

Preliminary study of silica aerogel as a gas-equivalent material in ionization chambers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caresana, M.; Zorloni, G.

2017-12-01

Since about two decades, a renewed interest on aerogels has risen. These peculiar materials show fairly unique properties. Thus, they are under investigation for both scientific and commercial purposes and new optimized production processes are studied. In this work, the possibility of using aerogel in the field of radiation detection is explored. The idea is to substitute the gas filling in a ionization chamber with the aerogel. The material possesses a density about 100 times greater than ambient pressure air. Where as the open-pore structure should allow the charge carriers to move freely. Small hydrophobic silica aerogel samples were studied. A custom ionization chamber, capable of working both with aerogel or in the classic gas set up, was built. The response of the chamber in current mode was investigated using an X-ray tube. The results obtained showed, under proper conditions, an enhancement of about 60 times of the current signal in the aerogel configuration with respect to the classic gas one. Moreover, some unusual behaviours were observed, i.e. time inertia of the signal and super-/sub-linear current response with respect to the dose rate. While testing high electric fields, aerogel configuration seemed to enhance the Townsend's effects. In order to represent the observed trends, a trapping-detrapping model is proposed, which is capable to predict semi-empirically the steady state currents measured. The time evolution of the signal is semi-quantitatively represented by the same model. The coefficients estimated by the fits are in agreement with similar trapping problems in the literature. In particular, a direct comparison between the benchmark of the FET silica gates and aerogel case endorses the idea that the same type of phenomenon occurs in the studied case.

Robot Training With Vector Fields Based on Stroke Survivors' Individual Movement Statistics.

PubMed

Wright, Zachary A; Lazzaro, Emily; Thielbar, Kelly O; Patton, James L; Huang, Felix C

2018-02-01

The wide variation in upper extremity motor impairments among stroke survivors necessitates more intelligent methods of customized therapy. However, current strategies for characterizing individual motor impairments are limited by the use of traditional clinical assessments (e.g., Fugl-Meyer) and simple engineering metrics (e.g., goal-directed performance). Our overall approach is to statistically identify the range of volitional movement capabilities, and then apply a robot-applied force vector field intervention that encourages under-expressed movements. We investigated whether explorative training with such customized force fields would improve stroke survivors' (n = 11) movement patterns in comparison to a control group that trained without forces (n = 11). Force and control groups increased Fugl-Meyer UE scores (average of 1.0 and 1.1, respectively), which is not considered clinically meaningful. Interestingly, participants from both groups demonstrated dramatic increases in their range of velocity during exploration following only six days of training (average increase of 166.4% and 153.7% for the Force and Control group, respectively). While both groups showed evidence of improvement, we also found evidence that customized forces affected learning in a systematic way. When customized forces were active, we observed broader distributions of velocity that were not present in the controls. Second, we found that these changes led to specific changes in unassisted motion. In addition, while the shape of movement distributions changed significantly for both groups, detailed analysis of the velocity distributions revealed that customized forces promoted a greater proportion of favorable changes. Taken together, these results provide encouraging evidence that patient-specific force fields based on individuals' movement statistics can be used to create new movement patterns and shape them in a customized manner. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first to directly link engineering assessments of stroke survivors' exploration movement behaviors to the design of customized robot therapy.

Growth outside the core.

PubMed

Zook, Chris; Allen, James

2003-12-01

Growth in an adjacent market is tougher than it looks; three-quarters of the time, the effort fails. But companies can change those odds dramatically. Results from a five-year study of corporate growth conducted by Bain & Company reveal that adjacency expansion succeeds only when built around strong core businesses that have the potential to become market leaders. And the best place to look for adjacency opportunities is inside a company's strongest customers. The study also found that the most successful companies were able to consistently, profitably outgrow their rivals by developing a formula for pushing out the boundaries of their core businesses in predictable, repeatable ways. Companies use their repeatability formulas to expand into any number of adjacencies. Some companies make repeated geographic moves, as Vodafone has done in expanding from one geographic market to another over the past 13 years, building revenues from $1 billion in 1990 to $48 billion in 2003. Others apply a superior business model to new segments. Dell, for example, has repeatedly adapted its direct-to-customer model to new customer segments and new product categories. In other cases, companies develop hybrid approaches. Nike executed a series of different types of adjacency moves: it expanded into adjacent customer segments, introduced new products, developed new distribution channels, and then moved into adjacent geographic markets. The successful repeaters in the study had two common characteristics. First, they were extraordinarily disciplined, applying rigorous screens before they made an adjacency move. This discipline paid off in the form of learning curve benefits, increased speed, and lower complexity. And second, in almost all cases, they developed their repeatable formulas by studying their customers and their customers' economics very, very carefully.

Stability of therapeutic retreatment of corneal wavefront customized ablation with the SCHWIND CAM: 4-year data.

PubMed

Aslanides, Ioannis M; Kolli, Sai; Padroni, Sara; Padron, Sara; Arba Mosquera, Samuel

2012-05-01

To evaluate the long-term outcomes of aspheric corneal wavefront ablation profiles for excimer laser retreatment. Eighteen eyes that had previously undergone LASIK or photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) were retreated with LASIK using the corneal wavefront ablation profile. Custom Ablation Manager (SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions, Kleinostheim, Germany) software and the ESIRIS flying spot excimer laser system (SCHWIND) were used to perform the ablations. Refractive outcomes and wavefront data are reported up to 4 years after retreatment. Pre- and postoperative data were compared with Student t tests and (multivariate) correlation tests. P<.05 was considered statistically significant. A bilinear correlation of various postoperative wavefront aberrations versus planned correction and preoperative aberration was performed. Mean manifest refraction spherical equivalent (MRSE) before retreatment was -0.38±1.85 diopters (D) and -0.09±0.22 D at 6 months and -0.10±0.38 D at 4 years postoperatively. The reduction in MRSE was statistically significant at both postoperative time points (P<.005). Postoperative aberrations were statistically lower (spherical aberration P<.05; coma P<.005; root-mean-square higher order aberration P<.0001) at 4 years postoperatively. Distribution of the postoperative uncorrected distance visual acuity (P<.0001) and corrected distance visual acuity (P<.01) were statistically better than preoperative values. Aspheric corneal wavefront customization with the ESIRIS yields visual, optical, and refractive results comparable to those of other wavefront-guided customized techniques for the correction of myopia and myopic astigmatism. The corneal wavefront customized approach shows its strength in cases where abnormal optical systems are expected. Systematic wavefront customized corneal ablation appears safe and efficacious for retreatment cases. Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.

Using patient lists to add value to integrated data repositories.

PubMed

Wade, Ted D; Zelarney, Pearlanne T; Hum, Richard C; McGee, Sylvia; Batson, Deborah H

2014-12-01

Patient lists are project-specific sets of patients that can be queried in integrated data repositories (IDR's). By allowing a set of patients to be an addition to the qualifying conditions of a query, returned results will refer to, and only to, that set of patients. We report a variety of use cases for such lists, including: restricting retrospective chart review to a defined set of patients; following a set of patients for practice management purposes; distributing "honest-brokered" (deidentified) data; adding phenotypes to biosamples; and enhancing the content of study or registry data. Among the capabilities needed to implement patient lists in an IDR are: capture of patient identifiers from a query and feedback of these into the IDR; the existence of a permanent internal identifier in the IDR that is mappable to external identifiers; the ability to add queryable attributes to the IDR; the ability to merge data from multiple queries; and suitable control over user access and de-identification of results. We implemented patient lists in a custom IDR of our own design. We reviewed capabilities of other published IDRs for focusing on sets of patients. The widely used i2b2 IDR platform has various ways to address patient sets, and it could be modified to add the low-overhead version of patient lists that we describe. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Live volumetric (4D) visualization and guidance of in vivo human ophthalmic surgery with intraoperative optical coherence tomography

PubMed Central

Carrasco-Zevallos, O. M.; Keller, B.; Viehland, C.; Shen, L.; Waterman, G.; Todorich, B.; Shieh, C.; Hahn, P.; Farsiu, S.; Kuo, A. N.; Toth, C. A.; Izatt, J. A.

2016-01-01

Minimally-invasive microsurgery has resulted in improved outcomes for patients. However, operating through a microscope limits depth perception and fixes the visual perspective, which result in a steep learning curve to achieve microsurgical proficiency. We introduce a surgical imaging system employing four-dimensional (live volumetric imaging through time) microscope-integrated optical coherence tomography (4D MIOCT) capable of imaging at up to 10 volumes per second to visualize human microsurgery. A custom stereoscopic heads-up display provides real-time interactive volumetric feedback to the surgeon. We report that 4D MIOCT enhanced suturing accuracy and control of instrument positioning in mock surgical trials involving 17 ophthalmic surgeons. Additionally, 4D MIOCT imaging was performed in 48 human eye surgeries and was demonstrated to successfully visualize the pathology of interest in concordance with preoperative diagnosis in 93% of retinal surgeries and the surgical site of interest in 100% of anterior segment surgeries. In vivo 4D MIOCT imaging revealed sub-surface pathologic structures and instrument-induced lesions that were invisible through the operating microscope during standard surgical maneuvers. In select cases, 4D MIOCT guidance was necessary to resolve such lesions and prevent post-operative complications. Our novel surgical visualization platform achieves surgeon-interactive 4D visualization of live surgery which could expand the surgeon’s capabilities. PMID:27538478

Live volumetric (4D) visualization and guidance of in vivo human ophthalmic surgery with intraoperative optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrasco-Zevallos, O. M.; Keller, B.; Viehland, C.; Shen, L.; Waterman, G.; Todorich, B.; Shieh, C.; Hahn, P.; Farsiu, S.; Kuo, A. N.; Toth, C. A.; Izatt, J. A.

2016-08-01

Minimally-invasive microsurgery has resulted in improved outcomes for patients. However, operating through a microscope limits depth perception and fixes the visual perspective, which result in a steep learning curve to achieve microsurgical proficiency. We introduce a surgical imaging system employing four-dimensional (live volumetric imaging through time) microscope-integrated optical coherence tomography (4D MIOCT) capable of imaging at up to 10 volumes per second to visualize human microsurgery. A custom stereoscopic heads-up display provides real-time interactive volumetric feedback to the surgeon. We report that 4D MIOCT enhanced suturing accuracy and control of instrument positioning in mock surgical trials involving 17 ophthalmic surgeons. Additionally, 4D MIOCT imaging was performed in 48 human eye surgeries and was demonstrated to successfully visualize the pathology of interest in concordance with preoperative diagnosis in 93% of retinal surgeries and the surgical site of interest in 100% of anterior segment surgeries. In vivo 4D MIOCT imaging revealed sub-surface pathologic structures and instrument-induced lesions that were invisible through the operating microscope during standard surgical maneuvers. In select cases, 4D MIOCT guidance was necessary to resolve such lesions and prevent post-operative complications. Our novel surgical visualization platform achieves surgeon-interactive 4D visualization of live surgery which could expand the surgeon’s capabilities.

29 CFR 785.15 - On duty.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... plant. For example, a repair man is working while he waits for his employer's customer to get the..., 39 Labor Cases, para. 66,278, 14 W.H. Cases 534 (D.N.M. 1960); Mitchell v. Nicholson, 179 F. Supp...

29 CFR 785.15 - On duty.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... plant. For example, a repair man is working while he waits for his employer's customer to get the..., 39 Labor Cases, para. 66,278, 14 W.H. Cases 534 (D.N.M. 1960); Mitchell v. Nicholson, 179 F. Supp...

Applying DER-CAM for IIT Microgrid Explansion Planning

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shahidehpour, Mohammad; Li, Zuyi; Wang, Jianhui

The Distributed Energy Resources Customer Adoption Model (DER-CAM) is an economic and environmental model of customer DER adoption. This model has been in development at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory since 2000. The objective of the model is to find optimal DER investments while minimizing total energy costs or carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, or achieving a weighted objective that simultaneously considers both criteria. The Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) Microgrid project started in August 2008, and the majority of the project was completed in May 2013. IIT Microgrid, funded mostly by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy asmore » well as State and philanthropic contributions, empowers the campus consumers with the objective of establishing a smart microgrid that is highly reliable, economically viable, environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient, and resilient in extreme circumstances with a self-healing capability. In this project, we apply DER-CAM to study the expansion planning of the IIT Microgrid. First, the load data, environmental data, utility data, and technology data for the IIT Microgrid are gathered and organized to follow the DER-CAM input requirements. Then, DERCAM is applied to study the expansion planning of the IIT Microgrid for different cases, where different objectives in DER-CAM and different utility conditions are tested. Case 1 considers the objective of minimizing energy costs with fixed utility rates and 100% electric utility availability. Case 2 considers the objective of minimizing energy costs with real-time utility rates and 4 emergency weeks when the IIT Microgrid does not have access to the electric utility grid and has to operate in island mode. In Case 3, the utility rates are restored to fixed values and 100% electric utility availability is assumed, but a weighted multi-objective (Obj: a × costs + b × CO2 emissions, where a and b are weights for cost minimization and CO2 emissions minimization) is utilized to consider both energy costs and CO2 emissions. On the basis of the test results, the IIT Microgrid has the potential to benefit from investments in more DER technologies. The current annual energy costs and CO2 emissions for the IIT Microgrid are 6,495.1 k$ and 39,838.5 metric tons, respectively. This represents the baseline for this project.« less

LLIMAS: Revolutionizing integrating modeling and analysis at MIT Lincoln Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doyle, Keith B.; Stoeckel, Gerhard P.; Rey, Justin J.; Bury, Mark E.

2017-08-01

MIT Lincoln Laboratory's Integrated Modeling and Analysis Software (LLIMAS) enables the development of novel engineering solutions for advanced prototype systems through unique insights into engineering performance and interdisciplinary behavior to meet challenging size, weight, power, environmental, and performance requirements. LLIMAS is a multidisciplinary design optimization tool that wraps numerical optimization algorithms around an integrated framework of structural, thermal, optical, stray light, and computational fluid dynamics analysis capabilities. LLIMAS software is highly extensible and has developed organically across a variety of technologies including laser communications, directed energy, photometric detectors, chemical sensing, laser radar, and imaging systems. The custom software architecture leverages the capabilities of existing industry standard commercial software and supports the incorporation of internally developed tools. Recent advances in LLIMAS's Structural-Thermal-Optical Performance (STOP), aeromechanical, and aero-optical capabilities as applied to Lincoln prototypes are presented.

Application of Probabilistic Methods for the Determination of an Economically Robust HSCT Configuration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mavris, Dimitri N.; Bandte, Oliver; Schrage, Daniel P.

1996-01-01

This paper outlines an approach for the determination of economically viable robust design solutions using the High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) as a case study. Furthermore, the paper states the advantages of a probability based aircraft design over the traditional point design approach. It also proposes a new methodology called Robust Design Simulation (RDS) which treats customer satisfaction as the ultimate design objective. RDS is based on a probabilistic approach to aerospace systems design, which views the chosen objective as a distribution function introduced by so called noise or uncertainty variables. Since the designer has no control over these variables, a variability distribution is defined for each one of them. The cumulative effect of all these distributions causes the overall variability of the objective function. For cases where the selected objective function depends heavily on these noise variables, it may be desirable to obtain a design solution that minimizes this dependence. The paper outlines a step by step approach on how to achieve such a solution for the HSCT case study and introduces an evaluation criterion which guarantees the highest customer satisfaction. This customer satisfaction is expressed by the probability of achieving objective function values less than a desired target value.

Slotting optimization of automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) for efficient delivery of parts in an assembly shop using genetic algorithm: A case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yue, L.; Guan, Z.; He, C.; Luo, D.; Saif, U.

2017-06-01

In recent years, the competitive pressure on manufacturing companies shifted them from mass production to mass customization to produce large variety of products. It is a great challenge for companies nowadays to produce customized mixed flow mode of production to meet customized demand on time. Due to large variety of products, the storage system to deliver variety of products to production lines influences on the timely production of variety of products, as investigated from by simulation study of an inefficient storage system of a real Company, in the current research. Therefore, current research proposed a slotting optimization model with mixed model sequence to assemble in consideration of the final flow lines to optimize whole automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) and distribution system in the case company. Current research is aimed to minimize vertical height of centre of gravity of AS/RS and total time spent for taking the materials out from the AS/RS simultaneously. Genetic algorithm is adopted to solve the proposed problem and computational result shows significant improvement in stability and efficiency of AS/RS as compared to the existing method used in the case company.

An Evaluation of the Additional Acoustic Power Needed to Overcome the Effects of a Test-Article's Absorption During Reverberant Chamber Acoustic Testing of Spaceflight Hardware

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hozman, Aron D.; Hughes, William O.

2014-01-01

The exposure of a customer's aerospace test-article to a simulated acoustic launch environment is typically performed in a reverberant acoustic test chamber. The acoustic pre-test runs that will ensure that the sound pressure levels of this environment can indeed be met by a test facility are normally performed without a test-article dynamic simulator of representative acoustic absorption and size. If an acoustic test facility's available acoustic power capability becomes maximized with the test-article installed during the actual test then the customer's environment requirement may become compromised. In order to understand the risk of not achieving the customer's in-tolerance spectrum requirement with the test-article installed, an acoustic power margin evaluation as a function of frequency may be performed by the test facility. The method for this evaluation of acoustic power will be discussed in this paper. This method was recently applied at the NASA Glenn Research Center Plum Brook Station's Reverberant Acoustic Test Facility for the SpaceX Falcon 9 Payload Fairing acoustic test program.

An Evaluation of the Additional Acoustic Power Needed to Overcome the Effects of a Test-Article's Absorption during Reverberant Chamber Acoustic Testing of Spaceflight Hardware

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hozman, Aron D.; Hughes, William O.

2014-01-01

The exposure of a customers aerospace test-article to a simulated acoustic launch environment is typically performed in a reverberant acoustic test chamber. The acoustic pre-test runs that will ensure that the sound pressure levels of this environment can indeed be met by a test facility are normally performed without a test-article dynamic simulator of representative acoustic absorption and size. If an acoustic test facilitys available acoustic power capability becomes maximized with the test-article installed during the actual test then the customers environment requirement may become compromised. In order to understand the risk of not achieving the customers in-tolerance spectrum requirement with the test-article installed, an acoustic power margin evaluation as a function of frequency may be performed by the test facility. The method for this evaluation of acoustic power will be discussed in this paper. This method was recently applied at the NASA Glenn Research Center Plum Brook Stations Reverberant Acoustic Test Facility for the SpaceX Falcon 9 Payload Fairing acoustic test program.

Volumetric visualization algorithm development for an FPGA-based custom computing machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sallinen, Sami J.; Alakuijala, Jyrki; Helminen, Hannu; Laitinen, Joakim

1998-05-01

Rendering volumetric medical images is a burdensome computational task for contemporary computers due to the large size of the data sets. Custom designed reconfigurable hardware could considerably speed up volume visualization if an algorithm suitable for the platform is used. We present an algorithm and speedup techniques for visualizing volumetric medical CT and MR images with a custom-computing machine based on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). We also present simulated performance results of the proposed algorithm calculated with a software implementation running on a desktop PC. Our algorithm is capable of generating perspective projection renderings of single and multiple isosurfaces with transparency, simulated X-ray images, and Maximum Intensity Projections (MIP). Although more speedup techniques exist for parallel projection than for perspective projection, we have constrained ourselves to perspective viewing, because of its importance in the field of radiotherapy. The algorithm we have developed is based on ray casting, and the rendering is sped up by three different methods: shading speedup by gradient precalculation, a new generalized version of Ray-Acceleration by Distance Coding (RADC), and background ray elimination by speculative ray selection.

Hawaiian Electric Advanced Inverter Grid Support Function Laboratory Validation and Analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nelson, Austin; Nagarajan, Adarsh; Prabakar, Kumar

The objective for this test plan was to better understand how to utilize the performance capabilities of advanced inverter functions to allow the interconnection of distributed energy resource (DER) systems to support the new Customer Self-Supply, Customer Grid-Supply, and other future DER programs. The purpose of this project was: 1) to characterize how the tested grid supportive inverters performed the functions of interest, 2) to evaluate the grid supportive inverters in an environment that emulates the dynamics of O'ahu's electrical distribution system, and 3) to gain insight into the benefits of the grid support functions on selected O'ahu island distributionmore » feeders. These goals were achieved through laboratory testing of photovoltaic inverters, including power hardware-in-the-loop testing.« less

CRM Systems with Social Networking Capabilities: The Value of Incorporating a CRM 2.0 System in Sales/Marketing Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Xin; Dugan, Riley; Sojka, Jane

2013-01-01

Implementation of a customer relationship management (CRM) 2.0 system can provide both a valuable pedagogical tool and a needed skill set in a marketing and sales curriculum. A CRM 2.0 system incorporated in the sales and marketing curriculum can help manage relationships between students, practitioners, and faculty while teaching students a…

Mobile, Virtual Enhancements for Rehabilitation (MOVER)

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-28

bottom of the figure. The patient uses COTS input devices, such as the Microsoft Kinect and the Wii Balance Board , to perform therapeutic exercises...specific, commonly used balance exercises into the system and enabling the therapists to select and customize pre-identified parameters for these exercises... balance disorder patients. We made these games highly customizable to enable therapists to tune each game to the capabilities of individual

Foundations for Security Aware Software Development Education

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-11-22

depending on the budget, that support robustness. We discuss the educational customer base, projected lifetime, and complexity of paradigm shift that should...in Honour of Sir Tony Hoar, [6] Cheetham, C. and Ferraiolo, K., "The Systems Security Millenial Perspectives in Computer Science, Engineering...Capability Maturity Model", 21st 2002, 229-246. National Information Systems Security Conference, [15] Schwartz, J., "Object Oriented Extensions to October 5

NASA Headquarters/Kennedy Space Center: Organization and Small Spacecraft Launch Services

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sierra, Albert; Beddel, Darren

1999-01-01

The objectives of the Kennedy Space Center's (KSC) Expendable Launch Vehicles (ELV) Program are to provide safe, reliable, cost effective ELV launches, maximize customer satisfaction, and perform advanced payload processing capability development. Details are given on the ELV program organization, products and services, foreign launch vehicle policy, how to get a NASA launch service, and some of the recent NASA payloads.

Whither Space Weapons: A Capability in Need of an Advocate

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-05-17

organizations may be particularly resistant. “ Disruptive technologies introduce a very different package of attributes from the one mainstream customers...and Clayton M. Christensen, “ Disruptive Technologies : Catching the Wave,” Harvard Business Review on Managing Uncertainty, (Boston, MA: Harvard...way to deter and win wars in their theater. However, if fundamentally different disruptive technologies such as space weapons are to be introduced

The Influence of Large-Scale Computing on Aircraft Structural Design.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-04-01

the customer in the most cost- effective manner. Computer facility organizations became computer resource power brokers. A good data processing...capabilities generated on other processors can be easily used. This approach is easily implementable and provides a good strategy for using existing...assistance to member nations for the purpose of increasing their scientific and technical potential; - Recommending effective ways for the member nations to

Pyomo v5.0

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Woodruff, David; Hackebeil, Gabe; Laird, Carl Damon

Pyomo supports the formulation and analysis of mathematical models for complex optimization applications. This capability is commonly associated with algebraic modeling languages (AMLs), which support the description and analysis of mathematical models with a high-level language. Although most AMLs are implemented in custom modeling languages, Pyomo's modeling objects are embedded within Python, a full- featured high-level programming language that contains a rich set of supporting libraries.

Aircraft Steels

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-02-19

component usage. PH 13-8Mo is a precipitation-hardenable martensitic stainless steel combining excellent corrosion resistance with strength. Custom 465 is...a martensitic , age-hardenable stainless steel capable of about 1,724 MPa (250 ksi) UTS when peak-aged (H900 condition). Especially, this steel can...NOTES 14. ABSTRACT Five high strength steels (4340, 300M, AerMet 100, Ferrium S53, and Hy-Tuf) and four stainless steels (High Nitrogen, 13

Custom-fit total knee arthroplasty: our initial experience in 32 knees.

PubMed

Bali, Kamal; Walker, Peter; Bruce, Warwick

2012-06-01

We share our initial experience of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) using customized cutting block technology in 32 TKAs from May 2010 to March 2011. Ten of these patients had prior TKA done on the other side using conventional or navigation-assisted TKA. Customized cutting blocks were generated for each of the knee using preoperative magnetic resonance imaging of knee and long-leg weight-bearing radiographs. At 6 weeks, long-leg radiographs were obtained to evaluate the coronal alignment. There were no adverse intraoperative events. Twenty-nine of the 32 knees had a mechanical axis restored to within 3°° of neutral. Of 10 patients with prior TKA without custom-fit technology, the mean blood loss and the mean skin-to-skin time was found to be lower in knees that had undergone custom-fit TKA. We conclude that this technology can be safely used in most of the cases of osteoarthritis. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The role of private pesticide vendors in preventing access to pesticides for self-poisoning in rural Sri Lanka.

PubMed

Weerasinghe, Manjula; Pearson, Melissa; Peiris, Ravi; Dawson, Andrew H; Eddleston, Michael; Jayamanne, Shaluka; Agampodi, Suneth; Konradsen, Flemming

2014-04-01

In 15% to 20% of self-poisoning cases, the pesticides used are purchased from shops just prior to ingestion. We explored how pesticide vendors interacted with customers at risk of self-poisoning to identify interventions to prevent such poisonings. Two strategies were specifically discussed: selling pesticides only to farmers bearing identity cards or customers bearing pesticide 'prescriptions'. Vendors reported refusing to sell pesticides to people thought to be at risk of self-poisoning, but acknowledged the difficulty of distinguishing them from legitimate customers; vendors also stated they did want to help to improve identification of such customers. The community did not blame vendors when pesticides used for self-poison were purchased from their shops. Vendors have already taken steps to restrict access, including selling low toxic products, counselling and asking customer to return the next day. However, there was little support for the proposed interventions of 'identity cards' and 'prescriptions'. Novel public health approaches are required to complement this approach.

A Hybrid Data Mining Approach for Credit Card Usage Behavior Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsai, Chieh-Yuan

Credit card is one of the most popular e-payment approaches in current online e-commerce. To consolidate valuable customers, card issuers invest a lot of money to maintain good relationship with their customers. Although several efforts have been done in studying card usage motivation, few researches emphasize on credit card usage behavior analysis when time periods change from t to t+1. To address this issue, an integrated data mining approach is proposed in this paper. First, the customer profile and their transaction data at time period t are retrieved from databases. Second, a LabelSOM neural network groups customers into segments and identify critical characteristics for each group. Third, a fuzzy decision tree algorithm is used to construct usage behavior rules of interesting customer groups. Finally, these rules are used to analysis the behavior changes between time periods t and t+1. An implementation case using a practical credit card database provided by a commercial bank in Taiwan is illustrated to show the benefits of the proposed framework.

Combining Agile and Traditional: Customer Communication in Distributed Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korkala, Mikko; Pikkarainen, Minna; Conboy, Kieran

Distributed development is a radically increasing phenomenon in modern software development environments. At the same time, traditional and agile methodologies and combinations of those are being used in the industry. Agile approaches place a large emphasis on customer communication. However, existing knowledge on customer communication in distributed agile development seems to be lacking. In order to shed light on this topic and provide practical guidelines for companies in distributed agile environments, a qualitative case study was conducted in a large globally distributed software company. The key finding was that it might be difficult for an agile organization to get relevant information from a traditional type of customer organization, even though the customer communication was indicated to be active and utilized via multiple different communication media. Several challenges discussed in this paper referred to "information blackout" indicating the importance of an environment fostering meaningful communication. In order to evaluate if this environment can be created a set of guidelines is proposed.

Demonstration of new PCSD capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gough, M.

1986-01-01

The new, more flexible and more friendly graphics capabilities to be available in later releases of the Pilot Climate Data System were demonstrated. The LIMS-LAMAT data set was chosen to illustrate these new capabilities. Pseudocolor and animation were used to represent the third and fourth dimensions, expanding the analytical capabilities available through the traditional two-dimensional x-y plot. In the new version, variables for the axes are chosen by scrolling through viable selections. This scrolling feature is a function of the new user interface customization. The new graphics are extremely user friendly and should free the scientist to look at data and converse with it, without doing any programming. The system is designed to rapidly plot any variable versus any other variable and animate by any variable. Any one plot in itself is not extraordinary; however, the fact that a user can generate the plots instead of a programmer distinguishes the graphics capabilities of the PCDS from other software packages. In addition, with the new CDF design, the system will become more generic, and the new graphics will become much more rigorous in the area of correlative studies.

Integration of Evidence Base into a Probabilistic Risk Assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saile, Lyn; Lopez, Vilma; Bickham, Grandin; Kerstman, Eric; FreiredeCarvalho, Mary; Byrne, Vicky; Butler, Douglas; Myers, Jerry; Walton, Marlei

2011-01-01

INTRODUCTION: A probabilistic decision support model such as the Integrated Medical Model (IMM) utilizes an immense amount of input data that necessitates a systematic, integrated approach for data collection, and management. As a result of this approach, IMM is able to forecasts medical events, resource utilization and crew health during space flight. METHODS: Inflight data is the most desirable input for the Integrated Medical Model. Non-attributable inflight data is collected from the Lifetime Surveillance for Astronaut Health study as well as the engineers, flight surgeons, and astronauts themselves. When inflight data is unavailable cohort studies, other models and Bayesian analyses are used, in addition to subject matters experts input on occasion. To determine the quality of evidence of a medical condition, the data source is categorized and assigned a level of evidence from 1-5; the highest level is one. The collected data reside and are managed in a relational SQL database with a web-based interface for data entry and review. The database is also capable of interfacing with outside applications which expands capabilities within the database itself. Via the public interface, customers can access a formatted Clinical Findings Form (CLiFF) that outlines the model input and evidence base for each medical condition. Changes to the database are tracked using a documented Configuration Management process. DISSCUSSION: This strategic approach provides a comprehensive data management plan for IMM. The IMM Database s structure and architecture has proven to support additional usages. As seen by the resources utilization across medical conditions analysis. In addition, the IMM Database s web-based interface provides a user-friendly format for customers to browse and download the clinical information for medical conditions. It is this type of functionality that will provide Exploratory Medicine Capabilities the evidence base for their medical condition list. CONCLUSION: The IMM Database in junction with the IMM is helping NASA aerospace program improve the health care and reduce risk for the astronauts crew. Both the database and model will continue to expand to meet customer needs through its multi-disciplinary evidence based approach to managing data. Future expansion could serve as a platform for a Space Medicine Wiki of medical conditions.

Setting new standards in MEMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rimskog, Magnus; O'Loughlin, Brian J.

2007-02-01

Silex Microsystems handles a wide range of customized MEMS components. This speech will be describing Silex's MEMS foundry work model for providing customized solutions based on MEMS in a cost effective and well controlled manner. Factors for success are the capabilities to reformulate a customer product concept to manufacturing processes in the wafer fab, using standard process modules and production equipment. A well-controlled system increases the likelihood of a first batch success and enables fast ramp-up into volume production. The following success factors can be listed: strong enduring relationships with the customers; highly qualified well-experienced specialists working close with the customer; process solutions and building blocks ready to use out of a library; addressing manufacturing issues in the early design phase; in-house know how to meet demands for volume manufacturing; access to a wafer fab with high capacity, good organization, high availability of equipment, and short lead times; process development done in the manufacturing environment using production equipment for easy ramp-up to volume production. The article covers a method of working to address these factors: to have a long and enduring relationships with customers utilizing MEMS expertise and working close with customers, to translate their product ideas to MEMS components; to have stable process solutions for features such as Low ohmic vias, Spiked electrodes, Cantilevers, Silicon optical mirrors, Micro needles, etc, which can be used and modified for the customer needs; to use a structured development and design methodology in order to handle hundreds of process modules, and setting up standard run sheets. It is also very important to do real time process development in the manufacturing line. It minimizes the lead-time for the ramp-up of production; to have access to a state of the art Wafer Fab which is well organized, controlled and flexible, with high capacity and short lead-time for prototypes. It is crucial to have intimate control of processes, equipment, organization, production flow control and WIP. This has been addressed by using a fully computerized control and reporting system.

Long-range strategic planning: a case study.

PubMed

Moller-Tiger, D

1999-05-01

In highly competitive healthcare markets, integrated delivery systems (IDSs) that have exhausted traditional means of maintaining market competitiveness are challenged to identify effective new strategies that will ensure market success in an uncertain future. Finding itself facing this challenge, Legacy Health System, a Portland, Oregon-based IDS, undertook an innovative, long-range, strategic-planning initiative based on an evaluation of key market trends. Legacy discovered that it might benefit from making some changes in the way it approached its mission. These changes included focusing on specific customer segments, developing products and services aimed at those customers, and broadening physician and insurer relationships to enhance service and improve customers' access to health care.

Procuring load curtailment from local customers under uncertainty.

PubMed

Mijatović, Aleksandar; Moriarty, John; Vogrinc, Jure

2017-08-13

Demand side response (DSR) provides a flexible approach to managing constrained power network assets. This is valuable if future asset utilization is uncertain. However there may be uncertainty over the process of procurement of DSR from customers. In this context we combine probabilistic modelling, simulation and optimization to identify economically optimal procurement policies from heterogeneous customers local to the asset, under chance constraints on the adequacy of the procured DSR. Mathematically this gives rise to a search over permutations, and we provide an illustrative example implementation and case study.This article is part of the themed issue 'Energy management: flexibility, risk and optimization'. © 2017 The Author(s).

Toward Mass Customization in the Age of Information: The Case for Open Engineering Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simpson, Timothy W.; Lautenschlager, Uwe; Mistree, Farrokh

1997-01-01

In the Industrial Era, manufacturers used "dedicated" engineering systems to mass produce their products. In today's increasingly competitive markets, the trend is toward mass customization, something that becomes increasingly feasible when modern information technologies are used to create open engineering systems. Our focus is on how designers can provide enhanced product flexibility and variety (if not fully customized products) through the development of open engineering systems. After presenting several industrial examples, we anchor our new systems philosophy with two real engineering applications. We believe that manufacturers who adopt open systems will achieve competitive advantage in the Information Age.

Customer social network affects marketing strategy: A simulation analysis based on competitive diffusion model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, Rui; Wu, Jiawen; Du, Helen S.

2017-03-01

To explain the competition phenomenon and results between QQ and MSN (China) in the Chinese instant messaging software market, this paper developed a new population competition model based on customer social network. The simulation results show that the firm whose product with greater network externality effect will gain more market share than its rival when the same marketing strategy is used. The firm with the advantage of time, derived from the initial scale effect will become more competitive than its rival when facing a group of common penguin customers within a social network, verifying the winner-take-all phenomenon in this case.

Irvine Smart Grid Demonstration, a Regional Smart Grid Demonstration Project

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yinger, Robert; Irwin, Mark

ISGD was a comprehensive demonstration that spanned the electricity delivery system and extended into customer homes. The project used phasor measurement technology to enable substation-level situational awareness, and demonstrated SCE’s next-generation substation automation system. It extended beyond the substation to evaluate the latest generation of distribution automation technologies, including looped 12-kV distribution circuit topology using URCIs. The project team used DVVC capabilities to demonstrate CVR. In customer homes, the project evaluated HAN devices such as smart appliances, programmable communicating thermostats, and home energy management components. The homes were also equipped with energy storage, solar PV systems, and a number ofmore » energy efficiency measures (EEMs). The team used one block of homes to evaluate strategies and technologies for achieving ZNE. A home achieves ZNE when it produces at least as much renewable energy as the amount of energy it consumes annually. The project also assessed the impact of device-specific demand response (DR), as well as load management capabilities involving energy storage devices and plug-in electric vehicle charging equipment. In addition, the ISGD project sought to better understand the impact of ZNE homes on the electric grid. ISGD’s SENet enabled end-to-end interoperability between multiple vendors’ systems and devices, while also providing a level of cybersecurity that is essential to smart grid development and adoption across the nation. The ISGD project includes a series of sub-projects grouped into four logical technology domains: Smart Energy Customer Solutions, Next-Generation Distribution System, Interoperability and Cybersecurity, and Workforce of the Future. Section 2.3 provides a more detailed overview of these domains.« less

Nanoelectric Materials Laboratory Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, Lee; Hill, Curtis

2015-01-01

The Ultracapacitor Research and Development project is a collaborative effort between the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) ES43 Parts, Packaging, and Fabrication Branch and the EM41 Nonmetallic Materials Branch. NASA's Ultracapacitor Research is an effort to develop solid-state energy storage devices through processing of ceramic materials into printable dielectric inks, which can be formed and treated to produce solid state ultracapacitor cells capable of exceeding lithium-ion battery energy density at a fraction of the weight. Research and development efforts into solid state ultracapacitors have highlighted a series of technical challenges such as understanding as-received nature of ceramic powders, treatment and optimization of ceramic powders, dielectric and conductor ink formulation, and firing of printed (green) ultracapacitor cells. Two facilities have been continually developed since project inception: the Additive Electronics Lab in Bldg. 4487 and the Nanoelectric Materials Lab in Bldg. 4602. The Nanoelectric Materials Lab has become a unique facility at MSFC, capable of custom processing a wide range of media for additive electronics. As research has progressed, it was discovered that additional in-house processing was necessary to achieve smaller, more uniform particle diameters. A vibratory mill was obtained that can agitate powder and media in three directions, which has shown to be much more effective than ball milling. However, in order to understand the effects of milling, a particle size analysis system has been installed to characterize as-received and milled materials Continued research into the ultracapacitor technology included advanced milling and optimization of ceramic nanoparticles, fluidized bed treatment of atomic-layer deposition- (ALD-) coated ceramic particles, custom development of dielectric and conductor inks, as well as custom ink precursors such as polyvinylidene diflouride- (PVDF-) loaded vehicles. Experiments with graphene-based inks were also conducted.

Application of Kansei engineering and data mining in the Thai ceramic manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kittidecha, Chaiwat; Yamada, Koichi

2018-01-01

Ceramic is one of the highly competitive products in Thailand. Many Thai ceramic companies are attempting to know the customer needs and perceptions for making favorite products. To know customer needs is the target of designers and to develop a product that must satisfy customers. This research is applied Kansei Engineering (KE) and Data Mining (DM) into the customer driven product design process. KE can translate customer emotions into the product attributes. This method determines the relationships between customer feelings or Kansei words and the design attributes. Decision tree J48 and Class association rule which implemented through Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis (WEKA) software are used to generate a predictive model and to find the appropriate rules. In this experiment, the emotion scores were rated by 37 participants for training data and 16 participants for test data. 6 Kansei words were selected, namely, attractive, ease of drinking, ease of handing, quality, modern and durable. 10 mugs were selected as product samples. The results of this study indicate that the proposed models and rules can interpret the design product elements affecting the customer emotions. Finally, this study provides useful understanding for the application DM in KE and can be applied to a variety of design cases.

The Effects of Technology Entrepreneurship on Customers and Society: A Case Study of a Spanish Pharmaceutical Distribution Company

PubMed Central

Muñoz, Rosa M.; Sánchez de Pablo, Jesús D.; Peña, Isidro; Salinero, Yolanda

2016-01-01

The main purpose of this paper is to provide an understanding, within the field of corporate entrepreneurship, of the various factors that enable technology entrepreneurship in established firms and its principal effects on customers and society. The paper reports on a case study regarding technology entrepreneurship in a Spanish company whose activity is pharmaceutical distribution. This company has been able to overcome the consequences of the worldwide crisis and start an innovative process which includes the installation of new information technology (IT) and an investment of 6 million Euros. It is, in this respect, a model to imitate and the objective of this paper is therefore to discover the managers’ entrepreneurial orientation (EO) characteristics which have made this possible, along with the organizational and social effects resulting from the process. We verify that EO is present in this company and that the development of new IT has important effects on customers and the population. PMID:27445938

Banded vs Bonded Space Maintainers: Finding Better Way Out.

PubMed

Setia, Vikas; Kumar Pandit, Inder; Srivastava, Nikhil; Gugnani, Neeraj; Gupta, Monika

2014-05-01

Of this in vivo study was to evaluate various space maintainers in terms of survival rate, gingival health and presence of caries. A total of 60 extraction sites in the age group of 4 to 9 years were divided into four groups and different space maintainers were placed in them viz (conventional band and loop, prefabricated band with custom made loop, Ribbond, Super splint). Prefabricated bands with custom made loop showed maximum success rates (84.6%), while super splint (33.33%) was found to be least successful. In terms of gingival health, prefabricated band with custom made loop reported minimum cases with poor gingival health (27.2%), while maximum cases with poor gingival health (50%) were reported with Super splint. None of the space maintainers developed caries at the end of 9 months. How to cite this article: Setia v, Pandit IK, Srivastava N, Gugnani N, Gupta M. Banded vs Bonded Space Maintainers: Finding Better Way Out. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2014;7(2):97-104.

The Effects of Technology Entrepreneurship on Customers and Society: A Case Study of a Spanish Pharmaceutical Distribution Company.

PubMed

Muñoz, Rosa M; Sánchez de Pablo, Jesús D; Peña, Isidro; Salinero, Yolanda

2016-01-01

The main purpose of this paper is to provide an understanding, within the field of corporate entrepreneurship, of the various factors that enable technology entrepreneurship in established firms and its principal effects on customers and society. The paper reports on a case study regarding technology entrepreneurship in a Spanish company whose activity is pharmaceutical distribution. This company has been able to overcome the consequences of the worldwide crisis and start an innovative process which includes the installation of new information technology (IT) and an investment of 6 million Euros. It is, in this respect, a model to imitate and the objective of this paper is therefore to discover the managers' entrepreneurial orientation (EO) characteristics which have made this possible, along with the organizational and social effects resulting from the process. We verify that EO is present in this company and that the development of new IT has important effects on customers and the population.

Banded vs Bonded Space Maintainers: Finding Better Way Out

PubMed Central

Kumar Pandit, Inder; Srivastava, Nikhil; Gugnani, Neeraj; Gupta, Monika

2014-01-01

ABSTRACT Objectives: Of this in vivo study was to evaluate various space maintainers in terms of survival rate, gingival health and presence of caries. Design: A total of 60 extraction sites in the age group of 4 to 9 years were divided into four groups and different space maintainers were placed in them viz (conventional band and loop, prefabricated band with custom made loop, Ribbond, Super splint). Results: Prefabricated bands with custom made loop showed maximum success rates (84.6%), while super splint (33.33%) was found to be least successful. In terms of gingival health, prefabricated band with custom made loop reported minimum cases with poor gingival health (27.2%), while maximum cases with poor gingival health (50%) were reported with Super splint. None of the space maintainers developed caries at the end of 9 months. How to cite this article: Setia v, Pandit IK, Srivastava N, Gugnani N, Gupta M. Banded vs Bonded Space Maintainers: Finding Better Way Out. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2014;7(2):97-104. PMID:25356008

Traditions and Customs in Community Development: The Case of Nkanu West and Nkanu East Local Government Areas of Enugu State, Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adekola, G.; Egbo, Nwoye Charles

2016-01-01

This study examined the influence of traditions and customs on community development in Nkanu West and Nkanu East Local Government Areas of Enugu State. The study was carried out with three objectives and three null hypotheses. The research adopted descriptive survey design with a population of 2,125 members of community Based Organizations in the…

Evaluating detection and estimation capabilities of magnetometer-based vehicle sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slater, David M.; Jacyna, Garry M.

2013-05-01

In an effort to secure the northern and southern United States borders, MITRE has been tasked with developing Modeling and Simulation (M&S) tools that accurately capture the mapping between algorithm-level Measures of Performance (MOP) and system-level Measures of Effectiveness (MOE) for current/future surveillance systems deployed by the the Customs and Border Protection Office of Technology Innovations and Acquisitions (OTIA). This analysis is part of a larger M&S undertaking. The focus is on two MOPs for magnetometer-based Unattended Ground Sensors (UGS). UGS are placed near roads to detect passing vehicles and estimate properties of the vehicle's trajectory such as bearing and speed. The first MOP considered is the probability of detection. We derive probabilities of detection for a network of sensors over an arbitrary number of observation periods and explore how the probability of detection changes when multiple sensors are employed. The performance of UGS is also evaluated based on the level of variance in the estimation of trajectory parameters. We derive the Cramer-Rao bounds for the variances of the estimated parameters in two cases: when no a priori information is known and when the parameters are assumed to be Gaussian with known variances. Sample results show that UGS perform significantly better in the latter case.

Robotic surgery in children: adopt now, await, or dismiss?

PubMed

Cundy, Thomas P; Marcus, Hani J; Hughes-Hallett, Archie; Khurana, Sanjeev; Darzi, Ara

2015-12-01

The role of robot-assisted surgery in children remains controversial. This article aims to distil this debate into an evidence informed decision-making taxonomy; to adopt this technology (1) now, (2) later, or (3) not at all. Robot-assistance is safe, feasible and effective in selected cases as an adjunctive tool to enhance capabilities of minimally invasive surgery, as it is known today. At present, expectations of rigid multi-arm robotic systems to deliver higher quality care are over-estimated and poorly substantiated by evidence. Such systems are associated with high costs. Further comparative effectiveness evidence is needed to define the case-mix for which robot-assistance might be indicated. It seems unlikely that we should expect compelling patient benefits when it is only the mode of minimally invasive surgery that differs. Only large higher-volume institutions that share the robot amongst multiple specialty groups are likely to be able to sustain higher associated costs with today's technology. Nevertheless, there is great potential for next-generation surgical robotics to enable better ways to treat childhood surgical diseases through less invasive techniques that are not possible today. This will demand customized technology for selected patient populations or procedures. Several prototype robots exclusively designed for pediatric use are already under development. Financial affordability must be a high priority to ensure clinical accessibility.

Improving hydraulic excavator performance through in line hydraulic oil contamination monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ng, Felix; Harding, Jennifer A.; Glass, Jacqueline

2017-01-01

It is common for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of high value products to provide maintenance or service packages to customers to ensure their products are maintained at peak efficiency throughout their life. To quickly and efficiently plan for maintenance requirements, OEMs require accurate information about the use and wear of their products. In recent decades, the aerospace industry in particular has become expert in using real time data for the purpose of product monitoring and maintenance scheduling. Significant quantities of real time usage data from product monitoring are commonly generated and transmitted back to the OEMs, where diagnostic and prognostic analysis will be carried out. More recently, other industries such as construction and automotive, are also starting to develop capabilities in these areas and condition based maintenance (CBM) is increasing in popularity as a means of satisfying customers' demands. CBM requires constant monitoring of real time product data by the OEMs, however the biggest challenge for these industries, in particular construction, is the lack of accurate and real time understanding of how their products are being used possibly because of the complex supply chains which exist in construction projects. This research focuses on current dynamic data acquisition techniques for mobile hydraulic systems, in this case the use of a mobile inline particle contamination sensor; the aim was to assess suitability to achieve both diagnostic and prognostic requirements of Condition Based Maintenance. It concludes that hydraulic oil contamination analysis, namely detection of metallic particulates, offers a reliable way to measure real time wear of hydraulic components.

A parallel calibration utility for WRF-Hydro on high performance computers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, J.; Wang, C.; Kotamarthi, V. R.

2017-12-01

A successful modeling of complex hydrological processes comprises establishing an integrated hydrological model which simulates the hydrological processes in each water regime, calibrates and validates the model performance based on observation data, and estimates the uncertainties from different sources especially those associated with parameters. Such a model system requires large computing resources and often have to be run on High Performance Computers (HPC). The recently developed WRF-Hydro modeling system provides a significant advancement in the capability to simulate regional water cycles more completely. The WRF-Hydro model has a large range of parameters such as those in the input table files — GENPARM.TBL, SOILPARM.TBL and CHANPARM.TBL — and several distributed scaling factors such as OVROUGHRTFAC. These parameters affect the behavior and outputs of the model and thus may need to be calibrated against the observations in order to obtain a good modeling performance. Having a parameter calibration tool specifically for automate calibration and uncertainty estimates of WRF-Hydro model can provide significant convenience for the modeling community. In this study, we developed a customized tool using the parallel version of the model-independent parameter estimation and uncertainty analysis tool, PEST, to enabled it to run on HPC with PBS and SLURM workload manager and job scheduler. We also developed a series of PEST input file templates that are specifically for WRF-Hydro model calibration and uncertainty analysis. Here we will present a flood case study occurred in April 2013 over Midwest. The sensitivity and uncertainties are analyzed using the customized PEST tool we developed.

Building customer capital through knowledge management processes in the health care context.

PubMed

Liu, Sandra S; Lin, Carol Yuh-Yun

2007-01-01

Customer capital is a value generated and an asset developed from customer relationships. Successfully managing these relationships is enhanced by knowledge management (KM) infrastructure that captures and transfers customer-related knowledge. The execution of such a system relies on the vision and determination of the top management team (TMT). The health care industry in today's knowledge economy encounters similar challenges of consumerism as its business sector. Developing customer capital is critical for hospitals to remain competitive in the market. This study aims to provide taxonomy for cultivating market-based organizational learning that leads to building of customer capital and attaining desirable financial performance in health care. With the advancement of technology, the KM system plays an important moderating role in the entire process. The customer capital issue has not been fully explored either in the business or the health care industry. The exploratory nature of such a pursuit calls for a qualitative approach. This study examines the proposed taxonomy with the case hospital. The lessons learned also are reflected with three US-based health networks. The TMT incorporated the knowledge process of conceptualization and transformation in their organizational mission. The market-oriented learning approach promoted by TMT helps with the accumulation and sharing of knowledge that prepares the hospital for the dynamics in the marketplace. Their key knowledge advancement relies on both the professional arena and the feedback of customers. The institutionalization of the KM system and organizational culture expands the hospital's customer capital. The implication is twofold: (1) the TMT is imperative for the success of building customer capital through KM process; and (2) the team effort should be enhanced with a learning culture and sharing spirit, in particular, active nurse participation in decision making and frontline staff's role in providing a delightfully surprising patient experience.

The quest for customer focus.

PubMed

Gulati, Ranjay; Oldroyd, James B

2005-04-01

Companies have poured enormous amounts of money into customer relationship management, but in many cases the investment hasn't really paid off. That's because getting closer to customers isn't about building an information technology system. It's a learning journey-one that unfolds over four stages, requiring people and business units to coordinate in progressively more sophisticated ways. The journey begins with the creation of a companywide repository containing each interaction a customer has with the company, organized not by product, purchase, or location, but by customer. Communal coordination is what's called for at this stage, as each group contributes its information to the data pool separately from the others and then taps into it as needed. In the second stage, one-way serial coordination from centralized IT through analytical units and out to the operating units allows companies to go beyond just assembling data to drawing inferences. In stage three, companies shift their focus from past relationships to future behavior. Through symbiotic coordination, information flows back and forth between central analytic units and various organizational units like marketing, sales, and operations, as together they seek answers to questions like "How can we prevent customers from switching to a competitor?" and "Who would be most likely to buy a new product in the future"? In stage four, firms begin to move past discrete, formal initiatives and, through integral coordination, bring an increasingly sophisticated understanding oftheir customers to bear in all day-to-day operations. Skipping stages denies organizations the sure foundation they need to build a lasting customer-focused mind-set. Those that recognize this will invest their customer relationship dollars much more wisely-and will see their customer-focusing efforts pay offon the bottom line.

19 CFR 10.39 - Cancellation of bond charges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... § 114.26 of this chapter. In the case of articles entered under subheading 9813.00.30, HTSUS, which are... demand for return to Customs custody is made in the case of merchandise entered under Chapter 98... on the merchandise not returned shall be demanded, except that in the case of samples solely for use...

Testing of a long-term fall detection system incorporated into a custom vest for the elderly.

PubMed

Bourke, Alan K; van de Ven, Pepijn W J; Chaya, Amy E; OLaighin, Gearóid M; Nelson, John

2008-01-01

A fall detection system and algorithm, incorporated into a custom designed garment has been developed. The developed fall detection system uses a tri-axial accelerometer to detect impacts and monitor posture. This sensor is attached to a custom designed vest, designed to be worn by the elderly person under clothing. The fall detection algorithm was developed and incorporates both impact and posture detection capability. The vest and fall algorithm was tested by two teams of 5 elderly subjects who wore the sensor system in turn for 2 week each and were monitored for 8 hours a day. The system previously achieved sensitivity of >90% and a specificity of >99%, using young healthy subjects performing falls and normal activities of daily living (ADL). In this study, over 833 hours of monitoring was performed over the course of the four weeks from the elderly subjects, during normal daily activity. In this time no actual falls were recorded, however the system registered a total of the 42 fall-alerts however only 9 were received at the care taker site. A fall detection system incorporated into a custom designed garment has been developed which will help reduce the incidence of the long-lie, when falls occur in the elderly population. However further development is required to reduce the number of false-positives and improve the transmission of messages.

Scientific and technical photography at NASA Langley Research Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davidhazy, Andrew

1994-12-01

As part of my assignment connected with the Scientific and Technical Photography & Lab (STPL) at the NASA Langley Research Center I conducted a series of interviews and observed the day to day operations of the STPL with the ultimate objective of becoming exposed first hand to a scientific and technical photo/imaging department for which my school prepares its graduates. I was also asked to share my observations with the staff in order that these comments and observations might assist the STPL to better serve its customers. Meetings with several individuals responsible for various wind tunnels and with a group that provides photo-optical instrumentation services at the Center gave me an overview of the services provided by the Lab and possible areas for development. In summary form these are some of the observations that resulted from the interviews and daily contact with the STPL facility. (1) The STPL is perceived as a valuable and almost indispensable service group within the organization. This comment was invariably made by everyone. Everyone also seemed to support the idea that the STPL continue to provide its current level of service and quality. (2) The STPL generally is not perceived to be a highly technically oriented group but rather as a provider of high quality photographic illustration and documentation services. In spite of the importance and high marks assigned to the STPL there are several observations that merit consideration and evaluation for possible inclusion into the STPL's scope of expertise and future operating practices. (1) While the care and concern for artistic rendition of subjects is seen as laudable and sometimes valuable, the time that this often requires is seen as interfering with keeping the tunnels operating at maximum productivity. Tunnel managers would like to shorten down-time due to photography, have services available during evening hours and on short notice. It may be of interest to the STPL that tunnel managers are incorporating ever greater imaging capabilities in their facilities. To some extent this could mean a reduced demand for traditional photographic services. (2) The photographic archive is seen as a Center resource. Archiving of images, as well as data, is a matter of concern to the investigators. The early holdings of the Photographic Archives are quickly deteriorating. The relative inaccessibility of the material held in the archives is problematic. (3) In certain cases delivery or preparation of digital image files instead of, or along with, hardcopy is already being perceived by the STPL's customers as desirable. The STPL should make this option available, and the fact that it has, or will have this capability widely known. (4) The STPL needs to continue to provide expert advice and technical imaging support in terms of application information to users of traditional photographic and new electronic imaging systems. Cooperative demo projects might be undertaken to maintain or improve the capabilities of the Lab. (5) STPL personnel do not yet have significant electronic imaging or electronic communication skills and improvements in this is an area could potentially have a positive impact on the Center. (6) High speed photographic or imaging services are often mentioned by the STPL as being of primary importance to their mission but the lab supports very few projects calling for high speed imaging services. Much high speed equipment is in poor state of repair. It is interesting to note that when the operation of lasers, digital imaging or quantitative techniques are requested these are directed to another NASA department. Could joint activities be initiated to solve problems? (7).

Scientific and technical photography at NASA Langley Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davidhazy, Andrew

1994-01-01

As part of my assignment connected with the Scientific and Technical Photography & Lab (STPL) at the NASA Langley Research Center I conducted a series of interviews and observed the day to day operations of the STPL with the ultimate objective of becoming exposed first hand to a scientific and technical photo/imaging department for which my school prepares its graduates. I was also asked to share my observations with the staff in order that these comments and observations might assist the STPL to better serve its customers. Meetings with several individuals responsible for various wind tunnels and with a group that provides photo-optical instrumentation services at the Center gave me an overview of the services provided by the Lab and possible areas for development. In summary form these are some of the observations that resulted from the interviews and daily contact with the STPL facility. (1) The STPL is perceived as a valuable and almost indispensable service group within the organization. This comment was invariably made by everyone. Everyone also seemed to support the idea that the STPL continue to provide its current level of service and quality. (2) The STPL generally is not perceived to be a highly technically oriented group but rather as a provider of high quality photographic illustration and documentation services. In spite of the importance and high marks assigned to the STPL there are several observations that merit consideration and evaluation for possible inclusion into the STPL's scope of expertise and future operating practices. (1) While the care and concern for artistic rendition of subjects is seen as laudable and sometimes valuable, the time that this often requires is seen as interfering with keeping the tunnels operating at maximum productivity. Tunnel managers would like to shorten down-time due to photography, have services available during evening hours and on short notice. It may be of interest to the STPL that tunnel managers are incorporating ever greater imaging capabilities in their facilities. To some extent this could mean a reduced demand for traditional photographic services. (2) The photographic archive is seen as a Center resource. Archiving of images, as well as data, is a matter of concern to the investigators. The early holdings of the Photographic Archives are quickly deteriorating. The relative inaccessibility of the material held in the archives is problematic. (3) In certain cases delivery or preparation of digital image files instead of, or along with, hardcopy is already being perceived by the STPL's customers as desirable. The STPL should make this option available, and the fact that it has, or will have this capability widely known. (4) The STPL needs to continue to provide expert advice and technical imaging support in terms of application information to users of traditional photographic and new electronic imaging systems. Cooperative demo projects might be undertaken to maintain or improve the capabilities of the Lab. (5) STPL personnel do not yet have significant electronic imaging or electronic communication skills and improvements in this is an area could potentially have a positive impact on the Center. (6) High speed photographic or imaging services are often mentioned by the STPL as being of primary importance to their mission but the lab supports very few projects calling for high speed imaging services. Much high speed equipment is in poor state of repair. It is interesting to note that when the operation of lasers, digital imaging or quantitative techniques are requested these are directed to another NASA department. Could joint activities be initiated to solve problems? (7). The STPL could acquire more technical assignments if examples of the areas where they posses expertise would be circulated around the center. The fact that the STPL owns high speed video capability could be 'advertised' among its customer base if there truly was an interest in building up a customer base in this area. The STPL could participate in events like TOPS as an exhibitor, as well as a documenter, of the event.

Customizing Countermeasure Prescriptions using Predictive Measures of Sensorimotor Adaptability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloomberg, J. J.; Peters, B. T.; Mulavara, A. P.; Miller, C. A.; Batson, C. D.; Wood, S. J.; Guined, J. R.; Cohen, H. S.; Buccello-Stout, R.; DeDios, Y. E.;

Commercializing the transfer orbit stage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, M. W.

1984-01-01

Key milestones necessary to establish the transfer orbit stage are examined. The selection of the project concept and synthesis of the company are described followed by an analysis venture capability support and the selection of a major aerospace company as prime contractor. A landmark agreement with NASA sanctioned the commercial TOS concept and provided the critical support necessary to raise the next round of venture capital. Project management and customer commitments are also discussed.

Improving Visual Survey Capabilities for Marine Mammal Studies

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-30

pedastals, and wooden disks were shipped to Mount Desert Rock Island off the Maine coast for installation on the upper floor of the lighthouse there...ESTCP) and Navy Living Marine Resources (LMR) Program. This project will demonstrate and evaluate real-time passive acoustic detection...Four custom wooden disks were fabricated by the WHOI carpenter shop to provide a shelf for observers to rest their arms. Two sets of binoculars

Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) Force Measurement System (FMS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, Paul W.

2012-01-01

An Electronics Engineer at the Glenn Research Center (GRC), requested the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) provide technical support for an evaluation of the existing force measurement system (FMS) at the GRC's Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) with the intent of developing conceptual designs to improve the tunnel's force measurement capability in order to better meet test customer needs. This report contains the outcome of the NESC technical review.

Thinking About Strategic Hybrid Threats-- In Theory and in Practice

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

Personnel inspect cross-border drug -smuggling tunnel discovered inside warehouse near San Diego, California, 2011 U.S. Immigration and Customs...arguments can also be made about the threats posed by jihadi terror groups, organized crime syndicates, and drug trafficking organizations. the...dangers posed by hybrid threats at the strategic level.1 We use Iran and the availability of proxy capabilities to illustrate the mechanics of, and

Battery Technology Stores Clean Energy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2008-01-01

Headquartered in Fremont, California, Deeya Energy Inc. is now bringing its flow batteries to commercial customers around the world after working with former Marshall Space Flight Center scientist, Lawrence Thaller. Deeya's liquid-cell batteries have higher power capability than Thaller's original design, are less expensive than lead-acid batteries, are a clean energy alternative, and are 10 to 20 times less expensive than nickel-metal hydride batteries, lithium-ion batteries, and fuel cell options.

Self-Help Service Center Management System User’s Manual: Version 2.5

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-05-01

equipment loaned to customers. Temporary nonconsumable items, such as lawn mowers , must be returned by a certain due date and time. Permanent...would use this function to process the return of lawn mowers . 3. A capability to identify the status of and/or process the return of a single borrowed...Date Tim ... ................ ................................. ...... ..... ........ °....... 00000035 LAWN MOWER T I 1 03/09/90 18:00 Message Box

Corps Mobilization Capabilities, Requirements, and Planning.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-03-01

Fundamental among these elements is the concept of "one-stop" service . Despite the Corps’ internal structure, external customers (such as military...stop" service concept. (2) Authorities that allow and encourage direct coordination among districts both internal and external to the division. (3...mobilization conditions, and discusses the internal actions the Corps should implement so as to meet these requirements. V DO 7 1473 EDITION OF I NOVUN5 IS

High Resolution Airborne Laser Scanning and Hyperspectral Imaging with a Small Uav Platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallay, Michal; Eck, Christoph; Zgraggen, Carlo; Kaňuk, Ján; Dvorný, Eduard

2016-06-01

The capabilities of unmanned airborne systems (UAS) have become diverse with the recent development of lightweight remote sensing instruments. In this paper, we demonstrate our custom integration of the state-of-the-art technologies within an unmanned aerial platform capable of high-resolution and high-accuracy laser scanning, hyperspectral imaging, and photographic imaging. The technological solution comprises the latest development of a completely autonomous, unmanned helicopter by Aeroscout, the Scout B1-100 UAV helicopter. The helicopter is powered by a gasoline two-stroke engine and it allows for integrating 18 kg of a customized payload unit. The whole system is modular providing flexibility of payload options, which comprises the main advantage of the UAS. The UAS integrates two kinds of payloads which can be altered. Both payloads integrate a GPS/IMU with a dual GPS antenna configuration provided by OXTS for accurate navigation and position measurements during the data acquisition. The first payload comprises a VUX-1 laser scanner by RIEGL and a Sony A6000 E-Mount photo camera. The second payload for hyperspectral scanning integrates a push-broom imager AISA KESTREL 10 by SPECIM. The UAS was designed for research of various aspects of landscape dynamics (landslides, erosion, flooding, or phenology) in high spectral and spatial resolution.

Proposed Facility Modifications to Support Propulsion Systems Testing Under Simulated Space Conditions at Plum Brook Station's Spacecraft Propulsion Research Facility (B-2)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edwards, Daryl A.

2008-01-01

Preparing NASA's Plum Brook Station's Spacecraft Propulsion Research Facility (B-2) to support NASA's new generation of launch vehicles has raised many challenges for B-2's support staff. The facility provides a unique capability to test chemical propulsion systems/vehicles while simulating space thermal and vacuum environments. Designed and constructed in the early 1960s to support upper stage cryogenic engine/vehicle system development, the Plum Brook Station B-2 facility will require modifications to support the larger, more powerful, and more advanced engine systems for the next generation of vehicles leaving earth's orbit. Engine design improvements over the years have included large area expansion ratio nozzles, greater combustion chamber pressures, and advanced materials. Consequently, it has become necessary to determine what facility changes are required and how the facility can be adapted to support varying customers and their specific test needs. Exhaust system performance, including understanding the present facility capabilities, is the primary focus of this work. A variety of approaches and analytical tools are being employed to gain this understanding. This presentation discusses some of the challenges in applying these tools to this project and expected facility configuration to support the varying customer needs.

Proposed Facility Modifications to Support Propulsion Systems Testing Under Simulated Space Conditions at Plum Brook Station's Spacecraft Propulsion Research Facility (B-2)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edwards, Daryl A.

2007-01-01

Preparing NASA's Plum Brook Station's Spacecraft Propulsion Research Facility (B-2) to support NASA's new generation of launch vehicles has raised many challenges for B-2 s support staff. The facility provides a unique capability to test chemical propulsion systems/vehicles while simulating space thermal and vacuum environments. Designed and constructed 4 decades ago to support upper stage cryogenic engine/vehicle system development, the Plum Brook Station B-2 facility will require modifications to support the larger, more powerful, and more advanced engine systems for the next generation of vehicles leaving earth's orbit. Engine design improvements over the years have included large area expansion ratio nozzles, greater combustion chamber pressures, and advanced materials. Consequently, it has become necessary to determine what facility changes are required and how the facility can be adapted to support varying customers and their specific test needs. Instrumental in this task is understanding the present facility capabilities and identifying what reasonable changes can be implemented. A variety of approaches and analytical tools are being employed to gain this understanding. This paper discusses some of the challenges in applying these tools to this project and expected facility configuration to support the varying customer needs.

The quality improvement customers didn't want.

PubMed

Iacobucci, D

1996-01-01

Is investing in new technology always the right choice for a company and its customers? Allan Moulter, the CEO of Quality Care, isn't sure he wants to invest in the computerized reception system that consultant Jack Zadow has outlined for him. But in this HBR case study, the argument Zadow makes is impossible to ignore. Quality Care's rivals have invested in similar systems or are planning to do so. The new system promises to take care of routine busywork, freeing staff up for other interactions with patients. It seems as if the competition hasn't even cut staff and is counting on increased customer retention to pay for the investment. And yet, Quality Care's surveys of its own customers show that they prefer the human touch when checking in. How would customers feel if the first ¿person¿ they met when they came in the door turned out to be a machine? Moulter prides himself on his responsiveness to customers. And with 86% of Quality Care's customers either satisfied or completely satisfied, aren't things fine as they are? Has Moulter considered all the facets of his predicament? How will Quality Care's staff be affected by a decision one way or another? What about the costs of upgrading the system? Can Quality Care maintain its standing without going high-tech? Would customers rebel when confronted with the proposed reception area or would they appreciate the increased efficiency? Six experts weigh the costs and benefits of technology in a service industry.

SRAO: optical design and the dual-knife-edge WFS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziegler, Carl; Law, Nicholas M.; Tokovinin, Andrei

2016-07-01

The Southern Robotic Adaptive Optics (SRAO) instrument will bring the proven high-efficiency capabilities of Robo-AO to the Southern-Hemisphere, providing the unique capability to image with high-angular-resolution thousands of targets per year across the entire sky. Deployed on the modern 4.1m SOAR telescope located on Cerro Tololo, the NGS AO system will use an innovative dual-knife-edge wavefront sensor, similar to a pyramid sensor, to enable guiding on targets down to V=16 with diffraction limited resolution in the NIR. The dual-knife-edge wavefront sensor can be up to two orders of magnitude less costly than custom glass pyramids, with similar wavefront error sensitivity and minimal chromatic aberrations. SRAO is capable of observing hundreds of targets a night through automation, allowing confirmation and characterization of the large number of exoplanets produced by current and future missions.

Summary of Results from Space Shuttle Main Engine Off-Nominal Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horton, James F.; Megivern, Jeffrey M.; McNutt, Leslie M.

2011-01-01

This paper is a summary of Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) off-nominal testing that occurred during 2008 and 2009. During the last two years of planned SSME testing at Stennis Space Center, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne worked with their NASA MSFC customer to systematically identify, develop, assess, and implement challenging test objectives in order to expand the knowledge of one of the world s most reliable and highly tested large rocket engine. The objectives successfully investigated three main areas of interest expanding engine performance margins, demonstrating system operational capabilities, and establishing ground work for new rocket engine technology. The testing gave the Space Shuttle Program new options to safely fly out the flight manifest and provided Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne and NASA new insight into the operational capabilities of the SSME, capabilities which can be used in assessing potential future applications of the RS-25 engine.

Handheld readout electronics to fully exploit the particle discrimination capabilities of elpasolite scintillators

DOE PAGES

Budden, B. S.; Stonehill, L. C.; Warniment, A.; ...

2015-06-10

In this study, a new class of elpasolite scintillators has garnered recent attention due to the ability to perform as simultaneous gamma spectrometers and thermal neutron detectors. Such a dual-mode capability is made possible by pulse-shape discrimination (PSD), whereby the emission waveform profiles of gamma and neutron events are fundamentally unique. To take full advantage of these materials, we have developed the Compact Advanced Readout Electronics for Elpasolites (CAREE). This handheld instrument employs a multi-channel PSD-capable ASIC, custom micro-processor board, front-end electronics, power supplies, and a 2 in. photomultiplier tube for readout of the scintillator. The unit is highly configurablemore » to allow for performance optimization amongst a wide sample of elpasolites which provide PSD in fundamentally different ways. We herein provide an introduction to elpasolites, then describe the motivation for the work, mechanical and electronic design, and preliminary performance results.« less

Handheld readout electronics to fully exploit the particle discrimination capabilities of elpasolite scintillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budden, B. S.; Stonehill, L. C.; Warniment, A.; Michel, J.; Storms, S.; Dallmann, N.; Coupland, D. D. S.; Stein, P.; Weller, S.; Borges, L.; Proicou, M.; Duran, G.; Kamto, J.

2015-09-01

A new class of elpasolite scintillators has garnered recent attention due to the ability to perform as simultaneous gamma spectrometers and thermal neutron detectors. Such a dual-mode capability is made possible by pulse-shape discrimination (PSD), whereby the emission waveform profiles of gamma and neutron events are fundamentally unique. To take full advantage of these materials, we have developed the Compact Advanced Readout Electronics for Elpasolites (CAREE). This handheld instrument employs a multi-channel PSD-capable ASIC, custom micro-processor board, front-end electronics, power supplies, and a 2 in. photomultiplier tube for readout of the scintillator. The unit is highly configurable to allow for performance optimization amongst a wide sample of elpasolites which provide PSD in fundamentally different ways. We herein provide an introduction to elpasolites, then describe the motivation for the work, mechanical and electronic design, and preliminary performance results.

U.S. Department of Energy Space and Defense Power Systems Program Ten-Year Strategic Plan, Volume 1 and Volume 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dwight, Carla

The Department of Energy's Space and Defense Power Systems program provides a unique capability for supplying power systems that function in remote or hostile environments. This capability has been functioning since the early 1960s and counts the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as one of its most prominent customers. This enabling technology has assisted the exploration of our solar system including the planets Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Neptune, and soon Pluto. This capability is one-of-kind in the world in terms of its experience (over five decades), breadth of power systems flown (over two dozen to date) and range of power levelsmore » (watts to hundreds of watts). This document describes the various components of that infrastructure, work scope, funding needs, and its strategic plans going forward.« less

An integrative fuzzy Kansei engineering and Kano model for logistics services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartono, M.; Chuan, T. K.; Prayogo, D. N.; Santoso, A.

2017-11-01

Nowadays, customer emotional needs (known as Kansei) in product and especially in services become a major concern. One of the emerging services is the logistics services. In obtaining a global competitive advantage, logistics services should understand and satisfy their customer affective impressions (Kansei). How to capture, model and analyze the customer emotions has been well structured by Kansei Engineering, equipped with Kano model to strengthen its methodology. However, its methodology lacks of the dynamics of customer perception. More specifically, there is a criticism of perceived scores on user preferences, in both perceived service quality and Kansei response, whether they represent an exact numerical value. Thus, this paper is proposed to discuss an approach of fuzzy Kansei in logistics service experiences. A case study in IT-based logistics services involving 100 subjects has been conducted. Its findings including the service gaps accompanied with prioritized improvement initiatives are discussed.