Sample records for selected operating information

  1. Making the most of data: An information selection and assessment framework to improve water systems operations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Giuliani, M.; Pianosi, F.; Castelletti, A.

    2015-11-01

    Advances in Environmental monitoring systems are making a wide range of data available at increasingly higher temporal and spatial resolution. This creates an opportunity to enhance real-time understanding of water systems conditions and to improve prediction of their future evolution, ultimately increasing our ability to make better decisions. Yet, many water systems are still operated using very simple information systems, typically based on simple statistical analysis and the operator's experience. In this work, we propose a framework to automatically select the most valuable information to inform water systems operations supported by quantitative metrics to operationally and economically assess the value of this information. The Hoa Binh reservoir in Vietnam is used to demonstrate the proposed framework in a multiobjective context, accounting for hydropower production and flood control. First, we quantify the expected value of perfect information, meaning the potential space for improvement under the assumption of exact knowledge of the future system conditions. Second, we automatically select the most valuable information that could be actually used to improve the Hoa Binh operations. Finally, we assess the economic value of sample information on the basis of the resulting policy performance. Results show that our framework successfully select information to enhance the performance of the operating policies with respect to both the competing objectives, attaining a 40% improvement close to the target trade-off selected as potentially good compromise between hydropower production and flood control.

  2. Differential evolution enhanced with multiobjective sorting-based mutation operators.

    PubMed

    Wang, Jiahai; Liao, Jianjun; Zhou, Ying; Cai, Yiqiao

    2014-12-01

    Differential evolution (DE) is a simple and powerful population-based evolutionary algorithm. The salient feature of DE lies in its mutation mechanism. Generally, the parents in the mutation operator of DE are randomly selected from the population. Hence, all vectors are equally likely to be selected as parents without selective pressure at all. Additionally, the diversity information is always ignored. In order to fully exploit the fitness and diversity information of the population, this paper presents a DE framework with multiobjective sorting-based mutation operator. In the proposed mutation operator, individuals in the current population are firstly sorted according to their fitness and diversity contribution by nondominated sorting. Then parents in the mutation operators are proportionally selected according to their rankings based on fitness and diversity, thus, the promising individuals with better fitness and diversity have more opportunity to be selected as parents. Since fitness and diversity information is simultaneously considered for parent selection, a good balance between exploration and exploitation can be achieved. The proposed operator is applied to original DE algorithms, as well as several advanced DE variants. Experimental results on 48 benchmark functions and 12 real-world application problems show that the proposed operator is an effective approach to enhance the performance of most DE algorithms studied.

  3. Determining effective forecast horizons for multi-purpose reservoirs with short- and long-term operating objectives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luchner, Jakob; Anghileri, Daniela; Castelletti, Andrea

    2017-04-01

    Real-time control of multi-purpose reservoirs can benefit significantly from hydro-meteorological forecast products. Because of their reliability, the most used forecasts range on time scales from hours to few days and are suitable for short-term operation targets such as flood control. In recent years, hydro-meteorological forecasts have become more accurate and reliable on longer time scales, which are more relevant to long-term reservoir operation targets such as water supply. While the forecast quality of such products has been studied extensively, the forecast value, i.e. the operational effectiveness of using forecasts to support water management, has been only relatively explored. It is comparatively easy to identify the most effective forecasting information needed to design reservoir operation rules for flood control but it is not straightforward to identify which forecast variable and lead time is needed to define effective hedging rules for operational targets with slow dynamics such as water supply. The task is even more complex when multiple targets, with diverse slow and fast dynamics, are considered at the same time. In these cases, the relative importance of different pieces of information, e.g. magnitude and timing of peak flow rate and accumulated inflow on different time lags, may vary depending on the season or the hydrological conditions. In this work, we analyze the relationship between operational forecast value and streamflow forecast horizon for different multi-purpose reservoir trade-offs. We use the Information Selection and Assessment (ISA) framework to identify the most effective forecast variables and horizons for informing multi-objective reservoir operation over short- and long-term temporal scales. The ISA framework is an automatic iterative procedure to discriminate the information with the highest potential to improve multi-objective reservoir operating performance. Forecast variables and horizons are selected using a feature selection technique. The technique determines the most informative combination in a multi-variate regression model to the optimal reservoir releases based on perfect information at a fixed objective trade-off. The improved reservoir operation is evaluated against optimal reservoir operation conditioned upon perfect information on future disturbances and basic reservoir operation using only the day of the year and the reservoir level. Different objective trade-offs are selected for analyzing resulting differences in improved reservoir operation and selected forecast variables and horizons. For comparison, the effective streamflow forecast horizon determined by the ISA framework is benchmarked against the performances obtained with a deterministic model predictive control (MPC) optimization scheme. Both the ISA framework and the MPC optimization scheme are applied to the real-world case study of Lake Como, Italy, using perfect streamflow forecast information. The principal operation targets for Lake Como are flood control and downstream water supply which makes its operation a suitable case study. Results provide critical feedback to reservoir operators on the use of long-term streamflow forecasts and to the hydro-meteorological forecasting community with respect to the forecast horizon needed from reliable streamflow forecasts.

  4. --No Title--

    Science.gov Websites

    Links Continuing Health Education Non-BSO 18 Funding ACADEMIC PROGRAMS Management & Specialty /Selection Information Reservist Information Operational Course Nomination Form Non-operational Course Commissioning Programs Graduate Medical Education Continuing Medical Education Continuing Health Education Non

  5. Research and Development in the Computer and Information Sciences. Volume 1, Information Acquisition, Sensing, and Input: A Selective Literature Review.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stevens, Mary Elizabeth

    The series, of which this is the initial report, is intended to give a selective overview of research and development efforts and requirements in the computer and information sciences. The operations of information acquisition, sensing, and input to information processing systems are considered in generalized terms. Specific topics include but are…

  6. Day surgery nurses' selection of patient preoperative information.

    PubMed

    Mitchell, Mark

    2017-01-01

    To determine selection and delivery of preoperative verbal information deemed important by nurses to relay to patients immediately prior to day surgery. Elective day-case surgery is expanding, patient turnover is high and nurse-patient contact limited. In the brief time-frame available, nurses must select and precisely deliver information to patients, provide answers to questions and gain compliance to ensure a sustained, co-ordinated patient throughput. Concise information selection is therefore necessary especially given continued day surgery expansion. Electronic questionnaire. A survey investigating nurses' choice of patient information prior to surgery was distributed throughout the UK via email addresses listed on the British Association of Day Surgery member's website (January 2015-April 2015). Participants were requested to undertake the survey within 2-3 weeks, with 137 participants completing the survey giving a 44% response rate. Verbal information deemed most important by nurses preoperatively was checking fasting time, information about procedure/operation, checking medication, ensuring presence of medical records/test results and concluding medical investigations checks. To a lesser extent was theatre environment information, procedure/operation start time and possible time to discharge. Significant differences were established between perceived importance of information and information delivery concerning the procedure/operation and anaesthesia details. Nurses working with competing demands and frequent interruptions, prioritised patient safety information. Although providing technical details during time-limited encounters, efforts were made to individualise provision. A more formal plan of verbal information provision could help ease nurses' cognitive workload and enhance patient satisfaction. This study provides evidence that verbal information provided immediately prior to day surgery may vary with experience. Nurse educators and managers may need to provide greater guidance for such complex care settings as delivery of increasingly technical details during brief encounters is gaining increasing priority. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  7. Laboratory Information Systems Management and Operations.

    PubMed

    Cucoranu, Ioan C

    2015-06-01

    The main mission of a laboratory information system (LIS) is to manage workflow and deliver accurate results for clinical management. Successful selection and implementation of an anatomic pathology LIS is not complete unless it is complemented by specialized information technology support and maintenance. LIS is required to remain continuously operational with minimal or no downtime and the LIS team has to ensure that all operations are compliant with the mandated rules and regulations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. A probabilistic approach to information retrieval in heterogeneous databases

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

    Chatterjee, A.; Segev, A.

    During the post decade, organizations have increased their scope and operations beyond their traditional geographic boundaries. At the same time, they have adopted heterogeneous and incompatible information systems independent of each other without a careful consideration that one day they may need to be integrated. As a result of this diversity, many important business applications today require access to data stored in multiple autonomous databases. This paper examines a problem of inter-database information retrieval in a heterogeneous environment, where conventional techniques are no longer efficient. To solve the problem, broader definitions for join, union, intersection and selection operators are proposed.more » Also, a probabilistic method to specify the selectivity of these operators is discussed. An algorithm to compute these probabilities is provided in pseudocode.« less

  9. 14 CFR 23.1507 - Operating maneuvering speed.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Operating maneuvering speed. 23.1507... Limitations and Information § 23.1507 Operating maneuvering speed. The maximum operating maneuvering speed, VO, must be established as an operating limitation. VO is a selected speed that is not greater than VS√n...

  10. 14 CFR 23.1507 - Operating maneuvering speed.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Operating maneuvering speed. 23.1507... Limitations and Information § 23.1507 Operating maneuvering speed. The maximum operating maneuvering speed, VO, must be established as an operating limitation. VO is a selected speed that is not greater than VS√n...

  11. HOPE information system review

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suzuki, Yoshiaki; Nishiyama, Kenji; Ono, Shuuji; Fukuda, Kouin

    1992-08-01

    An overview of the review conducted on H-2 Orbiting Plane (HOPE) is presented. A prototype model was constructed by inputting various technical information proposed by related laboratories. Especially operation flow which enables understanding of correlation between various analysis items, judgement criteria, technical data, and interfaces with others was constructed. Technical information data base and retrieval systems were studied. A Macintosh personal computer was selected for information shaping because of its excellent function, performance, operability, and software completeness.

  12. SELECTIVE DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION (SDI). VOLUME II, IMPLEMENTATION MANUAL. FINAL REPORT. ARMY TECHNICAL LIBRARY IMPROVEMENT STUDIES (ATLIS), REPORT NO. 16.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    BIVONA, WILLIAM A.

    A SET OF GUIDELINES FOR IMPLEMENTING AND OPERATING A REPLICA OF A PROTOTYPE SELECTIVE DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION (SDI) SYSTEM TESTED AT U.S. ARMY NATICK LABORATORIES, AND REPORTED IN LI 000 273, IS GIVEN IN THIS MANUAL. INFORMATION IS SUPPLIED WHICH IS USEFUL IN THE INITIAL STAGES OF IMPLEMENTATION. THE APPLICATION OF SPECIFIC CRITERIA FOR…

  13. Fuel management optimization using genetic algorithms and code independence

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

    DeChaine, M.D.; Feltus, M.A.

    1994-12-31

    Fuel management optimization is a hard problem for traditional optimization techniques. Loading pattern optimization is a large combinatorial problem without analytical derivative information. Therefore, methods designed for continuous functions, such as linear programming, do not always work well. Genetic algorithms (GAs) address these problems and, therefore, appear ideal for fuel management optimization. They do not require derivative information and work well with combinatorial. functions. The GAs are a stochastic method based on concepts from biological genetics. They take a group of candidate solutions, called the population, and use selection, crossover, and mutation operators to create the next generation of bettermore » solutions. The selection operator is a {open_quotes}survival-of-the-fittest{close_quotes} operation and chooses the solutions for the next generation. The crossover operator is analogous to biological mating, where children inherit a mixture of traits from their parents, and the mutation operator makes small random changes to the solutions.« less

  14. Using Decision Analysis to Select Facility Maintenance Management Information Systems

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-03-01

    efficient way possible. Many of today’s maintenance managers thus apply computerized tools that come in the form of information systems that assist in... apply to effectively select a maintenance management information system that enables them to meet the needs of their customers. 3 1.2 Background...recession of the early 1990s. During this time, companies downsized their white-collar workforce performing daily operation and maintenance functions

  15. International Co-operation and Trends in Social Science Information Transfer.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rozsa, Gyorgy; Foldi, Tamas

    1980-01-01

    Identifies the role and mechanism of information transfer in the social sciences, and surveys selected, significant institutions and organizations (mostly international), which promote such transfer. (RAA)

  16. 15 CFR 921.80 - Application information.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ...-site selection, operation and management, research, and education and interpretive awards. The... MANAGEMENT NATIONAL ESTUARINE RESEARCH RESERVE SYSTEM REGULATIONS General Financial Assistance Provisions... awards for preacquisition, acquisition and development, operation and management, and special education...

  17. The Relationship between Chief Information Officer Transformational Leadership and Computing Platform Operating Systems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anderson, George W.

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to relate the strength of Chief Information Officer (CIO) transformational leadership behaviors to 1 of 5 computing platform operating systems (OSs) that may be selected for a firm's Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) business system. Research shows executive leader behaviors may promote innovation through the use of…

  18. An innovative method for offshore wind farm site selection based on the interval number with probability distribution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Yunna; Chen, Kaifeng; Xu, Hu; Xu, Chuanbo; Zhang, Haobo; Yang, Meng

    2017-12-01

    There is insufficient research relating to offshore wind farm site selection in China. The current methods for site selection have some defects. First, information loss is caused by two aspects: the implicit assumption that the probability distribution on the interval number is uniform; and ignoring the value of decision makers' (DMs') common opinion on the criteria information evaluation. Secondly, the difference in DMs' utility function has failed to receive attention. An innovative method is proposed in this article to solve these drawbacks. First, a new form of interval number and its weighted operator are proposed to reflect the uncertainty and reduce information loss. Secondly, a new stochastic dominance degree is proposed to quantify the interval number with a probability distribution. Thirdly, a two-stage method integrating the weighted operator with stochastic dominance degree is proposed to evaluate the alternatives. Finally, a case from China proves the effectiveness of this method.

  19. Information specialist for a coming age (9)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shibata, Ryosuke

    As competition among enterprises has become severe, the role of information center has increased. The larger the organization becomes because of a diversified business operation, the harder the personnels in charge of business, planning encounter their necessary information. Here is role of information center that it gets users to find appropriate information they need. Also enterprises must select information among vast amount of back-up information, which produces some indication when constructing the strategy. If the information center serves to select such information, analyze and process it, that is exactly categorized as strategic information activities. To promote those activities we have to consider how information centers should be located inside the enterprises.

  20. The Selection and Training of School Bus Drivers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McKnight, A. James; And Others

    This report describes procedures used in developing a set of selection requirements and training objectives for operators of school buses. The selection requirements include collection and interpretation of personal history and other background information, physical examination covering vision, hearing, handicaps, and general health, written…

  1. ENSO detection and use to inform the operation of large scale water systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pham, Vuong; Giuliani, Matteo; Castelletti, Andrea

    2016-04-01

    El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a large-scale, coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon occurring in the tropical Pacific Ocean, and is considered one of the most significant factors causing hydro-climatic anomalies throughout the world. Water systems operations could benefit from a better understanding of this global phenomenon, which has the potential for enhancing the accuracy and lead-time of long-range streamflow predictions. In turn, these are key to design interannual water transfers in large scale water systems to contrast increasingly frequent extremes induced by changing climate. Despite the ENSO teleconnection is well defined in some locations such as Western USA and Australia, there is no consensus on how it can be detected and used in other river basins, particularly in Europe, Africa, and Asia. In this work, we contribute a general framework relying on Input Variable Selection techniques for detecting ENSO teleconnection and using this information for improving water reservoir operations. Core of our procedure is the Iterative Input variable Selection (IIS) algorithm, which is employed to find the most relevant determinants of streamflow variability for deriving predictive models based on the selected inputs as well as to find the most valuable information for conditioning operating decisions. Our framework is applied to the multipurpose operations of the Hoa Binh reservoir in the Red River basin (Vietnam), taking into account hydropower production, water supply for irrigation, and flood mitigation during the monsoon season. Numerical results show that our framework is able to quantify the relationship between the ENSO fluctuations and the Red River basin hydrology. Moreover, we demonstrate that such ENSO teleconnection represents valuable information for improving the operations of Hoa Binh reservoir.

  2. Strategy Developed for Selecting Optimal Sensors for Monitoring Engine Health

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2004-01-01

    Sensor indications during rocket engine operation are the primary means of assessing engine performance and health. Effective selection and location of sensors in the operating engine environment enables accurate real-time condition monitoring and rapid engine controller response to mitigate critical fault conditions. These capabilities are crucial to ensure crew safety and mission success. Effective sensor selection also facilitates postflight condition assessment, which contributes to efficient engine maintenance and reduced operating costs. Under the Next Generation Launch Technology program, the NASA Glenn Research Center, in partnership with Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power, has developed a model-based procedure for systematically selecting an optimal sensor suite for assessing rocket engine system health. This optimization process is termed the systematic sensor selection strategy. Engine health management (EHM) systems generally employ multiple diagnostic procedures including data validation, anomaly detection, fault-isolation, and information fusion. The effectiveness of each diagnostic component is affected by the quality, availability, and compatibility of sensor data. Therefore systematic sensor selection is an enabling technology for EHM. Information in three categories is required by the systematic sensor selection strategy. The first category consists of targeted engine fault information; including the description and estimated risk-reduction factor for each identified fault. Risk-reduction factors are used to define and rank the potential merit of timely fault diagnoses. The second category is composed of candidate sensor information; including type, location, and estimated variance in normal operation. The final category includes the definition of fault scenarios characteristic of each targeted engine fault. These scenarios are defined in terms of engine model hardware parameters. Values of these parameters define engine simulations that generate expected sensor values for targeted fault scenarios. Taken together, this information provides an efficient condensation of the engineering experience and engine flow physics needed for sensor selection. The systematic sensor selection strategy is composed of three primary algorithms. The core of the selection process is a genetic algorithm that iteratively improves a defined quality measure of selected sensor suites. A merit algorithm is employed to compute the quality measure for each test sensor suite presented by the selection process. The quality measure is based on the fidelity of fault detection and the level of fault source discrimination provided by the test sensor suite. An inverse engine model, whose function is to derive hardware performance parameters from sensor data, is an integral part of the merit algorithm. The final component is a statistical evaluation algorithm that characterizes the impact of interference effects, such as control-induced sensor variation and sensor noise, on the probability of fault detection and isolation for optimal and near-optimal sensor suites.

  3. Remote operation: a selective review of research into visual depth perception.

    PubMed

    Reinhardt-Rutland, A H

    1996-07-01

    Some perceptual motor operations are performed remotely; examples include the handling of life-threatening materials and surgical procedures. A camera conveys the site of operation to a TV monitor, so depth perception relies mainly on pictorial information, perhaps with enhancement of the occlusion cue by motion. However, motion information such as motion parallax is not likely to be important. The effectiveness of pictorial information is diminished by monocular and binocular information conveying flatness of the screen and by difficulties in scaling: Only a degree of relative depth can be conveyed. Furthermore, pictorial information can mislead. Depth perception is probably adequate in remote operation, if target objects are well separated, with well-defined edges and familiar shapes. Stereoscopic viewing systems are being developed to introduce binocular information to remote operation. However, stereoscopic viewing is problematic because binocular disparity conflicts with convergence and monocular information. An alternative strategy to improve precision in remote operation may be to rely on individuals who lack binocular function: There is redundancy in depth information, and such individuals seem to compensate for the lack of binocular function.

  4. 15 CFR 921.80 - Application information.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... awards for preacquisition, acquisition and development, operation and management, and special education...-site selection, operation and management, research, and education and interpretive awards. The... projects, or restorative activities involving construction, must include a preliminary engineering report...

  5. Operation of the Computer Software Management and Information Center (COSMIC)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1983-01-01

    The major operational areas of the COSMIC center are described. Quantitative data on the software submittals, program verification, and evaluation are presented. The dissemination activities are summarized. Customer services and marketing activities of the center for the calendar year are described. Those activities devoted to the maintenance and support of selected programs are described. A Customer Information system, the COSMIC Abstract Recording System Project, and the COSMIC Microfiche Project are summarized. Operational cost data are summarized.

  6. Some legal, jurisdictional, and operational implications of a congressional technology assessment component

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mayo, L. H.

    1975-01-01

    An analysis is presented for the Congress of the relationships between an institutionalized assessment function and legislative information gathering and decisionmaking needs. The study was directed to the following topics: (1) the positing of a hypothetical technology assessment component for legislative support; (2) the posing of a number of questions relating to the operational context of this assessment component including the organization/operational framework, general operational problems, access to relevant information, and the utilization of assessment data and analyses; and (3) some selected comments relevant to the questions posed.

  7. Image Display And Manipulation System (IDAMS), user's guide

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cecil, R. W.

    1972-01-01

    A combination operator's guide and user's handbook for the Image Display and Manipulation System (IDAMS) is reported. Information is presented to define how to operate the computer equipment, how to structure a run deck, and how to select parameters necessary for executing a sequence of IDAMS task routines. If more detailed information is needed on any IDAMS program, see the IDAMS program documentation.

  8. ITS evaluatory design.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1999-02-01

    This report contains selected information on toll facilities in the United States. The information is based on a survey of facilities in operation, financed, or under construction as of January 1, 1999. /Abstract from report, p. xiv/

  9. Characterization Of The Environment

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1997-02-01

    This report contains selected information on toll facilities in the United States. The information is based on a survey of facilities in operation, financed, or under construction as of January 1, 1997. /Abstract from report, p. ix/

  10. EVA Suit Studies: Human Forward Contamination Project

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rucker, Michelle

    2017-01-01

    Background: NASA Strategic Knowledge Gap B5: Forward Contamination for Mars. Issue: we have knowledge gaps!: Whether / how microbes are released from crewed pressure systems. Why do we care?: Informs Mars operational concepts - How to protect the science; Informs architecture decisions - How “open” Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) systems are; Informs landing site selection decisions - How close we can land / operate to where life may be present. Project goal: get some data to fill in these gaps: Data will help determine whether we’re ready to go to Mars, or if we need to change our systems or operational designs.

  11. GRS Bridge Piers And Abutments

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1995-02-01

    This report contains selected information on toll facilities in the United States. The information is based on a survey of facilities in operation, financed, or under construction as of January 1, 1995. /Abstract from report, p. [i]/

  12. Toll facilities in the United States : Bridges, Roads, Tunnels, Ferries

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1993-02-01

    Selected information on toll facilities in the United States open to the public are contained in this report. The information is based on a survey of facilities in operation, financed, or under construction as of January 1, 1993. The information is p...

  13. Integrating information technologies as tools for surgical research.

    PubMed

    Schell, Scott R

    2005-10-01

    Surgical research is dependent upon information technologies. Selection of the computer, operating system, and software tool that best support the surgical investigator's needs requires careful planning before research commences. This manuscript presents a brief tutorial on how surgical investigators can best select these information technologies, with comparisons and recommendations between existing systems, software, and solutions. Privacy concerns, based upon HIPAA and other regulations, now require careful proactive attention to avoid legal penalties, civil litigation, and financial loss. Security issues are included as part of the discussions related to selection and application of information technology. This material was derived from a segment of the Association for Academic Surgery's Fundamentals of Surgical Research course.

  14. Air Traffic and Operational Data on Selected US Airports with Parallel Runways

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Doyle, Thomas M.; McGee, Frank G.

    1998-01-01

    This report presents information on a number of airports in the country with parallel runways and focuses on those that have at least one pair of parallel runways closer than 4300 ft. Information contained in the report describes the airport's current operational activity as obtained through contact with the facility and from FAA air traffic tower activity data for FY 1997. The primary reason for this document is to provide a single source of information for research to determine airports where Airborne Information for Lateral Spacing (AILS) technology may be applicable.

  15. Improving tractor safety warnings: readability is missing.

    PubMed

    Tebeaux, E

    2010-07-01

    Research on tractor safety has not focused on user manuals. This study focuses on tractor operator manuals, specifically safety warnings, selected from the files of the Tractor Test facility at University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Analysis of many common warnings, based on readability and legibility research, shows that many warnings contain excessive information, confusing visuals and safety icons, poor document design, and illegible typefaces. The result is unreadable warnings that do not communicate quickly and correctly, and discourage readers rather than clarify critical information. Many tractor operator warnings are cluttered, "over-written," and contain information needed to protect the manufacturer rather than to inform operators. What is needed is a careful analysis and revision of many safety warnings with the goal of encouraging operators to read the warnings and follow their message.

  16. 34 CFR 644.21 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... provided under paragraph (a) of this section, and attainable, given the project's plan of operation, budget... applications. (c) Plan of operation (30 points). The Secretary evaluates the quality of the applicant's plan of operation on the basis of the following: (1) (4 points) The plan to inform the residents, schools, and...

  17. 34 CFR 644.21 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... provided under paragraph (a) of this section, and attainable, given the project's plan of operation, budget... applications. (c) Plan of operation (30 points). The Secretary evaluates the quality of the applicant's plan of operation on the basis of the following: (1) (4 points) The plan to inform the residents, schools, and...

  18. 34 CFR 644.21 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... provided under paragraph (a) of this section, and attainable, given the project's plan of operation, budget... applications. (c) Plan of operation (30 points). The Secretary evaluates the quality of the applicant's plan of operation on the basis of the following: (1) (4 points) The plan to inform the residents, schools, and...

  19. 34 CFR 644.21 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... provided under paragraph (a) of this section, and attainable, given the project's plan of operation, budget... applications. (c) Plan of operation (30 points). The Secretary evaluates the quality of the applicant's plan of operation on the basis of the following: (1) (4 points) The plan to inform the residents, schools, and...

  20. 30 CFR 551.11 - Submission, inspection, and selection of geological data and information collected under a permit...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ..., or interpretation of any geological data and information. Initial analysis and processing are the stages of analysis or processing where the data and information first become available for in-house... geochemical) data and information describing each operation of analysis, processing, and interpretation; (2...

  1. 30 CFR 551.11 - Submission, inspection, and selection of geological data and information collected under a permit...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ..., or interpretation of any geological data and information. Initial analysis and processing are the stages of analysis or processing where the data and information first become available for in-house... geochemical) data and information describing each operation of analysis, processing, and interpretation; (2...

  2. 30 CFR 551.11 - Submission, inspection, and selection of geological data and information collected under a permit...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ..., or interpretation of any geological data and information. Initial analysis and processing are the stages of analysis or processing where the data and information first become available for in-house... geochemical) data and information describing each operation of analysis, processing, and interpretation; (2...

  3. ARSENIC TREATMENT BY ADSORPTIVE TECHNOLOGY

    EPA Science Inventory

    Presentation will discuss the removal of arsenic from drinking water using the adsorptive media treatment process. Fundamental information is provided on the design and operation of adsorptive media technology including the selection of the adsorptive media. The information cites...

  4. Wind data for wind driven plant. [site selection for optimal performance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stodhart, A. H.

    1973-01-01

    Simple, averaged wind velocity data provide information on energy availability, facilitate generator site selection and enable appropriate operating ranges to be established for windpowered plants. They also provide a basis for the prediction of extreme wind speeds.

  5. A Vision for the MRO/HiRISE Operations Center: Getting the Data to the People

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Eliason, E. M.; McEwen, A. S.; Delamere, W. A.; Grant, J. A.; Gulick, V. C.; Hansen, C. J.; Herkenhoff, K. E.; Keszthelyi, L.; Kirk, R. L.; Mellon, M. T.

    2002-01-01

    The MRO/HiRISE Operations Center provides a mechanism for Mars investigators to particaipate in selection of targets and access to the aquired images. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

  6. Requirement for a standard language for test and ground operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Medlock, J. R.

    1971-01-01

    The basic requirements for a standard test and checkout language applicable to all phases of the space shuttle test and ground operations are determined. The general characteristics outlined here represent the integration of selected ideas and concepts from operational elements within Kennedy Space Center (KSC) that represent diverse disciplines associated with space vehicle testing and launching operations. Special reference is made to two studies conducted in this area for KSC as authorized by the Advanced Development Element of the Office of Manned Space Flight (MSF). Information contained in reports from these studies have contributed significantly to the final selection of language features depicted in this technical report.

  7. Analysis of good practice of public health Emergency Operations Centers.

    PubMed

    Xu, Min; Li, Shi-Xue

    2015-08-01

    To study the public health Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs)in the US, the European Union, the UK and Australia, and summarize the good practice for the improvement of National Health Emergency Response Command Center in Chinese National Health and Family Planning Commission. Literature review was conducted to explore the EOCs of selected countries. The study focused on EOC function, organizational structure, human resources and information management. The selected EOCs had the basic EOC functions of coordinating and commanding as well as the public health related functions such as monitoring the situation, risk assessment, and epidemiological briefings. The organizational structures of the EOCs were standardized, scalable and flexible. Incident Command System was the widely applied organizational structure with a strong preference. The EOCs were managed by a unit of emergency management during routine time and surge staff were engaged upon emergencies. The selected EOCs had clear information management framework including information collection, assessment and dissemination. The performance of National Health Emergency Response Command Center can be improved by learning from the good practice of the selected EOCs, including setting clear functions, standardizing the organizational structure, enhancing the human resource capacity and strengthening information management. Copyright © 2015 Hainan Medical College. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Computer-Based Information Networks: Selected Examples.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hardesty, Larry

    The history, purpose, and operation of six computer-based information networks are described in general and nontechnical terms. In the introduction the many definitions of an information network are explored. Ohio College Library Center's network (OCLC) is the first example. OCLC began in 1963, and since early 1973 has been extending its services…

  9. National Intelligent Transportation Systems program plan : five-year horizon

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2003-06-01

    This report contains selected information on toll facilities in the United States. The information is based on a survey of facilities in operation, financed, or under construction as of January 1, 2003. /Abstract from report, p. x/

  10. Toll facilities in the United States : bridges, roads, tunnels, ferries

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2005-06-01

    This report contains selected information on toll facilities in the United States. The information is based on a survey of facilities in operation, financed, or under construction as of January 1, 2005. /Abstract from report, p. xi/

  11. Toll Facilities in the United States : Bridges, Roads, Tunnels, Ferries

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2003-06-01

    This report contains selected information on toll facilities in the United States. The information is based on a survey of facilities in operation, financed, or under construction as of January 1, 2003. /Abstract from report, p. x/

  12. Application of satellite pictures to census operations. Bolivian experience in census-taking of population and residences

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1978-01-01

    The use of photographs from satellites to assist in census operations is discussed. Principles of selecting the sources of cartographic information are outlined, and the use of LANDSAT pictures in census cartography is examined.

  13. Information Assurance Tasks Supporting the Processing of Electronic Records Archives

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2007-03-01

    3 Table 2. OpenVPN evaluation results...........................................................................................10 iv 1...operation of necessary security features and compare the network performance under OpenVPN (openvpn.net) operation with the network performance under no...VPN operation (non-VPN) in a gigabit network environment. The reason for selecting OpenVPN product was based on the previous findings of Khanvilkar

  14. Sampling Operations on Big Data

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-11-29

    gories. These include edge sampling methods where edges are selected by a predetermined criteria; snowball sampling methods where algorithms start... Sampling Operations on Big Data Vijay Gadepally, Taylor Herr, Luke Johnson, Lauren Milechin, Maja Milosavljevic, Benjamin A. Miller Lincoln...process and disseminate information for discovery and exploration under real-time constraints. Common signal processing operations such as sampling and

  15. Instrumentation for localized superconducting cavity diagnostics

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

    Conway, Z. A.; Ge, M.; Iwashita, Y.

    2017-01-12

    Superconducting accelerator cavities are now routinely operated at levels approaching the theoretical limit of niobium. To achieve these operating levels more information than is available from the RF excitation signal is required to characterize and determine fixes for the sources of performance limitations. This information is obtained using diagnostic techniques which complement the analysis of the RF signal. In this paper we describe the operation and select results from three of these diagnostic techniques: the use of large scale thermometer arrays, second sound wave defect location and high precision cavity imaging with the Kyoto camera.

  16. Defense Health Care: DOD Lacks Assurance That Selected Reserve Members Are Informed about TRICARE Reserve Select

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-06-01

    a contingency operation.15 • The NDAA for Fiscal Year 2006, which became effective on October 1, 2006, expanded the program, and almost all...activated not in support of a contingency operation, TRICARE coverage becomes effective when active duty starts. 20Members activated not in support of a...commander exercises authority over subordinates within a unit by virtue of rank or assignment. A commander has the authority and responsibility for

  17. Predicate Argument Structure Frames for Modeling Information in Operative Notes

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Yan; Pakhomov, Serguei; Melton, Genevieve B.

    2015-01-01

    The rich information about surgical procedures contained in operative notes is a valuable data source for improving the clinical evidence base and clinical research. In this study, we propose a set of Predicate Argument Structure (PAS) frames for surgical action verbs to assist in the creation of an information extraction (IE) system to automatically extract details about the techniques, equipment, and operative steps from operative notes. We created PropBank style PAS frames for the 30 top surgical action verbs based on examination of randomly selected sample sentences from 3,000 Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy notes. To assess completeness of the PAS frames to represent usage of same action verbs, we evaluated the PAS frames created on sample sentences from operative notes of 6 other gastrointestinal surgical procedures. Our results showed that the PAS frames created with one type of surgery can successfully denote the usage of the same verbs in operative notes of broader surgical categories. PMID:23920664

  18. Developing an Information Resources Management Curriculum.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Montie, Irene C.

    1983-01-01

    Discusses the development of an Information Resources Management (IRM) curriculum by the IRM Curriculum Advisory Committee established by the Graduate School, United States Department of Agriculture. Initial activities, models proposed for the program (standards, skills, users, operational), course selection, and structural proposals considered…

  19. Cloud decision model for selecting sustainable energy crop based on linguistic intuitionistic information

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peng, Hong-Gang; Wang, Jian-Qiang

    2017-11-01

    In recent years, sustainable energy crop has become an important energy development strategy topic in many countries. Selecting the most sustainable energy crop is a significant problem that must be addressed during any biofuel production process. The focus of this study is the development of an innovative multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method to handle sustainable energy crop selection problems. Given that various uncertain data are encountered in the evaluation of sustainable energy crops, linguistic intuitionistic fuzzy numbers (LIFNs) are introduced to present the information necessary to the evaluation process. Processing qualitative concepts requires the effective support of reliable tools; then, a cloud model can be used to deal with linguistic intuitionistic information. First, LIFNs are converted and a novel concept of linguistic intuitionistic cloud (LIC) is proposed. The operations, score function and similarity measurement of the LICs are defined. Subsequently, the linguistic intuitionistic cloud density-prioritised weighted Heronian mean operator is developed, which served as the basis for the construction of an applicable MCDM model for sustainable energy crop selection. Finally, an illustrative example is provided to demonstrate the proposed method, and its feasibility and validity are further verified by comparing it with other existing methods.

  20. An Elementary Overview of the Selection of Materials for Service in Oxygen-Enriched Environments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Davis, Samuel Eddie

    2012-01-01

    The process for selecting materials for use in oxygen or oxygen-enriched environments is one that continues to be investigated by many industries due to the importance to those industries of oxygen systems. There are several excellent resources available to assist oxygen systems design engineers and end-users, with the most comprehensive being ASTM MNL-36, Safe Use of Oxygen and Oxygen Systems: Handbook for Design, Operation and Maintenance, 2nd Edition. ASTM also makes available several standards for oxygen systems. However, the ASTM publications are extremely detailed, and typically designed for professionals who already possess a working knowledge of oxygen systems. No notable resource exists, whether an ASTM or other organizational publication, which can be used to educate engineers or technicians who have no prior knowledge of the nuances of oxygen system design and safety. This paper will fill the void for information needed by organizations that design or operate oxygen systems. The information in this paper is not new information, but is a concise and easily understood summary of selecting materials for oxygen systems. This paper will serve well as an employee s first introduction to oxygen system materials selection, and probably the employee s first introduction to ASTM.

  1. Comprehensive Common Operating Picture (COP) for Disaster Response

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-05-17

    socio-cultural influences such as beliefs and values to name a few. In his book Beyond the Information Given, Jerome Bruner discusses veridicality...information needs, which is done by 45 Jerome S. Bruner , Selected, edited, and introduced by Jeremy M. Anglin, Contributors with Jerome S. Bruner to papers...Port_Angeles_CAN.ppt (accessed December 20, 2011). Selected, Jerome S. Bruner ., edited, and introduced by Jeremy M. Anglin. Contributors with Jerome S. Bruner

  2. Composite video and graphics display for multiple camera viewing system in robotics and teleoperation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Diner, Daniel B. (Inventor); Venema, Steven C. (Inventor)

    1991-01-01

    A system for real-time video image display for robotics or remote-vehicle teleoperation is described that has at least one robot arm or remotely operated vehicle controlled by an operator through hand-controllers, and one or more television cameras and optional lighting element. The system has at least one television monitor for display of a television image from a selected camera and the ability to select one of the cameras for image display. Graphics are generated with icons of cameras and lighting elements for display surrounding the television image to provide the operator information on: the location and orientation of each camera and lighting element; the region of illumination of each lighting element; the viewed region and range of focus of each camera; which camera is currently selected for image display for each monitor; and when the controller coordinate for said robot arms or remotely operated vehicles have been transformed to correspond to coordinates of a selected or nonselected camera.

  3. Composite video and graphics display for camera viewing systems in robotics and teleoperation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Diner, Daniel B. (Inventor); Venema, Steven C. (Inventor)

    1993-01-01

    A system for real-time video image display for robotics or remote-vehicle teleoperation is described that has at least one robot arm or remotely operated vehicle controlled by an operator through hand-controllers, and one or more television cameras and optional lighting element. The system has at least one television monitor for display of a television image from a selected camera and the ability to select one of the cameras for image display. Graphics are generated with icons of cameras and lighting elements for display surrounding the television image to provide the operator information on: the location and orientation of each camera and lighting element; the region of illumination of each lighting element; the viewed region and range of focus of each camera; which camera is currently selected for image display for each monitor; and when the controller coordinate for said robot arms or remotely operated vehicles have been transformed to correspond to coordinates of a selected or nonselected camera.

  4. Information as Power: An Anthology of Selected United States Army War College Student Papers. Volume 6

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-05-01

    Doing stuff” doesn’t sell well without the “so what.” Quickly seizing this fact one skeptic caustically derided, 73Information Effects in the...operations (IO) programs. The Committee has serious concerns about…the significant amount of funding being spent on these programs....The Committee...When assessing operations, JFCs [joint force commanders] and staff’s should avoid excessive analysis. Excessive time and energy spent developing

  5. Case Mix Management Systems: An Opportunity to Integrate Medical Records and Financial Management System Data Bases

    PubMed Central

    Rusnak, James E.

    1987-01-01

    Due to previous systems selections, many hospitals (health care facilities) are faced with the problem of fragmented data bases containing clinical, demographic and financial information. Projects to select and implement a Case Mix Management System (CMMS) provide an opportunity to reduce the number of separate physical files and to migrate towards systems with an integrated data base. The number of CMMS candidate systems is often restricted due to data base and system interface issues. The hospital must insure the CMMS project provides a means to implement an integrated on-line hospital information data base for use by departments in operating under a DRG-based Prospective Payment System. This paper presents guidelines for use in selecting a Case Mix Mangement System to meet the hospital's financial and operations planning, budgeting, marketing, and other management needs, while considering the data base implications of the implementation.

  6. Selectivity of the gas sensor based on the 50%In2O3-50%Ga2O3 thin film in dynamic mode of operation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Demin, I. E.; Kozlov, A. G.

    2018-01-01

    The article considers the gas sensor with the sensitive layer based on the 50%In2O3 -50%Ga2O3 thin film. The temperature and concentration dependencies of gas-induced resistance response of this sensor and the dynamical dependencies of its resistance response on the test gases in air are investigated. The test gases were ethanol, acetone, ammonia and liquefied petroleum gas. The information parameters of the sensor in the dynamical mode of operation were considered to improve its selectivity. The presented results show that the selectivity of the sensor in this mode may be improved by using the following information parameters: gas-induced resistance response in steady state, activation energy of the response and pre-exponential factor of the temperature dependence of the response time constant.

  7. Experimental demonstration of selective quantum process tomography on an NMR quantum information processor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gaikwad, Akshay; Rehal, Diksha; Singh, Amandeep; Arvind, Dorai, Kavita

    2018-02-01

    We present the NMR implementation of a scheme for selective and efficient quantum process tomography without ancilla. We generalize this scheme such that it can be implemented efficiently using only a set of measurements involving product operators. The method allows us to estimate any element of the quantum process matrix to a desired precision, provided a set of quantum states can be prepared efficiently. Our modified technique requires fewer experimental resources as compared to the standard implementation of selective and efficient quantum process tomography, as it exploits the special nature of NMR measurements to allow us to compute specific elements of the process matrix by a restrictive set of subsystem measurements. To demonstrate the efficacy of our scheme, we experimentally tomograph the processes corresponding to "no operation," a controlled-NOT (CNOT), and a controlled-Hadamard gate on a two-qubit NMR quantum information processor, with high fidelities.

  8. A Selective, Annotated Bibliography for the Language Laboratory, 1959-1971.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Keck, Mary Ellen B., Comp.; Smith, William Flint, Comp.

    This annotated bibliography lists 163 selected books, articles, and research reports concerning the language laboratory published from 1959 to 1972. It is intended for foreign language teachers and administrators seeking information on the planning, administration, operation, and installation of mediated language instruction. The bibliography is…

  9. Massive Query Resolution for Rapid Selective Dissemination of Information.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cohen, Jonathan D.

    1999-01-01

    Outlines an efficient approach to performing query resolution which, when matched with a keyword scanner, offers rapid selecting and routing for massive Boolean queries, and which is suitable for implementation on a desktop computer. Demonstrates the system's operation with large examples in a practical setting. (AEF)

  10. Toll facilities in the United States : bridges, roads, tunnels, ferries

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2007-12-01

    This report contains selected information on toll facilities in the United States that has been provided to FHWA by the States and/or various toll authorities. The information is based on a survey of facilities in operation, financed, or under constr...

  11. Formative evaluation of an Inspection Certificate Program (ICP) pilot in Toronto.

    PubMed

    Dwyer, J J; Komorowski, C; Ruf, F

    1999-01-01

    The inspection certificate program consists of food establishments voluntarily posting a certificate to inform patrons that inspection reports can be accessed from operators or the public health department. A three-month pilot program was evaluated for program improvement purposes. Only 65% of the selected operators were willing to participate, which suggests a challenge to fully implementing the program. Thirty-nine randomly selected restaurant operators participated. Most operators posted the certificate at the front entrance, and patrons indicated that reports were clear. Operators were supportive of the program. Some operators reported that the program was good for business and offered suggestions to improve it. A total of 583 requests for reports were made which suggests that the program empowered patrons to request reports, mostly from operators. Most patron evaluation forms came from a few operators that had no deficiencies, which limits generalizability.

  12. Encryption protection for communication satellites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sood, D. R.; Hoernig, O. W., Jr.

    In connection with the growing importance of the commercial communication satellite systems and the introduction of new technological developments, users and operators of these systems become increasingly concerned with aspects of security. The user community is concerned with maintaining confidentiality and integrity of the information being transmitted over the satellite links, while the satellite operators are concerned about the safety of their assets in space. In response to these concerns, the commercial satellite operators are now taking steps to protect the communication information and the satellites. Thus, communication information is being protected by end-to-end encryption of the customer communication traffic. Attention is given to the selection of the NBS DES algorithm, the command protection systems, and the communication protection systems.

  13. Eyes wide open: enhanced pupil dilation when selectively studying important information.

    PubMed

    Ariel, Robert; Castel, Alan D

    2014-01-01

    Remembering important information is imperative for efficient memory performance, but it is unclear how we encode important information. The current experiment evaluated two non-exclusive hypotheses for how learners selectively encode important information at the expense of less important information (differential resource allocation and information reduction). To evaluate these hypotheses, we measured changes in learners' pupil diameter and fixation durations while participants performed a selectivity task that involved studying lists consisting of words associated with different point values. Participants were instructed to maximize their score on a free recall task that they completed after studying each list. Participants' pupils dilated more when studying high-valued than low-valued words, and these changes were associated with better memory for high-valued words. However, participants fixated equally on words regardless of their value, which is inconsistent with the information reduction hypothesis. Participants also increased their memory selectivity across lists, but changes in pupil diameter and differences in fixations could not account for this increased selectivity. The results suggest that learners allocate attention differently to items as a function of their value, and that multiple processes and operations contribute to value-directed remembering.

  14. Eyes Wide Open: Enhanced Pupil Dilation When Selectively Studying Important Information

    PubMed Central

    Ariel, Robert; Castel, Alan D.

    2013-01-01

    Remembering important information is imperative for efficient memory performance, but it is unclear how we encode important information. The current experiment evaluated two non-exclusive hypotheses for how learners selectively encode important information at the expense of less important information (differential resource allocation and information reduction). To evaluate these hypotheses, we measured changes in learners’ pupil diameter and fixation durations while participants performed a selectivity task that involved studying lists consisting of words associated with different point values. Participants were instructed to maximize their score on a free recall task that they completed after studying each list. Participants’ pupils dilated more when studying high-valued than low-valued words, and these changes were associated with better memory for high-valued words. However, participants fixated equally on words regardless of their value, which is inconsistent with the information reduction hypothesis. Participants also increased their memory selectivity across lists, but changes in pupil diameter and differences in fixations could not account for this increased selectivity. The results suggest that learners allocate attention differently to items as a function of their value, and that multiple processes and operations contribute to value-directed remembering. PMID:24162863

  15. Is There a Standard Default Keyword Operator? A Bibliometric Analysis of Processing Options Chosen by Libraries To Execute Keyword Searches in Online Public Access Catalogs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Klein, Gary M.

    1994-01-01

    Online public access catalogs from 67 libraries using NOTIS software were searched using Internet connections to determine the positional operators selected as the default keyword operator on each catalog. Results indicate the lack of a processing standard for keyword searches. Five tables provide information. (Author/AEF)

  16. Influence of Internet dissemination on hospital selection for benign surgical disease: A single center retrospective study.

    PubMed

    Lee, Sung Ryul; Koo, Bum Hwan; Byun, Geon Young; Lee, Seung Geun; Kim, Myoung Jin; Hong, Soo Kyung; Kim, Su Yeon; Lee, Yu Jin

    2018-05-17

    The Internet is used worldwide, but its effect on hospital selection of minor surgical disease has not hitherto been thoroughly studied. To investigate the effect of the Internet dissemination on hospital selection of minor surgical disease and information affecting selection, we conducted a survey of patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery from January 2016 to April 2017. We analyzed the questionnaire responses of 1916 patients. Over 80% of patients in all groups selected the hospital based on Internet information. Among patients aged over 60 years, 65.1% selected the hospital based on Internet information. With regard to hospital selection factors, the highest number of responses was for sophisticated surgical treatment (93.1%). The second highest was for a simplified medical care system (33.0%); third was a comprehensive nursing care system (18.1%). Among responses about surgical treatment, the most were obtained for short operation time and fewer hospitalization days (81.5%). Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  17. Optimal Tikhonov regularization for DEER spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Edwards, Thomas H.; Stoll, Stefan

    2018-03-01

    Tikhonov regularization is the most commonly used method for extracting distance distributions from experimental double electron-electron resonance (DEER) spectroscopy data. This method requires the selection of a regularization parameter, α , and a regularization operator, L. We analyze the performance of a large set of α selection methods and several regularization operators, using a test set of over half a million synthetic noisy DEER traces. These are generated from distance distributions obtained from in silico double labeling of a protein crystal structure of T4 lysozyme with the spin label MTSSL. We compare the methods and operators based on their ability to recover the model distance distributions from the noisy time traces. The results indicate that several α selection methods perform quite well, among them the Akaike information criterion and the generalized cross validation method with either the first- or second-derivative operator. They perform significantly better than currently utilized L-curve methods.

  18. Tailoring NIST Security Controls for the Ground System: Selection and Implementation -- Recommendations for Information System Owners

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Takamura, Eduardo; Mangum, Kevin

    2016-01-01

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) invests millions of dollars in spacecraft and ground system development, and in mission operations in the pursuit of scientific knowledge of the universe. In recent years, NASA sent a probe to Mars to study the Red Planet's upper atmosphere, obtained high resolution images of Pluto, and it is currently preparing to find new exoplanets, rendezvous with an asteroid, and bring a sample of the asteroid back to Earth for analysis. The success of these missions is enabled by mission assurance. In turn, mission assurance is backed by information assurance. The information systems supporting NASA missions must be reliable as well as secure. NASA - like every other U.S. Federal Government agency - is required to manage the security of its information systems according to federal mandates, the most prominent being the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) of 2002 and the legislative updates that followed it. Like the management of enterprise information technology (IT), federal information security management takes a "one-size fits all" approach for protecting IT systems. While this approach works for most organizations, it does not effectively translate into security of highly specialized systems such as those supporting NASA missions. These systems include command and control (C&C) systems, spacecraft and instrument simulators, and other elements comprising the ground segment. They must be carefully configured, monitored and maintained, sometimes for several years past the missions' initially planned life expectancy, to ensure the ground system is protected and remains operational without any compromise of its confidentiality, integrity and availability. Enterprise policies, processes, procedures and products, if not effectively tailored to meet mission requirements, may not offer the needed security for protecting the information system, and they may even become disruptive to mission operations. Certain protective measures for the general enterprise may not be as efficient within the ground segment. This is what the authors have concluded through observations and analysis of patterns identified from the various security assessments performed on NASA missions such as MAVEN, OSIRIS-REx, New Horizons and TESS, to name a few. The security audits confirmed that the framework for managing information system security developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for the federal government, and adopted by NASA, is indeed effective. However, the selection of the technical, operational and management security controls offered by the NIST model - and how they are implemented - does not always fit the nature and the environment where the ground system operates in even though there is no apparent impact on mission success. The authors observed that unfit controls, that is, controls that are not necessarily applicable or sufficiently effective in protecting the mission systems, are often selected to facilitate compliance with security requirements and organizational expectations even if the selected controls offer minimum or non-existent protection. This paper identifies some of the standard security controls that can in fact protect the ground system, and which of them offer little or no benefit at all. It offers multiple scenarios from real security audits in which the controls are not effective without, of course, disclosing any sensitive information about the missions assessed. In addition to selection and implementation of controls, the paper also discusses potential impact of recent legislation such as the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) of 2014 - aimed at the enterprise - on the ground system, and offers other recommendations to Information System Owners (ISOs).

  19. 77 FR 42498 - Information Collection(s) Being Submitted for Review and Approval to the Office of Management and...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-19

    ...: Section 80.103, Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Operating Procedures--Maritime Mobile Identity (MMSI...: Individuals or households; business or other for- profit entities and Federal Government. Number of... Marine VHF radios with Digital Selective Calling (DSC) capability in this collection. The licensee...

  20. Appendix A : glossary of terms and appendix B : list of selected publications

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1991-02-01

    Selected data on highway toll facilities in the United States are contained in Table T-1 of this report based on a survey of facilities in operation, financed, or under construction as of January 1, 1990. The data include information such as the name...

  1. Adaptive Memory: Young Children Show Enhanced Retention of Fitness-Related Information

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aslan, Alp; Bauml, Karl-Heinz T.

    2012-01-01

    Evolutionary psychologists propose that human cognition evolved through natural selection to solve adaptive problems related to survival and reproduction, with its ultimate function being the enhancement of reproductive fitness. Following this proposal and the evolutionary-developmental view that ancestral selection pressures operated not only on…

  2. Warfighter Information Network-Tactical Increment 3 (WIN-T Inc 3)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-12-01

    than 1 seconds. Force Protection Armor required to protect personnel operating WIN-T vehicles employed at BCT, Fires, AVN , BfSB, and select force...21, 2016 18:26:36 UNCLASSIFIED 12 Acronyms and Abbreviations AOR - Area of Responsibility ATH - At-the-Halt ATO - Approval to Operate AVN

  3. Operational Lessons from a Strategic Sourcing Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krob, Adam

    2008-01-01

    Sourcing decisions for information services departments have become an integral part of every school's IT strategy. Much has been written on what areas to outsource, which partner to select, and how to negotiate contracts and service agreements. In this article, the author shares the operational lessons learned by Tulane University during the…

  4. A Description of the DoD Test and Evaluation Process for Electronic Warfare Systems

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1994-06-13

    Center J-MASS Joint Modeling and Simulation System A-2 MDA Milestone Decision Authority MNS Mission Need Statement MOE Measument of Effectivenes MOP...PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATIONS (PSYOP) Planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motive

  5. Toll facilities in the United States : bridges, roads, tunnels, ferries

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1995-02-01

    This report contains selected information on toll facilities in the United States. The information is based on a survey of facilities in operation, financed, or under construction as of January 1, 1995, and is presented in four tables. Table T-1 cont...

  6. Toll Facilities in the United States : Bridges, Roads, Tunnels, Ferries

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1999-02-01

    This report contains selected information on toll facilities in the United States. The information is based on a survey of facilities in operation, financed, or under construction as of January 1, 1999, and is presented in six tables. Table T-1 conta...

  7. 34 CFR 361.37 - Information and referral programs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... State agency will implement an information and referral system adequate to ensure that individuals with... receiving vocational rehabilitation services if the agency is operating on an order of selection, are... statewide workforce investment system. (b) The State unit must refer to local extended employment providers...

  8. Distractor inhibition: principles of operation during selective attention.

    PubMed

    Wyatt, Natalie; Machado, Liana

    2013-02-01

    Research suggests that although target amplification acts as the main determinant of the efficacy of selective attention, distractor inhibition contributes under some circumstances. Here we aimed to gain insight into the operating principles that regulate the use of distractor inhibition during selective attention. The results suggest that, in contrast to target amplification, distractor inhibition does not onset earlier or strengthen in response to advance location information. Instead, when the location of the impending distractor was predictable, evidence of inhibitory processing weakened. Furthermore, the results suggest that distractor inhibition does not operate as a compensatory mechanism for target amplification, as evidenced by the lack of an increase in inhibitory effects when reliance on target amplification was disrupted. Unexpected emergence of inhibitory effects for improbable targets provided evidence that distractor inhibition was at work even when no inhibitory effects manifested. Overall, the pattern of inhibitory effects is interpreted as indicating that, although distractor inhibition mounts primarily reactively rather than preemptively, advance information can help prevent overreaction to the distractor. Of course, less overreaction reduces the chances of behavioral inhibitory effects manifesting even when distractor inhibition has contributed to selective attention; thus, interpreting an absence of inhibitory effects should be done cautiously. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

  9. Matching food security analysis to context: the experience of the Somalia food security assessment unit.

    PubMed

    Hemrich, Günter

    2005-06-01

    This case study reviews the experience of the Somalia Food Security Assessment Unit (FSAU) of operating a food security information system in the context of a complex emergency. In particular, it explores the linkages between selected features of the protracted crisis environment in Somalia and conceptual and operational aspects of food security information work. The paper specifically examines the implications of context characteristics for the establishment and operations of the FSAU field monitoring component and for the interface with information users and their diverse information needs. It also analyses the scope for linking food security and nutrition analysis and looks at the role of conflict and gender analysis in food security assessment work. Background data on the food security situation in Somalia and an overview of some key features of the FSAU set the scene for the case study. The paper is targeted at those involved in designing, operating and funding food security information activities.

  10. Selection of multiple cued items is possible during visual short-term memory maintenance.

    PubMed

    Matsukura, Michi; Vecera, Shaun P

    2015-07-01

    Recent neuroimaging studies suggest that maintenance of a selected object feature held in visual short-term/working memory (VSTM/VWM) is supported by the same neural mechanisms that encode the sensory information. If VSTM operates by retaining "reasonable copies" of scenes constructed during sensory processing (Serences, Ester, Vogel, & Awh, 2009, p. 207, the sensory recruitment hypothesis), then attention should be able to select multiple items represented in VSTM as long as the number of these attended items does not exceed the typical VSTM capacity. It is well known that attention can select at least two noncontiguous locations at the same time during sensory processing. However, empirical reports from the studies that examined this possibility are inconsistent. In the present study, we demonstrate that (1) attention can indeed select more than a single item during VSTM maintenance when observers are asked to recognize a set of items in the manner that these items were originally attended, and (2) attention can select multiple cued items regardless of whether these items are perceptually organized into a single group (contiguous locations) or not (noncontiguous locations). The results also replicate and extend the recent finding that selective attention that operates during VSTM maintenance is sensitive to the observers' goal and motivation to use the cueing information.

  11. The development of selected data base applications for the crustal dynamics data information system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Noll, C. E.

    1981-01-01

    The development of a data base and its accompanying software for the data information system of crustal dynamics project is described. Background information concerning this project, and a definition of the techniques used in the implementation of an operational data base, are presented. Examples of key applications are included and interpreted.

  12. Understanding the operational environment: implications for advanced visualizations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aleva, Denise; Fitzhugh, Elisabeth; Dixon, Sharon

    2009-05-01

    With the changing character of warfare, information superiority is a high priority. Given the complexity of current and future operating environments, analysts, strategists and planners need a multidimensional understanding of the battlespace. Asymmetric warfare necessitates that our strategists look beyond targets-based operations, where we simply identify and destroy enemy entities. Effects-based operations models the enemy as a system which reacts to our actions. This requires the capability to predict the adversary response to a selected action. Actions may be diplomatic, information, military or economic (DIME). Effects may be political, military, economic, social, information or infrastructure (PMESII). Timing must be explicitly considered and effects dynamically assessed. Visualizations of intelligence information are needed which will promote full understanding of all aspects of adversary strengths and weaknesses by providing the extensive data about adversary forces, organic essentials, infrastructure, leadership, population, and science and technology in an easily accessible and understandable format. This will enhance Effectsbased operations, and therefore, the capability to predict and counter adversary courses of action. This paper outlines a systems engineering approach to designing visualizations which convey the multidimensional information to decision makers. Visualization issues inherent in understanding the multidimensional operational environment will be discussed.

  13. Expanding worldwide urban solid waste recycling: The Brazilian social technology in waste pickers inclusion.

    PubMed

    Rutkowski, Jacqueline E; Rutkowski, Emília W

    2015-12-01

    'If an integrated urban waste management system includes the informal recycling sector (IRS), there is a good chance that more solid waste is recycled' is common sense. However, informal integration brings additional social, environmental, and economic benefits, such as reduction of operational costs and environmental impacts of landfilling. Brazil is a global best practice example in terms of waste picker inclusion, and has received international recognition for its recycling levels. In addition to analysing the results of inclusive recycling approaches, this article evaluates a selection of the best Brazilian inclusive recycling practices and summaries and presents the resulting knowledge. The objective is to identify processes that enable the replication of the inclusion of the informal recycling sector model as part of municipal solid waste management. Qualitative and quantitative data have been collected in 25 Brazilian cities that have contracted waste pickers co-operatives for door-to-door selective collection of recyclables. Field data was collected in action research projects that worked with waste pickers co-operatives between 2006 and 2013. The Brazilian informal recycling sector integration model improves municipal solid waste recycling indicators: it shows an increase in the net tonness recycled, from 140 to 208 t month(-1), at a much lower cost per tonne than conventional selective collection systems. Inclusive systems show costs of US$35 per tonne of recyclables collected, well below the national average of US$195.26. This inclusive model improves the quality of collected material and the efficiency of municipal selective collection. It also diminishes the negative impacts of informal recycling, by reducing child labour, and by improving the conditions of work, occupational health and safety, and uncontrolled pollution. Although treating the Brazilian experience as a blueprint for transfer of experience in every case is unrealistic, the results suggest that this approach to informal sector integration can be considered among the global best practices for informal sector integration. The article closes with recommendations for deploying technology in other urban areas throughout the world. © The Author(s) 2015.

  14. Training Issues Associated with COTS-based Information Intensive Systems.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Farr, John V.; Verma, Dinesh

    2002-01-01

    A literature review and survey responses from 194 information technology and aerospace contractors identified methods and outcomes of training delivery. Results were used to develop a framework for evaluating and selecting commercial off-the-shelf systems (COTS) for operations and maintenance training. (Contains 11 references.) (SK)

  15. 47 CFR 76.1512 - Programming information.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... MULTICHANNEL VIDEO AND CABLE TELEVISION SERVICE Open Video Systems § 76.1512 Programming information. (a) An open video system operator shall not unreasonably discriminate in favor of itself or its affiliates... for the purpose of selecting programming on the open video system, or in the way such material or...

  16. 47 CFR 76.1512 - Programming information.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... MULTICHANNEL VIDEO AND CABLE TELEVISION SERVICE Open Video Systems § 76.1512 Programming information. (a) An open video system operator shall not unreasonably discriminate in favor of itself or its affiliates... for the purpose of selecting programming on the open video system, or in the way such material or...

  17. 47 CFR 76.1512 - Programming information.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... MULTICHANNEL VIDEO AND CABLE TELEVISION SERVICE Open Video Systems § 76.1512 Programming information. (a) An open video system operator shall not unreasonably discriminate in favor of itself or its affiliates... for the purpose of selecting programming on the open video system, or in the way such material or...

  18. 47 CFR 76.1512 - Programming information.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... MULTICHANNEL VIDEO AND CABLE TELEVISION SERVICE Open Video Systems § 76.1512 Programming information. (a) An open video system operator shall not unreasonably discriminate in favor of itself or its affiliates... for the purpose of selecting programming on the open video system, or in the way such material or...

  19. Flexible and adaptive water systems operations through more informed and dynamic decisions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Castelletti, A.; Giuliani, M.

    2016-12-01

    Timely adapting the operations of water systems to be resilient against rapid changes in both hydroclimatic and socioeconomic forcing is generally recommended as a part of planning and managing water resources under uncertain futures. A great opportunity to make the operations more flexible and adaptive is offered by the unprecedented amount of information that is becoming available to water system operators, providing a wide range of data at increasingly higher temporal and spatial resolution. Yet, many water systems are still operated using very simple information systems, typically based on basic statistical analysis and the operator's experience. In this work, we discuss the potential offered by incorporating improved information to enhance water systems operation and increase their ability of adapting to different external conditions and resolving potential conflicts across sectors. In particular, we focus on the use of different variables associated to different dynamics of the system (slow and fast) diversely impacting the operating objectives on the short-, medium- and long-term. The multi-purpose operations of the Hoa Binh reservoir in the Red River Basin (Vietnam) is used to demonstrate our approach. Numerical results show that our procedure is able to automatically select the most valuable information for improving the Hoa Binh operations and mitigating the conflict between short-term objectives, i.e. hydropower production and flood control. Moreover, we also successfully identify low-frequency climate information associated to El-Nino Southern Oscillation for improving the performance in terms of long-term objectives, i.e. water supply. Finally, we assess the value of better informing operational decisions for adapting the system operations to changing conditions by considering different climate change projections.

  20. Memory for general and specific value information in younger and older adults: measuring the limits of strategic control.

    PubMed

    Castel, Alan D; Farb, Norman A S; Craik, Fergus I M

    2007-06-01

    The ability to selectively remember important information is a critical function of memory. Although previous research has suggested that older adults are impaired in a variety of episodic memory tasks, recent work has demonstrated that older adults can selectively remember high-value information. In the present research, we examined how younger and older adults selectively remembered words with various assigned numeric point values, to see whether younger adults could remember more specific value information than could older adults. Both groups were equally good at recalling point values when recalling the range of high-value words, but younger adults outperformed older adults when recalling specific values. Although older adults were more likely to recognize negative value words, both groups exhibited control by not recalling negative value information. The findings suggest that although both groups retain high-value information, older adults rely more on gist-based encoding and retrieval operations, whereas younger adults are able to remember specific numeric value information.

  1. Integration Of Space Weather Into Space Situational Awareness

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reeves, G.

    2010-09-01

    Rapid assessment of space weather effects on satellites is a critical step in anomaly resolution and satellite threat assessment. That step, however, is often hindered by a number of factors including timely collection and delivery of space weather data and the inherent complexity of space weather information. As part of a larger, integrated space situational awareness program, Los Alamos National Laboratory has developed prototype operational space weather tools that run in real time and present operators with customized, user-specific information. The Dynamic Radiation Environment Assimilation Model (DREAM) focuses on the penetrating radiation environment from natural or nuclear-produced radiation belts. The penetrating radiation environment is highly dynamic and highly orbitdependent. Operators often must rely only on line plots of 2 MeV electron flux from the NOAA geosynchronous GOES satellites which is then assumed to be representative of the environment at the satellite of interest. DREAM uses data assimilation to produce a global, real-time, energy dependent specification. User tools are built around a distributed service oriented architecture (SOA) which allows operators to select any satellite from the space catalog and examine the environment for that specific satellite and time of interest. Depending on the application operators may need to examine instantaneous dose rates and/or dose accumulated over various lengths of time. Further, different energy thresholds can be selected depending on the shielding on the satellite or instrument of interest. In order to rapidly assess the probability that space weather effects, the current conditions can be compared against the historical distribution of radiation levels for that orbit. In the simplest operation a user would select a satellite and time of interest and immediately see if the environmental conditions were typical, elevated, or extreme based on how often those conditions occur in that orbit. This allows users to rapidly rule in or out environmental causes of anomalies. The same user interface can also allow users to drill down for more detailed quantitative information. DREAM can be run either from a distributed web-based user interface or as a stand-alone application for secure operations. We will discuss the underlying structure of the DREAM model and demonstrate the user interface that we have developed. We will also discuss future development plans for DREAM and how the same paradigm can be applied to integrating other space environment information into operational SSA systems.

  2. Fuels and Lubricants. Selecting and Storing.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parady, W. Harold; Colvin, Thomas S.

    The manual presents basic information for the person who plans to operate or service tractors, trucks, industrial engines, and automobiles. It tells how to select the proper fuels and lubricants and how to store them properly. Although there are no prerequisites to the study of the text, a general knowledge of engines and mobile-type vehicles is…

  3. 78 FR 7818 - Duane Arnold Energy Center; Application for Amendment to Facility Operating License

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-04

    ... methods: Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2013... search, select ``ADAMS Public Documents'' and then select ``Begin Web- based ADAMS Search.'' For problems... INFORMATION CONTACT: Karl D. Feintuch, Project Manager, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear...

  4. 77 FR 67837 - Callaway Plant, Unit 1; Application for Amendment to Facility Operating License

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-11-14

    ... methods: Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2012... search, select ``ADAMS Public Documents'' and then select ``Begin Web- based ADAMS Search.'' For problems... INFORMATION CONTACT: Carl F. Lyon, Project Manager, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear...

  5. 34 CFR 366.15 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... (4) The benefits to be gained by meeting those needs. (c) Plan of operation (15 points). The Secretary reviews each application for information that shows the quality of the plan of operation for the... origin, gender, age, or disability. (d) Quality of key personnel (7 points). (1) The Secretary reviews...

  6. 34 CFR 366.27 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability; and (v) The extent to which the applicant, as... quantifiable. (4) (Cross-reference: See 34 CFR 75.590.) (g) Plan of operation (20 points). The Secretary reviews each application for information that shows the quality of the plan of operation for the project...

  7. 34 CFR 366.15 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... (4) The benefits to be gained by meeting those needs. (c) Plan of operation (15 points). The Secretary reviews each application for information that shows the quality of the plan of operation for the... origin, gender, age, or disability. (d) Quality of key personnel (7 points). (1) The Secretary reviews...

  8. 34 CFR 366.15 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... (4) The benefits to be gained by meeting those needs. (c) Plan of operation (15 points). The Secretary reviews each application for information that shows the quality of the plan of operation for the... origin, gender, age, or disability. (d) Quality of key personnel (7 points). (1) The Secretary reviews...

  9. 34 CFR 366.15 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... (4) The benefits to be gained by meeting those needs. (c) Plan of operation (15 points). The Secretary reviews each application for information that shows the quality of the plan of operation for the... origin, gender, age, or disability. (d) Quality of key personnel (7 points). (1) The Secretary reviews...

  10. 34 CFR 366.27 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability; and (v) The extent to which the applicant, as... quantifiable. (4) (Cross-reference: See 34 CFR 75.590.) (g) Plan of operation (20 points). The Secretary reviews each application for information that shows the quality of the plan of operation for the project...

  11. 34 CFR 366.27 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability; and (v) The extent to which the applicant, as... quantifiable. (4) (Cross-reference: See 34 CFR 75.590.) (g) Plan of operation (20 points). The Secretary reviews each application for information that shows the quality of the plan of operation for the project...

  12. Parametric CERs (Cost Estimate Relationships) for Replenishment Repair Parts (Selected U.S. Army Helicopters and Combat Vehicles)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-07-31

    Information System (OSMIS). The long-range objective is to develop methods to determine total operating and support (O&S) costs within life-cycle cost...objective was to assess the feasibility of developing cost estimating relationships (CERs) based on data from the Army Operating and Support Management

  13. Technoeconomic analysis of conventional logging systems operating from stump to landing

    Treesearch

    Raymond L. Sarles; William G. Luppold; William G. Luppold

    1986-01-01

    Analyzes technical and economic factors for six conventional logging systems suitable for operation in eastern forests. Discusses financial risks and business implications for loggers investing in high-production, state-of-the-art logging systems. Provides logging contractors with information useful as a preliminary guide for selection of equipment and systems....

  14. Index to NASA news releases and speeches, 1984

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1985-01-01

    The Index to NASA News Releases and Speeches (1984) contains selected speeches and news releases issued by NASA Headquarters during the year 1984. The index was prepared by the NASA Scientific and Technical Information Facility operated for the National Aeronautical and Space Administration by PRC Government Information Systems.

  15. Domain-Specific Control of Selective Attention

    PubMed Central

    Lin, Szu-Hung; Yeh, Yei-Yu

    2014-01-01

    Previous research has shown that loading information on working memory affects selective attention. However, whether the load effect on selective attention is domain-general or domain-specific remains unresolved. The domain-general effect refers to the findings that load in one content (e.g. phonological) domain in working memory influences processing in another content (e.g., visuospatial) domain. Attentional control supervises selection regardless of information domain. The domain-specific effect refers to the constraint of influence only when maintenance and processing operate in the same domain. Selective attention operates in a specific content domain. This study is designed to resolve this controversy. Across three experiments, we manipulated the type of representation maintained in working memory and the type of representation upon which the participants must exert control to resolve conflict and select a target into the focus of attention. In Experiments 1a and 1b, participants maintained digits and nonverbalized objects, respectively, in working memory while selecting a target in a letter array. In Experiment 2, we presented auditory digits with a letter flanker task to exclude the involvement of resource competition within the same input modality. In Experiments 3a and 3b, we replaced the letter flanker task with an object flanker task while manipulating the memory load on object and digit representation, respectively. The results consistently showed that memory load modulated distractibility only when the stimuli of the two tasks were represented in the same domain. The magnitude of distractor interference was larger under high load than under low load, reflecting a lower efficacy of information prioritization. When the stimuli of the two tasks were represented in different domains, memory load did not modulate distractibility. Control of processing priority in selective attention demands domain-specific resources. PMID:24866977

  16. Foveal analysis and peripheral selection during active visual sampling

    PubMed Central

    Ludwig, Casimir J. H.; Davies, J. Rhys; Eckstein, Miguel P.

    2014-01-01

    Human vision is an active process in which information is sampled during brief periods of stable fixation in between gaze shifts. Foveal analysis serves to identify the currently fixated object and has to be coordinated with a peripheral selection process of the next fixation location. Models of visual search and scene perception typically focus on the latter, without considering foveal processing requirements. We developed a dual-task noise classification technique that enables identification of the information uptake for foveal analysis and peripheral selection within a single fixation. Human observers had to use foveal vision to extract visual feature information (orientation) from different locations for a psychophysical comparison. The selection of to-be-fixated locations was guided by a different feature (luminance contrast). We inserted noise in both visual features and identified the uptake of information by looking at correlations between the noise at different points in time and behavior. Our data show that foveal analysis and peripheral selection proceeded completely in parallel. Peripheral processing stopped some time before the onset of an eye movement, but foveal analysis continued during this period. Variations in the difficulty of foveal processing did not influence the uptake of peripheral information and the efficacy of peripheral selection, suggesting that foveal analysis and peripheral selection operated independently. These results provide important theoretical constraints on how to model target selection in conjunction with foveal object identification: in parallel and independently. PMID:24385588

  17. A Novel Hybrid Clonal Selection Algorithm with Combinatorial Recombination and Modified Hypermutation Operators for Global Optimization

    PubMed Central

    Lin, Jingjing; Jing, Honglei

    2016-01-01

    Artificial immune system is one of the most recently introduced intelligence methods which was inspired by biological immune system. Most immune system inspired algorithms are based on the clonal selection principle, known as clonal selection algorithms (CSAs). When coping with complex optimization problems with the characteristics of multimodality, high dimension, rotation, and composition, the traditional CSAs often suffer from the premature convergence and unsatisfied accuracy. To address these concerning issues, a recombination operator inspired by the biological combinatorial recombination is proposed at first. The recombination operator could generate the promising candidate solution to enhance search ability of the CSA by fusing the information from random chosen parents. Furthermore, a modified hypermutation operator is introduced to construct more promising and efficient candidate solutions. A set of 16 common used benchmark functions are adopted to test the effectiveness and efficiency of the recombination and hypermutation operators. The comparisons with classic CSA, CSA with recombination operator (RCSA), and CSA with recombination and modified hypermutation operator (RHCSA) demonstrate that the proposed algorithm significantly improves the performance of classic CSA. Moreover, comparison with the state-of-the-art algorithms shows that the proposed algorithm is quite competitive. PMID:27698662

  18. Selection of air traffic controllers.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1984-06-01

    The most frequently used Federal Aviation Administration published cabin safety information is indexed and cross referenced. This includes Federal Aviation Regulations numbers, Air Carrier Operations Bulletin numbers, Advisory Circular numbers, and O...

  19. The Spacecraft Materials Selector: An Artificial Intelligence System for Preliminary Design Trade Studies, Materials Assessments, and Estimates of Environments Present

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pippin, H. G.; Woll, S. L. B.

    2000-01-01

    Institutions need ways to retain valuable information even as experienced individuals leave an organization. Modern electronic systems have enough capacity to retain large quantities of information that can mitigate the loss of experience. Performance information for long-term space applications is relatively scarce and specific information (typically held by a few individuals within a single project) is often rather narrowly distributed. Spacecraft operate under severe conditions and the consequences of hardware and/or system failures, in terms of cost, loss of information, and time required to replace the loss, are extreme. These risk factors place a premium on appropriate choice of materials and components for space applications. An expert system is a very cost-effective method for sharing valuable and scarce information about spacecraft performance. Boeing has an artificial intelligence software package, called the Boeing Expert System Tool (BEST), to construct and operate knowledge bases to selectively recall and distribute information about specific subjects. A specific knowledge base to evaluate the on-orbit performance of selected materials on spacecraft has been developed under contract to the NASA SEE program. The performance capabilities of the Spacecraft Materials Selector (SMS) knowledge base are described. The knowledge base is a backward-chaining, rule-based system. The user answers a sequence of questions, and the expert system provides estimates of optical and mechanical performance of selected materials under specific environmental conditions. The initial operating capability of the system will include data for Kapton, silverized Teflon, selected paints, silicone-based materials, and certain metals. For situations where a mission profile (launch date, orbital parameters, mission duration, spacecraft orientation) is not precisely defined, the knowledge base still attempts to provide qualitative observations about materials performance and likely exposures. Prior to the NASA contract, a knowledge base, the Spacecraft Environments Assistant (SEA,) was initially developed by Boeing to estimate the environmental factors important for a specific spacecraft mission profile. The NASA SEE program has funded specific enhancements to the capability of this knowledge base. The SEA qualitatively identifies over 25 environmental factors that may influence the performance of a spacecraft during its operational lifetime. For cases where sufficiently detailed answers are provided to questions asked by the knowledge base, atomic oxygen fluence levels, proton and/or electron fluence and dose levels, and solar exposure hours are calculated. The SMS knowledge base incorporates the previously developed SEA knowledge base. A case history for previous flight experiment will be shown as an example, and capabilities and limitations of the system will be discussed.

  20. Mode Transitions in Glass Cockpit Aircraft: Results of a Field Study

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Degani, Asaf; Kirlik, Alex; Shafto, Michael (Technical Monitor)

    1995-01-01

    One consequence of increased levels of automation in complex control systems is the presence of modes. A mode is a particular configuration of a control system that defines how human command inputs are interpreted. In complex systems, modes also often determine a specific allocation of control authority between the human and automated systems. Even in simple static devices (e.g., electronic watches, word processors), the presence of modes has been found to cause problems in either-the acquisition or production of skilled performance. Many of these problems arise due to the fact that the selection of a mode causes device behavior to be mediated by hidden internal state information. For these simple systems, many of these interaction problems can be solved by the design of appropriate feedback to communicate internal state information to the human operator. In complex dynamic systems, however, the design issues associated with modes seem to trancend the problem of merely communicating internal state information via displayed feedback. In complex supervisory control systems (e.g., aircraft, spacecraft, military command and control), a key function of modes is the selection of a particular configuration of control authority between the human operator and automated control systems. One mode may result in full manual control, another may result in a mix of manual and automatic control, while a third may result in full automatic control over the entire system. The human operator selects an appropriate mode as a function of current goals, operating conditions, and operating procedures. Thus, the operator is put in a position of essentially trying to control two coupled dynamic systems: the target system itself, and also a highly complex suite of automation controlling the target system. From a historical perspective, it should probably not come as a surprise that very little information is available to guide the design of mode-oriented control systems. The topic of function allocation (i.e., the proper division of control authority among human and computer) has a long history in human-machine systems research. Although this research has produced some relevant guidelines, a design approach capable of defining appropriate allocations of control function between the human and automation is not yet available. As a result, the function allocation decision itself has been allocated to the operator, to be performed in real-time, in the operation of mode-oriented control systems. A variety of documented aircraft accidents and incidents suggest that the real-time selection and monitoring of control modes is a weak link in the effective operation of complex supervisory control systems. Research in human-machine systems and human-computer interaction has barely scraped the surface of the problem of understanding how operators manage this task.The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a field study which examined how operators manage mode selection in a complex supervisory control system. Data on mode engagements using the Boeing B757/767 auto-flight system were collected during approach and descent into four major airports in the East Coast of the United States. Protocols documenting mode selection, automatic mode changes, pilot actions, quantitative records of flight-path variables, and verbal reports during and after mode engagements were collected by an observer from the jumpseat. Observations were conducted on two typical trips between three airports. Each trip was be replicated 11 times, which yielded a total of 22 trips and 66 legs on which data were collected. All data collected concerned the same flight numbers, and therefore, the same time of day, same type of aircraft, and identical operational environments (e.g., ATC facilities, weather patterns, traffic flow etc.)

  1. Dynamic Decision-Making in Multi-Task Environments: Theory and Experimental Results.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-03-15

    The operator’s primary responsibility in this new role is to extract information from his environment, and to integrate it for’ action selection and its...of the human operator from one of a controller to one of a supervisory decision-maker. The operator’s primary responsibility in this new role is to...troller to that of a monitor of multiple tasks, or a supervisor of sev- ~ I eral semi-automated subsystems. The operator’s primary task in these

  2. Towards automated assistance for operating home medical devices.

    PubMed

    Gao, Zan; Detyniecki, Marcin; Chen, Ming-Yu; Wu, Wen; Hauptmann, Alexander G; Wactlar, Howard D

    2010-01-01

    To detect errors when subjects operate a home medical device, we observe them with multiple cameras. We then perform action recognition with a robust approach to recognize action information based on explicitly encoding motion information. This algorithm detects interest points and encodes not only their local appearance but also explicitly models local motion. Our goal is to recognize individual human actions in the operations of a home medical device to see if the patient has correctly performed the required actions in the prescribed sequence. Using a specific infusion pump as a test case, requiring 22 operation steps from 6 action classes, our best classifier selects high likelihood action estimates from 4 available cameras, to obtain an average class recognition rate of 69%.

  3. Snow Water Equivalent Retrieval Using Multitemporal COSMO Skymed X-Band SAR Images To Inform Water Systems Operation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Denaro, S.; Del Gobbo, U.; Castelletti, A.; Tebaldini, S.; Monti Guarnieri, A.

    2015-12-01

    In this work, we explore the use of exogenous snow-related information for enhancing the operation of water facilities in snow dominated watersheds. Traditionally, such information is assimilated into short-to-medium term streamflow forecasts, which are then used to inform water systems operation. Here, we adopt an alternative model-free approach, where the policy is directly conditioned upon a small set of selected observational data able to surrogate the snow-pack dynamics. In snow-fed water systems, the Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) stored in the basin often represents the largest contribution to the future season streamflow. The SWE estimation process is challenged by the high temporal and spatial variability of snow-pack and snow properties. Traditional retrieval methods, based on few ground sensors and optical satellites, often fail at representing the spatial diversity of snow conditions over large basins and at producing continuous (gap-free) data at the high sample frequency (e.g. daily) required to optimally control water systems. Against this background, SWE estimates from remote sensed radar products stand out, being able to acquire spatial information with no dependence on cloud coverage. In this work, we propose a technique for retrieving SWE estimates from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Cosmo SkyMed X-band images: a regression model, calibrated on ground SWE measurements, is implemented on dry snow maps obtained through a multi-temporal approach. The unprecedented spatial scale of this application is novel w.r.t. state of the art radar analysis conducted on limited spatial domains. The operational value of the SAR retrieved SWE estimates is evaluated based on ISA, a recently developed information selection and assessment framework. The method is demonstrated on a snow-rain fed river basin in the Italian Alps. Preliminary results show SAR images have a good potential for monitoring snow conditions and for improving water management operations.

  4. Competitive Parallel Processing For Compression Of Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Diner, Daniel B.; Fender, Antony R. H.

    1990-01-01

    Momentarily-best compression algorithm selected. Proposed competitive-parallel-processing system compresses data for transmission in channel of limited band-width. Likely application for compression lies in high-resolution, stereoscopic color-television broadcasting. Data from information-rich source like color-television camera compressed by several processors, each operating with different algorithm. Referee processor selects momentarily-best compressed output.

  5. Subsidies and Levies as Policy Instruments to Encourage Employer-Provided Training. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 80

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muller, Normann; Behringer, Friederike

    2012-01-01

    This paper provides an overview of the available information concerning selected policy instruments intended to promote employer-provided training, including the stated rationale and objectives, the target groups and operational design as well as a at a summary of the evaluative evidence regarding their operation. The analysis focuses on policy…

  6. Managing Asbestos in Place: A Building Owner's Guide to Operations and Maintenance Programs for Asbestos-Containing Materials.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC.

    Instructions for building owners on the selection and application of appropriate asbestos control and abatement actions are presented in this guidebook. Chapter 1 offers background information on the asbestos problem. Chapter 2 describes the purpose and scope of an operations and maintenance (O&M) program. The third chapter discusses planning…

  7. Biographical Sources in Science and Technology, Engineering Reference Books, and General Sources for Financial Ratios and Operating Ratios. Bibliographic Series No. 12.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ahrens, Joan

    The selected information sources held by the Arkansas University library which are listed include such general sources as Moody's and Standard and Poor's publications and bibliographies for financial and operating ratios. Reference books for engineering published between 1965-1976 include handbooks, dictionaries, manuals, encyclopedias,…

  8. Integration of space weather into space situational awareness

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

    Reeves, Geoffrey D

    Rapid assessment of space weather effects on satellites is a critical step in anomaly resolution and satellite threat assessment. That step, however, is often hindered by a number of factors including timely collection and delivery of space weather data and the inherent com plexity of space weather information. As part of a larger, integrated space situational awareness program, Los Alamos National Laboratory has developed prototype operational space weather tools that run in real time and present operators with customized, user-specific information. The Dynamic Radiation Environment Assimilation Model (DREAM) focuses on the penetrating radiation environment from natural or nuclear-produced radiation belts.more » The penetrating radiation environment is highly dynamic and highly orbit-dependent. Operators often must rely only on line plots of 2 MeV electron flux from the NOAA geosynchronous GOES satellites which is then assumed to be representative of the environment at the satellite of interest. DREAM uses data assimilation to produce a global, real-time, energy dependent specification. User tools are built around a distributed service oriented architecture (SOA) which will allow operators to select any satellite from the space catalog and examine the environment for that specific satellite and time of interest. Depending on the application operators may need to examine instantaneous dose rates and/or dose accumulated over various lengths of time. Further, different energy thresholds can be selected depending on the shielding on the satellite or instrument of interest. In order to rapidly assess the probability that space weather was the cause of anomalous operations, the current conditions can be compared against the historical distribution of radiation levels for that orbit. In the simplest operation a user would select a satellite and time of interest and immediately see if the environmental conditions were typical, elevated, or extreme based on how often those conditions occur in that orbit. This allows users to rapidly rule in or out environmental causes of anomalies. The same user interface can also allow users to drill down for more detailed quantitative information. DREAM can be run either from a distributed web-based user interface or as a stand-alone application for secure operations. In this paper we discuss the underlying structure of the DREAM model and demonstrate the user interface that we have developed . We also present some prototype data products and user interfaces for DREAM and discuss how space environment information can be seamlessly integrated into operational SSA systems.« less

  9. 34 CFR 642.21 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... looks for information that shows methods of evaluation that are appropriate for the project and, to the... operation for the project. (2) The Secretary looks for information that shows— (i) High quality in the design of the project; (ii) An effective plan of managment that insures proper and efficient...

  10. The Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science: A Review of Reviews, a Summary Evaluation and a Suggested Salvage Operation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meredith, Joseph C.

    1980-01-01

    Provides a critical evaluation of the not yet completed "Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science" with quotations from numerous reviews and presents a plan for the selection of articles and revision of this work in order to salvage the project. (CHC)

  11. 75 FR 65669 - Notice of Information Collection

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-26

    ... INFORMATION: I. Abstract DIME & WING are components of a NASA competition program which allows teams to design and build a science experiment which will then be operated in a NASA microgravity drop tower facility. Teams of 4 students are selected to come to GRC and drop their experiment and will be required to...

  12. 75 FR 54189 - Notice of Information Collection

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-09-03

    ... INFORMATION: I. Abstract DIME & WING are components of a NASA competition program which allows teams to design and build a science experiment which will then be operated in a NASA microgravity drop tower facility. Teams of 4 students are selected to come to GRC and drop their experiment and will be required to...

  13. The Prediction, from Infancy, of Adult IQ and Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fagan, Joseph F.; Holland, Cynthia R.; Wheeler, Karyn

    2007-01-01

    Young adults, originally tested as infants for their ability to process information as measured by selective attention to novelty (an operational definition of visual recognition memory), were revisited. A current estimate of IQ was obtained as well as a measure of academic achievement. Information processing ability at 6-12 months was predictive…

  14. Development and Preliminary Results of CTAS on Airline Operational Control Center Operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zelenka, Richard; Beatty, Roger; Falcone, Richard; Engelland, Shawn; Tobias, Leonard (Technical Monitor)

    1998-01-01

    Continued growth and expansion of air traffic and increased air carrier economic pressures have mandated greater flexibility and collaboration in air traffic management. The ability of airspace users to select their own routes, so called "free-flight", and to more actively manage their fleet operations for maximum economic advantage are receiving great attention. A first step toward greater airspace user and service provider collaboration is information sharing. In this work, arrival scheduling and airspace management data generated by the NASA/FAA Center/TRACON Automation System (CTAS) and used by the FAA service provider is shared with an airline with extensive operations within the CTAS operational domain. The design and development of a specialized airline CTAS "repeater" system is described, as well as some preliminary results of the impact and benefits of this information on the air carrier's operations. FAA controller per aircraft scheduling information, such as that provided by CTAS, has never before been shared in real-time with an airline. Expected airline benefits include improved fleet planning and arrival gate management, more informed "hold-go" decisions, and avoidance of costly aircraft diversions to alternate airports when faced with uncertain airborne arrival delays.

  15. Development and Preliminary Results of CTAS on Airline Operational Control Center Operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zelenka, Richard; Beatty, Roger; Engelland, Shawn

    2004-01-01

    Continued growth and expansion of air traffic and increased air carrier economic pressures have mandated greater flexibility and collaboration in air traffic management. The ability of airspace users to select their own routes, so called "free-flight", and to more actively manage their fleet operations for maximum economic advantage are receiving great attention. A first step toward greater airspace user and service provider collaboration is information sharing. In this work, arrival scheduling and airspace management data generated by the NASA/FAA Center/TRACON Automation System (CTAS) and used by the FAA service provider is shared with an airline with extensive operations within the CTAS operational domain. The design and development of a specialized airline CTAS "repeater" system is described, as well as some preliminary results of the impact and benefits of this information on the air carrier's operations. FAA controller per aircraft scheduling information, such as that provided by CTAS, has never before been shared in real-time with an airline. Expected airline benefits include improved fleet planning and arrival gate management, more informed "hold-go decisions, and avoidance of costly aircraft diversions to alternate airports when faced with uncertain airborne arrival delays.

  16. Antiviral Information Management System (AIMS): a prototype for operational innovation in drug development.

    PubMed

    Jadhav, Pravin R; Neal, Lauren; Florian, Jeff; Chen, Ying; Naeger, Lisa; Robertson, Sarah; Soon, Guoxing; Birnkrant, Debra

    2010-09-01

    This article presents a prototype for an operational innovation in knowledge management (KM). These operational innovations are geared toward managing knowledge efficiently and accessing all available information by embracing advances in bioinformatics and allied fields. The specific components of the proposed KM system are (1) a database to archive hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment data in a structured format and retrieve information in a query-capable manner and (2) an automated analysis tool to inform trial design elements for HCV drug development. The proposed framework is intended to benefit drug development by increasing efficiency of dose selection and improving the consistency of advice from US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is also hoped that the framework will encourage collaboration among FDA, industry, and academic scientists to guide the HCV drug development process using model-based quantitative analysis techniques.

  17. An Analysis of the Twenty-One Missions of the Marine Corps Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1994-06-03

    unconventional warfare capability, consist of Army Special Forces and certain Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps units as assigned. 4. Foreign ;ntgnal Pef~nse (JCS...7. Psychological Operations (JC5 Pub J-Q2): Planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence their...emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately, the behavior of foreign governments, organizations groups, and individuals. The purpose of

  18. Centralized Control of Defense Acquisition Programs: A Comparative Review of the Framework from 1987 - 2003

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2003-09-29

    for information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget...selected to be the Product Manager for the Joint Advanced Special Operations Radio System, at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey and successfully completed a...use,” or in defense terms-- operational effectiveness and suitability. Beyond the business aspects of program management , measurement of system

  19. 75 FR 42089 - Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-07-20

    ... take into account credit and liquidity risks, including operational risks, in selecting correspondents... FDICIA, the Federal Reserve is required to prescribe standards to limit the risks posed by exposure of...

  20. Maintenance manager's manual for small transit agencies. Special report 1985-1986

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

    Fowler, W.

    1988-03-01

    This publication contains information to assist operators of transit agencies providing public transportation in rural and smaller urban areas to better manage their vehicle maintenance programs. The report includes discussions of maintenance management, maintenance programs preventive maintenance, recordkeeping, selection of type of maintenance operation, in-house maintenance, and maintenance practices. Also included are appendixes giving supplementary information about tire loads; lubrication oil; mechanic hand tools; shop tools; mechanic aptitude tests; technical training resources; maintenance management training resources; and lists of manufacturers of air-conditioning systems, wheelchair lifts and wheelchair ramps.

  1. A Selective Encryption Algorithm Based on AES for Medical Information.

    PubMed

    Oh, Ju-Young; Yang, Dong-Il; Chon, Ki-Hwan

    2010-03-01

    The transmission of medical information is currently a daily routine. Medical information needs efficient, robust and secure encryption modes, but cryptography is primarily a computationally intensive process. Towards this direction, we design a selective encryption scheme for critical data transmission. We expand the advandced encrytion stanard (AES)-Rijndael with five criteria: the first is the compression of plain data, the second is the variable size of the block, the third is the selectable round, the fourth is the optimization of software implementation and the fifth is the selective function of the whole routine. We have tested our selective encryption scheme by C(++) and it was compiled with Code::Blocks using a MinGW GCC compiler. The experimental results showed that our selective encryption scheme achieves a faster execution speed of encryption/decryption. In future work, we intend to use resource optimization to enhance the round operations, such as SubByte/InvSubByte, by exploiting similarities between encryption and decryption. As encryption schemes become more widely used, the concept of hardware and software co-design is also a growing new area of interest.

  2. A Selective Encryption Algorithm Based on AES for Medical Information

    PubMed Central

    Oh, Ju-Young; Chon, Ki-Hwan

    2010-01-01

    Objectives The transmission of medical information is currently a daily routine. Medical information needs efficient, robust and secure encryption modes, but cryptography is primarily a computationally intensive process. Towards this direction, we design a selective encryption scheme for critical data transmission. Methods We expand the advandced encrytion stanard (AES)-Rijndael with five criteria: the first is the compression of plain data, the second is the variable size of the block, the third is the selectable round, the fourth is the optimization of software implementation and the fifth is the selective function of the whole routine. We have tested our selective encryption scheme by C++ and it was compiled with Code::Blocks using a MinGW GCC compiler. Results The experimental results showed that our selective encryption scheme achieves a faster execution speed of encryption/decryption. In future work, we intend to use resource optimization to enhance the round operations, such as SubByte/InvSubByte, by exploiting similarities between encryption and decryption. Conclusions As encryption schemes become more widely used, the concept of hardware and software co-design is also a growing new area of interest. PMID:21818420

  3. The use of UAS in disaster response operations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gkotsis, I.; Eftychidis, G.; Kolios, P.

    2017-09-01

    The use of UAS by the emergency services has been received with great interest since UAS provide both informant and helper support in a flexible, effective and efficient manner. This is due to the fact that, UAS can strengthen the operational capabilities related to: prevention (e.g., patrolling of large and hard to reach areas), early detection (e.g., mapping of vulnerable elements), disaster preparedness (e.g., incident inspection), response (mapping damages, search and rescue, provide an ad hoc communication network, monitor evacuation, etc). Through PREDICATE, a project concerning civilian use of drones, the necessary methodologies to guide the selection and operational use of UAS in emergencies, are developed. To guide UAS selection, the project performed a detailed needs assessment in cooperation with civil protection and law enforcement agencies. As a result of this assessment, currently available technologies and market solutions were reviewed leading to the development of an online user-friendly tool to support selection of UAS based on operational requirements. To guide the use of UAS, PREDICATE developed an intelligent path planning toolkit to automate the operation of UAS and ease their use for the various civil protection operations. By employing the aforementioned tools, emergency services will be able to better understand how to select and make use of UAS for watch-keeping and patrolling of their own disaster-prone Regions of Interest. The research, innovation and applicability behind both these tools is detailed in this work.

  4. Methods for Monitoring Fish Communities of Buffalo National River and Ozark National Scenic Riverways in the Ozark Plateaus of Arkansas and Missouri: Version 1.0

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Petersen, James C.; Justus, B.G.; Dodd, H.R.; Bowles, D.E.; Morrison, L.W.; Williams, M.H.; Rowell, G.A.

    2008-01-01

    Buffalo National River located in north-central Arkansas, and Ozark National Scenic Riverways, located in southeastern Missouri, are the two largest units of the National Park Service in the Ozark Plateaus physiographic province. The purpose of this report is to provide a protocol that will be used by the National Park Service to sample fish communities and collect related water-quality, habitat, and stream discharge data of Buffalo National River and Ozark National Scenic Riverways to meet inventory and long-term monitoring objectives. The protocol includes (1) a protocol narrative, (2) several standard operating procedures, and (3) supplemental information helpful for implementation of the protocol. The protocol narrative provides background information about the protocol such as the rationale of why a particular resource or resource issue was selected for monitoring, information concerning the resource or resource issue of interest, a description of how monitoring results will inform management decisions, and a discussion of the linkages between this and other monitoring projects. The standard operating procedures cover preparation, training, reach selection, water-quality sampling, fish community sampling, physical habitat collection, measuring stream discharge, equipment maintenance and storage, data management and analysis, reporting, and protocol revision procedures. Much of the information in the standard operating procedures was gathered from existing protocols of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Assessment program or other sources. Supplemental information that would be helpful for implementing the protocol is included. This information includes information on fish species known or suspected to occur in the parks, sample sites, sample design, fish species traits, index of biotic integrity metrics, sampling equipment, and field forms.

  5. Multiband tangent space mapping and feature selection for classification of EEG during motor imagery.

    PubMed

    Islam, Md Rabiul; Tanaka, Toshihisa; Molla, Md Khademul Islam

    2018-05-08

    When designing multiclass motor imagery-based brain-computer interface (MI-BCI), a so-called tangent space mapping (TSM) method utilizing the geometric structure of covariance matrices is an effective technique. This paper aims to introduce a method using TSM for finding accurate operational frequency bands related brain activities associated with MI tasks. A multichannel electroencephalogram (EEG) signal is decomposed into multiple subbands, and tangent features are then estimated on each subband. A mutual information analysis-based effective algorithm is implemented to select subbands containing features capable of improving motor imagery classification accuracy. Thus obtained features of selected subbands are combined to get feature space. A principal component analysis-based approach is employed to reduce the features dimension and then the classification is accomplished by a support vector machine (SVM). Offline analysis demonstrates the proposed multiband tangent space mapping with subband selection (MTSMS) approach outperforms state-of-the-art methods. It acheives the highest average classification accuracy for all datasets (BCI competition dataset 2a, IIIa, IIIb, and dataset JK-HH1). The increased classification accuracy of MI tasks with the proposed MTSMS approach can yield effective implementation of BCI. The mutual information-based subband selection method is implemented to tune operation frequency bands to represent actual motor imagery tasks.

  6. Controlling Working Memory Operations by Selective Gating: The Roles of Oscillations and Synchrony

    PubMed Central

    Dipoppa, Mario; Szwed, Marcin; Gutkin, Boris S.

    2016-01-01

    Working memory (WM) is a primary cognitive function that corresponds to the ability to update, stably maintain, and manipulate short-term memory (ST M) rapidly to perform ongoing cognitive tasks. A prevalent neural substrate of WM coding is persistent neural activity, the property of neurons to remain active after having been activated by a transient sensory stimulus. This persistent activity allows for online maintenance of memory as well as its active manipulation necessary for task performance. WM is tightly capacity limited. Therefore, selective gating of sensory and internally generated information is crucial for WM function. While the exact neural substrate of selective gating remains unclear, increasing evidence suggests that it might be controlled by modulating ongoing oscillatory brain activity. Here, we review experiments and models that linked selective gating, persistent activity, and brain oscillations, putting them in the more general mechanistic context of WM. We do so by defining several operations necessary for successful WM function and then discussing how such operations may be carried out by mechanisms suggested by computational models. We specifically show how oscillatory mechanisms may provide a rapid and flexible active gating mechanism for WM operations. PMID:28154616

  7. Controlling Working Memory Operations by Selective Gating: The Roles of Oscillations and Synchrony.

    PubMed

    Dipoppa, Mario; Szwed, Marcin; Gutkin, Boris S

    2016-01-01

    Working memory (WM) is a primary cognitive function that corresponds to the ability to update, stably maintain, and manipulate short-term memory (ST M) rapidly to perform ongoing cognitive tasks. A prevalent neural substrate of WM coding is persistent neural activity , the property of neurons to remain active after having been activated by a transient sensory stimulus. This persistent activity allows for online maintenance of memory as well as its active manipulation necessary for task performance. WM is tightly capacity limited. Therefore, selective gating of sensory and internally generated information is crucial for WM function. While the exact neural substrate of selective gating remains unclear, increasing evidence suggests that it might be controlled by modulating ongoing oscillatory brain activity. Here, we review experiments and models that linked selective gating, persistent activity, and brain oscillations, putting them in the more general mechanistic context of WM. We do so by defining several operations necessary for successful WM function and then discussing how such operations may be carried out by mechanisms suggested by computational models. We specifically show how oscillatory mechanisms may provide a rapid and flexible active gating mechanism for WM operations.

  8. Selecting the Best Mobile Information Service with Natural Language User Input

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Feng, Qiangze; Qi, Hongwei; Fukushima, Toshikazu

    Information services accessed via mobile phones provide information directly relevant to subscribers’ daily lives and are an area of dynamic market growth worldwide. Although many information services are currently offered by mobile operators, many of the existing solutions require a unique gateway for each service, and it is inconvenient for users to have to remember a large number of such gateways. Furthermore, the Short Message Service (SMS) is very popular in China and Chinese users would prefer to access these services in natural language via SMS. This chapter describes a Natural Language Based Service Selection System (NL3S) for use with a large number of mobile information services. The system can accept user queries in natural language and navigate it to the required service. Since it is difficult for existing methods to achieve high accuracy and high coverage and anticipate which other services a user might want to query, the NL3S is developed based on a Multi-service Ontology (MO) and Multi-service Query Language (MQL). The MO and MQL provide semantic and linguistic knowledge, respectively, to facilitate service selection for a user query and to provide adaptive service recommendations. Experiments show that the NL3S can achieve 75-95% accuracies and 85-95% satisfactions for processing various styles of natural language queries. A trial involving navigation of 30 different mobile services shows that the NL3S can provide a viable commercial solution for mobile operators.

  9. Past and Ongoing Tsetse and Animal Trypanosomiasis Control Operations in Five African Countries: A Systematic Review

    PubMed Central

    Holt, Hannah R.; Selby, Richard; Guitian, Javier

    2016-01-01

    Background Control operations targeting Animal African Trypanosomiasis and its primary vector, the tsetse, were covering approximately 128,000 km2 of Africa in 2001, which is a mere 1.3% of the tsetse infested area. Although extensive trypanosomiasis and tsetse (T&T) control operations have been running since the beginning of the 20th century, Animal African Trypanosomiasis is still a major constraint of livestock production in sub-Saharan Africa. Methodology/Principal Findings We performed a systematic review of the existing literature describing T&T control programmes conducted in a selection of five African countries, namely Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Uganda and Zambia, between 1980 and 2015. Sixty-eight documents were eventually selected from those identified by the database search. This was supplemented with information gathered through semi-structured interviews conducted with twelve key informants recruited in the study countries and selected based on their experience and knowledge of T&T control. The combined information from these two sources was used to describe the inputs, processes and outcomes from 23 major T&T control programmes implemented in the study countries. Although there were some data gaps, involvement of the target communities and sustainability of the control activities were identified as the two main issues faced by these programmes. Further, there was a lack of evaluation of these control programmes, as well as a lack of a standardised methodology to conduct such evaluations. Conclusions/Significance Past experiences demonstrated that coordinated and sustained control activities require careful planning, and evidence of successes, failures and setbacks from past control programmes represent a mine of information. As there is a lack of evaluation of these programmes, these data have not been fully exploited for the design, analyses and justification of future control programmes. PMID:28027299

  10. UV DISINFECTION GUIDANCE MANUAL FOR THE ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Provides technical information on selection, design and operation of UV systems; provides regulatory agencies with guidance and the necessary tools to assess UV systems at the design, start-up, and routine operation phase; provides manufacturers with the testing and performance standards for UV components and systems for treating drinking water. Provide guidance to water systems, regulators and manufacturers on UV disinfection of drinking water.

  11. Top-down modulation: Bridging selective attention and working memory

    PubMed Central

    Gazzaley, Adam; Nobre, Anna C.

    2012-01-01

    Selective attention, the ability to focus our cognitive resources on information relevant to our goals, influences working memory (WM) performance. Indeed, attention and working memory are increasingly viewed as overlapping constructs. Here, we review recent evidence from human neurophysiological studies demonstrating that top-down modulation serves as a common neural mechanism underlying these two cognitive operations. The core features include activity modulation in stimulus-selective sensory cortices with concurrent engagement of prefrontal and parietal control regions that function as sources of top-down signals. Notably, top-down modulation is engaged during both stimulus-present and stimulus-absent stages of WM tasks, i.e., expectation of an ensuing stimulus to be remembered, selection and encoding of stimuli, maintenance of relevant information in mind and memory retrieval. PMID:22209601

  12. Operator interface design considerations for a PACS information management system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Steinke, James E.; Nabijee, Kamal H.; Freeman, Rick H.; Prior, Fred W.

    1990-08-01

    As prototype PACS grow into fully digital departmental and hospital-wide systems, effective information storage and retrieval mechanisms become increasingly important. Thus far, designers of PACS workstations have concentrated on image communication and display functionality. The new challenge is to provide appropriate operator interface environments to facilitate information retrieval. The "Marburg Model" 1 provides a detailed analysis of the functions, control flows and data structures used in Radiology. It identifies a set of "actors" who perform information manipulation functions. Drawing on this model and its associated methodology it is possible to identify four modes of use of information systems in Radiology: Clinical Routine, Research, Consultation, and Administration. Each mode has its own specific access requirements and views of information. An operator interface strategy appropriate for each mode will be proposed. Clinical Routine mode is the principal concern of PACS primary diagnosis workstations. In a full PACS implementation, such workstations must provide a simple and consistent navigational aid for the on-line image database, a local work list of cases to be reviewed, and easy access to information from other hospital information systems. A hierarchical method of information access is preferred because it provides the ability to start at high-level entities and iteratively narrow the scope of information from which to select subsequent operations. An implementation using hierarchical, nested software windows which fulfills such requirements shall be examined.

  13. Warfighter Information Network-Tactical Increment 3 (WIN-T Inc 3)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-12-01

    T vehicles employed at BCT, Fires, (Ch-1) WIN-T Inc 3 December 2013 SAR April 16, 2014 16:49:41 UNCLASSIFIED 13 AVN , BfSB, and select force...passengers and crew from small arms fire, mines, IED and other anti-vehicle/ personnel threats. AVN , BfSB, and select force pooled assets...small arms fire, mines, IED and other anti-vehicle/ personnel threats. AVN , BfSB, and select force pooled assets operating within the

  14. The Design of an Information Management Program for Headquarters, Department of the Army. Phase 2. Detailed Report.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-02-26

    information management problems identified by Arthur Young & Companyt , Phase I and Phase II study for Headquarters, Department of the Army. The discussions...current HQDA operations were conducted to allow Arthur Young & Company to determine what is needed and what is feasible for managing HQDA’s information...answering these inquiries, and what costs were involved in satisfying the information request. The selection of individual case studies was based upon

  15. High-temperature experimental and thermodynamic modelling research on the pyrometallurgical processing of copper

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hidayat, Taufiq; Shishin, Denis; Decterov, Sergei A.; Hayes, Peter C.; Jak, Evgueni

    2017-01-01

    Uncertainty in the metal price and competition between producers mean that the daily operation of a smelter needs to target high recovery of valuable elements at low operating cost. Options for the improvement of the plant operation can be examined and decision making can be informed based on accurate information from laboratory experimentation coupled with predictions using advanced thermodynamic models. Integrated high-temperature experimental and thermodynamic modelling research on phase equilibria and thermodynamics of copper-containing systems have been undertaken at the Pyrometallurgy Innovation Centre (PYROSEARCH). The experimental phase equilibria studies involve high-temperature equilibration, rapid quenching and direct measurement of phase compositions using electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPMA). The thermodynamic modelling deals with the development of accurate thermodynamic database built through critical evaluation of experimental data, selection of solution models, and optimization of models parameters. The database covers the Al-Ca-Cu-Fe-Mg-O-S-Si chemical system. The gas, slag, matte, liquid and solid metal phases, spinel solid solution as well as numerous solid oxide and sulphide phases are included. The database works within the FactSage software environment. Examples of phase equilibria data and thermodynamic models of selected systems, as well as possible implementation of the research outcomes to selected copper making processes are presented.

  16. Small Transit Vehicles : State-of-the-Art Overview

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1981-08-01

    This document presents both an update and expansion of a 1975 Technology Sharing document which profiled small transit vehicles. This document presents information on the vehicles available and on the selection, procurement, and operational considera...

  17. Dynamic Modelling of User Decision-Making in Selecting Information Services at a University Research Center.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Evans, John E.

    This research is concerned with the pragmatic performance characteristics of competing information technologies (ITs) and services in the university research center, as measured by user demand and choice. Technologies and services studied include: (1) mediated search service operating at cost recovery, open to all; (2) end-user service collecting…

  18. Study to determine the IFR operational profile and problems of the general aviation single pilot

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Weislogel, G. S.

    1983-01-01

    General aviation single pilot operating under instrument flight rules (GA SPIFR) was studied. The objectives of the study were to (1) develop a GA SPIFR operational profile, (2) identify problems experienced by the GA SPIFR pilot, and (3) identify research tasks which have the potential for eliminating or reducing the severity of the problems. To obtain the information necessary to accomplish these objectives, a mail questionnaire survey of instrument rated pilots was conducted. The general aviation IFR single pilot operational profile and selected data analysis examples are presented.

  19. 76 FR 5432 - Enhanced-Use Lease (EUL) of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Real Property at the Charlie...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-31

    ... selected lessee will finance, design, develop, renovate, manage, maintain and operate the EUL development... Veterans toward attaining long-term self-sufficiency. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Edward Bradley...

  20. European dry cooling tower operating experience

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

    DeSteese, J.G.; Simhan, K.

    1976-03-01

    Interviews were held with representatives of major plants and equipment manufacturers to obtain current information on operating experience with dry cooling towers in Europe. The report documents the objectives, background, and organizational details of the study, and presents an itemized account of contacts made to obtain information. Plant selection was based on a merit index involving thermal capacity and length of service. A questionnaire was used to organize operational data, when available, into nine major categories of experience. Information was also solicited concerning the use of codes and standards to ensure the achievement of cooling tower performance. Several plant operatorsmore » provided finned-tube samples for metallographic analysis. Additionally, information on both operating experience and developing technology was supplied by European technical societies and research establishments. Information obtained from these contacts provides an updated and representative sample of European experience with dry cooling towers, which supplements some of the detailed reviews already available in the literature. In addition, the study presents categorized operating experience with installations which have not been reviewed so extensively, but nevertheless, have significant operational histories when ranked by the merit index. The contacts and interviews reported in the survey occurred between late March and October 1975. The study was motivated by the expressed interest of U.S. utility industry representatives who expect European experience to provide a basis of confidence that dry cooling is a reliable technology, applicable when necessary, to U.S. operating requirements.« less

  1. Evaluation of Bridges Subjected to Military Loading and Dynamic Hydraulic Effects: Review of Design Regulations, Selection Criteria, and Inspection Procedures for Bridge Railing Systems

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-08-01

    Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any...may be required by the United States Customs and Immigration Services, in connection with the operation of an international bridge or tunnel. ERDC...significant effect on the operation , service quality, and safety of road networks by restricting the traffic volume and vehicle weight that can be

  2. Ground Systems Development and Operations: Exploration Begins Here

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hanna, Mary; Phillips, Pepper; VanNes, Timothy

    2012-01-01

    Hunger Hydraulik of Lohr, Germany has been selected as the vendor to build replacement Jacking, Leveling and Equalization cylinders for one Crawler Transporter. A site visit has been scheduled and a overview of how the Crawler Transporter fits into KSC launch operations will be presented as information. The presentation will be presented on July 11, 2012 by Pepper Phillips, the Program Manager for GSDO.

  3. Basic Proactive DMSMS Management with Anti-Counterfeiting Considerations

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-10-01

    will solve all of your DMSMS t bl managemen pro ems • The Business Case Analysis (BCA) Helps to make selections among alternative courses of...to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington VA...DMSMS • Criteria for Success • General History DMSMS and You• 2 Helpful Information Ab t th I t t • ou e ns ruc or • Contact Information • Web and

  4. Evaluating and selecting an information system, Part 1.

    PubMed

    Neal, T

    1993-01-01

    Initial steps in the process of evaluating and selecting a computerized information system for the pharmacy department are described. The first step in the selection process is to establish a steering committee and a project committee. The steering committee oversees the project, providing policy guidance, making major decisions, and allocating budgeted expenditures. The project committee conducts the departmental needs assessment, identifies system requirements, performs day-to-day functions, evaluates vendor proposals, trains personnel, and implements the system chosen. The second step is the assessment of needs in terms of personnel, workload, physical layout, and operating requirements. The needs assessment should be based on the department's mission statement and strategic plan. The third step is the development of a request for information (RFI) and a request for proposal (RFP). The RFI is a document designed for gathering preliminary information from a wide range of vendors; this general information is used in deciding whether to send the RFP to a given vendor. The RFP requests more detailed information and gives the purchaser's exact specifications for a system; the RFP also includes contractual information. To help ensure project success, many institutions turn to computer consultants for guidance. The initial steps in selecting a computerized pharmacy information system are establishing computerization committees, conducting a needs assessment, and writing an RFI and an RFP. A crucial early decision is whether to seek a consultant's expertise.

  5. Information theoretic analysis of canny edge detection in visual communication

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiang, Bo; Rahman, Zia-ur

    2011-06-01

    In general edge detection evaluation, the edge detectors are examined, analyzed, and compared either visually or with a metric for specific an application. This analysis is usually independent of the characteristics of the image-gathering, transmission and display processes that do impact the quality of the acquired image and thus, the resulting edge image. We propose a new information theoretic analysis of edge detection that unites the different components of the visual communication channel and assesses edge detection algorithms in an integrated manner based on Shannon's information theory. The edge detection algorithm here is considered to achieve high performance only if the information rate from the scene to the edge approaches the maximum possible. Thus, by setting initial conditions of the visual communication system as constant, different edge detection algorithms could be evaluated. This analysis is normally limited to linear shift-invariant filters so in order to examine the Canny edge operator in our proposed system, we need to estimate its "power spectral density" (PSD). Since the Canny operator is non-linear and shift variant, we perform the estimation for a set of different system environment conditions using simulations. In our paper we will first introduce the PSD of the Canny operator for a range of system parameters. Then, using the estimated PSD, we will assess the Canny operator using information theoretic analysis. The information-theoretic metric is also used to compare the performance of the Canny operator with other edge-detection operators. This also provides a simple tool for selecting appropriate edgedetection algorithms based on system parameters, and for adjusting their parameters to maximize information throughput.

  6. Sensor assignment to mission in AI-TECD

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ganger, Robert; de Mel, Geeth; Pham, Tien; Rudnicki, Ronald; Schreiber, Yonatan

    2016-05-01

    Sensor-mission assignment involves the allocation of sensors and other information-providing resources to missions in order to cover the information needs of the individual tasks within each mission. The importance of efficient and effective means to find appropriate resources for tasks is exacerbated in the coalition context where the operational environment is dynamic and a multitude of critically important tasks need to achieve their collective goals to meet the objectives of the coalition. The Sensor Assignment to Mission (SAM) framework—a research product of the International Technology Alliance in Network and Information Sciences (NIS-ITA) program—provided the first knowledge intensive resource selection approach for the sensor network domain so that contextual information could be used to effectively select resources for tasks in coalition environments. Recently, CUBRC, Inc. was tasked with operationalizing the SAM framework through the use of the I2WD Common Core Ontologies for the Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) sponsored Actionable Intelligence Technology Enabled Capabilities Demonstration (AI-TECD). The demonstration event took place at Fort Dix, New Jersey during July 2015, and this paper discusses the integration and the successful demonstration of the SAM framework within the AI-TECD, lessons learned, and its potential impact in future operations.

  7. SWEIS annual review - CY2002 : a comparison of CY2002 operations to projections included in the site-wide environmental impact statement for continued operation of Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico.

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

    Bayliss, Linda Sue; White, Brenda Bailey; Guerrero, Joseph Vincent

    2003-10-01

    The SNL/NM CY2002 SWEIS Annual Review discusses changes in facilities and facility operations that have occurred in selected and notable facilities since source data were collected for the SNL/NM SWEIS (DOE/EIS-0281). The following information is presented: {sm_bullet} An updated overview of SNL/NM selected and notable facilities and infrastructure capabilities. {sm_bullet} An overview of SNL/NM environment, safety, and health programs, including summaries of the purpose, operations, activities, hazards, and hazard controls at relevant facilities and risk management methods for SNL/NM. {sm_bullet} Updated base year activities data, together with related inventories, material consumption, emissions, waste, and resource consumption. {sm_bullet} Appendices summarizing activitiesmore » and related hazards at SNL/NM individual special, general, and highbay laboratories, and chemical purchases.« less

  8. STK Integrated Message Production List Editor (SIMPLE) for CEO Operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Trenchard, Mike; Heydorn, James

    2014-01-01

    Late in fiscal year 2011, the Crew Earth Observations (CEO) team was tasked to upgrade and replace its mission planning and mission operations software systems, which were developed in the Space Shuttle era of the 1980s and 1990s. The impetuses for this change were the planned transition of all workstations to the Windows 7 64-bit operating system and the desire for more efficient and effective use of Satellite Tool Kit (STK) software required for reliable International Space Station (ISS) Earth location tracking. An additional requirement of this new system was the use of the same SQL database of CEO science sites from the SMMS, which was also being developed. STK Integrated Message Production List Editor (SIMPLE) is the essential, all-in-one tool now used by CEO staff to perform daily ISS mission planning to meet its requirement to acquire astronaut photography of specific sites on Earth. The sites are part of a managed, long-term database that has been defined and developed for scientific, educational, and public interest. SIMPLE's end product is a set of basic time and location data computed for an operator-selected set of targets that the ISS crew will be asked to photograph (photography is typically planned 12 to 36 hours out). The CEO operator uses SIMPLE to (a) specify a payload operations planning period; (b) acquire and validate the best available ephemeris data (vectors) for the ISS during the planning period; (c) ingest and display mission-specific site information from the CEO database; (d) identify and display potential current dynamic event targets as map features; (e) compute and display time and location information for each target; (f) screen and select targets based on known crew availability constraints, obliquity constraints, and real-time evaluated constraints to target visibility due to illumination (sun elevation) and atmospheric conditions (weather); and finally (g) incorporate basic, computed time and location information for each selected target into the daily CEO Target List product (message) for submission to ISS payload planning and integration teams for their review and approval prior to uplink. SIMPLE requires and uses the following resources: an ISS mission planning period Greenwich Mean Time start date/time and end date/time), the best available ISS mission ephemeris data (vectors) for that planning period, the STK software package configured for the ISS, and an ISS mission-specific subset of the CEO sites database. The primary advantages realized by the development and implementation of SIMPLE into the CEO payload operations support activity are a smooth transition to the Windows 7 operating system upon scheduled workstation refresh; streamlining of the input and verification of the current ISS ephemeris (vector data); seamless incorporation of selected contents of the SQL database of science sites; the ability to tag and display potential dynamic event opportunities on orbit track maps; simplification of the display and selection of encountered sites based on crew availability, illumination, obliquity, and weather constraints; the incorporation of high-quality mapping of the Earth with various satellite-based datasets for use in describing targets; and the ability to encapsulate and export the essential selected target elements in XML format for use by onboard Earth-location systems, such as Worldmap. SIMPLE is a carefully designed and crafted in-house software package that includes detailed help files for the user and meticulous internal documentation for future modifications. It was delivered in February 2012 for test and evaluation. Following acceptance, it was implemented for CEO mission operations support in May 2012.

  9. Variations Among Pilots from Different Flight Operations in Party Line Information Requirements for Situation Awareness

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pritchett, Amy; Hansman, John

    1997-01-01

    Current air traffic control communications use shared VHF voice frequencies from which pilots can obtain 'party line' information (PLI) by overhearing communications addressed to other aircraft. Previous studies have shown that pilots perceive PLI to be important. There is concern that some critical PLI may be lost in the proposed data link environment, where communications will be discretely addressed. Different types of flight operations will be equipped with data link equipment at different times, generating a mixed environment in which some pilots will rely on PLI, while others will receive their information by data link. To research the importance, availability, and accuracy of PLI and to query pilots on the information they feel is necessary for global situation awareness, a survey was distributed to pilots. The pilots were selected from four flight operation groups to study the variations in PLI requirements in the mixed data link environment. Pilots perceived PLI to be important overall, with specific traffic and weather information elements identified as critical. Most PLI elements followed a pattern of higher perceived importance during terminal area operations, final approach, and landing. Pilots from the different flight operation groups identified some elements as particularly important. In a free-response question designed to identify the information requirements for global situation awareness, pilots frequently indicated a need for traffic and weather information. The results of this survey reveal specific concerns to be addressed when implementing data link communications.

  10. Search Hardware: Latest and Greatest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alberico, Ralph

    1988-01-01

    Uses the different search environments of information brokers and institutional searchers to illustrate the factors that should be considered when selecting microcomputers for search operations. The factors discussed include speed, storage capabilities, displays, modems, printing technologies, facsimile transmission, and portability. A directory…

  11. Dietary Supplements for Musculoskeletal Pain: Science Versus Claims.

    PubMed

    Crawford, Cindy; Saldanha, Leila; Costello, Rebecca; Deuster, Patricia A

    2018-01-01

    Special Operations Forces (SOF) face unique challenges that manifest themselves both mentally and physically. The extremes of training and combat can affect the readiness to perform at peak levels, especially when confronted with musculoskeletal pain. Many SOF Operators turn to dietary supplements in hopes of gaining an edge. Although some supplements are now being marketed for pain, decisions to use these products need to be driven by information that is evidence based. We describe SOF-specific evidence-based recommendations for the use of dietary ingredients for pain that emerged from a rigorous scientific evaluation. These recommendations are compared with the label claims made in the commercial market by companies selling products to combat musculoskeletal pain. This information can be used by the SOF medical community to assist Operators in making informed decisions when considering or selecting dietary supplements for maintaining and optimizing performance. 2018.

  12. Universal Payload Information Management

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Elmore, Ralph B.

    2003-01-01

    As the overall manager and integrator of International Space Station (ISS) science payloads, the Payload Operations Integration Center (POIC) at Marshall Space Flight Center has a critical need to provide an information management system for exchange and control of ISS payload files as well as to coordinate ISS payload related operational changes. The POIC's information management system has a fundamental requirement to provide secure operational access not only to users physically located at the POIC, but also to remote experimenters and International Partners physically located in different parts of the world. The Payload Information Management System (PIMS) is a ground-based electronic document configuration management and collaborative workflow system that was built to service the POIC's information management needs. This paper discusses the application components that comprise the PIMS system, the challenges that influenced its design and architecture, and the selected technologies it employs. This paper will also touch on the advantages of the architecture, details of the user interface, and lessons learned along the way to a successful deployment. With PIMS, a sophisticated software solution has been built that is not only universally accessible for POIC customer s information management needs, but also universally adaptable in implementation and application as a generalized information management system.

  13. Visualization tool for human-machine interface designers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prevost, Michael P.; Banda, Carolyn P.

    1991-06-01

    As modern human-machine systems continue to grow in capabilities and complexity, system operators are faced with integrating and managing increased quantities of information. Since many information components are highly related to each other, optimizing the spatial and temporal aspects of presenting information to the operator has become a formidable task for the human-machine interface (HMI) designer. The authors describe a tool in an early stage of development, the Information Source Layout Editor (ISLE). This tool is to be used for information presentation design and analysis; it uses human factors guidelines to assist the HMI designer in the spatial layout of the information required by machine operators to perform their tasks effectively. These human factors guidelines address such areas as the functional and physical relatedness of information sources. By representing these relationships with metaphors such as spring tension, attractors, and repellers, the tool can help designers visualize the complex constraint space and interacting effects of moving displays to various alternate locations. The tool contains techniques for visualizing the relative 'goodness' of a configuration, as well as mechanisms such as optimization vectors to provide guidance toward a more optimal design. Also available is a rule-based design checker to determine compliance with selected human factors guidelines.

  14. DBMS UTILIZATION: A Corporate Information System (CIS) development approach

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rozett, P.

    1983-01-01

    The Corporate Information System (CIS), an integrated information system intended to tie the corporation together as a functioning entity, is described. In addition to being a major upgraded automated data processing system, the CIS is a management philosophy which recognizes data as a valuable corporate resource and which distinguishes between data and selected data, or information. It further recognizes that different users need different kinds of information. Plans for CIS development are discussed. It will offer its users not just after-the-fact data, but timely information in a format that is meaningful and useful to the particular user, so that the information can be applied in planning, controlling, and decision making by all levels of management. In effect, CIS will help the corporation itself to function as a total, integrated system by typing together administrative activities through information exchange. The CIS supports the operational, tactical control, and strategic planning functions of the corporation. Operational functions are the day-to-day processing necessary to support the corporation's work, such as purchasing and payroll.

  15. Theorizing and researching levels of processing in self-regulated learning.

    PubMed

    Winne, Philip H

    2018-03-01

    Deep versus surface knowledge is widely discussed by educational practitioners. A corresponding construct, levels of processing, has received extensive theoretical and empirical attention in learning science and psychology. In both arenas, lower levels of information and shallower levels of processing are predicted and generally empirically demonstrated to limit knowledge learners gain, curtail what they can do with newly acquired knowledge, and shorten the life span of recently acquired knowledge. I recapitulate major accounts of levels or depth of information and information processing to set a stage for conceptualizing, first, self-regulated learning (SRL) from this perspective and, second, how a "levels-sensitive" approach might be implemented in research about SRL. I merge the levels construct into a model of SRL (Winne, 2011, Handbook of self-regulation of learning and performance (pp. 15-32), New York: Routledge; Winne, 2017b, Handbook of self-regulation of learning and performance (2 nd ed.), New York: Routledge; Winne & Hadwin, 1998, Metacognition in educational theory and practice (pp. 277-304). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum) conceptually and with respect to operationally defining the levels construct in the context of SRL in relation to each of the model's four phases - surveying task conditions, setting goals and planning, engaging the task, and composing major adaptations for future tasks. Select illustrations are provided for each phase of SRL. Regarding phase 3, a software system called nStudy is introduced as state-of-the-art instrumentation for gathering fine-grained, time-stamped trace data about information learners select for processing and operations they use to process that information. Self-regulated learning can be viewed through a lens of the levels construct, and operational definitions can be designed to research SRL with respect to levels. While information can be organized arbitrarily deeply, the levels construct may not be particularly useful for distinguishing among processes except in a sense that, because processes in SRL operate on information with depth, they epiphenomenally acquire characteristics of levels. Thus, SRL per se is not a deeper kind of processing. Instead, it is processing more complex - deeper - information about a different topic, namely processes for learning. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

  16. Eukaryotic ribosome display with in situ DNA recovery.

    PubMed

    He, Mingyue; Edwards, Bryan M; Kastelic, Damjana; Taussig, Michael J

    2012-01-01

    Ribosome display is a cell-free display technology for in vitro selection and optimisation of proteins from large diversified libraries. It operates through the formation of stable protein-ribosome-mRNA (PRM) complexes and selection of ligand-binding proteins, followed by DNA recovery from the selected genetic information. Both prokaryotic and eukaryotic ribosome display systems have been developed. In this chapter, we describe the eukaryotic rabbit reticulocyte method in which a distinct in situ single-primer RT-PCR procedure is used to recover DNA from the selected PRM complexes without the need for prior disruption of the ribosome.

  17. Building blocks for subleading helicity operators

    DOE PAGES

    Kolodrubetz, Daniel W.; Moult, Ian; Stewart, Iain W.

    2016-05-24

    On-shell helicity methods provide powerful tools for determining scattering amplitudes, which have a one-to-one correspondence with leading power helicity operators in the Soft-Collinear Effective Theory (SCET) away from singular regions of phase space. We show that helicity based operators are also useful for enumerating power suppressed SCET operators, which encode subleading amplitude information about singular limits. In particular, we present a complete set of scalar helicity building blocks that are valid for constructing operators at any order in the SCET power expansion. In conclusion, we also describe an interesting angular momentum selection rule that restricts how these building blocks canmore » be assembled.« less

  18. Human Cognition and Information Display in C3I System Tasks.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-12-01

    goes without saying that rule-based tasks are the easiest to automate, but for reasons discussed earlier, they still merit our attention . Moreover...selective attention task. Since selective attention must operate after memory retrieval, it is only when different responses are elicited that the...stimuli that is processed by impairing the memory traces of signals that originally attract less attention . Although the research reviewed above gives

  19. Object-Oriented Approach to Integrating Database Semantics. Volume 4.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1987-12-01

    schemata for; 1. Object Classification Shema -- Entities 2. Object Structure and Relationship Schema -- Relations 3. Operation Classification and... relationships are represented in a database is non- intuitive for naive users. *It is difficult to access and combine information in multiple databases. In this...from the CURRENT-.CLASSES table. Choosing a selected item do-selects it. Choose 0 to exit. 1. STUDENTS 2. CUR~RENT-..CLASSES 3. MANAGMNT -.CLASS

  20. A Web-Based Search Service to Support Imaging Spectrometer Instrument Operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smith, Alexander; Thompson, David R.; Sayfi, Elias; Xing, Zhangfan; Castano, Rebecca

    2013-01-01

    Imaging spectrometers yield rich and informative data products, but interpreting them demands time and expertise. There is a continual need for new algorithms and methods for rapid first-draft analyses to assist analysts during instrument opera-tions. Intelligent data analyses can summarize scenes to draft geologic maps, searching images to direct op-erator attention to key features. This validates data quality while facilitating rapid tactical decision making to select followup targets. Ideally these algorithms would operate in seconds, never grow bored, and be free from observation bias about the kinds of mineral-ogy that will be found.

  1. Determining the Value of Future Information

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-03-01

    trouble spots around the world, help plan military operations, and monitor the environment. The NRO’s Operational Support Office ( OSO ) “orchestrates...offices” (Parnell, Bennet, Engelbrecht, Szafranski, 2002:77). Parnell’s team’s research was intended “to help the OSO to identify and develop high- value...tasks that directly support OSO and NRO strategic objectives and to select the best portfolio of tasks to meet resource and programmatic constraints

  2. Sleep-dependent memory triage: Evolving generalization through selective processing

    PubMed Central

    Stickgold, Robert; Walker, Matthew P.

    2018-01-01

    The brain does not retain all the information it encodes in a day. Much is forgotten, and of those memories retained, their subsequent “evolution” can follow any of a number of pathways. Emerging data makes clear that sleep is a compelling candidate for performing many of these operations. But how does the sleeping brain know which information to preserve and which to forget? What should sleep do with that information it chooses to keep? For information that is retained, sleep can integrate it into existing memory networks, look for common patterns and distill overarching rules, or simply stabilize and strengthen the memory exactly as it was learned. We suggest such “memory triage” lies at the heart of a sleep-dependent memory processing system that selects new information, in a discriminatory manner, and assimilates it into the brain’s vast armamentarium of evolving knowledge, helping guide each organism through its own, unique life. PMID:23354387

  3. MRNIDX - Marine Data Index: Database Description, Operation, Retrieval, and Display

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Paskevich, Valerie F.

    1982-01-01

    A database referencing the location and content of data stored on magnetic medium was designed to assist in the indexing of time-series and spatially dependent marine geophysical data collected or processed by the U. S. Geological Survey. The database was designed and created for input to the Geologic Retrieval and Synopsis Program (GRASP) to allow selective retrievals of information pertaining to location of data, data format, cruise, geographical bounds and collection dates of data. This information is then used to locate the stored data for administrative purposes or further processing. Database utilization is divided into three distinct operations. The first is the inventorying of the data and the updating of the database, the second is the retrieval of information from the database, and the third is the graphic display of the geographical boundaries to which the retrieved information pertains.

  4. Information Presentation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Holden, Kritina; Sandor, A.; Thompson, S. G.; McCann, R. S.; Kaiser, M. K.; Begault, D. R.; Adelstein, B. D.; Beutter, B. R.; Stone, L. S.

    2008-01-01

    The goal of the Information Presentation Directed Research Project (DRP) is to address design questions related to the presentation of information to the crew on flight vehicles, surface landers and habitats, and during extra-vehicular activities (EVA). Designers of displays and controls for exploration missions must be prepared to select the text formats, label styles, alarms, electronic procedure designs, and cursor control devices that provide for optimal crew performance on exploration tasks. The major areas of work, or subtasks, within the Information Presentation DRP are: 1) Controls, 2) Displays, 3) Procedures, and 4) EVA Operations.

  5. Eco-driving : strategic, tactical, and operational decisions of the driver that improve vehicle fuel economy.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-08-01

    "This report presents information about the effects of decisions that a driver can make to : influence on-road fuel economy of light-duty vehicles. These include strategic decisions : (vehicle selection and maintenance), tactical decisions (route sel...

  6. Helicopter noise survey at selected New York City heliports

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1983-03-31

    The FAA conducted a noise measurement survey of helicopter operations at three principal heliports in the borough of Manhattan in New York City on November 16-17, 1982. The purpose was to gather needed information for defining noise problems with in-...

  7. Selected Mechanized Scientific and Technical Information Systems.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ackerman, Lynn, Ed.; And Others

    The publication describes the following thirteen computer-based, operational systems designed primarily for the announcement, storage, retrieval and secondary distribution of scientific and technical reports: Defense Documentation Center; Highway Research Board; National Aeronautics and Space Administration; National Library of Medicine; U.S.…

  8. Celescope catalog of ultraviolet stellar observations. Magnetic tape version. [Orbiting Astronomical Observatory

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Davis, R. J.; Deutschman, W. A.; Haramundanis, K. L.

    1973-01-01

    Observational results obtained by the celescope experiment during the first 16 months of operation of NASA's Orbiting Astronomical Observatory are presented. Results of the stellar observations are listed along with selected ground-based information obtained from the available literature.

  9. Cost estimates for selected California smart traveler operation tests. Volume 1, technical report

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1993-03-01

    The original "California Smart Traveler" report describes how telephone-based information systems can be used to develop new types of public transportation services (e.g. single-trip carpools) and to integrate these new services with conventional tra...

  10. Stray Current Corrosion in Electrified Rail Systems - Final Report

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1995-05-01

    The objectives of this study were (1)to assess the scope of stray-current corrosion on electrified rail systems based upon information in the literature and from interviews with selected transit system operators, and (2)to determine whether new or ad...

  11. On-board multispectral classification study. Volume 2: Supplementary tasks. [adaptive control

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ewalt, D.

    1979-01-01

    The operational tasks of the onboard multispectral classification study were defined. These tasks include: sensing characteristics for future space applications; information adaptive systems architectural approaches; data set selection criteria; and onboard functional requirements for interfacing with global positioning satellites.

  12. Smoke Detector Technology.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Powell, Pamela, Ed.; Portugill, Jestyn, Ed.

    This manual, one in a series developed for public education, provides information on smoke detector selection, installation, operation, and maintenance. For the prospective buyer, the importance of looking for the seal of a recognized national testing laboratory--such as Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc. (UL)--indicating adequate laboratory testing…

  13. A pictorial review of reconstructive foot and ankle surgery: hallux abductovalgus

    PubMed Central

    Meyr, Andrew J; Singh, Salil; Chen, Oliver; Ali, Sayed

    2015-01-01

    This pictorial review focuses on basic procedures performed within the field of podiatric surgery, specifically for the hallux abductovalgus or “bunion” deformity. Our goal is to define objective radiographic parameters that surgeons utilize to initially define deformity, lead to procedure selection and judge post-operative outcomes. We hope that radiologists will employ this information to improve their assessment of post-operative radiographs following reconstructive foot surgeries. First, relevant radiographic measurements are defined and their role in procedure selection explained. Second, the specific surgical procedures of the distal metatarsal, metatarsal shaft, metatarsal base, and phalangeal osteotomies are described in detail. Additional explanations of arthrodesis of the first metatarsal-phalangeal and metatarsal-cuneiform joints are also provided. Finally, specific plain film radiographic findings that judge post-operative outcomes for each procedure are detailed. PMID:26622935

  14. A study of general aviation community noise impact and annoyance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mabry, J. E.

    1982-01-01

    The method involved the selection of three airports which were dominated by aircraft weighing 12,500 lbs or under and which were also undergoing a change relative to utilization. Also, there was interest in airports with different utilization levels so that effect of number of operations could be considered. In addition, there was a requirement to select airports with communities in the surrounding areas which were exposed to aircraft operations noise. Noise annoyance response data was obtained from available sources. These sources included environmental impact statements, interviews with airport managers, noise complaint information, community meetings concerned with projected changes in airport utilization, and social survey data. As a means of objectively assessing the noise impact due to aircraft operations, noise measurement and computer noise modeling determinations were obtained for each airport. Listening quality tape recordings were also obtained.

  15. NREL Evaluates Performance of Fast-Charge Electric Buses

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

    2016-09-16

    This real-world performance evaluation is designed to enhance understanding of the overall usage and effectiveness of electric buses in transit operation and to provide unbiased technical information to other agencies interested in adding such vehicles to their fleets. Initial results indicate that the electric buses under study offer significant fuel and emissions savings. The final results will help Foothill Transit optimize the energy-saving potential of its transit fleet. NREL's performance evaluations help vehicle manufacturers fine-tune their designs and help fleet managers select fuel-efficient, low-emission vehicles that meet their bottom line and operational goals. help Foothill Transit optimize the energy-saving potentialmore » of its transit fleet. NREL's performance evaluations help vehicle manufacturers fine-tune their designs and help fleet managers select fuel-efficient, low-emission vehicles that meet their bottom line and operational goals.« less

  16. A study of general aviation community noise impact and annoyance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mabry, J. E.

    1982-04-01

    The method involved the selection of three airports which were dominated by aircraft weighing 12,500 lbs or under and which were also undergoing a change relative to utilization. Also, there was interest in airports with different utilization levels so that effect of number of operations could be considered. In addition, there was a requirement to select airports with communities in the surrounding areas which were exposed to aircraft operations noise. Noise annoyance response data was obtained from available sources. These sources included environmental impact statements, interviews with airport managers, noise complaint information, community meetings concerned with projected changes in airport utilization, and social survey data. As a means of objectively assessing the noise impact due to aircraft operations, noise measurement and computer noise modeling determinations were obtained for each airport. Listening quality tape recordings were also obtained.

  17. Design and operation of a solar heating and cooling system for a residential size building

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Littles, J. W.; Humphries, W. R.; Cody, J. C.

    1978-01-01

    The first year of operation of solar house is discussed. Selected design information, together with a brief system description is included. The house was equipped with an integrated solar heating and cooling system which uses fully automated state-of-the art. Evaluation of the data indicate that the solar house heating and cooling system is capable of supplying nearly 100 percent of the thermal energy required for heating and approximately 50 percent of the thermal energy required to operate the absorption cycle air conditioner.

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

    Oland, CB

    Boiler owners and operators who need additional generating capacity face a number of legal, political, environmental, economic, and technical challenges. Their key to success requires selection of an adequately sized low-emission boiler and combustion equipment that can be operated in compliance with emission standards established by state and federal regulatory agencies. Recognizing that many issues are involved in making informed selection decisions, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT) sponsored efforts at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to develop a guide for use in choosing low-emission boilers and combustion equipment. To ensure that the guidemore » covers a broad range of technical and regulatory issues of particular interest to the commercial boiler industry, the guide was developed in cooperation with the American Boiler Manufacturers Association (ABMA), the Council of Industrial Boiler Owners (CIBO), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The guide presents topics pertaining to industrial, commercial, and institutional (ICI) boilers. Background information about various types of commercially available boilers is provided along with discussions about the fuels that they burn and the emissions that they produce. Also included are discussions about emissions standards and compliance issues, technical details related to emissions control techniques, and other important selection considerations. Although information in the guide is primarily applicable to new ICI boilers, it may also apply to existing boiler installations.« less

  19. Optical techniques for the determination of nitrate in environmental waters: Guidelines for instrument selection, operation, deployment, maintenance, quality assurance, and data reporting

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Pellerin, Brian A.; Bergamaschi, Brian A.; Downing, Bryan D.; Saraceno, John Franco; Garrett, Jessica D.; Olsen, Lisa D.

    2013-01-01

    The recent commercial availability of in situ optical sensors, together with new techniques for data collection and analysis, provides the opportunity to monitor a wide range of water-quality constituents on time scales in which environmental conditions actually change. Of particular interest is the application of ultraviolet (UV) photometers for in situ determination of nitrate concentrations in rivers and streams. The variety of UV nitrate sensors currently available differ in several important ways related to instrument design that affect the accuracy of their nitrate concentration measurements in different types of natural waters. This report provides information about selection and use of UV nitrate sensors by the U.S. Geological Survey to facilitate the collection of high-quality data across studies, sites, and instrument types. For those in need of technical background and information about sensor selection, this report addresses the operating principles, key features and sensor design, sensor characterization techniques and typical interferences, and approaches for sensor deployment. For those needing information about maintaining sensor performance in the field, key sections in this report address maintenance and calibration protocols, quality-assurance techniques, and data formats and reporting. Although the focus of this report is UV nitrate sensors, many of the principles can be applied to other in situ optical sensors for water-quality studies.

  20. The NPP and J1 CrIS Operational High-Resolution Channel Selection for the NUCAPS algorithm: A demonstration of global applicability to meet users needs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smith, J.; Gambacorta, A.; Barnet, C.; Smith, N.; Goldberg, M.; Pierce, B.; Wolf, W.; King, T.

    2016-12-01

    This work presents an overview of the NPP and J1 CrIS high resolution operational channel selection. Our methodology focuses on the spectral sensitivity characteristics of the available channels in order to maximize information content and spectral purity. These aspects are key to ensure accuracy in the retrieval products, particularly for trace gases. We will provide a demonstration of its global optimality by analyzing different test cases that are of particular interests to our JPSS Proving Ground and Risk Reduction user applications. A focus will be on high resolution trace gas retrieval capability in the context of the Alaska fire initiatives.

  1. Improving Water Resources System Operation by Direct Use of Hydroclimatic Information

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Castelletti, A.; Pianosi, F.

    2011-12-01

    It is generally agreed that more information translates into better decisions. For instance, the availability of inflow predictions can improve reservoir operation; soil moisture data can be exploited to increase irrigation efficiency; etc. However, beyond this general statement, many theoretical and practical questions remain open. Provided that not all information sources are equally relevant, how does their value depend on the physical features of the water system and on the purposes of the system operation? What is the minimum lead time needed for anticipatory management to be effective? How does uncertainty in the information propagates through the modelling chain from hydroclimatic data through descriptive and decision models, and finally affect the decision? Is the data-predictions-decision paradigm truly effective or would it be better to directly use hydroclimatic data to take optimal decisions, skipping the intermediate step of hydrological forecasting? In this work we investigate these issues by application to the management of a complex water system in Northern Vietnam, characterized by multiple, conflicting objectives including hydropower production, flood control and water supply. First, we quantify the value of hydroclimatic information as the improvement in the system performances that could be attained under the (ideal) assumption of perfect knowledge of all future meteorological and hydrological input. Then, we assess and compare the relevance of different candidate information (meteorological or hydrological observations; ground or remote data; etc.) for the purpose of system operation by novel Input Variable Selection techniques. Finally, we evaluate the performance improvement made possible by the use of such information in re-designing the system operation.

  2. Cyber Selection Test Research Effort for U.S. Army New Accessions

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-10-12

    assessment game 3. Develop an operational version of the STA game which incorporates assessments from phase 1 and (through game -play) examines...3 more STA abilities •5 STA behaviors 4. Validate the system thinking assessment game in an operational setting C O M PL ET ED PL AN N ED Research...Information Identifies Elements of Systems Models Relationships Understands System Dynamics Evaluates & Revises Model Applies Understanding to Problem STA Game

  3. Blanket Gate Would Address Blocks Of Memory

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lambe, John; Moopenn, Alexander; Thakoor, Anilkumar P.

    1988-01-01

    Circuit-chip area used more efficiently. Proposed gate structure selectively allows and restricts access to blocks of memory in electronic neural-type network. By breaking memory into independent blocks, gate greatly simplifies problem of reading from and writing to memory. Since blocks not used simultaneously, share operational amplifiers that prompt and read information stored in memory cells. Fewer operational amplifiers needed, and chip area occupied reduced correspondingly. Cost per bit drops as result.

  4. Automating the training development process for mission flight operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Scott, Carol J.

    1994-01-01

    Traditional methods of developing training do not effectively support the changing needs of operational users in a multimission environment. The Automated Training Development System (ATDS) provides advantages over conventional methods in quality, quantity, turnaround, database maintenance, and focus on individualized instruction. The Operations System Training Group at the JPL performed a six-month study to assess the potential of ATDS to automate curriculum development and to generate and maintain course materials. To begin the study, the group acquired readily available hardware and participated in a two-week training session to introduce the process. ATDS is a building activity that combines training's traditional information-gathering with a hierarchical method for interleaving the elements. The program can be described fairly simply. A comprehensive list of candidate tasks determines the content of the database; from that database, selected critical tasks dictate which competencies of skill and knowledge to include in course material for the target audience. The training developer adds pertinent planning information about each task to the database, then ATDS generates a tailored set of instructional material, based on the specific set of selection criteria. Course material consistently leads students to a prescribed level of competency.

  5. Improving machine operation management efficiency via improving the vehicle park structure and using the production operation information database

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Koptev, V. Yu

    2017-02-01

    The work represents the results of studying basic interconnected criteria of separate equipment units of the transport network machines fleet, depending on production and mining factors to improve the transport systems management. Justifying the selection of a control system necessitates employing new methodologies and models, augmented with stability and transport flow criteria, accounting for mining work development dynamics on mining sites. A necessary condition is the accounting of technical and operating parameters related to vehicle operation. Modern open pit mining dispatching systems must include such kinds of the information database. An algorithm forming a machine fleet is presented based on multi-variation task solution in connection with defining reasonable operating features of a machine working as a part of a complex. Proposals cited in the work may apply to mining machines (drilling equipment, excavators) and construction equipment (bulldozers, cranes, pile-drivers), city transport and other types of production activities using machine fleet.

  6. Pre-operative skin preparation practices: results of the 2007 French national assessment.

    PubMed

    Borgey, F; Thibon, P; Ertzscheid, M-A; Bernet, C; Gautier, C; Mourens, C; Bettinger, A; Aggoune, M; Galy, E; Lejeune, B; Kadi, Z

    2012-05-01

    Pre-operative skin preparation, aimed at reducing the endogenous microbial flora, is one of the main preventive measures employed to decrease the likelihood of surgical site infection. National recommendations on pre-operative management of infection risks were issued in France in 2004. To assess compliance with the French national guidelines for pre-operative skin preparation in 2007. A prospective audit was undertaken in French hospitals through interviews with patients and staff, and observation of professional practice. Compliance with five major criteria selected from the guidelines was studied: patient information, pre-operative showering, pre-operative hair removal, surgical site disinfection and documentation of these procedures. Data for 41,188 patients from all specialties at 609 facilities were analysed. Patients were issued with information about pre-operative showering in 88.2% of cases [95% confidence interval (CI) 87.9-88.5]. The recommended procedure for pre-operative showering, including hairwashing, with an antiseptic skin wash solution was followed by 70.3% of patients (95% CI 69.9-70.8); this percentage was higher when patients had received appropriate information (P < 0.001). Compliance with hair removal procedures was observed in 91.5% of cases (95% CI 91.2-91.8), and compliance with surgical site disinfection recommendations was observed in 25,529 cases (62.0%, 95% CI 61.5-62.5). The following documentary evidence was found: information given to patient, 35.6% of cases; pre-operative surgical hygiene, 82.3% of cases; and pre-operative site disinfection, 71.7% of cases. The essential content of the French guidelines seems to be understood, but reminders need to be issued. Some recommendations may need to be adapted for certain specialties. Copyright © 2012 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Human Systems Integration (HSI) in Acquisition. Acquisition Phase Guide

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-08-01

    information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and...maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of...available Concept of Operations (CONOPS) and other available data 1.1 Select and review Baseline Comparison System(s) (BCS) documentation 1.2 Assess

  8. Information or resolution: Which is required from an SEM to study bulk inorganic materials?: Evaluate SEMs’ practical performance

    DOE PAGES

    Xing, Q.

    2016-07-11

    Significant technological advances in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been achieved over the past years. Different SEMs can have significant differences in functionality and performance. This work presents the perspectives on selecting an SEM for research on bulk inorganic materials. Understanding materials demands quantitative composition and orientation information, and informative and interpretable images that reveal subtle differences in chemistry, orientation/structure, topography, and electronic structure. The capability to yield informative and interpretable images with high signal-to-noise ratios and spatial resolutions is an overall result of the SEM system as a whole, from the electron optical column to the detection system. Themore » electron optical column determines probe performance. The roles of the detection system are to capture, filter or discriminate, and convert signal electrons to imaging information. The capability to control practical operating parameters including electron probe size and current, acceleration voltage or landing voltage, working distance, detector selection, and signal filtration is inherently determined by the SEM itself. As a platform for various accessories, e.g. an energydispersive spectrometer and an electron backscatter diffraction detector, the properties of the electron optical column, specimen chamber, and stage greatly affect the performance of accessories. Ease-of-use and ease-of-maintenance are of practical importance. It is practically important to select appropriate test specimens, design suitable imaging conditions, and analyze the specimen chamber geometry and dimensions to assess the overall functionality and performance of an SEM. Finally, for an SEM that is controlled/operated with a computer, the stable software and user-friendly interface significantly affect the usability of the SEM.« less

  9. Information or resolution: Which is required from an SEM to study bulk inorganic materials?

    PubMed

    Xing, Q

    2016-11-01

    Significant technological advances in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been achieved over the past years. Different SEMs can have significant differences in functionality and performance. This work presents the perspectives on selecting an SEM for research on bulk inorganic materials. Understanding materials demands quantitative composition and orientation information, and informative and interpretable images that reveal subtle differences in chemistry, orientation/structure, topography, and electronic structure. The capability to yield informative and interpretable images with high signal-to-noise ratios and spatial resolutions is an overall result of the SEM system as a whole, from the electron optical column to the detection system. The electron optical column determines probe performance. The roles of the detection system are to capture, filter or discriminate, and convert signal electrons to imaging information. The capability to control practical operating parameters including electron probe size and current, acceleration voltage or landing voltage, working distance, detector selection, and signal filtration is inherently determined by the SEM itself. As a platform for various accessories, e.g. an energy-dispersive spectrometer and an electron backscatter diffraction detector, the properties of the electron optical column, specimen chamber, and stage greatly affect the performance of accessories. Ease-of-use and ease-of-maintenance are of practical importance. It is practically important to select appropriate test specimens, design suitable imaging conditions, and analyze the specimen chamber geometry and dimensions to assess the overall functionality and performance of an SEM. For an SEM that is controlled/operated with a computer, the stable software and user-friendly interface significantly improve the usability of the SEM. SCANNING 38:864-879, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. Information or resolution: Which is required from an SEM to study bulk inorganic materials?: Evaluate SEMs’ practical performance

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

    Xing, Q.

    Significant technological advances in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been achieved over the past years. Different SEMs can have significant differences in functionality and performance. This work presents the perspectives on selecting an SEM for research on bulk inorganic materials. Understanding materials demands quantitative composition and orientation information, and informative and interpretable images that reveal subtle differences in chemistry, orientation/structure, topography, and electronic structure. The capability to yield informative and interpretable images with high signal-to-noise ratios and spatial resolutions is an overall result of the SEM system as a whole, from the electron optical column to the detection system. Themore » electron optical column determines probe performance. The roles of the detection system are to capture, filter or discriminate, and convert signal electrons to imaging information. The capability to control practical operating parameters including electron probe size and current, acceleration voltage or landing voltage, working distance, detector selection, and signal filtration is inherently determined by the SEM itself. As a platform for various accessories, e.g. an energydispersive spectrometer and an electron backscatter diffraction detector, the properties of the electron optical column, specimen chamber, and stage greatly affect the performance of accessories. Ease-of-use and ease-of-maintenance are of practical importance. It is practically important to select appropriate test specimens, design suitable imaging conditions, and analyze the specimen chamber geometry and dimensions to assess the overall functionality and performance of an SEM. Finally, for an SEM that is controlled/operated with a computer, the stable software and user-friendly interface significantly affect the usability of the SEM.« less

  11. Making Technology Work for Campus Security

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Floreno, Jeff; Keil, Brad

    2010-01-01

    The challenges associated with securing schools from both on- and off-campus threats create constant pressure for law enforcement, campus security professionals, and administrators. And while security technology choices are plentiful, many colleges and universities are operating with limited dollars and information needed to select and integrate…

  12. Helicopter Operations and Personnel Safety (Helirescue Manual). Fourth Edition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dalle-Molle, John

    The illustrated manual includes information on various aspects of helicopter rescue missions, including mission management roles for key personnel, safety rules around helicopters, requests for helicopter support, sample military air support forms, selection of landing zones, helicopter evacuations, rescuer delivery, passenger unloading, crash…

  13. Information-theoretic model selection for optimal prediction of stochastic dynamical systems from data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Darmon, David

    2018-03-01

    In the absence of mechanistic or phenomenological models of real-world systems, data-driven models become necessary. The discovery of various embedding theorems in the 1980s and 1990s motivated a powerful set of tools for analyzing deterministic dynamical systems via delay-coordinate embeddings of observations of their component states. However, in many branches of science, the condition of operational determinism is not satisfied, and stochastic models must be brought to bear. For such stochastic models, the tool set developed for delay-coordinate embedding is no longer appropriate, and a new toolkit must be developed. We present an information-theoretic criterion, the negative log-predictive likelihood, for selecting the embedding dimension for a predictively optimal data-driven model of a stochastic dynamical system. We develop a nonparametric estimator for the negative log-predictive likelihood and compare its performance to a recently proposed criterion based on active information storage. Finally, we show how the output of the model selection procedure can be used to compare candidate predictors for a stochastic system to an information-theoretic lower bound.

  14. Electrostatic Hazard Considerations for ODC Solvent Replacement Selection Testing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fairbourn, Brad

    1999-01-01

    ODC solvents are used to clean many critical substrates during solid rocket motor production operations. Electrostatic charge generation incidental to these cleaning operations can pose a major safety issue. Therefore, while determining the acceptability of various ODC replacement cleaners, one aspect of the selection criteria included determining the extent of electric charge generation during a typical solvent cleaning operation. A total of six candidate replacement cleaners, sixteen critical substrates, and two types of cleaning swatch materials were studied in simulated cleaning operations. Charge generation and accumulation effects were investigated by measuring the peak voltage and brush discharging effects associated with each cleaning process combination. In some cases, charge generation was found to be very severe. Using the conductivity information for each cleaner, the peak voltage data could in some cases, be qualitatively predicted. Test results indicated that severe charging effects could result in brush discharges that could potentially result in flash fire hazards when occurring in close proximity to flammable vapor/air mixtures. Process controls to effectively mitigate these hazards are discussed.

  15. Neural net controller for inlet pressure control of rocket engine testing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Trevino, Luis C.

    1994-01-01

    Many dynamic systems operate in select operating regions, each exhibiting characteristic modes of behavior. It is traditional to employ standard adjustable gain proportional-integral-derivative (PID) loops in such systems where no apriori model information is available. However, for controlling inlet pressure for rocket engine testing, problems in fine tuning, disturbance accommodation, and control gains for new profile operating regions (for research and development) are typically encountered. Because of the capability of capturing I/O peculiarities, using NETS, a back propagation trained neural network is specified. For select operating regions, the neural network controller is simulated to be as robust as the PID controller. For a comparative analysis, the higher order moment neural array (HOMNA) method is used to specify a second neural controller by extracting critical exemplars from the I/O data set. Furthermore, using the critical exemplars from the HOMNA method, a third neural controller is developed using NETS back propagation algorithm. All controllers are benchmarked against each other.

  16. Fossil fuel furnace reactor

    DOEpatents

    Parkinson, William J.

    1987-01-01

    A fossil fuel furnace reactor is provided for simulating a continuous processing plant with a batch reactor. An internal reaction vessel contains a batch of shale oil, with the vessel having a relatively thin wall thickness for a heat transfer rate effective to simulate a process temperature history in the selected continuous processing plant. A heater jacket is disposed about the reactor vessel and defines a number of independent controllable temperature zones axially spaced along the reaction vessel. Each temperature zone can be energized to simulate a time-temperature history of process material through the continuous plant. A pressure vessel contains both the heater jacket and the reaction vessel at an operating pressure functionally selected to simulate the continuous processing plant. The process yield from the oil shale may be used as feedback information to software simulating operation of the continuous plant to provide operating parameters, i.e., temperature profiles, ambient atmosphere, operating pressure, material feed rates, etc., for simulation in the batch reactor.

  17. Wind study for high altitude platform design

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Strganac, T. W.

    1979-01-01

    An analysis of upper air winds was performed to define the wind environment at potential operating altitudes for high-altitude powered platform concepts. Expected wind conditions of the contiguous United States, Pacific area (Alaska to Sea of Japan), and European area (Norwegian and Mediterranean Seas) were obtained using a representative network of sites selected based upon adequate high-altitude sampling, geographic dispersion, and observed upper wind patterns. A data base of twenty plus years of rawinsonde gathered wind information was used in the analysis. Annual variations from surface to 10 mb (approximately 31 km) pressure altitude were investigated to encompass the practical operating range for the platform concepts. Parametric analysis for the United States and foreign areas was performed to provide a basis for vehicle system design tradeoffs. This analysis of wind magnitudes indicates the feasibility of annual operation at a majority of sites and more selective seasonal operation for the extreme conditions between the pressure altitudes of 100 to 25 mb based upon the assumed design speeds.

  18. Wind study for high altitude platform design

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Strganac, T. W.

    1979-01-01

    An analysis of upper air winds was performed to define the wind environment at potential operating altitudes for high altitude powered platform concepts. Wind conditions of the continental United States, Pacific area (Alaska to Sea of Japan), and European area (Norwegian and Mediterranean Sea) were obtained using a representative network of sites selected based upon adequate high altitude sampling, geographic dispersion, and observed upper wind patterns. A data base of twenty plus years of rawinsonde gathered wind information was used in the analysis. Annual variations from surface to 10 mb pressure altitude were investigated to encompass the practical operating range for the platform concepts. Parametric analysis for the United States and foreign areas was performed to provide a basis for vehicle system design tradeoffs. This analysis of wind magnitudes indicates the feasibility of annual operation at a majority of sites and more selective seasonal operation for the extreme conditions between the pressure altitudes of 100 to 25 mb based upon the assumed design speeds.

  19. User-driven health care: answering multidimensional information needs in individual patients utilizing post-EBM approaches: an operational model.

    PubMed

    Biswas, Rakesh; Maniam, Jayanthy; Lee, Edwin Wen Huo; Gopal, Premalatha; Umakanth, Shashikiran; Dahiya, Sumit; Ahmed, Sayeed

    2008-10-01

    The hypothesis in the conceptual model was that a user-driven innovation in presently available information and communication technology infrastructure would be able to meet patient and health professional users information needs and help them attain better health outcomes. An operational model was created to plan a trial on a sample diabetic population utilizing a randomized control trial design, assigning one randomly selected group of diabetics to receive electronic information intervention and analyse if it would improve their health outcomes in comparison with a matched diabetic population who would only receive regular medical intervention. Diabetes was chosen for this particular trial, as it is a major chronic illness in Malaysia as elsewhere in the world. It is in essence a position paper for how the study concept should be organized to stimulate wider discussion prior to beginning the study.

  20. Construction and Resource Utilization Explorer (CRUX): Implementing Instrument Suite Data Fusion to Characterize Regolith Hydrogen Resources

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Haldemann, Albert F. C.; Johnson, Jerome B.; Elphic, Richard C.; Boynton, William V.; Wetzel, John

    2006-01-01

    CRUX is a modular suite of geophysical and borehole instruments combined with display and decision support system (MapperDSS) tools to characterize regolith resources, surface conditions, and geotechnical properties. CRUX is a NASA-funded Technology Maturation Program effort to provide enabling technology for Lunar and Planetary Surface Operations (LPSO). The MapperDSS uses data fusion methods with CRUX instruments, and other available data and models, to provide regolith properties information needed for LPSO that cannot be determined otherwise. We demonstrate the data fusion method by showing how it might be applied to characterize the distribution and form of hydrogen using a selection of CRUX instruments: Borehole Neutron Probe and Thermal Evolved Gas Analyzer data as a function of depth help interpret Surface Neutron Probe data to generate 3D information. Secondary information from other instruments along with physical models improves the hydrogen distribution characterization, enabling information products for operational decision-making.

  1. RFID-based information visibility for hospital operations: exploring its positive effects using discrete event simulation.

    PubMed

    Asamoah, Daniel A; Sharda, Ramesh; Rude, Howard N; Doran, Derek

    2016-10-12

    Long queues and wait times often occur at hospitals and affect smooth delivery of health services. To improve hospital operations, prior studies have developed scheduling techniques to minimize patient wait times. However, these studies lack in demonstrating how such techniques respond to real-time information needs of hospitals and efficiently manage wait times. This article presents a multi-method study on the positive impact of providing real-time scheduling information to patients using the RFID technology. Using a simulation methodology, we present a generic scenario, which can be mapped to real-life situations, where patients can select the order of laboratory services. The study shows that information visibility offered by RFID technology results in decreased wait times and improves resource utilization. We also discuss the applicability of the results based on field interviews granted by hospital clinicians and administrators on the perceived barriers and benefits of an RFID system.

  2. A discrepancy within primate spatial vision and its bearing on the definition of edge detection processes in machine vision

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jobson, Daniel J.

    1990-01-01

    The visual perception of form information is considered to be based on the functioning of simple and complex neurons in the primate striate cortex. However, a review of the physiological data on these brain cells cannot be harmonized with either the perceptual spatial frequency performance of primates or the performance which is necessary for form perception in humans. This discrepancy together with recent interest in cortical-like and perceptual-like processing in image coding and machine vision prompted a series of image processing experiments intended to provide some definition of the selection of image operators. The experiments were aimed at determining operators which could be used to detect edges in a computational manner consistent with the visual perception of structure in images. Fundamental issues were the selection of size (peak spatial frequency) and circular versus oriented operators (or some combination). In a previous study, circular difference-of-Gaussian (DOG) operators, with peak spatial frequency responses at about 11 and 33 cyc/deg were found to capture the primary structural information in images. Here larger scale circular DOG operators were explored and led to severe loss of image structure and introduced spatial dislocations (due to blur) in structure which is not consistent with visual perception. Orientation sensitive operators (akin to one class of simple cortical neurons) introduced ambiguities of edge extent regardless of the scale of the operator. For machine vision schemes which are functionally similar to natural vision form perception, two circularly symmetric very high spatial frequency channels appear to be necessary and sufficient for a wide range of natural images. Such a machine vision scheme is most similar to the physiological performance of the primate lateral geniculate nucleus rather than the striate cortex.

  3. Pooling knowledge and improving safety for contracted works at a large industrial park.

    PubMed

    Agnello, Patrizia; Ansaldi, Silvia; Bragatto, Paolo

    2015-01-01

    At a large chemical park maintenance is contracted by the major companies operating the plants to many small firms. The cultural and psychological isolation of contractor workers was recognized a root cause of severe accidents in the recent years. That problem is common in chemical industry. The knowledge sharing has been assumed a good key to involve contractors and sub contractors in safety culture and contributing to injuries prevention. The selection of personal protective equipment PPE for the maintenance works has been taken as benchmark to demonstrate the adequateness of the proposed approach. To support plant operators, contractors and subcontractors in PPE discussion, a method has been developed. Its core is a knowledge-base, organized in an Ontology, as suitable for inferring decisions. By means of this tool all stakeholders have merged experience and information and find out the right PPE, to be provided, with adequate training and information package. PPE selection requires sound competencies about process and environmental hazards, including major accident, preventive and protective measures, maintenance activities. These pieces of knowledge previously fragmented among plant operators and contractors, have to be pooled, and used to find out the adequate PPE for a number of maintenance works. The PPE selection is per se important, but it is also a good chance to break the contractors' isolation and involve them in safety objectives. Thus by pooling experience and practical knowledge, the common understanding of safety issues has been strengthened.

  4. Toll Facilities in the United States : Bridges, Roads, Tunnels, Ferries

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1989-04-01

    Selected data on highway toll facilities in the United States are contained in Table T-1 of this report based on a survey of facilities in operation, financed, or under construction as of January 1, 1989. The data include information such as the name...

  5. Appendix D : policy review of the ITS priority corridors : executive summary

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1989-04-01

    Selected data on highway toll facilities in the United States are contained in Table T-1 of this report based on a survey of facilities in operation, financed, or under construction as of January 1, 1989. The data include information such as the name...

  6. Toll Facilities in the United States: Bridges - Roads - Tunnels - Ferries

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1987-04-01

    Selected data on highway toll facilities in the United States are contained in Table T-1 of this report based on a survey of facilities in operation, financed, or under construction as of January 1, 1987. The data includes information such as the nam...

  7. 14 CFR 125.226 - Digital flight data recorders.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... this section, no person may operate under this part a turbine-engine-powered transport category... selection; (37) Drift angle (when an information source is installed); (38) Wind speed and direction (when... rudder valve status. (b) For all turbine-engine powered transport category airplanes manufactured on or...

  8. 14 CFR 125.226 - Digital flight data recorders.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... this section, no person may operate under this part a turbine-engine-powered transport category... selection; (37) Drift angle (when an information source is installed); (38) Wind speed and direction (when... rudder valve status. (b) For all turbine-engine powered transport category airplanes manufactured on or...

  9. 14 CFR 125.226 - Digital flight data recorders.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... this section, no person may operate under this part a turbine-engine-powered transport category... selection; (37) Drift angle (when an information source is installed); (38) Wind speed and direction (when... rudder valve status. (b) For all turbine-engine powered transport category airplanes manufactured on or...

  10. 14 CFR 125.226 - Digital flight data recorders.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... this section, no person may operate under this part a turbine-engine-powered transport category... selection; (37) Drift angle (when an information source is installed); (38) Wind speed and direction (when... rudder valve status. (b) For all turbine-engine powered transport category airplanes manufactured on or...

  11. 14 CFR 125.226 - Digital flight data recorders.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... this section, no person may operate under this part a turbine-engine-powered transport category... selection; (37) Drift angle (when an information source is installed); (38) Wind speed and direction (when... rudder valve status. (b) For all turbine-engine powered transport category airplanes manufactured on or...

  12. EFFECTS OF STREAM RESTORATION ON IN-STREAM WATER QUALITY IN AN URBAN WATERSHED

    EPA Science Inventory

    The purpose of this on-going project is to provide information to Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4s) operators and states on the performance of selected best management practices (BMPs), specifically, stream restoration techniques, on improving biological and in-stream ...

  13. The NASA Library and Researchers at Goddard: A Visitor's Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Powell, Jill H.

    2014-01-01

    Jill Powell, engineering librarian from Cornell University, visited the library at NASA Goddard in Greenbelt, Maryland in July 2013, interviewing library staff and selected NASA scientists. She studied the library's digital projects, publications, services, and operations. She also interviewed several NASA scientists on information-seeking…

  14. Considerations for the implementation and operation of stormwater control measure (SCM) performance monitoring systems

    EPA Science Inventory

    Green infrastructure (GI) studies are needed to make informed decisions about whether or not to select GI technologies over traditional urban drainage control methods and to assist in the timing of effective maintenance. Two permeable pavement infiltration stormwater control meas...

  15. Financing the FAA : comparisons of existing and alternative systems to provide funding for the development and operations of the National Airspace System

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2000-03-30

    This paper examines selected alternative methods of financing the National : Airspace System (NAS), and presents information on the consequences to major : system users of alternative financing mechanisms. The paper examines : alternatives that have ...

  16. Warehouse Sanitation Workshop Handbook.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Food and Drug Administration (DHHS/PHS), Washington, DC.

    This workshop handbook contains information and reference materials on proper food warehouse sanitation. The materials have been used at Food and Drug Administration (FDA) food warehouse sanitation workshops, and are selected by the FDA for use by food warehouse operators and for training warehouse sanitation employees. The handbook is divided…

  17. 77 FR 28351 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request-Study of the Food...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-05-14

    ... State-administered FDPIR programs, participating households will be selected for data collection. Data... operations and experiences of FDPIR participants and eligible nonparticipants. Site visit data collection... providers; visits to FDPIR enrollment sites, warehouses, and distribution sites; and discussion groups with...

  18. Paying attention to working memory: Similarities in the spatial distribution of attention in mental and physical space.

    PubMed

    Sahan, Muhammet Ikbal; Verguts, Tom; Boehler, Carsten Nicolas; Pourtois, Gilles; Fias, Wim

    2016-08-01

    Selective attention is not limited to information that is physically present in the external world, but can also operate on mental representations in the internal world. However, it is not known whether the mechanisms of attentional selection operate in similar fashions in physical and mental space. We studied the spatial distributions of attention for items in physical and mental space by comparing how successfully distractors were rejected at varying distances from the attended location. The results indicated very similar distribution characteristics of spatial attention in physical and mental space. Specifically, we found that performance monotonically improved with increasing distractor distance relative to the attended location, suggesting that distractor confusability is particularly pronounced for nearby distractors, relative to distractors farther away. The present findings suggest that mental representations preserve their spatial configuration in working memory, and that similar mechanistic principles underlie selective attention in physical and in mental space.

  19. Information seeking and retrieval skills of nurses: Nurses readiness for evidence based practice in hospitals of a medical university in Iran.

    PubMed

    Farokhzadian, Jamileh; Khajouei, Reza; Ahmadian, Leila

    2015-08-01

    With the explosion of medical information, and emergence of evidence-based practice (EBP) in healthcare system, searching, retrieving and selecting information for clinical decision-making are becoming required skills for nurses. The aims of this study were to examine the use of different medical information resources by nurses and their information searching and retrieving skills in the context of EBP. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in four teaching hospitals in Iran. Data were collected from 182 nurses using a questionnaire in 2014. The nurses indicated that they use more human and printed resources than electronic resources to seek information (mean=2.83, SD=1.5; mean=2.77, SD=1.07; and mean=2.13, SD=0.88, respectively). To search online resources, the nurses use quick/basic search features more frequently (mean=2.45, SD=1.15) than other search features such as advanced search, index browsing and MeSH term searching. (1.74≤mean≤2.30, SD=1.01). At least 80% of the nurses were not aware of the purpose or function of search operators such as Boolean and proximity operators. In response to the question measuring skills of the nurses in developing an effective search statement by using Boolean operators, only 20% of them selected the more appropriate statement, using some synonyms of the concepts in a given subject. The study showed that the information seeking and retrieval skills of the nurses were poor and there were clear deficits in the use of updated information resources. To compensate their EBP incompetency, nurses may resort to human resources. In order to use the latest up to date evidence independently, nurses need to improve their information literacy. To reach this goal, clinical librarians, health information specialists, nursing faculties, and clinical nurse educators and mentors can play key roles by providing educational programs. Providing access to online resources in clinical wards can also encourage nurses to learn and use these resources. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Curvatures Estimation in Orientation Selection

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1991-01-31

    processes are run at the same scale ). Not only is the L/L edge operator as accurate, it makes explicit a great deal of information which is either...Figure 11: An artificial image used to test the image operators. This is an anti-alia sed grey- scale image of lines and curves, which represent the...MacKay, "Influence of luminance gra- dient reversal on simple cells in feline striate cortex," J. Physiology (London), vol. 337, pp. 69--87, 1983

  1. Power inverter implementing phase skipping control

    DOEpatents

    Somani, Utsav; Amirahmadi, Ahmadreza; Jourdan, Charles; Batarseh, Issa

    2016-10-18

    A power inverter includes a DC/AC inverter having first, second and third phase circuitry coupled to receive power from a power source. A controller is coupled to a driver for each of the first, second and third phase circuitry (control input drivers). The controller includes an associated memory storing a phase skipping control algorithm, wherein the controller is coupled to receive updating information including a power level generated by the power source. The drivers are coupled to control inputs of the first, second and third phase circuitry, where the drivers are configured for receiving phase skipping control signals from the controller and outputting mode selection signals configured to dynamically select an operating mode for the DC/AC inverter from a Normal Control operation and a Phase Skipping Control operation which have different power injection patterns through the first, second and third phase circuitry depending upon the power level.

  2. Development of a database system for operational use in the selection of titanium alloys

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Han, Yuan-Fei; Zeng, Wei-Dong; Sun, Yu; Zhao, Yong-Qing

    2011-08-01

    The selection of titanium alloys has become a complex decision-making task due to the growing number of creation and utilization for titanium alloys, with each having its own characteristics, advantages, and limitations. In choosing the most appropriate titanium alloys, it is very essential to offer a reasonable and intelligent service for technical engineers. One possible solution of this problem is to develop a database system (DS) to help retrieve rational proposals from different databases and information sources and analyze them to provide useful and explicit information. For this purpose, a design strategy of the fuzzy set theory is proposed, and a distributed database system is developed. Through ranking of the candidate titanium alloys, the most suitable material is determined. It is found that the selection results are in good agreement with the practical situation.

  3. Managing risk and expected financial return from selective expansion of operating room capacity: mean-variance analysis of a hospital's portfolio of surgeons.

    PubMed

    Dexter, Franklin; Ledolter, Johannes

    2003-07-01

    Surgeons using the same amount of operating room (OR) time differ in their achieved hospital contribution margins (revenue minus variable costs) by >1000%. Thus, to improve the financial return from perioperative facilities, OR strategic decisions should selectively focus additional OR capacity and capital purchasing on a few surgeons or subspecialties. These decisions use estimates of each surgeon's and/or subspecialty's contribution margin per OR hour. The estimates are subject to uncertainty (e.g., from outliers). We account for the uncertainties by using mean-variance portfolio analysis (i.e., quadratic programming). This method characterizes the problem of selectively expanding OR capacity based on the expected financial return and risk of different portfolios of surgeons. The assessment reveals whether the choices, of which surgeons have their OR capacity expanded, are sensitive to the uncertainties in the surgeons' contribution margins per OR hour. Thus, mean-variance analysis reduces the chance of making strategic decisions based on spurious information. We also assess the financial benefit of using mean-variance portfolio analysis when the planned expansion of OR capacity is well diversified over at least several surgeons or subspecialties. Our results show that, in such circumstances, there may be little benefit from further changing the portfolio to reduce its financial risk. Surgeon and subspecialty specific hospital financial data are uncertain, a fact that should be taken into account when making decisions about expanding operating room capacity. We show that mean-variance portfolio analysis can incorporate this uncertainty, thereby guiding operating room management decision-making and reducing the chance of a strategic decision being made based on spurious information.

  4. Tomography and Purification of the Temporal-Mode Structure of Quantum Light

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ansari, Vahid; Donohue, John M.; Allgaier, Markus; Sansoni, Linda; Brecht, Benjamin; Roslund, Jonathan; Treps, Nicolas; Harder, Georg; Silberhorn, Christine

    2018-05-01

    High-dimensional quantum information processing promises capabilities beyond the current state of the art, but addressing individual information-carrying modes presents a significant experimental challenge. Here we demonstrate effective high-dimensional operations in the time-frequency domain of nonclassical light. We generate heralded photons with tailored temporal-mode structures through the pulse shaping of a broadband parametric down-conversion pump. We then implement a quantum pulse gate, enabled by dispersion-engineered sum-frequency generation, to project onto programmable temporal modes, reconstructing the quantum state in seven dimensions. We also manipulate the time-frequency structure by selectively removing temporal modes, explicitly demonstrating the effectiveness of engineered nonlinear processes for the mode-selective manipulation of quantum states.

  5. Contracting for Reform: The Challenges of Procuring Security Training and Advisory Services in Fragile Environments

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-04-30

    reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204...USA, Deputy Director of Contracting, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers The Efficacy of the Government’s Use of Past Performance Information: An... remuneration that we’re paying them. (author interview). Selecting the right people is an investment in quality and success, but this mindset was absent. The

  6. Journal selection decisions: a biomedical library operations research model. I. The framework.

    PubMed Central

    Kraft, D H; Polacsek, R A; Soergel, L; Burns, K; Klair, A

    1976-01-01

    The problem of deciding which journal titles to select for acquisition in a biomedical library is modeled. The approach taken is based on cost/benefit ratios. Measures of journal worth, methods of data collection, and journal cost data are considered. The emphasis is on the development of a practical process for selecting journal titles, based on the objectivity and rationality of the model; and on the collection of the approprate data and library statistics in a reasonable manner. The implications of this process towards an overall management information system (MIS) for biomedical serials handling are discussed. PMID:820391

  7. Work, exercise, and space flight. 1: Operations, environment, and effects of spaceflight

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Thornton, William

    1989-01-01

    The selection, training, and operations of space flight impose significant physical demands which seem to be adequately met by the existing physical training facilities and informal individual exercise programs. The professional astronaut population has, by selection, better than average health and physical capacity. The essentials of life on earth are adequately met by the spacecraft. However, as the human body adapts to weightlessness, it is compromised for the usual life on earth, but readaptation is rapid. Long term flight without countermeasures will produce major changes in the cardiovascular, respiratory, musculoskeletal and neuromuscular systems. There is strong theoretical and experimental evidence from 1-g studies and limited in-flight evidence to believe that exercise is a key counter-measure to many of these adaptations.

  8. Determining resistivity of a formation adjacent to a borehole having casing by generating constant current flow in portion of casing and using at least two voltage measurement electrodes

    DOEpatents

    Vail, III, William Banning

    2000-01-01

    Methods of operation of different types of multiple electrode apparatus vertically disposed in a cased well to measure information related to the resistivity of adjacent geological formations from within the cased well are described. The multiple electrode apparatus has a minimum of two spaced apart voltage measurement electrodes that electrically engage a first portion of the interior of the cased well and that provide at least first voltage information. Current control means are used to control the magnitude of any selected current that flows along a second portion of the interior of the casing to be equal to a predetermined selected constant. The first portion of the interior of the cased well is spaced apart from the second portion of the interior of the cased well. The first voltage information and the predetermined selected constant value of any selected current flowing along the casing are used in part to determine a magnitude related to the formation resistivity adjacent to the first portion of the interior of the cased well. Methods and apparatus having a plurality of voltage measurement electrodes are disclosed that provide voltage related information in the presence of constant currents flowing along the casing which is used to provide formation resistivity.

  9. NATO initial common operational picture capability project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fanti, Laura; Beach, David

    2002-08-01

    The Common Operational Picture (COP) capability can be defined as the ability to display on a single screen integrated views of the Recognized Maritime, Air and Ground Pictures, enriched by other tactical data, such as theater plans, assets, intelligence and logistics information. The purpose of the COP capability is to provide military forces a comprehensive view of the battle space, thereby enhancing situational awareness and the decision-making process across the military command and control spectrum. The availability of a COP capability throughout the command structure is a high priority operational requirement in NATO. A COP capability for NATO is being procured and implemented in an incremental way within the NATO Automated Information System (Bi-SC AIS) Functional Services programme under the coordination of the NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency (NC3A) Integrated Programme Team 5 (IPT5). The NATO Initial COP (iCOP) capability project, first step of this evolutionary procurement, will provide an initial COP capability to NATO in a highly pragmatic and low-risk fashion, by using existing operational communications infrastructure and NATO systems, i.e. the NATO-Wide Integrated Command and Control Software for Air Operations (ICC), the Maritime Command and Control Information System (MCCIS), and the Joint Operations and Intelligence Information System (JOIIS), which will provide respectively the Recognized Air, Maritime and Ground Pictures. This paper gives an overview of the NATO Initial COP capability project, including its evolutionary implementation approach, and describes the technical solution selected to satisfy the urgent operational requirement in a timely and cost effective manner.

  10. 77 FR 28383 - Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-05-14

    ..., Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Operating Procedures--Maritime Mobile Identity (MMSI). Form Number: N/A... Annual Cost: N/A. Privacy Impact Assessment: Yes. The Commission maintains a system of records notice (SORN), FCC/WTB-1, ``Wireless Services Licensing Records,'' that covers this collection, purpose(s...

  11. 47 CFR 80.179 - Unattended operation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... DSC in accordance with ITU-R Recommendation M.493-11, “Digital Selective-calling System for Use in the...., Washington, DC (Reference Information Center) or at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA... condition related to ship safety. (3) The “ROUTINE” DSC category must be used. (4) Communications must be...

  12. Adaptive Memory: Is Survival Processing Special?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nairne, James S.; Pandeirada, Josefa N. S.

    2008-01-01

    Do the operating characteristics of memory continue to bear the imprints of ancestral selection pressures? Previous work in our laboratory has shown that human memory may be specially tuned to retain information processed in terms of its survival relevance. A few seconds of survival processing in an incidental learning context can produce recall…

  13. Project Operation Index: An Approach to Content Analysis and Indexing of Videotapes.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ontario Educational Communications Authority, Toronto. Research and Planning Branch.

    Three projects, each covering certain selected aspects of a potential information storage and retrieval system, were part of a study by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority (OECA) to explore various means for extending the usefulness of audiovisual materials. Project Dataset began the collection, classification, and cataloging of…

  14. 77 FR 15362 - Proposed Agency Information Collection

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-15

    ....'' Schedule 2 of the Form EIA-923, ``Power Plant Operations Report,'' collects the cost and quality of fossil... primarily fueled by fossil fuels. The selection of respondents for Schedule 2 and its predecessors, the Form... EIA is soliciting comments on two proposed actions (1) revisions to the Form EIA-923, ``Power Plant...

  15. Commercial Vehicle Fleet Management And Information Systems, Technical Memorandum 1, Classification Of Fleet Operations, And Selection Of Candidate Case-Study Fleets

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1994-11-04

    THE ECONOMIC WELL-BEING AND COMPETITIVENESS OF THE U.S. ECONOMY DEPEND HEAVILY ON RELIABLE AND EFFICIENT FREIGHT MOVEMENTS. TRUCKING ACCOUNTS FOR ABOUT 75 PERCENT ($270 BILLION) OF THE $350 BILLION SPENT ANNUALLY ON FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION. THE APPLIC...

  16. Appendix E : nontechnical constraints and barriers to the implementation of ITS : 1996 report to Congress

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1987-04-01

    Selected data on highway toll facilities in the United States are contained in Table T-1 of this report based on a survey of facilities in operation, financed, or under construction as of January 1, 1987. The data includes information such as the nam...

  17. 47 CFR 25.263 - Information sharing requirements for SDARS terrestrial repeater operators.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... SDARS licensee and all potentially affected WCS licensees reach a mutual agreement to provide... SDARS licensee and all potentially affected WCS licensees reach a mutual agreement to provide... notice period. (e) Duty to cooperate. SDARS licensees must cooperate in good faith in the selection and...

  18. Maximize Benefits, Minimize Risk: Selecting the Right HVAC Firm.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Golden, James T.

    1993-01-01

    An informal survey of 20 major urban school districts found that 40% were currently operating in a "break down" maintenance mode. A majority, 57.9%, also indicated they saw considerable benefits in contracting for heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) maintenance services with outside firms. Offers guidelines in selecting…

  19. Liquid rocket valve assemblies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1973-01-01

    The design and operating characteristics of valve assemblies used in liquid propellant rocket engines are discussed. The subjects considered are as follows: (1) valve selection parameters, (2) major design aspects, (3) design integration of valve subassemblies, and (4) assembly of components and functional tests. Information is provided on engine, stage, and spacecraft checkout procedures.

  20. A Report of Progress. Annual Report of the NFE Network Project: Operating a Clearinghouse on NFE Information (September 1981-August 1982) and Semi-Annual Reports of the NFE Network Project: Providing Technical Assistance in Creating LDC National/Regional Information Centers (September 1981-February 1982; March 1982-August 1982).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pigozzi, Mary Joy

    This report describes the clearinghouse activities of the Non-Formal Education (NFE) Information Center from September 1981 through August 1982 and details efforts to strengthen the capacity of selected NFE resource centers in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It first addresses the decision to extend the NFE Network Project, and then turns to the…

  1. Space-assisted irrigation management: an operational perspective

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Calera Belmonte, Alfonso; Jochum, Anne M.; Cuesta Garcia, Andres

    2004-10-01

    Irrigation Advisory Services (IAS) are the natural management instruments to achieve a better efficiency in the use of water for irrigation. IAS help farmers to apply water according to the actual crop water requirements and thus, to optimize production and cost-effectiveness. The project DEMETER (DEMonstration of Earth observation TEchnologies in Routine irrigation advisory services) aims at assessing and demonstrating how the performance and cost-effectiveness of IAS is substantially improved by the incorporation of Earth observation (EO) techniques and Information Society Technology (IT) into their day-to-day operations. EO allows for efficiently monitoring crop water requirements of each field in extended areas. The incorporation of IT in the generation and distribution of information makes that information easily available to IAS and to its associated farmers (the end-users) in a personalized way. This paper describes the methodology and selected results.

  2. System and method for improved rotor tip performance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zientek, Thomas A. (Inventor); Bussom, Richard (Inventor); McVeigh, Michael A. (Inventor); Narducci, Robert P. (Inventor)

    2007-01-01

    The present invention discloses systems and methods for the performance enhancement of rotary wing aircraft through reduced torque, noise and vibration. In one embodiment, a system includes a sail having an aerodynamic shape positioned proximate to a tip of the rotor blade. An actuator may be configured to rotate the sail relative to the blade tip. a A control system receives information from a rotorcraft system and commands the actuator to rotate the sail to a predetermined favorable rotor blade operating condition. In another embodiment, a method includes configuring the rotorcraft in a selected flight condition, communicating input signals to a control system operable to position sails coupled to tips of blades of a rotor assembly, processing the input signals according to a constraint condition to generate sail positional information, and transferring the sail positional information to the sail.

  3. Bion 11 mission: primate experiments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ilyin, E. A.; Korolkov, V. I.; Skidmore, M. G.; Viso, M.; Kozlovskaya, I. B.; Grindeland, R. E.; Lapin, B. A.; Gordeev, Y. V.; Krotov, V. P.; Fanton, J. W.; hide

    2000-01-01

    A summary is provided of the major operations required to conduct the wide range of primate experiments on the Bion 11 mission, which flew for 14 days beginning December 24, 1996. Information is given on preflight preparations, including flight candidate selection and training; attachment and implantation of bioinstrumentation; flight and ground experiment designs; onboard life support and test systems; ground and flight health monitoring; flight monkey selection and transport to the launch site; inflight procedures and data collection; postflight examinations and experiments; and assessment of results.

  4. Advanced Data Collection for Inventory Management

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Opresko, G. A.; Leet, J. H.; Mcgrath, D. F.; Eidson, J.

    1987-01-01

    Bar-coding, radio-frequency, and voice-operated systems selected. Report discusses study of state-of-the-art in automated collection of data for management of large inventories. Study included comprehensive search of literature on data collection and inventory management, visits to existing automated inventory systems, and tours of selected supply and transportation facilities at Kennedy Space Center. Information collected analyzed in view of needs of conceptual inventory-management systems for Kennedy Space Center and for manned space station and other future space projects.

  5. Chronology of KSC and KSC related events, 1982

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nail, K., Jr.

    1984-01-01

    The history of activities at the Kennedy Space Center in 1982 is presented as reflected in NASA News Releases and selected periodicals. Items are arranged in chronological order by date of the published sources. Actual data date of the event may be indicated in parenthesis when the article itself does not make that information explicit. Highlights of the year's activities include three launchings of the orbiter Columbia; successful launches of communications satellites using expendable vehicles; major changes in contracting; and the selection of a base operations contractor.

  6. Space tug economic analysis study. Volume 2: Tug concepts analysis. Appendix: Tug design and performance data base

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1972-01-01

    The tug design and performance data base for the economic analysis of space tug operation are presented. A compendium of the detailed design and performance information from the data base is developed. The design data are parametric across a range of reusable space tug sizes. The performance curves are generated for selected point designs of expendable orbit injection stages and reusable tugs. Data are presented in the form of graphs for various modes of operation.

  7. Auxiliary engine digital interface unit (DIU)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1972-01-01

    This auxiliary propulsion engine digital unit controls both the valving of the fuel and oxidizer to the engine combustion chamber and the ignition spark required for timely and efficient engine burns. In addition to this basic function, the unit is designed to manage it's own redundancy such that it is still operational after two hard circuit failures. It communicates to the data bus system several selected information points relating to the operational status of the electronics as well as the engine fuel and burning processes.

  8. Multichannel temperature controller for hot air solar house

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Currie, J. R.

    1979-01-01

    This paper describes an electronic controller that is optimized to operate a hot air solar system. Thermal information is obtained from copper constantan thermocouples and a wall-type thermostat. The signals from the thermocouples are processed through a single amplifier using a multiplexing scheme. The multiplexing reduces the component count and automatically calibrates the thermocouple amplifier. The processed signals connect to some simple logic that selects one of the four operating modes. This simple, inexpensive, and reliable scheme is well suited to control hot air solar systems.

  9. UH-60M Black Hawk Helicopter (UH-60M Black Hawk)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-12-01

    Selected Acquisition Report (SAR) RCS: DD-A&T(Q&A)823-341 UH-60M Black Hawk Helicopter (UH-60M Black Hawk) As of FY 2017 President’s Budget Defense...Acquisition Management Information Retrieval (DAMIR) March 21, 2016 18:25:45 UNCLASSIFIED UH-60M Black Hawk December 2015 SAR March 21, 2016 18...Operational Requirements Document OSD - Office of the Secretary of Defense O&S - Operating and Support PAUC - Program Acquisition Unit Cost UH-60M Black Hawk

  10. Using speech for mode selection in control of multifunctional myoelectric prostheses.

    PubMed

    Fang, Peng; Wei, Zheng; Geng, Yanjuan; Yao, Fuan; Li, Guanglin

    2013-01-01

    Electromyogram (EMG) recorded from residual muscles of limbs is considered as suitable control information for motorized prostheses. However, in case of high-level amputations, the residual muscles are usually limited, which may not provide enough EMG for flexible control of myoelectric prostheses with multiple degrees of freedom of movements. Here, we proposed a control strategy, where the speech signals were used as additional information and combined with the EMG signals to realize more flexible control of multifunctional prostheses. By replacing the traditional "sequential mode-switching (joint-switching)", the speech signals were used to select a mode (joint) of the prosthetic arm, and then the EMG signals were applied to determine a motion class involved in the selected joint and to execute the motion. Preliminary results from three able-bodied subjects and one transhumeral amputee demonstrated the proposed strategy could achieve a high mode-selection rate and enhance the operation efficiency, suggesting the strategy may improve the control performance of commercial myoelectric prostheses.

  11. Personnel reliability impact on petrochemical facilities monitoring system's failure skipping probability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kostyukov, V. N.; Naumenko, A. P.

    2017-08-01

    The paper dwells upon urgent issues of evaluating impact of actions conducted by complex technological systems operators on their safe operation considering application of condition monitoring systems for elements and sub-systems of petrochemical production facilities. The main task for the research is to distinguish factors and criteria of monitoring system properties description, which would allow to evaluate impact of errors made by personnel on operation of real-time condition monitoring and diagnostic systems for machinery of petrochemical facilities, and find and objective criteria for monitoring system class, considering a human factor. On the basis of real-time condition monitoring concepts of sudden failure skipping risk, static and dynamic error, monitoring systems, one may solve a task of evaluation of impact that personnel's qualification has on monitoring system operation in terms of error in personnel or operators' actions while receiving information from monitoring systems and operating a technological system. Operator is considered as a part of the technological system. Although, personnel's behavior is usually a combination of the following parameters: input signal - information perceiving, reaction - decision making, response - decision implementing. Based on several researches on behavior of nuclear powers station operators in USA, Italy and other countries, as well as on researches conducted by Russian scientists, required data on operator's reliability were selected for analysis of operator's behavior at technological facilities diagnostics and monitoring systems. The calculations revealed that for the monitoring system selected as an example, the failure skipping risk for the set values of static (less than 0.01) and dynamic (less than 0.001) errors considering all related factors of data on reliability of information perception, decision-making, and reaction fulfilled is 0.037, in case when all the facilities and error probability are under control - not more than 0.027. In case when only pump and compressor units are under control, the failure skipping risk is not more than 0.022, when the probability of error in operator's action is not more than 0.011. The work output shows that on the basis of the researches results an assessment of operators' reliability can be made in terms of almost any kind of production, but considering only technological capabilities, since operators' psychological and general training considerable vary in different production industries. Using latest technologies of engineering psychology and design of data support systems, situation assessment systems, decision-making and responding system, as well as achievement in condition monitoring in various production industries one can evaluate hazardous condition skipping risk probability considering static, dynamic errors and human factor.

  12. Variations in Party Line Information Requirements for Flight Crew Situation Awareness in the Datalink Environment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pritchett, Amy R.; Hansman, R. John

    1994-01-01

    Current Air Traffic Control communications use shared very high frequency (VHF) voice frequencies from which pilots can obtain 'Party Line' Information (PLI) by overhearing communications addressed to other aircraft. A prior study has shown pilots perceive this PLI to be important. There is concern that some critical PLI may be lost in the proposed datalink environment where communications will be discretely addressed. Different types of flight operations will be, equipped with datalink equipment at different times, generating a 'mixed environment' where some pilots may rely on PLI while others will receive their information by datalink. To research the importance, availability and accuracy of PLI and to query pilots on the information they feel is necessary, a survey was distributed to pilots. The pilots were selected from four flight operation groups to study the variations in PLI requirements in the mixed datalink environment. Pilots perceived PLI to be important overall. Specific information elements pertaining to traffic and weather information were identified as Critical. Most PLI elements followed a pattern of higher perceived importance during terminal area operations, final approach and landing. Pilots from the different flight operation groups identified some elements as particularly important. Pilots perceived PLI to be only moderately available and accurate overall. Several PLI elements received very low availability and accuracy ratings but are perceived as important. In a free response question designed to find the information requirements for global situation awareness, pilots frequently indicated a need for traffic and weather information. These elements were also frequently cited by them as information that could be presented by a datalink system. The results of this survey identify specific concerns to be addressed when implementing datalink communications.

  13. Variance Component Selection With Applications to Microbiome Taxonomic Data.

    PubMed

    Zhai, Jing; Kim, Juhyun; Knox, Kenneth S; Twigg, Homer L; Zhou, Hua; Zhou, Jin J

    2018-01-01

    High-throughput sequencing technology has enabled population-based studies of the role of the human microbiome in disease etiology and exposure response. Microbiome data are summarized as counts or composition of the bacterial taxa at different taxonomic levels. An important problem is to identify the bacterial taxa that are associated with a response. One method is to test the association of specific taxon with phenotypes in a linear mixed effect model, which incorporates phylogenetic information among bacterial communities. Another type of approaches consider all taxa in a joint model and achieves selection via penalization method, which ignores phylogenetic information. In this paper, we consider regression analysis by treating bacterial taxa at different level as multiple random effects. For each taxon, a kernel matrix is calculated based on distance measures in the phylogenetic tree and acts as one variance component in the joint model. Then taxonomic selection is achieved by the lasso (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator) penalty on variance components. Our method integrates biological information into the variable selection problem and greatly improves selection accuracies. Simulation studies demonstrate the superiority of our methods versus existing methods, for example, group-lasso. Finally, we apply our method to a longitudinal microbiome study of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infected patients. We implement our method using the high performance computing language Julia. Software and detailed documentation are freely available at https://github.com/JingZhai63/VCselection.

  14. Fizzy: feature subset selection for metagenomics.

    PubMed

    Ditzler, Gregory; Morrison, J Calvin; Lan, Yemin; Rosen, Gail L

    2015-11-04

    Some of the current software tools for comparative metagenomics provide ecologists with the ability to investigate and explore bacterial communities using α- & β-diversity. Feature subset selection--a sub-field of machine learning--can also provide a unique insight into the differences between metagenomic or 16S phenotypes. In particular, feature subset selection methods can obtain the operational taxonomic units (OTUs), or functional features, that have a high-level of influence on the condition being studied. For example, in a previous study we have used information-theoretic feature selection to understand the differences between protein family abundances that best discriminate between age groups in the human gut microbiome. We have developed a new Python command line tool, which is compatible with the widely adopted BIOM format, for microbial ecologists that implements information-theoretic subset selection methods for biological data formats. We demonstrate the software tools capabilities on publicly available datasets. We have made the software implementation of Fizzy available to the public under the GNU GPL license. The standalone implementation can be found at http://github.com/EESI/Fizzy.

  15. Fizzy. Feature subset selection for metagenomics

    DOE PAGES

    Ditzler, Gregory; Morrison, J. Calvin; Lan, Yemin; ...

    2015-11-04

    Background: Some of the current software tools for comparative metagenomics provide ecologists with the ability to investigate and explore bacterial communities using α– & β–diversity. Feature subset selection – a sub-field of machine learning – can also provide a unique insight into the differences between metagenomic or 16S phenotypes. In particular, feature subset selection methods can obtain the operational taxonomic units (OTUs), or functional features, that have a high-level of influence on the condition being studied. For example, in a previous study we have used information-theoretic feature selection to understand the differences between protein family abundances that best discriminate betweenmore » age groups in the human gut microbiome. Results: We have developed a new Python command line tool, which is compatible with the widely adopted BIOM format, for microbial ecologists that implements information-theoretic subset selection methods for biological data formats. We demonstrate the software tools capabilities on publicly available datasets. Conclusions: We have made the software implementation of Fizzy available to the public under the GNU GPL license. The standalone implementation can be found at http://github.com/EESI/Fizzy.« less

  16. Meeting the information system demands of the future through outsourcing.

    PubMed

    Goldman, S J

    1994-05-01

    As managed care organizations work to meet the rigorous data and information requirements of a rapidly evolving health care system, many are recognizing the need to out-source their computer operations. Developing a cost-effective, efficient approach to outsourcing is a challenge to many organizations. This article offers an in-depth view of outsourcing as it relates to the managed health care industry as well as criteria for selecting an outsourcing consultant or vendor.

  17. Economic Evaluation of the Information Security Levels Achieved by Electric Energy Providers in North Arctic Region

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sushko, O. P.; Kaznin, A. A.; Babkin, A. V.; Bogdanov, D. A.

    2017-10-01

    The study we are conducting involves the analysis of information security levels achieved by energy providers operating in the North Arctic Region. We look into whether the energy providers’ current information security levels meet reliability standards and determine what further actions may be needed for upgrading information security in the context of the digital transformation that the world community is undergoing. When developing the information security systems for electric energy providers or selecting the protection means for them, we are governed by the fact that the assets to be protected are process technologies. While information security risk can be assessed using different methods, the evaluation of the economic damage from these risks appears to be a difficult task. The most probable and harmful risks we have identified when evaluating the electric energy providers’ information security will be used by us as variables. To provide the evaluation, it is necessary to calculate the costs relating to elimination of the risks identified. The final stage of the study will involve the development of an operation algorithm for the North Arctic Region’s energy provider’s business information protection security system - a set of information security services, and security software and hardware.

  18. Supporting evaluation for the proposed plan for final remedial action for the groundwater operable unit at the chemical plant area of the Weldon Spring Site, Weldon Spring, Missouri.

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

    NONE

    2003-08-06

    This report presents the technical information developed since the interim record of decision (IROD) was issued in September 2000 (U.S. Department of Energy [DOE] 2000). The information was incorporated into the evaluation that was performed in selecting the preferred alternative for the Chemical Plant groundwater operable unit (GWOU) of the Weldon Spring site. The contaminants of concern (COCs) in groundwater and springs are trichloroethylene (TCE), nitrate, uranium, and nitroaromatic compounds. The preferred alternative of monitored natural attenuation (MNA) coupled with institutional controls (ICs) and contingency activities is described in the ''Proposed Plan (PP) for Final Remedial Action for the Groundwatermore » Operable Unit at the Chemical Plant Area of the Weldon Spring Site, Weldon Spring, Missouri'' (DOE 2003b).« less

  19. Identifying a base network of federally funded streamgaging stations

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ries, Kernell G.; Kolva, J.R.; Stewart, D.W.

    2004-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has completed a preliminary analysis to identify streamgaging stations needed in a base network that would satisfy five primary Federal goals for collecting streamflow information. The five goals are (1) determining streamflow at interstate and international borders and at locations mandated by court decrees, (2) determining the streamflow component of water budgets for the major river basins of the Nation, (3) providing real-time streamflow information to the U.S. National Weather Service to support flood-forecasting activities, (4) providing streamflow information at locations of monitoring stations included in USGS national water-quality networks, and (5) providing streamflow information necessary for regionalization of streamflow characteristics and assessing potential long-term trends in streamflow associated with changes in climate. The analysis was done using a Geographic Information System. USGS headquarters staff made initial selections of stations that satisfied at least one of the five goals, and then staff in each of the 48 USGS district offices reviewed the selections, making suggestions for additions or changes based on detailed local knowledge of the streams in the area. The analysis indicated that 4,242 streamgaging stations are needed in the base network to meet the 5 Federal goals for streamflow information. Of these, 2,692 stations (63.5 percent) are currently operated by the USGS, 277 stations (6.5 percent) are currently operated by other agencies, 865 (20.4 percent) are discontinued USGS stations that need to be reactivated, and 408 (9.6 percent) are locations where new stations are needed. Copyright ASCE 2004.

  20. Environment as a witness: Selective proliferation of information and emergence of objectivity in a quantum universe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ollivier, Harold; Poulin, David; Zurek, Wojciech H.

    2005-10-01

    We study the role of the information deposited in the environment of an open quantum system in the course of the decoherence process. Redundant spreading of information—the fact that some observables of the system can be independently read off from many distinct fragments of the environment—is investigated as the key to effective objectivity, the essential ingredient of classical reality. This focus on the environment as a communication channel through which observers learn about physical systems underscores the importance of quantum Darwinism—selective proliferation of information about “the fittest states” chosen by the dynamics of decoherence at the expense of their superpositions—as redundancy imposes the existence of preferred observables. We demonstrate that the only observables that can leave multiple imprints in the environment are the familiar pointer observables singled out by environment-induced superselection (einselection) for their predictability. Many independent observers monitoring the environment will therefore agree on properties of the system as they can only learn about preferred observables. In this operational sense, the selective spreading of information leads to appearance of an objective classical reality from within the quantum substrate.

  1. Quantifying and visualizing site performance in clinical trials.

    PubMed

    Yang, Eric; O'Donovan, Christopher; Phillips, JodiLyn; Atkinson, Leone; Ghosh, Krishnendu; Agrafiotis, Dimitris K

    2018-03-01

    One of the keys to running a successful clinical trial is the selection of high quality clinical sites, i.e., sites that are able to enroll patients quickly, engage them on an ongoing basis to prevent drop-out, and execute the trial in strict accordance to the clinical protocol. Intuitively, the historical track record of a site is one of the strongest predictors of its future performance; however, issues such as data availability and wide differences in protocol complexity can complicate interpretation. Here, we demonstrate how operational data derived from central laboratory services can provide key insights into the performance of clinical sites and help guide operational planning and site selection for new clinical trials. Our methodology uses the metadata associated with laboratory kit shipments to clinical sites (such as trial and anonymized patient identifiers, investigator names and addresses, sample collection and shipment dates, etc.) to reconstruct the complete schedule of patient visits and derive insights about the operational performance of those sites, including screening, enrollment, and drop-out rates and other quality indicators. This information can be displayed in its raw form or normalized to enable direct comparison of site performance across studies of varied design and complexity. Leveraging Covance's market leadership in central laboratory services, we have assembled a database of operational metrics that spans more than 14,000 protocols, 1400 indications, 230,000 unique investigators, and 23 million patient visits and represents a significant fraction of all clinical trials run globally in the last few years. By analyzing this historical data, we are able to assess and compare the performance of clinical investigators across a wide range of therapeutic areas and study designs. This information can be aggregated across trials and geographies to gain further insights into country and regional trends, sometimes with surprising results. The use of operational data from Covance Central Laboratories provides a unique perspective into the performance of clinical sites with respect to many important metrics such as patient enrollment and retention. These metrics can, in turn, be used to guide operational planning and site selection for new clinical trials, thereby accelerating recruitment, improving quality, and reducing cost.

  2. PDB Editor: a user-friendly Java-based Protein Data Bank file editor with a GUI.

    PubMed

    Lee, Jonas; Kim, Sung Hou

    2009-04-01

    The Protein Data Bank file format is the format most widely used by protein crystallographers and biologists to disseminate and manipulate protein structures. Despite this, there are few user-friendly software packages available to efficiently edit and extract raw information from PDB files. This limitation often leads to many protein crystallographers wasting significant time manually editing PDB files. PDB Editor, written in Java Swing GUI, allows the user to selectively search, select, extract and edit information in parallel. Furthermore, the program is a stand-alone application written in Java which frees users from the hassles associated with platform/operating system-dependent installation and usage. PDB Editor can be downloaded from http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdbeditorjl/.

  3. REPORTING OF SELECTED EPA-SPONSORED FORM EIA-767 DATA FOR 1985-1987

    EPA Science Inventory

    The report is a compilation of 1985-87 data based on the Energy Information Administration's (ElA's) Form 767, "Steam-Electric Plant Operation and Design Report," an annual data collection form whose major output to date has been an annual data tape which is released to the publi...

  4. Cloning Their Own: Aspirant Principals and the School-Based Selection Game

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gronn, Peter; Lacey, Kathy

    2006-01-01

    In this article, we report data from two projects concerned with the aspirant principals' perspectives about school principal recruitment in three Australian states. In particular, we consider what our informants perceive as factors that inhibit the realisation of their aspirations. These factors include aspects of the operation of school-based…

  5. On the Relationship between Fluid Intelligence, Gesture Production, and Brain Structure

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wartenburger, Isabell; Kuhn, Esther; Sassenberg, Uta; Foth, Manja; Franz, Elizabeth A.; van der Meer, Elke

    2010-01-01

    Individuals scoring high in fluid intelligence tasks generally perform very efficiently in problem solving tasks and analogical reasoning tasks presumably because they are able to select the task-relevant information very quickly and focus on a limited set of task-relevant cognitive operations. Moreover, individuals with high fluid intelligence…

  6. Information as Power. An Anthology of Selected United States Army War College Student Papers. Volume 4

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-01-01

    Coombs , Crisis Management and Communication ...and coordinating all U.S. PSYOP efforts in Afghanistan. 14. Coombs , Crisis Management and Communication . 15. Coombs , Ongoing Crisis ...commonly associated with, and seen as a requirement in, crisis response communications . A crisis is “a significant threat to operations

  7. Inventorying recreation use

    Treesearch

    George A. James

    1971-01-01

    Part I is a general discussion about the estimation of recreation use, with descriptions of selected sampling techniques for estimating recreation use on a wide variety of different sites and areas. Part II is a brief discussion of an operational computer oriented information system designed and developed by the USDA Forest Service to fully utilize the inventories of...

  8. 75 FR 12594 - Alaska Railroad Corporation-Construction and Operation Exemption-A Rail Line Extension to Port...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-16

    ... , by clicking on the ``E-FILING'' link. Then select ``Environmental Comments,'' which does not require.... 35095, Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street, SW., Washington, DC 20423. Electronically: Written... (1- 800-877-8339)], or by e-mail at [email protected] . Further information about the project is...

  9. Interactive Learning Units on Museum Websites

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chong, Cordelia; Smith, Diantha

    2017-01-01

    Though it is well known that museums should embrace digital learning, many museum websites have not fully utilized digital learning resources, especially in interactive ways. In fact, in a survey of 225 websites of selected U.S. cultural institutions that have informal science education at the heart of their operations, we found that just 5% of…

  10. Infrastructure for the design and fabrication of MEMS for RF/microwave and millimeter wave applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nerguizian, Vahe; Rafaf, Mustapha

    2004-08-01

    This article describes and provides valuable information for companies and universities with strategies to start fabricating MEMS for RF/Microwave and millimeter wave applications. The present work shows the infrastructure developed for RF/Microwave and millimeter wave MEMS platforms, which helps the identification, evaluation and selection of design tools and fabrication foundries taking into account packaging and testing. The selected and implemented simple infrastructure models, based on surface and bulk micromachining, yield inexpensive and innovative approaches for distributed choices of MEMS operating tools. With different educational or industrial institution needs, these models may be modified for specific resource changes using a careful analyzed iteration process. The inputs of the project are evaluation selection criteria and information sources such as financial, technical, availability, accessibility, simplicity, versatility and practical considerations. The outputs of the project are the selection of different MEMS design tools or software (solid modeling, electrostatic/electromagnetic and others, compatible with existing standard RF/Microwave design tools) and different MEMS manufacturing foundries. Typical RF/Microwave and millimeter wave MEMS solutions are introduced on the platform during the evaluation and development phases of the project for the validation of realistic results and operational decision making choices. The encountered challenges during the investigation and the development steps are identified and the dynamic behavior of the infrastructure is emphasized. The inputs (resources) and the outputs (demonstrated solutions) are presented in tables and flow chart mode diagrams.

  11. A diagnostic signal selection scheme for planetary gearbox vibration monitoring under non-stationary operational conditions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Feng, Ke; Wang, KeSheng; Zhang, Mian; Ni, Qing; Zuo, Ming J.

    2017-03-01

    The planetary gearbox, due to its unique mechanical structures, is an important rotating machine for transmission systems. Its engineering applications are often in non-stationary operational conditions, such as helicopters, wind energy systems, etc. The unique physical structures and working conditions make the vibrations measured from planetary gearboxes exhibit a complex time-varying modulation and therefore yield complicated spectral structures. As a result, traditional signal processing methods, such as Fourier analysis, and the selection of characteristic fault frequencies for diagnosis face serious challenges. To overcome this drawback, this paper proposes a signal selection scheme for fault-emphasized diagnostics based upon two order tracking techniques. The basic procedures for the proposed scheme are as follows. (1) Computed order tracking is applied to reveal the order contents and identify the order(s) of interest. (2) Vold-Kalman filter order tracking is used to extract the order(s) of interest—these filtered order(s) constitute the so-called selected vibrations. (3) Time domain statistic indicators are applied to the selected vibrations for faulty information-emphasized diagnostics. The proposed scheme is explained and demonstrated in a signal simulation model and experimental studies and the method proves to be effective for planetary gearbox fault diagnosis.

  12. Implementation and use of a microcomputer-based management information system to monitor dairy herd performance

    PubMed Central

    Lissemore, Kerry D.; Leslie, Ken E.; Menzies, Paula I.; Martin, S. Wayne; Meek, Alan H.; Etherington, Wayne G.

    1992-01-01

    A microcomputer-based herd management information system was implemented as part of the herd health program provided to 13 dairy clients by the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph. The study was conducted over a two year period. Data were collected from on-farm event diaries, veterinary visit reports, and production testing information. Selected indices of reproduction, udder health, production, and heifer performance were reported. It was concluded that the implementation of a microcomputer-based information management system, operated as a bureau service, was feasible. However, limitations to the implementation in veterinary practice were identified. PMID:17423945

  13. CFCS and electric chillers: Selection of large-capacity water chillers in the 1990s. Final report

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

    Niess, R.C.

    1992-03-01

    This handbook offers a single source of useful information for understanding CFC and HCFC phaseout issues and selecting large-capacity water chillers for cooling commercial buildings. It evaluates the performance of electric, absorption, and natural-gas-engine driven water chillers. An economic evaluation checklist and example are included, using the EPRI COMTECH screening tool. Peak shaving with gas chillers and load shifting with chilled water storage are examined. The handbook, written for a diverse audience, covers chiller hardware, function, performance, and typical installed costs. It provides guidelines and checklists for chiller selection, economic comparison, and operation and maintenance.

  14. CFCS and electric chillers: Selection of large-capacity water chillers in the 1990s

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

    Niess, R.C.

    1992-03-01

    This handbook offers a single source of useful information for understanding CFC and HCFC phaseout issues and selecting large-capacity water chillers for cooling commercial buildings. It evaluates the performance of electric, absorption, and natural-gas-engine driven water chillers. An economic evaluation checklist and example are included, using the EPRI COMTECH screening tool. Peak shaving with gas chillers and load shifting with chilled water storage are examined. The handbook, written for a diverse audience, covers chiller hardware, function, performance, and typical installed costs. It provides guidelines and checklists for chiller selection, economic comparison, and operation and maintenance.

  15. Energy Saving Melting and Revert Reduction Technology: Melting Efficiency in Die Casting Operations

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

    David Schwam

    2012-12-15

    This project addressed multiple aspects of the aluminum melting and handling in die casting operations, with the objective of increasing the energy efficiency while improving the quality of the molten metal. The efficiency of melting has always played an important role in the profitability of aluminum die casting operations. Consequently, die casters need to make careful choices in selecting and operating melting equipment and procedures. The capital cost of new melting equipment with higher efficiency can sometimes be recovered relatively fast when it replaces old melting equipment with lower efficiency. Upgrades designed to improve energy efficiency of existing equipment maymore » be well justified. Energy efficiency is however not the only factor in optimizing melting operations. Melt losses and metal quality are also very important. Selection of melting equipment has to take into consideration the specific conditions at the die casting shop such as availability of floor space, average quantity of metal used as well as the ability to supply more metal during peaks in demand. In all these cases, it is essential to make informed decisions based on the best available data.« less

  16. Advances in metaheuristics for gene selection and classification of microarray data.

    PubMed

    Duval, Béatrice; Hao, Jin-Kao

    2010-01-01

    Gene selection aims at identifying a (small) subset of informative genes from the initial data in order to obtain high predictive accuracy for classification. Gene selection can be considered as a combinatorial search problem and thus be conveniently handled with optimization methods. In this article, we summarize some recent developments of using metaheuristic-based methods within an embedded approach for gene selection. In particular, we put forward the importance and usefulness of integrating problem-specific knowledge into the search operators of such a method. To illustrate the point, we explain how ranking coefficients of a linear classifier such as support vector machine (SVM) can be profitably used to reinforce the search efficiency of Local Search and Evolutionary Search metaheuristic algorithms for gene selection and classification.

  17. Gossip-Based Dissemination

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Friedman, Roy; Kermarrec, Anne-Marie; Miranda, Hugo; Rodrigues, Luís

    Gossip-based networking has emerged as a viable approach to disseminate information reliably and efficiently in large-scale systems. Initially introduced for database replication [222], the applicability of the approach extends much further now. For example, it has been applied for data aggregation [415], peer sampling [416] and publish/subscribe systems [845]. Gossip-based protocols rely on a periodic peer-wise exchange of information in wired systems. By changing the way each peer is selected for the gossip communication, and which data are exchanged and processed [451], gossip systems can be used to perform different distributed tasks, such as, among others: overlay maintenance, distributed computation, and information dissemination (a collection of papers on gossip can be found in [451]). In a wired setting, the peer sampling service, allowing for a random or specific peer selection, is often provided as an independent service, able to operate independently from other gossip-based services [416].

  18. Time and frequency for digital telecommunications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Folts, H. C.

    1972-01-01

    Time and frequency (T and F) are fundamental and pervasive parameters of telecommunication technology. Advancing development of digital communications using data modulation rates above 2400 baud and time-division multiplex in complex network configurations is now requiring more accurate and precise T and F reference information for efficient operation of telecommunication systems. A schematic diagram of a general communication system is shown. This diagram is very general and can depict any type of communication. The information source selects a specific message which is encoded and sent through a communication channel. Enroute, the signal is subjected to perturbations from environmental noise. The received signal is then decoded and delivered to its destination. Through the process, the message may undergo many spurious changes, resulting in a loss of information content in the delivered message as compared to the original selected message. In digital telecommunication systems, loss of information content of the signals can be attributed to noise, distortion of waveshape, and loss of synchronization.

  19. Regulatory requirements for nuclear power plant site selection in Malaysia-a review.

    PubMed

    Basri, N A; Hashim, S; Ramli, A T; Bradley, D A; Hamzah, K

    2016-12-01

    Malaysia has initiated a range of pre-project activities in preparation for its planned nuclear power programme. Clearly one of the first steps is the selection of sites that are deemed suitable for the construction and operation of a nuclear power plant. Here we outline the Malaysian regulatory requirements for nuclear power plant site selection, emphasizing details of the selection procedures and site characteristics needed, with a clear focus on radiation safety and radiation protection in respect of the site surroundings. The Malaysia Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) site selection guidelines are in accord with those provided in International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and United Stated Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) documents. To enhance the suitability criteria during selection, as well as to assist in the final decision making process, possible assessments using the site selection characteristics and information are proposed.

  20. Management: A bibliography for NASA managers (supplement 21)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1987-01-01

    This bibliography lists 664 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in 1986. Items are selected and grouped according to their usefulness to the manager as manager. Citations are grouped into ten subject categories: human factors and personnel issues; management theory and techniques; industrial management and manufacturing; robotics and expert systems; computers and information management; research and development; economics, costs, and markets; logistics and operations management; reliability and quality control; and legality, legislation, and policy.

  1. Management: A bibliography for NASA Managers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1986-01-01

    This bibliography lists 707 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technology information system in 1985. Items are selected and grouped according to their usefulness to the manager as manager. Citations are grouped into ten subject categories: human factors and personnel issues; management theory and techniques; industrial management and manufacturing; robotics and expert systems; computers and information management; research and development; economics, costs, and markets; logistics and operations management; reliability and quality control; and legality, legislation, and policy.

  2. Management: A bibliography for NASA managers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1991-01-01

    This bibliography lists 731 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information System in 1990. Items are selected and grouped according to their usefulness to the manager as manager. Citations are grouped into ten subject categories: human factors and personnel issues; management theory and techniques; industrial management and manufacturing; robotics and expert systems; computers and information management; research and development; economics, costs and markets; logistics and operations management; reliability and quality control; and legality, legislation, and policy.

  3. Management: A bibliography for NASA managers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1990-01-01

    This bibliography lists 755 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information System in 1989. Items are selected and grouped according to their usefulness to the manager as manager. Citations are grouped into ten subject categories: human factors and personnel issues; management theory and techniques; industrial management and manufacturing; robotics and expert systems; computers and information management; research and development; economics, costs and markets; logistics and operations management; reliability and quality control; and legality, legislation, and policy.

  4. Management: A bibliography for NASA managers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1989-01-01

    This bibliography lists 822 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information System in 1988. Items are selected and grouped according to their usefulness to the manager as manager. Citations are grouped into ten subject categories: human factors and personnel issues; management theory and techniques; industrial management and manufacturing; robotics and expert systems; computers and information management; research and development; economics, costs and markets; logistics and operations management; reliability and quality control; and legality, legislation, and policy.

  5. Core Operations of the Metals and Ceramics Information Center (A DoD information Analysis Center)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1990-08-30

    1214 Hy-Tuf Steel 12 Sep 4208 Wassaloy? 36 Dec 1215 Nitralloy 135 Mod 8 Dec 4310 Haynes Alloy 188 40 1987 Mar 1203 4140 Sterl 34 Mar 1601 A-286 Steel 37...BE /Ej*Az5 pofj.’t FRACT UjPE CATA FOR AISI 521 ,O ALLCY STEEL r-L’I1 AFS. 6 L Pesconm C OPY OF SELECTED DATA FAxED ,-T LCCP"EED 1MILES A AE OPol.es

  6. Management: A bibliography for NASA managers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1992-01-01

    This bibliography lists 630 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information System in 1991. Items are selected and grouped according to their usefulness to the manager as manager. Citations are grouped into ten subject categories: human factors and personnel issues; management theory and techniques; industrial management and manufacturing; robotics and expert systems; computers and information management; research and development; economics, costs and markets; logistics and operations management; reliability and quality control; and legality, legislation, and policy.

  7. Management: A bibliography for NASA managers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1988-01-01

    This bibliography lists 653 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in 1987. Items are selected and grouped according to their usefulness to the manager as manager. Citiations are grouped into ten subject categories; human factors and personnel issues; management theory and techniques; industrial management and manufacturing; robotics and expert systems; computers and information management; research and development; economics, costs and markets; logistics and operations management, reliability and quality control; and legality, legislation, and policy.

  8. A Conceptual Framework for Predicting Error in Complex Human-Machine Environments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Freed, Michael; Remington, Roger; Null, Cynthia H. (Technical Monitor)

    1998-01-01

    We present a Goals, Operators, Methods, and Selection Rules-Model Human Processor (GOMS-MHP) style model-based approach to the problem of predicting human habit capture errors. Habit captures occur when the model fails to allocate limited cognitive resources to retrieve task-relevant information from memory. Lacking the unretrieved information, decision mechanisms act in accordance with implicit default assumptions, resulting in error when relied upon assumptions prove incorrect. The model helps interface designers identify situations in which such failures are especially likely.

  9. Anxiety and attention: is there an attentional bias for positive emotional stimuli?

    PubMed

    Ruiz-Caballero, J A; Bermúdez, J

    1997-04-01

    Empirical research has shown that anxiety is associated with a systematic bias in the cognitive system. Anxious individuals (clinically anxious patients and normal individuals with high-trait anxiety) are characterized by a pattern of selective processing that favors the encoding of threatening information. Is this attentional bias specific to threat-related information, or does it operate for positive emotional stimuli? The research directly connected with the existence of an attentional bias for threat in anxiety was examined.

  10. Knowledge discovery from data and Monte-Carlo DEA to evaluate technical efficiency of mental health care in small health areas

    PubMed Central

    García-Alonso, Carlos; Pérez-Naranjo, Leonor

    2009-01-01

    Introduction Knowledge management, based on information transfer between experts and analysts, is crucial for the validity and usability of data envelopment analysis (DEA). Aim To design and develop a methodology: i) to assess technical efficiency of small health areas (SHA) in an uncertainty environment, and ii) to transfer information between experts and operational models, in both directions, for improving expert’s knowledge. Method A procedure derived from knowledge discovery from data (KDD) is used to select, interpret and weigh DEA inputs and outputs. Based on KDD results, an expert-driven Monte-Carlo DEA model has been designed to assess the technical efficiency of SHA in Andalusia. Results In terms of probability, SHA 29 is the most efficient being, on the contrary, SHA 22 very inefficient. 73% of analysed SHA have a probability of being efficient (Pe) >0.9 and 18% <0.5. Conclusions Expert knowledge is necessary to design and validate any operational model. KDD techniques make the transfer of information from experts to any operational model easy and results obtained from the latter improve expert’s knowledge.

  11. The District Health Information System (DHIS2): A literature review and meta-synthesis of its strengths and operational challenges based on the experiences of 11 countries.

    PubMed

    Dehnavieh, Reza; Haghdoost, AliAkbar; Khosravi, Ardeshir; Hoseinabadi, Fahime; Rahimi, Hamed; Poursheikhali, Atousa; Khajehpour, Nahid; Khajeh, Zahra; Mirshekari, Nadia; Hasani, Marziyeh; Radmerikhi, Samera; Haghighi, Hajar; Mehrolhassani, Mohammad Hossain; Kazemi, Elaheh; Aghamohamadi, Saeide

    2018-01-01

    Health information systems offer many potential benefits for healthcare, including financial benefits and for improving the quality of patient care. The purpose of District Health Information Systems (DHIS) is to document data that are routinely collected in all public health facilities in a country using the system. The aim of this study was to examine the strengths and operational challenges of DHIS2, with a goal to enable decision makers in different counties to more accurately evaluate the outcomes of introducing DHIS2 into their particular country. A review of the literature combined with the method of meta-synthesis was used to source information and interpret results relating to the strengths and operational challenges of DHIS2. Databases (Embase, PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar) were searched for documents related to strengths and operational challenges of DHIS2, with no time limit up to 8 April 2017. The review and evaluation of selected studies was conducted in three stages: title, abstract and full text. Each of the selected studies was reviewed carefully and key concepts extracted. These key concepts were divided into two categories of strengths and operational challenges of DHIS2. Then, each category was grouped based on conceptual similarity to achieve the main themes and sub-themes. Content analysis was used to analyse extracted data. Of 766 identified citations, 20 studies from 11 countries were included and analysed in this study. Identified strengths in the DHIS were represented in seven themes (with 21 categories): technical features of software, proper management of data, application flexibility, networking and increasing the satisfaction of stakeholders, development of data management, increasing access to information and economic benefits. Operational challenges were identified and captured in 11 themes (with 18 categories): funds; appropriate communication infrastructure; the need for the existence of appropriate data; political, cultural, social and structural infrastructure; manpower; senior managers; training; using academic potentials; definition and standardising the deployment processes; neglect to application of criteria and clinical guidelines in the use of system; data security; stakeholder communications challenges and the necessity to establish a pilot system. This study highlighted specific strengths in the technical and functional aspects of DHIS2 and also drew attention to particular challenges and concerns. These results provide a sound evidence base for decision makers and policymakers to enable them to make more accurate decisions about whether or not to use the DHIS2 in the health system of their country.

  12. High-throughput screening of chromatographic separations: IV. Ion-exchange.

    PubMed

    Kelley, Brian D; Switzer, Mary; Bastek, Patrick; Kramarczyk, Jack F; Molnar, Kathleen; Yu, Tianning; Coffman, Jon

    2008-08-01

    Ion-exchange (IEX) chromatography steps are widely applied in protein purification processes because of their high capacity, selectivity, robust operation, and well-understood principles. Optimization of IEX steps typically involves resin screening and selection of the pH and counterion concentrations of the load, wash, and elution steps. Time and material constraints associated with operating laboratory columns often preclude evaluating more than 20-50 conditions during early stages of process development. To overcome this limitation, a high-throughput screening (HTS) system employing a robotic liquid handling system and 96-well filterplates was used to evaluate various operating conditions for IEX steps for monoclonal antibody (mAb) purification. A screening study for an adsorptive cation-exchange step evaluated eight different resins. Sodium chloride concentrations defining the operating boundaries of product binding and elution were established at four different pH levels for each resin. Adsorption isotherms were measured for 24 different pH and salt combinations for a single resin. An anion-exchange flowthrough step was then examined, generating data on mAb adsorption for 48 different combinations of pH and counterion concentration for three different resins. The mAb partition coefficients were calculated and used to estimate the characteristic charge of the resin-protein interaction. Host cell protein and residual Protein A impurity levels were also measured, providing information on selectivity within this operating window. The HTS system shows promise for accelerating process development of IEX steps, enabling rapid acquisition of large datasets addressing the performance of the chromatography step under many different operating conditions. (c) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Construction of In-house Databases in a Corporation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sano, Hikomaro

    This report outlines “Repoir” (Report information retrieval) system of Toyota Central R & D Laboratories, Inc. as an example of in-house information retrieval system. The online system was designed to process in-house technical reports with the aid of a mainframe computer and has been in operation since 1979. Its features are multiple use of the information for technical and managerial purposes and simplicity in indexing and data input. The total number of descriptors, specially selected for the system, was minimized for ease of indexing. The report also describes the input items, processing flow and typical outputs in kanji letters.

  14. Data compression and information retrieval via symbolization

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

    Tang, X.Z.; Tracy, E.R.

    Converting a continuous signal into a multisymbol stream is a simple method of data compression which preserves much of the dynamical information present in the original signal. The retrieval of selected types of information from symbolic data involves binary operations and is therefore optimal for digital computers. For example, correlation time scales can be easily recovered, even at high noise levels, by varying the time delay for symbolization. Also, the presence of periodicity in the signal can be reliably detected even if it is weak and masked by a dominant chaotic/stochastic background. {copyright} {ital 1998 American Institute of Physics.}

  15. Integrating user centered design, universal design and goal, operation, method and selection rules to improve the usability of DAISY player for persons with visual impairments.

    PubMed

    Huang, Po-Hsin; Chiu, Ming-Chuan

    2016-01-01

    The Digital Accessible Information SYstem (DAISY) player is an assistive reading tool developed for use by persons with visual impairments. Certain problems have persisted in the operating procedure and interface of DAISY players, especially for their Chinese users. Therefore, the aim of this study was to redesign the DAISY player with increased usability features for use by native Chinese speakers. First, a User Centered Design (UCD) process was employed to analyze the development of the prototype. Next, operation procedures were reorganized according to GOMS (Goals, Operators, Methods, and Selection rules) methodology. Then the user interface was redesigned according to specific Universal Design (UD) principles. Following these revisions, an experiment involving four scenarios was conducted to compare the new prototype to other players, and it was tested by twelve visually impaired participants. Results indicate the prototype had the quickest operating times, the fewest number of operating errors, and the lowest mental workloads of all the compared players, significantly enhancing the prototype's usability. These findings have allowed us to generate suggestions for developing the next generation of DAISY players for people, especially for Chinese audience. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

  16. Temporally and functionally dissociable retrieval processing operations revealed by event-related potentials.

    PubMed

    Cruse, Damian; Wilding, Edward L

    2011-06-01

    In a pair of recent studies, frontally distributed event-related potential (ERP) indices of two distinct post-retrieval processes were identified. It has been proposed that one of these processes operates over any kinds of task relevant information in service of task demands, while the other operates selectively over recovered contextual (episodic) information. The experiment described here was designed to test this account, by requiring retrieval of different kinds of contextual information to that required in previous relevant studies. Participants heard words spoken in either a male or female voice at study and ERPs were acquired at test where all words were presented visually. Half of the test words had been spoken at study. Participants first made an old/new judgment, distinguishing via key press between studied and unstudied words. For words judged 'old', participants indicated the voice in which the word had been spoken at study, and their confidence (high/low) in the voice judgment. There was evidence for only one of the two frontal old/new effects that had been identified in the previous studies. One possibility is that the ERP effect in previous studies that was tied specifically to recollection reflects processes operating over only some kinds of contextual information. An alternative is that the index reflects processes that are engaged primarily when there are few contextual features that distinguish between studied stimuli. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Selection in spatial working memory is independent of perceptual selective attention, but they interact in a shared spatial priority map.

    PubMed

    Hedge, Craig; Oberauer, Klaus; Leonards, Ute

    2015-11-01

    We examined the relationship between the attentional selection of perceptual information and of information in working memory (WM) through four experiments, using a spatial WM-updating task. Participants remembered the locations of two objects in a matrix and worked through a sequence of updating operations, each mentally shifting one dot to a new location according to an arrow cue. Repeatedly updating the same object in two successive steps is typically faster than switching to the other object; this object switch cost reflects the shifting of attention in WM. In Experiment 1, the arrows were presented in random peripheral locations, drawing perceptual attention away from the selected object in WM. This manipulation did not eliminate the object switch cost, indicating that the mechanisms of perceptual selection do not underlie selection in WM. Experiments 2a and 2b corroborated the independence of selection observed in Experiment 1, but showed a benefit to reaction times when the placement of the arrow cue was aligned with the locations of relevant objects in WM. Experiment 2c showed that the same benefit also occurs when participants are not able to mark an updating location through eye fixations. Together, these data can be accounted for by a framework in which perceptual selection and selection in WM are separate mechanisms that interact through a shared spatial priority map.

  18. Internet skills performance tests: are people ready for eHealth?

    PubMed

    van Deursen, Alexander J A M; van Dijk, Jan A G M

    2011-04-29

    Despite the amount of online health information, there are several barriers that limit the Internet's adoption as a source of health information. One of these barriers is highlighted in conceptualizations of the digital divide which include the differential possession of Internet skills, or "eHealth literacy". Most measures of Internet skills among populations at large use self-assessments. The research discussed here applies a multifaceted definition of Internet skills and uses actual performance tests. The purpose of this study was to assess how ready a sample of the general population is for eHealth. More specifically, four types of Internet skills were measured in a performance test in which subjects had to complete health-related assignments on the Internet. From November 1, 2009, through February 28, 2010, 88 subjects participated in the study. Subjects were randomly selected from a telephone directory. A selective quota sample was used divided over equal subsamples of gender, age, and education. Each subject had to accomplish assignments on the Internet. The Internet skills accounted for were categorized as operational (basic skills to use the Internet), formal (navigation and orientation), information (finding information), and strategic (using the information for personal benefits). The tests took approximately 1.5 hours and were conducted in a University office, making the setting equally new for all. Successful completion and time spent on the assignments-the two main outcomes-were directly measured by the test leader. The subjects successfully completed an average of 73% (5.8/8) of the operational Internet skill tasks and an average of 73% (2.9/4) of the formal Internet skill tasks. Of the information Internet skills tasks, an average of 50% (1.5/3) was completed successfully and, of the strategic Internet skills tasks, 35% (0.7/2). Only 28% (25/88) of the subjects were able to successfully complete all operational skills tasks, 39% (34/88), all formal skills tasks, 13% (11/88), all information skills tasks, and 20% (18/88), both the strategic skill tasks. The time spent on the assignments varied substantially. Age and education were the most important contributors to the operational and formal Internet skills. Regarding the formal Internet skills, years of Internet experience also had some influence. Educational level of attainment was the most important contributor to the information and strategic Internet skills. Although the amount of online health-related information and services is consistently growing, it appears that the general population lacks the skills to keep up. Most problematic appear to be the lack of information and strategic Internet skills, which, in the context of health, are very important. The lack of these skills is also problematic for members of younger generations, who are often considered skilled Internet users. This primarily seems to account for the operational and formal Internet skills. The results of the study strongly call for policies to increase the level of Internet skills.

  19. Internet Skills Performance Tests: Are People Ready for eHealth?

    PubMed Central

    van Dijk, Jan A G M

    2011-01-01

    Background Despite the amount of online health information, there are several barriers that limit the Internet’s adoption as a source of health information. One of these barriers is highlighted in conceptualizations of the digital divide which include the differential possession of Internet skills, or “eHealth literacy”. Most measures of Internet skills among populations at large use self-assessments. The research discussed here applies a multifaceted definition of Internet skills and uses actual performance tests. Objective The purpose of this study was to assess how ready a sample of the general population is for eHealth. More specifically, four types of Internet skills were measured in a performance test in which subjects had to complete health-related assignments on the Internet. Methods From November 1, 2009, through February 28, 2010, 88 subjects participated in the study. Subjects were randomly selected from a telephone directory. A selective quota sample was used divided over equal subsamples of gender, age, and education. Each subject had to accomplish assignments on the Internet. The Internet skills accounted for were categorized as operational (basic skills to use the Internet), formal (navigation and orientation), information (finding information), and strategic (using the information for personal benefits). The tests took approximately 1.5 hours and were conducted in a University office, making the setting equally new for all. Successful completion and time spent on the assignments—the two main outcomes—were directly measured by the test leader. Results The subjects successfully completed an average of 73% (5.8/8) of the operational Internet skill tasks and an average of 73% (2.9/4) of the formal Internet skill tasks. Of the information Internet skills tasks, an average of 50% (1.5/3) was completed successfully and, of the strategic Internet skills tasks, 35% (0.7/2). Only 28% (25/88) of the subjects were able to successfully complete all operational skills tasks, 39% (34/88) all formal skills tasks, 13% (11/88) all information skills tasks, and 20% (18/88) both the strategic skill tasks. The time spent on the assignments varied substantially. Age and education were the most important contributors to the operational and formal Internet skills. Regarding the formal Internet skills, years of Internet experience also had some influence. Educational level of attainment was the most important contributor to the information and strategic Internet skills. Conclusions Although the amount of online health-related information and services is consistently growing, it appears that the general population lacks the skills to keep up. Most problematic appear to be the lack of information and strategic Internet skills, which, in the context of health, are very important. The lack of these skills is also problematic for members of younger generations, who are often considered skilled Internet users. This primarily seems to account for the operational and formal Internet skills. The results of the study strongly call for policies to increase the level of Internet skills. PMID:21531690

  20. Selected Tether Applications Cost Model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Keeley, Michael G.

    1988-01-01

    Diverse cost-estimating techniques and data combined into single program. Selected Tether Applications Cost Model (STACOM 1.0) is interactive accounting software tool providing means for combining several independent cost-estimating programs into fully-integrated mathematical model capable of assessing costs, analyzing benefits, providing file-handling utilities, and putting out information in text and graphical forms to screen, printer, or plotter. Program based on Lotus 1-2-3, version 2.0. Developed to provide clear, concise traceability and visibility into methodology and rationale for estimating costs and benefits of operations of Space Station tether deployer system.

  1. Alternatives for managing wastes from reactors and post-fission operations in the LWR fuel cycle. Volume 5. Appendices

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

    Not Available

    1976-05-01

    Volume V of the five-volume report consists of appendices, which provide supplementary information, with emphasis on characteristics of geologic formations that might be used for final storage or disposal. Appendix titles are: selected glossary; conversion factors; geologic isolation, including, (a) site selection factors for repositories of wastes in geologic media, (b) rock types--geologic occurrence, (c) glossary of geohydrologic terms, and (d) 217 references; the ocean floor; and, government regulations pertaining to the management of radioactive materials. (JGB)

  2. Material Selection Guidelines to Limit Atomic Oxygen Effects on Spacecraft Surfaces

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dooling, D.; Finckenor, M. M.

    1999-01-01

    This report provides guidelines in selecting materials for satellites and space platforms, designed to operate within the Low-Earth orbit environment, which limit the effects of atomic oxygen interactions with spacecraft surfaces. This document should be treated as an introduction rather than a comprehensive guide since analytical and flight technologies continue to evolve, flight experiments are conducted as primary or piggyback opportunities arise, and our understanding of materials interactions and protection methods grows. The reader is urged to consult recent literature and current web sites containing information about research and flight results.

  3. Dynamic Information Management and Exchange for Command and Control Applications: A Framework in Support of Emergency Management for Specified and Unspecified Emergencies

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-03-01

    64 selections, 128 aggregations and 510 join operators . 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 T im e...DC, USA, 2001, IEEE Computer So- ciety, pp. 391–398. [66] E. Network and I. S. A. (ENISA), Inventory of risk managemen - t /risk assessment methods, Sept... Operations and Reports (0704-0188), 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that

  4. 47 CFR 73.1211 - Broadcast of lottery information.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... consisting of money or other thing of value is awarded to any person whose selection is dependent in whole or... winners are required to furnish any money or other thing of value or are required to have in their... profit, i.e., all receipts fully consumed in defraying the actual costs of operation). (3) Any gaming...

  5. 47 CFR 73.1211 - Broadcast of lottery information.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... consisting of money or other thing of value is awarded to any person whose selection is dependent in whole or... winners are required to furnish any money or other thing of value or are required to have in their... profit, i.e., all receipts fully consumed in defraying the actual costs of operation). (3) Any gaming...

  6. 47 CFR 73.1211 - Broadcast of lottery information.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... consisting of money or other thing of value is awarded to any person whose selection is dependent in whole or... winners are required to furnish any money or other thing of value or are required to have in their... profit, i.e., all receipts fully consumed in defraying the actual costs of operation). (3) Any gaming...

  7. 47 CFR 73.1211 - Broadcast of lottery information.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... consisting of money or other thing of value is awarded to any person whose selection is dependent in whole or... winners are required to furnish any money or other thing of value or are required to have in their... profit, i.e., all receipts fully consumed in defraying the actual costs of operation). (3) Any gaming...

  8. 47 CFR 73.1211 - Broadcast of lottery information.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... consisting of money or other thing of value is awarded to any person whose selection is dependent in whole or... winners are required to furnish any money or other thing of value or are required to have in their... profit, i.e., all receipts fully consumed in defraying the actual costs of operation). (3) Any gaming...

  9. Logging impacts of the 1970's vs. the 1990's in the Caspar Creek watershed

    Treesearch

    Peter H. Cafferata; Thomas E. Spittler

    1998-01-01

    The Caspar Creek watershed study provides resource professionals with information regarding the impacts of timber operations conducted under varying forest practices on sensitive aquatic habitats. In the South Fork watershed, roads were constructed near watercourse channels in the 1960's, and the watershed was selectively logged using tractors during the early...

  10. 23 CFR 636.508 - Can price or cost be an issue in discussions?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 23 Highways 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Can price or cost be an issue in discussions? 636.508... TRAFFIC OPERATIONS DESIGN-BUILD CONTRACTING Discussions, Proposal Revisions and Source Selection § 636.508 Can price or cost be an issue in discussions? You may inform an offeror that its price is considered...

  11. Careers in Industrial Sewing for the Apparel Manufacturing Industry: Teacher-Student Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    American Apparel Manufacturers Association, Arlington, VA. Education Committee.

    The teacher-student guide has been developed as a service to schools in an effort to help them organize and operate meaningful courses in apparel manufacturing. For the school it furnishes practical information in implementing the course, such as facility design, equipment requirements, and teacher selection. For the teacher it provides a…

  12. Viable Farmer-Worker Relationships: A Study of Selected Cases in New York State in 1966. Bulletin 1019.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adams, Leonard P.; And Others

    In an effort to understand the nationwide problem of recruitment, training, and retention of farm workers, 28 representative New York farm operators with a reputation for success in dealing with hired workers were interviewed in the summer of 1966. Information obtained included personal and educational characteristics, attitudes and aspirations,…

  13. Computer-aided placement of deep brain stimulators: from planning to intraoperative guidance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    D'Haese, Pierre-Francois; Pallavaram, Srivatsan; Kao, Chris; Konrad, Peter E.; Dawant, Benoit M.

    2005-04-01

    The long term objective of our research is to develop a system that will automate as much as possible DBS implantation procedures. It is estimated that about 180,000 patients/year would benefit from DBS implantation. Yet, only 3000 procedures are performed annually. This is so because the combined expertise required to perform the procedure successfully is only available at a limited number of sites. Our goal is to transform this procedure into a procedure that can be performed by a general neurosurgeon at a community hospital. In this work we report on our current progress toward developing a system for the computer-assisted pre-operative selection of target points and for the intra-operative adjustment of these points. The system consists of a deformable atlas of optimal target points that can be used to select automatically the pre-operative target, of an electrophysiological atlas, and of an intra-operative interface. The atlas is deformed using a rigid then a non-rigid registration algorithm developed at our institution. Results we have obtained show that automatic prediction of target points is an achievable goal. Our results also indicate that electrophysiological information can be used to resolve structures not visible in anatomic images, thus improving both pre-operative and intra-operative guidance. Our intra-operative system has reached the stage of a working prototype that is clinically used at our institution.

  14. System Oriented Runway Management: A Research Update

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lohr, Gary W.; Brown, Sherilyn A.; Stough, Harry P., III; Eisenhawer, Steve; Atkins, Stephen; Long, Dou

    2011-01-01

    The runway configuration used by an airport has significant implications with respect to its capacity and ability to effectively manage surface and airborne traffic. Aircraft operators rely on runway configuration information because it can significantly affect an airline's operations and planning of their resources. Current practices in runway management are limited by a relatively short time horizon for reliable weather information and little assistance from automation. Wind velocity is the primary consideration when selecting a runway configuration; however when winds are below a defined threshold, discretion may be used to determine the configuration. Other considerations relevant to runway configuration selection include airport operator constraints, weather conditions (other than winds) traffic demand, user preferences, surface congestion, and navigational system outages. The future offers an increasingly complex landscape for the runway management process. Concepts and technologies that hold the potential for capacity and efficiency increases for both operations on the airport surface and in terminal and enroute airspace are currently under investigation. Complementary advances in runway management are required if capacity and efficiency increases in those areas are to be realized. The System Oriented Runway Management (SORM) concept has been developed to address this critical part of the traffic flow process. The SORM concept was developed to address all aspects of runway management for airports of varying sizes and to accommodate a myriad of traffic mixes. SORM, to date, addresses the single airport environment; however, the longer term vision is to incorporate capabilities for multiple airport (Metroplex) operations as well as to accommodate advances in capabilities resulting from ongoing research. This paper provides an update of research supporting the SORM concept including the following: a concept of overview, results of a TRCM simulation, single airport and Metroplex modeling effort and a benefits assessment.

  15. Scale-Up Information for Gas-Phase Ammonia Treatment of Uranium in the Vadose Zone at the Hanford Site Central Plateau

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

    Truex, Michael J.; Szecsody, James E.; Zhong, Lirong

    Uranium is present in the vadose zone at the Hanford Central Plateau and is of concern for protection of groundwater. The Deep Vadose Zone Treatability Test Plan for the Hanford Central Plateau identified gas-phase treatment and geochemical manipulation as potentially effective treatment approaches for uranium and technetium in the Hanford Central Plateau vadose zone. Based on laboratory evaluation, use of ammonia vapor was selected as the most promising uranium treatment candidate for further development and field testing. While laboratory tests have shown that ammonia treatment effectively reduces the mobility of uranium, additional information is needed to enable deployment of thismore » technology for remediation. Of importance for field applications are aspects of the technology associated with effective distribution of ammonia to a targeted treatment zone, understanding the fate of injected ammonia and its impact on subsurface conditions, and identifying effective monitoring approaches. In addition, information is needed to select equipment and operational parameters for a field design. As part of development efforts for the ammonia technology for remediation of vadose zone uranium contamination, field scale-up issues were identified and have been addressed through a series of laboratory and modeling efforts. This report presents a conceptual description for field application of the ammonia treatment process, engineering calculations to support treatment design, ammonia transport information, field application monitoring approaches, and a discussion of processes affecting the fate of ammonia in the subsurface. The report compiles this information from previous publications and from recent research and development activities. The intent of this report is to provide technical information about these scale-up elements to support the design and operation of a field test for the ammonia treatment technology.« less

  16. Borehole geophysics applied to ground-water investigations

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Keys, W.S.

    1990-01-01

    The purpose of this manual is to provide hydrologists, geologists, and others who have the necessary background in hydrogeology with the basic information needed to apply the most useful borehole-geophysical-logging techniques to the solution of problems in ground-water hydrology. Geophysical logs can provide information on the construction of wells and on the character of the rocks and fluids penetrated by those wells, as well as on changes in the character of these factors over time. The response of well logs is caused by petrophysical factors, by the quality, temperature, and pressure of interstitial fluids, and by ground-water flow. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of analog records and computer analysis of digitized logs are used to derive geohydrologic information. This information can then be extrapolated vertically within a well and laterally to other wells using logs. The physical principles by which the mechanical and electronic components of a logging system measure properties of rocks, fluids, and wells, as well as the principles of measurement, must be understood if geophysical logs are to be interpreted correctly. Plating a logging operation involves selecting the equipment and the logs most likely to provide the needed information. Information on well construction and geohydrology is needed to guide this selection. Quality control of logs is an important responsibility of both the equipment operator and the log analyst and requires both calibration and well-site standardization of equipment. Logging techniques that are widely used in ground-water hydrology or that have significant potential for application to this field include spontaneous potential, resistance, resistivity, gamma, gamma spectrometry, gamma-gamma, neutron, acoustic velocity, acoustic televiewer, caliper, and fluid temperature, conductivity, and flow. The following topics are discussed for each of these techniques: principles and instrumentation, calibration and standardization, volume of investigation, extraneous effects, and interpretation and applications.

  17. Borehole geophysics applied to ground-water investigations

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Keys, W.S.

    1988-01-01

    The purpose of this manual is to provide hydrologists, geologists, and others who have the necessary training with the basic information needed to apply the most useful borehole-geophysical-logging techniques to the solution of problems in ground-water hydrology. Geophysical logs can provide information on the construction of wells and on the character of the rocks and fluids penetrated by those wells, in addition to changes in the character of these factors with time. The response of well logs is caused by: petrophysical factors; the quality; temperature, and pressure of interstitial fluids; and ground-water flow. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the analog records and computer analysis of digitized logs are used to derive geohydrologic information. This information can then be extrapolated vertically within a well and laterally to other wells using logs.The physical principles by which the mechanical and electronic components of a logging system measure properties of rocks, fluids and wells, and the principles of measurement need to be understood to correctly interpret geophysical logs. Planning the logging operation involves selecting the equipment and the logs most likely to provide the needed information. Information on well construction and geohydrology are needed to guide this selection. Quality control of logs is an important responsibility of both the equipment operator and log analyst and requires both calibration and well-site standardization of equipment.Logging techniques that are widely used in ground-water hydrology or that have significant potential for application to this field include: spontaneous potential, resistance, resistivity, gamma, gamma spectrometry, gamma-gamma, neutron, acoustic velocity, acoustic televiewer, caliper, and fluid temperature, conductivity, and flow. The following topics are discussed for each of these techniques: principles and instrumentation, calibration and standardization, volume of investigation, extraneous effects, and interpretation and applications.

  18. Fully automated multifunctional ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography system for advanced proteome analyses

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

    Lee, Jung Hwa; Hyung, Seok-Won; Mun, Dong-Gi

    2012-08-03

    A multi-functional liquid chromatography system that performs 1-dimensional, 2-dimensional (strong cation exchange/reverse phase liquid chromatography, or SCX/RPLC) separations, and online phosphopeptides enrichment using a single binary nano-flow pump has been developed. With a simple operation of a function selection valve, which is equipped with a SCX column and a TiO2 (titanium dioxide) column, a fully automated selection of three different experiment modes was achieved. Because the current system uses essentially the same solvent flow paths, the same trap column, and the same separation column for reverse-phase separation of 1D, 2D, and online phosphopeptides enrichment experiments, the elution time information obtainedmore » from these experiments is in excellent agreement, which facilitates correlating peptide information from different experiments.« less

  19. Demonstration of Land and Hold Short Technology at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hyer, Paul V.; Jones, Denise R. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    A guidance system for assisting in Land and Hold Short operations was developed and then tested at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. This system displays deceleration advisory information on a head-up display (HUD) in front of the airline pilot during landing. The display includes runway edges, a trend vector, deceleration advisory, locations of the hold line and of the selected exit, and alphanumeric information about the progress of the aircraft. Deceleration guidance is provided to the hold short line or to a pilot selected exit prior to this line. Logic is provided to switch the display automatically to the next available exit. The report includes descriptions of the algorithms utilized in the displays, and a report on the techniques of HUD alignment, and results.

  20. Photo ion spectrometer

    DOEpatents

    Gruen, Dieter M.; Young, Charles E.; Pellin, Michael J.

    1989-01-01

    A charged particle spectrometer for performing ultrasensitive quantitative analysis of selected atomic components removed from a sample. Significant improvements in performing energy and angular refocusing spectroscopy are accomplished by means of a two dimensional structure for generating predetermined electromagnetic field boundary conditions. Both resonance and non-resonance ionization of selected neutral atomic components allow accumulation of increased chemical information. A multiplexed operation between a SIMS mode and a neutral atomic component ionization mode with EARTOF analysis enables comparison of chemical information from secondary ions and neutral atomic components removed from the sample. An electronic system is described for switching high level signals, such as SIMS signals, directly to a transient recorder and through a charge amplifier to the transient recorder for a low level signal pulse counting mode, such as for a neutral atomic component ionization mode.

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

    Ditzler, Gregory; Morrison, J. Calvin; Lan, Yemin

    Background: Some of the current software tools for comparative metagenomics provide ecologists with the ability to investigate and explore bacterial communities using α– & β–diversity. Feature subset selection – a sub-field of machine learning – can also provide a unique insight into the differences between metagenomic or 16S phenotypes. In particular, feature subset selection methods can obtain the operational taxonomic units (OTUs), or functional features, that have a high-level of influence on the condition being studied. For example, in a previous study we have used information-theoretic feature selection to understand the differences between protein family abundances that best discriminate betweenmore » age groups in the human gut microbiome. Results: We have developed a new Python command line tool, which is compatible with the widely adopted BIOM format, for microbial ecologists that implements information-theoretic subset selection methods for biological data formats. We demonstrate the software tools capabilities on publicly available datasets. Conclusions: We have made the software implementation of Fizzy available to the public under the GNU GPL license. The standalone implementation can be found at http://github.com/EESI/Fizzy.« less

  2. A dissociation between selective attention and conscious awareness in the representation of temporal order information.

    PubMed

    Eimer, Martin; Grubert, Anna

    2015-09-01

    Previous electrophysiological studies have shown that attentional selection processes are highly sensitive to the temporal order of task-relevant visual events. When two successively presented colour-defined target stimuli are separated by a stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) of only 10 ms, the onset latencies of N2pc components to these stimuli (which reflect their attentional selection) precisely match their objective temporal separation. We tested whether such small onset differences are accessible to conscious awareness by instructing participants to report the category (letter or digit) of the first of two target-colour items that were separated by an SOA of 10, 20, or 30 ms. Performance was at chance level for the 10 ms SOA, demonstrating that temporal order information which is available to attentional control processes cannot be utilized for conscious temporal order judgments. These results provide new evidence that selective attention and conscious awareness are functionally separable, and support the hypothesis that attention and awareness operate at different stages of cognitive processing. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Remote sensing and GIS analyses for emergency manouvering and forced landing areas definition as a support for general aviation flights

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Skocki, Krzysztof

    2016-08-01

    This paper summarizes the preliminary analyses of using existing remote sensing data, medium and high-resolution satellite and airborne data to define safe emergency landing and maneuvering areas to be used by small aircrafts operating from small airports and airfields in Poland. The pilots need to know such places in the interest of safe flight operations. In common practice, flying instructors typically show the student pilot fields around the airfield supposed to be suitable for emergency or precautionary landing (or ditching) in the initial phase of the training. Although it looks to cover the most basic needs, the problem still exists in relation to guest pilots. To fill this gap, the unified safety map document covering the safe emergency areas around the airfields is proposed in this research. Use of satellite high resolution data, as well as aerial photos, infrastructure information, with use of GIS tools (like buffer zones, distance, equal-time circles or position lines) enable to check the terrain around selected airfields and define possible areas suitable for emergency operations. In the second phase of work, selected areas will be described in terms of easy navigation, possible infrastructure around them, rescue possibilities, radio signal coverage, and others. The selected areas should be also checked for typical cover and surface hardness and stability (eg. with use of moisture estimation on the base of middle-resolution satellite data). Its planned to prepare one combined and separate sheets of the final map for various aircraft characteristics (`classes' of small Cessna-related, big Cessna-related, fast low-wing Diamond-like, two-engine Piper-like). The presented concept should highly increase the safety operations for small aviation in secondary airports and airfields, where the information available is limited. There is also a possibility to make a similar maps for `cruise', which means the areas with dense traffic between the airports/airfields.

  4. Clinical waste incinerators in Cameroon--a case study.

    PubMed

    Mochungong, Peter Ikome Kuwoh; Gulis, Gabriel; Sodemann, Morten

    2012-01-01

    Incinerators are widely used to treat clinical waste in Cameroon's Northwest Region. These incinerators cause public apprehension owing to purported risks to operators, communities and the environment. This article aims to summarize findings from an April 2008 case study. Three incinerators were randomly selected and investigated for site, design and operating standards. Empirical field observation was adopted and data collected through inventory and informal interviews. Bottom ash samples collected from the incinerators were prepared according to standard procedures and analyzed for heavy metals using Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) Emission Spectroscopy. Shortcomings associated with site selection, design and operation standards were identified. Chemical analysis revealed that Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn, Mg and Ca were present in the bottom ash with mean concentration ranging from 10 mg/kg for Pb to 178080 mg/kg for Ca. For logistic reasons, feedstock quantity and quality into the incinerators were not investigated. Neither were soil samples around and away from the incinerators. Although highly favored, clinical waste incineration methods in this region have to be reconsidered. A thorough health and environmental impact assessment is suggested before subsequent decisions on choice and disposal site is made. This will curb potential negative impacts to the environment and public health. This article adds a different perspective and sheds additional information to the debate on unsatisfactory clinical waste incinerators in resources-poor countries. Alternative methods to incineration are presented that will be helpful to practitioners.

  5. [Cognitive functions, their development and modern diagnostic methods].

    PubMed

    Klasik, Adam; Janas-Kozik, Małgorzata; Krupka-Matuszczyk, Irena; Augustyniak, Ewa

    2006-01-01

    Cognitive psychology is an interdisciplinary field whose main aim is to study the thinking mechanisms of humans leading to cognizance. Therefore the concept of human cognitive processes envelopes the knowledge related to the mechanisms which determine the way humans acquire information from the environment and utilize their knowledge and experience. There are three basic processes which need to be distinguished when discussing human perception development: acquiring sensations, perceptiveness and attention. Acquiring sensations means the experience arising from the stimulation of a single sense organ, i.e. detection and differentiation of sensory information. Perceptiveness stands for the interpretation of sensations and may include recognition and identification of sensory information. The attention process relates to the selectivity of perception. Mental processes of the higher order used in cognition, thanks to which humans tend to try to understand the world and adapt to it, doubtlessly include the processes of memory, reasoning, learning and problem solving. There is a great difference in the human cognitive functioning at different stages of one's life (from infancy to adulthood). The difference is both quantitative and qualitative. There are three main approaches to the human cognitive functioning development: Jean Piaget's approach, information processing approach and psychometric approach. Piaget's ideas continue to form the groundwork of child cognitive psychology. Piaget identified four developmental stages of child cognition: 1. Sensorimotor stage (birth - 2 years old); 2. Preoperational stage (ages 2-7); 3. Concrete operations (ages 7-11; 4. Formal operations (11 and more). The supporters of the information processing approach use a computer metaphor to present the human cognitive processes functioning model. The three important mechanisms involved are: coding, automation and strategy designing and they all often co-operate together. This theory has provided a theory. The psychometric approach concentrates on studying the differences in intelligence. The aim of this approach is to test intelligence by means of standardized tests (e.g. WISC-R, WAIS-R) used to show the individual differences among humans. Human cognitive functions determine individuals' adaptation capabilities and disturbances in this area indicate a number of psychopathological changes and are a symptom enabling to differentiate or diagnose one with a disorder. That is why the psychological assessment of cognitive functions is an important part of patients' diagnosis. Contemporary neuropsychological studies are to a great extent based computer tests. The use of computer methods has a number of measurement-related advantages. It allows for standardized testing environment, increasing therefore its reliability and standardizes the patient assessment process. Special attention should be paid to the neuropsychological tests included in the Vienna Test System (Cognitron, SIGNAL, RT, VIGIL, DAUF), which are used to assess the operational memory span, learning processes, reaction time, attention selective function, attention continuity as well as attention interference resistance. It also seems justified to present the CPT id test (Continuous Performance Test) as well as Free Recall. CPT is a diagnostic tool used to assess the attention selective function, attention continuity of attention, attention interference resistance as well as attention alertness. The Free Recall test is used in the memory processes diagnostics to assess patients' operational memory as well as the information organization degree in operational memory. The above mentioned neuropsychological tests are tools used in clinical assessment of cognitive function disorders.

  6. Cattle and the oil and gas industry in Alberta: A literature review with recommendations for environmental management

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

    NONE

    1996-12-31

    The purpose of this report is to bring together a review of published information on the potential effects of upstream oil and gas industry operations on the cattle industry in Alberta, some indication of the probability of occurrence of these effects, and recommendations on how they might be avoided or mitigated. Based on reviews of scientific papers and industry good-practice manuals, the report describes: The sources and quantities of environmental contaminants generated by Alberta`s oil and gas industry, including normal operations, accidental releases, and the effects of aging infrastructure; the chemical composition of the products, materials, and wastes associated withmore » the industry; the fate and transport of the contaminants through air, water, and soil; cattle operations in Alberta; the toxicology of oil and gas industry contaminants in cattle; and selected Alberta case studies of accidental releases and planned experiments. Conclusions and recommendations deal with critical information gaps and strategies for the sustainable management of cattle and oil/gas operations in the province.« less

  7. Creating Impact with Operations Research in Health: Making Room for Practice in Academia

    PubMed Central

    Brandeau, Margaret L.

    2015-01-01

    Operations research (OR)-based analyses have the potential to improve decision making for many important, real-world health care problems. However, junior scholars often avoid working on practical applications in health because promotion and tenure processes tend to value theoretical studies more highly than applied studies. This paper discusses the author's experiences in using OR to inform and influence decisions in health and provides a blueprint for junior researchers who wish to find success by taking a similar path. This involves selecting good problems to study, forming productive collaborations with domain experts, developing appropriate models, identifying the most salient results from an analysis, and effectively disseminating findings to decision makers. The paper then suggests how journals, funding agencies, and senior academics can encourage such work by taking a broader and more informed view of the potential role and contributions of OR to solving health care problems. Making room in academia for the application of OR in health follows in the tradition begun by the founders of operations research: to work on important real-world problems where operations research can contribute to better decision making. PMID:26003321

  8. An overview of selected information storage and retrieval issues in computerized document processing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dominick, Wayne D. (Editor); Ihebuzor, Valentine U.

    1984-01-01

    The rapid development of computerized information storage and retrieval techniques has introduced the possibility of extending the word processing concept to document processing. A major advantage of computerized document processing is the relief of the tedious task of manual editing and composition usually encountered by traditional publishers through the immense speed and storage capacity of computers. Furthermore, computerized document processing provides an author with centralized control, the lack of which is a handicap of the traditional publishing operation. A survey of some computerized document processing techniques is presented with emphasis on related information storage and retrieval issues. String matching algorithms are considered central to document information storage and retrieval and are also discussed.

  9. Fast and flexible selection with a single switch.

    PubMed

    Broderick, Tamara; MacKay, David J C

    2009-10-22

    Selection methods that require only a single-switch input, such as a button click or blink, are potentially useful for individuals with motor impairments, mobile technology users, and individuals wishing to transmit information securely. We present a single-switch selection method, "Nomon," that is general and efficient. Existing single-switch selection methods require selectable options to be arranged in ways that limit potential applications. By contrast, traditional operating systems, web browsers, and free-form applications (such as drawing) place options at arbitrary points on the screen. Nomon, however, has the flexibility to select any point on a screen. Nomon adapts automatically to an individual's clicking ability; it allows a person who clicks precisely to make a selection quickly and allows a person who clicks imprecisely more time to make a selection without error. Nomon reaps gains in information rate by allowing the specification of beliefs (priors) about option selection probabilities and by avoiding tree-based selection schemes in favor of direct (posterior) inference. We have developed both a Nomon-based writing application and a drawing application. To evaluate Nomon's performance, we compared the writing application with a popular existing method for single-switch writing (row-column scanning). Novice users wrote 35% faster with the Nomon interface than with the scanning interface. An experienced user (author TB, with 10 hours practice) wrote at speeds of 9.3 words per minute with Nomon, using 1.2 clicks per character and making no errors in the final text.

  10. The allocation of attention and working memory in visual crowding.

    PubMed

    Bacigalupo, Felix; Luck, Steven J

    2015-06-01

    When the distance between a visual target and nearby flankers falls below a critical distance, target discrimination declines precipitously. This is called "crowding." Many researchers have proposed that selective attention plays a role in crowding. However, although some research has examined the effects of directing attention toward versus away from the targets, no previous research has assessed how attentional allocation varies as a function of target-flanker distance in crowding. Here, we used ERPs to assess the operation of attention during crowding, focusing on the attention-related N2pc component. We used a typical crowding task in which participants were asked to report the category (vowel/consonant) of a lateralized target letter flanked by distractor letters at different distances. We tested the hypothesis that attention fails when the target-flanker distance becomes too small for attention to operate effectively. Consistent with this hypothesis, we found that N2pc amplitude was maximal at intermediate target-flanker distances and decreased substantially when crowding became severe. In addition, we examined the sustained posterior contralateral negativity (SPCN), which reflects the amount of information being maintained in working memory. Unlike the N2pc component, the SPCN increased in amplitude at small target-flanker distances, suggesting that observers stored information about the target and flankers in working memory when attention failed to select the target. Together, the N2pc and SPCN results suggest that attention and working memory play distinctive roles in crowding: Attention operates to minimize interference from the flankers at intermediate target-flanker distances, whereas working memory may be recruited when attention fails to select the target at small target-flanker distances.

  11. ELECTROSTATIC MEMORY SYSTEM

    DOEpatents

    Chu, J.C.

    1958-09-23

    An improved electrostatic memory system is de scribed fer a digital computer wherein a plarality of storage tubes are adapted to operate in either of two possible modes. According to the present irvention, duplicate storage tubes are provided fur each denominational order of the several binary digits. A single discriminator system is provided between corresponding duplicate tubes to determine the character of the infurmation stored in each. If either tube produces the selected type signal, corresponding to binazy "1" in the preferred embodiment, a "1" is regenerated in both tubes. In one mode of operation each bit of information is stored in two corresponding tubes, while in the other mode of operation each bit is stored in only one tube in the conventional manner.

  12. Backing the winners and the research infrastructure.

    PubMed

    Leliveld, H

    1985-04-26

    The industrial policy of the Dutch government is a priority area policy, that backs the winners of today and, even more, the potential winners of tomorrow. Important elements of this policy are the selection of high-chance activities, setting up new and informal relationships, promoting co-operation and supporting industrial research and development. To this end the government has set up Innovative Research Programmes and an Innovation Stimulation Scheme. Co-operation of universities and industry is essential for these programmes to succeed. Also international co-operation is a precondition to a firm position of European industry. The establishment of the Center for Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences is entirely in line with the objectives of this policy.

  13. Supramolecular chemistry: from molecular information towards self-organization and complex matter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lehn, Jean-Marie

    2004-03-01

    Molecular chemistry has developed a wide range of very powerful procedures for constructing ever more sophisticated molecules from atoms linked by covalent bonds. Beyond molecular chemistry lies supramolecular chemistry, which aims at developing highly complex chemical systems from components interacting via non-covalent intermolecular forces. By the appropriate manipulation of these interactions, supramolecular chemistry became progressively the chemistry of molecular information, involving the storage of information at the molecular level, in the structural features, and its retrieval, transfer, and processing at the supramolecular level, through molecular recognition processes operating via specific interactional algorithms. This has paved the way towards apprehending chemistry also as an information science. Numerous receptors capable of recognizing, i.e. selectively binding, specific substrates have been developed, based on the molecular information stored in the interacting species. Suitably functionalized receptors may perform supramolecular catalysis and selective transport processes. In combination with polymolecular organization, recognition opens ways towards the design of molecular and supramolecular devices based on functional (photoactive, electroactive, ionoactive, etc) components. A step beyond preorganization consists in the design of systems undergoing self-organization, i.e. systems capable of spontaneously generating well-defined supramolecular architectures by self-assembly from their components. Self-organization processes, directed by the molecular information stored in the components and read out at the supramolecular level through specific interactions, represent the operation of programmed chemical systems. They have been implemented for the generation of a variety of discrete functional architectures of either organic or inorganic nature. Self-organization processes also give access to advanced supramolecular materials, such as supramolecular polymers and liquid crystals, and provide an original approach to nanoscience and nanotechnology. In particular, the spontaneous but controlled generation of well-defined, functional supramolecular architectures of nanometric size through self-organization represents a means of performing programmed engineering and processing of nanomaterials. Supramolecular chemistry is intrinsically a dynamic chemistry, in view of the lability of the interactions connecting the molecular components of a supramolecular entity and the resulting ability of supramolecular species to exchange their constituents. The same holds for molecular chemistry when a molecular entity contains covalent bonds that may form and break reversibly, so as to make possible a continuous change in constitution and structure by reorganization and exchange of building blocks. This behaviour defines a constitutional dynamic chemistry that allows self-organization by selection as well as by design at both the molecular and supramolecular levels. Whereas self-organization by design strives to achieve full control over the output molecular or supramolecular entity by explicit programming, self-organization by selection operates on dynamic constitutional diversity in response to either internal or external factors to achieve adaptation in a Darwinistic fashion. The merging of the features, information and programmability, dynamics and reversibility, constitution and structural diversity, points towards the emergence of adaptative and evolutionary chemistry. Together with the corresponding fields of physics and biology, it constitutes a science of informed matter, of organized, adaptative complex matter. This article was originally published in 2003 by the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities in the framework of its Albert Einstein Memorial Lectures series. Reprinted by permission of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

  14. An integrated approach to system design, reliability, and diagnosis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Patterson-Hine, F. A.; Iverson, David L.

    1990-01-01

    The requirement for ultradependability of computer systems in future avionics and space applications necessitates a top-down, integrated systems engineering approach for design, implementation, testing, and operation. The functional analyses of hardware and software systems must be combined by models that are flexible enough to represent their interactions and behavior. The information contained in these models must be accessible throughout all phases of the system life cycle in order to maintain consistency and accuracy in design and operational decisions. One approach being taken by researchers at Ames Research Center is the creation of an object-oriented environment that integrates information about system components required in the reliability evaluation with behavioral information useful for diagnostic algorithms. Procedures have been developed at Ames that perform reliability evaluations during design and failure diagnoses during system operation. These procedures utilize information from a central source, structured as object-oriented fault trees. Fault trees were selected because they are a flexible model widely used in aerospace applications and because they give a concise, structured representation of system behavior. The utility of this integrated environment for aerospace applications in light of our experiences during its development and use is described. The techniques for reliability evaluation and failure diagnosis are discussed, and current extensions of the environment and areas requiring further development are summarized.

  15. An integrated approach to system design, reliability, and diagnosis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Patterson-Hine, F. A.; Iverson, David L.

    1990-12-01

    The requirement for ultradependability of computer systems in future avionics and space applications necessitates a top-down, integrated systems engineering approach for design, implementation, testing, and operation. The functional analyses of hardware and software systems must be combined by models that are flexible enough to represent their interactions and behavior. The information contained in these models must be accessible throughout all phases of the system life cycle in order to maintain consistency and accuracy in design and operational decisions. One approach being taken by researchers at Ames Research Center is the creation of an object-oriented environment that integrates information about system components required in the reliability evaluation with behavioral information useful for diagnostic algorithms. Procedures have been developed at Ames that perform reliability evaluations during design and failure diagnoses during system operation. These procedures utilize information from a central source, structured as object-oriented fault trees. Fault trees were selected because they are a flexible model widely used in aerospace applications and because they give a concise, structured representation of system behavior. The utility of this integrated environment for aerospace applications in light of our experiences during its development and use is described. The techniques for reliability evaluation and failure diagnosis are discussed, and current extensions of the environment and areas requiring further development are summarized.

  16. Sensor Based Engine Life Calculation: A Probabilistic Perspective

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Guo, Ten-Huei; Chen, Philip

    2003-01-01

    It is generally known that an engine component will accumulate damage (life usage) during its lifetime of use in a harsh operating environment. The commonly used cycle count for engine component usage monitoring has an inherent range of uncertainty which can be overly costly or potentially less safe from an operational standpoint. With the advance of computer technology, engine operation modeling, and the understanding of damage accumulation physics, it is possible (and desirable) to use the available sensor information to make a more accurate assessment of engine component usage. This paper describes a probabilistic approach to quantify the effects of engine operating parameter uncertainties on the thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) life of a selected engine part. A closed-loop engine simulation with a TMF life model is used to calculate the life consumption of different mission cycles. A Monte Carlo simulation approach is used to generate the statistical life usage profile for different operating assumptions. The probabilities of failure of different operating conditions are compared to illustrate the importance of the engine component life calculation using sensor information. The results of this study clearly show that a sensor-based life cycle calculation can greatly reduce the risk of component failure as well as extend on-wing component life by avoiding unnecessary maintenance actions.

  17. Case studies from Oman for coiled tubing deployed completion techniques

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

    Taylor, R.W.; Conrad, B.

    1996-09-01

    Although the use of ultra-large coiled tubing to complete wells is relatively new, it is gaining widespread industry application. This paper will detail the equipment necessary to perform an operation of this type and will present information from several case studies in Oman in which an operator has successfully deployed completion equipment on 3-1/2-inch-OD coiled tubing. In addition to a discussion of the equipment required to perform the necessary operations, the trial parameters that were established by this operator will be given. The information presented has been selected to allow an initial evaluation to be made of coiled tubing completionsmore » in general and will help to determine whether this method can prove to be less expensive than traditional rig-based completions. The topics presented have been chosen to provide the reader with a thorough understanding of the techniques and preparation needed to execute a coiled tubing completion. The summary of experiences will conclude that this innovative completion technique can be a viable method for completing wells. Although long-term advantages regarding production and well maintenance cannot yet be determined, the operator`s experiences to date have confirmed his initial belief that use of coiled tubing in ultra-large continuous-pipe applications can be cost effective.« less

  18. Male-male competition, female mate choice and their interaction: determining total sexual selection.

    PubMed

    Hunt, John; Breuker, Casper J; Sadowski, Jennifer A; Moore, Allen J

    2009-01-01

    Empirical studies of sexual selection typically focus on one of the two mechanisms of sexual selection without integrating these into a description of total sexual selection, or study total sexual selection without quantifying the contributions of all of the mechanisms of sexual selection. However, this can provide an incomplete or misleading view of how sexually selected traits evolve if the mechanisms of sexual selection are opposing or differ in form. Here, we take a two-fold approach to advocate a direction for future studies of sexual selection. We first show how a quantitative partitioning and examination of sexual selection mechanisms can inform by identifying illustrative studies that describe both male-male competition and female mate choice acting on the same trait. In our sample, the most common trait where this occurred was body size, and selection was typically linear. We found that male-male competition and female mate choice can be reinforcing or opposing, although the former is most common in the literature. The mechanisms of sexual selection can occur simultaneously or sequentially, and we found they were more likely to be opposing when the mechanisms operated sequentially. The degree and timing that these mechanisms interact have important implications for the operation of sexual selection and needs to be considered in designing studies. Our examples highlight where empirical data are needed. We especially lack standardized measures of the form and strength of selection imposed by each mechanism of sexual selection and how they combine to determine total sexual selection. Secondly, using quantitative genetic principles, we outline how the selection imposed by individual mechanisms can be measured and combined to estimate the total strength and form of sexual selection. We discuss the evolutionary consequences of combining the mechanisms of sexual selection and interpreting total sexual selection. We suggest how this approach may result in empirical progress in the field of sexual selection.

  19. Design and Application of Drought Indexes in Highly Regulated Mediterranean Water Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Castelletti, A.; Zaniolo, M.; Giuliani, M.

    2017-12-01

    Costs of drought are progressively increasing due to the undergoing alteration of hydro-meteorological regimes induced by climate change. Although drought management is largely studied in the literature, most of the traditional drought indexes fail in detecting critical events in highly regulated systems, which generally rely on ad-hoc formulations and cannot be generalized to different context. In this study, we contribute a novel framework for the design of a basin-customized drought index. This index represents a surrogate of the state of the basin and is computed by combining the available information about the water available in the system to reproduce a representative target variable for the drought condition of the basin (e.g., water deficit). To select the relevant variables and combinatione thereof, we use an advanced feature extraction algorithm called Wrapper for Quasi Equally Informative Subset Selection (W-QEISS). W-QEISS relies on a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm to find Pareto-efficient subsets of variables by maximizing the wrapper accuracy, minimizing the number of selected variables, and optimizing relevance and redundancy of the subset. The accuracy objective is evaluated trough the calibration of an extreme learning machine of the water deficit for each candidate subset of variables, with the index selected from the resulting solutions identifying a suitable compromise between accuracy, cardinality, relevance, and redundancy. The approach is tested on Lake Como, Italy, a regulated lake mainly operated for irrigation supply. In the absence of an institutional drought monitoring system, we constructed the combined index using all the hydrological variables from the existing monitoring system as well as common drought indicators at multiple time aggregations. The soil moisture deficit in the root zone computed by a distributed-parameter water balance model of the agricultural districts is used as target variable. Numerical results show that our combined drought index succesfully reproduces the deficit. The index represents a valuable information for supporting appropriate drought management strategies, including the possibility of directly informing the lake operations about the drought conditions and improve the overall reliability of the irrigation supply system.

  20. Standard operating procedures for female orgasmic disorder: consensus of the International Society for Sexual Medicine.

    PubMed

    Laan, Ellen; Rellini, Alessandra H; Barnes, Tricia

    2013-01-01

    As the field of sexual medicine evolves, it is important to continually improve patient care by developing contemporary "standard operating procedures" (SOPs), reflecting the consensus view of experts in sexual medicine. Few, if any, consensus SOPs have been developed for the diagnosis and treatment of Female Orgasmic Disorder (FOD). The objective is to provide standard operating procedures for FOD. The SOP Committee was composed of a chair, selected by the International Society for the Study of Sexual Medicine, and two additional experts. To inform its key recommendations, the Committee used systematic reviews of available evidence and discussions during a group meeting, conference calls and e-mail communications. The Committee received no corporate funding or remuneration. A total of 12 recommendations for the assessment and treatment of FOD were generated, including suggestions for further research. Evidence-based, practice recommendations for the treatment of FOD are provided that will hopefully inform clinical decision making for those treating this common condition. © 2012 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

  1. Considerations for Architecture Level Trade Studies for Environmental Sensors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Peterson, Craig

    2010-01-01

    Comparisons of key characteristics of environmental sensors such as technology readiness levels, mass, power, volume, and detection capabilities are essential for initial trade studies to determine likely candidates for further development and evaluation. However, these trade studies only provide part of the information necessary to make selection decisions. Ultimately, the sensors must be judged based on the overall system architectures and operational scenarios for which they are intended. This means that additional characteristics, such as architectural needs for redundancy, operational lifetime, ability to maintain calibration, and repair and replacement strategies, among others, must also be considered. Given that these characteristics can be extremely time-consuming and costly to obtain, careful planning is essential to minimize the effort involved. In this paper, an approach is explored for determining an effective yet comprehensive set of architecture level trades which is minimally impacted by the inevitable changes in operational (mission) scenarios. The approach will also identify and integrate the various facilities and opportunities required to obtain the desired architecture level trade information.

  2. Assessment of and standardization for quantitative nondestructive test

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Neuschaefer, R. W.; Beal, J. B.

    1972-01-01

    Present capabilities and limitations of nondestructive testing (NDT) as applied to aerospace structures during design, development, production, and operational phases are assessed. It will help determine what useful structural quantitative and qualitative data may be provided from raw materials to vehicle refurbishment. This assessment considers metal alloys systems and bonded composites presently applied in active NASA programs or strong contenders for future use. Quantitative and qualitative data has been summarized from recent literature, and in-house information, and presented along with a description of those structures or standards where the information was obtained. Examples, in tabular form, of NDT technique capabilities and limitations have been provided. NDT techniques discussed and assessed were radiography, ultrasonics, penetrants, thermal, acoustic, and electromagnetic. Quantitative data is sparse; therefore, obtaining statistically reliable flaw detection data must be strongly emphasized. The new requirements for reusable space vehicles have resulted in highly efficient design concepts operating in severe environments. This increases the need for quantitative NDT evaluation of selected structural components, the end item structure, and during refurbishment operations.

  3. Controls, Displays, and Information Transfer for General Aviation IFR Operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bergeron, H. P. (Editor); Shaughnessy, J. D. (Editor)

    1983-01-01

    The purpose of the workshop was to review and evaluate the work performed under the NASA Single Pilot IFR (SPIFR) program, to highlight and disseminate major research findings, and to provide a forum for industry, universities, and government to interact and discuss the future thrust of research in the SPIFR program. The presentations selected represent key elements of the SPIFR program. These elements are classified into five disciplinary areas: program definition, controls, displays, information transfer, and research simulation facilities. Emphasis is also placed on aircraft accident investigation.

  4. Large-Scale Operations Management Test of Use of the White Amur for Control of Problem Aquatic Plants. Selected Life History Information of Animal Species on Lake Conway, Florida.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-08-01

    Name Management Information 2 Loplsostus i. Inhabits warm, sluggish waters. (Continued) platyrhincus Can live in very stagnant waters 3 Amia calva a...water with abundant vegetation. Amia calva can survive very stagnant water due to its ability to surface and ’breathe’ the air. Active at twilight and...Name Scientific Name FishSpecies 1 Longnose gar Loplsosteus osseus 2 Florida gar Lepisosteus platjrhincus 3 Bowf in Aula calva 4 American eel Anguilla

  5. Geographically distributed environmental sensor system

    DOEpatents

    French, Patrick; Veatch, Brad; O'Connor, Mike

    2006-10-03

    The present invention is directed to a sensor network that includes a number of sensor units and a base unit. The base station operates in a network discovery mode (in which network topology information is collected) in a data polling mode (in which sensed information is collected from selected sensory units). Each of the sensor units can include a number of features, including an anemometer, a rain gauge, a compass, a GPS receiver, a barometric pressure sensor, an air temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a level, and a radiant temperature sensor.

  6. [The main directions of improving the system of state accounting and control of radioactive substances and radioactive waste products].

    PubMed

    2012-01-01

    This paper describes a modification of the basic directions of state accounting and control of radioactive substances and radioactive waste products, whose implementation will significantly improve the efficiency of its operation at the regional level. Selected areas are designed to improve accounting and control system for the submission of the enterprises established by the reporting forms, the quality of the information contained in them, as well as structures of information and process for collecting, analyzing and data processing concerning radioactive substances and waste products.

  7. Integral flange design program. [procedure for computing stresses

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wilson, J. F.

    1974-01-01

    An automated interactive flange design program utilizing an electronic desk top calculator is presented. The program calculates the operating and seating stresses for circular flanges of the integral or optional type subjected to internal pressure. The required input information is documented. The program provides an automated procedure for computing stresses in selected flange geometries for comparison to the allowable code values.

  8. 40 CFR 86.1908 - How must I select and screen my in-use engines?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... maintenance and use history you obtain from the owner or operator, as required by § 86.1925. You must report the engine's maintenance and use history and information related to the OBD system, as described in § 86.1920. (c) You must notify us before rejecting a candidate vehicle for reasons other than failing...

  9. Alaska SAR Facility (ASF5) SAR Communications (SARCOM) Data Compression System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mango, Stephen A.

    1989-01-01

    The real-time operational requirements for SARCOM translation into a high speed image data handler and processor to achieve the desired compression ratios and the selection of a suitable image data compression technique with as low as possible fidelity (information) losses and which can be implemented in an algorithm placing a relatively low arithmetic load on the system are described.

  10. Study of Strategies Used in Online Searching: 2. Positional Logic--an Example of the Importance of Selecting the Right Boolean Operator.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oldroyd, Betty K.; Schroder, J. J.

    1982-01-01

    Reviews the advantages and disadvantages of different types of term combination using the positional logic capability of online information retrieval systems and describes a study in which searches for material on "microwave integrated circuits" were conducted in order to find the most economical way of generating the most relevant…

  11. International Conference on Education and Local Development in Rural Areas. Conference Report and Project Conclusions (Western Isles, Scotland, June 1-5, 1981).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris (France). Centre for Educational Research and Innovation.

    A select group of 75 educators, government officials, and academic experts from 18 countries exchanged information and insights, explored topics of mutual concern, and reviewed the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development's (OECD) Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI) work on strategies for connecting rural education…

  12. 40 CFR 86.1908 - How must I select and screen my in-use engines?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... an illuminated MIL or stored OBD trouble code that lead you to reject the vehicle from the test... maintenance and use history you obtain from the owner or operator, as required by § 86.1925. You must report the engine's maintenance and use history and information related to the OBD system, as described in...

  13. 40 CFR 86.1908 - How must I select and screen my in-use engines?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... engines do not have an illuminated MIL or stored OBD trouble code that lead you to reject the vehicle from... maintenance and use history you obtain from the owner or operator, as required by § 86.1925. You must report the engine's maintenance and use history and information related to the OBD system, as described in...

  14. 40 CFR 86.1908 - How must I select and screen my in-use engines?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... engines do not have an illuminated MIL or stored OBD trouble code that lead you to reject the vehicle from... maintenance and use history you obtain from the owner or operator, as required by § 86.1925. You must report the engine's maintenance and use history and information related to the OBD system, as described in...

  15. 40 CFR 86.1908 - How must I select and screen my in-use engines?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... engines do not have an illuminated MIL or stored OBD trouble code that lead you to reject the vehicle from... maintenance and use history you obtain from the owner or operator, as required by § 86.1925. You must report the engine's maintenance and use history and information related to the OBD system, as described in...

  16. Application of GPS Technology to Monitor Traffic Intensity and Soil Impacts in a Forest Harvest Operation

    Treesearch

    Emily A. Carter; Timothy P. McDonald; John L. Torbert

    1999-01-01

    A study was initiated in the Winter of 1998 to examine the utility of employing Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to monitor harvest traffic throughout a loblolly pine plantation and utilize traffic intensity information to assess impacts of select soil physical properties. Traffic maps prepared from GPS positional data indicated the highest concentration of traffic...

  17. Physical attraction to reliable, low variability nervous systems: Reaction time variability predicts attractiveness.

    PubMed

    Butler, Emily E; Saville, Christopher W N; Ward, Robert; Ramsey, Richard

    2017-01-01

    The human face cues a range of important fitness information, which guides mate selection towards desirable others. Given humans' high investment in the central nervous system (CNS), cues to CNS function should be especially important in social selection. We tested if facial attractiveness preferences are sensitive to the reliability of human nervous system function. Several decades of research suggest an operational measure for CNS reliability is reaction time variability, which is measured by standard deviation of reaction times across trials. Across two experiments, we show that low reaction time variability is associated with facial attractiveness. Moreover, variability in performance made a unique contribution to attractiveness judgements above and beyond both physical health and sex-typicality judgements, which have previously been associated with perceptions of attractiveness. In a third experiment, we empirically estimated the distribution of attractiveness preferences expected by chance and show that the size and direction of our results in Experiments 1 and 2 are statistically unlikely without reference to reaction time variability. We conclude that an operating characteristic of the human nervous system, reliability of information processing, is signalled to others through facial appearance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Dendrites Enable a Robust Mechanism for Neuronal Stimulus Selectivity.

    PubMed

    Cazé, Romain D; Jarvis, Sarah; Foust, Amanda J; Schultz, Simon R

    2017-09-01

    Hearing, vision, touch: underlying all of these senses is stimulus selectivity, a robust information processing operation in which cortical neurons respond more to some stimuli than to others. Previous models assume that these neurons receive the highest weighted input from an ensemble encoding the preferred stimulus, but dendrites enable other possibilities. Nonlinear dendritic processing can produce stimulus selectivity based on the spatial distribution of synapses, even if the total preferred stimulus weight does not exceed that of nonpreferred stimuli. Using a multi-subunit nonlinear model, we demonstrate that stimulus selectivity can arise from the spatial distribution of synapses. We propose this as a general mechanism for information processing by neurons possessing dendritic trees. Moreover, we show that this implementation of stimulus selectivity increases the neuron's robustness to synaptic and dendritic failure. Importantly, our model can maintain stimulus selectivity for a larger range of loss of synapses or dendrites than an equivalent linear model. We then use a layer 2/3 biophysical neuron model to show that our implementation is consistent with two recent experimental observations: (1) one can observe a mixture of selectivities in dendrites that can differ from the somatic selectivity, and (2) hyperpolarization can broaden somatic tuning without affecting dendritic tuning. Our model predicts that an initially nonselective neuron can become selective when depolarized. In addition to motivating new experiments, the model's increased robustness to synapses and dendrites loss provides a starting point for fault-resistant neuromorphic chip development.

  19. Regional Logistics Information Resources Integration Patterns and Countermeasures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Hui; Shangguan, Xu-ming

    Effective integration of regional logistics information resources can provide collaborative services in information flow, business flow and logistics for regional logistics enterprises, which also can reduce operating costs and improve market responsiveness. First, this paper analyzes the realistic significance on the integration of regional logistics information. Second, this paper brings forward three feasible patterns on the integration of regional logistics information resources, These three models have their own strengths and the scope of application and implementation, which model is selected will depend on the specific business and the regional distribution of enterprises. Last, this paper discusses the related countermeasures on the integration of regional logistics information resources, because the integration of regional logistics information is a systems engineering, when the integration is advancing, the countermeasures should pay close attention to the current needs and long-term development of regional enterprises.

  20. Auxiliary feedwater system risk-based inspection guide for the Salem Nuclear Power Plant

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

    Pugh, R.; Gore, B.F. Vo, T.V.

    In a study by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Pacific Northwest Laboratory has developed and applied a methodology for deriving plant-specific risk-based inspection guidance for the auxiliary feedwater (AFW) system at pressurized water reactors that have not undergone probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). This methodology uses existing PRA results and plant operating experience information. Existing PRA-based inspection guidance information recently developed for the NRC for various plants was used to identify generic component failure modes. This information was then combined with plant-specific and industry-wide component information and failure data to identify failure modes and failure mechanisms for the AFW systemmore » at the selected plants. Salem was selected as the fifth plant for study. The product of this effort is a prioritized listing of AFW failures which have occurred at the plant and at other PWRs. This listing is intended for use by NRC inspectors in the preparation of inspection plans addressing AFW risk-important components at the Salem plant. 23 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab.« less

  1. An evolutionary perspective on the systems of adaptive immunity.

    PubMed

    Müller, Viktor; de Boer, Rob J; Bonhoeffer, Sebastian; Szathmáry, Eörs

    2018-02-01

    We propose an evolutionary perspective to classify and characterize the diverse systems of adaptive immunity that have been discovered across all major domains of life. We put forward a new function-based classification according to the way information is acquired by the immune systems: Darwinian immunity (currently known from, but not necessarily limited to, vertebrates) relies on the Darwinian process of clonal selection to 'learn' by cumulative trial-and-error feedback; Lamarckian immunity uses templated targeting (guided adaptation) to internalize heritable information on potential threats; finally, shotgun immunity operates through somatic mechanisms of variable targeting without feedback. We argue that the origin of Darwinian (but not Lamarckian or shotgun) immunity represents a radical innovation in the evolution of individuality and complexity, and propose to add it to the list of major evolutionary transitions. While transitions to higher-level units entail the suppression of selection at lower levels, Darwinian immunity re-opens cell-level selection within the multicellular organism, under the control of mechanisms that direct, rather than suppress, cell-level evolution for the benefit of the individual. From a conceptual point of view, the origin of Darwinian immunity can be regarded as the most radical transition in the history of life, in which evolution by natural selection has literally re-invented itself. Furthermore, the combination of clonal selection and somatic receptor diversity enabled a transition from limited to practically unlimited capacity to store information about the antigenic environment. The origin of Darwinian immunity therefore comprises both a transition in individuality and the emergence of a new information system - the two hallmarks of major evolutionary transitions. Finally, we present an evolutionary scenario for the origin of Darwinian immunity in vertebrates. We propose a revival of the concept of the 'Big Bang' of vertebrate immunity, arguing that its origin involved a 'difficult' (i.e. low-probability) evolutionary transition that might have occurred only once, in a common ancestor of all vertebrates. In contrast to the original concept, we argue that the limiting innovation was not the generation of somatic diversity, but the regulatory circuitry needed for the safe operation of amplifiable immune responses with somatically acquired targeting. Regulatory complexity increased abruptly by genomic duplications at the root of the vertebrate lineage, creating a rare opportunity to establish such circuitry. We discuss the selection forces that might have acted at the origin of the transition, and in the subsequent stepwise evolution leading to the modern immune systems of extant vertebrates. © 2017 The Authors. Biological Reviews published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Cambridge Philosophical Society.

  2. IEEE 802.21 Assisted Seamless and Energy Efficient Handovers in Mixed Networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Huaiyu; Maciocco, Christian; Kesavan, Vijay; Low, Andy L. Y.

    Network selection is the decision process for a mobile terminal to handoff between homogeneous or heterogeneous networks. With multiple available networks, the selection process must evaluate factors like network services/conditions, monetary cost, system conditions, user preferences etc. In this paper, we investigate network selection using a cost function and information provided by IEEE 802.21. The cost function provides flexibility to balance different factors in decision making and our research is focused on improving both seamlessness and energy efficiency of handovers. Our solution is evaluated using real WiFi, WiMax, and 3G signal strength traces. The results show that appropriate networks were selected based on selection policies, handovers were triggered at optimal times to increase overall network connectivity as compared to traditional triggering schemes, while at the same time the energy consumption of multi-radio devices for both on-going operations as well as during handovers is optimized.

  3. Value of 3D printing for the comprehension of surgical anatomy.

    PubMed

    Marconi, Stefania; Pugliese, Luigi; Botti, Marta; Peri, Andrea; Cavazzi, Emma; Latteri, Saverio; Auricchio, Ferdinando; Pietrabissa, Andrea

    2017-10-01

    In a preliminary experience, we claimed the potential value of 3D printing technology for pre-operative counseling and surgical planning. However, no objective analysis has ever assessed its additional benefit in transferring anatomical information from radiology to final users. We decided to validate the pre-operative use of 3D-printed anatomical models in patients with solid organs' diseases as a new tool to deliver morphological information. Fifteen patients scheduled for laparoscopic splenectomy, nephrectomy, or pancreatectomy were selected and, for each, a full-size 3D virtual anatomical object was reconstructed from a contrast-enhanced MDCT (Multiple Detector Computed Tomography) and then prototyped using a 3D printer. After having carefully evaluated-in a random sequence-conventional contrast MDCT scans, virtual 3D reconstructions on a flat monitor, and 3D-printed models of the same anatomy for each selected case, thirty subjects with different expertise in radiological imaging (10 medical students, 10 surgeons and 10 radiologists) were administered a multiple-item questionnaire. Crucial issues for the anatomical understanding and the pre-operative planning of the scheduled procedure were addressed. The visual and tactile inspection of 3D models allowed the best anatomical understanding, with faster and clearer comprehension of the surgical anatomy. As expected, less experienced medical students perceived the highest benefit (53.9% ± 4.14 of correct answers with 3D-printed models, compared to 53.4 % ± 4.6 with virtual models and 45.5% ± 4.6 with MDCT), followed by surgeons and radiologists. The average time spent by participants in 3D model assessing was shorter (60.67 ± 25.5 s) than the one of the corresponding virtual 3D reconstruction (70.8 ± 28.18 s) or conventional MDCT scan (127.04 ± 35.91 s). 3D-printed models help to transfer complex anatomical information to clinicians, resulting useful in the pre-operative planning, for intra-operative navigation and for surgical training purposes.

  4. Airship economics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Neumann, R. D.; Hackney, L. R. M.

    1975-01-01

    Projected operating and manufacturing costs of a large airship design which are considered practical with today's technology and environment are discussed. Data and information developed during an 18-month study on the question of feasibility, engineering, economics and production problems related to a large metalclad type airship are considered. An overview of other classic airship designs are provided, and why metalclad was selected as the most prudent and most economic design to be considered in the 1970-80 era is explained. Crew operation, ATC and enroute requirements are covered along with the question of handling, maintenance and application of systems to the large airship.

  5. Adaptive memory: young children show enhanced retention of fitness-related information.

    PubMed

    Aslan, Alp; Bäuml, Karl-Heinz T

    2012-01-01

    Evolutionary psychologists propose that human cognition evolved through natural selection to solve adaptive problems related to survival and reproduction, with its ultimate function being the enhancement of reproductive fitness. Following this proposal and the evolutionary-developmental view that ancestral selection pressures operated not only on reproductive adults, but also on pre-reproductive children, the present study examined whether young children show superior memory for information that is processed in terms of its survival value. In two experiments, we found such survival processing to enhance retention in 4- to 10-year-old children, relative to various control conditions that also required deep, meaningful processing but were not related to survival. These results suggest that, already in very young children, survival processing is a special and extraordinarily effective form of memory encoding. The results support the functional-evolutionary proposal that young children's memory is "tuned" to process and retain fitness-related information. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Snow cover monitoring model and change over both time and space in pastoral area of northern China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cui, Yan; Li, Suju; Wang, Ping; Zhang, Wei; Nie, Juan; Wen, Qi

    2014-11-01

    Snow disaster is a natural phenomenon owning to widespread snowfall for a long time and usually affect people's life, property and economic. During the whole disaster management circle, snow disaster in pastoral area of northern china which including Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Tibet has been paid more attention. Thus do a good job in snow cover monitoring then found snow disaster in time can help the people in disaster area to take effective rescue measures, which always been the central and local government great important work. Remote sensing has been used widely in snow cover monitoring for its wide range, high efficiency, less conditions, more methods and large information. NOAA/AVHRR data has been used for wide range, plenty bands information and timely acquired and act as an import data of Snow Cover Monitoring Model (SCMM). SCMM including functions list below: First after NOAA/AVHRR data has been acquired, geometric calibration, radiometric calibration and other pre-processing work has been operated. Second after band operation, four threshold conditions are used to extract snow spectrum information among water, cloud and other features in NOAA/AVHRR image. Third snow cover information has been analyzed one by one and the maximum snow cover from about twenty images in a week has been selected. Then selected image has been mosaic which covered the pastoral area of China. At last both time and space analysis has been carried out through this operational model ,such as analysis on the difference between this week and the same period of last year , this week and last week in three level regional. SCMM have been run successfully for three years, and the results have been take into account as one of the three factors which led to risk warning of snow disaster and analysis results from it always play an important role in disaster reduction and relief.

  7. Photo ion spectrometer

    DOEpatents

    Gruen, D.M.; Young, C.E.; Pellin, M.J.

    1989-12-26

    A charged particle spectrometer is described for performing ultrasensitive quantitative analysis of selected atomic components removed from a sample. Significant improvements in performing energy and angular refocusing spectroscopy are accomplished by means of a two dimensional structure for generating predetermined electromagnetic field boundary conditions. Both resonance and non-resonance ionization of selected neutral atomic components allow accumulation of increased chemical information. A multiplexed operation between a SIMS mode and a neutral atomic component ionization mode with EARTOF analysis enables comparison of chemical information from secondary ions and neutral atomic components removed from the sample. An electronic system is described for switching high level signals, such as SIMS signals, directly to a transient recorder and through a charge amplifier to the transient recorder for a low level signal pulse counting mode, such as for a neutral atomic component ionization mode. 12 figs.

  8. Low-cost and no-cost practice to achieve energy efficiency of government office buildings: A case study in federal territory of Malaysia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tahir, Mohamad Zamhari; Nawi, Mohd Nasrun Mohd; Ibrahim, Amlus

    2016-08-01

    This paper presents the findings of a case study to achieve energy-efficient performance of conventional office buildings in Malaysia. Two multi-storey office buildings in Federal Territory of Malaysia have been selected. The aim is to study building energy saving potential then to highlight the appropriate measures that can be implemented. Data was collected using benchmarking method by comparing the measured consumption to other similar office buildings and a series of preliminary audit which involves interviews, a brief review of utility and operating data as well as a walkthrough in the buildings. Additionally, in order to get a better understanding of major energy consumption in the selected buildings, general audit have been conducted to collect more detailed information about building operation. In the end, this study emphasized low-cost and no-cost practice to achieve energy efficiency with significant results in some cases.

  9. Usage of FTIR-ATR as Non-Destructive Analysis of Selected Toxic Dyes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bartošová, Alica; Blinová, Lenka; Sirotiak, Maroš; Michalíková, Anna

    2017-06-01

    The degradation of the environment which is due to the discharge of polluting wastewater from industrial sources poses a real problem in several countries. Textile industries use large volumes of water in their operations, discharging thus large volume of wastewater into the environment, most of which is untreated. The wastewater contains a variety of chemicals from various stages of process operations, including desizing, scouring, bleaching and dyeing. The main purpose of this paper is to introduce Infrared Spectrometry with Fourier transformation as a non-destructive method for study, identifation and rapid determination of selected representatives of cationic (Methylene Blue), azo (Congo Red, Eriochrome Black T) and nitroso (Naphthol Green B) dyes. In conjunction with the ATR technique, FTIR offers a reliable detection method of dyes without extraction by other dangerous substances. Spectral interpretation of dye spectra revealed valuable information about the identification and characterization of each group of dyes.

  10. Behavioral Health and Performance at NASA JSC: Recent Successes and Future Plan for BHP Research and Operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Leveton, L. B.; VanderArk, S. T.

    2014-01-01

    The Behavioral Health and Performance discipline at NASA Johnson Space Center is organized into two distinct Divisions (Biomedical Research and Environmental Science Division and Space and Clinical Operations Division) but is integrated and interrelated in its day-to-day work. Ongoing operations supporting NASA's spaceflight goals benefit from the research portfolios that address risks to mission success. Similarly, these research portfolios are informed by operations to ensure investigations stay relevant given the dynamic environment of spaceflight. There are many success stories that can be presented where initial work begun as a BHP Research project, and funded through the Human Research Program, was fully implemented in operations or addressed an operational need. Examples include improving effectiveness of the debriefings used within Mission Control by the Mission Operations Directorate and countermeasures for fatigue management. There is also ongoing collaboration with research and operations for developing selection methods for future generation astronauts, and to enhance and inform the current family support function. The objective of this panel is to provide examples of recent success stories, describe areas where close collaboration is benefitting ongoing research and operations, and summarize how this will come together as NASA plans for the one year ISS mission - a unique opportunity for both BHP operations and research to learn more about preparing and supporting crewmembers for extended missions in space. The proposed panel will be comprised of six presentations, each describing a unique aspect of research or operations and the benefits to current and future spaceflight.

  11. Study to determine the IFR operational profile and problems to the general aviation pilot

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Weislogel, S.

    1983-01-01

    A study of the general aviation single pilot operating under instrument flight rules (GA SPIFR) has been conducted for NASA Langley Research Center. The objectives of the study were to (1) develop a GA SPIFR operational profile, (2) identify problems experienced by the GA SPIFR pilot, and (3) identify research tasks which have the potential for eliminating or reducing the severity of the problems. To obtain the information necessary to accomplish these objectives, a mail questionnaire survey of instrument rated pilots was conducted. Complete questionnaire data is reported in NASA CR-165805, "Statistical Summary: Study to Determine the IFR Operational Profile and Problems of the General Aviation Single Pilot'-Based upon the results of the GA SPIFR survey, this final report presents the general aviation IFR single pilot operational profile, illustrates selected data analysis, examples, identifies the problems which he is experiencing, and recommends further research.

  12. The impact of missing sensor information on surgical workflow management.

    PubMed

    Liebmann, Philipp; Meixensberger, Jürgen; Wiedemann, Peter; Neumuth, Thomas

    2013-09-01

    Sensor systems in the operating room may encounter intermittent data losses that reduce the performance of surgical workflow management systems (SWFMS). Sensor data loss could impact SWFMS-based decision support, device parameterization, and information presentation. The purpose of this study was to understand the robustness of surgical process models when sensor information is partially missing. SWFMS changes caused by wrong or no data from the sensor system which tracks the progress of a surgical intervention were tested. The individual surgical process models (iSPMs) from 100 different cataract procedures of 3 ophthalmologic surgeons were used to select a randomized subset and create a generalized surgical process model (gSPM). A disjoint subset was selected from the iSPMs and used to simulate the surgical process against the gSPM. The loss of sensor data was simulated by removing some information from one task in the iSPM. The effect of missing sensor data was measured using several metrics: (a) successful relocation of the path in the gSPM, (b) the number of steps to find the converging point, and (c) the perspective with the highest occurrence of unsuccessful path findings. A gSPM built using 30% of the iSPMs successfully found the correct path in 90% of the cases. The most critical sensor data were the information regarding the instrument used by the surgeon. We found that use of a gSPM to provide input data for a SWFMS is robust and can be accurate despite missing sensor data. A surgical workflow management system can provide the surgeon with workflow guidance in the OR for most cases. Sensor systems for surgical process tracking can be evaluated based on the stability and accuracy of functional and spatial operative results.

  13. PI Microgravity Services Role for International Space Station Operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    DeLombard, Richard

    1998-01-01

    During the ISS era, the NASA Lewis Research Center's Principal Investigator Microgravity Services (PIMS) project will provide to principal investigators (PIs) microgravity environment information and characterization of the accelerations to which their experiments were exposed during on orbit operations. PIMS supports PIs by providing them with microgravity environment information for experiment vehicles, carriers, and locations within the vehicle. This is done to assist the PI with their effort to evaluate the effect of acceleration on their experiments. Furthermore, PIMS responsibilities are to support the investigators in the area of acceleration data analysis and interpretation, and provide the Microgravity science community with a microgravity environment characterization of selected experiment carriers and vehicles. Also, PIMS provides expertise in the areas of microgravity experiment requirements, vibration isolation, and the implementation of requirements for different spacecraft to the microgravity community and other NASA programs.

  14. System and method for improved rotor tip performance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bussom, Richard (Inventor); McVeigh, Michael A. (Inventor); Narducci, Robert P. (Inventor); Zientek, Thomas A. (Inventor)

    2010-01-01

    Embodiments of systems and methods for enhancing the performance of rotary wing aircraft through reduced torque, noise and vibration are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes configuring the rotorcraft in a selected flight condition, communicating input signals to a control system operable to position sails coupled to tips of blades of a rotor assembly, processing the input signals according to a constraint condition to generate sail positional information, and transferring the sail positional information to the sail. Alternately, input signals may be communicated to a control system operable to position a plurality of sails, each sail having an aerodynamic shape and positioned proximate to a tip portion of the rotor blade. The input signals may be configured to rotate each sail about a longitudinal axis into a corresponding pitch angle independently of the other sails.

  15. Supersonic molecular beam-hyperthermal surface ionisation coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry applied to trace level detection of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in drinking water for reduced sample preparation and analysis time.

    PubMed

    Davis, S C; Makarov, A A; Hughes, J D

    1999-01-01

    Analysis of sub-ppb levels of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in drinking water by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fluorescence detection typically requires large water samples and lengthy extraction procedures. The detection itself, although selective, does not give compound identity confirmation. Benchtop gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) systems operating in the more sensitive selected ion monitoring (SIM) acquisition mode discard spectral information and, when operating in scanning mode, are less sensitive and scan too slowly. The selectivity of hyperthermal surface ionisation (HSI), the high column flow rate capacity of the supersonic molecular beam (SMB) GC/MS interface, and the high acquisition rate of time-of-flight (TOF) mass analysis, are combined here to facilitate a rapid, specific and sensitive technique for the analysis of trace levels of PAHs in water. This work reports the advantages gained by using the GC/HSI-TOF system over the HPLC fluorescence method, and discusses in some detail the nature of the instrumentation used.

  16. How Distinctive Processing Enhances Hits and Reduces False Alarms

    PubMed Central

    Hunt, R. Reed; Smith, Rebekah E.

    2015-01-01

    Distinctive processing is a concept designed to account for precision in memory, both correct responses and avoidance of errors. The principal question addressed in two experiments is how distinctive processing of studied material reduces false alarms to familiar distractors. Jacoby (Jacoby, Kelley, & McElree, 1999) has used the metaphors early selection and late correction to describe two different types of control processes. Early selection refers to limitations on access whereas late correction describes controlled monitoring of accessed information. The two types of processes are not mutually exclusive, and previous research has provided evidence for the operation of both. The data reported here extend previous work to a criterial recollection paradigm and to a recognition memory test. The results of both experiments show that variables that reduce false memory for highly familiar distracters continue to exert their effect under conditions of minimal post-access monitoring. Level of monitoring was reduced in the first experiment through test instructions and in the second experiment through speeded test responding. The results were consistent with the conclusion that both early selection and late correction operate to control accuracy in memory. PMID:26034343

  17. A Analysis of the Development of Weather Concepts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mroz, Paul John

    Weather information in all forms is poorly understood and often misinterpreted by the general public. Weather literacy is necessary for everyone if critical weather messages, designed to save lives and protect property, are to be effective. The purpose of this study was to seek content and causal evidence for a developmental concept of Weather Information Processing that was consistent with Piagetian Cognitive Stages of Development. Three ordinal Content Stages Of Weather Information Processing (phenomena, process and mechanism) and three ordinal Causal Explanation Stages Of Weather Information Processing (non-real, natural, and scientifically valid abstract ideas) were explored for their relationship with Piaget's Pre-Operational, Concrete and Formal Stages of Development. One hundred and fifty -five elementary and secondary school students from two school districts were administered a written Piagetian exam. Commonly available television weather programs were categorized, randomly assigned and viewed by 42 randomly selected students who were administered three Piagetian tasks. Students were clinically interviewed for the level of content information and causal explanations (reasoning). Results indicated that content information and causal reasoning of students to televised weather information is significantly related (p <.01) to age, and Piagetian Cognitive Stages of Development. Two Piagetian logic operations (seriation and correlation) were established as significantly different (p <.05) when related to age. These findings support a developmental concept of Weather Information Processing and have implications for teaching and presenting weather information to the public.

  18. The modulation of inhibition of return by object-internal structure: implications for theories of object-based attentional selection.

    PubMed

    Reppa, Irene; Leek, E Charles

    2003-06-01

    Recently, Vecera, Behrmann, and McGoldrick (2000), using a divided-attention task, reported that targets are detected more accurately when they occur on the same structural part of an object, suggesting that attention can be directed toward object-internal features. We present converging evidence using the object-based inhibition of return (IOR) paradigm as an implicit measure of selection. The results show that IOR is attenuated when cues and targets appear on the same part of an object relative to when they are separated by a part boundary. These findings suggest that object-based mechanisms of selection can operate over shape representations that make explicit information about object-internal structure.

  19. Discrimination of correlated and entangling quantum channels with selective process tomography

    DOE PAGES

    Dumitrescu, Eugene; Humble, Travis S.

    2016-10-10

    The accurate and reliable characterization of quantum dynamical processes underlies efforts to validate quantum technologies, where discrimination between competing models of observed behaviors inform efforts to fabricate and operate qubit devices. We present a protocol for quantum channel discrimination that leverages advances in direct characterization of quantum dynamics (DCQD) codes. We demonstrate that DCQD codes enable selective process tomography to improve discrimination between entangling and correlated quantum dynamics. Numerical simulations show selective process tomography requires only a few measurement configurations to achieve a low false alarm rate and that the DCQD encoding improves the resilience of the protocol to hiddenmore » sources of noise. Lastly, our results show that selective process tomography with DCQD codes is useful for efficiently distinguishing sources of correlated crosstalk from uncorrelated noise in current and future experimental platforms.« less

  20. Fatigue level estimation of monetary bills based on frequency band acoustic signals with feature selection by supervised SOM

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Teranishi, Masaru; Omatu, Sigeru; Kosaka, Toshihisa

    Fatigued monetary bills adversely affect the daily operation of automated teller machines (ATMs). In order to make the classification of fatigued bills more efficient, the development of an automatic fatigued monetary bill classification method is desirable. We propose a new method by which to estimate the fatigue level of monetary bills from the feature-selected frequency band acoustic energy pattern of banking machines. By using a supervised self-organizing map (SOM), we effectively estimate the fatigue level using only the feature-selected frequency band acoustic energy pattern. Furthermore, the feature-selected frequency band acoustic energy pattern improves the estimation accuracy of the fatigue level of monetary bills by adding frequency domain information to the acoustic energy pattern. The experimental results with real monetary bill samples reveal the effectiveness of the proposed method.

  1. Comments on airborne ISR radar utilization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Doerry, A. W.

    2016-05-01

    A sensor/payload operator for modern multi-sensor multi-mode Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms is often confronted with a plethora of options in sensors and sensor modes. This often leads an over-worked operator to down-select to favorite sensors and modes; for example a justifiably favorite Full Motion Video (FMV) sensor at the expense of radar modes, even if radar modes can offer unique and advantageous information. At best, sensors might be used in a serial monogamous fashion with some cross-cueing. The challenge is then to increase the utilization of the radar modes in a manner attractive to the sensor/payload operator. We propose that this is best accomplished by combining sensor modes and displays into `super-modes'.

  2. A Case Study of Controlling Crossover in a Selection Hyper-heuristic Framework Using the Multidimensional Knapsack Problem.

    PubMed

    Drake, John H; Özcan, Ender; Burke, Edmund K

    2016-01-01

    Hyper-heuristics are high-level methodologies for solving complex problems that operate on a search space of heuristics. In a selection hyper-heuristic framework, a heuristic is chosen from an existing set of low-level heuristics and applied to the current solution to produce a new solution at each point in the search. The use of crossover low-level heuristics is possible in an increasing number of general-purpose hyper-heuristic tools such as HyFlex and Hyperion. However, little work has been undertaken to assess how best to utilise it. Since a single-point search hyper-heuristic operates on a single candidate solution, and two candidate solutions are required for crossover, a mechanism is required to control the choice of the other solution. The frameworks we propose maintain a list of potential solutions for use in crossover. We investigate the use of such lists at two conceptual levels. First, crossover is controlled at the hyper-heuristic level where no problem-specific information is required. Second, it is controlled at the problem domain level where problem-specific information is used to produce good-quality solutions to use in crossover. A number of selection hyper-heuristics are compared using these frameworks over three benchmark libraries with varying properties for an NP-hard optimisation problem: the multidimensional 0-1 knapsack problem. It is shown that allowing crossover to be managed at the domain level outperforms managing crossover at the hyper-heuristic level in this problem domain.

  3. Problematics of Reliability of Road Rollers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stawowiak, Michał; Kuczaj, Mariusz

    2018-06-01

    This article refers to the reliability of road rollers used in a selected roadworks company. Information on the method of road rollers service and how the service affects the reliability of these rollers is presented. Attention was paid to the process of the implemented maintenance plan with regard to the machine's operational time. The reliability of road rollers was analyzed by determining and interpreting readiness coefficients.

  4. Issues of Dynamic Coalition Formation Among Rational Agents

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2002-04-01

    approaches of forming stable coalitions among rational agents. Issues and problems of dynamic coalition environments are discussed in section 3 while...2.2. 2.1.2 Coalition Algorithm, Coalition Formation Environment and Model Rational agents which are involved in a co-operative game (A,v) are...publicly available simulation environment for coalition formation among rational information agents based on selected classic coalition theories is, for

  5. The tongue display unit (TDU) for electrotactile spatiotemporal pattern presentation.

    PubMed

    Kaczmarek, K A

    2011-12-01

    The Tongue Display Unit (TDU) is a 144-channel programmable pulse generator that delivers dc-balanced voltage pulses suitable for electrotactile (electrocutaneous) stimulation of the anterior-dorsal tongue, through a matrix of surface electrodes. This article reviews the theory of operation and a design overview of the TDU, as well as selected applications. These include sensory substitution, tactile information display and neurorehabilitation via induced neuroplasticity.

  6. Direct Job Creation in the Public Sector. Evaluation of National Experience in Canada, Denmark, Norway, United Kingdom, United States.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris (France).

    This report examines selected public sector direct job creation schemes that were in operation in 1977-1978 in Canada, Denmark, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Based on responses to a questionnaire and discussions with officials in the five countries, the information presented in the report is not intended to evaluate any one…

  7. Twenty-Year Overview: Financial Statistics, Community Colleges. Selected Financial Information--By System and Colleges--1964-65 to 1983-84.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Overholt, Maurice C.

    This document provides an overview of important financial statistics for Pennsylvania community colleges from the time they began operation in 1964 through the last completed audit of the colleges in 1983-84. The document is divided into eight major sections. Section I provides statewide institutional data for 1964-65 to 1983-84 on reimbursements…

  8. Development of IS2100: An Information Systems Laboratory.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1985-03-01

    systems for digital logic; hardware architecture; machine, assembly, and high order language programming; and application packages such as database... applications and limitations. They should be able to define, demonstrate and/or discuss how computers are used, how they do their work, how to use them, and...limitations. Hands on operation of the hardware and software provides experience that aids in future selection of hardware systems and applications

  9. The Human Factors of Sensor Fusion

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-05-01

    tool in future military operations. 23 7. References Abdi, H. Neural Networks. In M. Lewis-Beck, A . Bryman , T. Futing (Eds), Encyclopedia for... a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. 1...This report discusses select, cognitively based principles associated with the sensor fusion process. A review is made of the standard

  10. An Empirical Methodology for Engineering Human Systems Integration

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-12-01

    scanning critical information and selectively skipping what is not important for the immediate task. This learned skill is called a proper “cross check...ability to recover from errors. Efficiency: the level of productivity that can be achieved once learning has occurred. 162 Learnability: the...use, to legacy systems. Knowing what design issues have plagued past operators can guide the generation of requirements to address the identified

  11. The cross-validated AUC for MCP-logistic regression with high-dimensional data.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Dingfeng; Huang, Jian; Zhang, Ying

    2013-10-01

    We propose a cross-validated area under the receiving operator characteristic (ROC) curve (CV-AUC) criterion for tuning parameter selection for penalized methods in sparse, high-dimensional logistic regression models. We use this criterion in combination with the minimax concave penalty (MCP) method for variable selection. The CV-AUC criterion is specifically designed for optimizing the classification performance for binary outcome data. To implement the proposed approach, we derive an efficient coordinate descent algorithm to compute the MCP-logistic regression solution surface. Simulation studies are conducted to evaluate the finite sample performance of the proposed method and its comparison with the existing methods including the Akaike information criterion (AIC), Bayesian information criterion (BIC) or Extended BIC (EBIC). The model selected based on the CV-AUC criterion tends to have a larger predictive AUC and smaller classification error than those with tuning parameters selected using the AIC, BIC or EBIC. We illustrate the application of the MCP-logistic regression with the CV-AUC criterion on three microarray datasets from the studies that attempt to identify genes related to cancers. Our simulation studies and data examples demonstrate that the CV-AUC is an attractive method for tuning parameter selection for penalized methods in high-dimensional logistic regression models.

  12. In Support of a Distinction between Voluntary and Stimulus-Driven Control: A Review of the Literature on Proportion Congruent Effects.

    PubMed

    Bugg, Julie M; Crump, Matthew J C

    2012-01-01

    Cognitive control is by now a large umbrella term referring collectively to multiple processes that plan and coordinate actions to meet task goals. A common feature of paradigms that engage cognitive control is the task requirement to select relevant information despite a habitual tendency (or bias) to select goal-irrelevant information. At least since the 1970s, researchers have employed proportion congruent (PC) manipulations to experimentally establish selection biases and evaluate the mechanisms used to control attention. PC manipulations vary the frequency with which irrelevant information conflicts (i.e., is incongruent) with relevant information. The purpose of this review is to summarize the growing body of literature on PC effects across selective attention paradigms, beginning first with Stroop, and then describing parallel effects in flanker and task-switching paradigms. The review chronologically tracks the expansion of the PC manipulation from its initial implementation at the list-wide level, to more recent implementations at the item-specific and context-specific levels. An important theoretical aim is demonstrating that PC effects at different levels (e.g., list-wide vs. item or context-specific) support a distinction between voluntary forms of cognitive control, which operate based on anticipatory information, and relatively automatic or reflexive forms of cognitive control, which are rapidly triggered by the processing of particular stimuli or stimulus features. A further aim is to highlight those PC manipulations that allow researchers to dissociate stimulus-driven control from other stimulus-driven processes (e.g., S-R responding; episodic retrieval). We conclude by discussing the utility of PC manipulations for exploring the distinction between voluntary control and stimulus-driven control in other relevant paradigms.

  13. In Support of a Distinction between Voluntary and Stimulus-Driven Control: A Review of the Literature on Proportion Congruent Effects

    PubMed Central

    Bugg, Julie M.; Crump, Matthew J. C.

    2012-01-01

    Cognitive control is by now a large umbrella term referring collectively to multiple processes that plan and coordinate actions to meet task goals. A common feature of paradigms that engage cognitive control is the task requirement to select relevant information despite a habitual tendency (or bias) to select goal-irrelevant information. At least since the 1970s, researchers have employed proportion congruent (PC) manipulations to experimentally establish selection biases and evaluate the mechanisms used to control attention. PC manipulations vary the frequency with which irrelevant information conflicts (i.e., is incongruent) with relevant information. The purpose of this review is to summarize the growing body of literature on PC effects across selective attention paradigms, beginning first with Stroop, and then describing parallel effects in flanker and task-switching paradigms. The review chronologically tracks the expansion of the PC manipulation from its initial implementation at the list-wide level, to more recent implementations at the item-specific and context-specific levels. An important theoretical aim is demonstrating that PC effects at different levels (e.g., list-wide vs. item or context-specific) support a distinction between voluntary forms of cognitive control, which operate based on anticipatory information, and relatively automatic or reflexive forms of cognitive control, which are rapidly triggered by the processing of particular stimuli or stimulus features. A further aim is to highlight those PC manipulations that allow researchers to dissociate stimulus-driven control from other stimulus-driven processes (e.g., S-R responding; episodic retrieval). We conclude by discussing the utility of PC manipulations for exploring the distinction between voluntary control and stimulus-driven control in other relevant paradigms. PMID:23060836

  14. Assessment of selected quality fields of nursing care in neurosurgical wards: a prospective study of 530 people – multicenter studies

    PubMed Central

    Œlusarz, Robert; Biercewicz, Monika; Barczykowska, Ewa; Haor, Beata; Głowacka, Mariola

    2014-01-01

    Background One of the elements influencing the assessment of nursing care quality is the assessment of the nurse’s functions that determine the nurse’s particular tasks. The aim of this work was to assess selected tasks involved in the nurse’s caring function, which influence nursing care quality on neurosurgical wards, on the basis of patients’ and nursing staff’s opinions. Materials and methods The research was carried out on neurosurgical wards in Poland on a group of 455 patients and 75 nurses. In order to assess nursing care quality, an author’s original questionnaire (Questionnaire – Patient Satisfaction) was used. Results Statistically significant differences concerned particular groups (both patients and nurses) in the assessment of selected issues: providing information about performed activities and operations (P=0.000 and P=0.040), respecting personal dignity and assuring discretion during the operations (P=0.000 and P=0.001), speed of response to patient’s requests (P=0.000 and P=0.000), time availability of nurses for the patient (P=0.000 and P=0.000), providing information about further self-care at home (P=0.032, P=0.008), and nurses’ attitude (kindness, courtesy, tenderness, care) to patients (patient’s assessment only P=0.000). Conclusion Selected tasks in the field of the caring function of nurses were assessed differently by particular groups. There were no statistically significant differences in the assessment of particular tasks in the opinions of patients and nurses, which means that both examined groups similarly assessed tasks involved in the nurse’s caring function, which influence nursing care quality. PMID:25170257

  15. An Energy Balanced and Lifetime Extended Routing Protocol for Underwater Sensor Networks.

    PubMed

    Wang, Hao; Wang, Shilian; Zhang, Eryang; Lu, Luxi

    2018-05-17

    Energy limitation is an adverse problem in designing routing protocols for underwater sensor networks (UWSNs). To prolong the network lifetime with limited battery power, an energy balanced and efficient routing protocol, called energy balanced and lifetime extended routing protocol (EBLE), is proposed in this paper. The proposed EBLE not only balances traffic loads according to the residual energy, but also optimizes data transmissions by selecting low-cost paths. Two phases are operated in the EBLE data transmission process: (1) candidate forwarding set selection phase and (2) data transmission phase. In candidate forwarding set selection phase, nodes update candidate forwarding nodes by broadcasting the position and residual energy level information. The cost value of available nodes is calculated and stored in each sensor node. Then in data transmission phase, high residual energy and relatively low-cost paths are selected based on the cost function and residual energy level information. We also introduce detailed analysis of optimal energy consumption in UWSNs. Numerical simulation results on a variety of node distributions and data load distributions prove that EBLE outperforms other routing protocols (BTM, BEAR and direct transmission) in terms of network lifetime and energy efficiency.

  16. Preparations for ExoMars: Learning Lessons from Curiosity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Edwards, Peter Henry; Hutchinson, Ian; Morgan, Sally; McHugh, Melissa; Malherbe, Cedric; Lerman, Hannah; INGLEY, Richard

    2016-10-01

    In 2020, the European Space Agency will launch its first Mars rover mission, ExoMars. The rover will use a drill to obtain samples from up to 2m below the Martian surface that will then be analysed using a variety of analytical instruments, including the Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS), which will be the first Raman spectrometer to be used on a planetary mission.To prepare for ExoMars RLS operations, we report on a series of experiments that have been performed in order to investigate the response of a representative Raman instrument to a number of analogue samples (selected based on the types of material known to be important, following investigations performed by NASA's Mars Science Laboratory, MSL, on the Curiosity rover). Raman spectroscopy will provide molecular and mineralogical information about the samples obtained from the drill cores on ExoMars. MSL acquires similar information using the CheMin XRD instrument which analyses samples acquired from drill holes several centimetres deep. Like Raman spectroscopy, XRD also provides information on the mineralogical makeup of the analysed samples.The samples in our study were selected based on CheMin data obtained from drill sites at Yellowknife Bay, one of the first locations visited by Curiosity (supplemented with additional fine scale elemental information obtained with the ChemCam LIBS laser instrument). Once selected (or produced), the samples were characterised using standard laboratory XRD and XRF instruments (in order to compare with the data obtained by CheMin) and a standard, laboratory based LIBS system (in order to compare with the ChemCam data). This characterisation provides confirmation that the analogue samples are representative of the materials likely to be encountered on Mars by the ExoMars rover.A representative, miniaturised Raman spectrometer was used to analyse the samples, using acquisition strategies and operating modes similar to those expected for the ExoMars instrument. The type of minerals detected are identified and compared to the information typically acquired using other analytical science techniques investigating in order to highlight the benefits and drawbacks of using Raman spectroscopy for planetary science applications.

  17. Design, analysis, operation, and advanced control of hybrid renewable energy systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Whiteman, Zachary S.

    Because using non-renewable energy systems (e.g., coal-powered co-generation power plants) to generate electricity is an unsustainable, environmentally hazardous practice, it is important to develop cost-effective and reliable renewable energy systems, such as photovoltaics (PVs), wind turbines (WTs), and fuel cells (FCs). Non-renewable energy systems, however, are currently less expensive than individual renewable energy systems (IRESs). Furthermore, IRESs based on intermittent natural resources (e.g., solar irradiance and wind) are incapable of meeting continuous energy demands. Such shortcomings can be mitigated by judiciously combining two or more complementary IRESs to form a hybrid renewable energy system (HRES). Although previous research efforts focused on the design, operation, and control of HRESs has proven useful, no prior HRES research endeavor has taken a systematic and comprehensive approach towards establishing guidelines by which HRESs should be designed, operated, and controlled. The overall goal of this dissertation, therefore, is to establish the principles governing the design, operation, and control of HRESs resulting in cost-effective and reliable energy solutions for stationary and mobile applications. To achieve this goal, we developed and demonstrated four separate HRES principles. Rational selection of HRES type: HRES components and their sizes should be rationally selected using knowledge of component costs, availability of renewable energy resources, and expected power demands of the application. HRES design: by default, the components of a HRES should be arranged in parallel for increased efficiency and reliability. However, a series HRES design may be preferred depending on the operational considerations of the HRES components. HRES control strategy selection: the choice of HRES control strategy depends on the dynamics of HRES components, their operational considerations, and the practical limitations of the HRES end-use. HRES data-driven control: information-rich data should be used to assist in the intelligent coordination of HRES components in meeting its operating objectives when additional computation can be afforded and significant benefits can be realized.

  18. Development and human factors analysis of an augmented reality interface for multi-robot tele-operation and control

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Sam; Lucas, Nathan P.; Ellis, R. Darin; Pandya, Abhilash

    2012-06-01

    This paper presents a seamlessly controlled human multi-robot system comprised of ground and aerial robots of semiautonomous nature for source localization tasks. The system combines augmented reality interfaces capabilities with human supervisor's ability to control multiple robots. The role of this human multi-robot interface is to allow an operator to control groups of heterogeneous robots in real time in a collaborative manner. It used advanced path planning algorithms to ensure obstacles are avoided and that the operators are free for higher-level tasks. Each robot knows the environment and obstacles and can automatically generate a collision-free path to any user-selected target. It displayed sensor information from each individual robot directly on the robot in the video view. In addition, a sensor data fused AR view is displayed which helped the users pin point source information or help the operator with the goals of the mission. The paper studies a preliminary Human Factors evaluation of this system in which several interface conditions are tested for source detection tasks. Results show that the novel Augmented Reality multi-robot control (Point-and-Go and Path Planning) reduced mission completion times compared to the traditional joystick control for target detection missions. Usability tests and operator workload analysis are also investigated.

  19. Steering intermediate courses: desert ants combine information from various navigational routines.

    PubMed

    Wehner, Rüdiger; Hoinville, Thierry; Cruse, Holk; Cheng, Ken

    2016-07-01

    A number of systems of navigation have been studied in some detail in insects. These include path integration, a system that keeps track of the straight-line distance and direction travelled on the current trip, the use of panoramic landmarks and scenery for orientation, and systematic searching. A traditional view is that only one navigational system is in operation at any one time, with different systems running in sequence depending on the context and conditions. We review selected data suggesting that often, different navigational cues (e.g., compass cues) and different systems of navigation are in operation simultaneously in desert ant navigation. The evidence suggests that all systems operate in parallel forming a heterarchical network. External and internal conditions determine the weights to be accorded to each cue and system. We also show that a model of independent modules feeding into a central summating device, the Navinet model, can in principle account for such data. No central executive processor is necessary aside from a weighted summation of the different cues and systems. Such a heterarchy of parallel systems all in operation represents a new view of insect navigation that has already been expressed informally by some authors.

  20. Organizing Space Shuttle parametric data for maintainability

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Angier, R. C.

    1983-01-01

    A model of organization and management of Space Shuttle data is proposed. Shuttle avionics software is parametrically altered by a reconfiguration process for each flight. As the flight rate approaches an operational level, current methods of data management would become increasingly complex. An alternative method is introduced, using modularized standard data, and its implications for data collection, integration, validation, and reconfiguration processes are explored. Information modules are cataloged for later use, and may be combined in several levels for maintenance. For each flight, information modules can then be selected from the catalog at a high level. These concepts take advantage of the reusability of Space Shuttle information to reduce the cost of reconfiguration as flight experience increases.

  1. Rich Language Analysis for Counterterrorism

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guidère, Mathieu; Howard, Newton; Argamon, Shlomo

    Accurate and relevant intelligence is critical for effective counterterrorism. Too much irrelevant information is as bad or worse than not enough information. Modern computational tools promise to provide better search and summarization capabilities to help analysts filter and select relevant and key information. However, to do this task effectively, such tools must have access to levels of meaning beyond the literal. Terrorists operating in context-rich cultures like fundamentalist Islam use messages with multiple levels of interpretation, which are easily misunderstood by non-insiders. This chapter discusses several kinds of such “encryption” used by terrorists and insurgents in the Arabic language, and how knowledge of such methods can be used to enhance computational text analysis techniques for use in counterterrorism.

  2. Exploring the Solid Rocket Boosters and Properties of Matter

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Moffett, Amy

    2007-01-01

    I worked for the United Space Alliance, LLC (USA) with the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) Materials and Process engineers (M&P). I was assigned a project in which I needed to research and collect chemical and physical properties information, material safety data sheets (MSDS), and other product information from the vendor's websites and existing "inhouse" files for a select group of materials used in building and refurbishing the SRBs. This information was then compiled in a report that summarized the information collected. My work site was at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This allowed for many opportunities to visit and tour sites operated by NASA, by USA, and by the Air Force. This included the vehicle assembly building (VAB), orbital processing facilities (OPF), the crawler with the mobile launch pad (MLP), and the SRB assembly and refurbishment facility (ARF), to name a few. In addition, the launch, of STS- 117 took place within the first week of employment allowing a day by day following of that mission including post flight operations for the SRBs. Two Delta II rockets were also launched during these 7 weeks. The sights were incredible and the operations witnessed were amazing. I learned so many things I never knew about the entire program and the shuttle itself. The entire experience, especially my work with the SRB materials, inspired my plan for implementation into the classroom.

  3. Developing reservoir monthly inflow forecasts using artificial intelligence and climate phenomenon information

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Tiantian; Asanjan, Ata Akbari; Welles, Edwin; Gao, Xiaogang; Sorooshian, Soroosh; Liu, Xiaomang

    2017-04-01

    Reservoirs are fundamental human-built infrastructures that collect, store, and deliver fresh surface water in a timely manner for many purposes. Efficient reservoir operation requires policy makers and operators to understand how reservoir inflows are changing under different hydrological and climatic conditions to enable forecast-informed operations. Over the last decade, the uses of Artificial Intelligence and Data Mining [AI & DM] techniques in assisting reservoir streamflow subseasonal to seasonal forecasts have been increasing. In this study, Random Forest [RF), Artificial Neural Network (ANN), and Support Vector Regression (SVR) are employed and compared with respect to their capabilities for predicting 1 month-ahead reservoir inflows for two headwater reservoirs in USA and China. Both current and lagged hydrological information and 17 known climate phenomenon indices, i.e., PDO and ENSO, etc., are selected as predictors for simulating reservoir inflows. Results show (1) three methods are capable of providing monthly reservoir inflows with satisfactory statistics; (2) the results obtained by Random Forest have the best statistical performances compared with the other two methods; (3) another advantage of Random Forest algorithm is its capability of interpreting raw model inputs; (4) climate phenomenon indices are useful in assisting monthly or seasonal forecasts of reservoir inflow; and (5) different climate conditions are autocorrelated with up to several months, and the climatic information and their lags are cross correlated with local hydrological conditions in our case studies.

  4. The effect of feature selection methods on computer-aided detection of masses in mammograms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hupse, Rianne; Karssemeijer, Nico

    2010-05-01

    In computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) research, feature selection methods are often used to improve generalization performance of classifiers and shorten computation times. In an application that detects malignant masses in mammograms, we investigated the effect of using a selection criterion that is similar to the final performance measure we are optimizing, namely the mean sensitivity of the system in a predefined range of the free-response receiver operating characteristics (FROC). To obtain the generalization performance of the selected feature subsets, a cross validation procedure was performed on a dataset containing 351 abnormal and 7879 normal regions, each region providing a set of 71 mass features. The same number of noise features, not containing any information, were added to investigate the ability of the feature selection algorithms to distinguish between useful and non-useful features. It was found that significantly higher performances were obtained using feature sets selected by the general test statistic Wilks' lambda than using feature sets selected by the more specific FROC measure. Feature selection leads to better performance when compared to a system in which all features were used.

  5. Applications For Real Time NOMADS At NCEP To Disseminate NOAA's Operational Model Data Base

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alpert, J. C.; Wang, J.; Rutledge, G.

    2007-05-01

    A wide range of environmental information, in digital form, with metadata descriptions and supporting infrastructure is contained in the NOAA Operational Modeling Archive Distribution System (NOMADS) and its Real Time (RT) project prototype at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). NOMADS is now delivering on its goal of a seamless framework, from archival to real time data dissemination for NOAA's operational model data holdings. A process is under way to make NOMADS part of NCEP's operational production of products. A goal is to foster collaborations among the research and education communities, value added retailers, and public access for science and development. In the National Research Council's "Completing the Forecast", Recommendation 3.4 states: "NOMADS should be maintained and extended to include (a) long-term archives of the global and regional ensemble forecasting systems at their native resolution, and (b) re-forecast datasets to facilitate post-processing." As one of many participants of NOMADS, NCEP serves the operational model data base using data application protocol (Open-DAP) and other services for participants to serve their data sets and users to obtain them. Using the NCEP global ensemble data as an example, we show an Open-DAP (also known as DODS) client application that provides a request-and-fulfill mechanism for access to the complex ensemble matrix of holdings. As an example of the DAP service, we show a client application which accesses the Global or Regional Ensemble data set to produce user selected weather element event probabilities. The event probabilities are easily extended over model forecast time to show probability histograms defining the future trend of user selected events. This approach insures an efficient use of computer resources because users transmit only the data necessary for their tasks. Data sets are served by OPeN-DAP allowing commercial clients such as MATLAB or IDL as well as freeware clients such as GrADS to access the NCEP real time database. We will demonstrate how users can use NOMADS services to repackage area subsets and select levels and variables that are sent to a users selected ftp site. NOMADS can also display plots on demand for area subsets, selected levels, time series and selected variables.

  6. Job optimization in ATLAS TAG-based distributed analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mambelli, M.; Cranshaw, J.; Gardner, R.; Maeno, T.; Malon, D.; Novak, M.

    2010-04-01

    The ATLAS experiment is projected to collect over one billion events/year during the first few years of operation. The efficient selection of events for various physics analyses across all appropriate samples presents a significant technical challenge. ATLAS computing infrastructure leverages the Grid to tackle the analysis across large samples by organizing data into a hierarchical structure and exploiting distributed computing to churn through the computations. This includes events at different stages of processing: RAW, ESD (Event Summary Data), AOD (Analysis Object Data), DPD (Derived Physics Data). Event Level Metadata Tags (TAGs) contain information about each event stored using multiple technologies accessible by POOL and various web services. This allows users to apply selection cuts on quantities of interest across the entire sample to compile a subset of events that are appropriate for their analysis. This paper describes new methods for organizing jobs using the TAGs criteria to analyze ATLAS data. It further compares different access patterns to the event data and explores ways to partition the workload for event selection and analysis. Here analysis is defined as a broader set of event processing tasks including event selection and reduction operations ("skimming", "slimming" and "thinning") as well as DPD making. Specifically it compares analysis with direct access to the events (AOD and ESD data) to access mediated by different TAG-based event selections. We then compare different ways of splitting the processing to maximize performance.

  7. Intraoperative sonographic assessment of graft patency during extracranial-intracranial bypass.

    PubMed

    Badie, B; Lee, F T; Pozniak, M A; Strother, C M

    2000-09-01

    Extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass may be necessary to facilitate treatment of unclippable posterior circulation fusiform aneurysms. Although intraoperative digital subtraction angiography (DSA) allows assessment of graft patency, this technique, because of difficulties inherent in performing selective catheterization and angiography in the operating room, has limitations. Duplex sonography, in contrast, is easily performed, and provides information regarding graft patency and blood flow direction during EC-IC bypass procedures. This latter information proved useful in determining the time of parent artery occlusion after two EC-IC bypass procedures performed for treatment of a fusiform midbasilar artery aneurysm.

  8. A frameless stereotaxic operating microscope for neurosurgery.

    PubMed

    Friets, E M; Strohbehn, J W; Hatch, J F; Roberts, D W

    1989-06-01

    A new system, which we call the frameless stereotaxic operating microscope, is discussed. Its purpose is to display CT or other image data in the operating microscope in the correct scale, orientation, and position without the use of a stereotaxic frame. A nonimaging ultrasonic rangefinder allows the position of the operating microscope and the position of the patient to be determined. Discrete fiducial points on the patient's external anatomy are located in both image space and operating room space, linking the image data and the operating room. Physician-selected image information, e.g., tumor contours or guidance to predetermined targets, is projected through the optics of the operating microscope using a miniature cathode ray tube and a beam splitter. Projected images superpose the surgical field, reconstructed from image data to match the focal plane of the operating microscope. The algorithms on which the system is based are described, and the sources and effects of errors are discussed. The system's performance is simulated, providing an estimate of accuracy. Two phantoms are used to measure accuracy experimentally. Clinical results and observations are given.

  9. Sensor data validation and reconstruction. Phase 1: System architecture study

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1991-01-01

    The sensor validation and data reconstruction task reviewed relevant literature and selected applicable validation and reconstruction techniques for further study; analyzed the selected techniques and emphasized those which could be used for both validation and reconstruction; analyzed Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) hot fire test data to determine statistical and physical relationships between various parameters; developed statistical and empirical correlations between parameters to perform validation and reconstruction tasks, using a computer aided engineering (CAE) package; and conceptually designed an expert system based knowledge fusion tool, which allows the user to relate diverse types of information when validating sensor data. The host hardware for the system is intended to be a Sun SPARCstation, but could be any RISC workstation with a UNIX operating system and a windowing/graphics system such as Motif or Dataviews. The information fusion tool is intended to be developed using the NEXPERT Object expert system shell, and the C programming language.

  10. Hyperspectral interventional imaging for enhanced tissue visualization and discrimination combining band selection methods.

    PubMed

    Nouri, Dorra; Lucas, Yves; Treuillet, Sylvie

    2016-12-01

    Hyperspectral imaging is an emerging technology recently introduced in medical applications inasmuch as it provides a powerful tool for noninvasive tissue characterization. In this context, a new system was designed to be easily integrated in the operating room in order to detect anatomical tissues hardly noticed by the surgeon's naked eye. Our LCTF-based spectral imaging system is operative over visible, near- and middle-infrared spectral ranges (400-1700 nm). It is dedicated to enhance critical biological tissues such as the ureter and the facial nerve. We aim to find the best three relevant bands to create a RGB image to display during the intervention with maximal contrast between the target tissue and its surroundings. A comparative study is carried out between band selection methods and band transformation methods. Combined band selection methods are proposed. All methods are compared using different evaluation criteria. Experimental results show that the proposed combined band selection methods provide the best performance with rich information, high tissue separability and short computational time. These methods yield a significant discrimination between biological tissues. We developed a hyperspectral imaging system in order to enhance some biological tissue visualization. The proposed methods provided an acceptable trade-off between the evaluation criteria especially in SWIR spectral band that outperforms the naked eye's capacities.

  11. Emerging photovoltaic module technologies at PVUSA: A five-year assessment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Townsend, Tim

    1995-04-01

    The Photovoltaics for Utility Scale Applications (PVUSA) project tests two types of photovoltaic systems: new modules fielded as 20-kW emerging module technology (EMT) arrays, and more mature technologies fielded as 20- to 500-kW turnkey utility scale (US) systems. This report summarizes experiences of the PVUSA project in operating the first six 20-kW EMT photovoltaic systems. Five systems are installed at Davis, California, and one at Kihei, Hawaii. Products selected for testing and demonstration were judged to have potential for significant technical advancement or reduction in manufacturing cost. Features leading to selection of each system and findings over the average 5 years of operation are compared in the report. Factory product qualification test experiences along with field acceptance test results are documented. Evaluation includes a broad range of performance parameters, including long-term efficiency, seasonal generation patterns, and maintenance. While some of the arrays have operated as well as any commercial system, others have fared poorly. Throughout the procurement and operation of these precommercial PV modules, PVUSA has provided feedback to vendors, critical for product improvement. The data and evaluations in this report will be of further benefit to manufacturers and provide general comparative information on a variety of technologies to researchers in utilities, government, and industry alike.

  12. MULTIPLE SHAFT TOOL HEAD

    DOEpatents

    Colbert, H.P.

    1962-10-23

    An improved tool head arrangement is designed for the automatic expanding of a plurality of ferruled tubes simultaneously. A plurality of output shafts of a multiple spindle drill head are driven in unison by a hydraulic motor. A plurality of tube expanders are respectively coupled to the shafts through individual power train arrangements. The axial or thrust force required for the rolling operation is provided by a double acting hydraulic cylinder having a hollow through shaft with the shaft cooperating with an internally rotatable splined shaft slidably coupled to a coupling rigidly attached to the respectlve output shaft of the drill head, thereby transmitting rotary motion and axial thrust simultaneously to the tube expander. A hydraulic power unit supplies power to each of the double acting cylinders through respective two-position, four-way valves, under control of respective solenoids for each of the cylinders. The solenoids are in turn selectively controlled by a tool selection control unit which in turn is controlled by signals received from a programmed, coded tape from a tape reader. The number of expanders that are extended in a rolling operation, which may be up to 42 expanders, is determined by a predetermined program of operations depending upon the arrangement of the ferruled tubes to be expanded in the tube bundle. The tape reader also supplies dimensional information to a machine tool servo control unit for imparting selected, horizontal and/or vertical movement to the tool head assembly. (AEC)

  13. Application of special diagnostic techniques in the management of nodular goitre.

    PubMed Central

    Walfish, P. G.; Miskin, M.; Rosen, I. B.; Strawbridge, H. T.

    1976-01-01

    The primary challenge in the management of nodular goitre is to establish which thyroid nodules are malignant. Since selection of patients for operation on the basis of palpation of nodules alone gives a low yield of malignant disease, physicians have sought criteria for selection that combine the information obtained from special laboratory procedures with thoughtful clinical appraisal. Such special procedures, which include radioisotope scintiscanning, echography by B-mode ultrasonography, and either large- or fine-needle aspiration and cytologic examination of the aspirate, are considered valuable in a proposed clinical approach to the management of thyroid nodules. Images FIG. 1 FIG. 2 FIG. 3 PMID:1277058

  14. Knowledge, beliefs and attitudes of squash venue operators relating to use of protective eyewear.

    PubMed

    Eime, Rochelle; Finch, Caroline; Owen, Neville; Gifford, Sandra; Vear, Paul

    2004-03-01

    Sports venues are in a position to potentially influence the safety practices of their patrons. This study examined the knowledge, beliefs and attitudes of venue operators that could influence the use of protective eyewear by squash players. A 50% random sample of all private and public squash venues affiliated with the Victorian Squash Federation in metropolitan Melbourne was selected. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 15 squash venue operators during August 2001. Interviews were transcribed and content and thematic analyses were performed. The content of the interviews covered five topics: (1) overall injury risk perception, (2) eye injury occurrence, (3) knowledge, behaviors, attitudes and beliefs associated with protective eyewear, (4) compulsory protective eyewear and (5) availability of protective eyewear at venues. Venue operators were mainly concerned with the severe nature of eye injuries, rather than the relatively low incidence of these injuries. Some venue operators believed that players should wear any eyewear, rather than none at all, and believed that more players should use protective eyewear. Generally, they did not believe that players with higher levels of experience and expertise needed to wear protective eyewear when playing. Only six venues had at least one type of eyewear available for players to hire or borrow or to purchase. Operators expressed a desire to be informed about correct protective eyewear. Appropriate protective eyewear is not readily available at squash venues. Better-informed venue operators may be more likely to provide suitable protective eyewear.

  15. Evaluation of Portable Multi-Gas Analyzers for use by Safety Personnel

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lueck, D. E.; Meneghelli, B. J.; Bardel, D. N.

    1998-01-01

    During confined space entry operations as well as Shuttle-safing operations, United Space Alliance (USA)/National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) safety personnel use a variety of portable instrumentation to monitor for hazardous levels of compounds such as nitrogen dioxide (N%), monomethylhydrazine (NMM), FREON 21, ammonia (NH3), oxygen (O2), and combustibles (as hydrogen (H2)). Except for O2 and H2, each compound is monitored using a single analyzer. In many cases these analyzers are 5 to 10 years old and require frequent maintenance. In addition, they are cumbersome to carry and tend to make the job of personnel monitoring physically taxing. As part of an effort to upgrade the sensor technology background information was requested from a total of 27 manufacturers of portable multi-gas instruments. A set of criteria was established to determine which vendors would be selected for laboratory evaluation. These criteria were based on requests made by USA/NASA Safety personnel in order to meet requirements within their respective areas for confined-space and Shuttle-safing operations. Each of the 27 manufacturers of multi-gas analyzers was sent a copy of the criteria and asked to fill in the appropriate information pertaining to their instrumentation. Based on the results of the sensor criteria worksheets, a total of 9 vendors out of 27 surveyed manufacturers were chosen for evaluation. Each vendor included in the final evaluation process was requested to configure each of two analyzers with NO2, NH3, O2, and combustible sensors. A set of lab tests was designed in order to determine which of the multi-gas instruments under evaluation was best suited for use in both shuttle and confined space operations. These tests included linearity/repeatability, zero/span drift response/recovery, humidity, interference, and maintenance. At the conclusion of lab testing three vendors were selected for additional field testing. Based on the results of both the lab and field evaluations a single vendor was recommended for use by NASA/IJSA Safety personnel. Vendor selection criteria, as well as the results from both laboratory and field testing of the multi-gas analyzers, are presented as part of this paper.

  16. A survey of ground operations tools developed to simulate the pointing of space telescopes and the design for WISE

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fabinsky, Beth

    2006-01-01

    WISE, the Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer, is scheduled for launch in June 2010. The mission operations system for WISE requires a software modeling tool to help plan, integrate and simulate all spacecraft pointing and verify that no attitude constraints are violated. In the course of developing the requirements for this tool, an investigation was conducted into the design of similar tools for other space-based telescopes. This paper summarizes the ground software and processes used to plan and validate pointing for a selection of space telescopes; with this information as background, the design for WISE is presented.

  17. Oxygen fires, materials compatibility and system contaminants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barter, Simon A.; Hillen, Lance W.

    An evaluation is made of aircraft fires initiated by oxygen systems, giving attention to such systems' mechanical design and materials-selection factors. While many oxygen compatibility tests are conducted on single components, operational systems become contaminated through frequent use and occasional abuse; it is therefore essential for the designer to have information about the oxygen compatibility of the entire spectrum of potential contaminants and their various combinations. Valve designs are noted to be especially sensitive to system contamination. Gaseous oxygen fire severity is fundamentally determined by the period of oxygen flow. There is a clear need for an automatic shut-off device which would operate when abnormal flow conditions occur.

  18. [Architecture of receptor-operated ionic channels of biological membranes].

    PubMed

    Bregestovski, P D

    2011-01-01

    Ion channels of biological membranes are the key proteins, which provide bioelectric functioning of living systems. These proteins are homo- or heterooligomers assembled from several identical or different subunits. Understanding the architectural organization and functioning of ion channels has been significantly extended due to resolving the crystal structure of several types of voltage-gated and receptor-operated channels. This review summarizes the information obtained from crystal structures of potassium, nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, P2X, and other ligand-gated ion channels. Despite the differences in the function, topology, ionic selectivity, and the subunit stoichiometry, a high similarity in the principles of organization of these macromolecular complexes has been revealed.

  19. The Lunar Mapping and Modeling Project

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Noble, Sarah K.; French, R. A.; Nall, M. E.; Muery, K. G.

    2009-01-01

    The Lunar Mapping and Modeling Project (LMMP) has been created to manage the development of a suite of lunar mapping and modeling products that support the Constellation Program (CxP) and other lunar exploration activities, including the planning, design, development, test and operations associated with lunar sortie missions, crewed and robotic operations on the surface, and the establishment of a lunar outpost. The information provided through LMMP will assist CxP in: planning tasks in the areas of landing site evaluation and selection, design and placement of landers and other stationary assets, design of rovers and other mobile assets, developing terrain-relative navigation (TRN) capabilities, and assessment and planning of science traverses.

  20. Evaluation of an S.D.I. System Based on "Nuclear Science Abstracts" and the Performance of Matching by Words in Titles Compared With Indexing Terms.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Olive, G.; And Others

    A selective dissemination of information service based on computer scanning of Nuclear Science Abstracts tapes has operated at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell, England since October, 1968. The performance of the mechanized SDI service has been compared with that of the pre-existing current awareness service which is based on…

  1. Selective Perception for Robot Driving

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1992-05-01

    models are theories of human cognitive activity during driving. Van der Molen and Botticher recently reviewed several of these models [ van der Molen 871...how to represent driving knowledge, how to perceive traffic situations, or how to process information to obtain actions. Van der Molen and Botticher...attempted to compare the operations of various models objectively on the same task [Rothengatter 88, van der Molen 87], but the models could be

  2. Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-12-01

    Selected Acquisition Report ( SAR ) RCS: DD-A&T(Q&A)823-582 Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) As of FY 2017 President’s Budget Defense...Acquisition Management Information Retrieval (DAMIR) March 17, 2016 12:13:59 UNCLASSIFIED CEC December 2015 SAR March 17, 2016 12:13:59 UNCLASSIFIED 2...Document OSD - Office of the Secretary of Defense O&S - Operating and Support PAUC - Program Acquisition Unit Cost CEC December 2015 SAR March 17, 2016 12

  3. Radioactive materials released from nuclear power plants. Annual report, 1980

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

    Tichler, J.; Benkovitz, C.

    Releases of radioactive materials in airborne and liquid effluents from commercial light water reactors during 1980 have been compiled and reported. Data on solid waste shipments as well as selected operating information have been included. This report supplements earlier annual reports issued by the former Atomic Energy Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The 1980 release data are summarized in tabular form. Data covering specific radionuclides are summarized.

  4. Radioactive materials released from nuclear power plants

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

    Tichler, J.; Norden, K.; Congemi, J.

    Releases of radioactive materials in airborne and liquid effluents from commercial light water reactors during 1987 have been compiled and reported. Data on solid waste shipments as well as selected operating information have been included. This report supplements earlier annual reports issued by the former Atomic Energy Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The 1987 release data are summarized in tabular form. Data covering specific radionuclides are summarized. 16 tabs.

  5. Radioactive materials released from nuclear power plants

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

    Tichler, J.; Benkovitz, C.

    Releases of radioactive materials in airborne and liquid effluents from commercial light water reactors during 1979 have been compiled and reported. Data on solid waste shipments as well as selected operating information have been included. This report supplements earlier annual reports issued by the former Atomic Energy Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The 1979 release data are compared with previous year's releases in tabular form. Data covering specific radionuclides are summarized.

  6. Radioactive materials released from nuclear power plants: Annual report, 1984

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

    Tichler, J.; Norden, K.; Congemi, J.

    Releases of radioactive materials in airborne and liquid effluents from commercial light water reactors during 1984 have been compiled and reported. Data on solid waste shipments as well as selected operating information have been included. This report supplements earlier annual reports issued by the former Atomic Energy Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The 1984 release data are summarized in tabular form. Data covering specific radionuclides are summarized.

  7. Radioactive materials released from nuclear power plants: Annual report, 1985

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

    Tichler, J.; Norden, K.; Congemi, J.

    Releases of radioactive materials in airborne and liquid effluents from commercial light water reactors during 1985 have been compiled and reported. Data on solid waste shipments as well as selected operating information have been included. This report supplements earlier annual reports issued by the former Atomic Energy Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The 1985 release data are summarized in tabular form. Data covering specific radionuclides are summarized.

  8. Radioactive materials released from nuclear power plants

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

    Tichler, J.; Norden, K.; Congemi, J.

    Releases of radioactive materials in airborne and liquid effluents from commercial light water reactors during 1988 have been compiled and reported. Data on solid waste shipments as well as selected operating information have been included. This report supplements earlier annual reports issued by the former Atomic Energy Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The 1988 release data are summarized in tabular form. Data covering specific radionuclides are summarized. 16 tabs.

  9. Recommendations of the panels: Panel on flight planning to avoid high ozone

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mohnen, V. A.

    1979-01-01

    Flights planned or accomplished during certain months of the year at the higher latitudes and altitudes at or above the tropopause are discussed. Cabin ozone level limitations are established, and additional information is required for more accurate and qualtitative forecasting and design data base for operational utilization. Better tropopause heights, ozone concentration and corresponding meteorological data along selected flight routes, and meteorological data were investigated.

  10. PWR PRELIMINARY DESIGN FOR PL-3

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

    Humphries, G. E.

    1962-02-28

    The pressurized water reactor preliminary design, the preferred design developed under Phase I of the PL-3 contract, is presented. Plant design criteria, summary of plant selection, plant description, reactor and primary system description, thermal and hydraulic analysis, nuclear analysis, control and instrumentatlon description, shielding description, auxiliary systems, power plant equipment, waste dispusal, buildings and tunnels, services, operation and maintenance, logistics, erection, cost information, and a training program outline are given. (auth)

  11. Digest of celestial X-ray missions and experiments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Locke, M. C.

    1982-01-01

    Information on instruments, the platforms that carried them, and the data they gathered is presented. Instrument selection was confined to detectors operating in the 0.20 to 300 keV range. Included are brief descriptions of the spacecraft, experiment packages and missions. Cross-referenced indexes are provided for types of instruments, energy ranges, time spans covered, positional catalogs and observational catalogs. Data sets from these experiments (NSSDC) are described.

  12. A system overview of the Aerospace Safety Research and Data Institute data management programs

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1972-01-01

    The NASA Aerospace Safety Information System, is an interactive, generalized data base management system. The on-line retrieval aspects provide for operating from a variety of terminals (or in batch mode). NASIS retrieval enables the user to expand and display (review) the terms of index (cross reference) files, select desired index terms, combine sets of documents corresponding to selected terms and display the resulting records. It also allows the user to print (record) this information on a high speed printer if desired. NASIS also provides the ability to store the strategy of any given session the user has executed. It has a searching and publication ability through generalized linear search and report generating modules which may be performed interactively or in a batch mode. The user may specify formats for the terminal from which he is operating. The system features an interactive user's guide which explains the various commands available and how to use them as well as explanations for all system messages. This explain capability may be extended, without program changes, to include descriptions of the various files in use. Coupled with the ability of NASIS to run in an MTT (multi-terminal task) mode is its automatic accumulation of statistics on each user of the system as well as each file.

  13. Study of parameters affecting the conversion in a plug flow reactor for reactions of the type 2A→B

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beltran-Prieto, Juan Carlos; Long, Nguyen Huynh Bach Son

    2018-04-01

    Modeling of chemical reactors is an important tool to quantify reagent conversion, product yield and selectivity towards a specific compound and to describe the behavior of the system. Proposal of differential equations describing the mass and energy balance are among the most important steps required during the modeling process as they play a special role in the design and operation of the reactor. Parameters governing transfer of heat and mass have a strong relevance in the rate of the reaction. Understanding this information is important for the selection of reactor and operating regime. In this paper we studied the irreversible gas-phase reaction 2A→B. We model the conversion that can be achieved as function of the reactor volume and feeding temperature. Additionally, we discuss the effect of activation energy and the heat of reaction on the conversion achieved in the tubular reactor. Furthermore, we considered that dimerization occurs instantaneously in the catalytic surface to develop equations for the determination of rate of reaction per unit area of three different catalytic surface shapes. This data can be combined with information about the global rate of conversion in the reactor to improve regent conversion and yield of product.

  14. Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico Environmental Information Document - Volume 1

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

    BAYLISS, LINDA S.; GUERRERO, JOSEPH V.; JOHNS, WILLIAM H.

    This Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico Environmental Information Document (EID) compiles information on the existing environment, or environmental baseline, for SNUNM. Much of the information is drawn from existing reports and databases supplemented by new research and data. The SNL/NM EID, together with the Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico Facilities and Safety Information Document, provide a basis for assessing the environment, safety, and health aspects of operating selected facilities at SNL/NM. The environmental baseline provides a record of the existing physical, biological, and socioeconomic environment at SNL/NLM prior to being altered (beneficially or adversely) by proposed programs or projects. More specifically, themore » EID provides information on the following topics: Geology; Land Use; Hydrology and Water Resources; Air Quality and Meteorology; Ecology; Noise and Vibration; Cultural Resources; Visual Resources; Socioeconomic and Community Services; Transportation; Material Management; Waste Management; and Regulatory Requirements.« less

  15. Factors influencing health information system adoption in American hospitals.

    PubMed

    Wang, Bill B; Wan, Thomas T H; Burke, Darrell E; Bazzoli, Gloria J; Lin, Blossom Y J

    2005-01-01

    To study the number of health information systems (HISs), applicable to administrative, clinical, and executive decision support functionalities, adopted by acute care hospitals and to examine how hospital market, organizational, and financial factors influence HIS adoption. A cross-sectional analysis was performed with 1441 hospitals selected from metropolitan statistical areas in the United States. Multiple data sources were merged. Six hypotheses were empirically tested by multiple regression analysis. HIS adoption was influenced by the hospital market, organizational, and financial factors. Larger, system-affiliated, and for-profit hospitals with more preferred provider organization contracts are more likely to adopt managerial information systems than their counterparts. Operating revenue is positively associated with HIS adoption. The study concludes that hospital organizational and financial factors influence on hospitals' strategic adoption of clinical, administrative, and managerial information systems.

  16. Prioritizing High-Temperature Geothermal Resources in Utah

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Blackett, R.E.; Brill, T.C.; Sowards, G.M.

    2002-01-01

    The Utah Geological Survey and the Utah Energy Office recently released geothermal resource information for Utah as a "digital atlas." We are now expanding this project to include economic analyses of selected geothermal sites and previously unavailable resource information. The enhancements to the digital atlas will include new resource, demographic, regulatory, economic, and other information to allow analyses of economic factors for comparing and ranking geothermal resource sites in Utah for potential electric power development. New resource information includes temperature gradient and fluid chemistry data, which was previously proprietary. Economic analyses are based upon a project evaluation model to assess capital and operating expenses for a variety of geothermal powerplant configuration scenarios. A review of legal and institutional issues regarding geothermal development coupled with water development will also be included.

  17. On approximately symmetric informationally complete positive operator-valued measures and related systems of quantum states

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Klappenecker, Andreas; Rötteler, Martin; Shparlinski, Igor E.; Winterhof, Arne

    2005-08-01

    We address the problem of constructing positive operator-valued measures (POVMs) in finite dimension n consisting of n2 operators of rank one which have an inner product close to uniform. This is motivated by the related question of constructing symmetric informationally complete POVMs (SIC-POVMs) for which the inner products are perfectly uniform. However, SIC-POVMs are notoriously hard to construct and, despite some success of constructing them numerically, there is no analytic construction known. We present two constructions of approximate versions of SIC-POVMs, where a small deviation from uniformity of the inner products is allowed. The first construction is based on selecting vectors from a maximal collection of mutually unbiased bases and works whenever the dimension of the system is a prime power. The second construction is based on perturbing the matrix elements of a subset of mutually unbiased bases. Moreover, we construct vector systems in Cn which are almost orthogonal and which might turn out to be useful for quantum computation. Our constructions are based on results of analytic number theory.

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

    Dumitrescu, Eugene; Humble, Travis S.

    The accurate and reliable characterization of quantum dynamical processes underlies efforts to validate quantum technologies, where discrimination between competing models of observed behaviors inform efforts to fabricate and operate qubit devices. We present a protocol for quantum channel discrimination that leverages advances in direct characterization of quantum dynamics (DCQD) codes. We demonstrate that DCQD codes enable selective process tomography to improve discrimination between entangling and correlated quantum dynamics. Numerical simulations show selective process tomography requires only a few measurement configurations to achieve a low false alarm rate and that the DCQD encoding improves the resilience of the protocol to hiddenmore » sources of noise. Lastly, our results show that selective process tomography with DCQD codes is useful for efficiently distinguishing sources of correlated crosstalk from uncorrelated noise in current and future experimental platforms.« less

  19. Ultrasound transducer selection in clinical imaging practice.

    PubMed

    Szabo, Thomas L; Lewin, Peter A

    2013-04-01

    Many types of medical ultrasound transducers are used in clinical practice. They operate at different center frequencies, have different physical dimensions, footprints, and shapes, and provide different image formats. However, little information is available about which transducers are most appropriate for a given application, and the purpose of this article is to address this deficiency. Specifically, the relationship between the transducer, imaging format, and clinical applications is discussed, and systematic selection criteria that allow matching of transducers to specific clinical needs are presented. These criteria include access to and coverage of the region of interest, maximum scan depth, and coverage of essential diagnostic modes required to optimize a patient's diagnosis. Three comprehensive figures organize and summarize the imaging planes, scanning modes, and types of diagnostic transducers to facilitate their selection in clinical diagnosis.

  20. Mild and selective base-free C–H arylation of heteroarenes: experiment and computation† †Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c6sc02595a Click here for additional data file.

    PubMed Central

    Gemoets, Hannes P. L.; Kalvet, Indrek; Nyuchev, Alexander V.; Erdmann, Nico; Hessel, Volker

    2017-01-01

    A mild and selective C–H arylation strategy for indoles, benzofurans and benzothiophenes is described. The arylation method engages aryldiazonium salts as arylating reagents in equimolar amounts. The protocol is operationally simple, base free, moisture tolerant and air tolerant. It utilizes low palladium loadings (0.5 to 2.0 mol% Pd), short reaction times, green solvents (EtOAc/2-MeTHF or MeOH) and is carried out at room temperature, providing a broad substrate scope (47 examples) and excellent selectivity (C-2 arylation for indoles and benzofurans, C-3 arylation for benzothiophenes). Mechanistic experiments and DFT calculations support a Heck–Matsuda type coupling mechanism. PMID:28451243

  1. Operator Selection for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operators: A Comparison of Video Game Players and Manned Aircraft Pilots

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-11-01

    AFRL-RH-WP-TR-2010-0057 Operator Selection for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operators: A Comparison of Video Game Players and Manned Aircraft...Oct-2008 - 30-Nov-2009 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Operator Selection for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operators: A Comparison of Video Game Players...training regimens leading to a potential shortage of qualified UAS pilots. This study attempted to discover whether video game players (VGPs) possess

  2. Modeling and Inverse Controller Design for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Based on the Self-Organizing Map

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cho, Jeongho; Principe, Jose C.; Erdogmus, Deniz; Motter, Mark A.

    2005-01-01

    The next generation of aircraft will have dynamics that vary considerably over the operating regime. A single controller will have difficulty to meet the design specifications. In this paper, a SOM-based local linear modeling scheme of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is developed to design a set of inverse controllers. The SOM selects the operating regime depending only on the embedded output space information and avoids normalization of the input data. Each local linear model is associated with a linear controller, which is easy to design. Switching of the controllers is done synchronously with the active local linear model that tracks the different operating conditions. The proposed multiple modeling and control strategy has been successfully tested in a simulator that models the LoFLYTE UAV.

  3. History-based route selection for reactive ad hoc routing protocols

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Medidi, Sirisha; Cappetto, Peter

    2007-04-01

    Ad hoc networks rely on cooperation in order to operate, but in a resource constrained environment not all nodes behave altruistically. Selfish nodes preserve their own resources and do not forward packets not in their own self interest. These nodes degrade the performance of the network, but judicious route selection can help maintain performance despite this behavior. Many route selection algorithms place importance on shortness of the route rather than its reliability. We introduce a light-weight route selection algorithm that uses past behavior to judge the quality of a route rather than solely on the length of the route. It draws information from the underlying routing layer at no extra cost and selects routes with a simple algorithm. This technique maintains this data in a small table, which does not place a high cost on memory. History-based route selection's minimalism suits the needs the portable wireless devices and is easy to implement. We implemented our algorithm and tested it in the ns2 environment. Our simulation results show that history-based route selection achieves higher packet delivery and improved stability than its length-based counterpart.

  4. Designing basin-customized combined drought indices via feature extraction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zaniolo, Marta; Giuliani, Matteo; Castelletti, Andrea

    2017-04-01

    The socio-economic costs of drought are progressively increasing worldwide due to the undergoing alteration of hydro-meteorological regimes induced by climate change. Although drought management is largely studied in the literature, most of the traditional drought indexes fail in detecting critical events in highly regulated systems, which generally rely on ad-hoc formulations and cannot be generalized to different context. In this study, we contribute a novel framework for the design of a basin-customized drought index. This index represents a surrogate of the state of the basin and is computed by combining the available information about the water available in the system to reproduce a representative target variable for the drought condition of the basin (e.g., water deficit). To select the relevant variables and how to combine them, we use an advanced feature extraction algorithm called Wrapper for Quasi Equally Informative Subset Selection (W-QEISS). The W-QEISS algorithm relies on a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm to find Pareto-efficient subsets of variables by maximizing the wrapper accuracy, minimizing the number of selected variables (cardinality) and optimizing relevance and redundancy of the subset. The accuracy objective is evaluated trough the calibration of a pre-defined model (i.e., an extreme learning machine) of the water deficit for each candidate subset of variables, with the index selected from the resulting solutions identifying a suitable compromise between accuracy, cardinality, relevance, and redundancy. The proposed methodology is tested in the case study of Lake Como in northern Italy, a regulated lake mainly operated for irrigation supply to four downstream agricultural districts. In the absence of an institutional drought monitoring system, we constructed the combined index using all the hydrological variables from the existing monitoring system as well as the most common drought indicators at multiple time aggregations. The soil moisture deficit in the root zone computed by a distributed-parameter water balance model of the agricultural districts is used as target variable. Numerical results show that our framework succeeds in constructing a combined drought index that reproduces the soil moisture deficit. Moreover, this index represents a valuable information for supporting appropriate drought management strategies, including the possibility of directly informing the lake operations about the drought conditions and improve the overall reliability of the irrigation supply system.

  5. Information extraction for enhanced access to disease outbreak reports.

    PubMed

    Grishman, Ralph; Huttunen, Silja; Yangarber, Roman

    2002-08-01

    Document search is generally based on individual terms in the document. However, for collections within limited domains it is possible to provide more powerful access tools. This paper describes a system designed for collections of reports of infectious disease outbreaks. The system, Proteus-BIO, automatically creates a table of outbreaks, with each table entry linked to the document describing that outbreak; this makes it possible to use database operations such as selection and sorting to find relevant documents. Proteus-BIO consists of a Web crawler which gathers relevant documents; an information extraction engine which converts the individual outbreak events to a tabular database; and a database browser which provides access to the events and, through them, to the documents. The information extraction engine uses sets of patterns and word classes to extract the information about each event. Preparing these patterns and word classes has been a time-consuming manual operation in the past, but automated discovery tools now make this task significantly easier. A small study comparing the effectiveness of the tabular index with conventional Web search tools demonstrated that users can find substantially more documents in a given time period with Proteus-BIO.

  6. High-Dimensional Brain: A Tool for Encoding and Rapid Learning of Memories by Single Neurons.

    PubMed

    Tyukin, Ivan; Gorban, Alexander N; Calvo, Carlos; Makarova, Julia; Makarov, Valeri A

    2018-03-19

    Codifying memories is one of the fundamental problems of modern Neuroscience. The functional mechanisms behind this phenomenon remain largely unknown. Experimental evidence suggests that some of the memory functions are performed by stratified brain structures such as the hippocampus. In this particular case, single neurons in the CA1 region receive a highly multidimensional input from the CA3 area, which is a hub for information processing. We thus assess the implication of the abundance of neuronal signalling routes converging onto single cells on the information processing. We show that single neurons can selectively detect and learn arbitrary information items, given that they operate in high dimensions. The argument is based on stochastic separation theorems and the concentration of measure phenomena. We demonstrate that a simple enough functional neuronal model is capable of explaining: (i) the extreme selectivity of single neurons to the information content, (ii) simultaneous separation of several uncorrelated stimuli or informational items from a large set, and (iii) dynamic learning of new items by associating them with already "known" ones. These results constitute a basis for organization of complex memories in ensembles of single neurons. Moreover, they show that no a priori assumptions on the structural organization of neuronal ensembles are necessary for explaining basic concepts of static and dynamic memories.

  7. A problem-oriented approach to journal selection for hospital libraries.

    PubMed Central

    Delman, B S

    1982-01-01

    This paper describes a problem-oriented approach to journal selection (PAJS), including general methodology, theoretical terms, and a brief description of results when the system was applied in three different hospitals. The PAJS system relates the objective information which the MEDLARS data base offers about the universe of biomedical literature to objective, problem-oriented information supplied by the hospital's medical records. The results were manipulated quantitatively to determine (1) the relevance of various journals to each of the hospital's defined significant information problems and (2) the overall utility of each journal to the institution as a whole. The utility information was plotted on a graph to identify the collection of journal titles which would be most useful to the given hospital. Attempts made to verify certain aspects of the whole process are also described. The results suggest that the methodology is generally able to provide an effective library response. The system optimizes resources vis-a-vis information and can be used for both budget allocation and justification. It offers an algorithm to which operations researchers can apply any one of a variety of mathematical programming methods. Although originally intended for librarians in the community hospital environment, the PAJS system is generalizable and has application potential in a variety of special library settings. PMID:6758893

  8. ViCoMo: visual context modeling for scene understanding in video surveillance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Creusen, Ivo M.; Javanbakhti, Solmaz; Loomans, Marijn J. H.; Hazelhoff, Lykele B.; Roubtsova, Nadejda; Zinger, Svitlana; de With, Peter H. N.

    2013-10-01

    The use of contextual information can significantly aid scene understanding of surveillance video. Just detecting people and tracking them does not provide sufficient information to detect situations that require operator attention. We propose a proof-of-concept system that uses several sources of contextual information to improve scene understanding in surveillance video. The focus is on two scenarios that represent common video surveillance situations, parking lot surveillance and crowd monitoring. In the first scenario, a pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera tracking system is developed for parking lot surveillance. Context is provided by the traffic sign recognition system to localize regular and handicapped parking spot signs as well as license plates. The PTZ algorithm has the ability to selectively detect and track persons based on scene context. In the second scenario, a group analysis algorithm is introduced to detect groups of people. Contextual information is provided by traffic sign recognition and region labeling algorithms and exploited for behavior understanding. In both scenarios, decision engines are used to interpret and classify the output of the subsystems and if necessary raise operator alerts. We show that using context information enables the automated analysis of complicated scenarios that were previously not possible using conventional moving object classification techniques.

  9. Intrarenal Surgery vs Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy in the Management of Lower Pole Stones Greater than 2 cm.

    PubMed

    Koyuncu, Hakan; Yencilek, Faruk; Kalkan, Mehmet; Bastug, Yavuz; Yencilek, Esin; Ozdemir, Ahmet Tunc

    2015-01-01

    To compare the efficacy of RIRS and PNL in lower pole stones ≥ 2 cm. Materials and and Methods: A total of 109 patients who underwent PNL or RIRS for solitary lower pole stone between April 2009 and December 2012, were retrospectively analyzed. Lower pole stone was diagnosed with CT scan. Stone size was assessed as the longest axis of the stone. All patients were informed about the advantages, disadvantages and probable complications of both PNL and RIRS before the selection of the procedure. Patients decided the surgery type by themselves without being under any influences and written informed consent was obtained from all patients prior to the surgery. Patients were divided into two groups according to the patients' preference of surgery type. Group 1 consisted of 77 patients who underwent PNL and Group 2 consisted of 32 patients treated with RIRS. Stone free statuses, postoperative complications, operative time and hospitalization time were compared in both groups. There was no statistical significance between the two groups in mean age, stone size, stone laterality, mean follow-up periods and mean operative times. In PNL group, stone-free rate was 96.1% at first session and 100% after the additional procedure. In Group 2, stone-free rate was 90.6% at the first procedure and 100% after the additional procedure. The final stone-free rates and operative times were similar in both groups. RIRS should be an effective treatment alternative to PNL in lower pole stones larger than 2 cm, especially in selected patients.

  10. Intrarenal Surgery vs Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy in the Management of Lower Pole Stones Greater than 2 cm

    PubMed Central

    Koyuncu, Hakan; Yencilek, Faruk; Kalkan, Mehmet; Bastug, Yavuz; Yencilek, Esin; Ozdemir, Ahmet Tunc

    2015-01-01

    Purpose To compare the efficacy of RIRS and PNL in lower pole stones ≥2 cm. Materials and and Methods: A total of 109 patients who underwent PNL or RIRS for solitary lower pole stone between April 2009 and December 2012, were retrospectively analyzed. Lower pole stone was diagnosed with CT scan. Stone size was assessed as the longest axis of the stone. All patients were informed about the advantages, disadvantages and probable complications of both PNL and RIRS before the selection of the procedure. Patients decided the surgery type by themselves without being under any influences and written informed consent was obtained from all patients prior to the surgery. Patients were divided into two groups according to the patients’ preference of surgery type. Group 1 consisted of 77 patients who underwent PNL and Group 2 consisted of 32 patients treated with RIRS. Stone free statuses, postoperative complications, operative time and hospitalization time were compared in both groups. Results There was no statistical significance between the two groups in mean age, stone size, stone laterality, mean follow-up periods and mean operative times. In PNL group, stone-free rate was 96.1% at first session and 100% after the additional procedure. In Group 2, stone-free rate was 90.6% at the first procedure and 100% after the additional procedure. The final stone-free rates and operative times were similar in both groups. Conclusions RIRS should be an effective treatment alternative to PNL in lower pole stones larger than 2 cm, especially in selected patients. PMID:26005965

  11. Speed in Information Processing with a Computer Driven Visual Display in a Real-time Digital Simulation. M.S. Thesis - Virginia Polytechnic Inst.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kyle, R. G.

    1972-01-01

    Information transfer between the operator and computer-generated display systems is an area where the human factors engineer discovers little useful design data relating human performance to system effectiveness. This study utilized a computer-driven, cathode-ray-tube graphic display to quantify human response speed in a sequential information processing task. The performance criteria was response time to sixteen cell elements of a square matrix display. A stimulus signal instruction specified selected cell locations by both row and column identification. An equal probable number code, from one to four, was assigned at random to the sixteen cells of the matrix and correspondingly required one of four, matched keyed-response alternatives. The display format corresponded to a sequence of diagnostic system maintenance events, that enable the operator to verify prime system status, engage backup redundancy for failed subsystem components, and exercise alternate decision-making judgements. The experimental task bypassed the skilled decision-making element and computer processing time, in order to determine a lower bound on the basic response speed for given stimulus/response hardware arrangement.

  12. Sensor and tracking data integration into a common operating picture

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bailey, Mark E.

    2003-09-01

    With rapid technological developments, a new innovative range of possibilities can be actualized in mainstreaming a network with checks and balances to provide sensor and tracking data integration/information to a wider Department of Defense (DoD) audience or group of agencies. As technologies are developed, methods to display the data are required. Multiple diverse tracking devices and sensors need to be displayed on a common operating picture. Sensors and tracking devices are used to monitor an area or object for movement or boundary penetration. Tracking devices in turn determine transit patterns of humans, animals and/or vehicles. In consortium these devices can have dual applications for military requirements and for other general purposes. The DoD Counterdrug Technology Development Program Office (CDTDPO) has designed a system to distribute sensor and tracking data to multiple users in separate agencies. This information can be displayed in whole or in part as to the specific needs of the user. It is with this purpose that the Data Distribution Network (DDN) was created to disseminate information to a collective group or to a select audience.

  13. Genetic algorithm-based multi-objective optimal absorber system for three-dimensional seismic structures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ren, Wenjie; Li, Hongnan; Song, Gangbing; Huo, Linsheng

    2009-03-01

    The problem of optimizing an absorber system for three-dimensional seismic structures is addressed. The objective is to determine the number and position of absorbers to minimize the coupling effects of translation-torsion of structures at minimum cost. A procedure for a multi-objective optimization problem is developed by integrating a dominance-based selection operator and a dominance-based penalty function method. Based on the two-branch tournament genetic algorithm, the selection operator is constructed by evaluating individuals according to their dominance in one run. The technique guarantees the better performing individual winning its competition, provides a slight selection pressure toward individuals and maintains diversity in the population. Moreover, due to the evaluation for individuals in each generation being finished in one run, less computational effort is taken. Penalty function methods are generally used to transform a constrained optimization problem into an unconstrained one. The dominance-based penalty function contains necessary information on non-dominated character and infeasible position of an individual, essential for success in seeking a Pareto optimal set. The proposed approach is used to obtain a set of non-dominated designs for a six-storey three-dimensional building with shape memory alloy dampers subjected to earthquake.

  14. Information management system study results. Volume 1: IMS study results

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1971-01-01

    The information management system (IMS) special emphasis task was performed as an adjunct to the modular space station study, with the objective of providing extended depth of analysis and design in selected key areas of the information management system. Specific objectives included: (1) in-depth studies of IMS requirements and design approaches; (2) design and fabricate breadboard hardware for demonstration and verification of design concepts; (3) provide a technological base to identify potential design problems and influence long range planning (4) develop hardware and techniques to permit long duration, low cost, manned space operations; (5) support SR&T areas where techniques or equipment are considered inadequate; and (6) permit an overall understanding of the IMS as an integrated component of the space station.

  15. A hierarchical modeling methodology for the definition and selection of requirements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dufresne, Stephane

    This dissertation describes the development of a requirements analysis methodology that takes into account the concept of operations and the hierarchical decomposition of aerospace systems. At the core of the methodology, the Analytic Network Process (ANP) is used to ensure the traceability between the qualitative and quantitative information present in the hierarchical model. The proposed methodology is implemented to the requirements definition of a hurricane tracker Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. Three research objectives are identified in this work; (1) improve the requirements mapping process by matching the stakeholder expectations with the concept of operations, systems and available resources; (2) reduce the epistemic uncertainty surrounding the requirements and requirements mapping; and (3) improve the requirements down-selection process by taking into account the level of importance of the criteria and the available resources. Several challenges are associated with the identification and definition of requirements. The complexity of the system implies that a large number of requirements are needed to define the systems. These requirements are defined early in the conceptual design, where the level of knowledge is relatively low and the level of uncertainty is large. The proposed methodology intends to increase the level of knowledge and reduce the level of uncertainty by guiding the design team through a structured process. To address these challenges, a new methodology is created to flow-down the requirements from the stakeholder expectations to the systems alternatives. A taxonomy of requirements is created to classify the information gathered during the problem definition. Subsequently, the operational and systems functions and measures of effectiveness are integrated to a hierarchical model to allow the traceability of the information. Monte Carlo methods are used to evaluate the variations of the hierarchical model elements and consequently reduce the epistemic uncertainty. The proposed methodology is applied to the design of a hurricane tracker Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to demonstrate the origin and impact of requirements on the concept of operations and systems alternatives. This research demonstrates that the hierarchical modeling methodology provides a traceable flow-down of the requirements from the problem definition to the systems alternatives phases of conceptual design.

  16. Working memory and the strategic control of attention in older and younger adults.

    PubMed

    Hayes, Melissa G; Kelly, Andrew J; Smith, Anderson D

    2013-03-01

    The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of aging on the strategic control of attention and the extent to which this relationship is mediated by working memory capacity (WMC). This study also sought to investigate boundary conditions wherein age differences in selectivity may occur. Across 2 studies, the value-directed remembering task used by Castel and colleagues (Castel, A. D., Balota, D. A., & McCabe, D. P. (2009). Memory efficiency and the strategic control of attention at encoding: Impairments of value-directed remembering in Alzheimer's Disease. Neuropsychology, 23, 297-306) was modified to include value-directed forgetting. Study 2 incorporated valence as an additional task demand, and age differences were predicted in both studies due to increased demands of controlled processing. Automated operation span and Stroop span were included as working memory measures, and working memory was predicted to mediate performance. Results confirmed these predictions, as older adults were less efficient in maximizing selectivity scores when high demands were placed on selectivity processes, and working memory was found to mediate performance on this task. When list length was increased from previous studies and participants were required to actively forget negative-value words, older adults were not able to selectively encode high-value information to the same degree as younger adults. Furthermore, WMC appears to support the ability to selectively encode information.

  17. The value of using DNA markers for beef bull selection in the seedstock sector.

    PubMed

    Van Eenennaam, A L; van der Werf, J H J; Goddard, M E

    2011-02-01

    The objective of this study was to estimate the value derived from using DNA information to increase the accuracy of beef sire selection in a closed seedstock herd. Breeding objectives for commercial production systems targeting 2 diverse markets were examined using multiple-trait selection indexes developed for the Australian cattle industry. Indexes included those for both maternal (self-replacing) and terminal herds targeting either a domestic market, where steers are finished on pasture, or the export market, where steers are finished on concentrate rations in feedlots and marbling has a large value. Selection index theory was used to predict the response to conventional selection based on phenotypic performance records, and this was compared with including information from 2 hypothetical marker panels. In 1 case the marker panel explained a percentage of additive genetic variance equal to the heritability for all traits in the breeding objective and selection criteria, and in the other case to one-half of this amount. Discounted gene flow methodology was used to calculate the value derived from the use of superior bulls selected using DNA test information and performance recording over that derived from conventional selection using performance recording alone. Results were ultimately calculated as discounted returns per DNA test purchased by the seedstock operator. The DNA testing using these hypothetical marker panels increased the selection response between 29 to 158%. The value of this improvement above that obtained using traditional performance recording ranged from $89 to 565 per commercial bull, and $5,332 to 27,910 per stud bull. Assuming that the entire bull calf crop was tested to achieve these gains, the value of the genetic gain derived from DNA testing ranged from $204 to 1,119 per test. All values assumed that the benefits derived from using superior bulls were efficiently transferred along the production chain to the seedstock producer incurring the costs of genotyping. These results suggest that the development of greater-accuracy DNA tests for beef cattle selection could be beneficial from an industry-wide perspective, but the commercial viability will strongly depend on price signaling throughout the production chain.

  18. Using Field-Metered Data to Quantify Annual Energy Use of Portable Air Conditioners

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

    Burke, Thomas; Willem, Henry; Ni, Chun Chun

    2014-12-12

    As many regions of the United States experience rising temperatures, consumers have come to rely increasingly on cooling appliances (including portable air conditioners) to provide a comfortable indoor temperature. Home occupants sometimes use a portable air conditioner (PAC) to maintain a desired indoor temperature in a single room or enclosed space. Although PACs in residential use are few compared to centrally installed and room air conditioning (AC) units, the past few years have witnessed an increase of PACs use throughout the United States. There is, however, little information and few research projects focused on the energy consumption and performance ofmore » PACs, particularly studies that collect information from field applications of PACs. The operation and energy consumption of PACs may differ among geographic locations and households, because of variations in cooling load, frequency, duration of use, and other user-selected settings. In addition, the performance of building envelope (thermal mass and air leakage) as well as inter-zonal mixing within the building would substantially influence the ability to control and maintain desirable indoor thermal conditions. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) conducted an initial field-metering study aimed at increasing the knowledge and data related to PAC operation and energy consumption in the United States. LBNL performed its field-metering study from mid-April to late October 2014. The study, which monitored 19 sites in the Northeastern United States (4 in upstate New York and 15 near Philadelphia), collected real-time data on PAC energy consumption along with information regarding housing characteristics, consumer behavior, and environmental conditions that were expected to affect PAC performance. Given the limited number of test sites, this study was not intended to be statistically representative of PAC users in the United States but rather to understand the system response to the cooling demand and to some extent, the operating hours of the studied units. Specifically, the primary objectives of the field-metering study were to (1) expand knowledge of the installation, energy consumption profiles, consumer patterns of use, and environmental parameters related to PAC use; (2) develop distributions of hours of PAC operation for three operating modes: standby, 1 fan-only, and cooling; and (3) describe how individual consumers’ selection of PAC capacity, the area of the space to be cooled, the temperature set point, and environmental conditions affect energy use. Beginning to understand the energy consumption of PACs operating in American homes and commercial settings will help develop a more accurate energy use profile that characterizes relevant variables. This report on LBNL’s field-metering study of PAC energy use describes: a general definition of a PAC and how it operates (section 2); current practices and sources of data for estimating PAC energy use (section 3); the process LBNL used to select field-metering sites, along with characteristics of the sites and the PACs studied (section 4); data collection methods and instrumentation (section 5); analysis methods (section 6); results and discussion (section 7); and conclusions (section 8).« less

  19. Safety Standard for Hydrogen and Hydrogen Systems: Guidelines for Hydrogen System Design, Materials Selection, Operations, Storage and Transportation. Revision

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1997-01-01

    The NASA Safety Standard, which establishes a uniform process for hydrogen system design, materials selection, operation, storage, and transportation, is presented. The guidelines include suggestions for safely storing, handling, and using hydrogen in gaseous (GH2), liquid (LH2), or slush (SLH2) form whether used as a propellant or non-propellant. The handbook contains 9 chapters detailing properties and hazards, facility design, design of components, materials compatibility, detection, and transportation. Chapter 10 serves as a reference and the appendices contained therein include: assessment examples; scaling laws, explosions, blast effects, and fragmentation; codes, standards, and NASA directives; and relief devices along with a list of tables and figures, abbreviations, a glossary and an index for ease of use. The intent of the handbook is to provide enough information that it can be used alone, but at the same time, reference data sources that can provide much more detail if required.

  20. Conceptual design of industrial process displays.

    PubMed

    Pedersen, C R; Lind, M

    1999-11-01

    Today, process displays used in industry are often designed on the basis of piping and instrumentation diagrams without any method of ensuring that the needs of the operators are fulfilled. Therefore, a method for a systematic approach to the design of process displays is needed. This paper discusses aspects of process display design taking into account both the designer's and the operator's points of view. Three aspects are emphasized: the operator tasks, the display content and the display form. The distinction between these three aspects is the basis for proposing an outline for a display design method that matches the industrial practice of modular plant design and satisfies the needs of reusability of display design solutions. The main considerations in display design in the industry are to specify the operator's activities in detail, to extract the information the operators need from the plant design specification and documentation, and finally to present this information. The form of the display is selected from existing standardized display elements such as trend curves, mimic diagrams, ecological interfaces, etc. Further knowledge is required to invent new display elements. That is, knowledge about basic visual means of presenting information and how humans perceive and interpret these means and combinations. This knowledge is required in the systematic selection of graphical items for a given display content. The industrial part of the method is first illustrated in the paper by a simple example from a plant with batch processes. Later the method is applied to develop a supervisory display for a condenser system in a nuclear power plant. The differences between the continuous plant domain of power production and the batch processes from the example are analysed and broad categories of display types are proposed. The problems involved in specification and invention of a supervisory display are analysed and conclusions from these problems are made. It is concluded that the design method proposed provides a framework for the progress of the display design and is useful in pin-pointing the actual problems. The method was useful in reducing the number of existing displays that could fulfil the requirements of the supervision task. The method provided at the same time a framework for dealing with the problems involved in inventing new displays based on structured analysis. However the problems in a systematic approach to display invention still need consideration.

  1. Role of Utility and Inference in the Evolution of Functional Information

    PubMed Central

    Sharov, Alexei A.

    2009-01-01

    Functional information means an encoded network of functions in living organisms from molecular signaling pathways to an organism’s behavior. It is represented by two components: code and an interpretation system, which together form a self-sustaining semantic closure. Semantic closure allows some freedom between components because small variations of the code are still interpretable. The interpretation system consists of inference rules that control the correspondence between the code and the function (phenotype) and determines the shape of the fitness landscape. The utility factor operates at multiple time scales: short-term selection drives evolution towards higher survival and reproduction rate within a given fitness landscape, and long-term selection favors those fitness landscapes that support adaptability and lead to evolutionary expansion of certain lineages. Inference rules make short-term selection possible by shaping the fitness landscape and defining possible directions of evolution, but they are under control of the long-term selection of lineages. Communication normally occurs within a set of agents with compatible interpretation systems, which I call communication system. Functional information cannot be directly transferred between communication systems with incompatible inference rules. Each biological species is a genetic communication system that carries unique functional information together with inference rules that determine evolutionary directions and constraints. This view of the relation between utility and inference can resolve the conflict between realism/positivism and pragmatism. Realism overemphasizes the role of inference in evolution of human knowledge because it assumes that logic is embedded in reality. Pragmatism substitutes usefulness for truth and therefore ignores the advantage of inference. The proposed concept of evolutionary pragmatism rejects the idea that logic is embedded in reality; instead, inference rules are constructed within each communication system to represent reality and they evolve towards higher adaptability on a long time scale. PMID:20160960

  2. Visualizing Uncertainty for Data Fusion Graphics: Review of Selected Literature and Industry Approaches

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-06-09

    anomaly detection , which is generally considered part of high level information fusion (HLIF) involving temporal-geospatial data as well as meta-data... Anomaly detection in the Maritime defence and security domain typically focusses on trying to identify vessels that are behaving in an unusual...manner compared with lawful vessels operating in the area – an applied case of target detection among distractors. Anomaly detection is a complex problem

  3. Major Automated Information Systems: Selected Defense Programs Need to Implement Key Acquisition Practices

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-03-01

    ledger accounting, payroll , and supply chain management. 4During our review, one of these programs—Air Force’s Air and Space Operations Center- Weapon...intended to provide an Army tactical biometric collection capability to capture an adversary or neutral person’s biometric data (e.g., fingerprint, iris...image, and facial image) and enroll them into DOD’s enterprise authoritative biometric database to positively identify and verify the identity of

  4. Annotated Bibliography of the Air Force Human Resources Laboratory Technical Reports - 1978

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-06-01

    selection of incentives for classroom use. Grade-related and non -grade-related incentives were described in this experiment in a manner designed to...information monitoring- feedback. The current piractice= materials and methods are an outgroiuth of experimental aJpproache-s to the design . dev...operated in a stand- alone mode, the R & M model can be utilized to analyze the impact of various avionics design configurations on system support

  5. A review of findings of a study of rocket based combined cycle engines applied to extensively axisymmetric single stage to orbit vehicles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Foster, Richard W.

    1992-01-01

    Extensively axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric Single Stage To Orbit (SSTO) vehicles are considered. The information is presented in viewgraph form and the following topics are presented: payload comparisons; payload as a percent of dry weight - a system hardware cost indicator; life cycle cost estimations; operations and support costs estimation; selected engine type; and rocket engine specific impulse calculation.

  6. The Nimbus 4 user's guide

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sabatini, R. R. (Editor)

    1970-01-01

    Background information on the Nimbus 4 spacecraft and experiments is provided for potential data users as a basis for selecting, obtaining, and utilizing Nimbus 4 data in research studies. The basic spacecraft system operation and the objectives of the Nimbus 4 flight are outlined, with a detailed discussion of each of the experiments included. The format, archiving, and access to the data are also described. Finally, the contents and format of the Nimbus 4 data catalogs are described.

  7. The Nimbus 5 user's guide. [for experiments, instrumentation, and data access

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sabatini, R. R.

    1972-01-01

    Background information on the Nimbus 5 spacecraft and experiments is presented as a basis for selecting, obtaining, and utilizing the data in research studies. The basic spacecraft system operation and the objectives of the Nimbus 5 flight are outlined, followed by a detailed discussion of each of the experiments. The format, archiving, and access to the data, and the contents and format of the Nimbus 5 Data Catalogs are described.

  8. Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-12-01

    Selected Acquisition Report ( SAR ) RCS: DD-A&T(Q&A)823-479 Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH) As of FY 2017 President’s Budget Defense Acquisition...Management Information Retrieval (DAMIR) March 17, 2016 15:16:47 UNCLASSIFIED CRH December 2015 SAR March 17, 2016 15:16:47 UNCLASSIFIED 2 Table of...Office of the Secretary of Defense O&S - Operating and Support PAUC - Program Acquisition Unit Cost CRH December 2015 SAR March 17, 2016 15:16:47

  9. DDG-1000 Zumwalt Class Destroyer (DDG-1000)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-12-01

    Selected Acquisition Report ( SAR ) RCS: DD-A&T(Q&A)823-197 DDG 1000 Zumwalt Class Destroyer (DDG 1000) As of FY 2017 President’s Budget Defense...Acquisition Management Information Retrieval (DAMIR) March 23, 2016 15:17:06 UNCLASSIFIED DDG 1000 December 2015 SAR March 23, 2016 15:17:06...Requirements Document OSD - Office of the Secretary of Defense O&S - Operating and Support PAUC - Program Acquisition Unit Cost DDG 1000 December 2015 SAR

  10. DDG 51 Arleigh Burke Class Guided Missile Destroyer (DDG 51)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-12-01

    Selected Acquisition Report ( SAR ) RCS: DD-A&T(Q&A)823-180 DDG 51 Arleigh Burke Class Guided Missile Destroyer (DDG 51) As of FY 2017 President’s...Budget Defense Acquisition Management Information Retrieval (DAMIR) UNCLASSIFIED DDG 51 December 2015 SAR UNCLASSIFIED 2 Table of Contents Common Acronyms...Defense O&S - Operating and Support PAUC - Program Acquisition Unit Cost DDG 51 December 2015 SAR UNCLASSIFIED 3 PB - President’s Budget PE - Program

  11. An Approach to Operational Analysis: Doctrinal Task Decomposition

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-08-04

    Once the unit is selected , CATS will output all of the doctrinal collective tasks associated with the unit. Currently, CATS outputs this information...Army unit are controlled data items, but for explanation purposes consider this simple example using a restaurant as the unit of interest. Table 1...shows an example Task Model for a restaurant using language and format similar to what CATS provides. Only 3 levels are shown in the example, but

  12. Method to Select Technical Terms for Glossaries in Support of Joint Task Force Operations

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-01-01

    have been prohibitively time-consuming. Instead, we identified two publicly available terminology extractor tools: TerMine (NaCTEM, 2011) and Alchemy ...and that from the latter, by high recall. The Alchemy approach contrasts with that used in TerMine in that Alchemy will process the text with...information categories, such as person, location, and organization, in addition to returning topic keywords. Output from both TerMine and Alchemy

  13. Sea-Air Intermodal Port Pair Selection Criteria in South America

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-06-01

    the successes and lessons learned in operations since 2006. The researcher chose to consider this more recent timeframe as it revealed a marked...the US was experienced in the technique, once again it was a 11 hard lesson learned after years at war for TRANSCOM to switch to “smart” intermodal...current form, the TRANSCOM suitability model may be more informative for planning by incorporating criteria for port pair reliability. The paper

  14. Evaluation of the Combat Vehicle Command and Control System. Operational Effectiveness of an Armor Battalion

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1994-01-31

    supportive . The CVCC program combines advanced technologies, both digital and thermal, to provide near real-time acquisition, processing , and dissemination of... support of the TOC for information processing , planning, and coordination (R. S. Sever, personal communication, March 24, 1993). More recent observations of...Chiang, 1988). This selective fidelity enables the battlefield-oriented perceptual cues within the test bed to be exploited without having to employ

  15. Radioactive materials released from nuclear power plants. Annual report 1991, Volume 12

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

    Tichler, J.; Doty, K.; Congemi, J.

    Releases of radioactive materials in airborne and liquid effluents from commercial light water reactors during 1991 have been compiled and reported. Data on solid waste shipments as well as selected operating information have been included. This report supplements earlier annual reports issued by the former Atomic Energy Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The 1991 release data are summarized in tabular form. Data Covering specific radionuclides are summarized.

  16. Radioactive materials released from nuclear power plants. Annual report, 1982. Volume 3

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

    Tichler, J.; Norden, K.

    Releases of radioactive materials in airborne and liquid effluents from commercial light water reactors during 1982 have been compiled and reported. Data on solid waste shipments as well as selected operating information have been included. This report supplements earlier annual reports issued by the former Atomic Energy Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The 1982 release data are summarized in tabular form. Data covering specific radionuclides are summarized.

  17. Radioactive materials released from nuclear power plants. Volume 11: Annual report, 1990

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

    Tichler, J.; Doty, K.; Congemi, J.

    Releases of radioactive materials in airborne and liquid effluents from commercial light water reactors during 1990 have been compiled and reported. Data on solid waste shipments as well as selected operating information have been included. This report supplements earlier annual reports issued by the former Atomic Energy Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The 1990 release data are summarized in tabular form. Data covering specific radionuclides are summarized.

  18. Radioactive materials released from nuclear power plants. Annual report 1978

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

    Tichler, J.; Benkovitz, C.

    Releases of radioactive materials in airborne and liquid effluents from commerical light water reactors during 1978 have been compiled and reported. Data on soild waste shipments as well as selected operating information have been included. This report supplements earlier annual reports by the former Atomic Energy Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The 1978 release data are compared with previous years releases in tabular form. Data covering specific radionuclides are summarized.

  19. Radioactive materials released from nuclear power plants. Annual report 1981. Vol. 2

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

    Tichler, J.; Benkovitz, C.

    Releases of radioactive materials in airborne and liquid effluents from commercial light water reactors during 1981 have been compiled and reported. Data on solid waste shipments as well as selected operating information have been included. This report supplements earlier annual reports issued by the former Atomic Energy Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The 1981 release data are summarized in tabular form. Data covering specific radionuclides are summarized.

  20. Radioactive materials released from nuclear power plants. Annual report, 1983. Volume 4

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

    Tichler, J.; Norden, K.

    Releases of radioactive materials in airborne and liquid effluents from commercial light water reactors during 1983 have been compiled and reported. Data on solid waste shipments as well as selected operating information have been included. This report supplements earlier annual reports issued by the former Atomic Energy Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The 1983 release data are summarized in tabular form. Data covering specific radionuclides are summarized.

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