Microstamped opto-mechanical actuator for tactile displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camargo, Carlos J.; Torras, Núria; Campanella, Humberto; Marshall, Jean E.; Zinoviev, Kirill; Campo, Eva M.; Terentjev, Eugene M.; Esteve, Jaume

2011-10-01

Over the last few years, several technologies have been adapted for use in tactile displays, such as thermo-pneumatic actuators, piezoelectric polymers and dielectric elastomers. None of these approaches offers high-performance for refreshable Braille display system (RBDS), due to considerations of weight, power efficiency and response speed. Optical actuation offers an attractive alternative to solve limitations of current-art technologies, allowing electromechanical decoupling, elimination of actuation circuits and remote controllability. Creating these opticallydriven devices requires liquid crystal - carbon nanotube (LC-CNT) composites that show a reversible shape change in response to an applied light. This work thus reports on novel opto-actuated Braille dots based on LC-CNT composite and silicon mold microstamping. The manufacturing approach succeeds on producing blisters according to the Braille standard for the visually impaired, by taking shear-aligned LC-CNT films and silicon stamps. For this application, we need to define specifically-shaped structures. Some technologies have succeeded on elastomer microstructuring. Nevertheless, they are not applicable for LC-CNT molding because they do not consider the stretching of the polymer which is required for LC-CNT fabrication. Our process demonstrates that composites micro-molding and their 3-D structuring is feasible by silicon-based stamping. Its work principle involves the mechanical stretching, allowing the LC mesogens alignment.

Large-strain, rigid-to-rigid deformation of bistable electroactive polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Zhibin; Yuan, Wei; Brochu, Paul; Chen, Bin; Liu, Zhitian; Pei, Qibing

2009-11-01

Thermoplastic poly(tert-butyl acrylate) (PTBA) is reported as an electroactive polymer that is rigid at ambient conditions and turns into a dielectric elastomer above a transition temperature. In the rubbery state, a PTBA thin film can be electrically actuated to strains up to 335% in area expansion. The calculated actuation pressure is 3.2 MPa. The actuation is made bistable by cooling to below glass transition temperature. The PTBA represents the bistable electroactive polymer (BSEP) that can be actuated to various largely strained, rigid shapes. The application of the BSEP for refreshable Braille display, an active tactile display, is also demonstrated.

Results of an Online Refresher Course to Build Braille Transcription Skills in Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herzberg, Tina S.; Rosenblum, L. Penny; Robbins, Mary E.

2016-01-01

Certified transcribers, non-certified transcribers, volunteers, paraeducators, and teachers of students with visual impairments transcribe braille materials for K-12 students (those in kindergarten through 12th grade), and their training and level of preparedness varies greatly (Corn & Wall, 2002; Herzberg & Stough, 2007; Rosenblum &…

Designing Media for Visually-Impaired Users of Refreshable Touch Displays: Possibilities and Pitfalls.

PubMed

O'Modhrain, Sile; Giudice, Nicholas A; Gardner, John A; Legge, Gordon E

2015-01-01

This paper discusses issues of importance to designers of media for visually impaired users. The paper considers the influence of human factors on the effectiveness of presentation as well as the strengths and weaknesses of tactile, vibrotactile, haptic, and multimodal methods of rendering maps, graphs, and models. The authors, all of whom are visually impaired researchers in this domain, present findings from their own work and work of many others who have contributed to the current understanding of how to prepare and render images for both hard-copy and technology-mediated presentation of Braille and tangible graphics.

The continuing quest for the 'Holy Braille' of tactile displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Runyan, Noel H.; Blazie, Deane B.

2011-10-01

The Boston-based National Braille Press has established a Center for Braille Innovation (CBI), whose mission is to research and develop affordable braille literacy products. The primary focus has been to facilitate the development of dramatically lower cost electronic braille display devices, and the much-sought-after "Holy Braille" of a full-page electronic braille display. Developing affordable new braille technologies is crucial to improving the extremely low braille literacy rate (around 12%) of blind students. Our CBI team is working to aid developers of braille technology by focusing attention and resources on the development of the underlying braille actuator technologies. We are also developing braille-related information resources to aid braille display developers. The CBI braille requirements summary (available through the NBP website (http://www.nbp.org) is one of these resources. The braille specifications include braille dot dimensions, spacing, displacement, lifting force, and response time requirements. In addition, mentoring, helping to evaluate new braille display ideas, and openly sharing braille display technology are all part of the activities of the NBP braille innovation team. NBP has expanded the CBI project with domestic and international partners including the China Braille Press, World Braille Foundation, National Federation of the Blind, American Printing House for the Blind, American Foundation for the Blind, and many university and research partners.

Opportunities of hydrostatically coupled dielectric elastomer actuators for haptic interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carpi, Federico; Frediani, Gabriele; De Rossi, Danilo

2011-04-01

As a means to improve versatility and safety of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) for several fields of application, so-called 'hydrostatically coupled' DEAs (HC-DEAs) have recently been described. HC-DEAs are based on an incompressible fluid that mechanically couples a DE-based active part to a passive part interfaced to the load, so as to enable hydrostatic transmission. This paper presents ongoing developments of HC-DEAs and potential applications in the field of haptics. Three specific examples are considered. The first deals with a wearable tactile display used to provide users with tactile feedback during electronic navigation in virtual environments. The display consists of HCDEAs arranged in contact with finger tips. As a second example, an up-scaled prototype version of an 8-dots refreshable cell for dynamic Braille displays is shown. Each Braille dot consists of a miniature HC-DEA, with a diameter lower than 2 mm. The third example refers to a device for finger rehabilitation, conceived to work as a sort of active version of a rehabilitation squeezing ball. The device is designed to dynamically change its compliance according to an electric control. The three examples of applications intend to show the potential of the new technology and the prospective opportunities for haptic interfaces.

EAP actuators aid the quest for the 'Holy Braille' of tactile displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Runyan, Noel; Blazie, Deane

2010-04-01

The authors present the worldwide need for electronic Braille displays to promote literacy among the blind. The use of of EAP's to produce Braille displays is encouraged and detailed descriptions of the technology of Braille are presented. Prior art is covered since the early 1950's through present day displays based mostly on piezoelectric technologies. EAP's offer the promise of the "Holy Braille", the ability to display a full page of Braille electronically. Details on "how not to make a Braille display" are covered in prior art.

Microfluidic device capable of medium recirculation for non-adherent cell culture

PubMed Central

Dixon, Angela R.; Rajan, Shrinidhi; Kuo, Chuan-Hsien; Bersano, Tom; Wold, Rachel; Futai, Nobuyuki; Takayama, Shuichi; Mehta, Geeta

2014-01-01

We present a microfluidic device designed for maintenance and culture of non-adherent mammalian cells, which enables both recirculation and refreshing of medium, as well as easy harvesting of cells from the device. We demonstrate fabrication of a novel microfluidic device utilizing Braille perfusion for peristaltic fluid flow to enable switching between recirculation and refresh flow modes. Utilizing fluid flow simulations and the human promyelocytic leukemia cell line, HL-60, non-adherent cells, we demonstrate the utility of this RECIR-REFRESH device. With computer simulations, we profiled fluid flow and concentration gradients of autocrine factors and found that the geometry of the cell culture well plays a key role in cell entrapping and retaining autocrine and soluble factors. We subjected HL-60 cells, in the device, to a treatment regimen of 1.25% dimethylsulfoxide, every other day, to provoke differentiation and measured subsequent expression of CD11b on day 2 and day 4 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) on day 4. Our findings display perfusion sensitive CD11b expression, but not TNF-α build-up, by day 4 of culture, with a 1:1 ratio of recirculation to refresh flow yielding the greatest increase in CD11b levels. RECIR-REFRESH facilitates programmable levels of cell differentiation in a HL-60 non-adherent cell population and can be expanded to other types of non-adherent cells such as hematopoietic stem cells. PMID:24753733

Batch fabrication of optical actuators using nanotube-elastomer composites towards refreshable Braille displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camargo, C. J.; Campanella, H.; Marshall, J. E.; Torras, N.; Zinoviev, K.; Terentjev, E. M.; Esteve, J.

2012-07-01

This paper reports an opto-actuable device fabricated using micro-machined silicon moulds. The actuating component of the device is made from a composite material containing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) embedded in a liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) matrix. We demonstrate the fabrication of a patterned LCE-CNT film by a combination of mechanical stretching and thermal cross-linking. The resulting poly-domain LCE-CNT film contains ‘blister-shaped’ mono-domain regions, which reversibly change their shape under light irradiation and hence can be used as dynamic Braille dots. We demonstrate that blisters with diameters of 1.0 and 1.5 mm, and wall thickness 300 µm, will mechanically contract under irradiation by a laser diode with optical power up to 60 mW. The magnitude of this contraction was up to 40 µm, which is more than 10% of their height in the ‘rest’ state. The stabilization time of the material is less than 6 s for both actuation and recovery. We also carried out preliminary tests on the repeatability of this photo-actuation process, observing no material or performance degradation. This manufacturing approach establishes a starting point for the design and fabrication of wide-area tactile actuators, which are promising candidates for the development of new Braille reading applications for the visually impaired.

Reconfigurable Full-Page Braille Displays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garner, H. Douglas

1994-01-01

Electrically actuated braille display cells of proposed type arrayed together to form full-page braille displays. Like other braille display cells, these provide changeable patterns of bumps driven by digitally recorded text stored on magnetic tapes or in solid-state electronic memories. Proposed cells contain electrorheological fluid. Viscosity of such fluid increases in strong electrostatic field.

Bistable electroactive polymers (BSEP): large-strain actuation of rigid polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Zhibin; Niu, Xiaofan; Brochu, Paul; Yuan, Wei; Li, Huafeng; Chen, Bin; Pei, Qibing

2010-04-01

Reversible, large-strain, bistable actuation has been a lasting puzzle in the pursuit of smart materials and structures. Conducting polymers are bistable, but the achievable strain is small. Large deformations have been achieved in dielectric elastomers at the expense of mechanical strength. The gel or gel-like soft polymers generally have elastic moduli around or less than 10 MPa. The deformed polymer relaxes to its original shape once the applied electric field is removed. We report new, bistable electroactive polymers (BSEP) that are capable of electrically actuated strains as high as 335% area strain. The BSEP could be useful for constructing rigid structures. The structures can support high mechanical loads, and be actuated to large-strain deformations. We will present one unique application of the BSEP for Braille displays that can be quickly refreshed and maintain the displayed contents without a bias voltage.

Computerized microfluidic cell culture using elastomeric channels and Braille displays.

PubMed

Gu, Wei; Zhu, Xiaoyue; Futai, Nobuyuki; Cho, Brenda S; Takayama, Shuichi

2004-11-09

Computer-controlled microfluidics would advance many types of cellular assays and microscale tissue engineering studies wherever spatiotemporal changes in fluidics need to be defined. However, this goal has been elusive because of the limited availability of integrated, programmable pumps and valves. This paper demonstrates how a refreshable Braille display, with its grid of 320 vertically moving pins, can power integrated pumps and valves through localized deformations of channel networks within elastic silicone rubber. The resulting computerized fluidic control is able to switch among: (i) rapid and efficient mixing between streams, (ii) multiple laminar flows with minimal mixing between streams, and (iii) segmented plug-flow of immiscible fluids within the same channel architecture. The same control method is used to precisely seed cells, compartmentalize them into distinct subpopulations through channel reconfiguration, and culture each cell subpopulation for up to 3 weeks under perfusion. These reliable microscale cell cultures showed gradients of cellular behavior from C2C12 myoblasts along channel lengths, as well as differences in cell density of undifferentiated myoblasts and differentiation patterns, both programmable through different flow rates of serum-containing media. This technology will allow future microscale tissue or cell studies to be more accessible, especially for high-throughput, complex, and long-term experiments. The microfluidic actuation method described is versatile and computer programmable, yet simple, well packaged, and portable enough for personal use.

Computerized microfluidic cell culture using elastomeric channels and Braille displays

PubMed Central

Gu, Wei; Zhu, Xiaoyue; Futai, Nobuyuki; Cho, Brenda S.; Takayama, Shuichi

2004-01-01

Computer-controlled microfluidics would advance many types of cellular assays and microscale tissue engineering studies wherever spatiotemporal changes in fluidics need to be defined. However, this goal has been elusive because of the limited availability of integrated, programmable pumps and valves. This paper demonstrates how a refreshable Braille display, with its grid of 320 vertically moving pins, can power integrated pumps and valves through localized deformations of channel networks within elastic silicone rubber. The resulting computerized fluidic control is able to switch among: (i) rapid and efficient mixing between streams, (ii) multiple laminar flows with minimal mixing between streams, and (iii) segmented plug-flow of immiscible fluids within the same channel architecture. The same control method is used to precisely seed cells, compartmentalize them into distinct subpopulations through channel reconfiguration, and culture each cell subpopulation for up to 3 weeks under perfusion. These reliable microscale cell cultures showed gradients of cellular behavior from C2C12 myoblasts along channel lengths, as well as differences in cell density of undifferentiated myoblasts and differentiation patterns, both programmable through different flow rates of serum-containing media. This technology will allow future microscale tissue or cell studies to be more accessible, especially for high-throughput, complex, and long-term experiments. The microfluidic actuation method described is versatile and computer programmable, yet simple, well packaged, and portable enough for personal use. PMID:15514025

Directions for Development of the Field of Electroactive Polymer (EAP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bar-Cohen, Yoseph

2011-01-01

In last few years, the rate of development and advances in the field of EAP has accelerated significantly and it is increasingly getting closer to the point of finding them used in commercial products. Substantial development has been reported in the understanding of their drive mechanisms and the parameters that control their electro-activation behavior. Further, efforts are being made to develop mass production techniques with greatly improved actuation capability and operation durability. The recent efforts to develop energy harvesting techniques, haptic interfacing (including refreshable braille displays), and toys are further increasing the likelihood of finding niches for these materials. In this paper, the author sought to examine the potential directions for the future development of the field of EAP in relation to the state-of-the-art.

Directions for development of the field of electroactive polymer (EAP)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bar-Cohen, Yoseph

2011-04-01

In last few years, the rate of development and advances in the field of EAP has accelerated significantly and it is increasingly getting closer to the point of finding them used in commercial products. Substantial development has been reported in the understanding of their drive mechanisms and the parameters that control their electro-activation behavior. Further, efforts are being made to develop mass production techniques with greatly improved actuation capability and operation durability. The recent efforts to develop energy harvesting techniques, haptic interfacing (including refreshable braille displays), and toys are further increasing the likelihood of finding niches for these materials. In this paper, the author sought to examine the potential directions for the future development of the field of EAP in relation to the state-of-the-art.

Proceedings, Conference on New Processes for Braille Manufacture (American Printing House for the Blind, Louisville, Kentucky, February 8-9, 1968).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge. Sensory Aids Evaluation and Development Center.

The proceedings include papers on computer translated braille (grade 2, display devices, recent developments), the new braille translation program and research at the American Printing House for the Blind, the braille electric typewriter, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology braille embosser, the braille reader, and braille transmission for…

Demonstration of Vibrational Braille Code Display Using Large Displacement Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems Actuators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Junpei; Ishikawa, Hiroaki; Arouette, Xavier; Matsumoto, Yasuaki; Miki, Norihisa

2012-06-01

In this paper, we present a vibrational Braille code display with large-displacement micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) actuator arrays. Tactile receptors are more sensitive to vibrational stimuli than to static ones. Therefore, when each cell of the Braille code vibrates at optimal frequencies, subjects can recognize the codes more efficiently. We fabricated a vibrational Braille code display that used actuators consisting of piezoelectric actuators and a hydraulic displacement amplification mechanism (HDAM) as cells. The HDAM that encapsulated incompressible liquids in microchambers with two flexible polymer membranes could amplify the displacement of the MEMS actuator. We investigated the voltage required for subjects to recognize Braille codes when each cell, i.e., the large-displacement MEMS actuator, vibrated at various frequencies. Lower voltages were required at vibration frequencies higher than 50 Hz than at vibration frequencies lower than 50 Hz, which verified that the proposed vibrational Braille code display is efficient by successfully exploiting the characteristics of human tactile receptors.

A Comparison of the Two Leading Electronic Braille Notetakers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leventhal, J. D.; Uslan, M. M.

1992-01-01

Comparison of two electronic braille notetakers found that the Braille 'n Speak was less expensive, easier to learn, and easier for both experienced users and beginners to operate than the BrailleMate, though the BrailleMate offers a unique alternative by including a braille display and a Random Access Memory card storage system. (JDD)

The development of compact electroactive polymer actuators suitable for use in full page Braille displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorny, Lee J.; Zellers, Brian C.; Lin, Minren; Liu, Sheng; Zhang, Qiming M.

2010-04-01

Piezoceramic actuators, presently used in commercial Braille displays, are limited by the material's relatively small strain and brittle nature. For this reason, it is a challenge to develop full page, compact, graphic Braille displays that are affordable. A newly developed material composed of P(VDF-TrFE-CFE) terpolymer blended with 5% P(VDF-CTFE) electrostrictive actuators exhibits large strains (~5% at 150V/μm), fast actuation (>5 mm/s), and has a relatively high elastic modulus (1.2 GPa). This material exhibits more than double the elastic energy density and a 50% higher modulus of the original electrostrictive terpolymer. Hence, the potential for viable actuators in compact, full page Braille displays is greater than ever, provided actuators can be manufactured reliably in quantity. This talk presents recent work in scaling production of such rolled actuators. Actuators extend .5 mm, are confined to the 2.5 mm grid spacing of conventional Braille text, generate >0.5 N force and operate at less than 200V, thus meeting the primary requirements for a commercialized Braille display. To manufacture these actuators, cast films are stretched using a roll-to-roll zone drawing machine that is capable of producing quantities of 2 μm thick film with high quality. What follows is a discussion of this machine, the roll-to-roll film stretching process and an assessment of the resulting stretched film for use as linear strain actuators, like those used in our Braille cell.

Teaching Beginning Braille Reading Using an Alphabet or Uncontracted Braille Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Day, Janice Neibaur; McDonnell, Andrea P.; O'Neill, Rob

2008-01-01

This study examined the effects of using a research based print reading program modified to accommodate beginning braille readers using an alphabet or uncontracted braille reading approach with five beginning braille readers. Four of the 5 participants displayed a clear increase in their ability to read high frequency words when they began using…

Engineering Bony Hybrid Organs In Vitro

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-11-01

microfluidic cell culture system using elastomeric channels and Braille displays (Gu et al., 2004; Futai et al., 2004). We have now further developed this...Takayama S, 2004: Computerized microfluidic cell culture using elastomeric channels and braille displays. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101, 15861-15866

Operational durability of a giant ER valve for Braille display

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luning, Xu; Han, Li; Yufei, Li; Shen, Rong; Kunquan, Lu

2017-05-01

The compact configuration of giant ER (electrorheological) valves provides the possibility of realizing a full-page Braille display. The operational durability of ER valves is a key issue in fulfilling a Braille display. A giant ER valve was used to investigate the variations in pressure drops and critical pressure drops of the valves over a long period under some typical operational parameters. The results indicate that neither the pressure drops nor critical pressure drops of giant ER valves show apparent deterioration over a long period. Without ER fluid exchange, a blockage appears in the channel of the valve because the ER structures induced by an external electric field cannot be broken by the Brownian motion of hydraulic oil molecules when the external electric field is removed. Forcing ER fluid flow is an effective and necessary method to keep the channel of the valve unblocked. Thus the operational durability of the valve using giant ER fluids is able to meet the demands of Braille display.

Computational Model of Hydrostatically Coupled Dielectric Elastomer Actuators (Preprint)

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

gaming [6] and Braille displays [15]. Within this context, the HCDE actuators offer two attractive features [12-14]. First, one can touch the passive...AHp //  , the voltage as   // H , and the force as  AHF / . When the HCDE actuators are developed as Braille displays, it is desirable to...permittivity, along with our fitted parameter 71 07 3.1  V/m , gives the shear modulus kPa5.1 2 . When the HCDE actuators are developed as Braille

The Effects of Exposure Time, Pressure and Cold on Hand Skin Temperature and Manual Performance When Wearing Three-Fingered Neoprene Gloves

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-04-01

summarised below. Grip strength was measured using a hand grip dynamometer. Tactile sensitivity was measured using modified (enlarged) Braille ...characters. Subjects had to sense and identify the Braille characters by touch using a visual display of Braille characters as a reference source... Braille characters were presented on a board in 4 rows, with each row having progressively smaller character size and spacing. Tactile sensitivity score

Reading Speed of Contracted French Braille

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laroche, Louise; Boule, Jacinthe; Wittich, Walter

2012-01-01

This study was designed to address three hypotheses: (1) The reading speed of both readers of French braille and readers of French print will be faster in the silent condition; however, this gain in speed will be larger for print readers; (2) Individuals who acquired braille before age 10 will display faster reading speeds at lower error rates…

Remote Tactile Displays for Future Soldiers

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-05-01

envisioned as an alternate means of communication for those who are visually 4 or hearing impaired. Oddly, the success of Braille “reading...designers. For example, simply embossing the alphabet in paper to read by touch succumbed to Braille because subtle spatial patterns easily apparent to...fashioned after the six- dot Braille system. Although an alphanumeric code was mastered with surprising rapidity, one striking difficulty emerged

Reconfigurable Braille display with phase change locking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soule, Cody W.; Lazarus, Nathan

2016-07-01

Automatically updated signs and displays for sighted people are common in today’s world. However, there is no cheap, low power equivalent available for the blind. This work demonstrates a reconfigurable Braille cell using the solid-to-liquid phase change of a low melting point alloy as a zero holding power locking mechanism. The device is actuated with the alloy in the liquid state, and is then allowed to solidify to lock the Braille dot in the actuated position. A low-cost manufacturing process is developed that includes molding of a rigid silicone to create pneumatic channels, and bonding of a thin membrane of a softer silicone on the surface for actuation. A plug of Field’s metal (melting point 62 °C) is placed in the pneumatic channels below each Braille dot to create the final device. The device is well suited for low duty cycle operation in applications such as signs, and is able to maintain its state indefinitely without additional power input. The display requires a pneumatic pressure of only 24 kPa for actuation, and reconfiguration has been demonstrated in less than a minute and a half.

Haptic Stylus and Empirical Studies on Braille, Button, and Texture Display

PubMed Central

Kyung, Ki-Uk; Lee, Jun-Young; Park, Junseok

2008-01-01

This paper presents a haptic stylus interface with a built-in compact tactile display module and an impact module as well as empirical studies on Braille, button, and texture display. We describe preliminary evaluations verifying the tactile display's performance indicating that it can satisfactorily represent Braille numbers for both the normal and the blind. In order to prove haptic feedback capability of the stylus, an experiment providing impact feedback mimicking the click of a button has been conducted. Since the developed device is small enough to be attached to a force feedback device, its applicability to combined force and tactile feedback display in a pen-held haptic device is also investigated. The handle of pen-held haptic interface was replaced by the pen-like interface to add tactile feedback capability to the device. Since the system provides combination of force, tactile and impact feedback, three haptic representation methods for texture display have been compared on surface with 3 texture groups which differ in direction, groove width, and shape. In addition, we evaluate its capacity to support touch screen operations by providing tactile sensations when a user rubs against an image displayed on a monitor. PMID:18317520

Haptic stylus and empirical studies on braille, button, and texture display.

PubMed

Kyung, Ki-Uk; Lee, Jun-Young; Park, Junseok

2008-01-01

This paper presents a haptic stylus interface with a built-in compact tactile display module and an impact module as well as empirical studies on Braille, button, and texture display. We describe preliminary evaluations verifying the tactile display's performance indicating that it can satisfactorily represent Braille numbers for both the normal and the blind. In order to prove haptic feedback capability of the stylus, an experiment providing impact feedback mimicking the click of a button has been conducted. Since the developed device is small enough to be attached to a force feedback device, its applicability to combined force and tactile feedback display in a pen-held haptic device is also investigated. The handle of pen-held haptic interface was replaced by the pen-like interface to add tactile feedback capability to the device. Since the system provides combination of force, tactile and impact feedback, three haptic representation methods for texture display have been compared on surface with 3 texture groups which differ in direction, groove width, and shape. In addition, we evaluate its capacity to support touch screen operations by providing tactile sensations when a user rubs against an image displayed on a monitor.

Refreshable tactile displays based on bistable electroactive polymer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niu, Xiaofan; Brochu, Paul; Salazar, Brandon; Pei, Qibing

2011-04-01

Refreshable tactile displays can significantly improve the education of blind children and the quality of life of people with severe vision impairment. A number of actuator technologies have been investigated. Bistable Electroactive Polymer (BSEP) appears to be well suited for this application. The BSEP exhibits a bistable electrically actuated strain as large as 335%. We present improved refreshable tactile display devices fabricated on thin plastic sheets. Stacked BSEP films were employed to meet the requirements in raised dot height and supporting force. The bistable nature of the actuation reduces the power consumption and simplifies the device operation.

Electroactive Polymers With Anti-Counterfeiting Feature

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-28

to Braille printing), or different sizes of paper currency, are used to designate different denominations, which can be helpful to those who are...express a denomination (using any one or more of a visual display in large type) an aural report, or in a tactile manner, such as in Braille or

Braille line using electrical stimulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puertas, A.; Purés, P.; Echenique, A. M.; Ensinck, J. P. Graffigna y. G.

2007-11-01

Conceived within the field of Rehabilitation Technologies for visually impaired persons, the present work aims at enabling the blind user to read written material by means of a tactile display. Once he is familiarized to operate this system, the user will be able to achieve greater performance in study, academic and job activities, thus achieving a rapid and easier social inclusion. The devise accepts any kind of text that is computer-loadable (documents, books, Internet information, and the like) which, through digital means, can be read as Braille text on the pad. This tactile display is composed of an electrodes platform that simulate, through stimulation the writing/reading Braille characters. In order to perceive said characters in similar way to the tactile feeling from paper material, the skin receptor of fingers are stimulated electrically so as to simulate the same pressure and depressions as those of the paper-based counterpart information. Once designed and developed, the display was tested with blind subjects, with relatively satisfactory results. As a continuing project, this prototype is currently being improved as regards.

A Comparative Study on Java Technologies for Focus and Cursor Handling in Accessible Dynamic Interactions.

PubMed

Jitngernmadan, Prajaks; Miesenberger, Klaus

2015-01-01

For an interactive application, supporting and guiding the user in fulfilling tasks is most important. The behavior of the application that will guide users through the procedures until they finish the task has to be designed intuitively and well guiding, especially if the users has only restricted or no access to the visual and spatial arrangement on the screen. Therefore, the focus/cursor management plays an important role for orientation and navigating through the interaction. In the frame of ongoing research on a software tool supporting blind people in more efficiently doing mathematical calculations, we researched how Java technologies support implementing an accessible Graphical User Interface (GUI) with an additional focus on usable accessibility in terms of guiding blind users through the process of solving mathematical calculations. We used Java Swing [1] and Eclipse SWT [2] APIs for creating a series of prototypes. We tested a) accessibility and usability of the prototypes for blind people when using screen reader software and refreshable Braille display and b) the implementation support to developers provided by both technologies. It turned out that Eclipse SWT API delivered best results under Windows operating system.

Method and device for producing a tactile display using an electrorheological fluid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garner, H. Douglas (Inventor)

1996-01-01

A tactile display device utilizes an electrorheological fluid to activate a plurality of tactile dots. A voltage is selectively produced uniformly across an electrorheological fluid flowing between a common ground electrode and a plurality of conductive dot electrodes, thereby producing an increase in the fluid's viscosity to the extent that fluid flow between the two electrodes is restricted. The flow restriction produces a build-up of electrorheological fluid in a corresponding dot actuator chamber. The resulting pressure increase in the chamber displaces an elastic diaphragm fixed to a display surface to form a lump which can be perceived by the reader as one dot in a Braille character cell. A flow regulation system provides a continually pressurized flow system and provides for free flow of the electrorheological fluid through the plurality of dot actuator chambers when they are not activated. The device is adaptable to printed circuit techniques and can simultaneously display tactile dots representative of a full page of Braille characters stored on a medium such as a tape cassette or to display tactile dots representative of non-Braille data appearing on a computer monitor or contained on another data storage medium. In an alternate embodiment, the elastic diaphragm drives a plurality of spring-loaded pins provided with positive stops to maintain consistent displacements of the pins in both their actuated and nonactuated positions.

Tactile display device using an electrorheological fluid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garner, H. Douglas (Inventor)

1994-01-01

A tactile display device utilizes an electrorheological fluid to activate a plurality of tactile dots. A voltage is selectively produced uniformly across an electrorheological fluid flowing between a common ground electrode and a plurality of conductive dot electrodes, thereby producing an increase in the fluid's viscosity to the extent that fluid flow between the two electrodes is restricted. The flow restriction produces a build-up of electrorheological fluid in a corresponding dot actuator chamber. The resulting pressure increase in the chamber displaces an elastic diaphragm fixed to a display surface to form a lump which can be perceived by the reader as one dot in a Braille character cell. A flow regulation system provides a continually pressurized flow system and provides for free flow of the electrorheological fluid through the plurality of dot actuator chambers when they are not activated. The device is adaptable to printed circuit techniques and can simultaneously display tactile dots representative of a full page of Braille characters stored on a medium such as a tape cassette or to display tactile dots representative of non-Braille data appearing on a computer monitor or contained on another data storage medium. In an alternate embodiment, the elastic diaphragm drives a plurality of spring-loaded pins provided with positive stops to maintain consistent displacements of the pins in both their actuated and nonactuated positions.

User Guide for the Anvil Threat Cooridor Forecast Tool V2.4 for AWIPS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barett, Joe H., III; Bauman, William H., III

2008-01-01

The Anvil Tool GUI allows users to select a Data Type, toggle the map refresh on/off, place labels, and choose the Profiler Type (source of the KSC 50 MHz profiler data), the Date- Time of the data, the Center of Plot, and the Station (location of the RAOB or 50 MHz profiler). If the Data Type is Models, the user selects a Fcst Hour (forecast hour) instead of Station. There are menus for User Profiles, Circle Label Options, and Frame Label Options. Labels can be placed near the center circle of the plot and/or at a specified distance and direction from the center of the circle (Center of Plot). The default selection for the map refresh is "ON". When the user creates a new Anvil Tool map with Refresh Map "ON, the plot is automatically displayed in the AWIPS frame. If another Anvil Tool map is already displayed and the user does not change the existing map number shown at the bottom of the GUI, the new Anvil Tool map will overwrite the old one. If the user turns the Refresh Map "OFF", the new Anvil Tool map is created but not automatically displayed. The user can still display the Anvil Tool map through the Maps dropdown menu* as shown in Figure 4.

A reconfigurable tactile display based on polymer MEMS technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Xiaosong

A tactile display provides information such as shape, texture, temperature, and hardness to a user. Ultimately, a tactile display could be used to recreate a virtual object that may be stored in a computer. However, such advanced displays are not yet widely available, primarily due to the lack of low cost, large area, compact actuator arrays that can stimulate the large numbers of receptors of the user and that can also meet the high requirements for user safety and comfort. This research focuses on the development of polymer microfabrication technologies for the realization of two major components of a pneumatic tactile display: a microactuator array and a complementary microvalve (control) array. In this work, the concept, fabrication, and characterization of a kinematically-stabilized polymeric microbubble actuator ("endoskeletal microbubble actuator") is presented. A systematic design and modeling procedure was carried out to generate an optimized geometry of the corrugated diaphragm to satisfy membrane deflection, force, and stability requirements set forth by the tactile display goals. A mass-manufacturable actuator has been fabricated using the approaches of lithography and micromolding. A prototype of a single endoskeletal bubble actuator with a diameter of 2.6mm has been fabricated and characterized. In addition, in order to further reduce the size and cost of the tactile display, a microvalve array can be integrated into the tactile display system to control the pneumatic fluid that actuates the microbubble actuator. A piezoelectrically-driven and hydraulically-amplified polymer microvalve has been designed, fabricated, and tested. An incompressible elastomer was used as a solid hydraulic medium to convert the small axial displacement of a piezoelectric actuator into a large valve head stroke while maintaining a large blocking force. The function of the microvalve as an on-off switch for a pneumatic microbubble tactile actuator has been demonstrated. Compared to present technologies, the microvalve developed can achieve large flow rate control due to its amplification mechanism, can avoid complex sealing problem because solid rather than liquid medium is used, and can form a dense valve array due to the small lateral dimension of the actuator used. To further reduce the cost of the microvalve, a laterally-laminated multilayer PZT actuator has been fabricated using diced PZT multilayer, high aspect ratio SU-8 photolithography, and molding of electrically conductive polymer composite electrodes. This fabrication process is simple and straightforward compared to previous lateral lamination approaches. An 8-layer device has shown a displacement of 0.63 micron at 100V driving voltage, which agrees well with simulation results. The lateral lamination fabrication process provides a valuable alternative for making compact, low-voltage, multilayer piezoelectric micro-actuators as microvalve driving element. A refreshable Braille cell as a tactile display prototype has been developed based on a 2x3 endoskeletal microbubble array and an array of commercial valves. The prototype can provide both a static display (which meets the displacement and force requirement of a Braille display) and vibratory tactile sensations. Along with the above capabilities, the device was designed to meet the criteria of lightness and compactness to permit portable operation. The design is scalable with respect to the number of tactile actuators while still being simple to fabricate.

Control of soft machines using actuators operated by a Braille display.

PubMed

Mosadegh, Bobak; Mazzeo, Aaron D; Shepherd, Robert F; Morin, Stephen A; Gupta, Unmukt; Sani, Idin Zhalehdoust; Lai, David; Takayama, Shuichi; Whitesides, George M

2014-01-07

One strategy for actuating soft machines (e.g., tentacles, grippers, and simple walkers) uses pneumatic inflation of networks of small channels in an elastomeric material. Although the management of a few pneumatic inputs and valves to control pressurized gas is straightforward, the fabrication and operation of manifolds containing many (>50) independent valves is an unsolved problem. Complex pneumatic manifolds-often built for a single purpose-are not easily reconfigured to accommodate the specific inputs (i.e., multiplexing of many fluids, ranges of pressures, and changes in flow rates) required by pneumatic systems. This paper describes a pneumatic manifold comprising a computer-controlled Braille display and a micropneumatic device. The Braille display provides a compact array of 64 piezoelectric actuators that actively close and open elastomeric valves of a micropneumatic device to route pressurized gas within the manifold. The positioning and geometries of the valves and channels in the micropneumatic device dictate the functionality of the pneumatic manifold, and the use of multi-layer soft lithography permits the fabrication of networks in a wide range of configurations with many possible functions. Simply exchanging micropneumatic devices of different designs enables rapid reconfiguration of the pneumatic manifold. As a proof of principle, a pneumatic manifold controlled a soft machine containing 32 independent actuators to move a ball above a flat surface.

Control of Soft Machines using Actuators Operated by a Braille Display

PubMed Central

Mosadegh, Bobak; Mazzeo, Aaron D.; Shepherd, Robert F.; Morin, Stephen A.; Gupta, Unmukt; Sani, Idin Zhalehdoust; Lai, David; Takayama, Shuichi; Whitesides, George M.

2013-01-01

One strategy for actuating soft machines (e.g., tentacles, grippers, and simple walkers) uses pneumatic inflation of networks of small channels in an elastomeric material. Although the management of a few pneumatic inputs and valves to control pressurized gas is straightforward, the fabrication and operation of manifolds containing many (>50) independent valves is an unsolved problem. Complex pneumatic manifolds—often built for a single purpose—are not easily reconfigured to accommodate the specific inputs (i.e., multiplexing of many fluids, ranges of pressures, and changes in flow rates) required by pneumatic systems. This paper describes a pneumatic manifold comprising a computer-controlled braille display and a micropneumatic device. The braille display provides a compact array of 64 piezoelectric actuators that actively close and open elastomeric valves of a micropneumatic device to route pressurized gas within the manifold. The positioning and geometries of the valves and channels in the micropneumatic device dictate the functionality of the pneumatic manifold, and the use of multi-layer soft lithography permits the fabrication of networks in a wide range of configurations with many possible functions. Simply exchanging micropneumatic devices of different designs enables rapid reconfiguration of the pneumatic manifold. As a proof of principle, a pneumatic manifold controlled a soft machine containing 32 independent actuators to move a ball above a flat surface. PMID:24196070

Tactile Scanning and Memory for a Spatial Display by Blind Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berla, Edward P.

1981-01-01

Thirty-six braille students (grades 4 through 12) were asked to inspect a tactile display consisting of nine removable symbols. Students in the lower grades benefited most from the systematic searching training and were superior to the control group in the same grades. (Author)

Letter position coding across modalities: braille and sighted reading of sentences with jumbled words.

PubMed

Perea, Manuel; Jiménez, María; Martín-Suesta, Miguel; Gómez, Pablo

2015-04-01

This article explores how letter position coding is attained during braille reading and its implications for models of word recognition. When text is presented visually, the reading process easily adjusts to the jumbling of some letters (jugde-judge), with a small cost in reading speed. Two explanations have been proposed: One relies on a general mechanism of perceptual uncertainty at the visual level, and the other focuses on the activation of an abstract level of representation (i.e., bigrams) that is shared by all orthographic codes. Thus, these explanations make differential predictions about reading in a tactile modality. In the present study, congenitally blind readers read sentences presented on a braille display that tracked the finger position. The sentences either were intact or involved letter transpositions. A parallel experiment was conducted in the visual modality. Results revealed a substantially greater reading cost for the sentences with transposed-letter words in braille readers. In contrast with the findings with sighted readers, in which there is a cost of transpositions in the external (initial and final) letters, the reading cost in braille readers occurs serially, with a large cost for initial letter transpositions. Thus, these data suggest that the letter-position-related effects in visual word recognition are due to the characteristics of the visual stream.

Mobility aid for blind figure skaters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acerbi, A.; Graffigna, J. P.; Polimeni, G.; Fernández, H. H.

2007-11-01

This work is developed within the scope of rehabilitation technology to enable blind and visually impaired persons read non-Braille material commonly available in digital form to normal-vision readers. This approach, therefore, tries to broaden the reaching capacity for these persons and, thus, allow for better inclusion in social, work, educative and even leisure activities. Specifically, it is devised for reading any kind of text in digital form --books, files, documents, Internet information and exchanges, etc.-- that can be loaded in a PC to be later read on the devised Braille reading line. It consists of a string-like platform of electrodes that simulate, through tactile electrostimulation, the letter characters displayed in Braille fashion. Finger-tip feeling from these electric discharges is caused by stimulating the skin nerve receptors underneath the tip. These electric discharges produce a similar effect as when reading embossed-type characters of traditional Braille-relief paper material. After design and development, experiences were made with blind persons, with fairly satisfactory results. At present, further work is under way in order to improve the system.

Small volume low mechanical stress cytometry using computer-controlled Braille display microfluidics.

PubMed

Tung, Yi-Chung; Torisawa, Yu-suke; Futai, Nobuyuki; Takayama, Shuichi

2007-11-01

This paper describes a micro flow cytometer system designed for efficient and non-damaging analysis of samples with small numbers of precious cells. The system utilizes actuation of Braille-display pins for micro-scale fluid manipulation and a fluorescence microscope with a CCD camera for optical detection. The microfluidic chip is fully disposable and is composed of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) slab with microchannel features sealed against a thin deformable PDMS membrane. The channels are designed with diffusers to alleviate pulsatile flow behaviors inherent in pin actuator-based peristaltic pumping schemes to maximize hydrodynamic focusing of samples with minimal disturbances in the laminar streams within the channel. A funnel connected to the microfluidic channel is designed for efficient loading of samples with small number of cells and is also positioned on the chip to prevent physical damages of the samples by the squeezing actions of Braille pins during actuation. The sample loading scheme was characterized by both computational fluidic dynamics (CFD) simulation and experimental observation. A fluorescein solution was first used for flow field investigation, followed by use of fluorescence beads with known relative intensities for optical detection performance calibration. Murine myoblast cells (C2C12) were exploited to investigate cell viability for the sample loading scheme of the device. Furthermore, human promyelocytic leukemia (HL60) cells stained by hypotonic DNA staining buffer were also tested in the system for cell cycle analysis. The ability to efficiently analyze cellular samples where the number of cells is small was demonstrated by analyzing cells from a single embryoid body derived from mouse embryonic stem cells. Consequently, the designed microfluidic device reported in this paper is promising for easy-to-use, small sample size flow cytometric analysis, and has potential to be further integrated with other Braille display-based microfluidic devices to facilitate a multi-functional lab-on-a-chip for mammalian cell manipulations.

Future of photorefractive based holographic 3D display

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blanche, P.-A.; Bablumian, A.; Voorakaranam, R.; Christenson, C.; Lemieux, D.; Thomas, J.; Norwood, R. A.; Yamamoto, M.; Peyghambarian, N.

2010-02-01

The very first demonstration of our refreshable holographic display based on photorefractive polymer was published in Nature early 20081. Based on the unique properties of a new organic photorefractive material and the holographic stereography technique, this display addressed a gap between large static holograms printed in permanent media (photopolymers) and small real time holographic systems like the MIT holovideo. Applications range from medical imaging to refreshable maps and advertisement. Here we are presenting several technical solutions for improving the performance parameters of the initial display from an optical point of view. Full color holograms can be generated thanks to angular multiplexing, the recording time can be reduced from minutes to seconds with a pulsed laser, and full parallax hologram can be recorded in a reasonable time thanks to parallel writing. We also discuss the future of such a display and the possibility of video rate.

Tactile suppression of displacement.

PubMed

Ziat, Mounia; Hayward, Vincent; Chapman, C Elaine; Ernst, Marc O; Lenay, Charles

2010-10-01

In vision, the discovery of the phenomenon of saccadic suppression of displacement has made important contributions to the understanding of the stable world problem. Here, we report a similar phenomenon in the tactile modality. When scanning a single Braille dot with two fingers of the same hand, participants were asked to decide whether the dot was stationary or whether it was displaced from one location to another. The stimulus was produced by refreshable Braille devices that have dots that can be swiftly raised and recessed. In some conditions, the dot was stationary. In others, a displacement was created by monitoring the participant's finger position and by switching the dot activation when it was not touched by either finger. The dot displacement was of either 2.5 mm or 5 mm. We found that in certain cases, displaced dots were felt to be stationary. If the displacement was orthogonal to the finger movements, tactile suppression occurred effectively when it was of 2.5 mm, but when the displacement was of 5 mm, the participants easily detected it. If the displacement was medial-lateral, the suppression effect occurred as well, but less often when the apparent movement of the dot opposed the movement of the finger. In such cases, the stimulus appeared sooner than when the brain could predict it from finger movement, supporting a predictive rather than a postdictive differential processing hypothesis.

Synthesizing A Phase Changing Bistable Electroactive Polymer And Silver Nanoparticles Coated Fabric As A Resistive Heating Element

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Zhi

Transducer technologies that convert energy from one form to another (e.g. electrical energy to mechanical energy or thermal energy and vise versa) are considered as the basic building blocks of robots and wearable electronics, two of the rapidly emerging technologies that impact our daily life. With an emphasis on developing the essential smart materials, this dissertation focuses on two specific transducer technologies, bistable large-strain electro-mechanical actuation and resistive Joule heating, in pursuit of refreshable Braille electronic displays and wearable thermal management element, respectively. Dielectric elastomers (DEs) have been intensively studied for their promising ability to mimic human muscles in providing efficient electro-mechanical actuation. They exhibit a unique combination of properties, including large strain, fast response, high energy density, mechanical compliancy, lightweight, and low cost. However, the softness of the DE materials, which is a prerequisite for electrically induced large actuation strain, has been hindering their application in adaptive structures. In these applications such as braille displays, a certain amount of mechanical support is necessary in addition to large strains for the device or system to function. Bistable electroactive polymers (BSEP) that leverage the electrically induced large-strain actuation of DE actuators and the bi-stable rigid-to-rigid deformation of shape memory polymers are innovated to provide large electrical actuation strain in their rubbery state and fix the deformation by cooling down to room temperature to incorporate mechanical rigidity. BSEP materials that can suppress electromechanical instability and exhibit stable mechanical properties in the rubbery state are desired. A bimodal BSEP material with a glass transition temperature right above room temperature has been synthesized employing simple UV curing process. The BSEP has a large storage modulus over 1GPa at room temperature that decreases to several MPa at above 70°C after a rigid-to-rubbery transition via glass transition. The rubbery BSEP possesses a stable storage modulus regardless of temperature fluctuations, which is beneficial to stable electrical actuation performances under an electric field. The bimodal structure creates a framework involving both long chain crosslinkers and small molecular crosslinkers. Due to the limited chain extensibility of this bimodal framework, the rubbery BSEP can self-stiffen at modest strains to suppress electromechanical instability, which is responsible for the premature electrical breakdown of the previous BSEP materials in their rubbery states. A BSEP actuator with a braille dot size exhibits steadily increased actuation height with increasing electric field at 70 °C. A stable actuation with a cycle lifetime of over 2000 cycles at a raised dot height of 0.4 mm was demonstrated. A fabrication process for a page-size braille paper using the BSEP has been developed. A selective heating strategy has been investigated based on a 2-cell device to provide a selective actuation strategy of BSEP braille dots. Wearable thermal management strategy has presented itself recently as a new challenge to offer an optimal thermal experience for the occupant as well as to reduce building energy usage for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). Joule heating based on silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) coated non-woven fabric can provide a wearable localized heating element.A sheet resistance of <0.3 ohm/square can be achieved for AgNPs-coated polyester fabrics upon thermal annealing. Multistep electroless deposition creates chemical bonding between oxygen groups on the fabrics' surface and AgNPs. As a result, the bonding between the AgNPs layer and the polyester fabrics is strong enough to resist sonication damage. The resistance only increased slightly after an 80minutes of sonication and therefore the AgNPs-polyester fabrics composite are regarded as washable. The AgNPs coated polyester fabrics was employed as a heating element. A voltage as low as 1volt is adequate to heat up the AgNPs-polyester fabrics to 60 °C in 2 seconds. The heat can be dissipated away fast after turning off the heating voltage, due to the mesh structure of the AgNPs-polyester fabrics. The strategy of the wearable heater can potentially play influential roles in energy saving and consumer experience in a localized thermal management system. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).

Deriving Accessible Science Books for the Blind Students of Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kouroupetroglou, Georgios; Kacorri, Hernisa

2010-01-01

We present a novel integrated methodology for the development and production of accessible physics and science books from the elementary up to tertiary educational levels. This language independent approach adopts the Design-for-All principles, the available international standards for alternative formats and the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines. Moreover it supports both static (embossed and refreshable tactile) and dynamic (based on synthetic speech and other sounds) accessibility. It can produce Tactile Books (Embossed Braille and Tactile Graphics), Digital Talking Books (or Digital Audio Books), Large Print Books as well as Acoustic-Tactile Books for the blind and visually impaired students as well as but for the print-disabled. This methodology has been successfully applied in the case of blind students of the Physics, Mathematics and Informatics Departments in the University of Athens.

The effects of intermittent illumination on a visual inspection task.

PubMed

Kennedy, A; Brysbaert, M; Murray, W S

1998-02-01

Two experiments are described in which eye movements were monitored as subjects performed a simple target-spotting task under conditions of intermittent illumination produced by varying the display-screen frame rate on a computer VDU. In Experiment 1, subjects executed a saccade from a fixation point to a target which appeared randomly at a fixed eccentricity of 14 character positions to the left or right. Saccade latency did not differ reliably as a function of screen refresh rate, but average saccade extent at 70 Hz and 110 Hz was reliably shorter than at 90 Hz and 100 Hz. Experiment 2 examined the same task using a range of target eccentricities (7, 14, and 28 character positions to the left and right) and across a wider range of screen refresh rates. The results confirmed the curvilinear relationship obtained in Experiment 1, with average saccade extent reliably shorter at refresh rates of 50 Hz and 125 Hz than at 75 Hz and 100 Hz. While the effect was greater for remote targets, analyses of the proportional target error failed to show a reliable interaction between target eccentricity and display refresh rate. In contrast to Experiment 1, there was a pronounced effect of refresh rate on saccade latency (corrected for time to write the screen frame), with shorter latencies at higher refresh rates. It may be concluded that pulsation at frequencies above fusion disrupts saccade control. However, the curvilinear functional relationship between screen refresh rate and saccade extent obtained in these studies differs from previously reported effects of intermittent illumination on the average size of "entry saccades" (the first saccade to enter a given word) in a task involving word identification (Kennedy & Murray, 1993a, 1996). This conflict of data may arise in part because within-word adjustments in viewing position, which are typical of normal reading, influence measures of average saccade extent.

Atomized scan strategy for high definition for VR application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Shuping; Ran, Feng; Ji, Yuan; Chen, Wendong

2017-10-01

Silicon-based OLED (Organic Light Emitting Display) microdisplay technology begins to attract people's attention in the emerging VR and AR devices. The high display frame refresh rate is an important solution to alleviate the dizziness in VR applications. Traditional display circuit drivers use the analog method or the digital PWM method that follow the serial scan order from the first pixel to the last pixel by using the shift registers. This paper proposes a novel atomized scan strategy based on the digital fractal scan strategy using the pseudo-random scan order. It can be used to realize the high frame refresh rate with the moderate pixel clock frequency in the high definition OLED microdisplay. The linearity of the gray level is also improved compared with the Z fractal scan strategy.

The TV Turtle: A LOGO Graphics System for Raster Displays. AI Memo 361.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lieberman, Henry

This discussion of the advantages and limitations of raster graphics systems points out that until recently, most computer graphics systems have been oriented toward the display of line drawings, continually refreshing the screen from a display list of vectors. Developments such as plasma panel displays and rapidly declining memory prices have now…

In situ electron microscopy of Braille microsystems: photo-actuation of ethylene vinyl acetate/carbon nanotube composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Czaniková, Klaudia; Krupa, Igor; Račko, Dušan; Šmatko, Vasilij; Campo, Eva M.; Pavlova, Ewa; Omastová, Mária

2015-02-01

The development of new types of tactile displays based on the actuation of composite materials can aid the visually impaired. Micro/nano systems based on ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) polymeric matrices enriched with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) can produce ensembles capable of light-induced actuation. In this report, we investigate two types of commercial EVA copolymers matrices containing 28 and 50 wt% vinyl-acetate (VA). Non-covalent modification of carbon nanotubes was achieved through a compatibilization technique that appends the pyrenenyl and cholesteryl groups on the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) surface. EVA/MWCNT nanocomposites were prepared by casting from a solution. These composites were shaped into Braille elements using molds. The deformation of the Braille element (BE) under light-emitting diode (LED) illumination was observed for the first time by in situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The superior actuation performance promoted by the EVA/MWCNT nanocomposites indicates that these materials will be useful in the future as light-driven micro/nano system actuators.

29 CFR 37.4 - What definitions apply to this part?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... (TDDs/TTYs), videotext displays, or other effective means of making aurally delivered materials..., brailled materials, large print materials, or other effective means of making visually delivered materials... employment-related training; (5) Participation in upward mobility programs; (6) Deciding rates of pay or...

29 CFR 37.4 - What definitions apply to this part?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... (TDDs/TTYs), videotext displays, or other effective means of making aurally delivered materials..., brailled materials, large print materials, or other effective means of making visually delivered materials... employment-related training; (5) Participation in upward mobility programs; (6) Deciding rates of pay or...

29 CFR 37.4 - What definitions apply to this part?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... (TDDs/TTYs), videotext displays, or other effective means of making aurally delivered materials..., brailled materials, large print materials, or other effective means of making visually delivered materials... employment-related training; (5) Participation in upward mobility programs; (6) Deciding rates of pay or...

29 CFR 37.4 - What definitions apply to this part?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... (TDDs/TTYs), videotext displays, or other effective means of making aurally delivered materials..., brailled materials, large print materials, or other effective means of making visually delivered materials... employment-related training; (5) Participation in upward mobility programs; (6) Deciding rates of pay or...

Effects Of Frame Rates In Video Displays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kellogg, Gary V.; Wagner, Charles A.

1991-01-01

Report describes experiment on subjective effects of rates at which display on cathode-ray tube in flight simulator updated and refreshed. Conducted to learn more about jumping, blurring, flickering, and multiple lines that observer perceives when line moves at high speed across screen of a calligraphic CRT.

Unified English Braille in the United Kingdom: Part 2--Examination by Literary Braille Users, Braille Teachers, and Transcribers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cryer, Heather; Home, Sarah; Morley Wilkins, Sarah

2013-01-01

To inform decision-making around the adoption of the Unified English Braille (UEB) code in the United Kingdom, a suite of research was carried out. This study involved a variety of braille stakeholders--student braille readers (in full time education), adult braille readers, braille teachers, and braille transcribers. Participants were sent…

High Tech and Library Access for People with Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roatch, Mary A.

1992-01-01

Describes tools that enable people with disabilities to access print information, including optical character recognition, synthetic voice output, other input devices, Braille access devices, large print displays, television and video, TDD (Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf), and Telebraille. Use of technology by libraries to meet mandates…

Braille in the United States: Its Production, Distribution, and Use.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldish, Louis Harvey

The braille production system in the United States is described. Aspects treated are the following: the need for braille (the braille system), the market for braille (size and characteristics), sources of braille (producers and braille book source information), and present methods and costs of producing braille. Technological advances are…

Braille Instruction and Writing Equipment: Reference Circular 86-3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Library of Congress, Washington, DC. National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

This reference circular lists selected braille instructional materials and braille writing equipment and supplies currently available for purchase. A total of eight braille code books, seven instruction manuals for braille transcribing, and 17 instructional manuals for braille reading are listed. Suggestions are presented about braille instruction…

Analysis of the Length of Braille Texts in English Braille American Edition, the Nemeth Code, and Computer Braille Code versus the Unified English Braille Code

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knowlton, Marie; Wetzel, Robin

2006-01-01

This study compared the length of text in English Braille American Edition, the Nemeth code, and the computer braille code with the Unified English Braille Code (UEBC)--also known as Unified English Braille (UEB). The findings indicate that differences in the length of text are dependent on the type of material that is transcribed and the grade…

Studies of Braille Reading Rates and Implications for the Unified English Braille Code

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wetzel, Robin; Knowlton, Marie

2006-01-01

Reading rate data was collected from both print and braille readers in the areas of mathematics and literary braille. Literary braille data was collected for contracted and uncontracted braille text with dropped whole-word contractions and part-word contractions as they would appear in the Unified English Braille Code. No significant differences…

Individually programmable cell stretching microwell arrays actuated by a Braille display.

PubMed

Kamotani, Yoko; Bersano-Begey, Tommaso; Kato, Nobuhiro; Tung, Yi-Chung; Huh, Dongeun; Song, Jonathan W; Takayama, Shuichi

2008-06-01

Cell culture systems are often static and are therefore nonphysiological. In vivo, many cells are exposed to dynamic surroundings that stimulate cellular responses in a process known as mechanotransduction. To recreate this environment, stretchable cell culture substrate systems have been developed, however, these systems are limited by being macroscopic and low throughput. We have developed a device consisting of 24 miniature cell stretching chambers with flexible bottom membranes that are deformed using the computer-controlled, piezoelectrically actuated pins of a Braille display. We have also developed efficient image capture and analysis protocols to quantify morphological responses of the cells to applied strain. Human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMECs) were found to show increasing degrees of alignment and elongation perpendicular to the radial strain in response to cyclic stretch at increasing frequencies of 0.2, 1, and 5 Hz, after 2, 4, and 12h. Mouse myogenic C2C12 cells were also found to align in response to the stretch, while A549 human lung adenocarcinoma epithelial cells did not respond to stretch.

Individually Programmable Cell Stretching Microwell Arrays Actuated by a Braille Display

PubMed Central

Kamotani, Yoko; Bersano-Begey, Tommaso; Kato, Nobuhiro; Tung, Yi-chung; Huh, Dongeun; Song, Jonathan W.; Takayama, Shuichi

2008-01-01

Cell culture systems are often static and are therefore nonphysiological. In vivo, many cells are exposed to dynamic surroundings that stimulate cellular responses in a process known as mechanotransduction. To recreate this environment, stretchable cell culture substrate systems have been developed, however these systems are limited by being macroscopic and low throughput. We have developed a device consisting of 24 miniature cell stretching chambers with flexible bottom membranes that are deformed using the computer-controlled, piezoelectrically actuated pins of a Braille display. We have also developed efficient image capture and analysis protocols to quantify morphological responses of the cells to applied strain. Human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMECs) were found to show increasing degrees of alignment and elongation perpendicular to the radial strain in response to cyclic stretch at increasing frequencies of 0.2, 1, and 5 Hz, after 2, 4, and 12 hours. Mouse myogenic C2C12 cells were also found to align in response to the stretch, while A549 human lung adenocarcinoma epithelial cells did not respond to stretch. PMID:18342367

Parents' Perspectives on Braille Literacy: Results from the ABC Braille Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamei-Hannan, Cheryl; Sacks, Sharon Zell

2012-01-01

Introduction: Parents who were the primary caretakers of children in the Alphabetic and Contracted Braille Study (ABC Braille Study) revealed their perspectives about braille literacy. Methods: A 30-item questionnaire was constructed by the ABC Braille research team, and researchers conducted telephone interviews with 31 parents who were the…

Braille Literacy: Resources for Instruction, Writing Equipment, and Supplies. NLS Reference Circulars

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peaco, Freddie L., Comp.

2004-01-01

This reference circular lists instructional materials, supplies, and equipment currently available for learning braille, and cites sources about braille literacy. The resources given are intended to assist sighted individuals who are interested in learning braille or want to transcribe print materials into braille; instructors who teach braille;…

Touching force response of the piezoelectric Braille cell.

PubMed

Smithmaitrie, Pruittikorn; Kanjantoe, Jinda; Tandayya, Pichaya

2008-11-01

The objective of this research is to investigate dynamic responses of the piezoelectric Braille cell when it is subjected to both electrical signal and touching force. Physical behavior of the piezoelectric actuator inside the piezoelectric Braille cell is analyzed. The mathematical model of the piezoelectric Braille system is presented. Then, data of visually impaired people using a Braille Note is studied as design information and a reference input for calculation of the piezoelectric Braille response under the touching force. The results show dynamic responses of the piezoelectric Braille cell. The designed piezoelectric bimorph has a settling time of 0.15 second. The relationship between the Braille dot height and applied voltage is linear. The behavior of the piezoelectric Braille dot when it is touched during operation shows that the dot height is decreased as the force increases. The result provides understanding of the piezoelectric Braille cell behavior under both touching force and electrical excitation simultaneously. This is the important issue for the design and development of piezoelectric Braille cells in senses of controlling Braille dot displacement or force-feedback in the future.

The Role of Hand Dominance in Beginning Braille Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Tessa

2009-01-01

In this article, the author examines the role of "hand dominance" in beginning braille readers. "Hand dominance" refers to whether an individual is "right handed" or "left handed." The data for these analyses were taken from the Alphabetic Braille and Contracted Braille Study (ABC Braille Study). The ABC Braille Study was a five-year nonrandomized…

Transferring Standard English Braille Skills to the Unified English Braille Code: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steinman, Bernard A.; Kimbrough, B. T.; Johnson, Franklin; LeJeune, B. J.

2004-01-01

The enormously complex and sometimes controversial project to unify the traditional literary Braille code used in English-speaking countries with the technical and mathematical codes authorized by the Braille Authority of North America (BANA) and the Braille Authority of the United Kingdom (BAUK) proposes to change English Grade Two Braille on a…

The Cortical Network for Braille Writing in the Blind.

PubMed

Likova, Lora T; Tyler, Christopher W; Cacciamani, Laura; Mineff, Kristyo; Nicholas, Spero

2016-01-01

Fundamental forms of high-order cognition, such as reading and writing, are usually studied in the context of one modality - vision. People without sight, however, use the kinesthetic-based Braille writing, and haptic-based Braille reading. We asked whether the cognitive and motor control mechanisms underlying writing and reading are modality-specific or supramodal. While a number of previous functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) studies have investigated the brain network for Braille reading in the blind, such studies on Braille writing are lacking. Consequently, no comparative network analysis of Braille writing vs. reading exists. Here, we report the first study of Braille writing, and a comparison of the brain organization for Braille writing vs Braille reading. FMRI was conducted in a Siemens 3T Trio scanner. Our custom MRI-compatible drawing/writing lectern was further modified to provide for Braille reading and writing. Each of five paragraphs of novel Braille text describing objects, faces and navigation sequences was read, then reproduced twice by Braille writing from memory, then read a second time. During Braille reading, the haptic-sensing of the Braille letters strongly activated not only the early visual area V1 and V2, but some highly specialized areas, such as the classical visual grapheme area and the Exner motor grapheme area. Braille-writing-from-memory, engaged a significantly more extensive network in dorsal motor, somatosensory/kinesthetic, dorsal parietal and prefrontal cortex. However, in contrast to the largely extended V1 activation in drawing-from-memory in the blind after training (Likova, 2012), Braille writing from memory generated focal activation restricted to the most foveal part of V1, presumably reflecting topographically the focal demands of such a "pin-pricking" task.

The Cortical Network for Braille Writing in the Blind

PubMed Central

Likova, Lora T.; Tyler, Christopher W.; Cacciamani, Laura; Mineff, Kristyo; Nicholas, Spero

2017-01-01

Fundamental forms of high-order cognition, such as reading and writing, are usually studied in the context of one modality - vision. People without sight, however, use the kinesthetic-based Braille writing, and haptic-based Braille reading. We asked whether the cognitive and motor control mechanisms underlying writing and reading are modality-specific or supramodal. While a number of previous functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) studies have investigated the brain network for Braille reading in the blind, such studies on Braille writing are lacking. Consequently, no comparative network analysis of Braille writing vs. reading exists. Here, we report the first study of Braille writing, and a comparison of the brain organization for Braille writing vs Braille reading. FMRI was conducted in a Siemens 3T Trio scanner. Our custom MRI-compatible drawing/writing lectern was further modified to provide for Braille reading and writing. Each of five paragraphs of novel Braille text describing objects, faces and navigation sequences was read, then reproduced twice by Braille writing from memory, then read a second time. During Braille reading, the haptic-sensing of the Braille letters strongly activated not only the early visual area V1 and V2, but some highly specialized areas, such as the classical visual grapheme area and the Exner motor grapheme area. Braille-writing-from-memory, engaged a significantly more extensive network in dorsal motor, somatosensory/kinesthetic, dorsal parietal and prefrontal cortex. However, in contrast to the largely extended V1 activation in drawing-from-memory in the blind after training (Likova, 2012), Braille writing from memory generated focal activation restricted to the most foveal part of V1, presumably reflecting topographically the focal demands of such a “pin-pricking” task. PMID:28890944

Size and modality effects in Braille learning: Implications for the blind child from pre-reading sighted children.

PubMed

Barlow-Brown, Fiona; Barker, Christopher; Harris, Margaret

2018-06-17

Beginning readers are typically introduced to enlarged print, and the size of this print decreases as readers become more fluent. In comparison, beginning blind readers are expected to learn standard-sized Braille from the outset because past research suggests letter knowledge cannot be transferred across different sizes of Braille. The study aims to investigate whether learning Braille using an oversized pegboard leads to faster, transferable, letter learning and whether performance is mediated by either tactile or visual learning. Sixty-eight children participated in the study. All children were sighted pre-readers with no previous knowledge of Braille. The children came from two nursery schools with an average age of 47.8 months. Children were taught specific Braille letters using either an enlarged pegboard or standard Braille. Two other groups of children were taught using visually presented Braille characters in either an enlarged or standard size and a further control group mirrored the experience of blind children in receiving non-specific tactile training prior to being introduced to Braille. In all tactile conditions it was ensured that the children did not visually experience any Braille for the duration of the study. Results demonstrated that initially training children with large Braille tactually led to the best subsequent learning of standard Braille. Despite the fact that both initial visual and large tactual learning were significantly faster than learning standard Braille, when transferring letter knowledge to standard tactile Braille, previous tactile experience with the large pegboard offered the most efficient route. Braille letter knowledge can be transferred across size and modality particularly effectively with large tactile Braille. This has significant implications for the education of blind children. © 2018 The British Psychological Society.

Learning to Write in Braille: An Analysis of Writing Samples from Participants in the Alphabetic Braille and Contracted (ABC) Braille Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erin, Jane N.; Wright, Tessa S.

2011-01-01

This article reports the results of data from 114 writing samples of 39 children who read braille and who were included in the Alphabetic Braille and Contracted Braille (ABC) Study between 2002 and 2005. Writing characteristics, miscues, and composition characteristics are analyzed, and two case studies are included. (Contains 1 box and 2 tables.)

Analysis of Phonemes, Graphemes, Onset-Rimes, and Words with Braille-Learning Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, Shauna; Elliott, Robert T.

2007-01-01

Six primary school-aged braille students were taught to name 4 to 10 braille letters as phonemes and another 4 to 10 braille letters as graphemes (Study 1). They were then taught to name 10 braille words as onset-rimes and another 10 braille words as whole words (Study 2). Instruction in phonemes and onset rimes resulted in fewer trials and a…

Solving the shrinkage-induced PDMS alignment registration issue in multilayer soft lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moraes, Christopher; Sun, Yu; Simmons, Craig A.

2009-06-01

Shrinkage of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) complicates alignment registration between layers during multilayer soft lithography fabrication. This often hinders the development of large-scale microfabricated arrayed devices. Here we report a rapid method to construct large-area, multilayered devices with stringent alignment requirements. This technique, which exploits a previously unrecognized aspect of sandwich mold fabrication, improves device yield, enables highly accurate alignment over large areas of multilayered devices and does not require strict regulation of fabrication conditions or extensive calibration processes. To demonstrate this technique, a microfabricated Braille display was developed and characterized. High device yield and accurate alignment within 15 µm were achieved over three layers for an array of 108 Braille units spread over a 6.5 cm2 area, demonstrating the fabrication of well-aligned devices with greater ease and efficiency than previously possible.

Raster Scan Computer Image Generation (CIG) System Based On Refresh Memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dichter, W.; Doris, K.; Conkling, C.

1982-06-01

A full color, Computer Image Generation (CIG) raster visual system has been developed which provides a high level of training sophistication by utilizing advanced semiconductor technology and innovative hardware and firmware techniques. Double buffered refresh memory and efficient algorithms eliminate the problem of conventional raster line ordering by allowing the generated image to be stored in a random fashion. Modular design techniques and simplified architecture provide significant advantages in reduced system cost, standardization of parts, and high reliability. The major system components are a general purpose computer to perform interfacing and data base functions; a geometric processor to define the instantaneous scene image; a display generator to convert the image to a video signal; an illumination control unit which provides final image processing; and a CRT monitor for display of the completed image. Additional optional enhancements include texture generators, increased edge and occultation capability, curved surface shading, and data base extensions.

Teaching Early Braille Literacy Skills within a Stimulus Equivalence Paradigm to Children with Degenerative Visual Impairments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toussaint, Karen A.; Tiger, Jeffrey H.

2010-01-01

Despite the need for braille literacy, there has been little attempt to systematically evaluate braille-instruction programs. The current study evaluated an instructive procedure for teaching early braille-reading skills with 4 school-aged children with degenerative visual impairments. Following a series of pretests, braille instruction involved…

Teaching Braille Letters, Numerals, Punctuation, and Contractions to Sighted Individuals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Putnam, Brittany C.; Tiger, Jeffrey H.

2015-01-01

Braille-character recognition is one of the foundational skills required for teachers of braille. Prior research has evaluated computer programming for teaching braille-to-print letter relations (e.g., Scheithauer & Tiger, 2012). In the current study, we developed a program (the Visual Braille Trainer) to teach not only letters but also…

TEACHING EARLY BRAILLE LITERACY SKILLS WITHIN A STIMULUS EQUIVALENCE PARADIGM TO CHILDREN WITH DEGENERATIVE VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS

PubMed Central

Toussaint, Karen A; Tiger, Jeffrey H

2010-01-01

Despite the need for braille literacy, there has been little attempt to systematically evaluate braille-instruction programs. The current study evaluated an instructive procedure for teaching early braille-reading skills with 4 school-aged children with degenerative visual impairments. Following a series of pretests, braille instruction involved providing a sample braille letter and teaching the selection of the corresponding printed letter from a comparison array. Concomitant with increases in the accuracy of this skill, we assessed and captured the formation of equivalence classes through tests of symmetry and transitivity among the printed letters, the corresponding braille letters, and their spoken names. PMID:21119894

Teaching early braille literacy skills within a stimulus equivalence paradigm to children with degenerative visual impairments.

PubMed

Toussaint, Karen A; Tiger, Jeffrey H

2010-01-01

Despite the need for braille literacy, there has been little attempt to systematically evaluate braille-instruction programs. The current study evaluated an instructive procedure for teaching early braille-reading skills with 4 school-aged children with degenerative visual impairments. Following a series of pretests, braille instruction involved providing a sample braille letter and teaching the selection of the corresponding printed letter from a comparison array. Concomitant with increases in the accuracy of this skill, we assessed and captured the formation of equivalence classes through tests of symmetry and transitivity among the printed letters, the corresponding braille letters, and their spoken names.

Conference on New Processes for Braille Manufacture (Ramada Inn, Boston, Massachusetts, May 18-19, 1967).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge. Sensory Aids Evaluation and Development Center.

Proceedings from a conference on braille production and services are summarized. Only equipment which is ready for use is considered. Specific methods of producing braille discussed include the following: use of plates from a stereograph, computer line printer, braille embossers or braille writers, continuous strip embossed tape from a teletype…

Teaching Adults to Read Braille Using Phonological Methods: Single-Case Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, Shauna; Elliott, Robert T.

2009-01-01

Four women with visual impairments were taught 13 braille letters as phonemes and another 13 braille letters as graphemes and then were taught 10 braille words as onset-rime and another 10 braille words as whole words. Phoneme and onset-rime instruction resulted in faster and more accurate performance. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)

Hand Movements and Braille Reading Efficiency: Data from the Alphabetic Braille and Contracted Braille Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Tessa; Wormsley, Diane P.; Kamei-Hannan, Cheryl

2009-01-01

Using a subset of data from the Alphabetic Braille and Contracted Braille Study, researchers analyzed the patterns and characteristics of hand movements as predictors of reading performance. Statistically significant differences were found between one- and two-handed readers and between patterns of hand movements and reading rates. (Contains 6…

Social Experiences of Beginning Braille Readers in Literacy Activities: Qualitative and Quantitative Findings of the ABC Braille Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sacks, Sharon Z.; Kamei-Hannan, Cheryl; Erin, Jane N.; Barclay, Lizbeth; Sitar, Debbie

2009-01-01

This mixed-design investigation examined the social experiences of beginning braille readers who were initially taught contracted or alphabetic braille in literacy activities as part of the ABC Braille Study. No differences in the quality or quantity of social experiences were found between the two groups over time. (Contains 4 tables.)

Instruction in Specialized Braille Codes, Abacus, and Tactile Graphics at Universities in the United States and Canada

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenblum, L. Penny; Smith, Derrick

2012-01-01

Introduction: This study gathered data on methods and materials that are used to teach the Nemeth braille code, computer braille, foreign-language braille, and music braille in 26 university programs in the United States and Canada that prepare teachers of students with visual impairments. Information about instruction in the abacus and the…

The Invisible Universe: A Tactile and Braille Exhibit of Astronomical Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arcand, Kimberly; Lestition, K.; Watzke, M.; Steel, S.

2010-01-01

As part of the "From Earth to the Universe" (FETTU) project, a NASA-funded tactile exhibit for the visually impaired community was launched in July 2009 at the Martin Luther King Library in D.C. The exhibit is part of the global FETTU exhibit, a project of the International Year of Astronomy 2009. The science content of the exhibit includes explanations of our Sun, Eta Carinae, Crab Nebula, Whirlpool Galaxy, and the electromagnetic spectrum, and was adapted from the NASA-funded Braille/tactile book Touch the Invisible Sky. Multiple geographic locations and venue types have been targeted for the displays. The FETTU-tactile exhibit opens a wider door to experiencing and understanding astronomy, bridging a gap in learning. This exhibit is based upon work supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under proposal 08-EPO08-0068 issued through the Science Mission Directorate.

Teaching braille letters, numerals, punctuation, and contractions to sighted individuals.

PubMed

Putnam, Brittany C; Tiger, Jeffrey H

2015-01-01

Braille-character recognition is one of the foundational skills required for teachers of braille. Prior research has evaluated computer programming for teaching braille-to-print letter relations (e.g., Scheithauer & Tiger, 2012). In the current study, we developed a program (the Visual Braille Trainer) to teach not only letters but also numerals, punctuation, symbols, and contractions; we evaluated this program with 4 sighted undergraduate participants. Exposure to this program resulted in mastery of all braille-to-print relations for each participant. © Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Assessing generative braille responding following training in a matching-to-sample format.

PubMed

Putnam, Brittany C; Tiger, Jeffrey H

2016-12-01

We evaluated the effects of teaching sighted college students to select printed text letters given a braille sample stimulus in a matching-to-sample (MTS) format on the emergence of untrained (a) construction of print characters given braille samples, (b) construction of braille characters given print samples, (c) transcription of print characters given braille sample sentences, and (d) vocal reading given braille sample passages. The results demonstrated the generative development of these repertoires given MTS instruction. © 2016 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Coping Strategies in Reading: Multi-Readers in the Norwegian General Education System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vik, Astrid Kristin; Fellenius, Kerstin

2007-01-01

Six primary school-aged braille students were taught to name 4 to 10 braille letters as phonemes and another 4 to 10 braille letters as graphemes (Study 1). They were then taught to name 10 braille words as onset-rimes and another 10 braille words as whole words (Study 2). Instruction in phonemes and onset rimes resulted in fewer trials and a…

Unified English Braille in the United Kingdom: Part 1--Examination by Technical Expert Braille Users

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cryer, Heather; Home, Sarah; Morley Wilkins, Sarah

2013-01-01

The Unified English Braille (UEB) code has already been adopted by various countries. To inform the decision about UK adoption, a suite of research was carried out with UK braille readers and other stakeholders. Previous research indicates that readers of technical braille codes may be most affected by a move to UEB. In this study, six technical…

Using a high-speed movie camera to evaluate slice dropping in clinical image interpretation with stack mode viewers.

PubMed

Yakami, Masahiro; Yamamoto, Akira; Yanagisawa, Morio; Sekiguchi, Hiroyuki; Kubo, Takeshi; Togashi, Kaori

2013-06-01

The purpose of this study is to verify objectively the rate of slice omission during paging on picture archiving and communication system (PACS) viewers by recording the images shown on the computer displays of these viewers with a high-speed movie camera. This study was approved by the institutional review board. A sequential number from 1 to 250 was superimposed on each slice of a series of clinical Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) data. The slices were displayed using several DICOM viewers, including in-house developed freeware and clinical PACS viewers. The freeware viewer and one of the clinical PACS viewers included functions to prevent slice dropping. The series was displayed in stack mode and paged in both automatic and manual paging modes. The display was recorded with a high-speed movie camera and played back at a slow speed to check whether slices were dropped. The paging speeds were also measured. With a paging speed faster than half the refresh rate of the display, some viewers dropped up to 52.4 % of the slices, while other well-designed viewers did not, if used with the correct settings. Slice dropping during paging was objectively confirmed using a high-speed movie camera. To prevent slice dropping, the viewer must be specially designed for the purpose and must be used with the correct settings, or the paging speed must be slower than half of the display refresh rate.

Polyester non-woven fabric finger cover as a TRUCT Braille reading assistance tool for Braille learners.

PubMed

Doi, Kouki; Fujimoto, Hiroshi

2007-11-01

Transparent resinous ultraviolet-curing type (TRUCT) Braille signs are becoming more and more popular in Japan, especially when they are printed together with visual characters. These signs are made by screen printing, a technique that can be applied to various base materials, such as paper, metal, and plastic. TRUCT Braille signs have begun to be used in public facilities, such as on tactile maps and on handrails. Naturally, it is expected that Braille beginners will utilize these signs. However, it has been pointed out that the friction between the forefinger and the base material may affect reading accuracy and speed. In this study, we developed a finger cover made of soft, thin polyester non-woven fabric to reduce friction during Braille reading. We also carried out a study to investigate the effect of its use. The subjects were 12 Braille learners with acquired visual impairment, who were asked to read randomly selected characters with and without the finger cover. The results showed that most participants could read TRUCT Braille significantly faster and more accurately with a finger cover than without it, regardless of the base material and dot height. This result suggests that wearing the finger cover enables Braille learners to read TRUCT Braille more efficiently. The finger cover can be used as a Braille reading assistance tool for Braille learners. An additional, health-related advantage of the finger cover is that the forefinger remains clean. We expect that the finger cover will be in practical use in Japan within 1 or 2 years.

[Louis Braille (1809-1852)--inventor of raised dots system].

PubMed

Maciejewicz, Piotr; Kopacz, Dorota

2005-01-01

Louis Braille was born on January 4th 1809 in Coupvray, France. An injury to his eye at the age of three, resulted in total loss of vision. In 1819 he entered the Institute for Blind Youth in Paris. There he would live, study, and later teach. When he was fifteen, he developed system of reading and writing by means of raised dots, which is known today as Braille. The basis of the Braille system is known as a Braille cell. The cell is comprised of six dots numbered in a specific order. Each dot or combination of dots represents a letter of the alphabet. This Braille system has established itself internationally and formed the basic Braille for all languages.

Reproductive and Hormonal Risk Factors for Breast Cancer in Blind Women

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

advertisements or interviews in Braille Forum, Braille Monitor, radio reading services and several hundred associations and institutions for the...recruitment rate that we expected. We estimate that our advertising in Braille Forum and Braille Monitor reached approximately 40,000 visually...survey was provided in a variety of formats including Braille , large print, audio, via the internet, e-mail or verbally over the telephone. The web-based

Biography of louis braille and invention of the braille alphabet.

PubMed

Jiménez, Javier; Olea, Jesús; Torres, Jesús; Alonso, Inmaculada; Harder, Dirk; Fischer, Konstanze

2009-01-01

Louis Braille (1809-1852) was born in France. At the age of three, he wounded his right eye with a cobbler's tool while playing in his father's workshop. No medical knowledge could save his eyesight at that time. Louis's left eye became inflamed, apparently due to subsequent sympathetic ophthalmia, and he eventually lost the sight in that eye. At the age of five, Louis Braille was completely blind. He is considered to be the inventor of a writing system by touch that bears his name, the Braille system. This revolutionary system has allowed blind people to access written culture, and it can therefore be considered a major advance in the quality of life for the blind. The immediate precursor of the invention of the Braille system was the alphabet created by Charles Barbier de la Serre (1767-1841) who created a language by touch designed for military and secret use. Louis Braille modified this alphabet into the Braille alphabet, which is practically the same one that is currently used. It required time to be recognized and to be implemented as a reading and writing method for blind people throughout the world. In 1950, UNESCO effectively universalized the Braille alphabet, and in 2005 it recognized Braille system as a "vital language of communication, as legitimate as all other languages in the world."

Sharpen Your Skills: Mathematics and Science Braille.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eulert, Von E.; Cohn, Doris

1984-01-01

Three articles about mathematics and science braille are provided for braille transcribers and teachers of the visually handicapped. The first article discusses common problems such as setting braille writers incorrectly, duplicating transcribed materials unnecessarily, and incorrectly transcribing from typescript. The second article provides a…

Design of a Braille Learning Application for Visually Impaired Students in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Nahar, Lutfun; Jaafar, Azizah; Ahamed, Eistiak; Kaish, A B M A

2015-01-01

Visually impaired students (VIS) are unable to get visual information, which has made their learning process complicated. This paper discusses the overall situation of VIS in Bangladesh and identifies major challenges that they are facing in getting education. The Braille system is followed to educate blind students in Bangladesh. However, lack of Braille based educational resources and technological solutions have made the learning process lengthy and complicated for VIS. As a developing country, Bangladesh cannot afford for the costly Braille related technological tools for VIS. Therefore, a mobile phone based Braille application, "mBRAILLE", for Android platform is designed to provide an easy Braille learning technology for VIS in Bangladesh. The proposed design is evaluated by experts in assistive technology for students with disabilities, and advanced learners of Braille. The application aims to provide a Bangla and English Braille learning platform for VIS. In this paper, we depict iterative (participatory) design of the application along with a preliminary evaluation with 5 blind subjects, and 1 sighted and 2 blind experts. The results show that the design scored an overall satisfaction level of 4.53 out of 5 by all respondents, indicating that our design is ready for the next step of development.

BrailleEasy: One-handed Braille Keyboard for Smartphones.

PubMed

Šepić, Barbara; Ghanem, Abdurrahman; Vogel, Stephan

2015-01-01

The evolution of mobile technology is moving at a very fast pace. Smartphones are currently considered a primary communication platform where people exchange voice calls, text messages and emails. The human-smartphone interaction, however, is generally optimized for sighted people through the use of visual cues on the touchscreen, e.g., typing text by tapping on a visual keyboard. Unfortunately, this interaction scheme renders smartphone technology largely inaccessible to visually impaired people as it results in slow typing and higher error rates. Apple and some third party applications provide solutions specific to blind people which enables them to use Braille on smartphones. These applications usually require both hands for typing. However, Brailling with both hands while holding the phone is not very comfortable. Furthermore, two-handed Brailling is not possible on smartwatches, which will be used more pervasively in the future. Therefore, we develop a platform for one-handed Brailing consisting of a custom keyboard called BrailleEasy to input Arabic or English Braille codes within any application, and a BrailleTutor application for practicing. Our platform currently supports Braille grade 1, and will be extended to support contractions, spelling correction, and more languages. Preliminary analysis of user studies for blind participants showed that after less than two hours of practice, participants were able to type significantly faster with the BrailleEasy keyboard than with the standard QWERTY keyboard.

Braille use among Norwegian children from 1967 to 2007: trends in the underlying causes.

PubMed

Augestad, Liv Berit; Klingenberg, Oliv; Fosse, Per

2012-08-01

The aim of the study was to estimate the occurrence, diagnoses and time trends among Norwegian children that have received education in braille from 1967 to 2007. We used a retrospective population-based study design. The health care system is free for all inhabitants in Norway. We included all children that had received braille education the last four decades. From each student's record, we abstracted year born, country of birth, gender, year diagnosed, diagnosis, classification of visual impairment and type of reading media. We identified 287 children (137 girls and 150 boys) that had received braille education over the last 40 years. Of these, 262 (91.3%) children were born in Norway, 145 (53.7%) were diagnosed within the first year of life and 59 (20.6%) from age of one to five. The most frequent diagnoses were Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), Juvenile Ceroid Lipofuscinoses (JNCL), Lebers Congenital Amaurosis (LCA) and Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). Among the children, 63% (N = 170) used braille only, 9% (N = 25) braille and print, but priority braille, and 27% (N = 73) braille and print, priority print. The number of children with ROP using braille had a peak in 1977, then the number declined. The number diagnosed with LCA increased from 1987 to 1992. The number of braille users among children diagnosed with JNCL tended to increase substantially after 1992. Braille education seemed to be dependent of trends in diagnoses as well as trends in recommendations from professional educators. © 2011 The Authors. Acta Ophthalmologica © 2011 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation.

Paperless Braille Reading: A Preliminary Research Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bourgeois, M.; Ashcroft, S. C.

The study involving three blind elementary school, six blind high school, and four blind college students was designed to establish oral reading rates and oral reading error rates for Ss reading conventional braille volumes and brailled materials with the Digi-cassette, an electronic braille reading and writing machine. Data suggested several…

Analysis of prosody in finger braille using electromyography.

PubMed

Miyagi, Manabi; Nishida, Masafumi; Horiuchi, Yasuo; Ichikawa, Akira

2006-01-01

Finger braille is one of the communication methods for the deaf blind. The interpreter types braille codes on the fingers of deaf blind. Finger braille seems to be the most suitable medium for real-time communication by its speed and accuracy of transmitting characters. We hypothesize that the prosody information exists in the time structure and strength of finger braille typing. Prosody is the paralinguistic information that has functions to transmit the sentence structure, prominence, emotions and other form of information in real time communication. In this study, we measured the surface electromyography (sEMG) of finger movement to analyze the typing strength of finger braille. We found that the typing strength increases at the beginning of a phrase and a prominent phrase. The result shows the possibility that the prosody in the typing strength of finger braille can be applied to create an interpreter system for the deafblind.

Teaching Identity Matching of Braille Characters to Beginning Braille Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toussaint, Karen A.; Scheithauer, Mindy C.; Tiger, Jeffrey H.; Saunders, Kathryn J.

2017-01-01

We taught three children with visual impairments to make tactile discriminations of the braille alphabet within a matching-to-sample format. That is, we presented participants with a braille character as a sample stimulus, and they selected the matching stimulus from a three-comparison array. In order to minimize participant errors, we initially…

Effective Teaching Strategies: Case Studies from the Alphabetic Braille and Contracted Braille Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barclay, Lizbeth; Herlich, Stephanie A.; Sacks, Sharon Zell

2010-01-01

This article discusses some of the qualitative data that were documented during the Alphabetic Braille and Contracted Braille Study. Two case studies of students are described, highlighting many effective teaching strategies used by their teachers of students with visual impairments that resulted in the students' successful academic progress.…

A History of Instructional Methods in Uncontracted and Contracted Braille

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Andrea, Frances Mary

2009-01-01

This literature review outlines the history of the braille code as used in the United States and Canada, illustrating how both the code itself and instructional strategies for teaching it changed over time. The review sets the stage for the research questions of the recently completed Alphabetic Braille and Contracted Braille Study.

The Use of Final-Letter Braille Contractions: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tallon, Emily M.; Herzberg, Tina S.

2013-01-01

Louis Braille developed a six-dot braille code in the early 1800s, thus creating an effective way for persons who are visually impaired to communicate through reading and writing (Holbrook, D'Andrea, & Sanford, 2011). Students with visual impairments require braille instruction from teachers of students with visual impairments, who are responsible…

Collaborative Research: The Alphabetic Braille and Contracted Braille Study as an Example of Collaborative Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wormsley, Diane P.; Emerson, Robert Wall; Erin, Jane

2011-01-01

This article examines the Alphabetic Braille Contracted Braille Study in relation to the dimensions of collaborative research: extent, intensity, substance, heterogeneity, velocity, formality, and productivity. It also discusses the dimensions of financing research and researchers' attitudes. The overall consensus is that the study would not have…

A Cognitive Approach to Brailling Errors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wells-Jensen, Sheri; Schwartz, Aaron; Gosche, Bradley

2007-01-01

This article analyzes a corpus of 1,600 brailling errors made by one expert braillist. It presents a testable model of braille writing and shows that the subject braillist stores standard braille contractions as part of the orthographic representation of words, rather than imposing contractions on a serially ordered string of letters. (Contains 1…

Behavioural and electrophysiological effects related to semantic violations during braille reading.

PubMed

Glyn, Vania; Lim, Vanessa K; Hamm, Jeff P; Mathur, Ashwin; Hughes, Barry

2015-10-01

This study investigated the potential to detect event related potentials (ERPs) occurring in response to a specific task in braille reading. This would expand current methodologies for studying the cognitive processes underlying braille reading. An N400 effect paradigm was utilised, whereby proficient blind braille readers read congruent- and incongruent-ending braille sentences. Kinematic and electroencephalography (EEG) data were obtained simultaneously and synchronised. The ERPs differed between the incongruent and congruent sentences in a manner consistent with the N400 effect found with a previous sighted reading paradigm, demonstrating that ERPs can be obtained during braille reading. The frequency of finger reversals and the degree of intermittency in the finger velocity were significantly higher when reading incongruent versus congruent sentence endings. Both reversals and the potential N400 effect may reflect processes involved in semantic unification. These findings have significant implications for the modelling of braille reading. The refinement of the technique will enable other ERPs to be identified and related to behavioural responses, to further our understanding of the braille reading process. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of a character, line and point display system. [for medical records

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Owen, E. W.

1977-01-01

A compact graphics terminal for use as the input to a computerized medical records system is described. The principal mode of communication between the terminal and the records system is by checklists and menu selection. However, the terminal accepts short, handwritten messages as well as conventional alphanumeric input. The terminal consists of an electronic tablet, a display, a microcomputer controller, a character generator, and a refresh memory for the display. An Intel SBC 80/10 microcomputer controls the flow of information and a 16 kilobyte memory stores the point-by-point array of information to be displayed. A specially designed interface continuously generates the raster display without the intervention of the microcomputer.

Six Sensational Dots: Braille Literacy for Sighted Classmates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swenson, Anna M.; Cozart, Nancy

2010-01-01

From the moment sighted children see their first dot, teachers find that they are fascinated by the braille code. If they are fortunate enough to have a classmate who reads braille, they have daily opportunities to observe braille used for a variety of purposes, from reading chapter books to solving problems with tactile graphics. Teachers of…

Immediate Memory for Haptically-Examined Braille Symbols by Blind and Sighted Subjects.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newman, Slater E.; And Others

The paper reports on two experiments in Braille learning which compared blind and sighted subjects on the immediate recall of haptically-examined Braille symbols. In the first study, sighted subjects (N=64) haptically examined each of a set of Braille symbols with their preferred or nonpreferred hand and immediately recalled the symbol by drawing…

Proposing a Web-Based Tutorial System to Teach Malay Language Braille Code to the Sighted

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wah, Lee Lay; Keong, Foo Kok

2010-01-01

The "e-KodBrailleBM Tutorial System" is a web-based tutorial system which is specially designed to teach, facilitate and support the learning of Malay Language Braille Code to individuals who are sighted. The targeted group includes special education teachers, pre-service teachers, and parents. Learning Braille code involves memorisation…

Focus Group Research on the Implications of Adopting the Unified English Braille Code

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wetzel, Robin; Knowlton, Marie

2006-01-01

Five focus groups explored concerns about adopting the Unified English Braille Code. The consensus was that while the proposed changes to the literary braille code would be minor, those to the mathematics braille code would be much more extensive. The participants emphasized that "any code that reduces the number of individuals who can access…

Acquisition of Literacy Skills by Young Children Who Are Blind: Results from the ABC Braille Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emerson, Robert Wall; Holbrook, M. Cay; D'Andrea, Frances Mary

2009-01-01

The Alphabetic Braille and Contracted Braille Study examined the reading and writing skills of young braille-reading students. Students who were introduced to more contractions earlier in instruction performed better on reading measures, such as vocabulary, decoding, and comprehension, but all students did well in spelling. Thus, the authors…

Braille: The Key to the Emancipation of the Blind. Literacy Lessons.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elissalde, Enrique

Midway through this century, Braille was placed within the reach of blind persons throughout the world when Unesco began the major task of adapting Braille to accommodate all languages and dialects. Invented in France between 1825 and 1829, Braille's role as the key to the cultural emancipation of the blind had previously been limited to countries…

Assessing Generative Braille Responding Following Training in a Matching-to-Sample Format

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Putnam, Brittany C.; Tiger, Jeffrey H.

2016-01-01

We evaluated the effects of teaching sighted college students to select printed text letters given a braille sample stimulus in a matching-to-sample (MTS) format on the emergence of untrained (a) construction of print characters given braille samples, (b) construction of braille characters given print samples, (c) transcription of print characters…

Teaching Literacy through Braille in Mainstream Settings whilst Promoting Inclusion: Reflections on Our Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roe, Joao; Rogers, Sue; Donaldson, Marion; Gordon, Clare; Meager, Nathan

2014-01-01

We would describe teaching literacy through braille as one of the most rewarding and challenging aspects of the role of a Qualified Teacher for the Visually Impaired (QTVI). This article focuses on teaching literacy through braille in mainstream settings whilst promoting inclusion and meeting the social-emotional needs of children who use braille.…

Oral Braille Reading Decoding Strategies of Middle School Students Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nannemann, Allison C.; Bruce, Susan M.; Hussey, Colleen; Vercollone, Becky S.; McCarthy, Mary

2017-01-01

Students who are visually impaired may face unique literacy challenges as they learn to read and write braille. One such challenge relates to slower reading speeds for students who read braille as compared to those who read print. In addition to learning letters, sounds, grammar, and spelling, braille readers must learn contractions and…

The Unified English Braille Code: Examination by Science, Mathematics, and Computer Science Technical Expert Braille Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holbrook, M. Cay; MacCuspie, P. Ann

2010-01-01

Braille-reading mathematicians, scientists, and computer scientists were asked to examine the usability of the Unified English Braille Code (UEB) for technical materials. They had little knowledge of the code prior to the study. The research included two reading tasks, a short tutorial about UEB, and a focus group. The results indicated that the…

Relationship between sensibility and ability to read braille in diabetics.

PubMed

Nakada, M; Dellon, A L

1989-01-01

Twenty-five vision-impaired diabetics received an evaluation of sensibility. Each subject had received 2 years of instruction in braille reading at the Konan Rehabilitation Center prior to the sensibility testing. Sensibility evaluation consisted of cutaneous pressure threshold measurements with the Semmes-Weinstein monofilament and evaluation of moving and static two-point discrimination with Disk-Criminator. The ability to read braille was graded by the braille-teaching instructors as good, fair, and unable. The results of the evaluation of sensibility demonstrated that the value of the cutaneous pressure threshold did not correlate with the ability to read braille. Moving and static two-point discrimination were found to correlate highly (P less than .001) with the ability to read braille at a level of fair or good. No patient in this study with a moving two-point discrimination value of 4 or more or a static two-point discrimination value of 5 or more was able to read braille even at the fair level of ability.

A computer-based program to teach braille reading to sighted individuals.

PubMed

Scheithauer, Mindy C; Tiger, Jeffrey H

2012-01-01

Instructors of the visually impaired need efficient braille-training methods. This study conducted a preliminary evaluation of a computer-based program intended to teach the relation between braille characters and English letters using a matching-to-sample format with 4 sighted college students. Each participant mastered matching visual depictions of the braille alphabet to their printed-word counterparts. Further, each participant increased the number of words they read in a braille passage following this training. These gains were maintained at variable levels on a maintenance probe conducted 2 to 4 weeks after training.

Alexia for Braille following bilateral occipital stroke in an early blind woman.

PubMed

Hamilton, R; Keenan, J P; Catala, M; Pascual-Leone, A

2000-02-07

Recent functional imaging and neurophysiologic studies indicate that the occipital cortex may play a role in Braille reading in congenitally and early blind subjects. We report on a woman blind from birth who sustained bilateral occipital damage following an ischemic stroke. Prior to the stroke, the patient was a proficient Braille reader. Following the stroke, she was no longer able to read Braille yet her somatosensory perception appeared otherwise to be unchanged. This case supports the emerging evidence for the recruitment of striate and prestriate cortex for Braille reading in early blind subjects.

A COMPUTER-BASED PROGRAM TO TEACH BRAILLE READING TO SIGHTED INDIVIDUALS

PubMed Central

Scheithauer, Mindy C; Tiger, Jeffrey H

2012-01-01

Instructors of the visually impaired need efficient braille-training methods. This study conducted a preliminary evaluation of a computer-based program intended to teach the relation between braille characters and English letters using a matching-to-sample format with 4 sighted college students. Each participant mastered matching visual depictions of the braille alphabet to their printed-word counterparts. Further, each participant increased the number of words they read in a braille passage following this training. These gains were maintained at variable levels on a maintenance probe conducted 2 to 4 weeks after training. PMID:22844139

How a Braille Contest Serendipitously Accelerated the Use of Digital Audio Players

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niebrugge, Nancy

2012-01-01

When Braille Institute in Los Angeles conceived The Braille Challenge contest more than a decade ago, the goal was to create an innovative way to promote braille literacy. Now that more than 4,500 students over the last 12 years from across the United States and Canada have chosen to participate in The Challenge, it is safe to say that it has been…

Braille in the Sighted: Teaching Tactile Reading to Sighted Adults.

PubMed

Bola, Łukasz; Siuda-Krzywicka, Katarzyna; Paplińska, Małgorzata; Sumera, Ewa; Hańczur, Paweł; Szwed, Marcin

2016-01-01

Blind people are known to have superior perceptual abilities in their remaining senses. Several studies suggest that these enhancements are dependent on the specific experience of blind individuals, who use those remaining senses more than sighted subjects. In line with this view, sighted subjects, when trained, are able to significantly progress in relatively simple tactile tasks. However, the case of complex tactile tasks is less obvious, as some studies suggest that visual deprivation itself could confer large advantages in learning them. It remains unclear to what extent those complex skills, such as braille reading, can be learnt by sighted subjects. Here we enrolled twenty-nine sighted adults, mostly braille teachers and educators, in a 9-month braille reading course. At the beginning of the course, all subjects were naive in tactile braille reading. After the course, almost all were able to read whole braille words at a mean speed of 6 words-per-minute. Subjects with low tactile acuity did not differ significantly in braille reading speed from the rest of the group, indicating that low tactile acuity is not a limiting factor for learning braille, at least at this early stage of learning. Our study shows that most sighted adults can learn whole-word braille reading, given the right method and a considerable amount of motivation. The adult sensorimotor system can thus adapt, to some level, to very complex tactile tasks without visual deprivation. The pace of learning in our group was comparable to congenitally and early blind children learning braille in primary school, which suggests that the blind's mastery of complex tactile tasks can, to a large extent, be explained by experience-dependent mechanisms.

Braille in the Sighted: Teaching Tactile Reading to Sighted Adults

PubMed Central

Bola, Łukasz; Siuda-Krzywicka, Katarzyna; Paplińska, Małgorzata; Sumera, Ewa; Hańczur, Paweł; Szwed, Marcin

2016-01-01

Blind people are known to have superior perceptual abilities in their remaining senses. Several studies suggest that these enhancements are dependent on the specific experience of blind individuals, who use those remaining senses more than sighted subjects. In line with this view, sighted subjects, when trained, are able to significantly progress in relatively simple tactile tasks. However, the case of complex tactile tasks is less obvious, as some studies suggest that visual deprivation itself could confer large advantages in learning them. It remains unclear to what extent those complex skills, such as braille reading, can be learnt by sighted subjects. Here we enrolled twenty-nine sighted adults, mostly braille teachers and educators, in a 9-month braille reading course. At the beginning of the course, all subjects were naive in tactile braille reading. After the course, almost all were able to read whole braille words at a mean speed of 6 words-per-minute. Subjects with low tactile acuity did not differ significantly in braille reading speed from the rest of the group, indicating that low tactile acuity is not a limiting factor for learning braille, at least at this early stage of learning. Our study shows that most sighted adults can learn whole-word braille reading, given the right method and a considerable amount of motivation. The adult sensorimotor system can thus adapt, to some level, to very complex tactile tasks without visual deprivation. The pace of learning in our group was comparable to congenitally and early blind children learning braille in primary school, which suggests that the blind’s mastery of complex tactile tasks can, to a large extent, be explained by experience-dependent mechanisms. PMID:27187496

Parallel versus sequential processing in print and braille reading.

PubMed

Veispak, Anneli; Boets, Bart; Ghesquière, Pol

2012-01-01

In the current study we investigated word, pseudoword and story reading in Dutch speaking braille and print readers. To examine developmental patterns, these reading skills were assessed in both children and adults. The results reveal that braille readers read less accurately and fast than print readers. While item length has no impact on word reading accuracy and speed in the group of print readers, it has a significant impact on reading accuracy and speed in the group of braille readers, particularly in the younger sample. This suggests that braille readers rely more strongly on an enduring sequential reading strategy. Comparison of the different reading tasks suggests that the advantage in accuracy and speed of reading in adult as compared to young braille readers is achieved through semantic top-down processing. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Braille character discrimination in blindfolded human subjects.

PubMed

Kauffman, Thomas; Théoret, Hugo; Pascual-Leone, Alvaro

2002-04-16

Visual deprivation may lead to enhanced performance in other sensory modalities. Whether this is the case in the tactile modality is controversial and may depend upon specific training and experience. We compared the performance of sighted subjects on a Braille character discrimination task to that of normal individuals blindfolded for a period of five days. Some participants in each group (blindfolded and sighted) received intensive Braille training to offset the effects of experience. Blindfolded subjects performed better than sighted subjects in the Braille discrimination task, irrespective of tactile training. For the left index finger, which had not been used in the formal Braille classes, blindfolding had no effect on performance while subjects who underwent tactile training outperformed non-stimulated participants. These results suggest that visual deprivation speeds up Braille learning and may be associated with behaviorally relevant neuroplastic changes.

Neural networks for Braille reading by the blind.

PubMed

Sadato, N; Pascual-Leone, A; Grafman, J; Deiber, M P; Ibañez, V; Hallett, M

1998-07-01

To explore the neural networks used for Braille reading, we measured regional cerebral blood flow with PET during tactile tasks performed both by Braille readers blinded early in life and by sighted subjects. Eight proficient Braille readers were studied during Braille reading with both right and left index fingers. Eight-character, non-contracted Braille-letter strings were used, and subjects were asked to discriminate between words and non-words. To compare the behaviour of the brain of the blind and the sighted directly, non-Braille tactile tasks were performed by six different blind subjects and 10 sighted control subjects using the right index finger. The tasks included a non-discrimination task and three discrimination tasks (angle, width and character). Irrespective of reading finger (right or left), Braille reading by the blind activated the inferior parietal lobule, primary visual cortex, superior occipital gyri, fusiform gyri, ventral premotor area, superior parietal lobule, cerebellum and primary sensorimotor area bilaterally, also the right dorsal premotor cortex, right middle occipital gyrus and right prefrontal area. During non-Braille discrimination tasks, in blind subjects, the ventral occipital regions, including the primary visual cortex and fusiform gyri bilaterally were activated while the secondary somatosensory area was deactivated. The reverse pattern was found in sighted subjects where the secondary somatosensory area was activated while the ventral occipital regions were suppressed. These findings suggest that the tactile processing pathways usually linked in the secondary somatosensory area are rerouted in blind subjects to the ventral occipital cortical regions originally reserved for visual shape discrimination.

Visual cortex activation in late-onset, Braille naive blind individuals: an fMRI study during semantic and phonological tasks with heard words.

PubMed

Burton, Harold; McLaren, Donald G

2006-01-09

Visual cortex activity in the blind has been shown in Braille literate people, which raise the question of whether Braille literacy influences cross-modal reorganization. We used fMRI to examine visual cortex activation during semantic and phonological tasks with auditory presentation of words in two late-onset blind individuals who lacked Braille literacy. Multiple visual cortical regions were activated in the Braille naive individuals. Positive BOLD responses were noted in lower tier visuotopic (e.g., V1, V2, VP, and V3) and several higher tier visual areas (e.g., V4v, V8, and BA 37). Activity was more extensive and cross-correlation magnitudes were greater during the semantic compared to the phonological task. These results with Braille naive individuals plausibly suggest that visual deprivation alone induces visual cortex reorganization. Cross-modal reorganization of lower tier visual areas may be recruited by developing skills in attending to selected non-visual inputs (e.g., Braille literacy, enhanced auditory skills). Such learning might strengthen remote connections with multisensory cortical areas. Of necessity, the Braille naive participants must attend to auditory stimulation for language. We hypothesize that learning to attend to non-visual inputs probably strengthens the remaining active synapses following visual deprivation, and thereby, increases cross-modal activation of lower tier visual areas when performing highly demanding non-visual tasks of which reading Braille is just one example.

Visual cortex activation in late-onset, Braille naive blind individuals: An fMRI study during semantic and phonological tasks with heard words

PubMed Central

Burton, Harold; McLaren, Donald G.

2013-01-01

Visual cortex activity in the blind has been shown in Braille literate people, which raise the question of whether Braille literacy influences cross-modal reorganization. We used fMRI to examine visual cortex activation during semantic and phonological tasks with auditory presentation of words in two late-onset blind individuals who lacked Braille literacy. Multiple visual cortical regions were activated in the Braille naive individuals. Positive BOLD responses were noted in lower tier visuotopic (e.g., V1, V2, VP, and V3) and several higher tier visual areas (e.g., V4v, V8, and BA 37). Activity was more extensive and cross-correlation magnitudes were greater during the semantic compared to the phonological task. These results with Braille naive individuals plausibly suggest that visual deprivation alone induces visual cortex reorganization. Cross-modal reorganization of lower tier visual areas may be recruited by developing skills in attending to selected non-visual inputs (e.g., Braille literacy, enhanced auditory skills). Such learning might strengthen remote connections with multisensory cortical areas. Of necessity, the Braille naive participants must attend to auditory stimulation for language. We hypothesize that learning to attend to non-visual inputs probably strengthens the remaining active synapses following visual deprivation, and thereby, increases cross-modal activation of lower tier visual areas when performing highly demanding non-visual tasks of which reading Braille is just one example. PMID:16198053

Relationship between the changes in blood flow and volume in the finger during a Braille character discrimination task.

PubMed

Murata, J; Murata, S; Soma, M; Nakae, H; Sato, Y; Kogo, H; Umeki, N

2017-11-01

We hypothesized that skin blood flow (SBF) of fingers are modulated during concentrated finger perception and that the changes in SBF reflect fluctuations in finger volume (FV). The aim of this study, therefore, was examine the relationship between the changes in SBF and FV during Braille reading. We measured SBF of the finger, cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC), FV, and arterial blood pressure during Braille reading performed under blind conditions in thirty healthy subjects. The subjects were instructed to read a flat plate with raised letters (Braille reading) for 15 seconds using their forefinger, and to touch a blank plate as a control for the Braille discrimination procedure. Arterial blood pressure slightly increased during Braille reading but remained unchanged during the touching of the blank plate. SBF, CVC, and FV were reduced during Braille reading (decreased by -26%, -29%, and -0.3 mL/100 mL respectively). Furthermore, a significant relationship was observed between the changes in SBF and FV (r=.613) during Braille reading. These results suggested that SBF of fingers is modulated during concentrated finger perception, and that the variability of blood flow reflects the response in FV. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Early auditory change detection implicitly facilitated by ignored concurrent visual change during a Braille reading task.

PubMed

Aoyama, Atsushi; Haruyama, Tomohiro; Kuriki, Shinya

2013-09-01

Unconscious monitoring of multimodal stimulus changes enables humans to effectively sense the external environment. Such automatic change detection is thought to be reflected in auditory and visual mismatch negativity (MMN) and mismatch negativity fields (MMFs). These are event-related potentials and magnetic fields, respectively, evoked by deviant stimuli within a sequence of standard stimuli, and both are typically studied during irrelevant visual tasks that cause the stimuli to be ignored. Due to the sensitivity of MMN/MMF to potential effects of explicit attention to vision, however, it is unclear whether multisensory co-occurring changes can purely facilitate early sensory change detection reciprocally across modalities. We adopted a tactile task involving the reading of Braille patterns as a neutral ignore condition, while measuring magnetoencephalographic responses to concurrent audiovisual stimuli that were infrequently deviated either in auditory, visual, or audiovisual dimensions; 1000-Hz standard tones were switched to 1050-Hz deviant tones and/or two-by-two standard check patterns displayed on both sides of visual fields were switched to deviant reversed patterns. The check patterns were set to be faint enough so that the reversals could be easily ignored even during Braille reading. While visual MMFs were virtually undetectable even for visual and audiovisual deviants, significant auditory MMFs were observed for auditory and audiovisual deviants, originating from bilateral supratemporal auditory areas. Notably, auditory MMFs were significantly enhanced for audiovisual deviants from about 100 ms post-stimulus, as compared with the summation responses for auditory and visual deviants or for each of the unisensory deviants recorded in separate sessions. Evidenced by high tactile task performance with unawareness of visual changes, we conclude that Braille reading can successfully suppress explicit attention and that simultaneous multisensory changes can implicitly strengthen automatic change detection from an early stage in a cross-sensory manner, at least in the vision to audition direction.

Modulation of radial blood flow during Braille character discrimination task.

PubMed

Murata, Jun; Matsukawa, K; Komine, H; Tsuchimochi, H

2012-03-01

Human hands are excellent in performing sensory and motor function. We have hypothesized that blood flow of the hand is dynamically regulated by sympathetic outflow during concentrated finger perception. To identify this hypothesis, we measured radial blood flow (RBF), radial vascular conductance (RVC), heart rate (HR), and arterial blood pressure (AP) during Braille reading performed under the blind condition in nine healthy subjects. The subjects were instructed to read a flat plate with raised letters (Braille reading) for 30 s by the forefinger, and to touch a blank plate as control for the Braille discrimination procedure. HR and AP slightly increased during Braille reading but remained unchanged during the touching of the blank plate. RBF and RVC were reduced during the Braille character discrimination task (decreased by -46% and -49%, respectively). Furthermore, the changes in RBF and RVC were much greater during the Braille character discrimination task than during the touching of the blank plate (decreased by -20% and -20%, respectively). These results have suggested that the distribution of blood flow to the hand is modulated via sympathetic nerve activity during concentrated finger perception.

Translator program converts computer printout into braille language

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Powell, R. A.

1967-01-01

Computer program converts print image tape files into six dot Braille cells, enabling a blind computer programmer to monitor and evaluate data generated by his own programs. The Braille output is printed 8 lines per inch.

[A technological device for optimizing the time taken for blind people to learn Braille].

PubMed

Hernández, Cesar; Pedraza, Luis F; López, Danilo

2011-10-01

This project was aimed at designing and putting an electronic prototype into practice for improving the initial time taken by visually handicapped people for learning Braille, especially children. This project was mainly based on a prototype digital electronic device which identifies and translates material written by a user in Braille by a voice synthesis system, producing artificial words to determine whether a handicapped person's writing in Braille has been correct. A global system for mobile communications (GSM) module was also incorporated into the device which allowed it to send text messages, thereby involving innovation in the field of articles for aiding visually handicapped people. This project's main result was an easily accessed and understandable prototype device which improved visually handicapped people's initial learning of Braille. The time taken for visually handicapped people to learn Braille became significantly reduced whilst their interest increased, as did their concentration time regarding such learning.

On the efficacy of a computer-based program to teach visual Braille reading.

PubMed

Scheithauer, Mindy C; Tiger, Jeffrey H; Miller, Sarah J

2013-01-01

Scheithauer and Tiger (2012) created an efficient computerized program that taught 4 sighted college students to select text letters when presented with visual depictions of Braille alphabetic characters and resulted in the emergence of some braille reading. The current study extended these results to a larger sample (n = 81) and compared the efficacy and efficiency of the instructional program using 2 different response modalities. One variation of the program required a response in a multiple-choice format, and the other variation required a keyed response. Both instructional programs resulted in increased braille letter identification and braille reading. These skills were maintained at a follow-up session 7 to 14 days later. The mean time needed to complete the program was 22.8 min across participants. Implications of these results for future research, as well as practical implications for teaching the braille alphabet, are discussed. © Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

The Blind, From Braille to the Present.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Truquet, Monique

1980-01-01

Traces the historical development of processing information for the blind from the system devised by Barbier to present systems of producing Braille documents using computers. Cites the impact of microprocessors and outlines possibilities for Braille reproductions in the future. (GS)

Can Braille be revived? A possible impact of high-end Braille and mainstream technology on the revival of tactile literacy medium.

PubMed

Wiazowski, Jaroslaw

2014-01-01

With a decline in use of Braille, very few attractive technological options can be offered to young learners. Various research data confirm that teachers of the visually impaired do not have sufficient skills to introduce their students to modern devices. The Mountbatten Brailler can be considered as a tool that combines Braille technology with mainstream tools commonly used by students and teachers. This combination of devices opens new possibilities for the teachers and their students to reverse the trend in the use of Braille. Thanks to features offered by the Brailler and iOS devices, sighted and blind users receive a tool for unimpaired written communication.

How the blind "see" Braille: lessons from functional magnetic resonance imaging.

PubMed

Sadato, Norihiro

2005-12-01

What does the visual cortex of the blind do during Braille reading? This process involves converting simple tactile information into meaningful patterns that have lexical and semantic properties. The perceptual processing of Braille might be mediated by the somatosensory system, whereas visual letter identity is accomplished within the visual system in sighted people. Recent advances in functional neuroimaging techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging, have enabled exploration of the neural substrates of Braille reading. The primary visual cortex of early-onset blind subjects is functionally relevant to Braille reading, suggesting that the brain shows remarkable plasticity that potentially permits the additional processing of tactile information in the visual cortical areas.

Exploring the Invisible Universe: A Tactile and Braille Exhibit of Astronomical Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arcand, K. K.; Watzke, M.; de Pree, C.

2010-06-01

A tactile/Braille exhibit for the visually impaired community in the USA was launched in July 2009. The exhibit is part of the global From Earth to the Universe (FETTU) project, a Cornerstone of the International Year of Astronomy 2009. The science content of the travelling tactile/Braille exhibit includes explanations of our Sun, Eta Carinae, the Crab Nebula, the Whirlpool Galaxy and the electromagnetic spectrum, and was adapted from the tactile/Braille book Touch the Invisible Sky. We present some of the early observations and findings on the tactile/Braille FETTU exhibit. The new exhibit opens a wider door to experiencing and understanding astronomy for the underserved visually impaired population.

Development of a measuring system of contact force during braille reading using an optical 6-axis force sensor.

PubMed

Watanabe, T; Oouchi, S; Yamaguchi, T; Shimojo, M; Shimada, S

2006-01-01

A system with an optical 6-axis force sensor was developed to measure contact force during braille reading. In using this system, we encountered two problems. One is a variability of output values depending on the contact point. This was solved by using two transformation techniques. The other is that subjects read braille in a different manner from the usual. We compared two manners of braille reading, one-handed vs two-handed, and found a small reduction in reading speed. Using this system, we collected data from four braille readers and quantitatively showed more minute contact force trajectories than those in earlier studies.

41 CFR Appendix A to Part 60 - 741-Guidelines on a Contractor's Duty To Provide Reasonable Accommodation

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... visual aids, braille devices, talking calculators, magnifiers, audio recordings and brailled or large... vision or hearing impaired, e.g., by making an announcement available in braille, in large print, or on...

Teaching identity matching of braille characters to beginning braille readers.

PubMed

Toussaint, Karen A; Scheithauer, Mindy C; Tiger, Jeffrey H; Saunders, Kathryn J

2017-04-01

We taught three children with visual impairments to make tactile discriminations of the braille alphabet within a matching-to-sample format. That is, we presented participants with a braille character as a sample stimulus, and they selected the matching stimulus from a three-comparison array. In order to minimize participant errors, we initially arranged braille characters into training sets in which there was a maximum difference in the number of dots comprising the target and nontarget comparison stimuli. As participants mastered these discriminations, we increased the similarity between target and nontarget comparisons (i.e., an approximation of stimulus fading). All three participants' accuracy systematically increased following the introduction of this identity-matching procedure. © 2017 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Novel grid-based optical Braille conversion: from scanning to wording

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoosefi Babadi, Majid; Jafari, Shahram

2011-12-01

Grid-based optical Braille conversion (GOBCO) is explained in this article. The grid-fitting technique involves processing scanned images taken from old hard-copy Braille manuscripts, recognising and converting them into English ASCII text documents inside a computer. The resulted words are verified using the relevant dictionary to provide the final output. The algorithms employed in this article can be easily modified to be implemented on other visual pattern recognition systems and text extraction applications. This technique has several advantages including: simplicity of the algorithm, high speed of execution, ability to help visually impaired persons and blind people to work with fax machines and the like, and the ability to help sighted people with no prior knowledge of Braille to understand hard-copy Braille manuscripts.

Cortical plasticity associated with Braille learning.

PubMed

Hamilton, R H; Pascual-Leone, A

1998-05-01

Blind subjects who learn to read Braille must acquire the ability to extract spatial information from subtle tactile stimuli. In order to accomplish this, neuroplastic changes appear to take place. During Braille learning, the sensorimotor cortical area devoted to the representation of the reading finger enlarges. This enlargement follows a two-step process that can be demonstrated with transcranial magnetic stimulation mapping and suggests initial unmasking of existing connections and eventual establishment of more stable structural changes. In addition, Braille learning appears to be associated with the recruitment of parts of the occipital, formerly `visual', cortex (V1 and V2) for tactile information processing. In blind, proficient Braille readers, the occipital cortex can be shown not only to be associated with tactile Braille reading but also to be critical for reading accuracy. Recent studies suggest the possibility of applying non-invasive neurophysiological techniques to guide and improve functional outcomes of these plastic changes. Such interventions might provide a means of accelerating functional adjustment to blindness.

Vision-based calibration of parallax barrier displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ranieri, Nicola; Gross, Markus

2014-03-01

Static and dynamic parallax barrier displays became very popular over the past years. Especially for single viewer applications like tablets, phones and other hand-held devices, parallax barriers provide a convenient solution to render stereoscopic content. In our work we present a computer vision based calibration approach to relate image layer and barrier layer of parallax barrier displays with unknown display geometry for static or dynamic viewer positions using homographies. We provide the math and methods to compose the required homographies on the fly and present a way to compute the barrier without the need of any iteration. Our GPU implementation is stable and general and can be used to reduce latency and increase refresh rate of existing and upcoming barrier methods.

Vibrotactile masking experiments reveal accelerated somatosensory processing in congenitally blind braille readers.

PubMed

Bhattacharjee, Arindam; Ye, Amanda J; Lisak, Joy A; Vargas, Maria G; Goldreich, Daniel

2010-10-27

Braille reading is a demanding task that requires the identification of rapidly varying tactile patterns. During proficient reading, neighboring characters impact the fingertip at ∼100 ms intervals, and adjacent raised dots within a character at 50 ms intervals. Because the brain requires time to interpret afferent sensorineural activity, among other reasons, tactile stimuli separated by such short temporal intervals pose a challenge to perception. How, then, do proficient Braille readers successfully interpret inputs arising from their fingertips at such rapid rates? We hypothesized that somatosensory perceptual consolidation occurs more rapidly in proficient Braille readers. If so, Braille readers should outperform sighted participants on masking tasks, which demand rapid perceptual processing, but would not necessarily outperform the sighted on tests of simple vibrotactile sensitivity. To investigate, we conducted two-interval forced-choice vibrotactile detection, amplitude discrimination, and masking tasks on the index fingertips of 89 sighted and 57 profoundly blind humans. Sighted and blind participants had similar unmasked detection (25 ms target tap) and amplitude discrimination (compared with 100 μm reference tap) thresholds, but congenitally blind Braille readers, the fastest readers among the blind participants, exhibited significantly less masking than the sighted (masker, 50 Hz, 50 μm; target-masker delays, ±50 and ±100 ms). Indeed, Braille reading speed correlated significantly and specifically with masking task performance, and in particular with the backward masking decay time constant. We conclude that vibrotactile sensitivity is unchanged but that perceptual processing is accelerated in congenitally blind Braille readers.

Vibrotactile masking experiments reveal accelerated somatosensory processing in congenitally blind Braille readers

PubMed Central

Bhattacharjee, Arindam; Ye, Amanda J.; Lisak, Joy A.; Vargas, Maria G.; Goldreich, Daniel

2010-01-01

Braille reading is a demanding task that requires the identification of rapidly varying tactile patterns. During proficient reading, neighboring characters impact the fingertip at about 100-ms intervals, and adjacent raised dots within a character at 50-ms intervals. Because the brain requires time to interpret afferent sensorineural activity, among other reasons, tactile stimuli separated by such short temporal intervals pose a challenge to perception. How, then, do proficient Braille readers successfully interpret inputs arising from their fingertips at such rapid rates? We hypothesized that somatosensory perceptual consolidation occurs more rapidly in proficient Braille readers. If so, Braille readers should outperform sighted participants on masking tasks, which demand rapid perceptual processing, but would not necessarily outperform the sighted on tests of simple vibrotactile sensitivity. To investigate, we conducted two-interval forced-choice vibrotactile detection, amplitude discrimination, and masking tasks on the index fingertips of 89 sighted and 57 profoundly blind humans. Sighted and blind participants had similar unmasked detection (25-ms target tap) and amplitude discrimination (compared to 100-micron reference tap) thresholds, but congenitally blind Braille readers, the fastest readers among the blind participants, exhibited significantly less masking than the sighted (masker: 50-Hz, 50-micron; target-masker delays ±50 and ±100 ms). Indeed, Braille reading speed correlated significantly and specifically with masking task performance, and in particular with the backward masking decay time constant. We conclude that vibrotactile sensitivity is unchanged, but that perceptual processing is accelerated in congenitally blind Braille readers. PMID:20980584

Music through Braille. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burrows, Anne; Krolick, Bettye

The report describes a 1-month summer program at the Alberta College Music Centre (Edmonton) in which six visually impaired students (11-25 years old) were taught music through braille. Daily lessons covered such aspects as braille music signs, sight singing, music dictation, and basic conducting techniques. Extracurricular activities included…

Argonne Braille Project

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

Grunwald, A.

1977-07-01

Development of a braille machine is summarized. It is noted that the machine has reached the stage where development of the system appears both possible and desirable. Sections are included containing papers on computer translation and auxiliary equipment, and on letters and awards in recognition of the braille machine development. (JRD)

Differential Cognitive and Perceptual Correlates of Print Reading versus Braille Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Veispak, Anneli; Boets, Bart; Ghesquiere, Pol

2013-01-01

The relations between reading, auditory, speech, phonological and tactile spatial processing are investigated in a Dutch speaking sample of blind braille readers as compared to sighted print readers. Performance is assessed in blind and sighted children and adults. Regarding phonological ability, braille readers perform equally well compared to…

The Argonne Braille Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grunwald, Arnold

A project summary and 20 related papers are presented on the Argonne Braille Machine, a device which produces braille-equivalent information on magnetic tape rather than embossing dots on paper. The summary traces the machine's development while 10 papers cover such issues as user reactions, evaluation proposals, use and care of the machine, the…

Standards for Competence in Braille Literacy Skills in Teacher Preparation Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amato, Sheila

2002-01-01

A survey was conducted with 45 instructors from teacher training programs for teaching students with visual impairments. Respondents evidenced a strong commitment to Braille literacy and teacher preparation, however, findings indicate a lack of consistency in Braille courses with respect to standards and criteria for competence in Braille…

How Useful Is Braille Music?: A Critical Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Hyu-Yong

2015-01-01

This article discusses the usefulness of Braille music as a mediational means for musicians with visual impairment (MVI). Specifically, three broad issues are the focus of this study: (1) three notions as the conceptual frameworks, namely, mediation, appropriation and mastery; (2) three criteria of the usefulness of Braille music, including…

Movement Kinematics of the Braille-Reading Finger

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, Barry

2011-01-01

A new means of measuring the movement properties of the braille-reading finger is described and exemplified in an experiment in which experienced readers of braille encountered sentences comprised of keywords in which word and orthographic frequencies were manipulated. These new data are considered in theoretical and practical terms. (Contains 2…

An Artificial Intelligence Tutor: A Supplementary Tool for Teaching and Practicing Braille

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthy, Tessa; Rosenblum, L. Penny; Johnson, Benny G.; Dittel, Jeffrey; Kearns, Devin M.

2016-01-01

Introduction: This study evaluated the usability and effectiveness of an artificial intelligence Braille Tutor designed to supplement the instruction of students with visual impairments as they learned to write braille contractions. Methods: A mixed-methods design was used, which incorporated a single-subject, adapted alternating treatments design…

A Braille Interface to the Texas Instruments SR-52 Programmable Calculator.

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-09-21

F / _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ AD—A039 US PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV JNIVtRSITY PARK APPLIED RESE——ETc F/G 9/2 * BRAILLE INTERFACE to PC TEXAS...UNCLASSiFIED A BRAILLE INTERFACE TO THE TEXAS INSTRUMENTS SR-52 PR0CRA)*~ABLE CALCULATOR C. P~ JANOTA Technical Memorandum D D C File No. TM 76-244 i...SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES ~~~~ ~ 15. KEY WORDS (ConUnti. on ,.v.ra• .Id. If nøc....ry and td~n t tf y by block ntanb.r) AIDS TO HANDICAPPED BRAILLE INTERFACE

Tactile discrimination activates the visual cortex of the recently blind naive to Braille: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study in humans.

PubMed

Sadato, Norihiro; Okada, Tomohisa; Kubota, Kiyokazu; Yonekura, Yoshiharu

2004-04-08

The occipital cortex of blind subjects is known to be activated during tactile discrimination tasks such as Braille reading. To investigate whether this is due to long-term learning of Braille or to sensory deafferentation, we used fMRI to study tactile discrimination tasks in subjects who had recently lost their sight and never learned Braille. The occipital cortex of the blind subjects without Braille training was activated during the tactile discrimination task, whereas that of control sighted subjects was not. This finding suggests that the activation of the visual cortex of the blind during performance of a tactile discrimination task may be due to sensory deafferentation, wherein a competitive imbalance favors the tactile over the visual modality.

Universal Visual Features Might Be Necessary for Fluent Reading. A Longitudinal Study of Visual Reading in Braille and Cyrillic Alphabets

PubMed Central

Bola, Łukasz; Radziun, Dominika; Siuda-Krzywicka, Katarzyna; Sowa, Joanna E.; Paplińska, Małgorzata; Sumera, Ewa; Szwed, Marcin

2017-01-01

It has been hypothesized that efficient reading is possible because all reading scripts have been matched, through cultural evolution, to the natural capabilities of the visual cortex. This matching has resulted in all scripts being made of line-junctions, such as T, X, or L. Our aim was to test a critical prediction of this hypothesis: visual reading in an atypical script that is devoid of line-junctions (such as the Braille alphabet read visually) should be much less efficient than reading in a “normal” script (e.g., Cyrillic). Using a lexical decision task, we examined Visual Braille reading speed and efficiency in sighted Braille teachers. As a control, we tested learners of a natural visual script, Cyrillic. Both groups participated in a two semester course of either visual Braille or Russian while their reading speed and accuracy was tested at regular intervals. The results show that visual Braille reading is slow, prone to errors and highly serial, even in Braille readers with years of prior reading experience. Although subjects showed some improvements in their visual Braille reading accuracy and speed following the course, the effect of word length on reading speed (typically observed in beginning readers) was remained very sizeable through all testing sessions. These results are in stark contrast to Cyrillic, a natural script, where only 3 months of learning were sufficient to achieve relative proficiency. Taken together, these results suggest that visual features such as line junctions and their combinations might be necessary for efficient reading. PMID:28421027

Universal Visual Features Might Be Necessary for Fluent Reading. A Longitudinal Study of Visual Reading in Braille and Cyrillic Alphabets.

PubMed

Bola, Łukasz; Radziun, Dominika; Siuda-Krzywicka, Katarzyna; Sowa, Joanna E; Paplińska, Małgorzata; Sumera, Ewa; Szwed, Marcin

2017-01-01

It has been hypothesized that efficient reading is possible because all reading scripts have been matched, through cultural evolution, to the natural capabilities of the visual cortex. This matching has resulted in all scripts being made of line-junctions, such as T, X, or L. Our aim was to test a critical prediction of this hypothesis: visual reading in an atypical script that is devoid of line-junctions (such as the Braille alphabet read visually) should be much less efficient than reading in a "normal" script (e.g., Cyrillic). Using a lexical decision task, we examined Visual Braille reading speed and efficiency in sighted Braille teachers. As a control, we tested learners of a natural visual script, Cyrillic. Both groups participated in a two semester course of either visual Braille or Russian while their reading speed and accuracy was tested at regular intervals. The results show that visual Braille reading is slow, prone to errors and highly serial, even in Braille readers with years of prior reading experience. Although subjects showed some improvements in their visual Braille reading accuracy and speed following the course, the effect of word length on reading speed (typically observed in beginning readers) was remained very sizeable through all testing sessions. These results are in stark contrast to Cyrillic, a natural script, where only 3 months of learning were sufficient to achieve relative proficiency. Taken together, these results suggest that visual features such as line junctions and their combinations might be necessary for efficient reading.

Healthcare waste management: qualitative and quantitative appraisal of nurses in a tertiary care hospital of India.

PubMed

Shivalli, Siddharudha; Sanklapur, Vasudha

2014-01-01

The nurse's role in healthcare waste management is crucial. (1) To appraise nurses quantitatively and qualitatively regarding healthcare waste management; (2) to elicit the determinants of knowledge and attitudes of healthcare waste management. A cross-sectional study was undertaken at a tertiary care hospital of Mangalore, India. Self-administered pretested questionnaire and "nonparticipatory observation" were used for quantitative and qualitative appraisals. Percentage knowledge score was calculated based on their total knowledge score. Nurses' knowledge was categorized as excellent (>70%), good (50-70%), and poor (<50%). Chi square test was applied to judge the association of study variables with their attitudes and knowledge. Out of 100 nurses 47 had excellent knowledge (>70% score). Most (86%) expressed the need of refresher training. No study variable displayed significant association (P > 0.05) with knowledge. Apt segregation practices were followed except in casualty. Patients and entourages misinterpreted the colored containers. Nurses' knowledge and healthcare waste management practices were not satisfactory. There is a need of refresher trainings at optimum intervals to ensure sustainability and further improvement. Educating patients and their entourages and display of segregation information board in local language are recommended.

An Alternative Option to Dedicated Braille Notetakers for People with Visual Impairments: Universal Technology for Better Access

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hong, Sunggye

2012-01-01

Technology provides equal access to information and helps people with visual impairments to complete tasks more independently. Among various assistive technology options for people with visual impairments, braille notetakers have been considered the most significant because of their technological innovation. Braille notetakers allow users who are…

41 CFR Appendix A to Part 60 - 300-Guidelines on a Contractor's Duty To Provide Reasonable Accommodation

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... include providing adaptive hardware and software for computers, electronic visual aids, braille devices, talking calculators, magnifiers, audio recordings and braille or large-print materials. For persons with... vision or hearing impaired, e.g., by making an announcement available in braille, in large print, or on...

How Useful Is Braille? Reports of Blind Adults.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mack, Catherine

1984-01-01

Telephone interviews with blind adults who had learned and used braille as their primary reading mode in public schools revealed that most Ss reported using braille for personal notes and memoranda but rely on readers and recordings for the majority of their reading and type most of their personal correspondence. (Author/CL)

U.S. National Certification in Literary Braille: History and Current Administration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, Edward

2010-01-01

This article reports on a certification examination for teachers of students with visual impairments--the National Literary Braille Competency Test (NLBCT). It discusses the history, development, pilot testing, and validation of NLBCT and the creation of the National Certification in Literary Braille. Data on the current administration of the test…

Parallel versus Sequential Processing in Print and Braille Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Veispak, Anneli; Boets, Bart; Ghesquiere, Pol

2012-01-01

In the current study we investigated word, pseudoword and story reading in Dutch speaking braille and print readers. To examine developmental patterns, these reading skills were assessed in both children and adults. The results reveal that braille readers read less accurately and fast than print readers. While item length has no impact on word…

Using a Group Approach to Motivate Adults to Learn Braille

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farrow, Kendra R.

2015-01-01

Teaching braille is one of the most time-consuming tasks for a vision rehabilitation therapist. Complicating this process, adults who might be considered to be good candidates for learning braille are often resistant to the idea (Ponchillia & Ponchillia, 1996). In an attempt to address these challenges, a combination of correspondence braille…

The Development of Phonological Awareness by Braille Users: A Review of the Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monson, Martin R.; Bowen, Sandy K.

2008-01-01

This article presents a review of research on the development of phonological awareness by braille readers. The review determined that the relationship between phonological awareness and braille is uncertain because of the lack of commonality among the studies, the extent of contradictory findings, and the small number of studies involving…

A Computer-Based Program to Teach Braille Reading to Sighted Individuals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scheithauer, Mindy C.; Tiger, Jeffrey H.

2012-01-01

Instructors of the visually impaired need efficient braille-training methods. This study conducted a preliminary evaluation of a computer-based program intended to teach the relation between braille characters and English letters using a matching-to-sample format with 4 sighted college students. Each participant mastered matching visual depictions…

Current Practices in Instruction in the Literary Braille Code University Personnel Preparation Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenblum, L. Penny; Lewis, Sandra; D'Andrea, Frances Mary

2010-01-01

University instructors were surveyed to determine the requirements for their literary braille courses. Twenty-one instructors provided information on the textbooks they used; how they determined errors; reading proficiency requirements; and other pertinent information, such as methods of assessing mastery of the production of braille using a…

Braille alexia during visual hallucination in a blind man with selective calcarine atrophy.

PubMed

Maeda, Kengo; Yasuda, Hitoshi; Haneda, Masakazu; Kashiwagi, Atsunori

2003-04-01

The case of a 56-year-old man who has been blind for 25 years due to retinal degeneration is herein described. The patient complained of elementary visual hallucination, during which it was difficult for him to read Braille. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed marked atrophy of the bilateral striate cortex. Visual hallucination as a release phenomenon of the primary visual cortex has never been reported to cause alexia for Braille. The present case supports the results of recent functional imaging studies of the recruitment of striate and prestriate cortex for Braille reading.

African Braille Production: A Statistical Review and Evaluation of Countries and Costs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mayer, Marc; Cylke, Frank Kurt

A study was conducted in 52 African countries to determine the extent of braille facilities for the blind, with the aim of choosing a location for a central braille producing facility. To make the selection, the factors of ease of communication (i.e., central location), political stability, and extent of already existing organizations for the…

Conceptual Understanding of Shape and Space by Braille-Reading Norwegian Students in Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klingenberg, Oliv G.

2012-01-01

Introduction: The study presented here investigated the ways in which students who read braille were able to complete geometric tasks and how they constructed mental representations of the shapes of objects. Methods: Data were collected in an educational experiment conducted as a geometry course for students who read braille. A case study approach…

Weaving the Cloth of Literacy: The Relationship between Braille and Reading.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zago, P. A.

1996-01-01

This brief article uses a weaving metaphor to address the relationship between braille and reading, with prior knowledge (the warp threads) interacting with reading content (the weft threads) by means of braille (the shuttle). Reading is seen to be an interactive process between reader, text, and the context of the reading situation. (DB)

Teaching Braille Line Tracking Using Stimulus Fading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scheithauer, Mindy C.; Tiger, Jeffrey H.

2014-01-01

Line tracking is a prerequisite skill for braille literacy that involves moving one's finger horizontally across a line of braille text and identifying when a line ends so the reader may reset his or her finger on the subsequent line. Current procedures for teaching line tracking are incomplete, because they focus on tracking lines with only…

Children's Perceptions of Learning Braille: Qualitative and Quantitative Findings of the ABC Braille Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sacks, Sharon Z.; Hannan, Cheryl K.; Erin, Jane N.

2011-01-01

Children's perceptions of learning to read and write braille were measured using an open ended 10-item questionnaire. The data were evaluated by amount of time, level of contractedness, and level of achievement. No differences were found with respect to time or the introduction of contractions. Differences were apparent between the high- and…

Preferences and Practices among Students Who Read Braille and Use Assistive Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Andrea, Frances Mary

2012-01-01

Introduction: Students who read braille use assistive technology to engage in literacy tasks and to access the general curriculum. There is little research on the ways in which technology has changed the reading and writing practices and preferences of students who use braille, nor is there much research on how assistive technology is learned by…

On the Efficacy of a Computer-Based Program to Teach Visual Braille Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scheithauer, Mindy C.; Tiger, Jeffrey H.; Miller, Sarah J.

2013-01-01

Scheithauer and Tiger (2012) created an efficient computerized program that taught 4 sighted college students to select text letters when presented with visual depictions of braille alphabetic characters and resulted in the emergence of some braille reading. The current study extended these results to a larger sample (n?=?81) and compared the…

Innovative Solutions for Words with Emphasis: Alternative Methods of Braille Transcription

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamei-Hannan, Cheryl

2009-01-01

The author of this study proposed two alternative methods for transcribing words with emphasis into braille and compared the use of the symbols for emphasis with the current braille code. The results showed that students were faster at locating words presented in one of the alternate formats, but that there was no difference in students' accuracy…

Changing the Public's Attitude Toward Braille: A Grassroots Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wells-Jensen, Sheri; Wells-Jensen, Jason; Belknap, Gabrielle

2005-01-01

This study addressed the effect of casual exposure to braille on the attitudes toward blindness and the use of braille of three groups of sighted university students: students in two sections of a general linguistics course for language arts teachers, one taught by a blind instructor (Group 1) and the other taught by a sighted instructor (Group…

Computer Center CDC Libraries.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-06-01

TAPDMP9IM/U/U/ DMPCPA /S/5/Ni DUMPXPK/S/5/N/ DMPFIL /M/U/U/ FDMP /M/U/U/ * 01 OFF-LINE EQUIPMENT (LISTERS, REPRODUCERS, ETC.) * BRAILLE /M/U/U/ LISTCMP/M/U...OUTPUT OF EDITLIB ’LISTLIB’ AND ’CONTENT’ DIRECTIVES BRAILLE BRAILLE PRINTER " CALCIBL CALCULATE BEST BLOCK LENGTHS (I.E. - MIN TIME REQUIRED FOR RANDOM

Tactile Sensitivity and Braille Reading in People with Early Blindness and Late Blindness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oshima, Kensuke; Arai, Tetsuya; Ichihara, Shigeru; Nakano, Yasushi

2014-01-01

Introduction: The inability to read quickly can be a disadvantage throughout life. This study focused on the associations of braille reading fluency and individual factors, such as the age at onset of blindness and number of years reading braille, and the tactile sensitivity of people with early and late blindness. The relationship between reading…

Braille Telecaptioning: Making Real-Time Television Accessible to Deaf-Blind Consumers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biederman-Anderson, L.

1989-01-01

A federal grant has been awarded to develop and test a prototype device to make closed-captioned television available to deaf-blind people. The Braille TeleCaption System, with output available in braille and large print, is currently being tested. Such new technology makes real-time viewing of news, weather, and entertainment accessible to…

Effect of reading on blood flow changes in the posterior cerebral artery in early blind and sighted people--A transcranial Doppler study.

PubMed

Viski, Sandor; Orgovan, David; Szabo, Katalin; Rosengarten, Bernhard; Csiba, Laszlo; Olah, Laszlo

2016-04-15

Neuroimaging studies proved that Braille reading resulted in visual cortex activation in blind people, however, very few data are available about the measure of flow increase in these subjects. Therefore, we investigated the flow response in the posterior cerebral artery (PCA) of eleven early blind and ten sighted subjects induced by reading Braille and print, respectively. Two experimental protocols were used in both groups: PCA flow velocity during reading was compared to the resting phase and "NLC" phase (volunteers "read" non-lexical characters; e.g. .,-.:,-.:...,). The use of these experimental protocols allowed to investigate separately the effect of "light stimulus+print reading" versus "print reading alone" in sighted, and "hand/finger movement+Braille reading" versus "Braille reading alone" in blind subjects. The flow response in the PCA evoked by "Braille reading alone" in blind (10.5±4.5%) and "print reading alone" in sighted subjects (8.1±3.5%) was similar. The flow increase induced by "hand/finger movement+Braille reading" and by "Braille reading alone" did not differ in blind people, however, "light stimulus+print reading" in sighted subjects caused higher PCA flow increase (25.9±6.9%) than "print reading alone" (8.1±3.5%). The similar PCA flow response induced by Braille and print reading alone suggested a similar degree of occipital cortex activation in blind and sighted subjects. In sighted people, the 3-times higher flow velocity increase induced by "light stimulus+print reading" compared with "print reading alone" indicated that 2/3 of PCA flow increase during reading was due to the light stimulus and only 1/3 of flow response was caused by reading alone. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of oral health education in the form of Braille and oral health talk on oral hygiene knowledge, practices, and status of 12-17 years old visually impaired school girls in Pune city: A comparative study.

PubMed

Bhor, K; Shetty, V; Garcha, V; Nimbulkar, G C

2016-01-01

To assess the effect of oral health education (OHE) in the form of Braille and combination with Oral health talk (OHT) on oral hygiene knowledge, practices, and status of 12-17 years old visually impaired school girls in Pune city. A 6-week comparative study was conducted among 74 residential visually impaired school girls aged 12-17 years, who were trained to read Braille. The participants were divided into two groups, namely, Group A ( n = 37) receiving OHE only in the form of Braille and Group B ( n = 37) receiving OHE in form of Braille and OHT at baseline, 2, and 4-week interval. Oral health knowledge was assessed using a self-administered, pre-validated, pre-tested questionnaire typed in Marathi Braille. Assessment of oral hygiene practices and status was done using standardized proforma and simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S), respectively, at baseline and at the end of 6 weeks. Data was analyzed using paired and unpaired Student's t -test. The results showed a statistically significant increase in oral health knowledge levels in Group B (4.95 ± 1.66) as compared to Group A (2.97 ± 1.28). There was a significant increase in the frequency of mouth-rinsing in Group B (97.3%) as compared to Group A (86.5%) as well as in the tongue cleaning practice in Group B (100%) as compared to Group A (81.1%) at the end of 6 weeks. OHE in the form of Braille and OHT was more effective than OHE using only Braille.

Effect of oral health education in the form of Braille and oral health talk on oral hygiene knowledge, practices, and status of 12–17 years old visually impaired school girls in Pune city: A comparative study

PubMed Central

Bhor, K.; Shetty, V.; Garcha, V.; Nimbulkar, G. C.

2016-01-01

Aim: To assess the effect of oral health education (OHE) in the form of Braille and combination with Oral health talk (OHT) on oral hygiene knowledge, practices, and status of 12–17 years old visually impaired school girls in Pune city. Materials and Methods: A 6-week comparative study was conducted among 74 residential visually impaired school girls aged 12–17 years, who were trained to read Braille. The participants were divided into two groups, namely, Group A (n = 37) receiving OHE only in the form of Braille and Group B (n = 37) receiving OHE in form of Braille and OHT at baseline, 2, and 4-week interval. Oral health knowledge was assessed using a self-administered, pre-validated, pre-tested questionnaire typed in Marathi Braille. Assessment of oral hygiene practices and status was done using standardized proforma and simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S), respectively, at baseline and at the end of 6 weeks. Data was analyzed using paired and unpaired Student's t-test. Results: The results showed a statistically significant increase in oral health knowledge levels in Group B (4.95 ± 1.66) as compared to Group A (2.97 ± 1.28). There was a significant increase in the frequency of mouth-rinsing in Group B (97.3%) as compared to Group A (86.5%) as well as in the tongue cleaning practice in Group B (100%) as compared to Group A (81.1%) at the end of 6 weeks. Conclusion: OHE in the form of Braille and OHT was more effective than OHE using only Braille. PMID:27891313

Evaluation and Research Program for the Portable Braille Recorder (PBR). Volume III. Appendix 19, Digicassette Operating Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bourgeois, Michelle; And Others

The operating manual for the Digicassette (or Portable Braille Recorder--PBR), an electronic braille reading and writing machine and an audiotape recorder which is compact and easy to carry around, is presented. Following a preface and an introduction are sections which address the following topics: orientation to parts and functions of the…

Nationwide Plan Review Phase 2 Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-06-16

for the Deaf (TDDs), Text Telephones/Teletypewriters (TTYs), hearing aids, Braille note- takers), and service animals whenever possible during an...dedicated TTY line. Plans rarely provide for written communications to be available in alternative formats such as in Braille or large print for...including citizens needing special media formats, such as Braille or non-English languages. The State has conducted thorough planning to support local

The Impact of Assistive Technology on Curriculum Accommodation for a Braille-Reading Student

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farnsworth, Charles R.; Luckner, John L.

2008-01-01

Over 5 months, the authors evaluated the efficacy of electronic assistive technology (the BrailleNote mPower BT-32 notetaker and Tiger Cub Jr. embosser) and associated software components in creating curriculum materials for a middle school Braille-reading student. The authors collected data at the beginning and end of the study from parents,…

General Education Teachers' Ratings of the Academic Engagement Level of Students Who Read Braille: A Comparison with Sighted Peers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bardin, Julie A.; Lewis, Sandra

2011-01-01

English and language arts teachers of braille-reading students in general education classes rated these students' academic engagement and the academic achievement of low- and average-achieving sighted students in the same classrooms. The braille readers were found to be statistically similar to the low-achieving students with regard to effort,…

Adaptation of the Wilson Reading System for Braille Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowley, Roz; McCarthy, Mary; Rines, Justine Carlone

2014-01-01

Teachers at Perkins School for the Blind have been teaching braille to students of all ages for many years. As part of this experience, the teachers at Perkins have seen many capable students of different ages struggle to learn to read and write braille. In particular, they observed students who were unable to sound out or decode words because of…

Methods for Presenting Braille Characters on a Mobile Device with a Touchscreen and Tactile Feedback.

PubMed

Rantala, J; Raisamo, R; Lylykangas, J; Surakka, V; Raisamo, J; Salminen, K; Pakkanen, T; Hippula, A

2009-01-01

Three novel interaction methods were designed for reading six-dot Braille characters from the touchscreen of a mobile device. A prototype device with a piezoelectric actuator embedded under the touchscreen was used to create tactile feedback. The three interaction methods, scan, sweep, and rhythm, enabled users to read Braille characters one at a time either by exploring the characters dot by dot or by sensing a rhythmic pattern presented on the screen. The methods were tested with five blind Braille readers as a proof of concept. The results of the first experiment showed that all three methods can be used to convey information as the participants could accurately (91-97 percent) recognize individual characters. In the second experiment the presentation rate of the most efficient and preferred method, the rhythm, was varied. A mean recognition accuracy of 70 percent was found when the speed of presenting a single character was nearly doubled from the first experiment. The results showed that temporal tactile feedback and Braille coding can be used to transmit single-character information while further studies are still needed to evaluate the presentation of serial information, i.e., multiple Braille characters.

Adaptive changes in early and late blind: a fMRI study of Braille reading.

PubMed

Burton, H; Snyder, A Z; Conturo, T E; Akbudak, E; Ollinger, J M; Raichle, M E

2002-01-01

Braille reading depends on remarkable adaptations that connect the somatosensory system to language. We hypothesized that the pattern of cortical activations in blind individuals reading Braille would reflect these adaptations. Activations in visual (occipital-temporal), frontal-language, and somatosensory cortex in blind individuals reading Braille were examined for evidence of differences relative to previously reported studies of sighted subjects reading print or receiving tactile stimulation. Nine congenitally blind and seven late-onset blind subjects were studied with fMRI as they covertly performed verb generation in response to reading Braille embossed nouns. The control task was reading the nonlexical Braille string "######". This study emphasized image analysis in individual subjects rather than pooled data. Group differences were examined by comparing magnitudes and spatial extent of activated regions first determined to be significant using the general linear model. The major adaptive change was robust activation of visual cortex despite the complete absence of vision in all subjects. This included foci in peri-calcarine, lingual, cuneus and fusiform cortex, and in the lateral and superior occipital gyri encompassing primary (V1), secondary (V2), and higher tier (VP, V4v, LO and possibly V3A) visual areas previously identified in sighted subjects. Subjects who never had vision differed from late blind subjects in showing even greater activity in occipital-temporal cortex, provisionally corresponding to V5/MT and V8. In addition, the early blind had stronger activation of occipital cortex located contralateral to the hand used for reading Braille. Responses in frontal and parietal cortex were nearly identical in both subject groups. There was no evidence of modifications in frontal cortex language areas (inferior frontal gyrus and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex). Surprisingly, there was also no evidence of an adaptive expansion of the somatosensory or primary motor cortex dedicated to the Braille reading finger(s). Lack of evidence for an expected enlargement of the somatosensory representation may have resulted from balanced tactile stimulation and gross motor demands during Braille reading of nouns and the control fields. Extensive engagement of visual cortex without vision is discussed in reference to the special demands of Braille reading. It is argued that these responses may represent critical language processing mechanisms normally present in visual cortex.

Adaptive Changes in Early and Late Blind: A fMRI Study of Braille Reading

PubMed Central

SNYDER, A. Z.; CONTURO, T. E.; AKBUDAK, E.; OLLINGER, J. M.; RAICHLE, M. E.

2013-01-01

Braille reading depends on remarkable adaptations that connect the somatosensory system to language. We hypothesized that the pattern of cortical activations in blind individuals reading Braille would reflect these adaptations. Activations in visual (occipital-temporal), frontal-language, and somatosensory cortex in blind individuals reading Braille were examined for evidence of differences relative to previously reported studies of sighted subjects reading print or receiving tactile stimulation. Nine congenitally blind and seven late-onset blind subjects were studied with fMRI as they covertly performed verb generation in response to reading Braille embossed nouns. The control task was reading the nonlexical Braille string “######”. This study emphasized image analysis in individual subjects rather than pooled data. Group differences were examined by comparing magnitudes and spatial extent of activated regions first determined to be significant using the general linear model. The major adaptive change was robust activation of visual cortex despite the complete absence of vision in all subjects. This included foci in peri-calcarine, lingual, cuneus and fusiform cortex, and in the lateral and superior occipital gyri encompassing primary (V1), secondary (V2), and higher tier (VP, V4v, LO and possibly V3A) visual areas previously identified in sighted subjects. Subjects who never had vision differed from late blind subjects in showing even greater activity in occipital-temporal cortex, provisionally corresponding to V5/MT and V8. In addition, the early blind had stronger activation of occipital cortex located contralateral to the hand used for reading Braille. Responses in frontal and parietal cortex were nearly identical in both subject groups. There was no evidence of modifications in frontal cortex language areas (inferior frontal gyrus and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex). Surprisingly, there was also no evidence of an adaptive expansion of the somatosensory or primary motor cortex dedicated to the Braille reading finger(s). Lack of evidence for an expected enlargement of the somatosensory representation may have resulted from balanced tactile stimulation and gross motor demands during Braille reading of nouns and the control fields. Extensive engagement of visual cortex without vision is discussed in reference to the special demands of Braille reading. It is argued that these responses may represent critical language processing mechanisms normally present in visual cortex. PMID:11784773

Development and Demonstration of Communication Systems for the Blind and Deaf/Blind. Braille Communication Terminals and Tactile Paging Systems. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dalrymple, George F.

Described is the BRAILLEMBOSS, a braille page printer, which is useful as a short run braille producer and as an employment and education tool for the blind and deaf blind. Examples of applications are given, including its use by computer programers, students, taxpayer service representatives, and news broadcasters. The machine is, for blind…

An Investigation of the Height of Embossed Braille Dots for Labels on Pharmaceutical Products

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Douglas, Graeme; Weston, Annette; Whittaker, Jennifer; Wilkins, Sarah Morley; Robinson, Duncan

2009-01-01

European legislation requires new pharmaceutical packaging to include both the name and strength of the drug in braille on boxes and bottles. Much of the braille on medical packaging is currently produced by an embossing process on boxes. The height of the dots that can be achieved through these methods is less than 0.3 mm. The physical dimensions…

Probing the perceptual and cognitive underpinnings of braille reading. An Estonian population study.

PubMed

Veispak, Anneli; Boets, Bart; Männamaa, Mairi; Ghesquière, Pol

2012-01-01

Similar to many sighted children who struggle with learning to read, a proportion of blind children have specific difficulties related to reading braille which cannot be easily explained. A lot of research has been conducted to investigate the perceptual and cognitive processes behind (impairments in) print reading. Very few studies, however, have aimed for a deeper insight into the relevant perceptual and cognitive processes involved in braille reading. In the present study we investigate the relations between reading achievement and auditory, speech, phonological and tactile processing in a population of Estonian braille reading children and youngsters and matched sighted print readers. Findings revealed that the sequential nature of braille imposes constant decoding and effective recruitment of phonological skills throughout the reading process. Sighted print readers, on the other hand, seem to switch between the use of phonological and lexical processing modes depending on the familiarity, length and structure of the word. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Differences in two-point discrimination and sensory threshold in the blind between braille and text reading: a pilot study.

PubMed

Noh, Ji-Woong; Park, Byoung-Sun; Kim, Mee-Young; Lee, Lim-Kyu; Yang, Seung-Min; Lee, Won-Deok; Shin, Yong-Sub; Kang, Ji-Hye; Kim, Ju-Hyun; Lee, Jeong-Uk; Kwak, Taek-Yong; Lee, Tae-Hyun; Kim, Ju-Young; Kim, Junghwan

2015-06-01

[Purpose] This study investigated two-point discrimination (TPD) and the electrical sensory threshold of the blind to define the effect of using Braille on the tactile and electrical senses. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-eight blind participants were divided equally into a text-reading and a Braille-reading group. We measured tactile sensory and electrical thresholds using the TPD method and a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator. [Results] The left palm TPD values were significantly different between the groups. The values of the electrical sensory threshold in the left hand, the electrical pain threshold in the left hand, and the electrical pain threshold in the right hand were significantly lower in the Braille group than in the text group. [Conclusion] These findings make it difficult to explain the difference in tactility between groups, excluding both palms. However, our data show that using Braille can enhance development of the sensory median nerve in the blind, particularly in terms of the electrical sensory and pain thresholds.

Differences in two-point discrimination and sensory threshold in the blind between braille and text reading: a pilot study

PubMed Central

Noh, Ji-Woong; Park, Byoung-Sun; Kim, Mee-Young; Lee, Lim-Kyu; Yang, Seung-Min; Lee, Won-Deok; Shin, Yong-Sub; Kang, Ji-Hye; Kim, Ju-Hyun; Lee, Jeong-Uk; Kwak, Taek-Yong; Lee, Tae-Hyun; Kim, Ju-Young; Kim, Junghwan

2015-01-01

[Purpose] This study investigated two-point discrimination (TPD) and the electrical sensory threshold of the blind to define the effect of using Braille on the tactile and electrical senses. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-eight blind participants were divided equally into a text-reading and a Braille-reading group. We measured tactile sensory and electrical thresholds using the TPD method and a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator. [Results] The left palm TPD values were significantly different between the groups. The values of the electrical sensory threshold in the left hand, the electrical pain threshold in the left hand, and the electrical pain threshold in the right hand were significantly lower in the Braille group than in the text group. [Conclusion] These findings make it difficult to explain the difference in tactility between groups, excluding both palms. However, our data show that using Braille can enhance development of the sensory median nerve in the blind, particularly in terms of the electrical sensory and pain thresholds. PMID:26180348

A Theoretical Rationale for Using the Individualized Meaning-Centered Approach to Braille Literacy Education with Students Who Have Mild to Moderate Cognitive Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wormsley, Diane P.

2011-01-01

This article describes the components of the Individualized Meaning-centered Approach to Braille Literacy Education (I-M-ABLE) for teaching braille reading and writing to students who are blind and have additional cognitive impairments. The components of I-M-ABLE are: (1) selecting and teaching the Key Vocabulary; (2) teaching the efficient use of…

Reproductive and Hormonal Risk Factors for Breast Cancer in Blind Women

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-08-01

informational letters sent directly from the Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library in Watertown Massachusetts, the ACB and the Canadian National Institute...choice. Survey formats included via e-mail, website, compact disc, computer disk, audio tape, large print, Braille , in person, or verbally over the...survey data during telephone interviews or following receipt of written or audio surveys. Braille surveys were transcribed by a third party and

Orthographic units in the absence of visual processing: Evidence from sublexical structure in braille.

PubMed

Fischer-Baum, Simon; Englebretson, Robert

2016-08-01

Reading relies on the recognition of units larger than single letters and smaller than whole words. Previous research has linked sublexical structures in reading to properties of the visual system, specifically on the parallel processing of letters that the visual system enables. But whether the visual system is essential for this to happen, or whether the recognition of sublexical structures may emerge by other means, is an open question. To address this question, we investigate braille, a writing system that relies exclusively on the tactile rather than the visual modality. We provide experimental evidence demonstrating that adult readers of (English) braille are sensitive to sublexical units. Contrary to prior assumptions in the braille research literature, we find strong evidence that braille readers do indeed access sublexical structure, namely the processing of multi-cell contractions as single orthographic units and the recognition of morphemes within morphologically-complex words. Therefore, we conclude that the recognition of sublexical structure is not exclusively tied to the visual system. However, our findings also suggest that there are aspects of morphological processing on which braille and print readers differ, and that these differences may, crucially, be related to reading using the tactile rather than the visual sensory modality. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Linguistic and perceptual-motor contributions to the kinematic properties of the braille reading finger.

PubMed

Hughes, Barry; Van Gemmert, Arend W A; Stelmach, George E

2011-08-01

Recordings of the dominant finger during the reading of braille sentences by experienced readers reveal that the velocity of the finger changes frequently during the traverse of a line of text. These changes, not previously reported, involve a multitude of accelerations and decelerations, as well as reversals of direction. We investigated the origin of these velocity intermittencies (as well as movement reversals) by asking readers to twice read out-loud or silently sentences comprising high- or low-frequency words which combined to make grammatical sentences that were either meaningful or nonmeaningful. In a control condition we asked braille readers to smoothly scan lines of braille comprised of meaningless cell combinations. Word frequency and re-reading each contribute to the kinematics of finger movements, but neither sentence meaning nor the mode of reading do so. The velocity intermittencies were so pervasive that they are not easily attributable either to linguistic processing, text familiarity, mode of reading, or to sensory-motor interactions with the textured patterns of braille, but seem integral to all braille finger movements except reversals. While language-related processing can affect the finger movements, the effects are superimposed on a highly intermittent velocity profile whose origin appears to lie in the motor control of slow movements. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Recognition Memory for Braille or Spoken Words: An fMRI study in Early Blind

PubMed Central

Burton, Harold; Sinclair, Robert J.; Agato, Alvin

2012-01-01

We examined cortical activity in early blind during word recognition memory. Nine participants were blind at birth and one by 1.5 yrs. In an event-related design, we studied blood oxygen level-dependent responses to studied (“old”) compared to novel (“new”) words. Presentation mode was in Braille or spoken. Responses were larger for identified “new” words read with Braille in bilateral lower and higher tier visual areas and primary somatosensory cortex. Responses to spoken “new” words were larger in bilateral primary and accessory auditory cortex. Auditory cortex was unresponsive to Braille words and occipital cortex responded to spoken words but not differentially with “old”/“new” recognition. Left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex had larger responses to “old” words only with Braille. Larger occipital cortex responses to “new” Braille words suggested verbal memory based on the mechanism of recollection. A previous report in sighted noted larger responses for “new” words studied in association with pictures that created a distinctiveness heuristic source factor which enhanced recollection during remembering. Prior behavioral studies in early blind noted an exceptional ability to recall words. Utilization of this skill by participants in the current study possibly engendered recollection that augmented remembering “old” words. A larger response when identifying “new” words possibly resulted from exhaustive recollecting the sensory properties of “old” words in modality appropriate sensory cortices. The uniqueness of a memory role for occipital cortex is in its cross-modal responses to coding tactile properties of Braille. The latter possibly reflects a “sensory echo” that aids recollection. PMID:22251836

Recognition memory for Braille or spoken words: an fMRI study in early blind.

PubMed

Burton, Harold; Sinclair, Robert J; Agato, Alvin

2012-02-15

We examined cortical activity in early blind during word recognition memory. Nine participants were blind at birth and one by 1.5years. In an event-related design, we studied blood oxygen level-dependent responses to studied ("old") compared to novel ("new") words. Presentation mode was in Braille or spoken. Responses were larger for identified "new" words read with Braille in bilateral lower and higher tier visual areas and primary somatosensory cortex. Responses to spoken "new" words were larger in bilateral primary and accessory auditory cortex. Auditory cortex was unresponsive to Braille words and occipital cortex responded to spoken words but not differentially with "old"/"new" recognition. Left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex had larger responses to "old" words only with Braille. Larger occipital cortex responses to "new" Braille words suggested verbal memory based on the mechanism of recollection. A previous report in sighted noted larger responses for "new" words studied in association with pictures that created a distinctiveness heuristic source factor which enhanced recollection during remembering. Prior behavioral studies in early blind noted an exceptional ability to recall words. Utilization of this skill by participants in the current study possibly engendered recollection that augmented remembering "old" words. A larger response when identifying "new" words possibly resulted from exhaustive recollecting the sensory properties of "old" words in modality appropriate sensory cortices. The uniqueness of a memory role for occipital cortex is in its cross-modal responses to coding tactile properties of Braille. The latter possibly reflects a "sensory echo" that aids recollection. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Experimental Evaluation of a Braille-Reading-Inspired Finger Motion Adaptive Algorithm.

PubMed

Ulusoy, Melda; Sipahi, Rifat

2016-01-01

Braille reading is a complex process involving intricate finger-motion patterns and finger-rubbing actions across Braille letters for the stimulation of appropriate nerves. Although Braille reading is performed by smoothly moving the finger from left-to-right, research shows that even fluent reading requires right-to-left movements of the finger, known as "reversal". Reversals are crucial as they not only enhance stimulation of nerves for correctly reading the letters, but they also show one to re-read the letters that were missed in the first pass. Moreover, it is known that reversals can be performed as often as in every sentence and can start at any location in a sentence. Here, we report experimental results on the feasibility of an algorithm that can render a machine to automatically adapt to reversal gestures of one's finger. Through Braille-reading-analogous tasks, the algorithm is tested with thirty sighted subjects that volunteered in the study. We find that the finger motion adaptive algorithm (FMAA) is useful in achieving cooperation between human finger and the machine. In the presence of FMAA, subjects' performance metrics associated with the tasks have significantly improved as supported by statistical analysis. In light of these encouraging results, preliminary experiments are carried out with five blind subjects with the aim to put the algorithm to test. Results obtained from carefully designed experiments showed that subjects' Braille reading accuracy in the presence of FMAA was more favorable then when FMAA was turned off. Utilization of FMAA in future generation Braille reading devices thus holds strong promise.

Experimental Evaluation of a Braille-Reading-Inspired Finger Motion Adaptive Algorithm

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Braille reading is a complex process involving intricate finger-motion patterns and finger-rubbing actions across Braille letters for the stimulation of appropriate nerves. Although Braille reading is performed by smoothly moving the finger from left-to-right, research shows that even fluent reading requires right-to-left movements of the finger, known as “reversal”. Reversals are crucial as they not only enhance stimulation of nerves for correctly reading the letters, but they also show one to re-read the letters that were missed in the first pass. Moreover, it is known that reversals can be performed as often as in every sentence and can start at any location in a sentence. Here, we report experimental results on the feasibility of an algorithm that can render a machine to automatically adapt to reversal gestures of one’s finger. Through Braille-reading-analogous tasks, the algorithm is tested with thirty sighted subjects that volunteered in the study. We find that the finger motion adaptive algorithm (FMAA) is useful in achieving cooperation between human finger and the machine. In the presence of FMAA, subjects’ performance metrics associated with the tasks have significantly improved as supported by statistical analysis. In light of these encouraging results, preliminary experiments are carried out with five blind subjects with the aim to put the algorithm to test. Results obtained from carefully designed experiments showed that subjects’ Braille reading accuracy in the presence of FMAA was more favorable then when FMAA was turned off. Utilization of FMAA in future generation Braille reading devices thus holds strong promise. PMID:26849058

The Remote Analysis Station (RAS) as an instructional system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, R. H.; Wilson, C. L.; Dye, R. H.; Jaworski, E.

1981-01-01

"Hands-on" training in LANDSAT data analysis techniques can be obtained using a desk-top, interactive remote analysis station (RAS) which consists of a color CRT imagery display, with alphanumeric overwrite and keyboard, as well as a cursor controller and modem. This portable station can communicate via modem and dial-up telephone with a host computer at 1200 baud or it can be hardwired to a host computer at 9600 baud. A Z80 microcomputer controls the display refresh memory and remote station processing. LANDSAT data is displayed as three-band false-color imagery, one-band color-sliced imagery, or color-coded processed imagery. Although the display memory routinely operates at 256 x 256 picture elements, a display resolution of 128 x 128 can be selected to fill the display faster. In the false color mode the computer packs the data into one 8-bit character. When the host is not sending pictorial information the characters sent are in ordinary ASCII code. System capabilities are described.

Method for refreshing a non-volatile memory

DOEpatents

Riekels, James E.; Schlesinger, Samuel

2008-11-04

A non-volatile memory and a method of refreshing a memory are described. The method includes allowing an external system to control refreshing operations within the memory. The memory may generate a refresh request signal and transmit the refresh request signal to the external system. When the external system finds an available time to process the refresh request, the external system acknowledges the refresh request and transmits a refresh acknowledge signal to the memory. The memory may also comprise a page register for reading and rewriting a data state back to the memory. The page register may comprise latches in lieu of supplemental non-volatile storage elements, thereby conserving real estate within the memory.

Using Constant Time Delay to Teach Braille and the Nemeth Code for Mathematics and Science Notation to Students Making the Transition from Print to Braille

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ivy, Sarah E.; Hooper, Jonathan D.

2015-01-01

Introduction: Many students with adventitious vision loss or progressive vision loss need to transition from print to braille as a primary literacy medium. It is important that this transition is handled efficiently so that the student can have continued access to a literacy medium and make progress in the core curriculum. For this study, we used…

Comparing different instructed-refreshing schedules: evidence for cumulative, forward-order refreshing of verbal lists.

PubMed

Vergauwe, Evie

2018-04-23

Refreshing is one of the mechanisms proposed to maintain information in human working memory. The mechanism is assumed to operate serially, boosting the items of a memory list one after the other. In the current study, we test the most straightforward implementation of serial refreshing, by which refreshing spontaneously reproduces the order of presentation, starting with the first memory item and cycling through the list in a forward fashion, to support short-term memory of a list. Therefore, we examined verbal serial recall performance under different instructed-refreshing schedules that varied in their similarity to cumulative, forward-order refreshing. This was done by manipulating whether instructed refreshing started with the first memory item, and whether instructed refreshing proceeded in forward order through the list. We expected recall performance to be poorer as participants were required to think of the list items in a way that was more dissimilar to what they would have done spontaneously. However, across four experiments, we observed that recall performance was not drastically affected by the nature of instructed refreshing and thus, we did not find any evidence that cumulative, forward-order refreshing supports serial verbal WM performance. © 2018 New York Academy of Sciences.

Design and evaluation of an innovative MRI-compatible Braille stimulator with high spatial and temporal resolution.

PubMed

Debowska, Weronika; Wolak, Tomasz; Soluch, Pawel; Orzechowski, Mateusz; Kossut, Malgorzata

2013-02-15

Neural correlates of Braille reading have been widely studied with different neuroimaging techniques. Nevertheless, the exact brain processes underlying this unique activity are still unknown, due to suboptimal accuracy of imaging and/or stimuli delivery methods. To study somatosensory perception effectively, the stimulation must reflect parameters of the natural stimulus and must be applied with precise timing. In functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) providing these characteristics requires technologically advanced solutions and there have been several successful direct tactile stimulation devices designed that allow investigation of somatotopic organization of brain sensory areas. They may, however, be of limited applicability in studying brain mechanisms related to such distinctive tactile activity as Braille reading. In this paper we describe the design and experimental evaluation of an innovative MRI-compatible Braille Character Stimulator (BCS) enabling precise and stable delivery of standardized Braille characters with high temporal resolution. Our device is fully programmable, flexible in stimuli delivery and can be easily implemented in any research unit. The Braille Character Stimulator was tested with a same-different discrimination task on Braille characters during an event-related fMRI experiment in eleven right-handed sighted adult subjects. The results show significant activations in several cortical areas, including bilateral primary (SI) and secondary somatosensory (SII) cortices, bilateral premotor and supplementary motor areas, inferior frontal gyri, inferior temporal gyri and precuneus, as well as contralateral (to the stimulated hand) thalamus. The results validate the use of the BCS as a method of effective stimuli application in fMRI studies, in both sighted and visually impaired subjects. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Electroencephalography: Subdural Multi-Electrode Brain Chip.

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-12-01

showing a blind subject reading Braille letters that had been inserted into his visual cortex by stimulating appropriate sets of electrodes. The...subject in Dobelle’s experiment 50 had been blind for 10 years and was able to read Braille at 30 letters a minute using a 64 electrode array for...Evans, "’ Braille ’ Reading by a Blind Volunteer by Visual cortex Stimulation," Nature, 259: 111-112 (January 1976). A.K. Engel, et al. "Temporal Coding

Novel electronic refreshers for cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Currently the American Red Cross requires that individuals renew their cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification annually; this often requires a 4- to 8-hour refresher course. Those trained in CPR often show a decrease in essential knowledge and skills within just a few months after training. New electronic means of communication have expanded the possibilities for delivering CPR refreshers to members of the general public who receive CPR training. The study’s purpose was to determine the efficacy of three novel CPR refreshers - online website, e-mail and text messaging – for improving three outcomes of CPR training - skill retention, confidence for using CPR and intention to use CPR. These three refreshers may be considered “novel” in that they are not typically used to refresh CPR knowledge and skills. Methods The study conducted two randomized clinical trials of the novel CPR refreshers. A mailed brochure was a traditional, passive refresher format and served as the control condition. In Trial 1, the refreshers were delivered in a single episode at 6 months after initial CPR training. In Trial 2, the refreshers were delivered twice, at 6 and 9 months after initial CPR training, to test the effect of a repeated delivery. Outcomes for the three novel refreshers vs. the mailed brochure were determined at 12 months after initial CPR training. Results Assignment to any of three novel refreshers did not improve outcomes of CPR training one year later in comparison with receiving a mailed brochure. Comparing outcomes for subjects who actually reviewed some of the novel refreshers vs. those who did not indicated a significant positive effect for one outcome, confidence for performing CPR. The website refresher was associated with increased behavioral intent to perform CPR. Stated satisfaction with the refreshers was relatively high. The number of episodes of refreshers (one vs. two) did not have a significant effect on any outcomes. Conclusions There was no consistent evidence for the superiority of novel refreshers as compared with a traditional mailed brochure, but the low degree of actual exposure to the materials does not allow a definitive conclusion. An online web-based approach seems to have the most promise for future research on electronic CPR refreshers. PMID:23170816

A portable eBook reader for the blind.

PubMed

Velazquez, Ramiro; Hernandez, Hermes; Preza, Enrique

2010-01-01

This paper presents the design and first prototype of the TactoBook system, a novel concept of reading assistive device that aims to make eBooks accessible to the blind. The TactoBook consists of a computer-based software translator that converts fast and automatically any eBook into Braille. The Braille version of the eBook is then encrypted as a file and stored in a USB memory drive which is later inserted and reproduced in a compact, lightweight, and highly-portable tactile terminal. Braille readers can store multiple eBooks in the same USB and access/reproduce them in the tactile terminal without this being plugged to a computer. The first Braille terminal developed is a 10-cell prototype based on a piezoelectric ultrasonic actuation approach. Its overall performance is quite similar to the one obtained with traditional Braille terminals. However, unlike them, the full device is only 1 kg mass and its compact dimensions (20 × 15 × 10 cm) make it easily carried by the user. A technical overview of all subsystems is presented and discussed.

The design and implementation of CRT displays in the TCV real-time simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leavitt, J. B.; Tariq, S. I.; Steinmetz, G. G.

1975-01-01

The design and application of computer graphics to the Terminal Configured Vehicle (TCV) program were described. A Boeing 737-100 series aircraft was modified with a second flight deck and several computers installed in the passenger cabin. One of the elements in support of the TCV program is a sophisticated simulation system developed to duplicate the operation of the aft flight deck. This facility consists of an aft flight deck simulator, equipped with realistic flight instrumentation, a CDC 6600 computer, and an Adage graphics terminal; this terminal presents to the simulator pilot displays similar to those used on the aircraft with equivalent man-machine interactions. These two displays form the primary flight instrumentation for the pilot and are dynamic images depicting critical flight information. The graphics terminal is a high speed interactive refresh-type graphics system. To support the cockpit display, two remote CRT's were wired in parallel with two of the Adage scopes.

Video Bandwidth Compression System.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-08-01

scaling function, located between the inverse DPCM and inverse transform , on the decoder matrix multiplier chips. 1"V1 T.. ---- i.13 SECURITY...Bit Unpacker and Inverse DPCM Slave Sync Board 15 e. Inverse DPCM Loop Boards 15 f. Inverse Transform Board 16 g. Composite Video Output Board 16...36 a. Display Refresh Memory 36 (1) Memory Section 37 (2) Timing and Control 39 b. Bit Unpacker and Inverse DPCM 40 c. Inverse Transform Processor 43

Didymus the blind: an unknown precursor of Louis Braille and Helen Keller.

PubMed

Lascaratos, J; Marketos, S

1994-01-01

The present study presents the case of Didymus the Blind, worthy author, philosopher and theologian of the 4th century AD. Blinded by ophthalmia at the age of four years, Didymus succeeded in achieving great learning in the philosophical and natural sciences. He began his education by using a system which was remarkably like Braille, that is reading letters engraved into the surface of wood by touch and subsequently furthering his knowledge by listening. This learning process of Didymus the Blind appears as the precursor of Louis Braille who invented the educational system of reading embossed dots by touch. Like Didymus, Braille lost his vision in infancy (at three years of age). Another parallel of Didymus' career and written works is found in the example and achievements of Helen Keller.

The Findings and Activities of the Texas Commission on Braille Textbook Production. A Report from the State Board of Education, Submitted to the Governor, Lt. Governor, Speaker, and the Seventy-Third Texas Legislature. Excellence and Equity for All Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas Education Agency, Austin.

This report describes activities and recommendations of the Texas Commission on Braille Textbook Production, which monitors the acquisition Commission on Braille Textbook Production. The primary purpose of the commission is to monitor the expeditious acquisition of publisher computerized files in the form of textbook diskettes which are needed for…

National Federation of the Blind Braille Coin

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-07-30

NASA Associate Administrator Chris Scolese, left, and Mark Riccobono, executive director of the Jernigan Institute of the National Federation of the Blind hold up a Braille enscribed award with two Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollars at a ceremony where senior NASA officials presented the NFB with coins that flew on Space Shuttle Atlantis' mission (STS-125) to the Hubble Space Telescope in May 2009, Friday evening, July 31, 2009, at the Capitol Visitors Center in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

Kids' Quest: Vision Impairment

MedlinePlus

... most important job. Return to Steps World-Wide Web Search Kids Health: What is Vision Impairment What ... for the Blind (AFB) created the Braille Bug web site to teach sighted children about braille, and ...

Volumetric graphics in liquid using holographic femtosecond laser pulse excitations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumagai, Kota; Hayasaki, Yoshio

2017-06-01

Much attention has been paid to the development of three-dimensional volumetric displays in the fields of optics and computer graphics, and it is a dream of we display researchers. However, full-color volumetric displays are challenging because many voxels with different colors have to be formed to render volumetric graphics in real three-dimensional space. Here, we show a new volumetric display in which microbubble voxels are three-dimensionally generated in a liquid by focused femtosecond laser pulses. Use of a high-viscosity liquid, which is the key idea of this system, slows down the movement of the microbubbles, and as a result, volumetric graphics can be displayed. This "volumetric bubble display" has a wide viewing angle and simple refresh and requires no addressing wires because it involves optical access to transparent liquid and achieves full-color graphics composed on light-scattering voxels controlled by illumination light sources. In addition, a bursting of bubble graphics system using an ultrasonic vibrator also has been demonstrated. This technology will open up a wide range of applications in three-dimensional displays, augmented reality and computer graphics.

47 CFR 68.417 - Informal complaints; form and content.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... text, audio-cassette recording, and Braille. (b) An informal complaint shall include: (1) The name and...), Internet e-mail, ASCII text, audio-cassette recording, Braille; or some other method that will best...

Resources and Information for Parents about Braille

MedlinePlus

... Vision Loss Eye Conditions Losing Your Sight? Using Technology For Parents of Blind Children For Job Seekers For Seniors Braille Video Description Programs & Services Technology Evaluation Center on Vision Loss Learning Center Professional ...

75 FR 7648 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Emergency Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-22

..., recipients, and representative payees: Braille and Microsoft Word files (on data compact discs). Current...) Braille, or (5) Microsoft Word. This call did not require OMB clearance. However, there may be respondents...

Tactile perception in blind Braille readers: a psychophysical study of acuity and hyperacuity using gratings and dot patterns.

PubMed

Grant, A C; Thiagarajah, M C; Sathian, K

2000-02-01

It is not clear whether the blind are generally superior to the sighted on measures of tactile sensitivity or whether they excel only on certain tests owing to the specifics of their tactile experience. We compared the discrimination performance of blind Braille readers and age-matched sighted subjects on three tactile tasks using precisely specified stimuli. Initially, the blind significantly outperformed the sighted at a hyperacuity task using Braille-like dot patterns, although, with practice, both groups performed equally well. On two other tasks, hyperacute discrimination of gratings that differed in ridge width and spatial-acuity-dependent discrimination of grating orientation, the performance of the blind did not differ significantly from that of sighted subjects. These results probably reflect the specificity of perceptual learning due to Braille-reading experience.

Tactile spatial resolution in blind braille readers.

PubMed

Van Boven, R W; Hamilton, R H; Kauffman, T; Keenan, J P; Pascual-Leone, A

2000-06-27

To determine if blind people have heightened tactile spatial acuity. Recently, studies using magnetic source imaging and somatosensory evoked potentials have shown that the cortical representation of the reading fingers of blind Braille readers is expanded compared to that of fingers of sighted subjects. Furthermore, the visual cortex is activated during certain tactile tasks in blind subjects but not sighted subjects. The authors hypothesized that the expanded cortical representation of fingers used in Braille reading may reflect an enhanced fidelity in the neural transmission of spatial details of a stimulus. If so, the quantitative limit of spatial acuity would be superior in blind people. The authors employed a grating orientation discrimination task in which threshold performance is accounted for by the spatial resolution limits of the neural image evoked by a stimulus. The authors quantified the psychophysical limits of spatial acuity at the middle and index fingers of 15 blind Braille readers and 15 sighted control subjects. The mean grating orientation threshold was significantly (p = 0.03) lower in the blind group (1.04 mm) compared to the sighted group (1.46 mm). The self-reported dominant reading finger in blind subjects had a mean grating orientation threshold of 0.80 mm, which was significantly better than other fingers tested. Thresholds at non-Braille reading fingers in blind subjects averaged 1.12 mm, which were also superior to sighted subjects' performances. Superior tactile spatial acuity in blind Braille readers may represent an adaptive, behavioral correlate of cortical plasticity.

Refreshing memory traces: thinking of an item improves retrieval from visual working memory.

PubMed

Souza, Alessandra S; Rerko, Laura; Oberauer, Klaus

2015-03-01

This article provides evidence that refreshing, a hypothetical attention-based process operating in working memory (WM), improves the accessibility of visual representations for recall. "Thinking of", one of several concurrently active representations, is assumed to refresh its trace in WM, protecting the representation from being forgotten. The link between refreshing and WM performance, however, has only been tenuously supported by empirical evidence. Here, we controlled which and how often individual items were refreshed in a color reconstruction task by presenting cues prompting participants to think of specific WM items during the retention interval. We show that the frequency with which an item is refreshed improves recall of this item from visual WM. Our study establishes a role of refreshing in recall from visual WM and provides a new method for studying the impact of refreshing on the amount of information we can keep accessible for ongoing cognition. © 2014 New York Academy of Sciences.

Motion onset does not capture attention when subsequent motion is "smooth".

PubMed

Sunny, Meera Mary; von Mühlenen, Adrian

2011-12-01

Previous research on the attentional effects of moving objects has shown that motion per se does not capture attention. However, in later studies it was argued that the onset of motion does capture attention. Here, we show that this motion-onset effect critically depends on motion jerkiness--that is, the rate at which the moving stimulus is refreshed. Experiment 1 used search displays with a static, a motion-onset, and an abrupt-onset stimulus, while systematically varying the refresh rate of the moving stimulus. The results showed that motion onset only captures attention when subsequent motion is jerky (8 and 17 Hz), not when it is smooth (33 and 100 Hz). Experiment 2 replaced motion onset with continuous motion, showing that motion jerkiness does not affect how continuous motion is processed. These findings do not support accounts that assume a special role for motion onset, but they are in line with the more general unique-event account.

Bifocal computational near eye light field displays and Structure parameters determination scheme for bifocal computational display.

PubMed

Liu, Mali; Lu, Chihao; Li, Haifeng; Liu, Xu

2018-02-19

We propose a bifocal computational near eye light field display (bifocal computational display) and structure parameters determination scheme (SPDS) for bifocal computational display that achieves greater depth of field (DOF), high resolution, accommodation and compact form factor. Using a liquid varifocal lens, two single-focal computational light fields are superimposed to reconstruct a virtual object's light field by time multiplex and avoid the limitation on high refresh rate. By minimizing the deviation between reconstructed light field and original light field, we propose a determination framework to determine the structure parameters of bifocal computational light field display. When applied to different objective to SPDS, it can achieve high average resolution or uniform resolution display over scene depth range. To analyze the advantages and limitation of our proposed method, we have conducted simulations and constructed a simple prototype which comprises a liquid varifocal lens, dual-layer LCDs and a uniform backlight. The results of simulation and experiments with our method show that the proposed system can achieve expected performance well. Owing to the excellent performance of our system, we motivate bifocal computational display and SPDS to contribute to a daily-use and commercial virtual reality display.

RETENTION OF HIGH TACTILE ACUITY THROUGHOUT THE LIFESPAN IN BLINDNESS

PubMed Central

Legge, Gordon E.; Madison, Cindee; Vaughn, Brenna N.; Cheong, Allen M.Y.; Miller, Joseph C.

2009-01-01

Previous studies of tactile acuity on the fingertip using passive touch have demonstrated an age-related decline in spatial resolution for both sighted and blind subjects. We have re-examined this age dependence with two newly designed tactile-acuity charts requiring active exploration of the test symbols. One chart used dot patterns similar to Braille and the other used embossed Landolt rings. Groups of blind Braille readers and sighted subjects, ranging in age from 12 to 85 years, were tested in two experiments. We replicated previous findings for sighted subjects by showing an age related decrease in tactile acuity by nearly 1% per year. Surprisingly, the blind subjects retained high acuity into old age showing no age-related decline. For the blind subjects, tactile acuity did not correlate with braille reading speed, the amount of daily reading, or the age at which braille was learned. We conclude that when measured with active touch, blind subjects retain high tactile acuity into old age, unlike their aging sighted peers. We propose that blind people's use of active touch in daily activities, not specifically Braille reading, results in preservation of tactile acuity across the lifespan. PMID:19064491

Differential cognitive and perceptual correlates of print reading versus braille reading.

PubMed

Veispak, Anneli; Boets, Bart; Ghesquière, Pol

2013-01-01

The relations between reading, auditory, speech, phonological and tactile spatial processing are investigated in a Dutch speaking sample of blind braille readers as compared to sighted print readers. Performance is assessed in blind and sighted children and adults. Regarding phonological ability, braille readers perform equally well compared to print readers on phonological awareness, better on verbal short-term memory and significantly worse on lexical retrieval. The groups do not differ on speech perception or auditory processing. Braille readers, however, have more sensitive fingers than print readers. Investigation of the relations between these cognitive and perceptual skills and reading performance indicates that in the group of braille readers auditory temporal processing has a longer lasting and stronger impact not only on phonological abilities, which have to satisfy the high processing demands of the strictly serial language input, but also directly on the reading ability itself. Print readers switch between grapho-phonological and lexical reading modes depending on the familiarity of the items. Furthermore, the auditory temporal processing and speech perception, which were substantially interrelated with phonological processing, had no direct associations with print reading measures. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Index finger somatosensory evoked potentials in blind Braille readers.

PubMed

Giriyappa, Dayananda; Subrahmanyam, Roopakala Mysore; Rangashetty, Srinivasa; Sharma, Rajeev

2009-01-01

Traditionally, vision has been considered the dominant modality in our multi-sensory perception of the surrounding world. Sensory input via non-visual tracts becomes of greater behavioural relevance in totally blind individuals to enable effective interaction with the world around them. These include audition and tactile perceptions, leading to an augmentation in these perceptions when compared with normal sighted individuals. The objective of the present work was to study the index finger somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) in totally blind and normal sighted individuals. SEPs were recorded in 15 Braille reading totally blind females and compared with 15 age-matched normal sighted females. Latency and amplitudes of somatosensory evoked potential waveforms (N9, N13, and N20) were measured. Amplitude of N20 SEP (a cortical somatosensory evoked potential) was significantly larger in the totally blind than in normal sighted individuals (p < 0.05). The amplitudes of N9 and N13 SEP and the latencies of all recorded SEPs showed no significant differences. Blindness has a profound effect on the Braille reading right index finger. Totally blind Braille readers have larger N20 amplitude, suggestive of greater somatosensory cortical representation of the Braille reading index finger.

Electrocutaneous stimulation system for Braille reading.

PubMed

Echenique, Ana Maria; Graffigna, Juan Pablo; Mut, Vicente

2010-01-01

This work is an assistive technology for people with visual disabilities and aims to facilitate access to written information in order to achieve better social inclusion and integration into work and educational activities. Two methods of electrical stimulation (by current and voltage) of the mechanoreceptors was tested to obtain tactile sensations on the fingertip. Current and voltage stimulation were tested in a Braille cell and line prototype, respectively. These prototypes are evaluated in 33 blind and visually impaired subjects. The result of experimentation with both methods showed that electrical stimulation causes sensations of touch defined in the fingertip. Better results in the Braille characters reading were obtained with current stimulation (85% accuracy). However this form of stimulation causes uncomfortable sensations. The latter feeling was minimized with the method of voltage stimulation, but with low efficiency (50% accuracy) in terms of identification of the characters. We concluded that electrical stimulation is a promising method for the development of a simple and unexpensive Braille reading system for blind people. We observed that voltage stimulation is preferred by the users. However, more experimental tests must be carry out in order to find the optimum values of the stimulus parameters and increase the accuracy the Braille characters reading.

Emergency Medical Technician: Basic Refresher Curriculum (Instructor Course Guide )

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-09-01

The EMT-Basic Refresher curriculum is the minimum acceptable content that must : be included in any EMT-Basic refresher educational program. This program should : consist of a minimum of 24 classroom hours. The refresher training program is : divided...

Computer Aided Braille Trainer

PubMed Central

Sibert, Thomas W.

1984-01-01

The problems involved in teaching visually impaired persons to Braille are numerous. Training while the individual is still sighted and using a computer to assist is one way of shortening the learning curve. Such a solution is presented here.

47 CFR 7.17 - Informal complaints; form and content.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... braille. (b) An informal complaint shall include: (1) The name and address of the complainant; (2) The...), Internet e-mail, ASCII text, audio-cassette recording, braille; or some other method that will best...

Massive cortical reorganization in sighted Braille readers.

PubMed

Siuda-Krzywicka, Katarzyna; Bola, Łukasz; Paplińska, Małgorzata; Sumera, Ewa; Jednoróg, Katarzyna; Marchewka, Artur; Śliwińska, Magdalena W; Amedi, Amir; Szwed, Marcin

2016-03-15

The brain is capable of large-scale reorganization in blindness or after massive injury. Such reorganization crosses the division into separate sensory cortices (visual, somatosensory...). As its result, the visual cortex of the blind becomes active during tactile Braille reading. Although the possibility of such reorganization in the normal, adult brain has been raised, definitive evidence has been lacking. Here, we demonstrate such extensive reorganization in normal, sighted adults who learned Braille while their brain activity was investigated with fMRI and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Subjects showed enhanced activity for tactile reading in the visual cortex, including the visual word form area (VWFA) that was modulated by their Braille reading speed and strengthened resting-state connectivity between visual and somatosensory cortices. Moreover, TMS disruption of VWFA activity decreased their tactile reading accuracy. Our results indicate that large-scale reorganization is a viable mechanism recruited when learning complex skills.

9969 Braille: Deep Space 1 infrared spectroscopy, geometric albedo, and classification

USGS Publications Warehouse

Buratti, B.J.; Britt, D.T.; Soderblom, L.A.; Hicks, M.D.; Boice, D.C.; Brown, R.H.; Meier, R.; Nelson, R.M.; Oberst, J.; Owen, T.C.; Rivkin, A.S.; Sandel, B.R.; Stern, S.A.; Thomas, N.; Yelle, R.V.

2004-01-01

Spectra of Asteroid 9969 Braille in the 1.25-2.6 ??m region returned by the Deep Space 1 (DS1) Mission show a ???10% absorption band centered at 2 ??m, and a reflectance peak at 1.6 ??m. Analysis of these features suggest that the composition of Braille is roughly equal parts pyroxene and olivine. Its spectrum between 0.4 and 2.5 ??m suggests that it is most closely related to the Q taxonomic type of asteroid. The spectrum also closely matches that of the ordinary chondrites, the most common type of terrestrial meteorite. The geometric albedo of Braille is unusually high (pv = 0.34), which is also consistent with its placement within the rarer classes of stony asteroids, and which suggests it has a relatively fresh, unweathered surface, perhaps due to a recent collision. ?? 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Using Google Earth in Marine Research and Operational Decision Support

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blower, J. D.; Bretherton, D.; Haines, K.; Liu, C.; Rawlings, C.; Santokhee, A.; Smith, I.

2006-12-01

A key advantage of Virtual Globes ("geobrowsers") such as Google Earth is that they can display many different geospatial data types at a huge range of spatial scales. In this demonstration and poster display we shall show how marine data from disparate sources can be brought together in a geobrowser in order to support both scientific research and operational search and rescue activities. We have developed the Godiva2 interactive website for browsing and exploring marine data, mainly output from supercomputer analyses and predictions of ocean circulation. The user chooses a number of parameters (e.g. sea temperature at 100m depth on 1st July 2006) and can load an image of the resulting data in Google Earth. Through the use of an automatically-refreshing NetworkLink the user can explore the whole globe at a very large range of spatial scales: the displayed data will automatically be refreshed to show data at increasingly fine resolution as the user zooms in. This is a valuable research tool for exploring these terabyte- scale datasets. Many coastguard organizations around the world use SARIS, a software application produced by BMT Cordah Ltd., to predict the drift pattern of objects in the sea in order to support search and rescue operations. Different drifting objects have different trajectories depending on factors such as their buoyancy and windage and so a computer model, supported by meteorological and oceanographic data, is needed to help rescuers locate their targets. We shall demonstrate how Google Earth is used to display output from the SARIS model (including the search target location and associated error polygon) alongside meteorological data (wind vectors) and oceanographic data (sea temperature, surface currents) from Godiva2 in order to support decision-making. We shall also discuss the limitations of using Google Earth in this context: these include the difficulties of working with time- dependent data and the need to access data securely. essc.ac.uk:8080/Godiva2

Evaluating Microcomputer Access Technology for Use by Visually Impaired Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruconich, Sandra

1984-01-01

The article outlines advantages and limitations of five types of access to microcomputer technology for visually impaired students: electronic braille, paper braille, Optacon, synthetic speech, and enlarged print. Additional considerations in access decisions are noted. (CL)

The Effects of Providing Headings in Braille Text.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartley, J.; And Others

1987-01-01

Twenty-four blind adults were tested to assess whether headings in braille text facilitated reading comprehension and recall. Subjects reacted positively to the use of headings, but upon being tested for recall no significant effect was found. (Author/JW)

Making Microcomputers Accessible to Blind Persons.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruconich, Sandra K.; And Others

1986-01-01

The article considers advantages and limitations of tactile, auditory, and visual means of microcomputer access for blind students. Discussed are electronic braille, paper braille, the Optacon, synthesized speech, and enlarged print. Improved multimedia access technology is predicted for the future. (Author/DB)

Recovery of nerve injury-induced alexia for Braille using forearm anaesthesia.

PubMed

Björkman, Anders; Rosén, Birgitta; Lundborg, Göran

2008-04-16

Nerve injuries in the upper extremity may severely affect hand function. Cutaneous forearm anaesthesia has been shown to improve hand sensation in nerve-injured patients. A blind man who lost his Braille reading capability after an axillary plexus injury was treated with temporary cutaneous forearm anaesthesia. After treatment sensory functions of the hand improved and the patient regained his Braille reading capability. The mechanism behind the improvement is likely unmasking of inhibited or silent neurons, but after repeated treatment sessions at increasing intervals the improvement has remained at 1-year follow-up, implying a structural change in the somatosensory cortex.

Composite View of Asteroid Braille from Deep Space 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

The two images on the left hand side of this composite image frame were taken 914 seconds and 932 seconds after the recent Deep Space 1 (DS1)encounter with the asteroid 9969 Braille by the Miniature Integrated Camera Spectrometer (MICAS). The image on the right was created by combining the two images on the left. The Sun is illuminating Braille from below , as is indicated by the arrow.

Braille (also known as 1992 KD) was discovered on May 27, 1992 by astronomers Eleanor Helin and Kenneth Lawrence using the 46 centimeter (18 inch) Shmidt telescope at Palomar Observatory, while scanning the skies as part of the Palomar Planet-Crossing Asteroid Survey.

Deep Space 1 was launched into orbit around the Sun on October 24, 1998 at 5:08 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Florida on a Delta 7326, a variant of the Delta II rocket. An ion engine, operating for more than 1800 hours, was used to maneuver the spacecraft for an encounter with Braille. The closest approach of DS1 to the asteroid, at an approximate distance of 15 kilometers, occurred on July 29,1999 at 04:45 Universal Time, July 28 at 9:46 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time.

Enhanced Image of Asteroid Braille from Deep Space 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

This image was created from a composite of two images which were taken 914 seconds and 932 seconds after the recent Deep Space 1 (DS1) encounter with the asteroid 9969 Braille by the Miniature Integrated Camera Spectrometer (MICAS). Interpolated values were then computed for each pixel in the final image based on the neighboring pixels of the composite. The interpolation minimizes the spatial frequency artifacts of the final image. The Sun is illuminating Braille from below.

Braille (also known as 1992 KD) was discovered on May 27, 1992 by astronomers Eleanor Helin and Kenneth Lawrence using the 46 centimeter (18 inch) Shmidt telescope at Palomar Observatory, while scanning the skies as part of the Palomar Planet-Crossing Asteroid Survey.

Deep Space 1 was launched into orbit around the Sun on October 24, 1998 at 5:08 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Florida on a Delta 7326, a variant of the Delta II rocket. An ion engine, operating for more than 1800 hours, was used to maneuver the spacecraft for an encounter with Braille. The closest approach of DS1 to the asteroid, at an approximate distance of 15 kilometers, occurred on July 29,1999 at 04:45 Universal Time, July 28 at 9:46 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time.

Trait anxiety and impaired control of reflective attention in working memory.

PubMed

Hoshino, Takatoshi; Tanno, Yoshihiko

2016-01-01

The present study investigated whether the control of reflective attention in working memory (WM) is impaired in high trait anxiety individuals. We focused on the consequences of refreshing-a simple reflective process of thinking briefly about a just-activated representation in mind-on the subsequent processing of verbal stimuli. Participants performed a selective refreshing task, in which they initially refreshed or read one word from a three-word set, and then refreshed a non-selected item from the initial phrase or read aloud a new word. High trait anxiety individuals exhibited greater latencies when refreshing a word after experiencing the refreshing of a word from the same list of semantic associates. The same pattern was observed for reading a new word after prior refreshing. These findings suggest that high trait anxiety individuals have difficulty resolving interference from active distractors when directing reflective attention towards contents in WM or processing a visually presented word.

Design and implementation of a medium speed communications interface and protocol for a low cost, refreshed display computer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Phyne, J. R.; Nelson, M. D.

1975-01-01

The design and implementation of hardware and software systems involved in using a 40,000 bit/second communication line as the connecting link between an IMLAC PDS 1-D display computer and a Univac 1108 computer system were described. The IMLAC consists of two independent processors sharing a common memory. The display processor generates the deflection and beam control currents as it interprets a program contained in the memory; the minicomputer has a general instruction set and is responsible for starting and stopping the display processor and for communicating with the outside world through the keyboard, teletype, light pen, and communication line. The processing time associated with each data byte was minimized by designing the input and output processes as finite state machines which automatically sequence from each state to the next. Several tests of the communication link and the IMLAC software were made using a special low capacity computer grade cable between the IMLAC and the Univac.

Is refreshing in working memory impaired in older age? Evidence from the retro-cue paradigm.

PubMed

Loaiza, Vanessa M; Souza, Alessandra S

2018-04-10

Impairments in refreshing have been suggested as one source of working memory (WM) deficits in older age. Retro-cues provide an important method of investigating this question: a retro-cue guides attention to one WM item, thereby arguably refreshing it and increasing its accessibility compared with a no-cue baseline. In contrast to the refreshing deficit hypothesis, intact retro-cue benefits have been found in older adults. Refreshing, however, is assumed to boost not one but several WM representations when sequentially applied to them. Hence, intact refreshing requires the flexible switching of attention among WM items. So far, it remains an open question whether older adults show this flexibility. Here, we investigated whether older adults can use multiple cues to sequentially refresh WM representations. Younger and older adults completed a continuous-color delayed-estimation task, in which the number of retro-cues (0, 1, or 2) presented during the retention interval was manipulated. The results showed a similar retro-cue benefit for younger and older adults, even in the two-cue condition in which participants had to switch attention between items to refresh representations in WM. These findings suggest that the capacity to use cues to refresh information in visual WM may be preserved with age. © 2018 New York Academy of Sciences.

Present Vision--Future Vision.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fitterman, L. Jeffrey

This paper addresses issues of current and future technology use for and by individuals with visual impairments and blindness in Florida. Present technology applications used in vision programs in Florida are individually described, including video enlarging, speech output, large inkprint, braille print, paperless braille, and tactual output…

Braille Goes to High School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amato, Sheila

2003-01-01

This brief report describes the development and implementation of a unique, full-year, credit-bearing, technology course in literary Braille transcription offered at a Long Island (New York) high school. It describes the program's goals, development, implementation, students, ongoing activities, outreach efforts, and student attitudes. Suggestions…

Could Specific Braille Reading Difficulties Result from Developmental Dyslexia?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Veispak, Anneli; Ghesquiere, Pol

2010-01-01

A proportion of children with visual impairments have specific reading difficulties that cannot be easily explained. This article reviews the data on problems with braille reading and interprets them from the framework of the temporal-processing deficit theory of developmental dyslexia.

The nature of working memory for Braille.

PubMed

Cohen, Henri; Voss, Patrice; Lepore, Franco; Scherzer, Peter

2010-05-26

Blind individuals have been shown on multiple occasions to compensate for their loss of sight by developing exceptional abilities in their remaining senses. While most research has been focused on perceptual abilities per se in the auditory and tactile modalities, recent work has also investigated higher-order processes involving memory and language functions. Here we examined tactile working memory for Braille in two groups of visually challenged individuals (completely blind subjects, CBS; blind with residual vision, BRV). In a first experimental procedure both groups were given a Braille tactile memory span task with and without articulatory suppression, while the BRV and a sighted group performed a visual version of the task. It was shown that the Braille tactile working memory (BrWM) of CBS individuals under articulatory suppression is as efficient as that of sighted individuals' visual working memory in the same condition. Moreover, the results suggest that BrWM may be more robust in the CBS than in the BRV subjects, thus pointing to the potential role of visual experience in shaping tactile working memory. A second experiment designed to assess the nature (spatial vs. verbal) of this working memory was then carried out with two new CBS and BRV groups having to perform the Braille task concurrently with a mental arithmetic task or a mental displacement of blocks task. We show that the disruption of memory was greatest when concurrently carrying out the mental displacement of blocks, indicating that the Braille tactile subsystem of working memory is likely spatial in nature in CBS. The results also point to the multimodal nature of working memory and show how experience can shape the development of its subcomponents.

The Nature of Working Memory for Braille

PubMed Central

Cohen, Henri; Voss, Patrice; Lepore, Franco; Scherzer, Peter

2010-01-01

Blind individuals have been shown on multiple occasions to compensate for their loss of sight by developing exceptional abilities in their remaining senses. While most research has been focused on perceptual abilities per se in the auditory and tactile modalities, recent work has also investigated higher-order processes involving memory and language functions. Here we examined tactile working memory for Braille in two groups of visually challenged individuals (completely blind subjects, CBS; blind with residual vision, BRV). In a first experimental procedure both groups were given a Braille tactile memory span task with and without articulatory suppression, while the BRV and a sighted group performed a visual version of the task. It was shown that the Braille tactile working memory (BrWM) of CBS individuals under articulatory suppression is as efficient as that of sighted individuals' visual working memory in the same condition. Moreover, the results suggest that BrWM may be more robust in the CBS than in the BRV subjects, thus pointing to the potential role of visual experience in shaping tactile working memory. A second experiment designed to assess the nature (spatial vs. verbal) of this working memory was then carried out with two new CBS and BRV groups having to perform the Braille task concurrently with a mental arithmetic task or a mental displacement of blocks task. We show that the disruption of memory was greatest when concurrently carrying out the mental displacement of blocks, indicating that the Braille tactile subsystem of working memory is likely spatial in nature in CBS. The results also point to the multimodal nature of working memory and show how experience can shape the development of its subcomponents. PMID:20520807

Reading Visual Braille with a Retinal Prosthesis

PubMed Central

Lauritzen, Thomas Z.; Harris, Jordan; Mohand-Said, Saddek; Sahel, Jose A.; Dorn, Jessy D.; McClure, Kelly; Greenberg, Robert J.

2012-01-01

Retinal prostheses, which restore partial vision to patients blinded by outer retinal degeneration, are currently in clinical trial. The Argus II retinal prosthesis system was recently awarded CE approval for commercial use in Europe. While retinal prosthesis users have achieved remarkable visual improvement to the point of reading letters and short sentences, the reading process is still fairly cumbersome. This study investigates the possibility of using an epiretinal prosthesis to stimulate visual braille as a sensory substitution for reading written letters and words. The Argus II retinal prosthesis system, used in this study, includes a 10 × 6 electrode array implanted epiretinally, a tiny video camera mounted on a pair of glasses, and a wearable computer that processes the video and determines the stimulation current of each electrode in real time. In the braille reading system, individual letters are created by a subset of dots from a 3 by 2 array of six dots. For the visual braille experiment, a grid of six electrodes was chosen out of the 10 × 6 Argus II array. Groups of these electrodes were then directly stimulated (bypassing the camera) to create visual percepts of individual braille letters. Experiments were performed in a single subject. Single letters were stimulated in an alternative forced choice (AFC) paradigm, and short 2–4-letter words were stimulated (one letter at a time) in an open-choice reading paradigm. The subject correctly identified 89% of single letters, 80% of 2-letter, 60% of 3-letter, and 70% of 4-letter words. This work suggests that text can successfully be stimulated and read as visual braille in retinal prosthesis patients. PMID:23189036

Impact of oral health education by audio aids, braille and tactile models on the oral health status of visually impaired children of Bhopal City.

PubMed

Gautam, Anjali; Bhambal, Ajay; Moghe, Swapnil

2018-01-01

Children with special needs face unique challenges in day-to-day practice. They are dependent on their close ones for everything. To improve oral hygiene in such visually impaired children, undue training and education are required. Braille is an important language for reading and writing for the visually impaired. It helps them understand and visualize the world via touch. Audio aids are being used to impart health education to the visually impaired. Tactile models help them perceive things which they cannot visualize and hence are an important learning tool. This study aimed to assess the improvement in oral hygiene by audio aids and Braille and tactile models in visually impaired children aged 6-16 years of Bhopal city. This was a prospective study. Sixty visually impaired children aged 6-16 years were selected and randomly divided into three groups (20 children each). Group A: audio aids + Braille, Group B: audio aids + tactile models, and Group C: audio aids + Braille + tactile models. Instructions were given for maintaining good oral hygiene and brushing techniques were explained to all children. After 3 months' time, the oral hygiene status was recorded and compared using plaque and gingival index. ANNOVA test was used. The present study showed a decrease in the mean plaque and gingival scores at all time intervals in individual group as compared to that of the baseline that was statistically significant. The study depicts that the combination of audio aids, Braille and tactile models is an effective way to provide oral health education and improve oral health status of visually impaired children.

Reading visual braille with a retinal prosthesis.

PubMed

Lauritzen, Thomas Z; Harris, Jordan; Mohand-Said, Saddek; Sahel, Jose A; Dorn, Jessy D; McClure, Kelly; Greenberg, Robert J

2012-01-01

Retinal prostheses, which restore partial vision to patients blinded by outer retinal degeneration, are currently in clinical trial. The Argus II retinal prosthesis system was recently awarded CE approval for commercial use in Europe. While retinal prosthesis users have achieved remarkable visual improvement to the point of reading letters and short sentences, the reading process is still fairly cumbersome. This study investigates the possibility of using an epiretinal prosthesis to stimulate visual braille as a sensory substitution for reading written letters and words. The Argus II retinal prosthesis system, used in this study, includes a 10 × 6 electrode array implanted epiretinally, a tiny video camera mounted on a pair of glasses, and a wearable computer that processes the video and determines the stimulation current of each electrode in real time. In the braille reading system, individual letters are created by a subset of dots from a 3 by 2 array of six dots. For the visual braille experiment, a grid of six electrodes was chosen out of the 10 × 6 Argus II array. Groups of these electrodes were then directly stimulated (bypassing the camera) to create visual percepts of individual braille letters. Experiments were performed in a single subject. Single letters were stimulated in an alternative forced choice (AFC) paradigm, and short 2-4-letter words were stimulated (one letter at a time) in an open-choice reading paradigm. The subject correctly identified 89% of single letters, 80% of 2-letter, 60% of 3-letter, and 70% of 4-letter words. This work suggests that text can successfully be stimulated and read as visual braille in retinal prosthesis patients.

MEMS tactile display: from fabrication to characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miki, Norihisa; Kosemura, Yumi; Watanabe, Junpei; Ishikawa, Hiroaki

2014-03-01

We report fabrication and characterization of MEMS-based tactile display that can display users various tactile information, such as Braille codes and surface textures. The display consists of 9 micro-actuators that are equipped with hydraulic displacement amplification mechanism (HDAM) to achieve large enough displacement to stimulate the human tactile receptors. HDAM encapsulates incompressible liquids. We developed a liquid encapsulation process, which we termed as Bonding-in-Liquid Technique, where bonding with a UV-curable resin in glycerin is conducted in the liquid, which prevented interfusion of air bubbles and deformation of the membrane during the bonding. HDAM successfully amplified the displacement generated by piezoelectric actuators by a factor of 6. The display could virtually produce "rough" and "smooth" surfaces, by controlling the vibration frequency, displacement, and the actuation periods of an actuator until the adjacent actuator was driven. We introduced a sample comparison method to characterize the surfaces, which involves human tactile sensation. First, we prepared samples whose mechanical properties are known. We displayed a surface texture to the user by controlling the parameters and then, the user selects a sample that has the most similar surface texture. By doing so, we can correlate the parameters with the mechanical properties of the sample as well as find the sets of the parameters that can provide similar tactile information to many users. The preliminary results with respect to roughness and hardness is presented.

29 CFR 18.612 - Writing used to refresh memory.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Writing used to refresh memory. 18.612 Section 18.612 Labor... OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGES Rules of Evidence Witnesses § 18.612 Writing used to refresh memory. If a witness uses a writing to refresh memory for the purpose of testifying, either while testifying...

76 FR 26983 - Improving Wireless Coverage Through the Use of Signal Boosters

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-10

... Disabilities: To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (braille, large [email protected] . 5. To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large... signal boosters. Specifically, the Commission proposes that marketing materials must include a...

The 2010 Decennial Census: Background and Issues

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-04-27

the hearing impaired, is to be available, as are Braille and large-print questionnaire guides. This report will be updated as legislative or other...intends to provide telephone assistance, including assistance for the hearing impaired, as well as Braille and large-print questionnaire guides.59

Massive cortical reorganization in sighted Braille readers

PubMed Central

Siuda-Krzywicka, Katarzyna; Bola, Łukasz; Paplińska, Małgorzata; Sumera, Ewa; Jednoróg, Katarzyna; Marchewka, Artur; Śliwińska, Magdalena W; Amedi, Amir; Szwed, Marcin

2016-01-01

The brain is capable of large-scale reorganization in blindness or after massive injury. Such reorganization crosses the division into separate sensory cortices (visual, somatosensory...). As its result, the visual cortex of the blind becomes active during tactile Braille reading. Although the possibility of such reorganization in the normal, adult brain has been raised, definitive evidence has been lacking. Here, we demonstrate such extensive reorganization in normal, sighted adults who learned Braille while their brain activity was investigated with fMRI and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Subjects showed enhanced activity for tactile reading in the visual cortex, including the visual word form area (VWFA) that was modulated by their Braille reading speed and strengthened resting-state connectivity between visual and somatosensory cortices. Moreover, TMS disruption of VWFA activity decreased their tactile reading accuracy. Our results indicate that large-scale reorganization is a viable mechanism recruited when learning complex skills. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.10762.001 PMID:26976813

Graphical tactile displays for visually-impaired people.

PubMed

Vidal-Verdú, Fernando; Hafez, Moustapha

2007-03-01

This paper presents an up-to-date survey of graphical tactile displays. These devices provide information through the sense of touch. At best, they should display both text and graphics (text may be considered a type of graphic). Graphs made with shapeable sheets result in bulky items awkward to store and transport; their production is expensive and time-consuming and they deteriorate quickly. Research is ongoing for a refreshable tactile display that acts as an output device for a computer or other information source and can present the information in text and graphics. The work in this field has branched into diverse areas, from physiological studies to technological aspects and challenges. Moreover, interest in these devices is now being shown by other fields such as virtual reality, minimally invasive surgery and teleoperation. It is attracting more and more people, research and money. Many proposals have been put forward, several of them succeeding in the task of presenting tactile information. However, most are research prototypes and very expensive to produce commercially. Thus the goal of an efficient low-cost tactile display for visually-impaired people has not yet been reached.

Specific cerebellar activation during Braille reading in blind subjects.

PubMed

Gizewski, Elke R; Timmann, Dagmar; Forsting, Michael

2004-07-01

The traditional view that the cerebellum is involved only in the control of movements has been changed recently. It has been suggested that the human cerebellum is involved in cognition and language. Likewise, besides cortical activity in sensorimotor and visual areas, an increased global activation of the cerebellum has been revealed during Braille reading in blind subjects. Our purpose was to investigate whether there is cerebellar activation during Braille reading by blind subjects other than sensorimotor activation related to finger movements. Early blind and normal sighted subjects were studied with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during Braille reading, tactile discrimination of nonsense dots, dots forming symbols, and finger tapping. The experiments were done in block design. Echo planar imaging sequences were carried out on a 1.5-T MR scanner. All blind individuals reading Braille showed robust activation of the posterior and lateral aspects of cerebellar hemispheral lobules Crus I bilaterally but more predominately on the right side. Additionally, activation was present in the medial cerebellum within lobules IV, V, and VIIIA, predominantly on the right. Discriminating nonsense dots did not reveal any activation of Crus I, but did reveal activation within the medial part of lobules IV, V, and VIIIA, predominately on the right. Analysis of sighted subjects during reading of printed text revealed activation of the posterolateral cerebellar hemisphere in Crus I bilaterally, predominantly on the right. Tactile analysis of dots representing symbols revealed an activation in lobules IV and VIII and in right Crus II but not in Crus I. In conclusion, parts of cerebellar activation during Braille reading in blind subjects (i.e., within lobules IV, V, and VIII) overlap with the known hand representation within the cerebellum and are likely related to the sensorimotor part of the task. Cerebellar activation during Braille reading within bilateral Crus I may be due to language processes or inner speech similar to those found during text reading in normal sighted subjects. Object recognition did not account for Crus I activation. Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Teaching braille line tracking using stimulus fading.

PubMed

Scheithauer, Mindy C; Tiger, Jeffrey H

2014-01-01

Line tracking is a prerequisite skill for braille literacy that involves moving one's finger horizontally across a line of braille text and identifying when a line ends so the reader may reset his or her finger on the subsequent line. Current procedures for teaching line tracking are incomplete, because they focus on tracking lines with only small gaps between characters. The current study extended previous line-tracking instruction using stimulus fading to teach tracking across larger gaps. After instruction, all participants showed improvement in line tracking, and 2 of 3 participants met mastery criteria for tracking across extended spaces. © Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

The effects of refreshing and elaboration on working memory performance, and their contributions to long-term memory formation.

PubMed

Bartsch, Lea M; Singmann, Henrik; Oberauer, Klaus

2018-03-19

Refreshing and elaboration are cognitive processes assumed to underlie verbal working-memory maintenance and assumed to support long-term memory formation. Whereas refreshing refers to the attentional focussing on representations, elaboration refers to linking representations in working memory into existing semantic networks. We measured the impact of instructed refreshing and elaboration on working and long-term memory separately, and investigated to what extent both processes are distinct in their contributions to working as well as long-term memory. Compared with a no-processing baseline, immediate memory was improved by repeating the items, but not by refreshing them. There was no credible effect of elaboration on working memory, except when items were repeated at the same time. Long-term memory benefited from elaboration, but not from refreshing the words. The results replicate the long-term memory benefit for elaboration, but do not support its beneficial role for working memory. Further, refreshing preserves immediate memory, but does not improve it beyond the level achieved without any processing.

International Directory of Libraries and Production Facilities for the Blind.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cylke, Frank Kurt, Ed.; Hanke, Peter, Ed.

World-wide in scope, this directory lists organizations producing braille or Talking Books, maintaining braille libraries, and exchanging resources with organizations serving blind or handicapped people. The directory is arranged in seven geographical sections: Africa, Asia, Australia (including Oceania), Europe (including U.S.S.R.), Middle East…

Vocabulary Word Instruction for Students Who Read Braille

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savaiano, Mackenzie E.; Compton, Donald L.; Hatton, Deborah D.; Lloyd, Blair P.

2016-01-01

The association made between the meaning, spelling, and pronunciation of a word has been shown to help children remember the meanings of words. The present study addressed whether the presence of a target word in Braille during instruction facilitated vocabulary learning more efficiently than an auditory-only instructional condition. The authors…

Repaying Your Student Loans, 2003-2004. [Braille Version].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Office of Federal Student Aid (ED), Washington, DC.

This Braille publication explores available options on federal student loans so that borrowers can avoid repayment problems and manage and repay their debts. The guide contains information on repayment plans for Perkins loans, Direct Loans, and Federal Family Education Loans. The repayment options discussed include consolidation, deferment, and…

Braille and Tactile Graphics: Youths with Visual Impairments Share Their Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenblum, L. Penny; Herzberg, Tina S.

2015-01-01

Introduction: Data were collected from youths with visual impairment about their experiences with tactile graphics and braille materials used in mathematics and science classes. Methods: Youths answered questions and explored four tactile graphics made using different production methods. They located specific information on each graphic and shared…

Semiannual Technical Summary, 1 October 1985-31 March 1986

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-05-01

see Braille , 1973; Ruud, 1986) to estimate velocities and crustal thick- ness. The outcome of such an experiment, on the basis of ŗ-component...Phys. Earth Planet. Inter., 15, 13-27. Braille , L.W. (1973): Inversion of crustal seismic refraction and reflection data, J. Geophy. Res., 78, 7738-7744

Composite View of Asteroid Braille from Deep Space 1

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-08-03

The two images on the left hand side of this composite image frame were taken 914 seconds and 932 seconds after the NASA Deep Space 1 encounter with the asteroid 9969 Braille. The image on the right was created by combining the two images on the left.

CPR: Infant

MedlinePlus Videos and Cool Tools

Refresher Center Home FIRST AID, CPR and AED LIFEGUARDING Refresher Putting It All Together: CPR—Infant (1:52) Refresher videos only utilize this player QUICK LINKS Home RedCross.org Purchase Course Materials Shop Our Store ...

CPR: Adult

MedlinePlus Videos and Cool Tools

Refresher Center Home FIRST AID, CPR and AED LIFEGUARDING Refresher Putting It All Together: CPR—Adult (2:03) Refresher videos only utilize this player QUICK LINKS Home RedCross.org Purchase Course Materials Shop Our Store ...

Novel Technologies for Next Generation Memory

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-07-25

charge in the capacitor) eventually fades unless the capacitor charge is refreshed , so the memory cells must be periodically refreshed (rewritten). The...reliability issues (such as poor data retention problem and refresh failure). In order to avoid those problems, a 3-dimensional channel structure...states during the refresh cycle (retention time). When the channel length is scaled down, it is difficult to guarantee sufficient retention time

Common Sense Guide to Mitigating Insider Threats 4th Edition

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

annual refresher training for all employees mandatory. Refresher training needs to cover all facets of your organization, not just information...some type of refresher training that may or may not directly relate to cyber threats. Some ideas for insider threat topics that could be incorporated...provided to users before using a system and through annual refreshers . Organizations should consult legal counsel before implementing any monitoring

Recent advances in photorefractive polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, Jayan; Christenson, C. W.; Lynn, B.; Blanche, P.-A.; Voorakaranam, R.; Norwood, R. A.; Yamamoto, M.; Peyghambarian, N.

2011-10-01

Photorefractive composites derived from conducting polymers offer the advantage of dynamically recording holograms without the need for processing of any kind. Thus, they are the material of choice for many cutting edge applications, such as updatable three-dimensional (3D) displays and 3D telepresence. Using photorefractive polymers, 3D images or holograms can be seen with the unassisted eye and are very similar to how humans see the actual environment surrounding them. Absence of a large-area and dynamically updatable holographic recording medium has prevented realization of the concept. The development of a novel nonlinear optical chromophore doped photoconductive polymer composite as the recording medium for a refreshable holographic display is discussed. Further improvements in the polymer composites could bring applications in telemedicine, advertising, updatable 3D maps and entertainment.

Practices and Preferences among Students Who Read Braille and Use Assistive Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Andrea, Frances Mary

2010-01-01

An increased emphasis on the use of technology and the focus on "multiliteracies" in the classroom has great implications for both teachers and students regarding the expectation that all students will become skilled and critical users of computers and other technology for literacy-related tasks. Students who are braille readers use…

Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment Systems Braille Reading Assessment: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Posey, Virginia K.; Henderson, Barbara W.

2012-01-01

Introduction: This exploratory study determined whether transcribing selected test items on an adult life and work skills reading test into braille could maintain the same approximate scale-score range and maintain fitness within the item response theory model as used by the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment Systems (CASAS) for developing…

On the Nonsmooth, Nonconstant Velocity of Braille Reading and Reversals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, Barry; McClelland, Amber; Henare, Dion

2014-01-01

Relative to print reading, braille-reading finger movements are held to be of more constant speed, with continuous and exhaustive contact with all words. However, the continuity of movements is intermittent in two distinct ways: (a) readers reverse direction and reread material already encountered and (b) the continual fluctuations of velocity…

Review of Research: Neuroscience and the Impact of Brain Plasticity on Braille Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hannan, Cheryl Kamei

2006-01-01

In this systematic review of research, the author analyzes studies of neural cortical activation, brain plasticity, and braille reading. The conclusions regarding the brain's plasticity and ability to reorganize are encouraging for individuals with degenerative eye conditions or late-onset blindness because they indicate that the brain can make…

Braille Makes a Comeback

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samuels, Christina A.

2008-01-01

A few decades ago, Braille was on the wane. Technology was seen as likely to replace the tactile communication method, as text-to-speech readers and recorded books, for example, offered access to classroom materials. Students at special schools for the blind moved into regular classrooms, which are rich in text, but not text that is accessible to…

Evaluating Training and Implementation of the Individualized Meaning-Centered Approach to Teaching Braille Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Durando, Julie A.; Wormsley, Diane P.

2009-01-01

This study investigated the effectiveness of training workshops in braille literacy for teachers of students who are visually impaired and have additional disabilities. Participants in the training workshops in the Individualized Meaning-Centered Approach indicated general satisfaction with the training. Most reported using the approach with…

Using Constant Time Delay to Teach Braille Word Recognition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hooper, Jonathan; Ivy, Sarah; Hatton, Deborah

2014-01-01

Introduction: Constant time delay has been identified as an evidence-based practice to teach print sight words and picture recognition (Browder, Ahlbrim-Delzell, Spooner, Mims, & Baker, 2009). For the study presented here, we tested the effectiveness of constant time delay to teach new braille words. Methods: A single-subject multiple baseline…

Jean Langlais (1907-91): an historical case of a blind organist with stroke-induced aphasia and Braille alexia but without amusia.

PubMed

Fisher, C A H; Larner, A J

2008-11-01

The subject of a prior report of a blind organist with aphasia and Braille alexia without amusia, published in French, has been identified as Jean Langlais. His artistic and medical history is presented, the latter via translation of the original 1987 paper.

The Development of Accepted Performance Items to Demonstrate Competence in Literary Braille

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Sandra; D'Andrea, Frances Mary; Rosenblum, L. Penny

2012-01-01

Introduction: This research attempted to establish the content validity of several performance statements that are associated with basic knowledge, production, and reading of braille by beginning teachers. Methods: University instructors (n = 21) and new teachers of students with visual impairments (n = 20) who had taught at least 2 braille…

Tactile signage leads the way.

PubMed

2004-10-01

As implementation of Part III of the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act draws closer, service providers are looking to their obligations and how they can fulfil them in a cost-effective way. Most sighted people assume that blind or visually impaired people read Braille and therefore Braille signage is a perfectly adequate measure. In fact this is a misconception.

76 FR 77510 - Applications for New Awards; Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR)-Phase I

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-13

..., including projects leading to the manufacture of such items as artificial intelligence or information... obtain a copy of the application package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape...., braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc) by contacting the Grants and Contracts Services Team, U...

Letter position coding across modalities: the case of Braille readers.

PubMed

Perea, Manuel; García-Chamorro, Cristina; Martín-Suesta, Miguel; Gómez, Pablo

2012-01-01

The question of how the brain encodes letter position in written words has attracted increasing attention in recent years. A number of models have recently been proposed to accommodate the fact that transposed-letter stimuli like jugde or caniso are perceptually very close to their base words. Here we examined how letter position coding is attained in the tactile modality via Braille reading. The idea is that Braille word recognition may provide more serial processing than the visual modality, and this may produce differences in the input coding schemes employed to encode letters in written words. To that end, we conducted a lexical decision experiment with adult Braille readers in which the pseudowords were created by transposing/replacing two letters. We found a word-frequency effect for words. In addition, unlike parallel experiments in the visual modality, we failed to find any clear signs of transposed-letter confusability effects. This dissociation highlights the differences between modalities. The present data argue against models of letter position coding that assume that transposed-letter effects (in the visual modality) occur at a relatively late, abstract locus.

LANDFIRE 2001 and 2008 Refresh Geographic Area Report--Pacific Southwest

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bastion, Henry; Long, Don; Lundberg, Brenda; Kost, Jay; Natharius, Jeffrey A.; Kreilick, Heather; Martin, Charley; Smail, Tobin; Napoli, James; Hann, Wendel

2011-01-01

In this report, we (1) address the background and provide details pertaining to why there are two Refresh data sets, (2) explain the requirements, planning, and procedures behind the completion and delivery of the updated products for each of the data product sets, (3) show and describe results, and (4) provide case studies illustrating the performance of LANDFIRE National, LANDFIRE 2001 Refresh and LANDFIRE 2008 Refresh (LF_1.1.0) data products on some example wildland fires.

Uncontracted or Contracted Braille for Emergent Readers: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farnsworth, Charles, Jr.

2007-01-01

To determine the attitudes of teachers of students who are visually impaired or blind about the use of contracted or uncontracted Braille for emergent readers, the author posted a questionnaire on three electronic listservs from October through December 2002 and received responses from 40 teachers in India, Canada, the West Indies, and the United…

Alternative Models of Service, Centralized Braille Operations. Phase II Report. Volume I.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Technology Management Corp., Alexandria, VA.

A study was conducted to determine if the centralization of braille operations for the national free library program would be feasible, economical, and desirable. This report presents the findings of the study in three sections. Section 1 provides background information, a summary of the first phase of operations, and the study objective for phase…

The Role and Characteristics of Tactile Graphics in Secondary Mathematics and Science Textbooks in Braille

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Derrick W.; Smothers, Sinikka M.

2012-01-01

Introduction: The purpose of the study presented here was to determine how well tactile graphics (specifically data analysis graphs) in secondary mathematics and science braille textbooks correlated with the print graphics. Method: A content analysis was conducted on 598 separate data analysis graphics from 10 mathematics and science textbooks.…

Music for Blind and Physically Handicapped Individuals. Fact Sheet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Library of Congress, Washington, DC. National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

With the cooperation of composers and publishers who grant permission to use copyrighted works, the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) of the Library of Congress selects and produces music scores in braille and large-print formats, and music magazines and books about music and musicians in large-print, braille,…

Affordance of Braille Music as a Mediational Means: Significance and Limitations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Hyu-Yong; Kim, Mi-Jung

2014-01-01

Affordance refers to the properties or designs of a thing that offer the function of the thing. This paper discusses the affordance of Braille music in terms of three notions: mediational means, mastery and appropriation, and focuses on answering the following three questions: (i) How do musicians with visual impairments (MVI) perceive Braille…

Final Report to Social Rehabilitation Administration, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Washington, D.C.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge. Sensory Aids Evaluation and Development Center.

Projects and activities reviewed include the DOTSYS production of the first braille book from teletypsetter input, the use of DOTSYS, mechanical and electronic features of the high speed braille embosser developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the pilot demonstration program for Perkins School for the Blind. Also surveyed are…

Probing the Perceptual and Cognitive Underpinnings of Braille Reading. An Estonian Population Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Veispak, Anneli; Boets, Bart; Mannamaa, Mairi; Ghesquiere, Pol

2012-01-01

Similar to many sighted children who struggle with learning to read, a proportion of blind children have specific difficulties related to reading braille which cannot be easily explained. A lot of research has been conducted to investigate the perceptual and cognitive processes behind (impairments in) print reading. Very few studies, however, have…

Error Analysis of Brailled Instructional Materials Produced by Public School Personnel in Texas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herzberg, Tina

2010-01-01

In this study, a detailed error analysis was performed to determine if patterns of errors existed in braille transcriptions. The most frequently occurring errors were the insertion of letters or words that were not contained in the original print material; the incorrect usage of the emphasis indicator; and the incorrect formatting of titles,…

New Dots Downunder: The Implementation of Unified English Braille (UEB) in Australian Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gentle, Frances; Steer, Michael; Howse, Josie

2012-01-01

In this article the authors will outline and describe the recent implementation of Unified English Braille (UEB) in Australia's complex school systems. The New South Wales Department of Education and Communities (NSW/DEC) played a leading role in the process. The education sector at all levels in Australia appears to have embraced the introduction…

An Examination of 40 Years of Mathematics Education among Norwegian Braille-Reading Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klingenberg, Oliv G.; Fosse, Per; Augestad, Liv Berit

2012-01-01

Introduction: The study presented here estimated the occurrence of braille-reading students in Norway who were educated according to their grade-level progression in mathematics from 1967 to 2007. It also analyzed the association among these students' progression in mathematics and the causes of visual impairment, the age at which the diagnosis…

Teachers' Experiences with Literacy Instruction for Dual-Media Students Who Use Print and Braille

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herzberg, Tina S.; Rosenblum, Penny; Robbins, Mary E.

2017-01-01

Introduction: This study analyzed survey responses from 84 teachers of students with visual impairments who had provided literacy instruction to dual-media students who used both print and braille. Methods: These teachers in the United States and Canada completed an online survey during spring 2015. Results: The teachers reported that they…

Implementation of Unified English Braille by Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hong, Sunggye; Rosenblum, L. Penny; Campbell, Amy Frank

2017-01-01

Introduction: This study analyzed survey responses from 141 teachers of students with visual impairments who shared their experiences about the implementation of Unified English Braille (UEB). Methods: Teachers of students with visual impairments in the United States completed an online survey during spring 2016. Results: Although most respondents…

A Direct TeX-to-Braille Transcribing Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Papasalouros, Andreas; Tsolomitis, Antonis

2017-01-01

The TeX/LaTeX typesetting system is the most wide-spread system for creating documents in Mathematics and Science. However, no reliable tool exists to this day for automatically transcribing documents from the above formats into Braille/Nemeth code. Thus, visually impaired students of related fields do not have access to the bulk of study material…

National Federation of the Blind Braille Coin

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-07-30

NAME sings the National Anthem at a ceremony where senior NASA officials presented the NFB with two Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollars that flew on Space Shuttle Atlantis' mission (STS-125) to the Hubble Space Telescope in May 2009, Friday evening, July 31, 2009, at the Capitol Visitors Center in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

National Federation of the Blind Braille Coin

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-07-30

Dr. Marc Mauer, president of the National Federation of the Blind, left, accepts two Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollars that flew on Space Shuttle Atlantis' mission (STS-125) to the Hubble Space Telescope in May 2009 from NASA Associate Administrator Chris Scolese, Friday evening, July 31, 2009, at the Capitol Visitors Center in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

A Case Study of Tack Tiles[R] Literacy Instruction for a Student with Multiple Disabilities Including Congenital Blindness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klenk, Jessicia A.; Pufpaff, Lisa A.

2011-01-01

Research on literacy instruction for students with multiple disabilities is limited. Empirical research on braille instruction for students with multiple disabilities that include congenital blindness is virtually nonexistent. This case study offers initial insight into possible methods of early braille literacy instruction for a student with…

Transient thermal state of an active Braille matrix with incorporated thermal actuators by means of finite element method.

PubMed

Aluţei, Alexandra-Maria; Szelitzky, Emoke; Mândru, Dan

2013-01-01

In this article the authors present the transient thermal analysis for a developed thermal linear actuator based on wax paraffin used to drive the cells of a Braille device. A numerical investigation of transient heat transfer phenomenon during paraffin melting and solidification in an encapsulated recipient has been carried out using the ANSYS v.12 software. The researchers offer data on the heat distribution in the proposed model of the actuator as well as on the material properties required for these applications and provide the opportunity to identify new problems specific to thermal actuation, such as the heater properties and the cooling process of the active material in the structure of the Braille cell.

Processing Infrared Images For Fire Management Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warren, John R.; Pratt, William K.

1981-12-01

The USDA Forest Service has used airborne infrared systems for forest fire detection and mapping for many years. The transfer of the images from plane to ground and the transposition of fire spots and perimeters to maps has been performed manually. A new system has been developed which uses digital image processing, transmission, and storage. Interactive graphics, high resolution color display, calculations, and computer model compatibility are featured in the system. Images are acquired by an IR line scanner and converted to 1024 x 1024 x 8 bit frames for transmission to the ground at a 1.544 M bit rate over a 14.7 GHZ carrier. Individual frames are received and stored, then transferred to a solid state memory to refresh the display at a conventional 30 frames per second rate. Line length and area calculations, false color assignment, X-Y scaling, and image enhancement are available. Fire spread can be calculated for display and fire perimeters plotted on maps. The performance requirements, basic system, and image processing will be described.

Attending to items in working memory: Evidence that refreshing and memory search are closely related

PubMed Central

Vergauwe, Evie; Cowan, Nelson

2014-01-01

Refreshing refers to the use of attention to reactivate items in working memory (WM). The current study aims at testing the hypothesis that refreshing is closely related to memory search. The assumption is that refreshing and memory search both rely on a basic covert memory process that quickly retrieves the memory items into the focus of attention, thereby reactivating the information (Cowan, 1992; Vergauwe & Cowan, 2014). Consistent with the idea that people use their attention to prevent loss from WM, previous research has shown that increasing the proportion of time during which attention is occupied by concurrent processing, thereby preventing refreshing, results in poorer recall performance in complex span tasks (Barrouillet, Portrat, & Camos, 2011). Here, we tested whether recall performance is differentially affected by prolonged attentional capture caused by memory search. If memory search and refreshing both rely on retrieval from WM, then prolonged attentional capture caused by memory search should not lead to forgetting because memory items are assumed to be reactivated during memory search, in the same way as they would if that period of time were to be used for refreshing. Consistent with this idea, prolonged attentional capture had a disruptive effect when it was caused by the need to retrieve knowledge from long-term memory but not when it was caused by the need to search through the content of WM. The current results support the idea that refreshing operates through a process of retrieval of information into the focus of attention. PMID:25361821

Giant voltage-induced deformation of a dielectric elastomer under a constant pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godaba, Hareesh; Foo, Choon Chiang; Zhang, Zhi Qian; Khoo, Boo Cheong; Zhu, Jian

2014-09-01

Dielectric elastomer actuators coupled with liquid have recently been developed as soft pumps, soft lenses, Braille displays, etc. In this paper, we investigate the performance of a dielectric elastomer actuator, which is coupled with water. The experiments demonstrate that the membrane of a dielectric elastomer can achieve a giant voltage-induced area strain of 1165%, when subject to a constant pressure. Both theory and experiment show that the pressure plays an important role in determining the electromechanical behaviour. The experiments also suggest that the dielectric elastomer actuators, when coupled with liquid, may suffer mechanical instability and collapse after a large amount of liquid is enclosed by the membrane. This failure mode needs to be taken into account in designing soft actuators.

Impact of verbal, Braille text, and tactile oral hygiene awareness instructions on oral health status of visually impaired children.

PubMed

Chowdary, P Brahmanna; Uloopi, K S; Vinay, C; Rao, V Veerabhadra; Rayala, Chandrasekhar

2016-01-01

Visually impaired children face limitations in interacting with the environment, as they cannot see the facial expression of parents, teachers and cannot perceive social behavior. These children are challenged every day in learning basic life skills and maintenance of oral hygiene being one among them. To evaluate the impact of verbal, braille text, and tactile oral hygiene awareness instructions on oral health status of visually impaired children. One hundred and twenty institutionalized visually impaired children aged 6-16 years were selected and divided into three groups (40 children each). Group I: Verbal and tactile, Group II: Verbal and braille, Group III: Verbal, braille, and tactile. Instructions regarding maintenance of good oral hygiene and brushing technique were explained to all the children, and oral health status of these children using plaque index (Silness and Loe) and gingival index (Loe and Silness) was evaluated at 1, 3, and 6 months interval. ANOVA test was used to analyze the intra- and inter-group comparisons and Tukey post-hoc test for multiple group comparisons. Children in all the groups showed reduction in plaque and gingival scores. There was the highest percentage of reduction in plaque scores in Group III (70.6%), and the decrease in gingival scores was the highest in Group II (84%). Severity of dental plaque and gingivitis in visually impaired individuals can be reduced by a controlled and supervised educational program. The combination of all three, i.e., verbal, braille, and tactile mode of oral health educational aids proved to be effective.

76 FR 10403 - Hewlett Packard (HP), Global Product Development, Engineering Workstation Refresh Team, Working...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-24

...), Global Product Development, Engineering Workstation Refresh Team, Working On-Site at General Motors... groups: The Non-Information Technology Business Development Team, the Engineering Application Support Team, and the Engineering Workstation Refresh Team. On February 2, 2011, the Department issued an...

Nature Trails, Braille Trails, Foot Paths, Fragrance Gardens, Touch Museums for the Blind; Policy Statement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Foundation for the Blind, New York, NY.

The policy statement by the American Foundation for the Blind deals with nature trails, braille trails, foot paths, fragrance gardens, and touch museums for the blind. It is stated that the foundation approves of services such as provision of tape recorded guides and planting of fragrant shrubs which would benefit all users while recognizing…

A Study of the Braille and Talking Book Program in Ohio. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wessells, Michael B.; And Others

This study evaluates user satisfaction and the cost effectiveness of the use of computer systems in the Braille and Talking Book Program of the Ohio Regional Libraries for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, and makes recommendations for patterns of service and funding. This report provides an executive summary as well as a 3-part presentation…

Transient Thermal State of an Active Braille Matrix with Incorporated Thermal Actuators by Means of Finite Element Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alutei, Alexandra-Maria; Szelitzky, Emoke; Mandru, Dan

2013-01-01

In this article the authors present the transient thermal analysis for a developed thermal linear actuator based on wax paraffin used to drive the cells of a Braille device. A numerical investigation of transient heat transfer phenomenon during paraffin melting and solidification in an encapsulated recipient has been carried out using the ANSYS…

The Impact of the Perspectives of Teachers and Parents on the Literacy Media Selections for Independent Study of Students Who Are Visually Impaired

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Argyropoulos, Vassilios S.; Sideridis, Georgios D.; Katsoulis, Philippos

2008-01-01

This study explored the choices of literacy media for independent study of students with visual impairments. The predictors that were taken into account were teachers' use of technology, experience in teaching, and mastery of braille and the knowledge of braille of students, parents, and close friends.

Procedural Adaptations for Use of Constant Time Delay to Teach Highly Motivating Words to Beginning Braille Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ivy, Sarah E.; Guerra, Jennifer A.; Hatton, Deborah D.

2017-01-01

Introduction: Constant time delay is an evidence-based practice to teach sight word recognition to students with a variety of disabilities. To date, two studies have documented its effectiveness for teaching braille. Methods: Using a multiple-baseline design, we evaluated the effectiveness of constant time delay to teach highly motivating words to…

The Library of Congress: Evaluation of the NLS/BPH Braille and Audio Magazine Program. Final Project Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bosma and Associates International, Seattle, WA.

This final report presents an independent formative and summative evaluation of the National Library Services for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS/BPH) braille and audio magazine program. In this program, 77 magazines are distributed directly to subscribers, with 43 magazines available on audio flexible discs and 34 magazines available in…

National Federation of the Blind Braille Coin

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-07-30

NASA astronaut Greg Johnson, at podium, speaks at a ceremony where senior NASA officials presented the National Federation of the Blind with two Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollars that flew on Space Shuttle Atlantis' mission (STS-125) to the Hubble Space Telescope in May 2009, Friday evening, July 31, 2009, at the Capitol Visitors Center in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

National Federation of the Blind Braille Coin

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-07-30

Dr. Marc Mauer, president of the National Federation of the Blind speaks at a ceremony where senior NASA officials presented the NFB with two Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollars that flew on Space Shuttle Atlantis' mission (STS-125) to the Hubble Space Telescope in May 2009, Friday evening, July 31, 2009, at the Capitol Visitors Center in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

National Federation of the Blind Braille Coin

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-07-30

Chris Scolese, NASA Associate Administrator, speaks at a ceremony where senior NASA officials presented the National Federation of the Blind with two Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollars that flew on Space Shuttle Atlantis' mission (STS-125) to the Hubble Space Telescope in May 2009, Friday evening, July 31, 2009, at the Capitol Visitors Center in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

National Federation of the Blind Braille Coin

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-07-30

Chris Scolese, NASA Associate Administrator, speaks at a ceremony where senior NASA officials presented the National Federation of the Blind, with two Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollars that flew on Space Shuttle Atlantis' mission (STS-125) to the Hubble Space Telescope in May 2009, Friday evening, July 31, 2009, at the Capitol Visitors Center in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

Fabrication of three dimensional patterns of wide dimensional range using microbes and their applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehta, Sunita; Murugeson, Saravanan; Prakash, Balaji; Deepak

2015-10-01

Inspired by the wound healing property of certain trees, we report a novel microbes based additive process for producing three dimensional patterns, which has a potential of engineering applications in a variety of fields. Imposing a two dimensional pattern of microbes on a gel media and allowing them to grow in the third dimension is known from its use in biological studies. Instead, we have introduced an intermediate porous substrate between the gel media and the microbial growth, which enables three dimensional patterns in specific forms that can be lifted off and used in engineering applications. In order to demonstrate the applicability of this idea in a diverse set of areas, two applications are selected. In one, using this method of microbial growth, we have fabricated microlenses for enhanced light extraction in organic light emitting diodes, where densely packed microlenses of the diameters of hundreds of microns lead to luminance increase by a factor of 1.24X. In another entirely different type of application, braille text patterns are prepared on a normal office paper where the grown microbial colonies serve as braille tactile dots. Braille dot patterns thus prepared meet the standard specifications (size and spacing) for braille books.

Letter Position Coding Across Modalities: The Case of Braille Readers

PubMed Central

Perea, Manuel; García-Chamorro, Cristina; Martín-Suesta, Miguel; Gómez, Pablo

2012-01-01

Background The question of how the brain encodes letter position in written words has attracted increasing attention in recent years. A number of models have recently been proposed to accommodate the fact that transposed-letter stimuli like jugde or caniso are perceptually very close to their base words. Methodology Here we examined how letter position coding is attained in the tactile modality via Braille reading. The idea is that Braille word recognition may provide more serial processing than the visual modality, and this may produce differences in the input coding schemes employed to encode letters in written words. To that end, we conducted a lexical decision experiment with adult Braille readers in which the pseudowords were created by transposing/replacing two letters. Principal Findings We found a word-frequency effect for words. In addition, unlike parallel experiments in the visual modality, we failed to find any clear signs of transposed-letter confusability effects. This dissociation highlights the differences between modalities. Conclusions The present data argue against models of letter position coding that assume that transposed-letter effects (in the visual modality) occur at a relatively late, abstract locus. PMID:23071522

Circle Hough transform implementation for dots recognition in braille cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacinto Gómez, Edwar; Montiel Ariza, Holman; Martínez Sarmiento, Fredy Hernán.

2017-02-01

This paper shows a technique based on CHT (Circle Hough Transform) to achieve the optical Braille recognition (OBR). Unlike other papers developed around the same topic, this one is made by using Hough Transform to process the recognition and transcription of Braille cells, proving CHT to be an appropriate technique to go over different non-systematics factors who can affect the process, as the paper type where the text to traduce is placed, some lightning factors, input image resolution and some flaws derived from the capture process, which is realized using a scanner. Tests are performed with a local database using text generated by visual nondisabled people and some transcripts by sightless people; all of this with the support of National Institute for Blind People (INCI for their Spanish acronym) placed in Colombia.

Ending the Tech Refresh Nightmare

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demski, Jennifer

2010-01-01

As higher education budgets tighten in the ongoing recession, colleges and universities have found themselves questioning, lengthening, and even eliminating tech refresh cycles. Yet how deep an institution cuts into its refresh program can compromise its ability to provide an up-to-date and competitive computing environment for students and a…

The impact of cognitive load on delayed recall.

PubMed

Camos, Valérie; Portrat, Sophie

2015-08-01

Recent studies have suggested that long-term retention of items studied in a working memory span task depends on the refreshing of memory items-more specifically, on the number of refreshing opportunities. However, it was previously shown that refreshing depends on the cognitive load of the concurrent task introduced in the working memory span task. Thus, cognitive load should determine the long-term retention of items assessed in a delayed-recall test if such retention relies on refreshing. In two experiments, while the amount of refreshing opportunities remained constant, we varied the cognitive load of the concurrent task by either introducing tasks differing in their attentional demands or varying the pace of the concurrent task. To verify that this effect was related to refreshing and not to any maintenance mechanism, we also manipulated the availability of subvocal rehearsal. Replicating previous results, increasing cognitive load reduced immediate recall. This increase also had a detrimental effect on delayed recall. Conversely, the addition of concurrent articulation reduced immediate but not delayed recall. This study shows that both working and episodic memory traces depend on the cognitive load of the concurrent task, whereas the use of rehearsal affects only working memory performance. These findings add further evidence of the dissociation between subvocal rehearsal and attentional refreshing.

Adaptive Changes in Early and Late Blind: A fMRI Study of Verb Generation to Heard Nouns

PubMed Central

BURTON, H.; SNYDER, A. Z.; DIAMOND, J. B.; RAICHLE, M. E.

2013-01-01

Literacy for blind people requires learning Braille. Along with others, we have shown that reading Braille activates visual cortex. This includes striate cortex (V1), i.e., banks of calcarine sulcus, and several higher visual areas in lingual, fusiform, cuneus, lateral occipital, inferior temporal, and middle temporal gyri. The spatial extent and magnitude of magnetic resonance (MR) signals in visual cortex is greatest for those who became blind early in life. Individuals who lost sight as adults, and subsequently learned Braille, still exhibited activity in some of the same visual cortex regions, especially V1. These findings suggest these visual cortex regions become adapted to processing tactile information and that this cross-modal neural change might support Braille literacy. Here we tested the alternative hypothesis that these regions directly respond to linguistic aspects of a task. Accordingly, language task performance by blind persons should activate the same visual cortex regions regardless of input modality. Specifically, visual cortex activity in blind people ought to arise during a language task involving heard words. Eight early blind, six late blind, and eight sighted subjects were studied using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during covert generation of verbs to heard nouns. The control task was passive listening to indecipherable sounds (reverse words) matched to the nouns in sound intensity, duration, and spectral content. Functional responses were analyzed at the level of individual subjects using methods based on the general linear model and at the group level, using voxel based ANOVA and t-test analyses. Blind and sighted subjects showed comparable activation of language areas in left inferior frontal, dorsolateral prefrontal, and left posterior superior temporal gyri. The main distinction was bilateral, left dominant activation of the same visual cortex regions previously noted with Braille reading in all blind subjects. The spatial extent and magnitude of responses was greatest on the left in early blind individuals. Responses in the late blind group mostly were confined to V1 and nearby portions of the lingual and fusiform gyri. These results confirm the presence of adaptations in visual cortex of blind people but argue against the notion that this activity during Braille reading represents somatosensory (haptic) processing. Rather, we suggest that these responses can be most parsimoniously explained in terms of linguistic operations. It remains possible that these responses represent adaptations which initially are for processing either sound or touch, but which are later generalized to the other modality during acquisition of Braille reading skills. PMID:12466452

Is the college an Asklepieion?

PubMed

Smith, D Emslie

2008-04-01

After an annual introduction of new Fellows one of them viewed the neckties on display and, referring to their sagittary motif, was heard to say, 'I suppose it is the College crest.' Of course, it is precisely not that. The only crest the College has is that of its arms, which is completely different. However, one can sympathise with the new Fellow, for in the College he was surrounded by confusing reminders of the medical mythology of ancient Greece. This account is offered as a refresher course on the dramatis personae of the pantheon and some of their activities and attributes.

Relationships among Testing Medium, Test Performance, and Testing Time of High School Students Who Are Visually Impaired

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erin, Jane N.; Hong, Sunggye; Schoch, Christina; Kuo, YaJu

2006-01-01

This study compared the test scores and time required by high school students who are blind, sighted, or have low vision to complete tests administered in written and oral formats. The quantitative results showed that the blind students performed better on multiple-choice tests in braille and needed more time while taking tests in braille. The…

The Effect of Rules and Discovery in the Retention and Retrieval of Braille Inkprint Letter Pairs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nagengast, Daniel L.; And Others

The effects of rule knowledge were investigated using Braille inkprint pairs. Both recognition and recall were studied in three groups of subjects: rule knowledge, rule discovery, and no rule. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) that the group exposed to the rule would score better than would a discovery group and a control group; and (2) that all…

Preparation in and Use of the Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics by Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenblum, L. Penny; Amato, Sheila

2004-01-01

This study examined the preparation in and use of the Nemeth braille code by 135 teachers of students with visual impairments. Almost all the teachers had taken at least one course in the Nemeth code as part of their university preparation. In their current jobs, they prepared a variety of materials, primarily basic operations, word problems,…

Braille Reading Accuracy of Students Who Are Visually Impaired: The Effects of Gender, Age at Vision Loss, and Level of Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Argyropoulos, Vassilis; Papadimitriou, Vassilios

2015-01-01

Introduction: The present study assesses the performance of students who are visually impaired (that is, those who are blind or have low vision) in braille reading accuracy and examines potential correlations among the error categories on the basis of gender, age at loss of vision, and level of education. Methods: Twenty-one visually impaired…

Instruction of Keyboarding Skills: A Whole Language Approach to Teaching Functional Literacy Skills to Students Who are Blind and Have Additional Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stauffer, Mary

2008-01-01

This article describes an unconventional method to teach un-contracted braille reading and writing skills to students who are blind and have additional disabilities. It includes a keyboarding curriculum that focuses on the whole language approach to literacy. A special feature is the keyboard that is adapted with braille symbols. Un-contracted…

A Snapshot of 2003-4: Blind and Partially Sighted Students in Higher Education in England and Northern Ireland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gray, Gemma; Wilkins, Sarah Morley

2005-01-01

This survey explored the numbers and proportion of partially sighted, blind braille reading and blind non-braille reading students in Higher Education (HE) in 2003-4. As part of a HEFCE/DELNI funded project, all 134 disability offices in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in England and Northern Ireland were contacted by telephone and email, to…

National Federation of the Blind Braille Coin

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-07-30

Dr. Marc Mauer, president of the National Federation of the Blind, at podium, speaks at a ceremony where senior NASA officials presented the NFB with two Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollars that flew on Space Shuttle Atlantis' mission (STS-125) to the Hubble Space Telescope in May 2009, Friday evening, July 31, 2009, at the Capitol Visitors Center in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

National Federation of the Blind Braille Coin

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-07-30

Mark Riccobono, executive director of the Jernigan Institute of the National Federation of the Blind speaks at a ceremony where senior NASA officials presented the NFB with two Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollars that flew on Space Shuttle Atlantis' mission (STS-125) to the Hubble Space Telescope in May 2009, Friday evening, July 31, 2009, at the Capitol Visitors Center in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

National Federation of the Blind Braille Coin

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-07-30

House Majority Leader U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., speaks at a ceremony where senior NASA officials presented the National Federation for the Blind with two Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollars that flew on Space Shuttle Atlantis' mission (STS-125) to the Hubble Space Telescope in May 2009, Friday evening, July 31, 2009, at the Capitol Visitors Center in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

National Federation of the Blind Braille Coin

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-07-30

House Majority Leader U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., speaks at a ceremony where senior NASA officials presented the National Federation of the Blind with two Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollars that flew on Space Shuttle Atlantis' mission (STS-125) to the Hubble Space Telescope in May 2009, Friday evening, July 31, 2009, at the Capitol Visitors Center in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

Technology Refresh: Five Steps to Upgrading Your District's IT Assets

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meserve, Susie

2006-01-01

While most K-12 technology leaders appreciate that technology refresh--the periodic replacement of an organization's technology--is more complex than shopping for appliances, they do not necessarily have the tools to create a sustainable and comprehensive plan to upgrade their assets. Having a solid tech refresh plan helps ensure that teachers and…

The Technology Refresh Program: Affording State-of-the Art Personal Computing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spiwak, Rand

2000-01-01

Describes the Florida Community College Technology Refresh Program in which 28 Florida community colleges refresh their personal computer technology on a three-year cyclical basis through negotiation of a contract with Dell Computer Corporation. Discusses the contract highlights (such as a 22.5 percent discount on personal computers and on-site…

A distributed system of wireless signs using Gyricon electronic paper displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sprague, Robert A.

2006-04-01

The proliferation of digital information is leading to a wide range of applications which make it desirable to display data easily in many locations, all changeable and updateable. The difficulty in achieving such ubiquitous displays is the cost of signage, the cost of installation, and the software and systems to control the information being sent to each of these signs. In this paper we will talk about a networked system of such signs which are made from gyricon electronic paper. Gyricon electronic paper is a reflective, bistable display which can be made in large web sheets at a reasonable price. Since it does not require a backlight nor does it require power to refresh the display image, such technology is ideal for making signs which can be run on batteries with extremely long battery life, often not needing replacement for years. The display also has a very broad illumination scattering profile which makes it readily viewable from any angle. The basic operating mechanism of the display, its manufacturing technique, and achieved performance will be described, along with the description of a networked solution using many such signs controlled with system software to identify speakers and meetings in conference rooms, hospitality suites, or classrooms in universities. Systems will also be shown which are adapted to retail pricing signage and others which can be used for large format outdoor billboards.

Neural correlates of audiotactile phonetic processing in early-blind readers: an fMRI study.

PubMed

Pishnamazi, Morteza; Nojaba, Yasaman; Ganjgahi, Habib; Amousoltani, Asie; Oghabian, Mohammad Ali

2016-05-01

Reading is a multisensory function that relies on arbitrary associations between auditory speech sounds and symbols from a second modality. Studies of bimodal phonetic perception have mostly investigated the integration of visual letters and speech sounds. Blind readers perform an analogous task by using tactile Braille letters instead of visual letters. The neural underpinnings of audiotactile phonetic processing have not been studied before. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to reveal the neural correlates of audiotactile phonetic processing in 16 early-blind Braille readers. Braille letters and corresponding speech sounds were presented in unimodal, and congruent/incongruent bimodal configurations. We also used a behavioral task to measure the speed of blind readers in identifying letters presented via tactile and/or auditory modalities. Reaction times for tactile stimuli were faster. The reaction times for bimodal stimuli were equal to those for the slower auditory-only stimuli. fMRI analyses revealed the convergence of unimodal auditory and unimodal tactile responses in areas of the right precentral gyrus and bilateral crus I of the cerebellum. The left and right planum temporale fulfilled the 'max criterion' for bimodal integration, but activities of these areas were not sensitive to the phonetical congruency between sounds and Braille letters. Nevertheless, congruency effects were found in regions of frontal lobe and cerebellum. Our findings suggest that, unlike sighted readers who are assumed to have amodal phonetic representations, blind readers probably process letters and sounds separately. We discuss that this distinction might be due to mal-development of multisensory neural circuits in early blinds or it might be due to inherent differences between Braille and print reading mechanisms.

[Aphasia without amusia in a blind organist. Verbal alexia-agraphia without musical alexia-agraphia in braille].

PubMed

Signoret, J L; van Eeckhout, P; Poncet, M; Castaigne, P

1987-01-01

A 77 year old right handed male was blind since the age of 2. He presented with an infarction involving the territory of the left middle cerebral artery involving the temporal and the inferior parietal lobes. He had learned to read and write language as well as read and write music in braille, ultimately becoming a famous organist and composer. There were no motor or sensory deficits. Wernicke's aphasia with jargonaphasia, major difficulty in repetition, anomia and a significant comprehension deficit without word deafness was present; verbal alexia and agraphia in braille were also present. There was no evidence of amusia. He could execute in an exemplary fashion pieces of music for the organ in his repertory as well as improvise. All his musical capabilities: transposition, modulation, harmony, rythm, were preserved. The musical notation in braille remained intact: he could read by touch and play unfamiliar scores, he could also read and sing the musical notes, he could copy and write a score. Nine months after the stroke his aphasia remained unchanged. Nevertheless he composed pieces for the organ which were published. Such data highly suggest the independence of linguistic and musical competences, defined as the analysis and organization of sounds according to the rules of music. This independence in an extremely talented musician leads to a discussion of the role of the right hemisphere in the anatomical-functional processes at the origin of musical competence. The use of braille in which the same constellations of dots correspond either to letters of the alphabet or musical notes supports the independence between language and music.

Braille Reading Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garner, H. D.

1986-01-01

Two proposed electromechanical systems for making braille characters produced relatively inexpensively. Similar in operating principle to dotmatrix printers, two methods use electronically actuated pins to reproduce characters from information stored on magnetic tape. First, one or more pins scanned over blank page and energized at intervals to emboss text on paper, one or more dots at time. Second, handheld device containing one or more character-generator cells used by reader to scan lines of text manually.

National Federation of the Blind Braille Coin

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-07-30

NASA astronaut Greg Johnson, left, speaks with Dr. Marc Mauer, president of the National Federation of the Blind, right, prior to a ceremony where senior NASA officials presented the NFB with two Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollars that flew on Space Shuttle Atlantis' mission (STS-125) to the Hubble Space Telescope in May 2009, Friday evening, July 31, 2009, at the Capitol Visitors Center in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

National Federation of the Blind Braille Coin

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-07-30

Mark Riccobono, executive director of the Jernigan Institute of the National Federation of the Blind, at podium, delivers remarks at a ceremony where senior NASA officials presented the NFB with two Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollars that flew on Space Shuttle Atlantis' mission (STS-125) to the Hubble Space Telescope in May 2009, Friday evening, July 31, 2009, at the Capitol Visitors Center in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

A closed-loop neurobotic system for fine touch sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bologna, L. L.; Pinoteau, J.; Passot, J.-B.; Garrido, J. A.; Vogel, J.; Ros Vidal, E.; Arleo, A.

2013-08-01

Objective. Fine touch sensing relies on peripheral-to-central neurotransmission of somesthetic percepts, as well as on active motion policies shaping tactile exploration. This paper presents a novel neuroengineering framework for robotic applications based on the multistage processing of fine tactile information in the closed action-perception loop. Approach. The integrated system modules focus on (i) neural coding principles of spatiotemporal spiking patterns at the periphery of the somatosensory pathway, (ii) probabilistic decoding mechanisms mediating cortical-like tactile recognition and (iii) decision-making and low-level motor adaptation underlying active touch sensing. We probed the resulting neural architecture through a Braille reading task. Main results. Our results on the peripheral encoding of primary contact features are consistent with experimental data on human slow-adapting type I mechanoreceptors. They also suggest second-order processing by cuneate neurons may resolve perceptual ambiguities, contributing to a fast and highly performing online discrimination of Braille inputs by a downstream probabilistic decoder. The implemented multilevel adaptive control provides robustness to motion inaccuracy, while making the number of finger accelerations covariate with Braille character complexity. The resulting modulation of fingertip kinematics is coherent with that observed in human Braille readers. Significance. This work provides a basis for the design and implementation of modular neuromimetic systems for fine touch discrimination in robotics.

Structural reorganization of the early visual cortex following Braille training in sighted adults.

PubMed

Bola, Łukasz; Siuda-Krzywicka, Katarzyna; Paplińska, Małgorzata; Sumera, Ewa; Zimmermann, Maria; Jednoróg, Katarzyna; Marchewka, Artur; Szwed, Marcin

2017-12-12

Training can induce cross-modal plasticity in the human cortex. A well-known example of this phenomenon is the recruitment of visual areas for tactile and auditory processing. It remains unclear to what extent such plasticity is associated with changes in anatomy. Here we enrolled 29 sighted adults into a nine-month tactile Braille-reading training, and used voxel-based morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging to describe the resulting anatomical changes. In addition, we collected resting-state fMRI data to relate these changes to functional connectivity between visual and somatosensory-motor cortices. Following Braille-training, we observed substantial grey and white matter reorganization in the anterior part of early visual cortex (peripheral visual field). Moreover, relative to its posterior, foveal part, the peripheral representation of early visual cortex had stronger functional connections to somatosensory and motor cortices even before the onset of training. Previous studies show that the early visual cortex can be functionally recruited for tactile discrimination, including recognition of Braille characters. Our results demonstrate that reorganization in this region induced by tactile training can also be anatomical. This change most likely reflects a strengthening of existing connectivity between the peripheral visual cortex and somatosensory cortices, which suggests a putative mechanism for cross-modal recruitment of visual areas.

Fabrication of three dimensional patterns of wide dimensional range using microbes and their applications

PubMed Central

Mehta, Sunita; Murugeson, Saravanan; Prakash, Balaji; Deepak

2015-01-01

Inspired by the wound healing property of certain trees, we report a novel microbes based additive process for producing three dimensional patterns, which has a potential of engineering applications in a variety of fields. Imposing a two dimensional pattern of microbes on a gel media and allowing them to grow in the third dimension is known from its use in biological studies. Instead, we have introduced an intermediate porous substrate between the gel media and the microbial growth, which enables three dimensional patterns in specific forms that can be lifted off and used in engineering applications. In order to demonstrate the applicability of this idea in a diverse set of areas, two applications are selected. In one, using this method of microbial growth, we have fabricated microlenses for enhanced light extraction in organic light emitting diodes, where densely packed microlenses of the diameters of hundreds of microns lead to luminance increase by a factor of 1.24X. In another entirely different type of application, braille text patterns are prepared on a normal office paper where the grown microbial colonies serve as braille tactile dots. Braille dot patterns thus prepared meet the standard specifications (size and spacing) for braille books. PMID:26486847

The influence of aging on attentional refreshing and articulatory rehearsal during working memory on later episodic memory performance.

PubMed

Loaiza, Vanessa M; McCabe, David P

2013-01-01

We investigated age-related changes in two proposed mechanisms of maintenance in working memory, articulatory rehearsal, and attentional refreshing, by examining the consequences of manipulating the opportunity for each on delayed recall. Both experiments utilized modified operation span tasks to vary the opportunity for articulatory rehearsal (Experiment 1) and attentional refreshing opportunities (Experiment 2). In both experiments, episodic memory was tested for items that had been initially studied during the respective operation span task. Older adults' episodic memory benefited less from opportunities for refreshing than younger adults. In contrast, articulatory rehearsal opportunities did not influence episodic memory for either age group. The results suggest that attentional refreshing, and not articulatory rehearsal, is important during working memory in order to bind more accessible traces at later tests, which appears to be more deficient in older adults than younger adults.

Testing the accuracy of timing reports in visual timing tasks with a consumer-grade digital camera.

PubMed

Smyth, Rachael E; Oram Cardy, Janis; Purcell, David

2017-06-01

This study tested the accuracy of a visual timing task using a readily available and relatively inexpensive consumer grade digital camera. A visual inspection time task was recorded using short high-speed video clips and the timing as reported by the task's program was compared to the timing as recorded in the video clips. Discrepancies in these two timing reports were investigated further and based on display refresh rate, a decision was made whether the discrepancy was large enough to affect the results as reported by the task. In this particular study, the errors in timing were not large enough to impact the results of the study. The procedure presented in this article offers an alternative method for performing a timing test, which uses readily available hardware and can be used to test the timing in any software program on any operating system and display.

Long-term semantic representations moderate the effect of attentional refreshing on episodic memory.

PubMed

Loaiza, Vanessa M; Duperreault, Kayla A; Rhodes, Matthew G; McCabe, David P

2015-02-01

The McCabe effect (McCabe, Journal of Memory and Language 58:480-494, 2008) refers to an advantage in episodic memory (EM) retrieval for memoranda studied in complex span versus simple span tasks, particularly for memoranda presented in earlier serial positions. This finding has been attributed to the necessity to refresh memoranda during complex span tasks that, in turn, promotes content-context binding in working memory (WM). Several frameworks have conceptualized WM as being embedded in long-term memory. Thus, refreshing may be less efficient when memoranda are not well-established in long-term semantic memory (SM). To investigate this, we presented words and nonwords in simple and complex span trials in order to manipulate the long-term semantic representations of the memoranda with the requirement to refresh the memoranda during WM. A recognition test was administered that required participants to make a remember-know decision for each memorandum recognized as old. The results replicated the McCabe effect, but only for words, and the beneficial effect of refreshing opportunities was exclusive to recollection. These results extend previous research by indicating that the predictive relationship between WM refreshing and long-term EM is specific to recollection and, furthermore, moderated by representations in long-term SM. This supports the predictions of WM frameworks that espouse the importance of refreshing in content-context binding, but also those that view WM as being an activated subset of and, therefore, constrained by the contents of long-term memory.

National Federation of the Blind Braille Coin

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-07-30

Dr. Marc Mauer, president of the National Federation of the Blind accepts an award from William Gerstenmaier, Associate Administrator, Space Operations, NASA Headquarters at a ceremony where senior NASA officials presented the NFB with two Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollars that flew on Space Shuttle Atlantis' mission (STS-125) to the Hubble Space Telescope in May 2009, Friday evening, July 31, 2009, at the Capitol Visitors Center in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

National Federation of the Blind Braille Coin

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-07-30

Derrick Tuff, right in wheelchair, and Kayla Weathers, standing left, deliver remarks at a ceremony where senior NASA officials presented the National Federation of the Blind with two Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollars that flew on Space Shuttle Atlantis' mission (STS-125) to the Hubble Space Telescope in May 2009, Friday evening, July 31, 2009, at the Capitol Visitors Center in Washington. Man standing at center is unidentified. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

National Federation of the Blind Braille Coin

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-07-30

House Majority Leader U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., smiles as he speaks to those in attendance at a ceremony where senior NASA officials presented the National Federation of the Blind with two Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollars that flew on Space Shuttle Atlantis' mission (STS-125) to the Hubble Space Telescope in May 2009, Friday evening, July 31, 2009, at the Capitol Visitors Center in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

Blind Braille readers mislocate tactile stimuli.

PubMed

Sterr, Annette; Green, Lisa; Elbert, Thomas

2003-05-01

In a previous experiment, we observed that blind Braille readers produce errors when asked to identify on which finger of one hand a light tactile stimulus had occurred. With the present study, we aimed to specify the characteristics of this perceptual error in blind and sighted participants. The experiment confirmed that blind Braille readers mislocalised tactile stimuli more often than sighted controls, and that the localisation errors occurred significantly more often at the right reading hand than at the non-reading hand. Most importantly, we discovered that the reading fingers showed the smallest error frequency, but the highest rate of stimulus attribution. The dissociation of perceiving and locating tactile stimuli in the blind suggests altered tactile information processing. Neuroplasticity, changes in tactile attention mechanisms as well as the idea that blind persons may employ different strategies for tactile exploration and object localisation are discussed as possible explanations for the results obtained.

Touch the Invisible Sky: A multi-wavelength Braille book featuring NASA images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steel, S.; Grice, N.; Daou, D.

2008-06-01

Multi-wavelength astronomy - the study of the Universe at wavelengths beyond the visible, has revolutionised our understanding and appreciation of the cosmos. Hubble, Chandra and Spitzer are examples of powerful, space-based telescopes that complement each other in their observations spanning the electromagnetic spectrum. While several Braille books on astronomical topics have been published, to this point, no printed material accessible to the sight disabled or Braille reading public has been available on the topic of multi-wavelength astronomy. Touch the Invisible Sky presents the first printed introduction to modern, multi-wavelength astronomy studies to the disabled sight community. On a more fundamental level, tactile images of a Universe that had, until recently, been invisible to all, sighted or non-sighted, is an important learning message on how science and technology broadens our senses and our understanding of the natural world.

A Comparative Analysis of Contracted versus Alphabetical English Braille and Attitudes of English as a Foreign Language Learners: A Case Study of a Farsi-Speaking Visually Impaired Student

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mobaraki, Mohsen; Nazarloo, Saber Atash; Toosheh, Elaheh

2017-01-01

In the educational system of Iran, in which English is a foreign language, the duration of primary school is six years. After that, these English as a foreign language students enter high school and start to learn English during an additional six-year period. In years seven and eight, English textbooks are embossed in alphabetic English braille;…

Manual braille writer

DOEpatents

Hawk, L.S.; Turner, J.H.

1992-07-28

A manual-type braille writer is described that provides for both writing and reading in a normal left-to-right manner. In the preferred form, this braille writer has a clip board type base, and in the preferred embodiment a guide plate assembly can be moved to, and releasable fixed at, selected vertical locations along this base. The guide plate assembly is provided with a plurality of character cells uniformly spaced along rows across the guide plate assembly as well as in uniformly spaced rows. This guide plate assembly has a lower portion to be placed under a sheet of paper positioned on the clip board base and an upper portion to be positioned on top of the sheet. This upper portion is hinged with respect to the lower portion. Each character cell is typically made up of six appropriately spaced pins extending up from the lower portion that are aligned with a rosette-shaped cutout in the upper portion. A stylus member is provided that has a distal end to be fitted into the cutout of the character cell so that a recess in the end thereof presses the writing paper over the pin associated with that recess to produce a braille dot at that location. When desired, the upper portion can be lifted up so that the text already written can be read or to determine the place for initiating writing when writing has been interrupted. 10 figs.

Manual braille writer

DOEpatents

Hawk, Lawrence S.; Turner, Joe H.

1992-01-01

A manual-type braille writer that provides for both writing and reading in a normal left-to-right manner. In the preferred form, this braille writer has a clip board type base, and in the preferred embodiment a guide plate assembly can be moved to, and releasable fixed at, selected vertical locations along this base. The guide plate assembly is provided with a plurality of character cells uniformly spaced along rows across the guide plate assembly as well as in uniformly spaced rows. This guide plate assembly has a lower portion to be placed under a sheet of paper positioned on the clip board base and an upper portion to be positioned on top of the sheet. This upper portion is hinged with respect to the lower portion. Each character cell is typically made up of six appropriately spaced pins extending up from the lower portion that are aligned with a rosette-shaped cutout in the upper portion. A stylus member is provided that has a distal end to be fitted into the cutout of the character cell so that a recess in the end thereof presses the writing paper over the pin associated with that recess to produce a braille dot at that location. When desired, the upper portion can be lifted up so that the text already written can be read or to determine the place for initiating writing when writing has been interrupted.

Blind readers break mirror invariance as sighted do.

PubMed

de Heering, Adélaïde; Collignon, Olivier; Kolinsky, Régine

2018-04-01

Mirror invariance refers to a predisposition of humans, including infants and animals, which urge them to consider mirrored images as corresponding to the same object. Yet in order to learn to read a written system that incorporates mirrored letters (e.g., vs. in the Latin alphabet), humans learn to break this perceptual bias. Here we examined the role visual experience and input modality play in the emergence of this bias. To this end, we tested congenital blind (CB) participants in two same-different tactile comparison tasks including pairs of mirrored and non-mirrored Braille letters as well as embossed unfamiliar geometric shapes and Latin letters, and compared their results to those of age-matched sighted participants involved in similar but visually-presented tasks. Sighted participants showed a classical pattern of results for their material of expertise, Latin letters. CB's results signed for their expertise with the Braille script compared to the other two materials that they processed according to an internal frame of reference. They also evidenced that they automatically break mirror invariance for different materials explored through the tactile modality, including Braille letters. Altogether, these results demonstrate that learning to read Braille through the tactile modality allows breaking mirror invariance in a comparable way to what is observed in sighted individuals for the mirrored letters of the Latin alphabet. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

rTMS of the occipital cortex abolishes Braille reading and repetition priming in blind subjects.

PubMed

Kupers, R; Pappens, M; de Noordhout, A Maertens; Schoenen, J; Ptito, M; Fumal, A

2007-02-27

To study the functional involvement of the visual cortex in Braille reading, we applied repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over midoccipital (MOC) and primary somatosensory (SI) cortex in blind subjects. After rTMS of MOC, but not SI, subjects made significantly more errors and showed an abolishment of the improvement in reading speed following repetitive presentation of the same word list, suggesting a role of the visual cortex in repetition priming in the blind.

Touch the Invisible Sky: A Multi-Wavelength Braille Book Featuring Tactile NASA Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grice, N.; Steel, S.; Daou, D.

2008-06-01

According to the American Foundation for the Blind and the National Federation of the Blind, there are approximately 10 million blind and visually impaired people in the United States. Because astronomy is often visually based, many people assume that it cannot be made accessible. A new astronomy book, Touch the Invisible Sky, makes wavelengths not visible to human eyes, accessible to all audiences through text in print and Braille and with pictures that are touchable and in color.

National Federation of the Blind Braille Coin

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-07-30

House Majority Leader U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., left, holds up an award presented to him by Mark Riccobono, executive director of the Jernigan Institute of the National Federation of the Blind at a ceremony where senior NASA officials presented the NFB with two Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollars that flew on Space Shuttle Atlantis' mission (STS-125) to the Hubble Space Telescope in May 2009, Friday evening, July 31, 2009, at the Capitol Visitors Center in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

National Centers for Environmental Prediction

Science.gov Websites

NAM Specifications/References [<--click here] Rapid Refresh (RAP) [<--click here] High -Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) [<--click here] Short-range Ensemble Forecast (SREF) system [<--click

Comparison study of five different display modalities for whole slide images in surgical pathology and cytopathology in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Haene, Nicky; Maris, Calliope; Rorive, Sandrine; Moles Lopez, Xavier; Rostang, Johan; Marchessoux, Cédric; Pantanowitz, Liron; Parwani, Anil V.; Salmon, Isabelle

2013-03-01

User experience with viewing images in pathology is crucial for accurate interpretation and diagnosis. With digital pathology, images are being read on a display system, and this poses new types of questions: such as what is the difference in terms of pixelation, refresh lag or obscured features compared to an optical microscope. Is there a resultant change in user performance in terms of speed of slide review, perception of adequacy and quality or in diagnostic confidence? A prior psychophysical study was carried out comparing various display modalities on whole slide imaging (WSI) in pathology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) in the USA. This prior study compared professional and non-professional grade display modalities and highlighted the importance of using a medical grade display to view pathological digital images. This study was duplicated in Europe at the Department of Pathology in Erasme Hospital (Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)) in an attempt to corroborate these findings. Digital WSI with corresponding glass slides of 58 cases including surgical pathology and cytopathology slides of varying difficulty were employed. Similar non-professional and professional grade display modalities were compared to an optical microscope (Olympus BX51). Displays ranged from a laptop (DELL Latitude D620), to a consumer grade display (DELL E248WFPb), to two professional grade monitors (Eizo CG245W and Barco MDCC-6130). Three pathologists were selected from the Department of Pathology in Erasme Hospital (ULB) in Belgium to view and interpret the pathological images on these different displays. The results show that non-professional grade displays (laptop and consumer) have inferior user experience compared to professional grade monitors and the optical microscope.

Rehearsal in serial recall: An unworkable solution to the nonexistent problem of decay.

PubMed

Lewandowsky, Stephan; Oberauer, Klaus

2015-10-01

We examine the explanatory roles that have been ascribed to various forms of rehearsal or refreshing in short-term memory (STM) and working memory paradigms, usually in conjunction with the assumption that memories decay over time if they are not rehearsed. Notwithstanding the popularity of the rehearsal notion, there have been few detailed examinations of its underlying mechanisms. We explicitly implemented rehearsal in a decay model and explored its role by simulation in several benchmark paradigms ranging from immediate serial recall to complex span and delayed recall. The results show that articulatory forms of rehearsal often fail to counteract temporal decay. Rapid attentional refreshing performs considerably better, but so far there is scant empirical evidence that people engage in refreshing during STM tasks. Combining articulatory rehearsal and refreshing as 2 independent maintenance processes running in parallel leads to worse performance than refreshing alone. We conclude that theoretical reliance on articulatory rehearsal as a causative agent in memory may be unwise and that explanatory appeals to rehearsal are insufficient unless buttressed by quantitative modeling. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

High Reynolds number rough wall turbulent boundary layer experiments using Braille surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harris, Michael; Monty, Jason; Nova, Todd; Allen, James; Chong, Min

2007-11-01

This paper details smooth, transitional and fully rough turbulent boundary layer experiments in the New Mexico State high Reynolds number rough wall wind tunnel. The initial surface tested was generated with a Braille printer and consisted of an uniform array of Braille points. The average point height being 0.5mm, the spacing between the points in the span was 0.5mm and the surface consisted of span wise rows separated by 4mm. The wavelength to peak ratio was 8:1. The boundary layer thickness at the measurement location was 190mm giving a large separation of roughness height to layer thickness. The maximum friction velocity was uτ=1.5m/s at Rex=3.8 x10^7. Results for the skin friction co-efficient show that this surface follows a Nikuradse type inflectional curve and that Townsends outer layer similarity hypothesis is valid for rough wall flows with a large separation of scales. Mean flow and turbulence statistics will be presented.

Holographic three-dimensional telepresence using large-area photorefractive polymer.

PubMed

Blanche, P-A; Bablumian, A; Voorakaranam, R; Christenson, C; Lin, W; Gu, T; Flores, D; Wang, P; Hsieh, W-Y; Kathaperumal, M; Rachwal, B; Siddiqui, O; Thomas, J; Norwood, R A; Yamamoto, M; Peyghambarian, N

2010-11-04

Holography is a technique that is used to display objects or scenes in three dimensions. Such three-dimensional (3D) images, or holograms, can be seen with the unassisted eye and are very similar to how humans see the actual environment surrounding them. The concept of 3D telepresence, a real-time dynamic hologram depicting a scene occurring in a different location, has attracted considerable public interest since it was depicted in the original Star Wars film in 1977. However, the lack of sufficient computational power to produce realistic computer-generated holograms and the absence of large-area and dynamically updatable holographic recording media have prevented realization of the concept. Here we use a holographic stereographic technique and a photorefractive polymer material as the recording medium to demonstrate a holographic display that can refresh images every two seconds. A 50 Hz nanosecond pulsed laser is used to write the holographic pixels. Multicoloured holographic 3D images are produced by using angular multiplexing, and the full parallax display employs spatial multiplexing. 3D telepresence is demonstrated by taking multiple images from one location and transmitting the information via Ethernet to another location where the hologram is printed with the quasi-real-time dynamic 3D display. Further improvements could bring applications in telemedicine, prototyping, advertising, updatable 3D maps and entertainment.

A simple integrative method for presenting head-contingent motion parallax and disparity cues on intel x86 processor-based machines.

PubMed

Szatmary, J; Hadani, I; Julesz, B

1997-01-01

Rogers and Graham (1979) developed a system to show that head-movement-contingent motion parallax produces monocular depth perception in random dot patterns. Their display system comprised an oscilloscope driven by function generators or a special graphics board that triggered the X and Y deflection of the raster scan signal. Replication of this system required costly hardware that is no longer on the market. In this paper the Rogers-Graham method is reproduced with an Intel processor based IBM PC compatible machine with no additional hardware cost. An adapted joystick sampled through the standard game-port can serve as a provisional head-movement sensor. Monitor resolution for displaying motion is effectively enhanced 16 times by the use of anti-aliasing, enabling the display of thousands of random dots in real-time with a refresh rate of 60 Hz or above. A color monitor enables the use of the anaglyph method, thus combining stereoscopic and monocular parallax on a single display without the loss of speed. The power of this system is demonstrated by a psychophysical measurement in which subjects nulled head-movement-contingent illusory parallax, evoked by a static stereogram, with real parallax. The amount of real parallax required to null the illusory stereoscopic parallax monotonically increased with disparity.

Functional and Structural Neuroplasticity Induced by Short-Term Tactile Training Based on Braille Reading.

PubMed

Debowska, Weronika; Wolak, Tomasz; Nowicka, Anna; Kozak, Anna; Szwed, Marcin; Kossut, Malgorzata

2016-01-01

Neuroplastic changes induced by sensory learning have been recognized within the cortices of specific modalities as well as within higher ordered multimodal areas. The interplay between these areas is not fully understood, particularly in the case of somatosensory learning. Here we examined functional and structural changes induced by short-term tactile training based of Braille reading, a task that requires both significant tactile expertise and mapping of tactile input onto multimodal representations. Subjects with normal vision were trained for 3 weeks to read Braille exclusively by touch and scanned before and after training, while performing a same-different discrimination task on Braille characters and meaningless characters. Functional and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging sequences were used to assess resulting changes. The strongest training-induced effect was found in the primary somatosensory cortex (SI), where we observed bilateral augmentation in activity accompanied by an increase in fractional anisotropy (FA) within the contralateral SI. Increases of white matter fractional anisotropy were also observed in the secondary somatosensory area (SII) and the thalamus. Outside of somatosensory system, changes in both structure and function were found in i.e., the fusiform gyrus, the medial frontal gyri and the inferior parietal lobule. Our results provide evidence for functional remodeling of the somatosensory pathway and higher ordered multimodal brain areas occurring as a result of short-lasting tactile learning, and add to them a novel picture of extensive white matter plasticity.

Functional and Structural Neuroplasticity Induced by Short-Term Tactile Training Based on Braille Reading

PubMed Central

Debowska, Weronika; Wolak, Tomasz; Nowicka, Anna; Kozak, Anna; Szwed, Marcin; Kossut, Malgorzata

2016-01-01

Neuroplastic changes induced by sensory learning have been recognized within the cortices of specific modalities as well as within higher ordered multimodal areas. The interplay between these areas is not fully understood, particularly in the case of somatosensory learning. Here we examined functional and structural changes induced by short-term tactile training based of Braille reading, a task that requires both significant tactile expertise and mapping of tactile input onto multimodal representations. Subjects with normal vision were trained for 3 weeks to read Braille exclusively by touch and scanned before and after training, while performing a same-different discrimination task on Braille characters and meaningless characters. Functional and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging sequences were used to assess resulting changes. The strongest training-induced effect was found in the primary somatosensory cortex (SI), where we observed bilateral augmentation in activity accompanied by an increase in fractional anisotropy (FA) within the contralateral SI. Increases of white matter fractional anisotropy were also observed in the secondary somatosensory area (SII) and the thalamus. Outside of somatosensory system, changes in both structure and function were found in i.e., the fusiform gyrus, the medial frontal gyri and the inferior parietal lobule. Our results provide evidence for functional remodeling of the somatosensory pathway and higher ordered multimodal brain areas occurring as a result of short-lasting tactile learning, and add to them a novel picture of extensive white matter plasticity. PMID:27790087

National Centers for Environmental Prediction

Science.gov Websites

; at the NOAA/ESRL Rapid Refresh Page [<--click here] See "Current and Forecast Graphics" ; at the NOAA/ESRL High-Resolution Rapid Refresh Page [<--click here] NOAA / National Weather

PROGRAMMABLE DISPLAY PUSHBUTTON LEGEND EDITOR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Busquets, A. M.

1994-01-01

The Programmable Display Pushbutton (PDP) is a pushbutton device available from Micro Switch which has a programmable 16 x 35 matrix of LEDs on the pushbutton surface. Any desired legends can be displayed on the PDPs, producing user-friendly applications which greatly reduce the need for dedicated manual controls. Because the PDP can interact with the operator, it can call for the correct response before transmitting its next message. It is both a simple manual control and a sophisticated programmable link between the operator and the host system. The Programmable Display Pushbutton Legend Editor, PDPE, is used to create the LED displays for the pushbuttons. PDPE encodes PDP control commands and legend data into message byte strings sent to a Logic Refresh and Control Unit (LRCU). The LRCU serves as the driver for a set of four PDPs. The legend editor (PDPE) transmits to the LRCU user specified commands that control what is displayed on the LED face of the individual pushbuttons. Upon receiving a command, the LRCU transmits an acknowledgement that the message was received and executed successfully. The user then observes the effect of the command on the PDP displays and decides whether or not to send the byte code of the message to a data file so that it may be called by an applications program. The PDPE program is written in FORTRAN for interactive execution. It was developed on a DEC VAX 11/780 under VMS. It has a central memory requirement of approximately 12800 bytes. It requires four Micro Switch PDPs and two RS-232 VAX 11/780 terminal ports. The PDPE program was developed in 1985.

National Centers for Environmental Prediction

Science.gov Websites

Contacts Change Log Events Calendar Numerical Forecast Systems Link to NOAA/ESRL Rapid Refresh page [< ;--click here] Link to NOAA/ESRL High-Resolution Rapid Refresh page [<--click here] NOAA / National

The Influence of Age-Related Differences in Prior Knowledge and Attentional Refreshing Opportunities on Episodic Memory.

PubMed

Loaiza, Vanessa M; Rhodes, Matthew G; Anglin, Julia

2015-09-01

The assumption that working memory (WM) is embedded within long-term memory suggests that the effectiveness of switching information between activated states in WM (i.e., attentional refreshing) may depend on whether that information is semantically relevant. Given that older adults often have greater general knowledge than younger adults, age-related deficits in episodic memory (EM) could be ameliorated by studying information that has existing semantic representations compared with unknown information. Younger and older adults completed a modified operation span task that varied the number of refreshing opportunities. The memoranda used were equally known to younger and older adults (neutral words; e.g., father), better known to older adults than younger adults (dated words; e.g., mirth), or unknown to both groups (unknown words; e.g., cobot). Results for immediate and delayed recall indicated an age-related improvement for dated memoranda and no age difference for unknown memoranda. Furthermore, refreshing opportunities predicted delayed recall of neutral memoranda more strongly for younger adults than older adults, whereas older adults' recall advantage for dated memoranda was explained by their prior knowledge and not refreshing opportunities. The results suggest that older adults' EM deficits could potentially be ameliorated by incorporating their superior knowledge to supplement relatively ineffective attentional refreshing in WM. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

National Federation of the Blind Braille Coin

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-07-30

Mark Riccobono, executive director of the Jernigan Institute of the National Federation of the Blind, right, accepts an award from Dr. Joyce Winterton, Assistant Administrator, Office of Education, NASA Headquarters, center, and Ken Silberman, from Goddard Space Flight Center, at a ceremony where senior NASA officials presented the NFB with two Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollars that flew on Space Shuttle Atlantis' mission (STS-125) to the Hubble Space Telescope in May 2009, Friday evening, July 31, 2009, at the Capitol Visitors Center in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

Electrothermal Annealing (ETA) Method to Enhance the Electrical Performance of Amorphous-Oxide-Semiconductor (AOS) Thin-Film Transistors (TFTs).

PubMed

Kim, Choong-Ki; Kim, Eungtaek; Lee, Myung Keun; Park, Jun-Young; Seol, Myeong-Lok; Bae, Hagyoul; Bang, Tewook; Jeon, Seung-Bae; Jun, Sungwoo; Park, Sang-Hee K; Choi, Kyung Cheol; Choi, Yang-Kyu

2016-09-14

An electro-thermal annealing (ETA) method, which uses an electrical pulse of less than 100 ns, was developed to improve the electrical performance of array-level amorphous-oxide-semiconductor (AOS) thin-film transistors (TFTs). The practicality of the ETA method was experimentally demonstrated with transparent amorphous In-Ga-Zn-O (a-IGZO) TFTs. The overall electrical performance metrics were boosted by the proposed method: up to 205% for the trans-conductance (gm), 158% for the linear current (Ilinear), and 206% for the subthreshold swing (SS). The performance enhancement were interpreted by X-ray photoelectron microscopy (XPS), showing a reduction of oxygen vacancies in a-IGZO after the ETA. Furthermore, by virtue of the extremely short operation time (80 ns) of ETA, which neither provokes a delay of the mandatory TFTs operation such as addressing operation for the display refresh nor demands extra physical treatment, the semipermanent use of displays can be realized.

Programmable diffractive lens for ophthalmic application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millán, María S.; Pérez-Cabré, Elisabet; Romero, Lenny A.; Ramírez, Natalia

2014-06-01

Pixelated liquid crystal displays have been widely used as spatial light modulators to implement programmable diffractive optical elements, particularly diffractive lenses. Many different applications of such components have been developed in information optics and optical processors that take advantage of their properties of great flexibility, easy and fast refreshment, and multiplexing capability in comparison with equivalent conventional refractive lenses. We explore the application of programmable diffractive lenses displayed on the pixelated screen of a liquid crystal on silicon spatial light modulator to ophthalmic optics. In particular, we consider the use of programmable diffractive lenses for the visual compensation of refractive errors (myopia, hypermetropia, astigmatism) and presbyopia. The principles of compensation are described and sketched using geometrical optics and paraxial ray tracing. For the proof of concept, a series of experiments with artificial eye in optical bench are conducted. We analyze the compensation precision in terms of optical power and compare the results with those obtained by means of conventional ophthalmic lenses. Practical considerations oriented to feasible applications are provided.

A three-channel LED driver with single line transportation technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Caideng; Du, Yiying; Jiang, Qiao; Zhou, Yun; Lv, Jian

2012-10-01

Designed a three-channel LED driver, realized the single-wire transmission of cascade signal between the drive IC of LED. Including the MCU digital interface, date register, clock synchronization, PWM grayscale adjustment circuit, as well as high voltage driver circuit for LED, etc… The driver control LED displaying 256 gray. Chip will generate synchronous sampling clock signals according to the received serial signals, when 24 bits dates have been received, the output pin begins to transport the dates followed-up which are automotive shaped to the input of the next chip. When the date receiving becomes low level that represent RESET, the red, green and blue channels will export different signals based on different input dates. Through the external MCU, it is realized the Separate luminance, and by connecting chips in series it achieved the control of outdoor big screen' colorful display. The automatic shaping forward technique makes the number of chips cascading immune to the limitations of signal transmission, but only limited by the refresh speed.

Ophthalmic compensation of visual ametropia based on a programmable diffractive lens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millán, Maria S.; Pérez-Cabré, Elisabet; Romero, Lenny A.; Ramírez, Natalia

2013-11-01

Pixelated liquid crystal displays have been widely used as spatial light modulators to implement programmable diffractive optical elements (DOEs), particularly diffractive lenses. Many different applications of such components have been developed in information optics and optical processors that take advantage of their properties of great flexibility, easy and fast refreshment, and multiplexing capability in comparison with equivalent conventional refractive lenses. In this paper, we explore the application of programmable diffractive lenses displayed on the pixelated screen of a liquid crystal on silicon spatial light modulator (LCoS-SLM) to ophthalmic optics. In particular, we consider the use of programmable diffractive lenses for the visual compensation of some refractive errors (myopia, hyperopia). The theoretical principles of compensation are described and sketched using geometrical optics and paraxial ray tracing. A series of experiments with artificial eye in optical bench are conducted to analyze the compensation accuracy in terms of optical power and to compare the results with those obtained by means of conventional ophthalmic lenses. Practical considerations oriented to feasible applications are provided.

Method for producing silicon thin-film transistors with enhanced forward current drive

DOEpatents

Weiner, K.H.

1998-06-30

A method is disclosed for fabricating amorphous silicon thin film transistors (TFTs) with a polycrystalline silicon surface channel region for enhanced forward current drive. The method is particularly adapted for producing top-gate silicon TFTs which have the advantages of both amorphous and polycrystalline silicon TFTs, but without problem of leakage current of polycrystalline silicon TFTs. This is accomplished by selectively crystallizing a selected region of the amorphous silicon, using a pulsed excimer laser, to create a thin polycrystalline silicon layer at the silicon/gate-insulator surface. The thus created polysilicon layer has an increased mobility compared to the amorphous silicon during forward device operation so that increased drive currents are achieved. In reverse operation the polysilicon layer is relatively thin compared to the amorphous silicon, so that the transistor exhibits the low leakage currents inherent to amorphous silicon. A device made by this method can be used, for example, as a pixel switch in an active-matrix liquid crystal display to improve display refresh rates. 1 fig.

Method for producing silicon thin-film transistors with enhanced forward current drive

DOEpatents

Weiner, Kurt H.

1998-01-01

A method for fabricating amorphous silicon thin film transistors (TFTs) with a polycrystalline silicon surface channel region for enhanced forward current drive. The method is particularly adapted for producing top-gate silicon TFTs which have the advantages of both amorphous and polycrystalline silicon TFTs, but without problem of leakage current of polycrystalline silicon TFTs. This is accomplished by selectively crystallizing a selected region of the amorphous silicon, using a pulsed excimer laser, to create a thin polycrystalline silicon layer at the silicon/gate-insulator surface. The thus created polysilicon layer has an increased mobility compared to the amorphous silicon during forward device operation so that increased drive currents are achieved. In reverse operation the polysilicon layer is relatively thin compared to the amorphous silicon, so that the transistor exhibits the low leakage currents inherent to amorphous silicon. A device made by this method can be used, for example, as a pixel switch in an active-matrix liquid crystal display to improve display refresh rates.

Maintenance of memory for melodies: Articulation or attentional refreshing?

PubMed

Nees, Michael A; Corrini, Ellen; Leong, Peri; Harris, Joanna

2017-12-01

Past research on the effects of articulatory suppression on working memory for nonverbal sounds has been characterized by discrepant findings, which suggests that multiple mechanisms may be involved in the rehearsal of nonverbal sounds. In two experiments we examined the potential roles of two theoretical mechanisms of verbal working memory-articulatory rehearsal and attentional refreshing-in the maintenance of memory for short melodies. In both experiments, participants performed a same-different melody comparison task. During an 8-s retention interval, interference tasks were introduced to suppress articulatory rehearsal, attentional refreshing, or both. In Experiment 1, only the conditions that featured articulatory suppression resulted in worse memory performance than in a control condition, and the suppression of both attentional refreshing and articulatory rehearsal concurrently did not impair memory more than articulatory suppression alone. Experiment 2 reproduced these findings and also confirmed that the locus of interference was articulatory and not auditory (i.e., the interference was not attributable to the sound of participants' own voices during articulatory suppression). Both experiments suggested that articulatory rehearsal played a role in the maintenance of melodies in memory, whereas attentional refreshing did not. We discuss potential theoretical implications regarding the mechanisms used for the rehearsal of nonverbal sounds in working memory.

22 CFR 92.60 - Examination procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... memory by reference to written records. A witness may be permitted to refresh his memory by referring to... notes, papers or other documents to refresh his memory or for the sake of testifying to matters not then...

Micromachined mirrors for raster-scanning displays and optical fiber switches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hagelin, Paul Merritt

Micromachines and micro-optics have the potential to shrink the size and cost of free-space optical systems, enabling a new generation of high-performance, compact projection displays and telecommunications equipment. In raster-scanning displays and optical fiber switches, a free-space optical beam can interact with multiple tilt- up micromirrors fabricated on a single substrate. The size, rotation angle, and flatness of the mirror surfaces determine the number of pixels in a raster-display or ports in an optical switch. Single-chip and two-chip optical raster display systems demonstrate static mirror curvature correction, an integrated electronic driver board, and dynamic micromirror performance. Correction for curvature caused by a stress gradient in the micromirror leads to resolution of 102 by 119 pixels in the single-chip display. The optical design of the two-chip display features in-situ mirror curvature measurement and adjustable image magnification with a single output lens. An electronic driver board synchronizes modulation of the optical source with micromirror actuation for the display of images. Dynamic off-axis mirror motion is shown to have minimal influence on resolution. The confocal switch, a free-space optical fiber cross- connect, incorporates micromirrors having a design similar to the image-refresh scanner. Two micromirror arrays redirect optical beams from an input fiber array to the output fibers. The switch architecture supports simultaneous switching of multiple wavelength channels. A 2x2 switch configuration, using single-mode optical fiber at 1550 mn, is demonstrated with insertion loss of -4.2 dB and cross-talk of -50.5 dB. The micromirrors have sufficient size and angular range for scaling to a 32x32 cross-connect switch that has low insertion-loss and low cross-talk.

New portable FELIX 3D display

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Langhans, Knut; Bezecny, Daniel; Homann, Dennis; Bahr, Detlef; Vogt, Carsten; Blohm, Christian; Scharschmidt, Karl-Heinz

1998-04-01

An improved generation of our 'FELIX 3D Display' is presented. This system is compact, light, modular and easy to transport. The created volumetric images consist of many voxels, which are generated in a half-sphere display volume. In that way a spatial object can be displayed occupying a physical space with height, width and depth. The new FELIX generation uses a screen rotating with 20 revolutions per second. This target screen is mounted by an easy to change mechanism making it possible to use appropriate screens for the specific purpose of the display. An acousto-optic deflection unit with an integrated small diode pumped laser draws the images on the spinning screen. Images can consist of up to 10,000 voxels at a refresh rate of 20 Hz. Currently two different hardware systems are investigated. The first one is based on a standard PCMCIA digital/analog converter card as an interface and is controlled by a notebook. The developed software is provided with a graphical user interface enabling several animation features. The second, new prototype is designed to display images created by standard CAD applications. It includes the development of a new high speed hardware interface suitable for state-of-the- art fast and high resolution scanning devices, which require high data rates. A true 3D volume display as described will complement the broad range of 3D visualization tools, such as volume rendering packages, stereoscopic and virtual reality techniques, which have become widely available in recent years. Potential applications for the FELIX 3D display include imaging in the field so fair traffic control, medical imaging, computer aided design, science as well as entertainment.

Effect of just-in-time simulation training on tracheal intubation procedure safety in the pediatric intensive care unit.

PubMed

Nishisaki, Akira; Donoghue, Aaron J; Colborn, Shawn; Watson, Christine; Meyer, Andrew; Brown, Calvin A; Helfaer, Mark A; Walls, Ron M; Nadkarni, Vinay M

2010-07-01

Tracheal intubation-associated events (TIAEs) are common (20%) and life threatening (4%) in pediatric intensive care units. Physician trainees are required to learn tracheal intubation during intensive care unit rotations. The authors hypothesized that "just-in-time" simulation-based intubation refresher training would improve resident participation, success, and decrease TIAEs. For 14 months, one of two on-call residents, nurses, and respiratory therapists received 20-min multidisciplinary simulation-based tracheal intubation training and 10-min resident skill refresher training at the beginning of their on-call period in addition to routine residency education. The rate of first attempt and overall success between refresher-trained and concurrent non-refresher-trained residents (controls) during the intervention phase was compared. The incidence of TIAEs between preintervention and intervention phase was also compared. Four hundred one consecutive primary orotracheal intubations were evaluated: 220 preintervention and 181 intervention. During intervention phase, neither first-attempt success nor overall success rate differed between refresher-trained residents versus concurrent non-refresher-trained residents: 20 of 40 (50%) versus 15 of 24 (62.5%), P = 0.44 and 23 of 40 (57.5%) versus 18 of 24 (75.0%), P = 0.19, respectively. The resident's first attempt and overall success rate did not differ between preintervention and intervention phases. The incidence of TIAE during preintervention and intervention phases was similar: 22.0% preintervention versus 19.9% intervention, P = 0.62, whereas resident participation increased from 20.9% preintervention to 35.4% intervention, P = 0.002. Resident participation continued to be associated with TIAE even after adjusting for the phase and difficult airway condition: odds ratio 2.22 (95% CI 1.28-3.87, P = 0.005). Brief just-in-time multidisciplinary simulation-based intubation refresher training did not improve the resident's first attempt or overall tracheal intubation success.

Electromechanical instability in soft materials: Theory, experiments and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suo, Zhigang

2013-03-01

Subject to a voltage, a membrane of a dielectric elastomer reduces thickness and expands area, possibly straining over 100%. The phenomenon is being developed as transducers for broad applications, including soft robots, adaptive optics, Braille displays, and electric generators. The behavior of dielectric elastomers is closely tied to electromechanical instability. This instability may limit the performance of devices, and may also be used to achieve giant actuation strains. This talk reviews the theory of dielectric elastomers, coupling large deformation and electric potential. The theory is developed within the framework of continuum mechanics and thermodynamics. The theory attempts to answer commonly asked questions. How do mechanics and electrostatics work together to generate large deformation? How efficiently can a material convert energy from one form to another? How do molecular processes affect macroscopic behavior? The theory is used to describe electromechanical instability, and is related to recent experiments.

Development of a Portable Two-Way Communication and Information Device for Deafblind People.

PubMed

Ozioko, Oliver; Hersh, Marion

2015-01-01

This paper presents research on the development of a wearable two-way communication and information device for deafblind people who use tactile communications methods, namely the British deafblind manual alphabet and/or Braille. The device has two components: a glove worn by the deafblind person and a handheld display with keypad to be used by their hearing and sighted communication partner. Users can send messages using pressure sensors embedded in the glove and receive them by means of vibration on the palm. The two components are linked by Bluetooth and the use of Bluetooth to communicate with computers, mobile phones and other Bluetooth enabled devices is being investigated. The design was informed by feedback obtained from a survey of deafblind people and interviews with staff in two organisations for deafblind people. Research and development of the device is still ongoing.

Performance improvement of miniaturized ZnO nanowire accelerometer fabricated by refresh hydrothermal synthesis

PubMed Central

Song, Sangho; Kim, Hyun Chan; Kim, Jung Woong; Kim, Debora

2017-01-01

Miniaturized accelerometers are necessary for evaluating the performance of small devices, such as haptics, robotics and simulators. In this study, we fabricated miniaturized accelerometers using well-aligned ZnO nanowires. The layer of ZnO nanowires is used for active piezoelectric layer of the accelerometer, and copper was chosen as a head mass. Seedless and refresh hydrothermal synthesis methods were conducted to grow ZnO nanowires on the copper substrate and the effect of ZnO nanowire length on the accelerometer performance was investigated. The refresh hydrothermal synthesis exhibits longer ZnO nanowires, 12 µm, than the seedless hydrothermal synthesis, 6 µm. Performance of the fabricated accelerometers was verified by comparing with a commercial accelerometer. The sensitivity of the fabricated accelerometer by the refresh hydrothermal synthesis is shown to be 37.7 pA g−1, which is about 30 times larger than the previous result. PMID:28989760

Adaptive choice between articulatory rehearsal and attentional refreshing in verbal working memory.

PubMed

Camos, Valérie; Mora, Gerome; Oberauer, Klaus

2011-02-01

Because both articulatory rehearsal and attentional refreshing aid in the maintenance of verbal information in the short term, the present study evaluated the adaptive use of these mechanisms, using a complex span paradigm. In Experiment 1, the phonological similarity of memory list words and the attentional demand of concurrent processing were manipulated. As was predicted, a phonological similarity effect (PSE) appeared only when the concurrent task was attention demanding, thus impairing the use of refreshing and encouraging rehearsal. To verify that PSE indicates the use of rehearsal, participants were instructed to use one of the two mechanisms in Experiments 2 and 3. In accordance wih Experiment 1, the PSE was observed only under rehearsal. Thus, adults could adaptively choose between the two mechanisms. When remembering phonologically confusable materials, they prefer refreshing in order to reduce the impact of phonological characteristics. When available attention is reduced, they favor a less attention-demanding mechanism, rehearsal.

TMS of the occipital cortex induces tactile sensations in the fingers of blind Braille readers.

PubMed

Ptito, M; Fumal, A; de Noordhout, A Martens; Schoenen, J; Gjedde, A; Kupers, R

2008-01-01

Various non-visual inputs produce cross-modal responses in the visual cortex of early blind subjects. In order to determine the qualitative experience associated with these occipital activations, we systematically stimulated the entire occipital cortex using single pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in early blind subjects and in blindfolded seeing controls. Whereas blindfolded seeing controls reported only phosphenes following occipital cortex stimulation, some of the blind subjects reported tactile sensations in the fingers that were somatotopically organized onto the visual cortex. The number of cortical sites inducing tactile sensations appeared to be related to the number of hours of Braille reading per day, Braille reading speed and dexterity. These data, taken in conjunction with previous anatomical, behavioural and functional imaging results, suggest the presence of a polysynaptic cortical pathway between the somatosensory cortex and the visual cortex in early blind subjects. These results also add new evidence that the activity of the occipital lobe in the blind takes its qualitative expression from the character of its new input source, therefore supporting the cortical deference hypothesis.

Improving physics teaching materials on sound for visually impaired students in high school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toenders, Frank G. C.; de Putter-Smits, Lesley G. A.; Sanders, Wendy T. M.; den Brok, Perry

2017-09-01

When visually impaired students attend regular high school, additional materials are necessary to help them understand physics concepts. The time for teachers to develop teaching materials for such students is scarce. Visually impaired students in regular high school physics classes often use a braille version of the physics textbook. Previously, we evaluated the physics learning environment of a blind high school student in a regular Dutch high school. In this research we evaluate the use of a revised braille textbook, relief drawings and 3D models. The research focussed on the topic of sound in grade 10.

National Term and Condition for Light Refreshments and Meals

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Unless the event(s) are specified in the approved workplan, the recipient agrees to obtain prior approval from EPA for the use of grant funds for light refreshments and/or meals served at meetings, conferences, training workshops, and outreach activities.

Observations on the Content of a Formal CME Course before and after Needs Assessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanson, Richard W.; Jennett, Penny A.

1992-01-01

Data from 13 of 50 physicians participating in continuing medical education refresher courses on hypertension and analysis of questions asked of medical information service databank were used to alter the delivery of refresher sessions. (SK)

10 CFR 34.79 - Records of training and certification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... refresher safety training was conducted, and names of the instructors and attendees. For inspections of job... Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION LICENSES FOR INDUSTRIAL RADIOGRAPHY AND RADIATION SAFETY... and receiving the oral and practical examinations; and (b) Records of annual refresher safety training...

[Effectiveness and practicality of an internet-based asthma refresher course for children and adolescents].

PubMed

Schmidt, A; Greuter, T; Möller, A; Steiß, J O

2014-04-01

The effectiveness and practicality of the "Luftikids" (www.luftikids.de) structured, internet-based asthma refresher course was evaluated in a pilot study with 53 patients (ages 8 - 14 years). All patients had previously participated in either an inpatient or outpatient asthma education program. This prospective study examined the effect of a 4-week refresher course on parameters such as asthma symptoms (coughing, dyspnea), the number of unscheduled doctor's visits, use of on-demand medications, number of days absent from school, and asthma monitoring using the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) and lung function tests. The duration of program use and the number of logins was used to investigate acceptance of the game format. Data were collected at the beginning of the study and at 4 - 6 months after the end of the online refresher course. Significant changes were shown with regard to the decrease in intensity of asthma symptoms such as coughing (p = 0.001) and dyspnea (p = 0.007), reduction in the number of unscheduled doctor's visits (p = 0.005), the use of on-demand medications (4.0 ± 6.5 vs. 1.5 ± 4.9, p = < 0.002), and the number of days absent from school (1.2 ± 2.0 vs. 0.4 ± 1.2, p = 0.003). No changes in lung function parameters were observed. The "Luftikids" program was used for an average of 302.5 ± 210.9 minutes, and the number of logins was 14 ± 9. From their self-evaluations, the children and adolescents derived "much" to "very much" benefit. Only 7.5% reported no effect. Participation in the "Luftikids" internet-based asthma refresher course resulted in fewer asthma symptoms, a decrease in unscheduled doctor's visits, reduction in the use of on-demand medications, decrease in the number of days absent from school, and improved asthma knowledge. No effect in lung function could be demonstrated. The results support the effectiveness and good acceptance of an outpatient, internet-based asthma refresher course. Young asthma patients in particular can succeed with and be motivated by this form of refresher course. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Structure and microanalysis of tear film ferning of camel tears, human tears, and Refresh Plus.

PubMed

Am, Masmali; Ra, Fagehi; El-Naggar, Ahmad H; Tm, Almubrad

2018-01-01

This study aimed to investigate the tear ferning pattern and chemical elements of the tear film of camel tears compared with human tears and Refresh Plus eye lubricant. Refresh Plus was used as a control because it provides a healthy ferning pattern, due to the presence of an optimum ratio of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) sodium and electrolytes. The main research focus is elucidating the viability of camel tear film in the dry, harsh environment of the desert. The tears were collected from five camels, five male desert workers (20-25 years old) at a small village located 100 km from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and five male subjects (20-25 years old) from Riyadh. A small drop (1 μl) of tears was dried on a glass slide and observed under a light (Olympus BX1) and scanning electron microscope (Inspect S50, Field Electron and Ion Company [FEI]). Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) of the tear film and Refresh Plus were investigated with a JEOL 1400 scanning transmission electron microscope. The camel tear film pattern was surrounded by thick, peripheral, homogenous layers containing small oily droplets, particles, and tiny branches in the tear ferning. The tear ferning of the camel was grade 0-1, whereas the tear ferning of human tears and Refresh Plus was grade 1-2. The mass percentage of chloride was highest in the camel tears. The mass percentage of potassium in the camel tears was greater than that in the human tears, but it was less than that in the Refresh Plus lubricant. Camel tears exhibit a better quality than human tears and Refresh Plus lubricant do. The presence of oily droplet-like structures at the periphery of tear ferning suggests that camel tear film may have a higher quality and quantity of minerals and lubricants, which may help the animal to avoid eye dryness. Future work is required to investigate the identification of the elements present in the peripheral and central part of the tear ferning.

Technology Refresh Program Launches Phase II | Poster

Cancer.gov

The Technology Refresh Program (TRP) is an NCI-funded initiative designed to promote efficient spending on computer equipment by providing staff members with access to the latest technology to meet their computing needs, said Kyle Miller, IT coordinator, Computer and Statistical Services (C&SS), NCI at Frederick.

78 FR 48076 - Facility Security Clearance and Safeguarding of National Security Information and Restricted Data

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-07

... facility's involvement with classified information and may include a Facility Security Officer Orientation... procedures and duties applicable to the employee's job. (g) Refresher Briefings. The licensee or other.... (j) Records reflecting an individual's initial and refresher security orientations and security...

78 FR 48037 - Facility Security Clearance and Safeguarding of National Security Information and Restricted Data

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-07

... facility's involvement with classified information and may include a Facility Security Officer Orientation... procedures and duties applicable to the employee's job. (g) Refresher Briefings. The licensee or other.... (j) Records reflecting an individual's initial and refresher security orientations and security...

Effectiveness of an educational video as an instrument to refresh and reinforce the learning of a nursing technique: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Salina, Loris; Ruffinengo, Carlo; Garrino, Lorenza; Massariello, Patrizia; Charrier, Lorena; Martin, Barbara; Favale, Maria Santina; Dimonte, Valerio

2012-05-01

The Undergraduate Nursing Course has been using videos for the past year or so. Videos are used for many different purposes such as during lessons, nurse refresher courses, reinforcement, and sharing and comparison of knowledge with the professional and scientific community. The purpose of this study was to estimate the efficacy of the video (moving an uncooperative patient from the supine to the lateral position) as an instrument to refresh and reinforce nursing techniques. A two-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) design was chosen: both groups attended lessons in the classroom as well as in the laboratory; a month later while one group received written information as a refresher, the other group watched the video. Both groups were evaluated in a blinded fashion. A total of 223 students agreed to take part in the study. The difference observed between those who had seen the video and those who had read up on the technique turned out to be an average of 6.19 points in favour of the first (P < 0.05). The results of the RCT demonstrated that students who had seen the video were better able to apply the technique, resulting in a better performance. The video, therefore, represents an important tool to refresh and reinforce previous learning.

A model for rotation and shape of Asteroid 9969 Braille from ground-based observations and images obtained during the deep space 1 (DS1) flyby

USGS Publications Warehouse

Oberst, J.; Mottola, S.; Di, Martino M.; Hicks, M.; Buratti, B.; Soderblom, L.; Thomas, N.

2001-01-01

Image data from the DS1 encounter with Asteroid 9969 Braille and data from a coordinated ground-based photometric observing campaign are combined to study the physical properties of this small Mars crosser. From telescope data the object's brightness was found to vary by up to 0.5 mag from night to night, with the most probable synodic rotational period being 226.4 ?? 1.3 h (9.4 days) and a mean lightcurve magnitude R(1, ?? = 24??) = 17.04 ?? 0.10. During the flyby of the spacecraft, two frame images from a range of approximately 13,500 km and phase angle 82.4??, which impose strong constraints on size, shape, and albedo of the object, were obtained. Using telescope and flyby data in combination, the asteroid is estimated to have a size of 2.1 ?? 1 ?? 1 km3 and shown to have photometric properties similar to the asteroid 4 Vesta, notably a comparably high albedo. The high albedo supports the notion (L. Soderblom et al. 1999, Bull. Am. Astron. Soc. 31,) that Braille is of the V or Q taxonomic type. ?? 2001 Academic Press.

Understanding Graphics on a Scalable Latching Assistive Haptic Display Using a Shape Memory Polymer Membrane.

PubMed

Besse, Nadine; Rosset, Samuel; Zarate, Juan Jose; Ferrari, Elisabetta; Brayda, Luca; Shea, Herbert

2018-01-01

We present a fully latching and scalable 4 × 4 haptic display with 4 mm pitch, 5 s refresh time, 400 mN holding force, and 650 μm displacement per taxel. The display serves to convey dynamic graphical information to blind and visually impaired users. Combining significant holding force with high taxel density and large amplitude motion in a very compact overall form factor was made possible by exploiting the reversible, fast, hundred-fold change in the stiffness of a thin shape memory polymer (SMP) membrane when heated above its glass transition temperature. Local heating is produced using an addressable array of 3 mm in diameter stretchable microheaters patterned on the SMP. Each taxel is selectively and independently actuated by synchronizing the local Joule heating with a single pressure supply. Switching off the heating locks each taxel into its position (up or down), enabling holding any array configuration with zero power consumption. A 3D-printed pin array is mounted over the SMP membrane, providing the user with a smooth and room temperature array of movable pins to explore by touch. Perception tests were carried out with 24 blind users resulting in 70 percent correct pattern recognition over a 12-word tactile dictionary.

Working memory, perceptual priming, and the perception of hierarchical forms: opposite effects of priming and working memory without memory refreshing.

PubMed

Kim, Jeong-Im; Humphreys, Glyn W

2010-08-01

Previous research has shown that stimuli held in working memory (WM) can influence spatial attention. Using Navon stimuli, we explored whether and how items in WM affect the perception of visual targets at local and global levels in compound letters. Participants looked for a target letter presented at a local or global level while holding a regular block letter as a memory item. An effect of holding the target's identity in WM was found. When memory items and targets were the same, performance was better than in a neutral condition when the memory item did not appear in the hierarchical letter (a benefit from valid cuing). When the memory item matched the distractor in the hierarchical stimulus, performance was worse than in the neutral baseline (a cost on invalid trials). These effects were greatest when the WM cue matched the global level of the hierarchical stimulus, suggesting that WM biases attention to the global level of form. Interestingly, in a no-memory priming condition, target perception was faster in the invalid condition than in the neutral baseline, reversing the effect in the WM condition. A further control experiment ruled out the effects of WM being due to participants' refreshing their memory from the hierarchical stimulus display. The data show that information in WM biases the selection of hierarchical forms, whereas priming does not. Priming alters the perceptual processing of repeated stimuli without biasing attention.

Effects of Refresher Training on Job-Task Typewriting Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hagman, Joseph D.; Schendel, Joel D.

Two groups of 15 Administrative Specialists, 7lL Military Occupational Speciality (MOS), participated in four job-task refresher training sessions designed to enhance the typewriting of military correspondence. One group performed under a study training method which allowed use of a Correspondence Manual while arranging materials into the correct…

5 CFR 2635.204 - Exceptions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... $20. Example 3: On four occasions during the calendar year, an employee of the Defense Logistics... position. (i) Meals, refreshments and entertainment in foreign areas. An employee assigned to duty in, or on official travel to, a foreign area as defined in 41 CFR 301-7.3(c) may accept food, refreshments...

5 CFR 2635.204 - Exceptions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... $20. Example 3: On four occasions during the calendar year, an employee of the Defense Logistics... position. (i) Meals, refreshments and entertainment in foreign areas. An employee assigned to duty in, or on official travel to, a foreign area as defined in 41 CFR 301-7.3(c) may accept food, refreshments...

22 CFR 1203.735-202 - Gifts, entertainment, and favors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...; (2) Acceptance of loans from banks or other financial institutions on customary terms to finance... apply to: Acceptance of food and refreshments of nominal value on infrequent occasions in the ordinary... paragraph (a) of this section do not apply in the following situations: (1) Acceptance of food, refreshments...

77 FR 11997 - Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Seeks To Refresh the Record Regarding Misuse of Internet...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-28

... legitimate relay calls, however, are not entitled to these transparency and confidentiality protections... Relay Service AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission. ACTION: Proposed rule. SUMMARY: In this... refresh the record regarding misuse of Internet Protocol relay service. Further comments are requested to...

Computer vision syndrome: a review.

PubMed

Blehm, Clayton; Vishnu, Seema; Khattak, Ashbala; Mitra, Shrabanee; Yee, Richard W

2005-01-01

As computers become part of our everyday life, more and more people are experiencing a variety of ocular symptoms related to computer use. These include eyestrain, tired eyes, irritation, redness, blurred vision, and double vision, collectively referred to as computer vision syndrome. This article describes both the characteristics and treatment modalities that are available at this time. Computer vision syndrome symptoms may be the cause of ocular (ocular-surface abnormalities or accommodative spasms) and/or extraocular (ergonomic) etiologies. However, the major contributor to computer vision syndrome symptoms by far appears to be dry eye. The visual effects of various display characteristics such as lighting, glare, display quality, refresh rates, and radiation are also discussed. Treatment requires a multidirectional approach combining ocular therapy with adjustment of the workstation. Proper lighting, anti-glare filters, ergonomic positioning of computer monitor and regular work breaks may help improve visual comfort. Lubricating eye drops and special computer glasses help relieve ocular surface-related symptoms. More work needs to be done to specifically define the processes that cause computer vision syndrome and to develop and improve effective treatments that successfully address these causes.

Differentiated strategies for improving streaming service quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

An, Hui; Chen, Xin-Meng

2005-02-01

With the explosive growth of streaming services, users are becoming more and more sensitive to its quality of service. To handle these problems, the research community focuses of the application of caching and replication techniques. But most approaches try to find specific strategies of caching of replication that suit for streaming service characteristics and to design some kind of universal policy to deal with all streaming objects. This paper explores the combination of caching and replication for improving streaming service quality and demonstrates that it makes sense to incorporate two technologies. It provides a system model and discusses some related issues of how to determining a refreshable streaming object and which refreshment policies a refreshable object should use.

CVE and the Corporate Market: A Case Study of the Experience of Warwick Business School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Antonazzi, Leoni

1998-01-01

Reviews the promotion and practice of continuing vocational education (CVE) at Warwick Business School (United Kingdom) for executives within the corporate sector. Highlights include relationship management, brand building, an MBA (Masters in Business Education) refresher course, a strategic management refresher course, and future developments.…

Moving Kids Safely in Child Care: A Refresher Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aird, Laura Dutil

2007-01-01

Each year thousands of young children are killed or injured in car crashes. Although these situations are always tragic, they are particularly disturbing when known safety practices are not followed or a "well-meaning" adult isn't aware of the recommended procedures and puts children at risk. The author provides a "refresher course," including…

78 FR 38755 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-27

... Proposed Rule Change To Eliminate an Erroneous Reference to the Retired Automatic Quotation Refresh...'s Statement of the Terms of Substance of the Proposed Rule Change The Exchange proposes to eliminate...,'' which references the AQR functionality that was retired. Accordingly, NASDAQ is proposing to eliminate...

How Refreshing! Technology Replacement Planning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Villano, Matt

2006-01-01

At a time when colleges and universities are struggling to plan the mobile campus of the future, many of those with laptop programs have found refresh programs to be their key to success. Planned well, these efforts establish a strategy to rotate the latest laptop products into the campus technology portfolio, ensuring that schools stay…

The Determination of a Useful Frequency for Refreshing Memories for Procedures among a Collegiate Population.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zambon, Franco

This study sought to determine a useful frequency for refreshing students' memories of complex procedures that involved a formal computer language. Students were required to execute the Microsoft Disc Operating System (MS-DOS) commands for "copy,""backup," and "restore." A total of 126 college students enrolled in six…

Reflective Lesson Planning in Refresher Training Programs for Experienced Physics Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chung, C. M.; And Others

1995-01-01

Reports on a refresher training program that introduces experienced physics teachers to a reflective lesson-planning model and a more constructivist approach to physics teaching. Three instructional strategies developed by participants in the program and the corresponding suggestions made by their peers are presented and analyzed. (29 references)…

45 CFR 73.735-502 - Permissible acceptance of gifts, entertainment, and favors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... the motivating factor. (b) Loans from banks or other financial institutions may be accepted on... similar items of nominal intrinsic value may be accepted. (d) An employee may accept food or refreshment... employee may not accept. (e) An employee may also accept food or refreshment of nominal value on infrequent...

Slovenian: Non-Resident Language Refresher Course. 210 Hour Course, Volume VI.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Defense Language Inst., Washington, DC.

Volume 6 of this refresher course, designed for use by United States Armed Forces Intelligence Units, consists of 10 area-background, situation lessons. The primary objectives are to maintain and develop aural comprehension and oral fluency, reading ability, and writing ability in the Slovenian language. Materials presented in the course are…

Slovenian: Non-Resident Language Refresher Course. 210 Hour Course, Volume VII.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Defense Language Inst., Washington, DC.

Volume 7 of this refresher course, designed for use by United States Armed Forces Intelligence Units, consists of 10 area-background, situation lessons. The primary objectives are to maintain and develop aural comprehension and oral fluency, reading ability, and writing ability in the Slovenian language. Materials presented in the course are…

The LANDFIRE Refresh strategy: updating the national dataset

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nelson, Kurtis J.; Connot, Joel A.; Peterson, Birgit E.; Martin, Charley

2013-01-01

The LANDFIRE Program provides comprehensive vegetation and fuel datasets for the entire United States. As with many large-scale ecological datasets, vegetation and landscape conditions must be updated periodically to account for disturbances, growth, and natural succession. The LANDFIRE Refresh effort was the first attempt to consistently update these products nationwide. It incorporated a combination of specific systematic improvements to the original LANDFIRE National data, remote sensing based disturbance detection methods, field collected disturbance information, vegetation growth and succession modeling, and vegetation transition processes. This resulted in the creation of two complete datasets for all 50 states: LANDFIRE Refresh 2001, which includes the systematic improvements, and LANDFIRE Refresh 2008, which includes the disturbance and succession updates to the vegetation and fuel data. The new datasets are comparable for studying landscape changes in vegetation type and structure over a decadal period, and provide the most recent characterization of fuel conditions across the country. The applicability of the new layers is discussed and the effects of using the new fuel datasets are demonstrated through a fire behavior modeling exercise using the 2011 Wallow Fire in eastern Arizona as an example.

A Integrated Service Platform for Remote Sensing Image 3D Interpretation and Draughting based on HTML5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LIU, Yiping; XU, Qing; ZhANG, Heng; LV, Liang; LU, Wanjie; WANG, Dandi

2016-11-01

The purpose of this paper is to solve the problems of the traditional single system for interpretation and draughting such as inconsistent standards, single function, dependence on plug-ins, closed system and low integration level. On the basis of the comprehensive analysis of the target elements composition, map representation and similar system features, a 3D interpretation and draughting integrated service platform for multi-source, multi-scale and multi-resolution geospatial objects is established based on HTML5 and WebGL, which not only integrates object recognition, access, retrieval, three-dimensional display and test evaluation but also achieves collection, transfer, storage, refreshing and maintenance of data about Geospatial Objects and shows value in certain prospects and potential for growth.

Electrical stimulation of mechanoreceptors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Echenique, A. M.; Graffigna, J. P.

2011-12-01

Within the field of Rehabilitation Engineering, this work is aimed at identifying the optimal parameters of electric current stimulus which activate the nervous axons of mecanoreceptors found in the fingertip, allowing, this way, to resemble tactile senses. These sensorial feelings can be used by aiding technological means, namely, the sensorial substitution technology, in an attempt to render information to blind people through the tactile sense. The physical pressure on sensorial areas (fingertips) used for reading activities through the Braille System is the main effect that is imitated and studied in this research work. An experimental aiding prototype for Braille reading research has been developed and tested with blinds and reduced vision people, with highly satisfactory results.

A dielectric elastomer actuator coupled with water: snap-through instability and giant deformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godaba, Hareesh; Foo, Choon Chiang; Zhang, Zhi Qian; Khoo, Boo Cheong; Zhu, Jian

2015-04-01

A dielectric elastomer actuator is one class of soft actuators which can deform in response to voltage. Dielectric elastomer actuators coupled with liquid have recently been developed as soft pumps, soft lenses, Braille displays, etc. In this paper, we conduct experiments to investigate the performance of a dielectric elastomer actuator which is coupled with water. The membrane is subject to a constant water pressure, which is found to significantly affect the electromechanical behaviour of the membrane. When the pressure is small, the membrane suffers electrical breakdown before snap-through instability, and achieves a small voltage-induced deformation. When the pressure is higher to make the membrane near the verge of the instability, the membrane can achieve a giant voltage-induced deformation, with an area strain of 1165%. When the pressure is large, the membrane suffers pressure-induced snap-through instability and may collapse due to a large amount of liquid enclosed by the membrane. Theoretical analyses are conducted to interpret these experimental observations.

Firefighter Math - a web-based learning tool

Treesearch

Dan Jimenez

2010-01-01

Firefighter Math is a web based interactive resource that was developed to help prepare wildland fire personnel for math based training courses. The website can also be used as a refresher for fire calculations including slope, flame length, relative humidity, flow rates, unit conversion, etc. The website is designed to start with basic math refresher skills and...

78 FR 49420 - Parties Asked To Refresh the Record Regarding Property Records for Rate-of-Return Carriers

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-14

...] Parties Asked To Refresh the Record Regarding Property Records for Rate-of-Return Carriers AGENCY: Federal... changes the Commission can make to the property record rules that would reduce record-keeping burdens for...) (``property record rules'') to price cap carriers. However, it denied forbearance from those rules to rate-of...

Loss of Visual Working Memory within Seconds: The Combined Use of Refreshable and Non-Refreshable Features

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ricker, Timothy J.; Cowan, Nelson

2010-01-01

We reexamine the role of time in the loss of information from working memory, the limited information accessible for cognitive tasks. The controversial issue of whether working memory deteriorates over time was investigated using arrays of unconventional visual characters. Each array was followed by a postperceptual mask, a variable retention…

Building an Ajax Application from Scratch

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Jason A.

2006-01-01

The author of this article suggests that to refresh Web pages and online library catalogs in a more pleasing way, Ajax, an acronym for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, should be used. Ajax is the way to use Web technologies that work together to refresh sections of Web pages to allow almost instant responses to user input. This article describes…

30 CFR 48.28 - Annual refresher training of miners; minimum courses of instruction; hours of instruction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Retraining of Miners Working at Surface Mines and Surface Areas of Underground Mines § 48.28 Annual refresher...) Ground control; working in areas of highwalls, water hazards, pits, and spoil banks; illumination and... ground control plans in effect at the mine; procedures for working safely in areas of highwalls, water...

Radiographers' professional knowledge regarding parameters and safety issues in plain radiography: a questionnaire survey.

PubMed

Farajollahi, A R; Fouladi, D F; Ghojazadeh, M; Movafaghi, A

2014-08-01

To review the knowledge of radiographers and examine the possible sociodemographic and situational contributors to this knowledge. A questionnaire survey was devised and distributed to a cohort of 120 radiographers. Each questionnaire contained two sections. In the first section, background data, including sex, age, highest academic level, grade point average (GPA), length of time from graduation, work experience as a radiographer and the status of previous refresher course(s), were collected. The second section contained 17 multiple-choice questions concerning radiographic imaging parameters and safety issues. The response rate was 63.8%. In univariate analytic model, higher academic degree (p < 0.001), higher GPA (r(2) = 0.11; p = 0.001), academic workplace (p = 0.04) and taking previous refresher course(s) (p = 0.01) were significantly associated with higher knowledge score. In multivariate analytic model, however, higher academic degree (B = 1.62; p = 0.01), higher GPA (B = 0.50; p = 0.01) and taking previous refresher course(s) (B = -1.26; p = 0.03) were independently associated with higher level of knowledge. Age, sex, length of time from graduation and work experience were not associated with the respondents' knowledge score. Academic background is a robust indicator of a radiographer's professional knowledge. Refresher courses and regular knowledge assessments are highly recommended. This is the first study in the literature that examines professional knowledge of radiographers in terms of technical and safety issues in plain radiography. Academic degree, GPA and refresher courses are independent predictors of this knowledge. Regular radiographer professional knowledge checks may be recommended.

The Development of Memory Maintenance: Children's Use of Phonological Rehearsal and Attentional Refreshment in Working Memory Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tam, Helen; Jarrold, Christopher; Baddeley, Alan D.; Sabatos-DeVito, Maura

2010-01-01

Past research suggests that children begin to phonologically rehearse at around 7 years of age. Less is known regarding the development of refreshment, an attention-based maintenance mechanism. Therefore, the use of these two maintenance methods by 6- and 8-year-olds was assessed using memory span tasks that varied in their opportunities for…

Project 22: Further Education for Graduates Including Refresher Courses. Role of the University in Refresher Courses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Council of Europe, Strasbourg (France).

A questionnaire was sent to member states of the Council for Cultural Co-operation to gather data on provision by universities of further education (updating of knowledge once acquired) and of continued education (opportunities to enlarge and broaden a professional qualification). A poor response showed that West European States have not yet…

Math Refresher Workshop Series as an Aid to Registrants of a College Level Math Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyd, Vivian; And Others

Because the failure rate for Math 110 (a college algebra course for non-science/technology-oriented majors at the University of Maryland) was so high, it was decided to offer selected registrants the opportunity to take a free refresher workshop series to improve their mathematics skills before they took the course. In summer 1985, 809 students…

Development and Implementation of a Curriculum for Nurse Refresher Course. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eggland, Carol

The project reported here was done to design and implement a model curriculum for a nurse refresher course to update the unemployed nurse's knowledge and skills in preparation for a return to employment. This report begins with an abstract of the project, a course evaluation based on the second of two field tests, and a brief course syllabus. The…

RAP "Rapid Refresh" Products

Science.gov Websites

HOME PAGE Image of NCEP Logo WHERE AMERICA'S CLIMATE AND WEATHER SERVICES BEGIN NCEP Products Inventory Image of horizontal rule Rapid Refresh (RAP) Products Updated: 11/28/2016 * Information about the rap.tccz.awp243fxx.grib2 Not Available RAP - BUFR Sounding products Model Runs every hour (00z-23z) Filename Inventory

Writing Clinic for Business and Technical Writers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mercer County Community Coll., Trenton, NJ.

This document offers brief lesson plans for four courses: (1) an 8-hour refresher course for employees who write memos, short reports, and letters; (2) an 8-hour refresher course on creating a short document; (3) a 16-hour course on technical manual writing; and (4) an 8-hour course on technical manual writing. The courses were part of a workplace…

Usability of a real-time tracked augmented reality display system in musculoskeletal injections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baum, Zachary; Ungi, Tamas; Lasso, Andras; Fichtinger, Gabor

2017-03-01

PURPOSE: Image-guided needle interventions are seldom performed with augmented reality guidance in clinical practice due to many workspace and usability restrictions. We propose a real-time optically tracked image overlay system to make image-guided musculoskeletal injections more efficient and assess its usability in a bed-side clinical environment. METHODS: An image overlay system consisting of an optically tracked viewbox, tablet computer, and semitransparent mirror allows users to navigate scanned patient volumetric images in real-time using software built on the open-source 3D Slicer application platform. A series of experiments were conducted to evaluate the latency and screen refresh rate of the system using different image resolutions. To assess the usability of the system and software, five medical professionals were asked to navigate patient images while using the overlay and completed a questionnaire to assess the system. RESULTS: In assessing the latency of the system with scanned images of varying size, screen refresh rates were approximately 5 FPS. The study showed that participants found using the image overlay system easy, and found the table-mounted system was significantly more usable and effective than the handheld system. CONCLUSION: It was determined that the system performs comparably with scanned images of varying size when assessing the latency of the system. During our usability study, participants preferred the table-mounted system over the handheld. The participants also felt that the system itself was simple to use and understand. With these results, the image overlay system shows promise for use in a clinical environment.

Psychological Effect of Daylighting on Behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oyama, Yoshie

In order to facilitate use of daylighting in architectural design, we tried to measure the suitability of luminous environment for various behavior, including not only visual work but also refreshing and rest. An experiment was conducted with 7 luminous conditions including daylighting. The suitability of a luminous environment was measured by asking the subjects to select suitable activities and unsuitable behaviors from a given list of possible activities. The result showed the selection of unsuitable behaviors was more useful than the selection of suitable behaviors. Furthermore, lighting installations offering a steady luminous environments, were not suitable for many behaviors including refreshing and rest. The luminous environments which were bright but had some fluctuation and some non-uniformity of brightness, obtained by use of direct sunlight, were judged to be suitable for negotiating, refreshing, and meeting.

Operational Monitoring of Volcanoes Using Keyhole Markup Language

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dehn, J.; Bailey, J. E.; Webley, P.

2007-12-01

Volcanoes are some of the most geologically powerful, dynamic, visually appealing structures on the Earth's landscape. Volcanic eruptions are hard to predict, difficult to quantify and impossible to prevent, making effective monitoring a difficult proposition. In Alaska, volcanoes are an intrinsic part of the culture, with over 100 volcanoes and volcanic fields that have been active in historic time monitored by the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO). Observations and research are performed using a suite of methods and tools in the fields of remote sensing, seismology, geodesy and geology, producing large volumes of geospatial data. Keyhole Markup Language (KML) offers a context in which these different, and in the past disparate, data can be displayed simultaneously. Dynamic links keep these data current, allowing it to be used in an operational capacity. KML is used to display information from the aviation color codes and activity alert levels for volcanoes to locations of thermal anomalies, earthquake locations and ash plume modeling. The dynamic refresh and time primitive are used to display volcano webcam and satellite image overlays in near real-time. In addition a virtual globe browser using KML, such as Google Earth, provides an interface to further information using the hyperlink, rich- text and flash-embedding abilities supported within object description balloons. By merging these data sets in an easy to use interface, a virtual globe browser provides a better tool for scientists and emergency managers alike to mitigate volcanic crises.

28 CFR 36.304 - Removal of barriers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

..., providing Brailled and raised character signage, widening doors, providing visual alarms, and installing... doors, installation of ramps, providing accessible signage, widening of toilet stalls, and installation...

28 CFR 36.304 - Removal of barriers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., providing Brailled and raised character signage, widening doors, providing visual alarms, and installing... doors, installation of ramps, providing accessible signage, widening of toilet stalls, and installation...

28 CFR 36.304 - Removal of barriers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

..., providing Brailled and raised character signage, widening doors, providing visual alarms, and installing... doors, installation of ramps, providing accessible signage, widening of toilet stalls, and installation...

28 CFR 36.304 - Removal of barriers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

..., providing Brailled and raised character signage, widening doors, providing visual alarms, and installing... doors, installation of ramps, providing accessible signage, widening of toilet stalls, and installation...

28 CFR 36.304 - Removal of barriers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., providing Brailled and raised character signage, widening doors, providing visual alarms, and installing... doors, installation of ramps, providing accessible signage, widening of toilet stalls, and installation...

Parallel architecture for rapid image generation and analysis

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

Nerheim, R.J.

1987-01-01

A multiprocessor architecture inspired by the Disney multiplane camera is proposed. For many applications, this approach produces a natural mapping of processors to objects in a scene. Such a mapping promotes parallelism and reduces the hidden-surface work with minimal interprocessor communication and low-overhead cost. Existing graphics architectures store the final picture as a monolithic entity. The architecture here stores each object's image separately. It assembles the final composite picture from component images only when the video display needs to be refreshed. This organization simplifies the work required to animate moving objects that occlude other objects. In addition, the architecture hasmore » multiple processors that generate the component images in parallel. This further shortens the time needed to create a composite picture. In addition to generating images for animation, the architecture has the ability to decompose images.« less

Waste Generation Overview Refresher, Course 21464

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

Simpson, Lewis Edward

This course, Waste Generation Overview Refresher (COURSE 21464), provides an overview of federal and state waste management regulations, as well as Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) policies and procedures for waste management operations. The course covers the activities involved in the cradle-to- grave waste management process and focuses on waste characterization, waste compatibility determinations and classification, and the storage requirements for temporary waste accumulation areas at LANL.

Comparison of High-Fidelity Simulation Versus Didactic Instruction as a Reinforcement Intervention in a Comprehensive Curriculum for Radiology Trainees in Learning Contrast Reaction Management: Does It Matter How We Refresh?

PubMed

Picard, Melissa; Curry, Nancy; Collins, Heather; Soma, LaShonda; Hill, Jeanne

2015-10-01

Simulation-based training has been shown to be a useful adjunct to standard didactic lecture in teaching residents appropriate management of adverse contrast reactions. In addition, it has been suggested that a biannual refresher is needed; however, the type of refresher education has not been assessed. This was a prospective study involving 31 radiology residents across all years in a university program. All residents underwent standard didactic lecture followed by high-fidelity simulation-based training. At approximately 6 months, residents were randomized into a didactic versus simulation group for a refresher. At approximately 9 months, all residents returned to the simulation center for performance testing. Knowledge and confidence assessments were obtained from all participants before and after each phase. Performance testing was obtained at each simulation session and scored based on predefined critical actions. There was significant improvement in knowledge (P < .002) and confidence (P < .001) after baseline education of combined didactic and simulation-based training. There was no statistical difference between the simulation and didactic groups in knowledge or confidence at any phase of the study. There was no significant difference in tested performance between the groups in either performance testing session. This study suggests that a curriculum consisting of an annual didactic lecture combined with simulation-based training followed by a didactic refresher at 6 months is an effective and efficient (both cost-effective and time-effective) method of educating radiology residents in the management of adverse contrast reactions. Copyright © 2015 AUR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Real-time self-calibration of a tracked augmented reality display

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baum, Zachary; Lasso, Andras; Ungi, Tamas; Fichtinger, Gabor

2016-03-01

PURPOSE: Augmented reality systems have been proposed for image-guided needle interventions but they have not become widely used in clinical practice due to restrictions such as limited portability, low display refresh rates, and tedious calibration procedures. We propose a handheld tablet-based self-calibrating image overlay system. METHODS: A modular handheld augmented reality viewbox was constructed from a tablet computer and a semi-transparent mirror. A consistent and precise self-calibration method, without the use of any temporary markers, was designed to achieve an accurate calibration of the system. Markers attached to the viewbox and patient are simultaneously tracked using an optical pose tracker to report the position of the patient with respect to a displayed image plane that is visualized in real-time. The software was built using the open-source 3D Slicer application platform's SlicerIGT extension and the PLUS toolkit. RESULTS: The accuracy of the image overlay with image-guided needle interventions yielded a mean absolute position error of 0.99 mm (95th percentile 1.93 mm) in-plane of the overlay and a mean absolute position error of 0.61 mm (95th percentile 1.19 mm) out-of-plane. This accuracy is clinically acceptable for tool guidance during various procedures, such as musculoskeletal injections. CONCLUSION: A self-calibration method was developed and evaluated for a tracked augmented reality display. The results show potential for the use of handheld image overlays in clinical studies with image-guided needle interventions.

Effect of Frustration on Brain Activation Pattern in Subjects with Different Temperament

PubMed Central

Bierzynska, Maria; Bielecki, Maksymilian; Marchewka, Artur; Debowska, Weronika; Duszyk, Anna; Zajkowski, Wojciech; Falkiewicz, Marcel; Nowicka, Anna; Strelau, Jan; Kossut, Malgorzata

2016-01-01

In spite of the prevalence of frustration in everyday life, very few neuroimaging studies were focused on this emotional state. In the current study we aimed to examine effects of frustration on brain activity while performing a well-learned task in participants with low and high tolerance for arousal. Prior to the functional magnetic resonance imaging session, the subjects underwent 2 weeks of Braille reading training. Frustration induction was obtained by using a novel highly difficult tactile task based on discrimination of Braille-like raised dots patterns and negative feedback. Effectiveness of this procedure has been confirmed in a pilot study using galvanic skin response and questionnaires. Brain activation pattern during tactile discrimination task before and after frustration were compared directly. Results revealed changes in brain activity in structures mostly reported in acute stress studies: striatum, cingulate cortex, insula, middle frontal gyrus and precuneus and in structures engaged in tactile Braille discrimination: SI and SII. Temperament type affected activation pattern. Subjects with low tolerance for arousal showed higher activation in the posterior cingulate gyrus, precuneus, and inferior parietal lobule than high reactivity group. Even though performance in the discrimination trials following frustration was unaltered, we observed increased activity of primary and secondary somatosensory cortex processing the tactile information. We interpret this effect as an indicator of additional involvement required to counteract the effects of frustration. PMID:26793136

Effect of Frustration on Brain Activation Pattern in Subjects with Different Temperament.

PubMed

Bierzynska, Maria; Bielecki, Maksymilian; Marchewka, Artur; Debowska, Weronika; Duszyk, Anna; Zajkowski, Wojciech; Falkiewicz, Marcel; Nowicka, Anna; Strelau, Jan; Kossut, Malgorzata

2015-01-01

In spite of the prevalence of frustration in everyday life, very few neuroimaging studies were focused on this emotional state. In the current study we aimed to examine effects of frustration on brain activity while performing a well-learned task in participants with low and high tolerance for arousal. Prior to the functional magnetic resonance imaging session, the subjects underwent 2 weeks of Braille reading training. Frustration induction was obtained by using a novel highly difficult tactile task based on discrimination of Braille-like raised dots patterns and negative feedback. Effectiveness of this procedure has been confirmed in a pilot study using galvanic skin response and questionnaires. Brain activation pattern during tactile discrimination task before and after frustration were compared directly. Results revealed changes in brain activity in structures mostly reported in acute stress studies: striatum, cingulate cortex, insula, middle frontal gyrus and precuneus and in structures engaged in tactile Braille discrimination: SI and SII. Temperament type affected activation pattern. Subjects with low tolerance for arousal showed higher activation in the posterior cingulate gyrus, precuneus, and inferior parietal lobule than high reactivity group. Even though performance in the discrimination trials following frustration was unaltered, we observed increased activity of primary and secondary somatosensory cortex processing the tactile information. We interpret this effect as an indicator of additional involvement required to counteract the effects of frustration.

Rating Training Continuum: Development Procedures

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-01

During the workshop, the SMEs will need to review technical documents to refresh their memory and resolve any technical issues. It is important that a...endorsement. 7 additional memory space was very useful. The computers with the 80-megabyte hard disk drive were used to collect all final PPPs and TLAs...description, general, and documentation). If you reed to refresh your memory , refer to Figure 3-5 for the definitions associated with the indirectly

The Role of Malaria Microscopy Training and Refresher Training Courses in Malaria Control Program in Iran during 2001 - 2011.

PubMed

Nateghpour, M; Edrissian, Ghh; Raeisi, A; Motevalli-Haghi, A; Farivar, L; Mohseni, Gh; Rahimi-Froushani, A

2012-01-01

Malaria is still one of the most important infectious diseases in the world. The disease also is a public health problem in south and southeast of Iran. This study programmed to show the correlation between regular malaria microscopy training and refresher training courses and control of malaria in Iran. Three types of training courses were conducted in this programme including; five - day, ten - day and bimonthly training courses. Each of the training courses contained theoretical and practical sections and training impact was evaluated by practical examination and multiple-choice quizzes through pre and post tests. Distribution pattern of the participants in the training and refresher training courses showed that the most participants were from Sistan & Baluchistan and Hormozgan provinces where malaria is endemic and most cases of the infection come out from these malarious areas. A total of 695 identified individuals were participated in the training courses. A significant conversely correlation was found between conducting malaria microscopy training courses and annual malaria cases in Iran. Conducting a suitable programme for malaria microscopy training and refresher training plays an important role in the control of malaria in endemic areas. Obviously, the decrease of malaria cases in Iran has been achieved due to some activities that malaria diagnosis training was one of them.

Disability Mentoring Day

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-07

A student from the Maryland School For the Blind explores a braille map during NASA's Disability Mentoring Day, Thursday, April 7, 2011, at NASA Headquarters in Washignton. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

Braille Bug: Games

MedlinePlus

... read Uncommon Traveler , one of the Reading Club selections! Riddles and Rhymes These riddles and rhymes will ... Walk Two Moons , one of the Reading Club selections! Countdown! Can you spot the pattern in each ...

47 CFR 6.17 - Informal complaints; form and content.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

...., letter, facsimile transmission, telephone (voice/TRS/TTY), Internet e-mail, ASCII text, audio-cassette... transmission, telephone (voice/TRS/TTY), Internet e-mail, ASCII text, audio-cassette recording, braille; or...

47 CFR 6.17 - Informal complaints; form and content.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

...., letter, facsimile transmission, telephone (voice/TRS/TTY), Internet e-mail, ASCII text, audio-cassette... transmission, telephone (voice/TRS/TTY), Internet e-mail, ASCII text, audio-cassette recording, braille; or...

47 CFR 6.17 - Informal complaints; form and content.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

...., letter, facsimile transmission, telephone (voice/TRS/TTY), Internet e-mail, ASCII text, audio-cassette... transmission, telephone (voice/TRS/TTY), Internet e-mail, ASCII text, audio-cassette recording, braille; or...

IR sensitive photorefractive polymers, the first updateable holographic three-dimensional display

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tay, Savas

This work presents recent advances in the development of infra-red sensitive photorefractive polymers, and updateable near real-time holographic 3D displays based on photorefractive polymers. Theoretical and experimental techniques used for design, fabrication and characterization of photorefractive polymers are outlined. Materials development and technical advances that made possible the use of photorefractive polymers for infra-red free-space optical communications, and 3D holographic displays are presented. Photorefractive polymers are dynamic holographic materials that allow recording of highly efficient reversible holograms. The longest operation wavelength for a photorefractive polymer before this study has been 950nm, far shorter than 1550nm, the wavelength of choice for optical communications and medical imaging. The polymers shown here were sensitized using two-photon absorption, a third order nonlinear effect, beyond the linear absorption spectrum of organic dyes, and reach 40% diffraction efficiency with a 35ms response time at this wavelength. As a consequence of two-photon absorption sensitization they exhibit non-destructive readout, which is an important advantage for applications that require high signal-to-noise ratios. Holographic 3D displays provide highly realistic images without the need for special eyewear, making them valuable tools for applications that require "situational awareness" such as medical, industrial and military imaging. Current commercially available holographic 3D displays employ photopolymers that lack image updating capability, resulting in their restricted use and high cost per 3D image. The holographic 3D display shown here employs photorefractive polymers with nearly 100% diffraction efficiency and fast writing time, hours of image persistence, rapid erasure and large area, a combination of properties that has not been shown before. The 3D display is based on stereography and utilizes world's largest photorefractive devices (4x4 inch in size). It can be recorded within a few minutes, viewed for several hours without the need for refreshing and can be completely erased and updated with new images when desired, thusly comprising the first updateable holographic 3D display with memory, suitable for practical use.

A comparative evaluation of oral hygiene using Braille and audio instructions among institutionalized visually impaired children aged between 6 years and 20 years: A 3-monthfollow-up study.

PubMed

Mahantesha, Taranatha; Nara, Asha; Kumari, Parveen Reddy; Halemani, Praveen Kumar Nugadoni; Buddiga, Vinutna; Mythri, Sarpangala

2015-12-01

The aim of this study is to compare the oral hygiene status among institutionalized visually impaired children of age between 6 and 20 years given with Braille and audio instructions in Raichur city of Karnataka. A total of 50 children aged between 6 to 20 years were included in this study from a residential school for visually impaired children. These children were randomly divided into two equal groups. One group was given oral hygiene instructions by audio recordings and another written in Braille and were instructed to practice the same. After three months time the oral hygiene status and dental caries experience was recorded and compared using patient performance index. Statistical analysis was done by student paired t test and multiple comparison by Tukey's HSD (honest significant difference) test. The mean PHP (Patient Hygiene Performance) score of group A at baseline was 3.88 compared to 3.90 of group B. At 7 days PHP score of group A and group B was 3.42 and 3.45 respectively. At 3 month PHP score of group A and group B was 2.47 and 2.86 respectively. Even though over a period of time the mean score of PHP index reduced the score comparison between the 2 groups were statistically non significant. In group A the mean difference of PHP score between baseline and 7 days was 0.46, between baseline and 3 months it was 1.40. The PHP score between 7 days and 3 months was 0.94. All the above values were statistically significant. Effective dental health education method has to be instituted for visually impaired children. The present study shows improvement of oral health status in both the study population by decrease in the mean plaque score. Hence continuous motivation and reinforcement in the form of Braille and audio instruction is beneficial to achieve good oral hygiene levels in visually impaired children.

European Conference on Advanced Materials and Processes Held in Aachen, Federal Republic of Germany on November 22-24, 1989

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-11-24

proceedings after the conference (the proceedings will consist of 3 volumes), extended abstracts, welcome reception, poster buffet, snack on Friday...poster buffet, snack on Friday, refreshments during official breaks. (This fee does not include the proceedings). " A limited number of registrations...buffet, snack on Friday, refreshments during the official breaks. (This fee does not include the proceedings). " Accompanying persons who are not

Our Strength in Families (OSIDF): A Web-Based Interactive Coping Skills and Resiliency Program for Military Families

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-03-01

away) o Can learn to value partner more, rekindle relationship Page 19 o May return refreshed for parenting role after leaving and returning - can...emotional, and behavioral changes in partner b. Both positive (e.g., strengthen relationships, return from separation/deployment refreshed for parenting ... role , learn better communication and new helpful family rituals, learn to value partner more) and negative changes (e.g., intimacy reduced, numbing

USN/USMC Commander’s Quick Reference Handbook for Legal Issues

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-01

inactive duty training. Reservists cannot be awarded confinement on bread and water without approval of the Secretary of the Navy. Pay subject to... refreshments shared in the office.  Reasonable personal hospitality at a residence or a gift in return for such hospitality (e.g., a junior could invite a...DEFINITION OF “GIFT”: Anything of monetary value. Items exempted from the definition, and therefore not considered gifts:  Modest refreshments which

Magnetically-refreshable receptor platform structures for reusable nano-biosensor chips

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoo, Haneul; Lee, Dong Jun; Cho, Dong-guk; Park, Juhun; Nam, Ki Wan; Tak Cho, Young; Park, Jae Yeol; Chen, Xing; Hong, Seunghun

2016-01-01

We developed a magnetically-refreshable receptor platform structure which can be integrated with quite versatile nano-biosensor structures to build reusable nano-biosensor chips. This structure allows one to easily remove used receptor molecules from a biosensor surface and reuse the biosensor for repeated sensing operations. Using this structure, we demonstrated reusable immunofluorescence biosensors. Significantly, since our method allows one to place receptor molecules very close to a nano-biosensor surface, it can be utilized to build reusable carbon nanotube transistor-based biosensors which require receptor molecules within a Debye length from the sensor surface. Furthermore, we also show that a single sensor chip can be utilized to detect two different target molecules simply by replacing receptor molecules using our method. Since this method does not rely on any chemical reaction to refresh sensor chips, it can be utilized for versatile biosensor structures and virtually-general receptor molecular species.

Computer graphics application in the engineering design integration system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glatt, C. R.; Abel, R. W.; Hirsch, G. N.; Alford, G. E.; Colquitt, W. N.; Stewart, W. A.

1975-01-01

The computer graphics aspect of the Engineering Design Integration (EDIN) system and its application to design problems were discussed. Three basic types of computer graphics may be used with the EDIN system for the evaluation of aerospace vehicles preliminary designs: offline graphics systems using vellum-inking or photographic processes, online graphics systems characterized by direct coupled low cost storage tube terminals with limited interactive capabilities, and a minicomputer based refresh terminal offering highly interactive capabilities. The offline line systems are characterized by high quality (resolution better than 0.254 mm) and slow turnaround (one to four days). The online systems are characterized by low cost, instant visualization of the computer results, slow line speed (300 BAUD), poor hard copy, and the early limitations on vector graphic input capabilities. The recent acquisition of the Adage 330 Graphic Display system has greatly enhanced the potential for interactive computer aided design.

Response time accuracy in Apple Macintosh computers.

PubMed

Neath, Ian; Earle, Avery; Hallett, Darcy; Surprenant, Aimée M

2011-06-01

The accuracy and variability of response times (RTs) collected on stock Apple Macintosh computers using USB keyboards was assessed. A photodiode detected a change in the screen's luminosity and triggered a solenoid that pressed a key on the keyboard. The RTs collected in this way were reliable, but could be as much as 100 ms too long. The standard deviation of the measured RTs varied between 2.5 and 10 ms, and the distributions approximated a normal distribution. Surprisingly, two recent Apple-branded USB keyboards differed in their accuracy by as much as 20 ms. The most accurate RTs were collected when an external CRT was used to display the stimuli and Psychtoolbox was able to synchronize presentation with the screen refresh. We conclude that RTs collected on stock iMacs can detect a difference as small as 5-10 ms under realistic conditions, and this dictates which types of research should or should not use these systems.

A study of internet of things real-time data updating based on WebSocket

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Shoulin; Yu, Konglin; Dai, Wei; Liang, Bo; Zhang, Xiaoli

2015-12-01

The Internet of Things (IoT) is gradually entering the industrial stage. Web applications in IoT such as monitoring, instant messaging, real-time quote system changes need to be transmitted in real-time mode to client without client constantly refreshing and sending the request. These applications often need to be as fast as possible and provide nearly real-time components. Real-time data updating is becoming the core part of application layer visualization technology in IoT. With support of data push in server-side, running state of "Things" in IoT could be displayed in real-time mode. This paper discusses several current real-time data updating method and explores the advantages and disadvantages of each method. We explore the use of WebSocket in a new approach for real-time data updating in IoT, since WebSocket provides low delay, low network throughput solutions for full-duplex communication.

Management of a Statewide Textbook and Materials Center for the Visually Impaired.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rossi, Peter

1979-01-01

The activities described include production and/or procurement of special media textbooks (tape, large print, and braille) and specialized equipment, as well as the administrative service function. (Author)

77 FR 55878 - Sunshine Act Meetings

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-11

.... braille, large print), please notify Bill Dosch, Chief, Work Life and Benefits Branch, at 301-415-6200... Tuesday, October 2, 2012 9:30 a.m. Strategic Programmatic Overview of the Nuclear Materials Users and...

77 FR 3804 - Sunshine Federal Register Notice

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-25

.... braille, large print), please notify Bill Dosch, Chief, Work Life and Benefits Branch, at (301) 415-6200...) (Tentative) a. Final Rule: Requirements for Distribution of Byproduct Material, 10 CFR parts 30, 31, 32, 40...

47 CFR 7.17 - Informal complaints; form and content.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

..., telephone (voice/TRS/TTY), Internet e-mail, ASCII text, Internet e-mail, audio-cassette recording, and...), Internet e-mail, ASCII text, audio-cassette recording, braille; or some other method that will best...

47 CFR 7.17 - Informal complaints; form and content.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

..., telephone (voice/TRS/TTY), Internet e-mail, ASCII text, Internet e-mail, audio-cassette recording, and...), Internet e-mail, ASCII text, audio-cassette recording, braille; or some other method that will best...

47 CFR 7.17 - Informal complaints; form and content.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

..., telephone (voice/TRS/TTY), Internet e-mail, ASCII text, Internet e-mail, audio-cassette recording, and...), Internet e-mail, ASCII text, audio-cassette recording, braille; or some other method that will best...

Vision Impairment and Blindness

MedlinePlus

... books can make life easier. There are also devices to help those with no vision, like text-reading software and braille books. The sooner vision loss or eye disease is found and treated, the greater your ...

Experience the Moon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ortiz-Gil, A.; Benacchio, L.; Boccato, C.

2011-10-01

The Moon is, together with the Sun, the very first astronomical object that we experience in our life. As this is an exclusively visual experience, people with visual impairments need a different mode to experience it too. This statement is especially true when events, such as more and more frequent public observations of sky, take place. This is the reason why we are preparing a special package for visual impaired people containing three brand new items: 1. a tactile 3D Moon sphere in Braille with its paper key in Braille. To produce it we used imaging data obtained by NASA's mission Clementine, along with free image processing and 3D rendering software. In order to build the 3D small scale model funding by Europlanet and the Italian Ministry for Research have been used. 2. a multilingual web site for visually impaired users of all ages, on basic astronomy together with an indepth box about the Moon; 3. a book in Braille with the same content of the Web site mentioned above. All the items will be developed with the collaboration of visually impaired people that will check each step of the project and support their comments and criticism to improve it. We are going to test this package during the next International Observe the Moon Night event. After a first testing phase we'll collect all the feedback data in order to give an effective form to the package. Finally the Moon package could be delivered to all those who will demand it for outreach or educational goals.

Stereoscopic-3D display design: a new paradigm with Intel Adaptive Stable Image Technology [IA-SIT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, Sunil

2012-03-01

Stereoscopic-3D (S3D) proliferation on personal computers (PC) is mired by several technical and business challenges: a) viewing discomfort due to cross-talk amongst stereo images; b) high system cost; and c) restricted content availability. Users expect S3D visual quality to be better than, or at least equal to, what they are used to enjoying on 2D in terms of resolution, pixel density, color, and interactivity. Intel Adaptive Stable Image Technology (IA-SIT) is a foundational technology, successfully developed to resolve S3D system design challenges and deliver high quality 3D visualization at PC price points. Optimizations in display driver, panel timing firmware, backlight hardware, eyewear optical stack, and synch mechanism combined can help accomplish this goal. Agnostic to refresh rate, IA-SIT will scale with shrinking of display transistors and improvements in liquid crystal and LED materials. Industry could profusely benefit from the following calls to action:- 1) Adopt 'IA-SIT S3D Mode' in panel specs (via VESA) to help panel makers monetize S3D; 2) Adopt 'IA-SIT Eyewear Universal Optical Stack' and algorithm (via CEA) to help PC peripheral makers develop stylish glasses; 3) Adopt 'IA-SIT Real Time Profile' for sub-100uS latency control (via BT Sig) to extend BT into S3D; and 4) Adopt 'IA-SIT Architecture' for Monitors and TVs to monetize via PC attach.

Mm-size bistable zipping dielectric elastomer actuators for integrated microfluidics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maffli, Luc; Rosset, Samuel; Shea, Herbert R.

2013-04-01

We report on a new structure of Dielectric Elastomer Actuators (DEAs) called zipping DEAs, which have a set of unique characteristics that are a good match for the requirements of electrically-powered integrated microfluidic pumping and/or valving units as well as Braille displays. The zipping DEAs operate by pulling electrostatically an elastomer membrane in contact with the rigid sidewalls of a sloped chamber. In this work, we report on fully functional mm-size zipping DEAs that demonstrate a complete sealing of the chamber sidewalls and a tunable bistable behavior, and compare the measurements with an analytical model. Compared to our first generation of devices, we are able vary the sidewall angle and benefit therefore from more flexibility to study the requirements to make fully functional actuators. In particular, we show that with Nusil CF19 as membrane material (1.2 MPa Young's modulus), it is possible to zip completely 2.3 mm diameter chambers with 15° and 21° sidewalls angle equibiaxially prestretched to λ0=1.12 and 15° chambers with λ0=1.27.