The Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries' legislative activities and the Joint Medical Library Association/Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries Legislative Task Force

PubMed Central

Zenan, Joan S.

2003-01-01

The Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries' (AAHSL's) involvement in national legislative activities and other advocacy initiatives has evolved and matured over the last twenty-five years. Some activities conducted by the Medical Library Association's (MLA's) Legislative Committee from 1976 to 1984 are highlighted to show the evolution of MLA's and AAHSL's interests in collaborating on national legislative issues, which resulted in an agreement to form a joint legislative task force. The history, work, challenges, and accomplishments of the Joint MLA/AAHSL Legislative Task Force, formed in 1985, are discussed. PMID:12883581

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Energy Action Plan

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

Conrad, M. D.; Ness, J. E.

2013-07-01

This document describes the three near-term energy strategies selected by the CNMI Energy Task Force during action planning workshops conducted in March 2013, and outlines the steps being taken to implement those strategies. The three energy strategies selected by the task force are (1) designing a demand-side management program focusing on utility, residential and commercial sectors, (2) developing an outreach and education plan focused on energy conservation in government agencies and businesses, including workplace rules, and (3) exploring waste-to-energy options. The task force also discussed several other medium- and long-term energy strategies that could be explored at a future date.

Power system restoration - A task force report

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

Adibi, M.; Clelland, P.; Fink, L.

1986-01-01

The IEEE PES System Operation Subcommittee has established the Power System Restoration Task Force to: review operating practices, conduct a literature search, prepare relevant glossaries and bibliographies, and promote information exchange through technical papers. This is the first report of the Task Force. The problem of bulk power system restoration following a complete or partial collapse is practically as old as the electric utility industry itself. Many electric utilities have developed over the years system restoration schemes that meet the needs of their particular systems. These plans provide a great deal of insight into how the restorative process is viewedmore » by operating and planning personnel and what concerns and constraints any plan must operate under. The body of the report consists of notes prepared by members of the Task Force. It should not be interred that a complete reporting on Power System Restoration is undertaken here. The intent is to report upon work of the Task Force to date. The report also reviews several different restoration plans and shows their common concerns and constraints.« less

Core Competency Needs Analysis for U.S. Naval Reserve Training and Administration of Reserve (TAR) Officers

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-03-01

sponsor is interested in exploring the possibility of developing a “ Personal Qualification Standards” (PQS) program, which would delineate a...the Task Force for Excellence through Commitment to Education and Learning. Task Force Excel has five vectors: professional development, personal ...major designator communities. Seventeen personal interviews and four telephone interviews were conducted. The interview participants were, at the

Developing a Community-Wide Initiative to Address Childhood Adversity and Toxic Stress: A Case Study of The Philadelphia ACE Task Force.

PubMed

Pachter, Lee M; Lieberman, Leslie; Bloom, Sandra L; Fein, Joel A

The Philadelphia ACE Task Force is a community based collaborative of health care providers, researchers, community-based organizations, funders, and public sector representatives. The mission of the task force is to provide a venue to address childhood adversity and its consequences in the Philadelphia metropolitan region. In this article we describe the origins and metamorphosis of the Philadelphia ACE Task Force, which initially was narrowly focused on screening for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in health care settings but expanded its focus to better represent a true community-based approach to sharing experiences with addressing childhood adversity in multiple sectors of the city and region. The task force has been successful in developing a research agenda and conducting research on ACEs in the urban context, and has identified foci of local activity in the areas of professional training and workforce development, community education, and local practical interventions around adversity, trauma, and resiliency. In this article we also address the lessons learned over the first 5 years of the task force's existence and offers recommendations for future efforts to build a local community-based ACEs collaborative. Copyright © 2017 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modular C3 Interface Analysis (Flexible Intraconnect). Volume 1, Part 1

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-04-01

was prepared in parallel with a separate Flexible^ Intraconnect design definition study conducted by Hughes Aircraft Company under F19628-77-O-0261...reported herein consists of Task I, Task II, and Task III of Phase I of an on-going study being conducted by the Air Force to develop a Flexible...Intraconnect for tactical C^ tivity. equipment connec- As evidenced by the quantity of analyses performed and docu- mented during the period of this study

Power system restoration - A task force report

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

Adibi, M.; Clelland, P.; Link, L.

1987-05-01

The IEEE PES System Operation Subcommittee has established the Power System Restoration Task Force to: review operating practices, conduct a literature search, prepare relevant glossaries and bibliographies, and promote information exchange through technical papers. This is the first report of the Task Force. The problem of bulk power system restoration following a complete or partial collapse is practically as old as the electric utility industry itself. Many electric utilities have developed over the years system restoration schemes that meet the needs of their particular systems. These plans provide a great deal of insight into how the restorative process is viewedmore » by operating and planning personnel and what concerns and constraints any plan must operate under.« less

Effects on violence of laws and policies facilitating the transfer of youth from the juvenile to the adult justice system: a report on recommendations of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services.

PubMed

Hahn, Robert; McGowan, Angela; Liberman, Akiva; Crosby, Alex; Fullilove, Mindy; Johnson, Robert; Moscicki, Eve; Price, LeShawndra; Snyder, Susan; Tuma, Farris; Lowy, Jessica; Briss, Peter; Cory, Stella; Stone, Glenda

2007-11-30

The independent, nonfederal Task Force on Community Preventive Services (Task Force), which directs the development of the Guide to Community Preventive Services (Community Guide), conducted a systematic review of published scientific evidence concerning the effectiveness of laws and policies that facilitate the transfer of juveniles to the adult criminal justice system to determine whether these transfers prevent or reduce violence among youth who have been transferred and among the juvenile population as a whole. For this review, transfer is defined as placing juveniles aged <18 years under the jurisdiction of the adult criminal justice system. The review followed Community Guide methods for conducting a systematic review of literature and for providing recommendations to public health decision makers. Available evidence indicates that transfer to the adult criminal justice system typically increases rather than decreases rates of violence among transferred youth. Available evidence was insufficient to determine the effect of transfer laws and policies on levels of violent crime in the overall juvenile population. On the basis of these findings, the Task Force recommends against laws or policies facilitating the transfer of juveniles to the adult criminal justice system for the purpose of reducing violence.

Interagency Cooperation for Irregular Warfare at the Combatant Command

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

Directorate, and the USSOCOM Interagency Task Force ( IATF ) offer examples of JIACGs coping with the issues of IW. Each organization possesses strengths...46 USSOCOM IATF History...Force for Irregular Warfare ( IATF IW).33 EUCOM conducts interagency

Neural Correlates of Task Cost for Stance Control with an Additional Motor Task: Phase-Locked Electroencephalogram Responses

PubMed Central

Hwang, Ing-Shiou; Huang, Cheng-Ya

2016-01-01

With appropriate reallocation of central resources, the ability to maintain an erect posture is not necessarily degraded by a concurrent motor task. This study investigated the neural control of a particular postural-suprapostural procedure involving brain mechanisms to solve crosstalk between posture and motor subtasks. Participants completed a single posture task and a dual-task while concurrently conducting force-matching and maintaining a tilted stabilometer stance at a target angle. Stabilometer movements and event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded. The added force-matching task increased the irregularity of postural response rather than the size of postural response prior to force-matching. In addition, the added force-matching task during stabilometer stance led to marked topographic ERP modulation, with greater P2 positivity in the frontal and sensorimotor-parietal areas of the N1-P2 transitional phase and in the sensorimotor-parietal area of the late P2 phase. The time-frequency distribution of the ERP primary principal component revealed that the dual-task condition manifested more pronounced delta (1–4 Hz) and beta (13–35 Hz) synchronizations but suppressed theta activity (4–8 Hz) before force-matching. The dual-task condition also manifested coherent fronto-parietal delta activity in the P2 period. In addition to a decrease in postural regularity, this study reveals spatio-temporal and temporal-spectral reorganizations of ERPs in the fronto-sensorimotor-parietal network due to the added suprapostural motor task. For a particular set of postural-suprapostural task, the behavior and neural data suggest a facilitatory role of autonomous postural response and central resource expansion with increasing interregional interactions for task-shift and planning the motor-suprapostural task. PMID:27010634

Assessment and Recommendations of Compounding Education in AACP Member Institutions

PubMed Central

Augustine, Sam; Birnie, Christine; Nagel, Karen; Ray, Dipan; Ruble, James; Scolaro, Kelly; Athay Adams, Jennifer

2012-01-01

In August 2009, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Council of Sections established a Task Force to assess the current status of compounding education at its member institutions and to provide recommendations for future direction. The Task Force conducted a survey in late June 2010 of faculty members enrolled in the AACP Pharmaceutics and Pharmacy Practice sections to gain qualitative information of the current state of compounding education. The survey results were then organized around eight curricular topics for which the Task Force members provided interpretations and recommendations. A final report was sent to the AACP Council of Sections on February 15, 2011. This publication provides the information contained in that final report to the professional community. PMID:23049115

Bilateral transfer for learning to control timing but not for learning to control fine force.

PubMed

Yao, Wan X; Cordova, Alberto; Huang, Yufei; Wang, Yan; Lu, Xing

2014-04-01

This study examined the characteristics of bilateral transfer of learning to control timing and fine force from a dominant limb to a nondominant limb. 20 right-handed college students (12 women, 8 men; M age = 21.5 yr., SD = 2.3) learned a sequential task consisting of timing and force control. Each participant completed a pre-test of the task with both hands and then performed 100 practice trials with the dominant hand. A post-test was conducted 1 hr. later. The results showed that after training, participants learned to control the timing and force. Nevertheless, only the time-control learning was transferred to the untrained hand, whereas the force-control learning did not transfer to the untrained hand.

World Psychiatry and the WPA task force to promote dissemination of psychiatric research conducted in low and middle income countries.

PubMed

Maj, Mario

2010-01-01

World Psychiatry, the official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), is now published in five languages (English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian and French) and reaches more than 33,000 psychiatrists in 121 countries. It received recently its first impact factor, 3.896. The publication of the journal has two objectives. The first is to reach as many psychiatrists of the various countries of the world as possible, disseminating information on recent significant clinical, service and research developments in a language that can be assimilated by the vast majority of them. The second is to give voice to psychiatrists of all regions of the world, encouraging submission of research papers, commentaries and reports on innovative service modalities. Related to this second objective has been the establishment by the WPA of a task force aiming to promote dissemination of psychiatric research conducted in low and middle income countries. Among the objectives of this task force is to advise and support the editors of high quality journals produced in those countries in their efforts to achieve indexation.

The effect of workstation and task variables on forces applied during simulated meat cutting.

PubMed

McGorry, Raymond W; Dempsey, Patrick G; O'Brien, Niall V

2004-12-01

The purpose of the study was to investigate factors related to force and postural exposure during a simulated meat cutting task. The hypothesis was that workstation, tool and task variables would affect the dependent kinetic variables of gripping force, cutting moment and the dependent kinematic variables of elbow elevation and wrist angular displacement in the flexion/extension and radial/ulnar deviation planes. To evaluate this hypothesis a 3 x 3 x 2 x 2 x 2 (surface orientation by surface height by blade angle by cut complexity by work pace) within-subject factorial design was conducted with 12 participants. The results indicated that the variables can act and interact to modify the kinematics and kinetics of a cutting task. Participants used greater grip force and cutting moment when working at a pace based on productivity. The interactions of the work surface height and orientation indicated that the use of an adjustable workstation could minimize wrist deviation from neutral and improve shoulder posture during cutting operations. Angling the knife blade also interacted with workstation variables to improve wrist and upper extremity posture, but this benefit must be weighed against the potential for small increases in force exposure.

Estimation of Handgrip Force from SEMG Based on Wavelet Scale Selection.

PubMed

Wang, Kai; Zhang, Xianmin; Ota, Jun; Huang, Yanjiang

2018-02-24

This paper proposes a nonlinear correlation-based wavelet scale selection technology to select the effective wavelet scales for the estimation of handgrip force from surface electromyograms (SEMG). The SEMG signal corresponding to gripping force was collected from extensor and flexor forearm muscles during the force-varying analysis task. We performed a computational sensitivity analysis on the initial nonlinear SEMG-handgrip force model. To explore the nonlinear correlation between ten wavelet scales and handgrip force, a large-scale iteration based on the Monte Carlo simulation was conducted. To choose a suitable combination of scales, we proposed a rule to combine wavelet scales based on the sensitivity of each scale and selected the appropriate combination of wavelet scales based on sequence combination analysis (SCA). The results of SCA indicated that the scale combination VI is suitable for estimating force from the extensors and the combination V is suitable for the flexors. The proposed method was compared to two former methods through prolonged static and force-varying contraction tasks. The experiment results showed that the root mean square errors derived by the proposed method for both static and force-varying contraction tasks were less than 20%. The accuracy and robustness of the handgrip force derived by the proposed method is better than that obtained by the former methods.

Adjustments differ among low-threshold motor units during intermittent, isometric contractions.

PubMed

Farina, Dario; Holobar, Ales; Gazzoni, Marco; Zazula, Damjan; Merletti, Roberto; Enoka, Roger M

2009-01-01

We investigated the changes in muscle fiber conduction velocity, recruitment and derecruitment thresholds, and discharge rate of low-threshold motor units during a series of ramp contractions. The aim was to compare the adjustments in motor unit activity relative to the duration that each motor unit was active during the task. Multichannel surface electromyographic (EMG) signals were recorded from the abductor pollicis brevis muscle of eight healthy men during 12-s contractions (n = 25) in which the force increased and decreased linearly from 0 to 10% of the maximum. The maximal force exhibited a modest decline (8.5 +/- 9.3%; P < 0.05) at the end of the task. The discharge times of 73 motor units that were active for 16-98% of the time during the first five contractions were identified throughout the task by decomposition of the EMG signals. Action potential conduction velocity decreased during the task by a greater amount for motor units that were initially active for >70% of the time compared with that of less active motor units. Moreover, recruitment and derecruitment thresholds increased for these most active motor units, whereas the thresholds decreased for the less active motor units. Another 18 motor units were recruited at an average of 171 +/- 32 s after the beginning of the task. The recruitment and derecruitment thresholds of these units decreased during the task, but muscle fiber conduction velocity did not change. These results indicate that low-threshold motor units exhibit individual adjustments in muscle fiber conduction velocity and motor neuron activation that depended on the relative duration of activity during intermittent contractions.

Protecting subjects, preserving trust, promoting progress I: policy and guidelines for the oversight of individual financial interests in human subjects research.

PubMed

2003-02-01

In December 2001, the AAMC Task Force on Financial Conflicts of Interest in Clinical Research released this report, the first of two (both published in this issue of Academic Medicine). This report focuses on gaps in existing federal financial disclosure regulations of individual conflicts of interests, finding that additional scrutiny is recommended in two areas: human subjects research and privately sponsored research. The task force suggests that when potential conflicts exist, a conflicts of interest committee should apply a rebuttable presumption against engaging in human subjects research. The task force recommends that the circumstances giving rise to the presumption against the proposed activity be balanced against compelling circumstances in favor of the conduct of the research. The AAMC task force delineates core principles to guide institutional policy development. First, an institution should regard all significant financial interests in human subjects research as requiring close scrutiny. Second, in the event of compelling circumstances, an individual holding a significant financial interest may be permitted to conduct the research. Whether circumstances are deemed compelling will depend in each case upon the nature of the science, the nature of the interest, how closely the interest is related to the research, and the degree to which the interest may be affected by the research. Four other core principles for development of institutional policies are identified in the report, pertaining to reporting, monitoring, management of conflicts, and accountability.

AGU's new task force on scientific ethics and integrity begins work

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gleick, Peter; Townsend, Randy

2011-11-01

In support of the new strategic plan, AGU has established a new task force to review, evaluate, and update the Union's policies on scientific misconduct and the process for investigating and responding to allegations of possible misconduct by AGU members. As noted by AGU president Michael McPhaden, "AGU can only realize its vision of `collaboratively advancing and communicating science and its power to ensure a sustainable future' if we have the trust of the public and policy makers. That trust is earned by maintaining the highest standards of scientific integrity in all that we do. The work of the Task Force on Scientific Ethics is essential for defining norms of professional conduct that all our members can aspire to and that demonstrate AGU's unwavering commitment to excellence in Earth and space science."

Foot force direction control during a pedaling task in individuals post-stroke

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Appropriate magnitude and directional control of foot-forces is required for successful execution of locomotor tasks. Earlier evidence suggested, following stroke, there is a potential impairment in foot-force control capabilities both during stationary force generation and locomotion. The purpose of this study was to investigate the foot-pedal surface interaction force components, in non-neurologically-impaired and stroke-impaired individuals, in order to determine how fore/aft shear-directed foot/pedal forces are controlled. Methods Sixteen individuals with chronic post-stroke hemiplegia and 10 age-similar non-neurologically-impaired controls performed a foot placement maintenance task under a stationary and a pedaling condition, achieving a target normal pedal force. Electromyography and force profiles were recorded. We expected generation of unduly large magnitude shear pedal forces and reduced participation of multiple muscles that can contribute forces in appropriate directions in individuals post-stroke. Results We found lower force output, inconsistent modulation of muscle activity and reduced ability to change foot force direction in the paretic limbs, but we did not observe unduly large magnitude shear pedal surface forces by the paretic limbs as we hypothesized. Conclusion These findings suggested the preservation of foot-force control capabilities post-stroke under minimal upright postural control requirements. Further research must be conducted to determine whether inappropriate shear force generation will be revealed under non-seated, postural demanding conditions, where subjects have to actively control for upright body suspension. PMID:24739234

Visual force feedback in laparoscopic training.

PubMed

Horeman, Tim; Rodrigues, Sharon P; van den Dobbelsteen, John J; Jansen, Frank-Willem; Dankelman, Jenny

2012-01-01

To improve endoscopic surgical skills, an increasing number of surgical residents practice on box or virtual reality (VR) trainers. Current training is focused mainly on hand-eye coordination. Training methods that focus on applying the right amount of force are not yet available. The aim of this project is to develop a low-cost training system that measures the interaction force between tissue and instruments and displays a visual representation of the applied forces inside the camera image. This visual representation continuously informs the subject about the magnitude and the direction of applied forces. To show the potential of the developed training system, a pilot study was conducted in which six novices performed a needle-driving task in a box trainer with visual feedback of the force, and six novices performed the same task without visual feedback of the force. All subjects performed the training task five times and were subsequently tested in a post-test without visual feedback. The subjects who received visual feedback during training exerted on average 1.3 N (STD 0.6 N) to drive the needle through the tissue during the post-test. This value was considerably higher for the group that received no feedback (2.6 N, STD 0.9 N). The maximum interaction force during the post-test was noticeably lower for the feedback group (4.1 N, STD 1.1 N) compared with that of the control group (8.0 N, STD 3.3 N). The force-sensing training system provides us with the unique possibility to objectively assess tissue-handling skills in a laboratory setting. The real-time visualization of applied forces during training may facilitate acquisition of tissue-handling skills in complex laparoscopic tasks and could stimulate proficiency gain curves of trainees. However, larger randomized trials that also include other tasks are necessary to determine whether training with visual feedback about forces reduces the interaction force during laparoscopic surgery.

The American Psychological Association Task Force assessment of violent video games: Science in the service of public interest.

PubMed

Calvert, Sandra L; Appelbaum, Mark; Dodge, Kenneth A; Graham, Sandra; Nagayama Hall, Gordon C; Hamby, Sherry; Fasig-Caldwell, Lauren G; Citkowicz, Martyna; Galloway, Daniel P; Hedges, Larry V

2017-01-01

A task force of experts was convened by the American Psychological Association (APA) to update the knowledge and policy about the impact of violent video game use on potential adverse outcomes. This APA Task Force on Media Violence examined the existing literature, including the meta-analyses in the field, since the last APA report on media violence in 2005. Because the most recent meta-analyses were published in 2010 and reflected work through 2009, the task force conducted a search of the published studies from 2009-2013. These recently published articles were scored and assessed by a systematic evidentiary review, followed by a meta-analysis of the high utility studies, as documented in the evidentiary review. Consistent with the literature that we reviewed, we found that violent video game exposure was associated with: an increased composite aggression score; increased aggressive behavior; increased aggressive cognitions; increased aggressive affect, increased desensitization, and decreased empathy; and increased physiological arousal. The size of the effects was similar to that in prior meta-analyses, suggesting a stable result. Our task force concluded that violent video game use is a risk factor for adverse outcomes, but found insufficient studies to examine any potential link between violent video game use and delinquency or criminal behavior. Our technical report is the basis of this article. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Occupational Analysis Technology: Expanded Role in Development of Cost-Effective Maintenance Systems. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foley, John P., Jr.

A study was conducted to refine and coordinate occupational analysis, job performance aids, and elements of the instructional systems development process for task specific Air Force maintenance training. Techniques for task identification and analysis (TI & A) and data gathering techniques for occupational analysis were related. While TI &…

Assessing Situational Awareness in Task Force XXI.

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-06-01

information dominance over the enemy and that units equipped with greater situational awareness will fight more successfully than units without the added capability. In an effort to test this hypothesis the Army conducted an Advanced Warfighter Experiment (AWE) which began at Ft. Hood, TX and culminated in a focused rotation at the National Training Center, Ft. Irwin, CA. Although many initiatives in the area of information dominance were tested in the AWE, the centerpiece of the program was a test case unit designated as Task Force Twenty-One (TF

Improving aircraft energy efficiency

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Povinelli, F. P.; Klineberg, J. M.; Kramer, J. J.

1976-01-01

Investigations conducted by a NASA task force concerning the development of aeronautical fuel-conservation technology are considered. The task force estimated the fuel savings potential, prospects for implementation in the civil air-transport fleet, and the impact of the technology on air-transport fuel use. Propulsion advances are related to existing engines in the fleet, to new production of current engine types, and to new engine designs. Studies aimed at the evolutionary improvement of aerodynamic design and a laminar flow control program are discussed and possibilities concerning the use of composite structural materials are examined.

The International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) Task Force Report on Antidepressant Use in Bipolar Disorders

PubMed Central

Pacchiarotti, Isabella; Bond, David J.; Baldessarini, Ross J.; Nolen, Willem A.; Grunze, Heinz; Licht, Rasmus W.; Post, Robert M.; Berk, Michael; Goodwin, Guy M.; Sachs, Gary S.; Tondo, Leonardo; Findling, Robert L.; Youngstrom, Eric A.; Tohen, Mauricio; Undurraga, Juan; González-Pinto, Ana; Goldberg, Joseph F.; Yildiz, Ayşegül; Altshuler, Lori L.; Calabrese, Joseph R.; Mitchell, Philip B.; Thase, Michael E.; Koukopoulos, Athanasios; Colom, Francesc; Frye, Mark A.; Malhi, Gin S.; Fountoulakis, Konstantinos N.; Vázquez, Gustavo; Perlis, Roy H.; Ketter, Terence A.; Cassidy, Frederick; Akiskal, Hagop; Azorin, Jean-Michel; Valentí, Marc; Mazzei, Diego Hidalgo; Lafer, Beny; Kato, Tadafumi; Mazzarini, Lorenzo; Martínez-Aran, Anabel; Parker, Gordon; Souery, Daniel; Özerdem, Ayşegül; McElroy, Susan L.; Girardi, Paolo; Bauer, Michael; Yatham, Lakshmi N.; Zarate, Carlos A.; Nierenberg, Andrew A.; Birmaher, Boris; Kanba, Shigenobu; El-Mallakh, Rif S.; Serretti, Alessandro; Rihmer, Zoltan; Young, Allan H.; Kotzalidis, Georgios D.; MacQueen, Glenda M.; Bowden, Charles L.; Ghaemi, S. Nassir; Lopez-Jaramillo, Carlos; Rybakowski, Janusz; Ha, Kyooseob; Perugi, Giulio; Kasper, Siegfried; Amsterdam, Jay D.; Hirschfeld, Robert M.; Kapczinski, Flávio; Vieta, Eduard

2014-01-01

Objective The risk-benefit profile of antidepressant medications in bipolar disorder is controversial. When conclusive evidence is lacking, expert consensus can guide treatment decisions. The International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) convened a task force to seek consensus recommendations on the use of antidepressants in bipolar disorders. Method An expert task force iteratively developed consensus through serial consensus-based revisions using the Delphi method. Initial survey items were based on systematic review of the literature. Subsequent surveys included new or reworded items and items that needed to be rerated. This process resulted in the final ISBD Task Force clinical recommendations on antidepressant use in bipolar disorder. Results There is striking incongruity between the wide use of and the weak evidence base for the efficacy and safety of antidepressant drugs in bipolar disorder. Few well-designed, long-term trials of prophylactic benefits have been conducted, and there is insufficient evidence for treatment benefits with antidepressants combined with mood stabilizers. A major concern is the risk for mood switch to hypomania, mania, and mixed states. Integrating the evidence and the experience of the task force members, a consensus was reached on 12 statements on the use of antidepressants in bipolar disorder. Conclusions Because of limited data, the task force could not make broad statements endorsing antidepressant use but acknowledged that individual bipolar patients may benefit from antidepressants. Regarding safety, serotonin reuptake inhibitors and bupropion may have lower rates of manic switch than tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants and norepinephrine-serotonin reuptake inhibitors. The frequency and severity of antidepressant-associated mood elevations appear to be greater in bipolar I than bipolar II disorder. Hence, in bipolar I patients antidepressants should be prescribed only as an adjunct to mood-stabilizing medications. PMID:24030475

Environmental Security in the Danube River Basin: Policy Implications for the United States

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-01-01

United Nations Environmental Programme and Centre for Human Settlements jointly formed a Balkans Task Force that has been conducting independent and...1199 V ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank the United States Air Force Institute for National Security Studies (TNSS) and the Army Environmental...regularly scheduled course on Responsibilities of Military Forces in Environmental Protection. Mr. Robert Jarrett of AEPI provided valuable review

A Marketing and Distributive Education Curriculum Development Plan with Student Learning Objectives. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Blaine R.

This project was conducted to design marketing and distributive education (MDE) student learning objectives and an MDE curriculum development plan. The objectives of this project were met through the following procedures: (1) basic MDE task research was identified; (2) a task force of two MDE teacher coordinators and the project director grouped…

Solutions for Total Force Structure Division’s Conduct of Troop-to-Task Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

1998) ................................................................................................................12 Table 2. Thompson’s Typography ...Standardization Plan Mutual Adjustment Table 2. Thompson’s Typography (From Keidel, 1984) 22 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY

Cystic Fibrosis Colorectal Cancer Screening Consensus Recommendations.

PubMed

Hadjiliadis, Denis; Khoruts, Alexander; Zauber, Ann G; Hempstead, Sarah E; Maisonneuve, Patrick; Lowenfels, Albert B

2018-02-01

Improved therapy has substantially increased survival of persons with cystic fibrosis (CF). But the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) in adults with CF is 5-10 times greater compared to the general population, and 25-30 times greater in CF patients after an organ transplantation. To address this risk, the CF Foundation convened a multi-stakeholder task force to develop CRC screening recommendations. The 18-member task force consisted of experts including pulmonologists, gastroenterologists, a social worker, nurse coordinator, surgeon, epidemiologist, statistician, CF adult, and a parent. The committee comprised 3 workgroups: Cancer Risk, Transplant, and Procedure and Preparation. A guidelines specialist at the CF Foundation conducted an evidence synthesis February-March 2016 based on PubMed literature searches. Task force members conducted additional independent searches. A total of 1159 articles were retrieved. After initial screening, the committee read 198 articles in full and analyzed 123 articles to develop recommendation statements. An independent decision analysis evaluating the benefits of screening relative to harms and resources required was conducted by the Department of Public Health at Erasmus Medical Center, Netherlands using the Microsimulation Screening Analysis model from the Cancer Innervation and Surveillance Modeling Network. The task force included recommendation statements in the final guideline only if they reached an 80% acceptance threshold. The task force makes 10 CRC screening recommendations that emphasize shared, individualized decision-making and familiarity with CF-specific gastrointestinal challenges. We recommend colonoscopy as the preferred screening method, initiation of screening at age 40 years, 5-year re-screening and 3-year surveillance intervals (unless shorter interval is indicated by individual findings), and a CF-specific intensive bowel preparation. Organ transplant recipients with CF should initiate CRC screening at age 30 years within 2 years of the transplantation because of the additional risk for colon cancer associated with immunosuppression. These recommendations aim to help CF adults, families, primary care physicians, gastroenterologists, and CF and transplantation centers address the issue of CRC screening. They differ from guidelines developed for the general population with respect to the recommended age of screening initiation, screening method, preparation, and the interval for repeat screening and surveillance. Copyright © 2018 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Society for Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care Expert consensus statement: anesthetic management of endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke*: endorsed by the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery and the Neurocritical Care Society.

PubMed

Talke, Pekka O; Sharma, Deepak; Heyer, Eric J; Bergese, Sergio D; Blackham, Kristine A; Stevens, Robert D

2014-04-01

Literature on the anesthetic management of endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is limited. Anesthetic management during these procedures is still mostly dependent on individual or institutional preferences. Thus, the Society of Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care (SNACC) created a task force to provide expert consensus recommendations on anesthetic management of endovascular treatment of AIS. The task force conducted a systematic literature review (up to August 2012). Because of the limited number of research articles relating to this subject, the task force solicited opinions from experts in this area. The task force created a draft consensus statement based on the available data. Classes of recommendations and levels of evidence were assigned to articles specifically addressing anesthetic management during endovascular treatment of stroke using the standard American Heart Association evidence rating scheme. The draft consensus statement was reviewed by the Task Force, SNACC Executive Committee and representatives of Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS) and Neurocritical Care Society (NCS) reaching consensus on the final document. For this consensus statement the anesthetic management of endovascular treatment of AIS was subdivided into 12 topics. Each topic includes a summary of available data followed by recommendations. This consensus statement is intended for use by individuals involved in the care of patients with acute ischemic stroke, such as anesthesiologists, interventional neuroradiologists, neurologists, neurointensivists, and neurosurgeons.

Republished: Society for Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care expert consensus statement: Anesthetic management of endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke.

PubMed

Talke, Pekka O; Sharma, Deepak; Heyer, Eric J; Bergese, Sergio D; Blackham, Kristine A; Stevens, Robert D

2014-08-01

Literature on the anesthetic management of endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is limited. Anesthetic management during these procedures is still mostly dependent on individual or institutional preferences. Thus, the Society of Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care (SNACC) created a task force to provide expert consensus recommendations on anesthetic management of endovascular treatment of AIS. The task force conducted a systematic literature review (up to August 2012). Because of the limited number of research articles relating to this subject, the task force solicited opinions from experts in this area. The task force created a draft consensus statement based on the available data. Classes of recommendations and levels of evidence were assigned to articles specifically addressing anesthetic management during endovascular treatment of stroke using the standard American Heart Association evidence rating scheme. The draft consensus statement was reviewed by the Task Force, SNACC Executive Committee and representatives of Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS) and Neurocritical Care Society (NCS) reaching consensus on the final document. For this consensus statement the anesthetic management of endovascular treatment of AIS was subdivided into 12 topics. Each topic includes a summary of available data followed by recommendations. This consensus statement is intended for use by individuals involved in the care of patients with acute ischemic stroke, such as anesthesiologists, interventional neuroradiologists, neurologists, neurointensivists and neurosurgeons. © 2014 American Heart Association, Inc.

Guidelines for stem cell science and clinical translation.

PubMed

Pandya, Sunil K

2016-01-01

The International Society for Stem Cell Research has released its updated guidelines for stem cell research in order to provide "assurance that stem cell research is conducted with scientific and ethical integrity and that new therapies are evidence-based." The guidelines were updated by a Guidelines Update Task Force consisting of twenty-five scientists, ethicists and experts in health care policy from nine countries. The chairpersons of this task force are Jonathan Kimmelman, George Daley and Insoo Hyun. There is no representative from India; the only person of Indian origin on it, Mahendra Rao, represents The New York Stem Cell Foundation.

Implementation of a six-degree-of-freedom manual controller with passive force feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Will, Carol C.; Crane, Carl D., III; Adsit, Phillip

1995-12-01

Force reflective controllers can be divided into two classes; active and passive with the most common being active. Active force-feedback controllers are prone to self-actuation which can generate unintended commands and may injure the user. A six-degree-of-freedom positional input device was designed and constructed that was capable of providing force-feedback passively through the use of six magnetic hysteresis brakes. Special hardware and control strategies were developed to account for some of the limitations of a passive system and the characteristics of hysteresis brakes. The force-feedback input device has been interfaced to a six-degree-of-freedom robot to perform a variety of tasks. Initial research was conducted with a peg-in-hole task. Future research is to include contour following and bead-on-wire tests. Initial results indicated that force-feedback may only be an improvement in situations where visual cues are not clear, and may actually be a hindrance when a clear line of sight exists.

Proof of Concept Study: Investigating Force Metrics of an Intracorporeal Suturing Knot Task.

PubMed

Wee, Justin; Azzie, Georges; Drake, James; Gerstle, J Ted

2018-06-19

Mastering proper force manipulation in minimally invasive surgery can take many hours of practice and training. Improper force control can lead to necrosis, infection, and scarring. A force-sensing skin (FSS) has been developed, which measures forces at the distal end of minimal access surgeries' (MAS) instruments without altering the instrument's structural integrity or the surgical workflow, and acts as a minimally disruptive add-on to any MAS instrument. A proof of concept study was conducted using a FSS-equipped 5 mm straight-tip needle holder. Participants (n = 19: 3 novices, 11 fellows, and 5 staff surgeons) performed one intracorporeal suturing knot task (ISKT). Using participant task video footage, each participant's two puncture forces (each wall of the Penrose drain) and three knot tightening forces were measured. Force metrics from the three expertise groups were compared using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's honest significance test with statistical significance assessed at P < .05. Preliminary ISKT force metric data showed differences between novices and more experienced fellows and surgeons. Of the five stages of the ISKT evaluated, the first puncture force of the Penrose drain seemed to best reflect the difference in skill among participants. The study demonstrated ISKT knot tightening and puncture force ranges across three expertise levels (novices, surgical fellows, and staff surgeons) of 0.586 to 6.089 newtons (N) and 0.852 to 2.915 N, respectively. The investigation of force metrics is important for the implementation of future force feedback systems as it can provide real-time information to surgeons in training and the operating theater.

Two-photon imaging of neuronal activity in motor cortex of marmosets during upper-limb movement tasks.

PubMed

Ebina, Teppei; Masamizu, Yoshito; Tanaka, Yasuhiro R; Watakabe, Akiya; Hirakawa, Reiko; Hirayama, Yuka; Hira, Riichiro; Terada, Shin-Ichiro; Koketsu, Daisuke; Hikosaka, Kazuo; Mizukami, Hiroaki; Nambu, Atsushi; Sasaki, Erika; Yamamori, Tetsuo; Matsuzaki, Masanori

2018-05-14

Two-photon imaging in behaving animals has revealed neuronal activities related to behavioral and cognitive function at single-cell resolution. However, marmosets have posed a challenge due to limited success in training on motor tasks. Here we report the development of protocols to train head-fixed common marmosets to perform upper-limb movement tasks and simultaneously perform two-photon imaging. After 2-5 months of training sessions, head-fixed marmosets can control a manipulandum to move a cursor to a target on a screen. We conduct two-photon calcium imaging of layer 2/3 neurons in the motor cortex during this motor task performance, and detect task-relevant activity from multiple neurons at cellular and subcellular resolutions. In a two-target reaching task, some neurons show direction-selective activity over the training days. In a short-term force-field adaptation task, some neurons change their activity when the force field is on. Two-photon calcium imaging in behaving marmosets may become a fundamental technique for determining the spatial organization of the cortical dynamics underlying action and cognition.

The AAS Taskforce on Diversity and Inclusion in Graduate Education: a Proposed White Paper

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rudolph, Alexander L.

2018-06-01

At the January 2017 AAS meeting in Texas, the AAS Council approved the creation of a Graduate Education Taskforce focusing on Diversity and Inclusion. This task force is conducting a review of practices in recruiting, admissions, and retention in PhD programs in astronomy (including astronomy programs in departments of physics and astronomy). It is also engaging the broader astronomical community and selected outside experts in diversity in STEM in a discussion of best practices in these activities, with the goal of promoting diversity (race/ethnicity, gender, LGBTQ+, disability status, etc.) and inclusion in astronomy PhD programs. Building on the Nashville Recommendations from the Inclusive Astronomy 2015 meeting, the task force is developing a set of specific recommendations with the aim of endorsement by the AAS, in parallel with a campaign to get them adopted by astronomy departments. Finally, the task force will suggest and push adoption of a set of permanent measurements to be collected by the AAS to track progress on these goals. There is a separate special session at this meeting intended to report on the task force’s progress and to solicit community input on its draft recommendations to date.This presentation will give a brief overview of the task force's charge and activities and their plans to turn their final report into a White Paper for the Decadal Survey.

Predictors of proximal tibia anterior shear force during a vertical stop-jump.

PubMed

Sell, Timothy C; Ferris, Cheryl M; Abt, John P; Tsai, Yung-Shen; Myers, Joseph B; Fu, Freddie H; Lephart, Scott M

2007-12-01

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) continues to be a significant medical issue for athletes participating in sports and recreational activities. Biomechanical analyses have determined that anterior shear force is the most direct loading mechanism of the ACL and a probable component of noncontact ACL injury. The purpose of this study was to examine the biomechanical predictors of proximal tibia anterior shear force during a stop-jump task. A biomechanical and electromyographic (EMG) analysis of the knee was conducted while subjects performed a vertical stop-jump task. The task was chosen to simulate an athletic maneuver that included a landing with a sharp deceleration and a change in direction. The final regression model indicated that posterior ground reaction force, external knee flexion moment, knee flexion angle, integrated EMG activity of the vastus lateralis, and sex (female) would significantly predict proximal tibia anterior shear force (p < 0.0001, R2 = 0.8609). Knee flexion moment had the greatest influence on proximal tibia anterior shear force. The mathematical relationships elucidated in the current study support previous clinical and basic science research examining noncontact ACL injuries. This data provides important evidence for clinicians who are examining the risk factors for these injuries and developing/validating training programs to reduce the incidence of injury. Copyright 2007 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Bone Loss from High Repetitive High Force Loading is Prevented by Ibuprofen Treatment

PubMed Central

Jain, Nisha X.; Barr-Gillespie, Ann E.; Clark, Brian D.; Kietrys, David M.; Wade, Christine K.; Litvin, Judith; Popoff, Steven N.; Barbe, Mary F.

2014-01-01

We examined roles of loading and inflammation on forearm bones in a rat model of upper extremity overuse. Trabecular structure in distal radius and ulna was examined in three groups of young adult rats: 1) 5% food-restricted that underwent an initial training period of 10 min/day for 5 weeks to learn the repetitive task (TRHF); 2) rats that underwent the same training before performing a high repetition high force task, 2 hours/day for 12 weeks (HRHF); and 3) food-restricted only (FRC). Subsets were treated with oral ibuprofen (IBU). TRHF rats had increased trabecular bone volume and numbers, osteoblasts, and serum osteocalcin, indicative of bone adaptation. HRHF rats had constant muscle pulling forces, showed limited signs of bone adaptation, but many signs of bone resorption, including decreased trabecular bone volume and bone mineral density, increased osteoclasts and bone inflammatory cytokines, and reduced median nerve conduction velocity (15%). HRHF+IBU rats showed no trabecular resorptive changes, no increased osteoclasts or bone inflammatory cytokines, no nerve inflammation, preserved nerve conduction, and increased muscle voluntary pulling forces. Ibuprofen treatment preserved trabecular bone quality by reducing osteoclasts and bone inflammatory cytokines, and improving muscle pulling forces on bones as a result of reduced nerve inflammation. PMID:24583543

Good research practices for comparative effectiveness research: defining, reporting and interpreting nonrandomized studies of treatment effects using secondary data sources: the ISPOR Good Research Practices for Retrospective Database Analysis Task Force Report--Part I.

PubMed

Berger, Marc L; Mamdani, Muhammad; Atkins, David; Johnson, Michael L

2009-01-01

Health insurers, physicians, and patients worldwide need information on the comparative effectiveness and safety of prescription drugs in routine care. Nonrandomized studies of treatment effects using secondary databases may supplement the evidence based from randomized clinical trials and prospective observational studies. Recognizing the challenges to conducting valid retrospective epidemiologic and health services research studies, a Task Force was formed to develop a guidance document on state of the art approaches to frame research questions and report findings for these studies. The Task Force was commissioned and a Chair was selected by the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research Board of Directors in October 2007. This Report, the first of three reported in this issue of the journal, addressed issues of framing the research question and reporting and interpreting findings. The Task Force Report proposes four primary characteristics-relevance, specificity, novelty, and feasibility while defining the research question. Recommendations included: the practice of a priori specification of the research question; transparency of prespecified analytical plans, provision of justifications for any subsequent changes in analytical plan, and reporting the results of prespecified plans as well as results from significant modifications, structured abstracts to report findings with scientific neutrality; and reasoned interpretations of findings to help inform policy decisions. Comparative effectiveness research in the form of nonrandomized studies using secondary databases can be designed with rigorous elements and conducted with sophisticated statistical methods to improve causal inference of treatment effects. Standardized reporting and careful interpretation of results can aid policy and decision-making.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Return To Flight Task Group (RTFTG) holds the first public meeting at the Debus Center, KSC Visitor Complex. Members and staff at the table, from left, are retired Navy Rear Adm. Walter H. Cantrell, David Raspet, retired Air Force Col. Gary S. Geyer, Dr. Kathryn Clark, Dr. Decatur B. Rogers, Dr. Dan L. Crippen, Dr. Walter Broadnax and astronaut Carlos Noriega. The RTFTG was at KSC to conduct organizational activities, tour Space Shuttle facilities and receive briefings on Shuttle-related topics. The task group was chartered by NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe to perform an independent assessment of NASA’s implementation of the final recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board. The group is co-chaired by former Shuttle commander Richard O. Covey and retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Stafford, who was an Apollo commander.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Return To Flight Task Group (RTFTG) holds the first public meeting at the Debus Center, KSC Visitor Complex. Members and staff at the table, from left, are retired Navy Rear Adm. Walter H. Cantrell, David Raspet, retired Air Force Col. Gary S. Geyer, Dr. Kathryn Clark, Dr. Decatur B. Rogers, Dr. Dan L. Crippen, Dr. Walter Broadnax and astronaut Carlos Noriega. The RTFTG was at KSC to conduct organizational activities, tour Space Shuttle facilities and receive briefings on Shuttle-related topics. The task group was chartered by NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe to perform an independent assessment of NASA’s implementation of the final recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board. The group is co-chaired by former Shuttle commander Richard O. Covey and retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Stafford, who was an Apollo commander.

Current target acquisition methodology in force on force simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hixson, Jonathan G.; Miller, Brian; Mazz, John P.

2017-05-01

The U.S. Army RDECOM CERDEC NVESD MSD's target acquisition models have been used for many years by the military community in force on force simulations for training, testing, and analysis. There have been significant improvements to these models over the past few years. The significant improvements are the transition of ACQUIRE TTP-TAS (ACQUIRE Targeting Task Performance Target Angular Size) methodology for all imaging sensors and the development of new discrimination criteria for urban environments and humans. This paper is intended to provide an overview of the current target acquisition modeling approach and provide data for the new discrimination tasks. This paper will discuss advances and changes to the models and methodologies used to: (1) design and compare sensors' performance, (2) predict expected target acquisition performance in the field, (3) predict target acquisition performance for combat simulations, and (4) how to conduct model data validation for combat simulations.

Hand digit control in children: motor overflow in multi-finger pressing force vector space during maximum voluntary force production.

PubMed

Shim, Jae Kun; Karol, Sohit; Hsu, Jeffrey; de Oliveira, Marcio Alves

2008-04-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the contralateral motor overflow in children during single-finger and multi-finger maximum force production tasks. Forty-five right handed children, 5-11 years of age produced maximum isometric pressing force in flexion or extension with single fingers or all four fingers of their right hand. The forces produced by individual fingers of the right and left hands were recorded and analyzed in four-dimensional finger force vector space. The results showed that increases in task (right) hand finger forces were linearly associated with non-task (left) hand finger forces. The ratio of the non-task hand finger force magnitude to the corresponding task hand finger force magnitude, termed motor overflow magnitude (MOM), was greater in extension than flexion. The index finger flexion task showed the smallest MOM values. The similarity between the directions of task hand and non-task hand finger force vectors in four-dimensional finger force vector space, termed motor overflow direction (MOD), was the greatest for index and smallest for little finger tasks. MOM of a four-finger task was greater than the sum of MOMs of single-finger tasks, and this phenomenon was termed motor overflow surplus. Contrary to previous studies, no single-finger or four-finger tasks showed significant changes of MOM or MOD with the age of children. We conclude that the contralateral motor overflow in children during finger maximum force production tasks is dependent upon the task fingers and the magnitude and direction of task finger forces.

Electrotactile Feedback Improves Performance and Facilitates Learning in the Routine Grasping Task.

PubMed

Isaković, Milica; Belić, Minja; Štrbac, Matija; Popović, Igor; Došen, Strahinja; Farina, Dario; Keller, Thierry

2016-06-13

Aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of electrotactile feedback in closed loop training of force control during the routine grasping task. The feedback was provided using an array electrode and a simple six-level spatial coding, and the experiment was conducted in three amputee subjects. The psychometric tests confirmed that the subjects could perceive and interpret the electrotactile feedback with a high success rate. The subjects performed the routine grasping task comprising 4 blocks of 60 grasping trials. In each trial, the subjects employed feedforward control to close the hand and produce the desired grasping force (four levels). First (baseline) and the last (validation) session were performed in open loop, while the second and the third session (training) included electrotactile feedback. The obtained results confirmed that using the feedback improved the accuracy and precision of the force control. In addition, the subjects performed significantly better in the validation vs. baseline session, therefore suggesting that electrotactile feedback can be used for learning and training of myoelectric control.

75 FR 45606 - Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force-Final Recommendations of the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-03

... COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force--Final Recommendations of the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force AGENCY: Council on Environmental Quality. ACTION: Notice of Availability, Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force's [[Page 45607

Biomarker and Clinical Trial Design Support for Disease-Modifying Therapies: Report of a Survey of the EU/US: Alzheimer's Disease Task Force.

PubMed

Cummings, J; Fox, N; Vellas, B; Aisen, P; Shan, G

2018-01-01

Disease-modifying therapies are urgently needed for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The European Union/United States (EU/US) Task Force represents a broad range of stakeholders including biopharma industry personnel, academicians, and regulatory authorities. The EU/US Task Force represents a community of knowledgeable individuals who can inform views of evidence supporting disease modification and the development of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). We queried their attitudes toward clinical trial design and biomarkers in support of DMTs. A survey of members of the EU/US Alzheimer's Disease Task Force was conducted. Ninety-three members (87%) responded. The details were analyzed to understand what clinical trial design and biomarker data support disease modification. Task Force members favored the parallel group design compared to delayed start or staggered withdrawal clinical trial designs to support disease modification. Amyloid biomarkers were regarded as providing mild support for disease modification while tau biomarkers were regarded as providing moderate support. Combinations of biomarkers, particularly combinations of tau and neurodegeneration, were regarded as providing moderate to marked support for disease modification and combinations of all three classes of biomarkers were regarded by a majority as providing marked support for disease modification. Task Force members considered that evidence derived from clinical trials and biomarkers supports clinical meaningfulness of an intervention, and when combined with a single clinical trial outcome, nearly all regarded the clinical trial design or biomarker evidence as supportive of disease modification. A minority considered biomarker evidence by itself as indicative of disease modification in prevention trials. Levels of evidence (A,B,C) were constructed based on these observations. The survey indicates the view of knowledgeable stakeholders regarding evidence derived from clinical trial design and biomarkers in support of disease modification. Results of this survey can assist in designing clinical trials of DMTs.

The Soldier Must be Trained Not to Fight the Jungle: Preparing the U.S. Army for Future Operations in a Jungle Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-09

force in 19418 and continued to plague units in the Pacific theater of operations until well into the Solomon Islands campaign in late 1942. Why is...NORTHCOM, and SOUTHCOM AOR’s conducted by the Asymmetric Warfare Group and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory observed that “the 25th...Special Operations Task Force (JSOTF) with the mission of assisting Philippine security forces in countering the Abu Sayyaf Group , Al Qaida, and

Study of VDOT's policy format and formulation.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1987-01-01

In May 1987, Deputy Commissioner Mabry established a task force, led by the Office of Policy Analysis, to examine the overall configuration of agency policy instructions, as well as processes for their formulation and communication. In conducting thi...

The Changing Landscape of Undergraduate Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howes, Ruth

2006-11-01

The National Task Force on Undergraduate Physics was convened by APS, AAPT and AIP to study the steep decline in the number of physics majors that occurred during the 1990s. The Task Force conducted project SPIN-UP (Strategic Programs for Innovations in Undergraduate Physics) to investigate why some departments were thriving while others are losing majors. With support from the ExxonMobil Foundation, we conducted site visits to 21 ``thriving'' departments and have worked with the AIP statistics program to survey the 562 departments that grant undergraduate degrees in physics. The results of the study identified key ingredients in thriving departments and essential elements needed to make changes that respond to the changing environments in which physics departments find themselves. Today, enrollments in undergraduate physics are climbing again. We need to ensure that this positive trend continues and ensure that we attract women and members of underrepresented groups to the study of physics.

76 FR 60863 - Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-30

...] Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force Meeting AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force (ANS Task Force). The ANS Task Force's purpose is to develop and implement a program for U.S. waters to prevent...

78 FR 29378 - Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force; Public Teleconference/Webinar

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-20

...-FF09F14000-134] Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force; Public Teleconference/ Webinar AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife... teleconference/webinar of the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force (ANS Task Force). The ANS Task Force's purpose... aquatic nuisance species; to monitor, control, and study such species; and to disseminate related...

Keepin' On: Five Years Down the Road to Better Schools. Reports of the Task Force on Improving Kentucky's Schools and the Task Force on Restructuring Time and Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, Lexington, KY.

This report contains the findings of two task forces established during 1994 by the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence: (1) the Task Force on Improving Kentucky Schools; and (2) the Task Force on Restructuring Time and Learning. The task forces, comprised of parents and business members of the Prichard Committee, examined key elements of…

Age-Related Differences in Reorganization of Functional Connectivity for a Dual Task with Increasing Postural Destabilization

PubMed Central

Huang, Cheng-Ya; Lin, Linda L.; Hwang, Ing-Shiou

2017-01-01

The aged brain may not make good use of central resources, so dual task performance may be degraded. From the brain connectome perspective, this study investigated dual task deficits of older adults that lead to task failure of a suprapostural motor task with increasing postural destabilization. Twelve younger (mean age: 25.3 years) and 12 older (mean age: 65.8 years) adults executed a designated force-matching task from a level-surface or a stabilometer board. Force-matching error, stance sway, and event-related potential (ERP) in the preparatory period were measured. The force-matching accuracy and the size of postural sway of the older adults tended to be more vulnerable to stance configuration than that of the young adults, although both groups consistently showed greater attentional investment on the postural task as sway regularity increased in the stabilometer condition. In terms of the synchronization likelihood (SL) of the ERP, both younger and older adults had net increases in the strengths of the functional connectivity in the whole brain and in the fronto-sensorimotor network in the stabilometer condition. Also, the SL in the fronto-sensorimotor network of the older adults was greater than that of the young adults for both stance conditions. However, unlike the young adults, the older adults did not exhibit concurrent deactivation of the functional connectivity of the left temporal-parietal-occipital network for postural-suprapostural task with increasing postural load. In addition, the older adults potentiated functional connectivity of the right prefrontal area to cope with concurrent force-matching with increasing postural load. In conclusion, despite a universal negative effect on brain volume conduction, our preliminary results showed that the older adults were still capable of increasing allocation of neural sources, particularly via compensatory recruitment of the right prefrontal loop, for concurrent force-matching under the challenging postural condition. Nevertheless, dual-task performance of the older adults tended to be more vulnerable to postural load than that of the younger adults, in relation to inferior neural economy or a slow adaptation process to stance destabilization for scant dissociation of control hubs in the temporal-parietal-occipital cortex. PMID:28446874

Grip force and force sharing in two different manipulation tasks with bottles.

PubMed

Cepriá-Bernal, Javier; Pérez-González, Antonio; Mora, Marta C; Sancho-Bru, Joaquín L

2017-07-01

Grip force and force sharing during two activities of daily living were analysed experimentally in 10 right-handed subjects. Four different bottles, filled to two different levels, were manipulated for two tasks: transporting and pouring. Each test subject's hand was instrumented with eight thin wearable force sensors. The grip force and force sharing were significantly different for each bottle model. Increasing the filling level resulted in an increase in grip force, but the ratio of grip force to load force was higher for lighter loads. The task influenced the force sharing but not the mean grip force. The contributions of the thumb and ring finger were higher in the pouring task, whereas the contributions of the palm and the index finger were higher in the transport task. Mean force sharing among fingers was 30% for index, 29% for middle, 22% for ring and 19% for little finger. Practitioner Summary: We analysed grip force and force sharing in two manipulation tasks with bottles: transporting and pouring. The objective was to understand the effects of the bottle features, filling level and task on the contribution of different areas of the hand to the grip force. Force sharing was different for each task and the bottles features affected to both grip force and force sharing.

PRN 94-9: Announcing the Formation of Two Industry-Wide Task Forces: Agricultural Reentry Task Force and Outdoor Residential Exposure Task Force

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This Notice announces two industry-wide Task Forces being formed in response to generic exposure data requirements. It contains EPA's policy on a registrant's options for, and responsibilities when joining Task Force as a way to satisfy data requirements.

78 FR 60306 - Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-01

...-FF09F14000-134] Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force Meeting AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior... the Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Task Force. The ANS Task Force's purpose is to develop and... Task Force will meet from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 6, through Thursday, November 7...

The baby or the bath water? Lessons learned from the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention Research Prioritization Task Force literature review.

PubMed

Davis Molock, Sherry; Heekin, Janet M; Matlin, Samantha G; Barksdale, Crystal L; Gray, Ekwenzi; Booth, Chelsea L

2014-09-01

The Research Prioritization Task Force of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention conducted a comprehensive literature review of suicide prevention/intervention trials to assess the quality of the scientific evidence. A literature "review of reviews" was conducted by searching the most widely used databases for mental health and public health research. The quality of the reviews was evaluated using the Revised Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews system; the quality of the scientific evidence for the suicide preventions/interventions was assessed using U.S. Preventive Services Task Force criteria. The reviews were limited to peer-reviewed publications with human subjects published in English. Ninety-eight systematic reviews and 45 primary sources on suicide prevention/interventions published between January 2000 and September 2012 were evaluated. The results suggest that the quality of both the systematic reviews and the scientific evidence for suicide preventions/interventions were mixed. The majority of the systematic reviews and prevention/interventions were evaluated as fair to poor in quality. There are many promising suicide prevention/intervention trials, but research findings are often inconclusive because of methodologic problems. Methodologic problems across systematic reviews include not conducting hand searches, not surveying gray literature, and being unable to aggregate data across studies. Methodologic problems with the scientific quality of the prevention/intervention trials include paucity of information on sample demographic characteristics, poorly defined outcomes, and excluding actively suicidal participants. Suggestions for ways to improve the quality of the systematic reviews and suicide preventions/interventions are provided. Copyright © 2014 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. All rights reserved.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The news media capture the words and images of the Return To Flight Task Group (RTFTG) which held its first public meeting at the Debus Center, KSC Visitor Complex. The group is co-chaired by former Shuttle commander Richard O. Covey and retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Stafford, who was an Apollo commander. The RTFTG was at KSC to conduct organizational activities, tour Space Shuttle facilities and receive briefings on Shuttle-related topics. The task group was chartered by NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe to perform an independent assessment of NASA’s implementation of the final recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The news media capture the words and images of the Return To Flight Task Group (RTFTG) which held its first public meeting at the Debus Center, KSC Visitor Complex. The group is co-chaired by former Shuttle commander Richard O. Covey and retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Stafford, who was an Apollo commander. The RTFTG was at KSC to conduct organizational activities, tour Space Shuttle facilities and receive briefings on Shuttle-related topics. The task group was chartered by NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe to perform an independent assessment of NASA’s implementation of the final recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

Increasing Coverage of Appropriate Vaccinations

PubMed Central

Jacob, Verughese; Chattopadhyay, Sajal K.; Hopkins, David P.; Morgan, Jennifer Murphy; Pitan, Adesola A.; Clymer, John

2016-01-01

Context Population-level coverage for immunization against many vaccine-preventable diseases remains below optimal rates in the U.S. The Community Preventive Services Task Force recently recommended several interventions to increase vaccination coverage based on systematic reviews of the evaluation literature. The present study provides the economic results from those reviews. Evidence acquisition A systematic review was conducted (search period, January 1980 through February 2012) to identify economic evaluations of 12 interventions recommended by the Task Force. Evidence was drawn from included studies; estimates were constructed for the population reach of each strategy, cost of implementation, and cost per additional vaccinated person because of the intervention. Analyses were conducted in 2014. Evidence synthesis Reminder systems, whether for clients or providers, were among the lowest-cost strategies to implement and the most cost effective in terms of additional people vaccinated. Strategies involving home visits and combination strategies in community settings were both costly and less cost effective. Strategies based in settings such as schools and managed care organizations that reached the target population achieved additional vaccinations in the middle range of cost effectiveness. Conclusions The interventions recommended by the Task Force differed in reach, cost, and cost effectiveness. This systematic review presents the economic information for 12 effective strategies to increase vaccination coverage that can guide implementers in their choice of interventions to fit their local needs, available resources, and budget. PMID:26847663

Utilizing data consortia to monitor safety and effectiveness of biosimilars and their innovator products.

PubMed

Baldziki, Mike; Brown, Jeff; Chan, Hungching; Cheetham, T Craig; Conn, Thomas; Daniel, Gregory W; Hendrickson, Mark; Hilbrich, Lutz; Johnson, Ayanna; Miller, Steven B; Moore, Tom; Motheral, Brenda; Priddy, Sarah A; Raebel, Marsha A; Randhawa, Gurvaneet; Surratt, Penny; Walraven, Cheryl; White, T Jeff; Bruns, Kevin; Carden, Mary Jo; Dragovich, Charlie; Eichelberger, Bernadette; Rosato, Edith; Sega, Todd

2015-01-01

The Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act, introduced as part of the Affordable Care Act, directed the FDA to create an approval pathway for biologic products shown to be biosimilar or interchangeable with an FDA-approved innovator drug. These biosimilars will not be chemically identical to the reference agent. Investigational studies conducted with biosimilar agents will likely provide limited real-world evidence of their effectiveness and safety. How do we best monitor effectiveness and safety of biosimilar products once approved by the FDA and used more extensively by patients? To determine the feasibility of developing a distributed research network that will use health insurance plan and health delivery system data to detect biosimilar safety and effectiveness signals early and be able to answer important managed care pharmacy questions from both the government and managed care organizations. Twenty-one members of the AMCP Task Force on Biosimilar Collective Intelligence Systems met November 12, 2013, to discuss issues involved in designing this consortium and to explore next steps. The task force concluded that a managed care biosimilars research consortium would be of significant value. Task force members agreed that it is best to use a distributed research network structurally similar to existing DARTNet, HMO Research Network, and Mini-Sentinel consortia. However, for some surveillance projects that it undertakes, the task force recognizes it may need supplemental data from managed care and other sources (i.e., a "hybrid" structure model). The task force believes that AMCP is well positioned to lead the biosimilar-monitoring effort and that the next step to developing a biosimilar-innovator collective intelligence system is to convene an advisory council to address organizational governance.

Influence of comorbidities in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus — research and clinical care. A report of the ISHCSF task force on comorbidities in INPH

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (INPH) is a syndrome of ventriculomegaly, gait impairment, cognitive decline and incontinence that occurs in an elderly population prone to many types of comorbidities. Identification of the comorbidities is thus an important part of the clinical management of INPH patients. In 2011, a task force was appointed by the International Society for Hydrocephalus and Cerebrospinal Fluid Disorders (ISHCSF) with the objective to compile an evidence-based expert analysis of what we know and what we need to know regarding comorbidities in INPH. This article is the final report of the task force. The expert panel conducted a comprehensive review of the literature. After weighing the evidence, the various proposals were discussed and the final document was approved by all the task force members and represents a consensus of expert opinions. Recommendations regarding the following topics are given: I. Musculoskeletal conditions; II. Urinary problems; III. Vascular disease including risk factors, Binswanger disease, and white matter hyperintensities; IV. Mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease including biopsies; V. Other dementias (frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body, Parkinson); VI. Psychiatric and behavioral disorders; VII. Brain imaging; VIII. How to investigate and quantify. The task force concluded that comorbidity can be an important predictor of prognosis and post-operative outcome in INPH. Reported differences in outcomes among various INPH cohorts may be partly explained by variation in the rate and types of comorbidities at different hydrocephalus centers. Identification of comorbidities should thus be a central part of the clinical management of INPH where a detailed history, physical examination, and targeted investigations are the basis for diagnosis and grading. Future INPH research should focus on the contribution of comorbidity to overall morbidity, mortality and long-term outcomes. PMID:23758953

Quadriceps force and anterior tibial force occur obviously later than vertical ground reaction force: a simulation study.

PubMed

Ueno, Ryo; Ishida, Tomoya; Yamanaka, Masanori; Taniguchi, Shohei; Ikuta, Ryohei; Samukawa, Mina; Saito, Hiroshi; Tohyama, Harukazu

2017-11-18

Although it is well known that quadriceps force generates anterior tibial force, it has been unclear whether quadriceps force causes great anterior tibial force during the early phase of a landing task. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether the quadriceps force induced great anterior tibial force during the early phase of a landing task. Fourteen young, healthy, female subjects performed a single-leg landing task. Muscle force and anterior tibial force were estimated from motion capture data and synchronized force data from the force plate. One-way repeated measures analysis of variance and the post hoc Bonferroni test were conducted to compare the peak time of the vertical ground reaction force, quadriceps force and anterior tibial force during the single-leg landing. In addition, we examined the contribution of vertical and posterior ground reaction force, knee flexion angle and moment to peak quadriceps force using multiple linear regression. The peak times of the estimated quadriceps force (96.0 ± 23.0 ms) and anterior tibial force (111.9 ± 18.9 ms) were significantly later than that of the vertical ground reaction force (63.5 ± 6.8 ms) during the single-leg landing. The peak quadriceps force was positively correlated with the peak anterior tibial force (R = 0.953, P < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the peak knee flexion moment contributed significantly to the peak quadriceps force (R 2  = 0.778, P < 0.001). The peak times of the quadriceps force and the anterior tibial force were obviously later than that of the vertical ground reaction force for the female athletes during successful single-leg landings. Studies have reported that the peak time of the vertical ground reaction force was close to the time of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) disruption in ACL injury cases. It is possible that early contraction of the quadriceps during landing might induce ACL disruption as a result of excessive anterior tibial force in unanticipated situations in ACL injury cases.

Recent Investments by NASA's National Force Measurement Technology Capability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Commo, Sean A.; Ponder, Jonathan D.

2016-01-01

The National Force Measurement Technology Capability (NFMTC) is a nationwide partnership established in 2008 and sponsored by NASA's Aeronautics Evaluation and Test Capabilities (AETC) project to maintain and further develop force measurement capabilities. The NFMTC focuses on force measurement in wind tunnels and provides operational support in addition to conducting balance research. Based on force measurement capability challenges, strategic investments into research tasks are designed to meet the experimental requirements of current and future aerospace research programs and projects. This paper highlights recent and force measurement investments into several areas including recapitalizing the strain-gage balance inventory, developing balance best practices, improving calibration and facility capabilities, and researching potential technologies to advance balance capabilities.

77 FR 61019 - Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-05

..., Cost Center: FF09F14000, Fund: 134] Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force Meeting AGENCY: Fish and... Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Task Force. The ANS Task Force's purpose is to develop and implement a.... DATES: The ANS Task Force will meet from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Wednesday November 14, and from 8:30 a.m...

Amphibian research and monitoring initiative: Concepts and implementation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Corn, P.S.; Adams, M.J.; Battaglin, W.A.; Gallant, Alisa L.; James, D.L.; Knutson, M.; Langtimm, C.A.; Sauer, J.R.

2005-01-01

This report provides the basis for discussion and subsequent articulation of a national plan for the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI). The authors were members of a task force formed from within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that included scientists with expertise in biology, cartography, hydrology, and statistics. The assignment of the task force was to extend work begun by the National Amphibian Leadership Group. This group, composed of senior USGS scientists, managers, and external authorities, met in Gainesville, Florida, in February 20001. The product of this meeting was a document outlining the framework for a national program to monitor amphibian populations and to conduct research into the causes of declines.

Report of the Task Force on the Shuttle-Mir Rendezvous and Docking Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

In October 1992, Russia and the U.S. agreed to conduct a fundamentally new program of human cooperation in space. This original 'Shuttle-Mir' project encompassed combined astronaut-cosmonaut activities on the Shuttle, Soyuz, and Mir spacecraft. At that time, the project was limited to: the STS-60 Shuttle mission, which was completed in February 1994 and carried the first Russian cosmonaut; the planned March 1995 Soyuz 18 launch which will carry a U.S. astronaut to the Mir space station for a three month mission; and the STS-71 Shuttle mission which is scheduled to rendezvous and dock with the Mir space station in June 1995. The Task Force's specific recommendations are given.

Task specific grip force control in writer's cramp.

PubMed

Schneider, A S; Fürholzer, W; Marquardt, C; Hermsdörfer, J

2014-04-01

Writer's cramp is defined as a task specific focal dystonia generating hypertonic muscle co-contractions during handwriting resulting in impaired writing performance and exaggerated finger force. However, little is known about the generalisation of grip force across tasks others than writing. The aim of the study was to directly compare regulation of grip forces during handwriting with force regulation in other fine-motor tasks in patients and control subjects. Handwriting, lifting and cyclic movements of a grasped object were investigated in 21 patients and 14 controls. The applied forces were registered in all three tasks and compared between groups and tasks. In addition, task-specific measures of fine-motor skill were assessed. As expected, patients generated exaggerated forces during handwriting compared to control subjects. However there were no statistically significant group differences during lifting and cyclic movements. The control group revealed a generalisation of grip forces across manual tasks whereas in patients there was no such correlation. We conclude that increased finger forces during handwriting are a task-specific phenomenon that does not necessarily generalise to other fine-motor tasks. Force control of patients with writer's cramp in handwriting and other fine-motor tasks is characterised by individualised control strategies. Copyright © 2013 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

National highway system connectors to freight facilities in the Delaware Valley region

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-10-01

DVRPC conducted a study of important roadway connections between the National Highway System and 12 key intermodal freight terminals (or clusters of freight facilities) to assist the planning needs of the Delaware Valley Goods Movement Task Force.

76 FR 22685 - Interagency Management Task Force Public Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-22

... Force Public Meeting AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy (DOE... meetings of the Interagency Energy Management Task Force (Task Force) in 2011. FEMP intends to hold recurring public meetings of the Task Force. Interested parties can check http://www.femp.energy.gov/news...

75 FR 20578 - Federal Advisory Committee; Defense Health Board (DHB); Department of Defense Task Force on the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-20

... (DHB); Department of Defense Task Force on the Prevention of Suicide by Members of the Armed Forces... announces a meeting of the Department of Defense Task Force on the Prevention of Suicide by Members of the... Secretary, Department of Defense Task Force on the Prevention of Suicide by Members of the Armed Forces, One...

75 FR 21603 - Renewal of Department of Defense Federal Advisory Committee; Missouri River (North Dakota) Task...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-26

...-6128. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Task Force is a non-discretionary Federal advisory committee and... Committee; Missouri River (North Dakota) Task Force AGENCY: Department of Defense (DoD). ACTION: Renewal of... Missouri River (North Dakota) Task Force (hereafter referred to as the Task Force). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION...

Force fluctuations while pressing and moving against high- and low-friction touch screen surfaces.

PubMed

Joshi, Mukta N; Keenan, Kevin G

2016-07-01

The purpose of this study was to identify the influence of a high- and low-friction surface on the ability to maintain a steady downward force during an index finger pressing and moving task. Fifteen right-handed subjects (24-48 years) performed a static force pressing task and a hybrid pressing and moving task on the surface of an iPad mini while holding a steady 2-N force on high- and low-friction surfaces. Variability of force was quantified as the standard deviation (SD) of normal force (F z) and shear force (F xy) across friction conditions and tasks. The SD of F z was 227 % greater during the hybrid task as compared to the static task (p < .001) and was 19 % greater for the high- versus low-friction condition (p = .033). There were positive correlations between SD of F z and F xy during the hybrid force/motion tasks on the high- and low-friction conditions (r (2) = 0.5 and 0.86, respectively), suggesting significant associations between normal and shear forces for this hybrid task. The correlation between the SD of F z for static and hybrid tasks was r (2) = 0.44, indicating that the common practice of examining the control of static tasks may not sufficiently explain performance during hybrid tasks, at least for the young subjects tested in the current study. As activities of daily living frequently require hybrid force/motion tasks (e.g., writing, doing the dishes, and cleaning counters), the results of this study emphasize the need to study motor performance during hybrid tasks in addition to static force tasks.

Reservations about the conclusions of the interdivisional (APA Divisions 12 & 29) task force on evidence-based therapy relationships: what do we know, what don't we know?

PubMed

Kazantzis, Nikolaos; Cronin, Timothy J; Norton, Peter J; Lai, Jerry; Hofmann, Stefan G

2015-05-01

We offer a critical and constructive appraisal of the conclusions provided by the Interdivisional (American Psychological Association [APA] Divisions 12 & 29) Task Force on Evidence-Based Therapy Relationships. We highlight problems in overlapping terminology and definitions, as well as problems in the conduct of its meta-analyses (i.e., duplication of studies between reviews, inappropriate study inclusion, and use of measures of specific constructs for the calculation of effects for multiple relationship elements). On this basis, we express reservation about the conclusions offered by the APA Task Force. This special issue explores whether there are other therapeutic relationship elements that warrant consideration and further study. We were particularly interested in those elements that showed promise based on empirical or theoretical grounds, and in each article, we asked for an account of how the case formulation would guide the methods of adaptation for each individual client, and how the element would contribute to clinically relevant changes. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

U.S. Northern Command > Newsroom > Fact Sheets

Science.gov Websites

Operations Command, North U.S. Marine Forces Northern Command U.S. Fleet Forces Command Air Forces Northern U.S. Army North Joint Task Force North Joint Task Force Civil Support Joint Task Force Alaska Joint

The poison center role in biological and chemical terrorism.

PubMed

Krenzelok, E P; Allswede, M P; Mrvos, R

2000-10-01

Nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) terrorism countermeasures are a major priority with municipalities, healthcare providers, and the federal government. Significant resources are being invested to enhance civilian domestic preparedness by conducting education at every response level in anticipation of a NBC terroristic incident. The key to a successful response, in addition to education, is integration of efforts as well as thorough communication and understanding the role that each agency would play in an actual or impending NBC incident. In anticipation of a NBC event, a regional counter-terrorism task force was established to identify resources, establish responsibilities and coordinate the response to NBC terrorism. Members of the task force included first responders, hazmat, law enforcement (local, regional, national), government officials, the health department, and the regional poison information center. Response protocols were developed and education was conducted, culminating in all members of the response task force becoming certified NBC instructors. The poison center participated actively in 3 incidents of suspected biologic and chemical terrorism: an alleged anthrax-contaminated letter sent to a women's health clinic; a possible sarin gas release in a high school: and a potential anthrax/ebola contamination incident at an international airport. All incidents were determined hoaxes. The regional response plan establishes the poison information center as a common repository for all cases in a biological or chemical incident. The poison center is one of several critical components of a regional counterterrorism response force. It can conduct active and passive toxicosurveillance and identify sentinel events. To be responsive, the poison center staff must be knowledgeable about biological and chemical agents. The development of basic protocols and a standardized staff education program is essential. The use of the RaPiD-T (R-recognition, P-protection, D-detection, T-triage/treatment) course can provide basic staff education for responding to this important but rare consultation to the poison center.

Proximal arm kinematics affect grip force-load force coordination

PubMed Central

Vermillion, Billy C.; Lum, Peter S.

2015-01-01

During object manipulation, grip force is coordinated with load force, which is primarily determined by object kinematics. Proximal arm kinematics may affect grip force control, as proximal segment motion could affect control of distal hand muscles via biomechanical and/or neural pathways. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of proximal kinematics on grip force modulation during object manipulation. Fifteen subjects performed three vertical lifting tasks that involved distinct proximal kinematics (elbow/shoulder), but resulted in similar end-point (hand) trajectories. While temporal coordination of grip and load forces remained similar across the tasks, proximal kinematics significantly affected the grip force-to-load force ratio (P = 0.042), intrinsic finger muscle activation (P = 0.045), and flexor-extensor ratio (P < 0.001). Biomechanical coupling between extrinsic hand muscles and the elbow joint cannot fully explain the observed changes, as task-related changes in intrinsic hand muscle activation were greater than in extrinsic hand muscles. Rather, between-task variation in grip force (highest during task 3) appears to contrast to that in shoulder joint velocity/acceleration (lowest during task 3). These results suggest that complex neural coupling between the distal and proximal upper extremity musculature may affect grip force control during movements, also indicated by task-related changes in intermuscular coherence of muscle pairs, including intrinsic finger muscles. Furthermore, examination of the fingertip force showed that the human motor system may attempt to reduce variability in task-relevant motor output (grip force-to-load force ratio), while allowing larger fluctuations in output less relevant to task goal (shear force-to-grip force ratio). PMID:26289460

78 FR 23970 - Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-23

... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development AGENCY: U.S. Small Business Administration. ACTION: Notice of open Federal Interagency Task Force Meeting. SUMMARY: This document corrects the SBA's Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Developments...

32 CFR 700.1053 - Commander of a task force.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 5 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Commander of a task force. 700.1053 Section 700... Command Detail to Duty § 700.1053 Commander of a task force. (a) A geographic fleet commander, and any other naval commander, may detail in command of a task force, or other task command, any eligible...

75 FR 76422 - Meeting of the Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-08

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Meeting of the Department of Defense Task Force on... Forces (Subsequently Referred to as the Task Force) AGENCY: Department of Defense. ACTION: Notice... forthcoming meeting of the Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of...

75 FR 62611 - Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development

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2010-10-12

... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development AGENCY: U.S. Small Business Administration. ACTION: Notice of open Federal Interagency Task Force meeting... public meeting of the Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development. The meeting will be...

75 FR 76744 - National Disaster Housing Task Force

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-09

...] National Disaster Housing Task Force AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS. ACTION: Notice of Meeting. SUMMARY: The National Disaster Housing Task Force (NDHTF) will meet by teleconference on December...: Mitchell Wyllins, National Disaster Housing Task Force, 500 C Street, SW., (Room 428), Washington, DC 20472...

77 FR 41472 - Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-13

... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development AGENCY: U.S. Small Business Administration. ACTION: Notice of open Federal Interagency Task Force meeting... public meeting of the Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development. The meeting will be...

76 FR 8393 - Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-14

... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development AGENCY: U.S. Small Business Administration. ACTION: Notice of open Federal Interagency Task Force meeting... public meeting of the Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development. The meeting will be...

75 FR 62438 - Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-08

... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development Meeting AGENCY: U.S. Small Business Administration. ACTION: Notice of open Federal Interagency Task Force... first public meeting of the Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development. The meeting...

Face and Construct Validity of a Novel Virtual Reality-Based Bimanual Laparoscopic Force-Skills Trainer With Haptics Feedback.

PubMed

Prasad, Raghu; Muniyandi, Manivannan; Manoharan, Govindan; Chandramohan, Servarayan M

2018-05-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the face and construct validity of a custom-developed bimanual laparoscopic force-skills trainer with haptics feedback. The study also examined the effect of handedness on fundamental and complex tasks. Residents (n = 25) and surgeons (n = 25) performed virtual reality-based bimanual fundamental and complex tasks. Tool-tissue reaction forces were summed, recorded, and analysed. Seven different force-based measures and a 1-time measure were used as metrics. Subsequently, participants filled out face validity and demographic questionnaires. Residents and surgeons were positive on the design, workspace, and usefulness of the simulator. Construct validity results showed significant differences between residents and experts during the execution of fundamental and complex tasks. In both tasks, residents applied large forces with higher coefficient of variation and force jerks (P < .001). Experts, with their dominant hand, applied lower forces in complex tasks and higher forces in fundamental tasks (P < .001). The coefficients of force variation (CoV) of residents and experts were higher in complex tasks (P < .001). Strong correlations were observed between CoV and task time for fundamental (r = 0.70) and complex tasks (r = 0.85). Range of smoothness of force was higher for the non-dominant hand in both fundamental and complex tasks. The simulator was able to differentiate the force-skills of residents and surgeons, and objectively evaluate the effects of handedness on laparoscopic force-skills. Competency-based laparoscopic skills assessment curriculum should be updated to meet the requirements of bimanual force-based training.

Childhood Obesity Task Forces Established by State Legislatures, 2001-2010

PubMed Central

Kim, Sonia A.; Sherry, Bettylou; Blanck, Heidi M.

2013-01-01

Introduction States and communities are considering policy and environmental strategies, including enacting legislation, to reduce and prevent childhood obesity. One legislative approach has been to create task forces to understand key issues and develop a course of action. The goal of this study was to describe state-level, childhood obesity task forces in the United States created by legislation from 2001 through 2010. Methods We used the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity database to identify state-level childhood obesity task forces created through legislation from 2001 through 2010. Results We identified 21 states that had enacted legislation creating childhood obesity task forces of which 6 had created more than one task force. Most task forces were charged with both gathering and reviewing information and making recommendations for obesity-prevention actions in the state. Most legislation required that task forces include representation from the state legislature, state agencies, community organizations, and community members. Conclusion Evaluation of the effectiveness of obesity-prevention task forces and the primary components that contribute to their success may help to determine the advantages of the use of such strategies in obesity prevention. PMID:23987250

2015 International PV Quality Assurance Task Force (PVQAT) Workshop |

Science.gov Websites

Photovoltaic Research | NREL International PV Quality Assurance Task Force (PVQAT) Workshop 2015 International PV Quality Assurance Task Force (PVQAT) Workshop Wednesday, February 25, 2015 Chairs : Tony Sample and Masaaki Yamamichi The 2015 International PV Quality Assurance Task Force (PVQAT

78 FR 27969 - Meeting of the Community Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-13

... discussed: Matters to be discussed: cancer prevention and control, cardiovascular disease prevention and... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Meeting of the Community Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force) AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

77 FR 56845 - Meeting of the Community Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-14

...: Matters to be discussed: Tobacco, oral health and cardiovascular disease. Meeting Accessibility: This... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Meeting of the Community Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force) AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

78 FR 59939 - Meeting of the Community Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-30

.... Matters to be discussed: Cancer prevention and control, cardiovascular disease prevention and control... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Meeting of the Community Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force) AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

78 FR 7849 - Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-04

... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development AGENCY: U.S. Small Business Administration. ACTION: Notice of open Federal Interagency Task Force Meeting... meeting of the Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development. The meeting will be open to...

78 FR 70087 - Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-22

... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development AGENCY: U.S. Small Business Administration. ACTION: Notice of open Federal Interagency Task Force meeting... meeting of the Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development. The meeting will be open to...

78 FR 45996 - Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-30

... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development AGENCY: U.S. Small Business Administration. ACTION: Notice of open Federal Interagency Task Force meeting... meeting of the Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development. The meeting will be open to...

78 FR 21492 - Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-10

... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development AGENCY: U.S. Small Business Administration. ACTION: Notice of open Federal Interagency Task Force Meeting... meeting of the Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development. The meeting will be open to...

77 FR 41165 - Notice of Meeting of the Agricultural Air Quality Task Force

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-12

... Agricultural Air Quality Task Force AGENCY: Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Air Quality Task Force (AAQTF) will.../Concerns Discussion Continued discussion of goals for Task Force Anaerobic Digester Technologies Odor...

Community hoarding task forces: a comparative case study of five task forces in the United States.

PubMed

Bratiotis, Christiana

2013-05-01

During the past decade, many community task forces have formed to address hoarding problems that come to public attention. Such task forces provide a societal-level intervention to assist people with the most severe cases of hoarding, who do not voluntarily seek or want help for their hoarding behaviour. This qualitative study of five U.S. hoarding task forces included sites selected for their diversity of purpose, approaches to hoarding intervention and community geography, composition and resources. Data were collected during the period of September 2007-March 2008. The case study methodology used multiple forms of data, including semi-structured interviews, analysis of documents, small group interviews and investigator observation. This study captured the perspectives of public and private sector service providers such as mental health, housing, social service, public health agencies and community enforcement organisations (fire, police, legal, animal control) to examine how task forces organise and operate and the emerging practice and policy changes. Study findings suggest that structural factors (e.g. leadership, purpose, funding and membership) impact hoarding task force viability, that participation on a task force influences practice and policy decisions about hoarding, and that social work can expand its role in task force leadership. Task forces may be a mechanism for improving community policies about hoarding and mechanisms for addressing other social problems across multiple sectors. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Democratic civilian control of the Nepalese Army

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-14

control, the military operates within its own defined spheres, with significant autonomy in the tasks essential to preparing for and conducting......a wide range of cultures where there has long been substantial agreement among all sectors of society about the role of the armed forces. It

In Flight Evaluation of Active Inceptor Force-Feel Characteristics and Handling Qualities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lusardi, Jeff A.; Blanken, Chris L.; Ott, Carl Raymond; Malpica, Carlos A.; von Gruenhagen, Wolfgang

2012-01-01

The effect of inceptor feel-system characteristics on piloted handling qualities has been a research topic of interest for many years. Most of the research efforts have focused on advanced fly-by-wire fixed-wing aircraft with only a few studies investigating the effects on rotorcraft. Consequently, only limited guidance is available on how cyclic force-feel characteristics should be set to obtain optimal handling qualities for rotorcraft. To study this effect, the U.S. Army Aeroflightdynamics Directorate working with the DLR Institute of Flight Systems in Germany under Task X of the U.S. German Memorandum of Understanding have been conducting flight test evaluations. In the U.S., five experimental test pilots have completed evaluations of two Mission Task Elements (MTEs) from ADS-33E-PRF and two command/response types for a matrix of center-stick cyclic force-feel characteristics at Moffett Field. In Germany, three experimental test Pilots have conducted initial evaluations of the two MTEs with two command/response types for a parallel matrix of side-stick cyclic force-feel characteristics at WTD-61 in Manching. The resulting data set is used to correlate the effect of changes in natural frequency and damping ratio of the cyclic inceptor on the piloted handling qualities. Existing criteria in ADS-33E and a proposed Handling Qualities Sensitivity Function that includes the effects of the cyclic force-feel characteristics are also evaluated against the data set and discussed.

Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

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

Dale, Virginia H

2010-01-01

Since 1985, scientists have been documenting a hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico each year. The hypoxic zone, an area of low dissolved oxygen that cannot support marine life, generally manifests itself in the spring. Since marine species either die or flee the hypoxic zone, the spread of hypoxia reduces the available habitat for marine species, which are important for the ecosystem as well as commercial and recreational fishing in the Gulf. Since 2001, the hypoxic zone has averaged 16,500 km{sup 2} during its peak summer months, an area slightly larger than the state of Connecticut, and ranged frommore » a low of 8,500 km{sup 2} to a high of 22,000 km{sup 2}. To address the hypoxia problem, the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force (or Task Force) was formed to bring together representatives from federal agencies, states, and tribes to consider options for responding to hypoxia. The Task Force asked the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to conduct a scientific assessment of the causes and consequences of Gulf hypoxia through its Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (CENR). In 2000 the CENR completed An Integrated Assessment: Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico (or Integrated Assessment), which formed the scientific basis for the Task Force's Action Plan for Reducing, Mitigating, and Controlling Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico (Action Plan, 2001). In its Action Plan, the Task Force pledged to implement ten management actions and to assess progress every 5 years. This reassessment would address the nutrient load reductions achieved, the responses of the hypoxic zone and associated water quality and habitat conditions, and economic and social effects. The Task Force began its reassessment in 2005. In 2006 as part of the reassessment, USEPA's Office of Water, on behalf of the Task Force, requested that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Science Advisory Board (SAB) convene an independent panel to evaluate the state-of-the-science regarding hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico and potential nutrient mitigation and control options in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River basin (MARB). The Task Force was particularly interested in scientific advances since the Integrated Assessment and posed questions in three areas: characterization of hypoxia; nutrient fate, transport and sources; and the scientific basis for goals and management options. The Hypoxia Study Group began its deliberations in September of 2006 and completed its report in August of 2007 while operating under the 'sunshine' requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which include providing public access to advisory meetings and opportunities for public comment. This Executive Summary summarizes the Hypoxia Study Group's major findings and recommendations.« less

75 FR 32186 - Task Force on Community Preventive Services

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-07

... by space available. Purpose: The mission of the Task Force is to develop and publish the Guide to... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Task Force on Community Preventive Services Name: Task Force on Community Preventive Services meeting. Times and Dates: 8...

78 FR 2996 - Meeting of the Community Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-15

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Meeting of the Community Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force) AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention... for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the next meeting of the Community Preventive...

77 FR 16256 - Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-20

...] Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force Meeting AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Task Force. The ANS Task Force's purpose is to develop and implement a program for U.S. waters to prevent introduction...

75 FR 57987 - Evaluation of the Groundwater Task Force Report: Public Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-23

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2010-0302] Evaluation of the Groundwater Task Force Report... Task Force (GTF) in March 2010 to determine whether past, current, and planned actions should be... recommendations made in the Liquid Radioactive Release Lessons Learned Task Force Final Report dated September 1...

75 FR 70764 - Small Business Information Security Task Force

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-18

... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Small Business Information Security Task Force AGENCY: U.S. Small... publish meeting minutes for the Small Business Information Security Task Force Meeting. DATES: 1 p.m... Task Force. Chairman, Rusty Pickens, called the meeting to order on October 13, 2010 at 1 p.m. Roll...

7 CFR 1900.6 - Chair, Loan Resolution Task Force.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 12 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Chair, Loan Resolution Task Force. 1900.6 Section... AGRICULTURE PROGRAM REGULATIONS GENERAL Delegations of Authority § 1900.6 Chair, Loan Resolution Task Force. The Chair, Loan Resolution Task Force is delegated the following authorities, to be exercised until...

76 FR 5232 - Small Business Information Security Task Force

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-28

... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Small Business Information Security Task Force AGENCY: U.S. Small... publish meeting minutes for the Small Business Information Security Task Force Meeting. DATES: 1 p.m... Task Force. Chairman, Rusty Pickens, called the meeting to order on December 8, 2010 at 1 p.m. Roll...

76 FR 11307 - Small Business Information Security Task Force

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-01

... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Small Business Information Security Task Force AGENCY: U.S. Small... publish meeting minutes for the Small Business Information Security Task Force Meeting. DATES: 1 p.m... Task Force. Chairman, Mr. Rusty Pickens, called the meeting to order on January 12, 2011 at 1 p.m. Roll...

Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force Meeting and Public Listening

Science.gov Websites

Data Media & News Publications Press Releases Story Archive Home Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force Meeting and Public Listening Session Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force Meeting and Title: Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force Meeting and Public Listening SessionDescription: The

Task Force II: Energy and Its Socioeconomic Impacts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Appalachia, 1977

1977-01-01

Summarizing the Task Force Issues Paper presented at the Appalachian Conference on Balanced Growth and Economic Development (1977), this article presents selected comments by Task Force participants, and Task Force recommendations re: a national severence tax on extraction of nonrenewable energy resources; socioeconomic costs of nuclear energy; a…

A comparison of cleat types during two football-specific tasks on FieldTurf.

PubMed

Queen, R M; Charnock, B L; Garrett, W E; Hardaker, W M; Sims, E L; Moorman, C T

2008-04-01

To examine the effect of different cleat plate configurations on plantar pressure during two tasks. Thirty-six athletes ran an agility course 5 times while wearing 4 different types of Nike Vitoria cleats: (1) bladed, (2) elliptical firm ground, (3) hard ground and (4) turf. Plantar pressure data were recorded during a side cut and a cross cut using Pedar-X insoles. Controlled laboratory study No history of lower extremity injury in the past 6 months, no previous foot or ankle surgery, not currently wearing foot orthotics and play a cleated sport at least twice a week. Total foot contact time, contact area, maximum force, peak pressure and the force-time integral (FTI) in the medial, middle and lateral regions of the forefoot were collected. A 1x4 ANOVA (alpha = 0.05) was performed on each dependent variable. A Bonferroni adjustment was conducted (alpha = 0.008). In the cross cut task, statistical differences between cleats were observed in three variables: total foot peak pressure, lateral forefoot FTI, and lateral forefoot normalised maximum force. In the side cut task, statistical differences between cleats were observed in 4 variables: total foot peak pressure, the medial and middle forefoot FTI, and the medial and middle forefoot normalised maximum force. Significant differences in forefoot loading patterns existed between cleat types. Based on the results of this study, it might be beneficial to increase the forefoot cushioning in cleats in an attempt to decrease loading in these regions of the foot.

Unintentional force changes in cyclical tasks performed by an abundant system: Empirical observations and a dynamical model.

PubMed

Reschechtko, Sasha; Hasanbarani, Fariba; Akulin, Vladimir M; Latash, Mark L

2017-05-14

The study explored unintentional force changes elicited by removing visual feedback during cyclical, two-finger isometric force production tasks. Subjects performed two types of tasks at 1Hz, paced by an auditory metronome. One - Force task - required cyclical changes in total force while maintaining the sharing, defined as relative contribution of a finger to total force. The other task - Share task - required cyclical changes in sharing while keeping total force unchanged. Each trial started under full visual feedback on both force and sharing; subsequently, feedback on the variable that was instructed to stay constant was frozen, and finally feedback on the other variable was also removed. In both tasks, turning off visual feedback on total force elicited a drop in the mid-point of the force cycle and an increase in the peak-to-peak force amplitude. Turning off visual feedback on sharing led to a drift of mean share toward 50:50 across both tasks. Without visual feedback there was consistent deviation of the two force time series from the in-phase pattern (typical of the Force task) and from the out-of-phase pattern (typical of the Share task). This finding is in contrast to most earlier studies that demonstrated only two stable patterns, in-phase and out-of-phase. We interpret the results as consequences of drifts of parameters in a dynamical system leading in particular to drifts in the referent finger coordinates toward their actual coordinates. The relative phase desynchronization is caused by the right-left differences in the hypothesized drift processes, consistent with the dynamic dominance hypothesis. Copyright © 2017 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Unintentional force changes in cyclical tasks performed by an abundant system: Empirical observations and a dynamical model

PubMed Central

Reschechtko, Sasha; Hasanbarani, Fariba; Akulin, Vladimir M.; Latash, Mark L.

2017-01-01

The study explored unintentional force changes elicited by removing visual feedback during cyclical, two-finger isometric force production tasks. Subjects performed two types of tasks at 1 Hz, paced by an auditory metronome. One – Force task – required cyclical changes in total force while maintaining the sharing, defined as relative contribution of a finger to total force. The other task – Share task – required cyclical changes in sharing while keeping total force unchanged. Each trial started under full visual feedback on both force and sharing; subsequently, feedback on the variable that was instructed to stay constant was frozen, and finally feedback on the other variable was also removed. In both tasks, turning off visual feedback on total force elicited a drop in the mid-point of the force cycle and an increase in the peak-to-peak force amplitude. Turning off visual feedback on sharing led to a drift of mean share toward 50:50 across both tasks. Without visual feedback there was consistent deviation of the two force time series from the in-phase pattern (typical of the Force task) and from the out-of-phase pattern (typical of the Share task). This finding is in contrast to most earlier studies that demonstrated only two stable patterns, in-phase and out-of-phase. We interpret the results as consequences of drifts of parameters in a dynamical system leading in particular to drifts in the referent finger coordinates toward their actual coordinates. The relative phase desynchronization is caused by the right-left differences in the hypothesized drift processes, consistent with the dynamic dominance hypothesis. PMID:28344070

Independent Assessment of the Afghan National Security Forces

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-02-01

of operational objectives for the ANSF that support the U.S. policy goal in Afghanistan through 2018 ; con- ducted a troop-to-task analysis of ANSF...stability in the 2015– 2018 timeframe than it is now. The insurgency has been considerably weakened since the surge of U.S. and NATO forces in 2009, but...conduct high-profile attacks in Kabul and other urban areas, and gain leverage for reconciliation negotiations. In 2016– 2018 , once the insurgency has

77 FR 4584 - Sunshine Act Meetings; National Science Board

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-30

... of a National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council study CPP Task Force on Unsolicited Mid... and December 13 meeting minutes Discussion of the MS Task Force draft report CSB Task Force on Data... Task Force Closing Remarks From the Chairman Committee on Audit and Oversight (A&O) Open Session: 4-4...

Academic Standards Task Force Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burnham, Peter F.

The product of a year-long research process undertaken by a Task Force on Academic Standards at Tompkins Cortland Community College (TCCC) in 1980-81, this report provides background to the deliberations of the Task Force and a presentation of their position on academic standards at TCCC. The report establishes the Task Force's commitments to…

75 FR 61175 - Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-04

...] Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force Meeting AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Task Force. The.... DATES: The ANS Task Force will meet from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 3 through Thursday...

18 CFR 701.58 - Task forces.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Task forces. 701.58... Headquarters Organization § 701.58 Task forces. The Director with Council concurrence or the Council may establish task forces from time to time to aid in the preparation of issues for presentation to the Council...

3 CFR - White House Task Force on Middle-Class Working Families

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 3 The President 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false White House Task Force on Middle-Class Working... Task Force on Middle-Class Working Families Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and... times. To these ends, I hereby direct the following: Section 1. White House Task Force on Middle-Class...

77 FR 441 - Measurement and Control of Combustible Gas Generation and Dispersal

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-05

... Task Force Review of Insights from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Accident'' (Fukushima Task Force Report... Fukushima Task Force Report: ``[t]he task force recommends, as part of the longer term review, that the NRC... additional information is revealed through further study of the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident.'' The Commission...

76 FR 58165 - Petitions for Rulemaking Submitted by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-20

...-Term Task Force Review of Insights from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Accident'' (Fukushima Task Force Report... the Fukushima Task Force Report for the purpose of providing the Commission with fully-informed... recommendations from the Fukushima Task Force Report, and is not providing a separate opportunity for public...

76 FR 76189 - Notice of Public Hearing-Fiscal Oversight Task Force Report & Recommendations

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-06

... period; and (3) reactions to those comments submitted by Task Force members. DATES: Monday, December 12... Report, the public comments previously submitted, and reactions to those comments from several Task Force members. The public comments and a summary of Task Force members' reactions may be viewed online at http...

Solar Energy Task Force Report: Technical Training Guidelines.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connor, Kevin

This task force report offers guidelines and information for the development of vocational education programs oriented to the commercial application of solar energy in water and space heating. After Section I introduces the Solar Energy Task Force and its activities, Section II outlines the task force's objectives and raises several issues and…

The effect of bracing availability on one-hand isometric force exertion capability.

PubMed

Jones, Monica L H; Reed, Matthew P; Chaffin, Don B

2013-01-01

Environmental obstructions that workers encounter can kinematically limit the postures that they can achieve. However, such obstructions can also provide an opportunity for additional support by bracing with the hand, thigh or other body part. The reaction forces on bracing surfaces, which are in addition to those acting at the feet and task hand, are hypothesised to improve force exertion capability, and become required inputs to biomechanical analysis of tasks with bracing. The effects of kinematic constraints and associated bracing opportunities on isometric hand force were quantified in a laboratory study of 22 men and women. Analyses of one-hand maximal push, pull and lift tasks demonstrated that bracing surfaces available at the thighs and non-task hand enabled participants to exert an average of 43% more force at the task hand. Task hand force direction deviated significantly from the nominal direction for exertions performed with bracing at both medium and low task hand locations. This study quantifies the effect of bracing on kinematically constrained force exertions. Knowledge that appropriate bracing surfaces can substantially increase hand force is critical to the evaluation of task-oriented strength capability. Force estimates may also involve large off-axis components, which have clear implications for ergonomic analyses of manual tasks.

Information Systems Plan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tulsa Public Schools, OK.

A task force sought to determine the information needs of the Tulsa Public Schools (Oklahoma) by studying goals of the school district, identifying all processes necessary for operation of the school system, and conducting interviews with 48 key members. A detailed information systems matrix was constructed to show the interrelationships between…

Performance drifts in two-finger cyclical force production tasks performed by one and two actors.

PubMed

Hasanbarani, Fariba; Reschechtko, Sasha; Latash, Mark L

2018-03-01

We explored changes in the cyclical two-finger force performance task caused by turning visual feedback off performed either by the index and middle fingers of the dominant hand or by two index fingers of two persons. Based on an earlier study, we expected drifts in finger force amplitude and midpoint without a drift in relative phase. The subjects performed two rhythmical tasks at 1 Hz while paced by an auditory metronome. One of the tasks required cyclical changes in total force magnitude without changes in the sharing of the force between the two fingers. The other task required cyclical changes in the force sharing without changing total force magnitude. Subjects were provided with visual feedback, which showed total force magnitude and force sharing via cursor motion along the vertical and horizontal axes, respectively. Further, visual feedback was turned off, first on the variable that was not required to change and then on both variables. Turning visual feedback off led to a mean force drift toward lower magnitudes while force amplitude increased. There was a consistent drift in the relative phase in the one-hand task with the index finger leading the middle finger. No consistent relative phase drift was seen in the two-person tasks. The shape of the force cycle changed without visual feedback reflected in the lower similarity to a perfect cosine shape and in the higher time spent at lower force magnitudes. The data confirm findings of earlier studies regarding force amplitude and midpoint changes, but falsify predictions of an earlier proposed model with respect to the relative phase changes. We discuss factors that could contribute to the observed relative phase drift in the one-hand tasks including the leader-follower pattern generalized for two-effector tasks performed by one person.

The influence of anthropometrics on physical employment standard performance.

PubMed

Reilly, T; Spivock, M; Prayal-Brown, A; Stockbrugger, B; Blacklock, R

2016-10-01

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) recently implemented the Fitness for Operational Requirements of CAF Employment (FORCE), a new physical employment standard (PES). Data collection throughout development included anthropometric profiles of the CAF. To determine if anthropometric measurements and demographic information would predict the performance outcomes of the FORCE and/or Common Military Task Fitness Evaluation (CMTFE). We conducted a secondary analysis of data from FORCE research. We obtained bioelectrical impedance and segmental analysis. Statistical analysis included correlation and linear regression analyses. Among the 668 study subjects, as predicted, any task requiring lifting, pulling or moving of an object was significantly and positively correlated (r > 0.67) to lean body mass (LBM) measurements. LBM correlated with stretcher carry (r = 0.78) and with lifting actions such as sand bag drag (r = 0.77), vehicle extrication (r = 0.71), sand bag fortification (r = 0.68) and sand bag lift time (r = -0.67). The difference between the correlation of dead mass (DM) with task performance compared with LBM was not statistically significant. DM and LBM can be used in a PES to predict success on military tasks such as casualty evacuation and manual material handling. However, there is no minimum LBM required to perform these tasks successfully. These data direct future research on how we should diversify research participants by anthropometrics, in addition to the traditional demographic variables of gender and age, to highlight potential important adverse impact with PES design. In addition, the results can be used to develop better training regimens to facilitate passing a PES. © All rights reserved. ‘The Influence of Anthropometrics on Physical Employment Standard Performance’ has been reproduced with the permission of DND, 2016.

76 FR 52318 - U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Public Meeting and Public Comment

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-22

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration U.S. Coral Reef Task Force... of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force. The meeting will be held in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. This meeting, the 26th bi-annual meeting of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, provides a forum for coordinated...

76 FR 7579 - U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Public Meeting and Public Comment

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-10

.... Coral Reef Task Force Public Meeting and Public Comment AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior... Service (Service), announce a public business meeting of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) [email protected] ); or Liza Johnson, U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Department of the Interior Liaison, U.S...

76 FR 15334 - Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-21

...] Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force Meeting AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Task Force. The.... DATES: The ANS Task Force will meet from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 4; and Thursday May 5; and...

Force Control Characteristics for Generation and Relaxation in the Lower Limb.

PubMed

Ohtaka, Chiaki; Fujiwara, Motoko

2018-05-29

We investigated the characteristics for force generation and relaxation using graded isometric contractions of the knee extensors. Participants performed the following tasks as quickly and accurately as possible. For the force generation task, force was increased from 0% to 20%, 40% and 60% of the maximal voluntary force (MVF). For the force relaxation task, force was decreased from 60% to 40%, 20% and 0%. The following parameters of the recorded force were calculated: error, time, and rate of force development. The error was consistently greater for force relaxation than generation. Reaction and adjustment times were independent of the tasks. The control strategy was markedly different for force relaxation and generation, this tendency was particularly evident for the lower limb compared to the upper limb.

Consolidated fuel reprossing program: The implications of force reflection for teleoperation in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Draper, John V.; Herndon, Joseph N.; Moore, Wendy E.

1987-01-01

Previous research on teleoperator force feedback is reviewed and results of a testing program which assessed the impact of force reflection on teleoperator task performance are reported. Force relection is a type of force feedback in which the forces acting on the remote portion of the teleoperator are displayed to the operator by back-driving the master controller. The testing program compared three force reflection levels: 4 to 1 (four units of force on the slave produce one unit of force at the master controller), 1 to 1, and infinity to 1 (no force reflection). Time required to complete tasks, rate of occurrence of errors, the maximum force applied to tasks components, and variability in forces applied to components during completion of representative remote handling tasks were used as dependent variables. Operators exhibited lower error rates, lower peak forces, and more consistent application of forces using force relection than they did without it. These data support the hypothesis that force reflection provides useful information for teleoperator users. The earlier literature and the results of the experiment are discussed in terms of their implications for space based teleoperator systems. The discussion described the impact of force reflection on task completion performance and task strategies, as suggested by the literature. It is important to understand the trade-offs involved in using telerobotic systems with and without force reflection.

Telerobotic control of a dextrous manipulator using master and six-DOF hand-controllers for space assembly and servicing tasks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Hara, John M.

1987-01-01

Two studies were conducted evaluating methods of controlling a telerobot; bilateral force reflecting master controllers and proportional rate six degrees of freedom (DOF) hand controllers. The first study compared the controllers on performance of single manipulator arm tasks, a peg-in-the-hole task, and simulated satellite orbital replacement unit changeout. The second study, a Space Station truss assembly task, required simultaneous operation of both manipulator arms (all 12 DOFs) and complex multiaxis slave arm movements. Task times were significantly longer and fewer errors were committed with the hand controllers. The hand controllers were also rated significantly higher in cognitive and manual control workload on the two-arm task. The master controllers were rated significantly higher in physical workload. There were no significant differences in ratings of manipulator control quality.

Report by the International Space Station (ISS) Management and Cost Evaluation (IMCE) Task Force

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Young, A. Thomas; Kellogg, Yvonne (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) Management and Cost Evaluation Task Force (IMCE) was chartered to conduct an independent external review and assessment of the ISS cost, budget, and management. In addition, the Task Force was asked to provide recommendations that could provide maximum benefit to the U.S. taxpayers and the International Partners within the President's budget request. The Task Force has made the following principal findings: (1) The ISS Program's technical achievements to date, as represented by on-orbit capability, are extraordinary; (2) The Existing ISS Program Plan for executing the FY 02-06 budget is not credible; (3) The existing deficiencies in management structure, institutional culture, cost estimating, and program control must be acknowledged and corrected for the Program to move forward in a credible fashion; (4) Additional budget flexibility, from within the Office of Space Flight (OSF) must be provided for a credible core complete program; (5) The research support program is proceeding assuming the budget that was in place before the FY02 budget runout reduction of $1B; (6) There are opportunities to maximize research on the core station program with modest cost impact; (7) The U.S. Core Complete configuration (three person crew) as an end-state will not achieve the unique research potential of the ISS; (8) The cost estimates for the U.S.-funded enhancement options (e.g., permanent seven person crew) are not sufficiently developed to assess credibility. After these findings, the Task Force has formulated several primary recommendations which are published here and include: (1) Major changes must be made in how the ISS program is managed; (2) Additional cost reductions are required within the baseline program; (3) Additional funds must be identified and applied from the Human Space Flight budget; (4) A clearly defined program with a credible end-state, agreed to by all stakeholders, must be developed and implemented.

Antimicrobial Exposure Assessment Task Force II (AEATF II) Volume 5: Governing Document for a Multi-Year Antimicrobial Chemical Exposure Monitoring Program (interim draft document)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Describes the overall scope of the AEATF II program, demonstrates the need for additional human exposure monitoring data and explains the proposed methodology for the exposure monitoring studies proposed for conduct by the AEATF II.

Task Force on Faculty Productivity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hozeski, Bruce W.; And Others

A survey was conducted of 532 faculty members and 11 administrators at Ball State University (Indiana) concerning the number of hours that faculty typically work; extent of their time devoted to teaching, research, and service/administration; how faculty workload differs by rank and status; and how faculty feel about productivity issues. Findings…

A Library Communication Audit for the Twenty-First Century

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chalmers, Mardi; Liedtka, Theresa; Bednar, Carol

2006-01-01

This article describes a case study relating to an internal communication audit conducted in a large academic library that assessed existing information channels during a period of organizational change in order to recommend improvements. A communications task force developed and administered a survey instrument and then analyzed data and reported…

Making Schools Safe: The Role of the Modern Business Officer.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stephens, Ronald D.

1990-01-01

School business officials are held responsible for school safety. After conducting a school security audit, the following strategies are recommended: establishing a local school security task force; forming a comprehensive crisis management plan; establishing a school communication network; and providing school staff with inservice training on…

Massachusetts One-Stop Career Centers: Job Placement for Disadvantaged Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matrundola, Lisa A.

2010-01-01

This study investigated the services provided to students' participating in career preparation programs (e.g., career counseling, mentoring, apprenticeships, work-based learning, or GED programs) provided by the Massachusetts One-Stop Career Centers. A study conducted by the President's Task Force for Disadvantaged Students (2003) found that…

Dynamical signatures of isometric force control as a function of age, expertise, and task constraints.

PubMed

Vieluf, Solveig; Sleimen-Malkoun, Rita; Voelcker-Rehage, Claudia; Jirsa, Viktor; Reuter, Eva-Maria; Godde, Ben; Temprado, Jean-Jacques; Huys, Raoul

2017-07-01

From the conceptual and methodological framework of the dynamical systems approach, force control results from complex interactions of various subsystems yielding observable behavioral fluctuations, which comprise both deterministic (predictable) and stochastic (noise-like) dynamical components. Here, we investigated these components contributing to the observed variability in force control in groups of participants differing in age and expertise level. To this aim, young (18-25 yr) as well as late middle-aged (55-65 yr) novices and experts (precision mechanics) performed a force maintenance and a force modulation task. Results showed that whereas the amplitude of force variability did not differ across groups in the maintenance tasks, in the modulation task it was higher for late middle-aged novices than for experts and higher for both these groups than for young participants. Within both tasks and for all groups, stochastic fluctuations were lowest where the deterministic influence was smallest. However, although all groups showed similar dynamics underlying force control in the maintenance task, a group effect was found for deterministic and stochastic fluctuations in the modulation task. The latter findings imply that both components were involved in the observed group differences in the variability of force fluctuations in the modulation task. These findings suggest that between groups the general characteristics of the dynamics do not differ in either task and that force control is more affected by age than by expertise. However, expertise seems to counteract some of the age effects. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Stochastic and deterministic dynamical components contribute to force production. Dynamical signatures differ between force maintenance and cyclic force modulation tasks but hardly between age and expertise groups. Differences in both stochastic and deterministic components are associated with group differences in behavioral variability, and observed behavioral variability is more strongly task dependent than person dependent. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

The health sciences librarian in medical education: a vital pathways project task force.

PubMed

Schwartz, Diane G; Blobaum, Paul M; Shipman, Jean P; Markwell, Linda Garr; Marshall, Joanne Gard

2009-10-01

The Medical Education Task Force of the Task Force on Vital Pathways for Hospital Librarians reviewed current and future roles of health sciences librarians in medical education at the graduate and undergraduate levels and worked with national organizations to integrate library services, education, and staff into the requirements for training medical students and residents. Standards for medical education accreditation programs were studied, and a literature search was conducted on the topic of the role of the health sciences librarian in medical education. Expectations for library and information services in current standards were documented, and a draft standard prepared. A comprehensive bibliography on the role of the health sciences librarian in medical education was completed, and an analysis of the services provided by health sciences librarians was created. An essential role and responsibility of the health sciences librarian will be to provide the health care professional with the skills needed to access, manage, and use library and information resources effectively. Validation and recognition of the health sciences librarian's contributions to medical education by accrediting agencies will be critical. The opportunity lies in health sciences librarians embracing the diverse roles that can be served in this vital activity, regardless of accrediting agency mandates.

Crafting a Balanced System of Assessment in Wisconsin. Recommendations of the Next Generation Assessment Task Force

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 2009

2009-01-01

The Next Generation Assessment Task Force was convened to formulate Wisconsin's path forward. Task force members listened to leaders from business and technology sectors as well as leaders from PK-12 and higher education. This summary shares the process, definitions, assumptions, and recommendations of the task force. This paper aims to use these…

75 FR 47624 - U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Public Meeting and Public Comment

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-06

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Public Meeting and... (Service), announce a public meeting of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) and a request for written.... Coral Reef Task Force Department of the Interior Liaison, U.S. Department of the Interior, MS-3530-MIB...

75 FR 15457 - Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-29

...] Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force Meeting AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Task Force. The.... DATES: The ANS Task Force will meet from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 5, and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m...

77 FR 23667 - Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of Recovering Wounded...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-20

... CONTACT: Mail Delivery service through Recovering Warrior Task Force, Hoffman Building II, 200 Stovall St... Review of Non- Medical Case Management. 9:30-9:45 a.m. Break. 9:45-10:45 a.m. Task Force Recommendation... Task Force through the contact information in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, and this individual will...

Forest biomass as an energy source

Treesearch

P.E. Laks; R.W. Hemingway; A. Conner

1979-01-01

The Task Force on Forest Biomass as an Energy Source was chartered by the Society of American Foresters on September 26, 1977, and took its present form following an amendment to the charter on October 5, 1977. It built upon the findings of two previous task forces, the Task Force on Energy and Forest Resources and the Task Force for Evaluation of the CORRIM Report (...

Fighting blind: why US Army Divisions Need a Dedicated Reconnaissance and Security Force

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-25

dedicated reconnaissance and security force. By the 2003 invasion of Iraq, 3d Infantry Division employed a division cavalry squadron that integrated...26 1 Introduction 3-7 Cavalry conducted reconnaissance and security tasks ahead of and on the flank of 3d Infantry Division as the...division led Vth Corp’s attack from Kuwait to Baghdad in 2003. 3-7 Cavalry’s movements confused the enemy about 3d Infantry Division’s location and intent

Environmental Assessment for the Construction of the United States Air Force Technical Application Center (AFTAC) on Patrick Air Force Base, Florida

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-01

GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S...AND ADDRESS(ES) 45 Civil Engineer Squadron (45 CES/CEVP),1224 Jupiter Street,Patrick AFB,FL,32925 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER 9...Quality Requirements Law or Rule Permit/Action(s) Requirement Agency or Organization AFI 32-7086, Chapter 4 Minimize loss and conduct recovery

Experimental and simulation studies of hard contact in force reflecting teleoperation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hannaford, Blake; Anderson, Robert

1988-01-01

Experiments and simulations of a single-axis force-reflecting teleoperation system have been conducted to investigate the problem of contacting a hard environment and maintaining a controlled force in teleoperation in which position is fed forward from the hand controller (master) to the manipulator (slave), and force is fed back to the human operator through motors in the master. The simulations, using an electrical circuit model, reproduce the behavior of the real system, including effects of human operator biomechanics. It is shown that human operator properties, which vary as a result of different types of grasp of the handle, affect the stability of the system in the hard-contact task. The effect of a heavier grasp on the handle is equivalent to increased hand-controller velocity damping in terms of the systems stability in the contact task, but control system damping sufficient to guarantee stable contact results in perceptible sluggishness of the control handle's response in free motion. These results suggest that human operator biomechanics must be taken into account to guarantee stable and ergonomic performance of advanced teleoperators.

Control of force during rapid visuomotor force-matching tasks can be described by discrete time PID control algorithms.

PubMed

Dideriksen, Jakob Lund; Feeney, Daniel F; Almuklass, Awad M; Enoka, Roger M

2017-08-01

Force trajectories during isometric force-matching tasks involving isometric contractions vary substantially across individuals. In this study, we investigated if this variability can be explained by discrete time proportional, integral, derivative (PID) control algorithms with varying model parameters. To this end, we analyzed the pinch force trajectories of 24 subjects performing two rapid force-matching tasks with visual feedback. Both tasks involved isometric contractions to a target force of 10% maximal voluntary contraction. One task involved a single action (pinch) and the other required a double action (concurrent pinch and wrist extension). 50,000 force trajectories were simulated with a computational neuromuscular model whose input was determined by a PID controller with different PID gains and frequencies at which the controller adjusted muscle commands. The goal was to find the best match between each experimental force trajectory and all simulated trajectories. It was possible to identify one realization of the PID controller that matched the experimental force produced during each task for most subjects (average index of similarity: 0.87 ± 0.12; 1 = perfect similarity). The similarities for both tasks were significantly greater than that would be expected by chance (single action: p = 0.01; double action: p = 0.04). Furthermore, the identified control frequencies in the simulated PID controller with the greatest similarities decreased as task difficulty increased (single action: 4.0 ± 1.8 Hz; double action: 3.1 ± 1.3 Hz). Overall, the results indicate that discrete time PID controllers are realistic models for the neural control of force in rapid force-matching tasks involving isometric contractions.

Improving Dual-Task Control With a Posture-Second Strategy in Early-Stage Parkinson Disease.

PubMed

Huang, Cheng-Ya; Chen, Yu-An; Hwang, Ing-Shiou; Wu, Ruey-Meei

2018-03-31

To examine the task prioritization effects on postural-suprapostural dual-task performance in patients with early-stage Parkinson disease (PD) without clinically observed postural symptoms. Cross-sectional study. Participants performed a force-matching task while standing on a mobile platform, and were instructed to focus their attention on either the postural task (posture-first strategy) or the force-matching task (posture-second strategy). University research laboratory. Individuals (N=16) with early-stage PD who had no clinically observed postural symptoms. Not applicable. Dual-task change (DTC; percent change between single-task and dual-task performance) of posture error, posture approximate entropy (ApEn), force error, and reaction time (RT). Positive DTC values indicate higher postural error, posture ApEn, force error, and force RT during dual-task conditions compared with single-task conditions. Compared with the posture-first strategy, the posture-second strategy was associated with smaller DTC of posture error and force error, and greater DTC of posture ApEn. In contrast, greater DTC of force RT was observed under the posture-second strategy. Contrary to typical recommendations, our results suggest that the posture-second strategy may be an effective dual-task strategy in patients with early-stage PD who have no clinically observed postural symptoms in order to reduce the negative effect of dual tasking on performance and facilitate postural automaticity. Copyright © 2018 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

75 FR 61419 - Inquiry on Copyright Policy, Creativity, and Innovation in the Internet Economy

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-05

...The Department of Commerce's Internet Policy Task Force is conducting a comprehensive review of the relationship between the availability and protection of online copyrighted works and innovation in the Internet economy. The Department, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) seek public comment from all interested stakeholders, including rights holders, Internet service providers, and consumers on the challenges of protecting copyrighted works online and the relationship between copyright law and innovation in the Internet economy. After analyzing the comments submitted in response to this Notice, the Internet Policy Task Force intends to issue a report that will contribute to the Administration's domestic policy and international engagement in the area of online copyright protection and innovation.

King has no clothes: The role of the military in responding to a terrorist chemical/biological attack. Final report

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

Osterman, J.L.

1996-06-14

The United States has begun a program of counterproliferation in order to preempt the use of WMD by such elements, however, the ability to respond to the terrorist employment of biological/chemical weapons is absent. Given the structure, capability and technical expertise in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Defense (DoD) will be tasked to conduct the response to such an incident. The geographical Commander in Chief (CINC) and the appointed Joint Task Force (JTF) commander will ultimately be assigned the response mission. Planning, training and coordination is required to developmore » a force capable of responding in a timely and coordinated manner.« less

Interagency Task Forces: The Right Tools for the Job

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

shortcomings. This analysis discusses four organizational reform models and recommends the interagency task force ( IATF ) as the preferred structure...model.64 Still others recommend creating and deploying ad hoc IATFs for crisis operations. These interagency task forces would be task- organized to...forces assigned for planning, exercises, and mission execution.65 A 2005 article in Policy Review recommended developing IATFs as needed for specific

Vocational Evaluation and Work Adjustment Bulletin; Vol. 8, Special Edition: Vocational Evaluation Project Final Report Part 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vocational Evaluation and Work Adjustment Association, Washington, DC.

Part 2 of the three-part Vocational Evaluation Project final report contains brief summaries of the seven task force report which comprise the final report and two such task force reports. The report of task force 5, Standards for Vocational Evaluation, describes the task force's effort to study the standards for accreditation presently used by…

Comparing the Values Hierarchy of the Kentucky Department of Education's Character/Values Task Force. Comparing a Character/Values Task Force to a National Sample.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butler, Fonda P.

In March 1989, the Kentucky Department of Education assembled a task force to make recommendations regarding the issue of teaching values and character in public schools in Kentucky. The 23-member task force represented educators, parents, the legislature, state and local school boards, law enforcement agencies, higher education, Catholic…

Task Force on Defense Strategies for Ensuring the Resilience of National Space Capabilities. Executive Summary

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-21

March 2017 Task Force on Defense Strategies for Ensuring the Resilience of National Space Capabilities OFFICE OF THE UNDER SECRETARY OF...the Department of Defense. The DSB Task Force on Defense Strategies for Ensuring the Resilience of National Space Capabilities completed its formal...Ensuring the Resilience of National Space Capabilities | i DSB Task Force on Defense Strategies for Ensuring the

Communicating with New and Existing Markets. A Task Force of Howard Community College's 1998-1999 Commission on the Future.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howard Community Coll., Columbia, MD.

This is a report from a task force formed by Howard Community College (Maryland) to examine existing and future markets. The task force also explored ways to use marketing strategies to attract potential customers to the college. The task force recommends that the college use its strengths to attract customers, such as its commitment to open…

Ethical Challenges in Promoting the Implementation of Preventive Interventions: Report of the SPR Task Force.

PubMed

Leadbeater, Bonnie J; Dishion, Tom; Sandler, Irwin; Bradshaw, Catherine P; Dodge, Kenneth; Gottfredson, Denise; Graham, Phillip W; Lindstrom Johnson, Sarah; Maldonado-Molina, Mildred M; Mauricio, Anne M; Smith, Emilie Phillips

2018-06-23

Prevention science researchers and practitioners are increasingly engaged in a wide range of activities and roles to promote evidence-based prevention practices in the community. Ethical concerns invariably arise in these activities and roles that may not be explicitly addressed by university or professional guidelines for ethical conduct. In 2015, the Society for Prevention Research (SPR) Board of Directors commissioned Irwin Sandler and Tom Dishion to organize a series of roundtables and establish a task force to identify salient ethical issues encountered by prevention scientists and community-based practitioners as they collaborate to implement evidence-based prevention practices. This article documents the process and findings of the SPR Ethics Task Force and aims to inform continued efforts to articulate ethical practice. Specifically, the SPR membership and task force identified prevention activities that commonly stemmed from implementation and scale-up efforts. This article presents examples that illustrate typical ethical dilemmas. We present principles and concepts that can be used to frame the discussion of ethical concerns that may be encountered in implementation and scale-up efforts. We summarize value statements that stemmed from our discussion. We also conclude that the field of prevention science in general would benefit from standards and guidelines to promote ethical behavior and social justice in the process of implementing evidence-based prevention practices in community settings. It is our hope that this article serves as an educational resource for students, investigators, and Human Subjects Review Board members regarding some of the complexity of issues of fairness, equality, diversity, and personal rights for implementation of preventive interventions.

Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Quality of Life.

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-10-15

The Quality of Life Task Force is deeply grateful to those distinguished Americans who served as Counselors to the Task Force. Although they did not... Quality of Life issues to the readiness and well being of our Armed Forces. Their willingness to offer suggestions and advice on topics within their...respective expertise was most helpful The recommendations of the Report are those of the Quality of Life Task Force; and Counselors may, or may not, concur in whole or in part with them.

Screening for Hepatitis C Infections in Adults

MedlinePlus

Understanding Task Force Recommendations Screening for Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Adults The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force) has issued a final recommendation statement on Screening for Hepatitis C ...

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

MedlinePlus

... USPSTF Our Members Conflict of Interest Disclosures Task Force Resources Our Partners Reports to Congress Contact Us ... effort to make the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations clearer and its processes more transparent, ...

78 FR 10127 - Request for Nominations to the Agricultural Air Quality Task Force

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-13

... Conservation Service Request for Nominations to the Agricultural Air Quality Task Force AGENCY: Natural... Nominations to the Agricultural Air Quality Task Force. SUMMARY: The Secretary of Agriculture invites... Force (AAQTF) which was established by the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to...

Science and Sandy: Lessons Learned

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Werner, K.

2013-12-01

Following Hurricane Sandy's impact on the mid-Atlantic region, President Obama established a Task Force to '...ensure that the Federal Government continues to provide appropriate resources to support affected State, local, and tribal communities to improve the region's resilience, health, and prosperity by building for the future.' The author was detailed from NOAA to the Task Force between January and June 2013. As the Task Force and others began to take stock of the region's needs and develop plans to address them, many diverse approaches emerged from different areas of expertise including: infrastructure, management and construction, housing, public health, and others. Decision making in this environment was complex with many interests and variables to consider and balance. Although often relevant, science and technical expertise was not always at the forefront of this process. This talk describes the author's experience with the Sandy Task Force focusing on organizing scientific expertise to support the work of the Task Force. This includes a description of federal activity supporting Sandy recovery efforts, the role of the Task Force, and lessons learned from developing a science support function within the Task Force.

Antimicrobial Exposure Assessment Task Force II (AEATF II) Volume 5: Governing Document for a Multi-Year Antimicrobial Chemical Exposure Monitoring Program (interim draft document with changes)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This document describes the overall scope of the AEATF II program, demonstrates the need for additional human exposure monitoring data and explains the proposed methodology for the exposure monitoring studies proposed for conduct by the AEATF II.

Clinical Skills Verification in General Psychiatry: Recommendations of the ABPN Task Force on Rater Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jibson, Michael D.; Broquet, Karen E.; Anzia, Joan Meyer; Beresin, Eugene V.; Hunt, Jeffrey I.; Kaye, David; Rao, Nyapati Raghu; Rostain, Anthony Leon; Sexson, Sandra B.; Summers, Richard F.

2012-01-01

Objective: The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) announced in 2007 that general psychiatry training programs must conduct Clinical Skills Verification (CSV), consisting of observed clinical interviews and case presentations during residency, as one requirement to establish graduates' eligibility to sit for the written certification…

Action Guide for Emergency Management at Institutions of Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

US Department of Education, 2009

2009-01-01

Because of recent violent crimes, natural disasters, and other emergencies or crises, colleges and universities are convening committees and task forces to reexamine or conduct a comprehensive review of policies, procedures, and systems related to campus safety and security. As with many critical areas on the agendas of administrators, campus…

Older Worker Attitudes toward Change and Challenge.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donchin, Gwyneth G.

A task force from a high technology company recently conducted a nine-month study to determine the attitudes of older workers toward work, management, technological change, and productivity. Data were gathered from personnel files; an age audit was undertaken, and 4,000 employees were randomly interviewed. The workers were asked to offer opinions…

Violence Directed against Teachers: Results from a National Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mcmahon, Susan D.; Martinez, Andrew; Espelage, Dorothy; Rose, Chad; Reddy, Linda A.; Lane, Kathleen; Anderman, Eric M.; Reynolds, Cecil R.; Jones, Abraham; Brown, Veda

2014-01-01

Teachers in U.S. schools report high rates of victimization, yet previous studies focus on select types of victimization and student perpetrators, which may underestimate the extent of the problem. This national study was based on work conducted by the American Psychological Association Classroom Violence Directed Against Teachers Task Force and…

Notification of SAB Workgroup Public Meeting for the Toxicological Review of Inorganic Arsenic

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Organic Arsenical Products Task Force (OAPTF), a group of registrants of pesticide products that contain monosodium methanearsonate (MSMA), to request that the Science Advisory Board (SAB) reschedule the public meeting of a workgroup to conduct a review of the draft document entitled Toxicological Review of Inorganic Arsenic

Evidence-Based Psychosocial Treatments for Child and Adolescent Depression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

David-Ferdon, Corinne; Kaslow, Nadine J.

2008-01-01

The evidence-base of psychosocial treatment outcome studies for depressed youth conducted since 1998 is examined. All studies for depressed children meet Nathan and Gorman's (2002) criteria for Type 2 studies whereas the adolescent protocols meet criteria for both Type 1 and Type 2 studies. Based on the Task Force on the Promotion and…

The Shifting Gender Composition of Psychology. Trends and Implications for the Discipline.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pion, Georgine M.; And Others

1996-01-01

Summarizes results from a psychology case study conducted by a subcommittee of the American Psychological Association's Task Force on the Changing Gender Composition of Psychology to examine the discipline's changing gender composition and factors related to these shifts. Societal and disciplinary trends are also examined, along with the patterns…

RE: Notification of SAB Workgroup Public Meeting for the Toxicological Review of Inorganic Arsenic

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Request from the Organic Arsenical Products Task Force for the Science Advisory Board to reschedule the public meeting of a workgroup to conduct a review of the draft document Toxicological Review of Inorganic Arsenic: In Support of the Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS).

Force related hemodynamic responses during execution and imagery of a hand grip task: A functional near infrared spectroscopy study.

PubMed

Wriessnegger, Selina C; Kirchmeyr, Daniela; Bauernfeind, Günther; Müller-Putz, Gernot R

2017-10-01

We examined force related hemodynamic changes during the performance of a motor execution (ME) and motor imagery (MI) task by means of multichannel functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The hemodynamic responses of fourteen healthy participants were measured while they performed a hand grip execution or imagery task with low and high grip forces. We found an overall higher increase of [oxy-Hb] concentration changes during ME for both grip forces but with a delayed peak maximum for the lower grip force. During the MI task with lower grip force, the [oxy-Hb] level increases are stronger compared to the MI with higher grip force. The facilitation in performing MI with higher grip strength might thus indicate less inhibition of the actual motor act which could also explain the later increase onset of [oxy-Hb] in the ME task with the lower grip force. Our results suggest that execution and imagery of a hand grip task with high and low grip forces, leads to different cortical activation patterns. Since impaired control of grip forces during object manipulation in particular is one aspect of fine motor control deficits after stroke, our study will contribute to future rehabilitation programs enhancing patient's grip force control. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

78 FR 28580 - Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of Recovering Wounded...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-15

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of Recovering Wounded, Ill, and Injured Members of the Armed Forces AGENCY: Office... Defense announces the following Federal Advisory Committee meeting of the Department of Defense Task Force...

77 FR 68744 - Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of Recovering Wounded...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-16

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of Recovering Wounded, Ill, and Injured Members of the Armed Forces; Federal... Committee meeting of the Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of...

75 FR 59698 - Federal Advisory Committee; Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-28

.... SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Task Force is a non-discretionary Federal advisory committee established to (a... for wounded, ill, and injured members of the Armed Forces; ii. Medical case management; iii. Non... Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of Recovering Wounded, Ill, and Injured Member of...

Theoretical assessment of the disparity in the electrostatic forces between two point charges and two conductive spheres of equal radii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolikov, Kiril

2016-11-01

The Coulomb's formula for the force FC of electrostatic interaction between two point charges is well known. In reality, however, interactions occur not between point charges, but between charged bodies of certain geometric form, size and physical structure. This leads to deviation of the estimated force FC from the real force F of electrostatic interaction, thus imposing the task to evaluate the disparity. In the present paper the problem is being solved theoretically for two charged conductive spheres of equal radii and arbitrary electric charges. Assessment of the deviation is given as a function of the ratio of the distance R between the spheres centers to the sum of their radii. For the purpose, relations between FC and F derived in a preceding work of ours, are employed to generalize the Coulomb's interactions. At relatively short distances between the spheres, the Coulomb force FC, as estimated to be induced by charges situated at the centers of the spheres, differ significantly from the real force F of interaction between the spheres. In the case of zero and non-zero charge we prove that with increasing the distance between the two spheres, the force F decrease rapidly, virtually to zero values, i.e. it appears to be short-acting force.

PRN 2009-1: Establishment of Antimicrobial Exposure Assessment Task Force II

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This PR notice announces the establishment of the Antimicrobial Exposure Assessment Task Force II, an industry-wide task force to develop mixer, loader, applicator and post-application exposure data for antimicrobial pesticides used in various settings.

Practice and Age-Related Loss of Adaptability in Sensorimotor Performance

PubMed Central

Sosnoff, Jacob J.; Voudrie, Stefani J.

2009-01-01

The purpose of the present investigation was to examine whether the ability to adapt to task constraints is influenced by short-term practice in older adults. Young (18–29 years old) and old (65–75 years old) adults produced force output to a constant force target and a 1-Hz sinusoidal force target by way of the index finger flexion. Participants completed each task 5 times per session for 5 concurrent sessions. The amount and structure of force variability was calculated using linear and nonlinear analyses. As expected, there was a decrease in the magnitude of variability (coefficient of variation) in both tasks and task-related change in the structure of force variability (approximate entropy) with training across groups. The authors found older adults to have a greater amount of variability than their younger counterparts in both tasks. Older adults also demonstrated an increase in the structure of force output in the constant task but a decrease in structure in the sinusoidal task. Age differences in the adaptability to task constraints persisted throughout practice. The authors propose that older adults' ability to adapt sensorimotor output to task demands is not a result of lack of familiarity with the task but that it is, instead, characteristic of the aging process. PMID:19201684

Tibiofemoral contact forces during walking, running and sidestepping.

PubMed

Saxby, David J; Modenese, Luca; Bryant, Adam L; Gerus, Pauline; Killen, Bryce; Fortin, Karine; Wrigley, Tim V; Bennell, Kim L; Cicuttini, Flavia M; Lloyd, David G

2016-09-01

We explored the tibiofemoral contact forces and the relative contributions of muscles and external loads to those contact forces during various gait tasks. Second, we assessed the relationships between external gait measures and contact forces. A calibrated electromyography-driven neuromusculoskeletal model estimated the tibiofemoral contact forces during walking (1.44±0.22ms(-1)), running (4.38±0.42ms(-1)) and sidestepping (3.58±0.50ms(-1)) in healthy adults (n=60, 27.3±5.4years, 1.75±0.11m, and 69.8±14.0kg). Contact forces increased from walking (∼1-2.8 BW) to running (∼3-8 BW), sidestepping had largest maximum total (8.47±1.57 BW) and lateral contact forces (4.3±1.05 BW), while running had largest maximum medial contact forces (5.1±0.95 BW). Relative muscle contributions increased across gait tasks (up to 80-90% of medial contact forces), and peaked during running for lateral contact forces (∼90%). Knee adduction moment (KAM) had weak relationships with tibiofemoral contact forces (all R(2)<0.36) and the relationships were gait task-specific. Step-wise regression of multiple external gait measures strengthened relationships (0.20

Evaluation of the walkable neighborhoods for seniors project in Sacramento County.

PubMed

Hooker, Steven P; Cirill, Lisa A; Geraghty, Anne

2009-07-01

The Walkable Neighborhoods for Seniors project was implemented to foster the creation and promotion of safe and accessible neighborhood walking routes for seniors. This article describes a case study of the efforts put forth by a local task force jointly managed by the Sacramento County Department of Health Services and WALK Sacramento. To facilitate environmental and policy changes that would enable and encourage walking by older adults, these local lead agencies implemented several strategies including organizing a community task force with broad professional and civic representation, conducting environmental audits of selected walking routes, creating walking groups, and advocating for environmental and policy change. Evaluation processes yield information on successes, challenges, and lessons learned that could be applied to similar efforts undertaken by community organizations to improve the walkability of neighborhoods for older adults.

Fitts' Law in the Control of Isometric Grip Force With Naturalistic Targets.

PubMed

Thumser, Zachary C; Slifkin, Andrew B; Beckler, Dylan T; Marasco, Paul D

2018-01-01

Fitts' law models the relationship between amplitude, precision, and speed of rapid movements. It is widely used to quantify performance in pointing tasks, study human-computer interaction, and generally to understand perceptual-motor information processes, including research to model performance in isometric force production tasks. Applying Fitts' law to an isometric grip force task would allow for quantifying grasp performance in rehabilitative medicine and may aid research on prosthetic control and design. We examined whether Fitts' law would hold when participants attempted to accurately produce their intended force output while grasping a manipulandum when presented with images of various everyday objects (we termed this the implicit task). Although our main interest was the implicit task, to benchmark it and establish validity, we examined performance against a more standard visual feedback condition via a digital force-feedback meter on a video monitor (explicit task). Next, we progressed from visual force feedback with force meter targets to the same targets without visual force feedback (operating largely on feedforward control with tactile feedback). This provided an opportunity to see if Fitts' law would hold without vision, and allowed us to progress toward the more naturalistic implicit task (which does not include visual feedback). Finally, we changed the nature of the targets from requiring explicit force values presented as arrows on a force-feedback meter (explicit targets) to the more naturalistic and intuitive target forces implied by images of objects (implicit targets). With visual force feedback the relation between task difficulty and the time to produce the target grip force was predicted by Fitts' law (average r 2 = 0.82). Without vision, average grip force scaled accurately although force variability was insensitive to the target presented. In contrast, images of everyday objects generated more reliable grip forces without the visualized force meter. In sum, population means were well-described by Fitts' law for explicit targets with vision ( r 2 = 0.96) and implicit targets ( r 2 = 0.89), but not as well-described for explicit targets without vision ( r 2 = 0.54). Implicit targets should provide a realistic see-object-squeeze-object test using Fitts' law to quantify the relative speed-accuracy relationship of any given grasper.

A guide for statewide impaired-driving task forces.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-09-01

The purpose of the guide is to assist State officials and other stakeholders who are interested in establishing an : Impaired-Driving Statewide Task Force or who are exploring ways to improve their current Task Force. The guide : addresses issues suc...

PRN 2007-3: The Agricultural Handlers Exposure Task Force, L.L.C

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This PR Notice discusses the Agricultural Handlers Exposure Task Force, an industry-wide task force formed to develop mixer, loader, and applicator exposure data for pesticides used in agricultural settings. It includes contacts for more information.

Injury Risk Assessment of Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Phase VI and Series 4000 Gloves During Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Hand Manipulation Tasks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kilby, Melissa

2015-01-01

Functional Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMUs) with high precision gloves are essential for the success of Extravehicular Activity (EVA). Previous research done at NASA has shown that total strength capabilities and performance are reduced when wearing a pressurized EMU. The goal of this project was to characterize the human-space suit glove interaction and assess the risk of injury during common EVA hand manipulation tasks, including pushing, pinching and gripping objects. A custom third generation sensor garment was designed to incorporate a combination of sensors, including force sensitive resistors, strain gauge sensors, and shear force sensors. The combination of sensors was used to measure the forces acting on the finger nails, finger pads, finger tips, as well as the knuckle joints. In addition to measuring the forces, data was collected on the temperature, humidity, skin conductance, and blood perfusion of the hands. Testing compared both the Phase VI and Series 4000 glove against an ungloved condition. The ungloved test was performed wearing the sensor garment only. The project outcomes identified critical landmarks that experienced higher workloads and are more likely to suffer injuries. These critical landmarks varied as a function of space suit glove and task performed. The results showed that less forces were acting on the hands while wearing the Phase VI glove as compared to wearing the Series 4000 glove. Based on our findings, the engineering division can utilize these methods for optimizing the current space suit glove and designing next generation gloves to prevent injuries and optimize hand mobility and comfort.

78 FR 7415 - Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of Recovering Wounded...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-01

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of Recovering Wounded, Ill, and Injured Members of the Armed Forces; Notice of... Committee meeting of the Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of...

78 FR 66902 - Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of Recovering Wounded...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-07

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of Recovering Wounded, Ill, and Injured Members of the Armed Forces; Notice of... Federal Advisory Committee meeting of the Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and...

77 FR 31337 - Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of Recovering Wounded...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-25

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of Recovering Wounded, Ill, and Injured Members of the Armed Forces; Notice of... Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of Recovering Wounded, Ill, and...

76 FR 38118 - Meeting of the Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-29

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Meeting of the Department of Defense Task Force on... Forces AGENCY: Department of Defense. ACTION: Meeting notice. SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the... that the following Federal Advisory Committee meeting of the Department of Defense Task Force on the...

78 FR 38015 - Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of Recovering Wounded...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-25

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of Recovering Wounded, Ill, and Injured Members of the Armed Forces; Notice of... of the Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of Recovering Wounded...

An assessment of various side-stick controller/stability and control augmentation systems for night nap-of-Earth flight using piloted simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Landis, K. H.; Aiken, E. W.

1982-01-01

Several night nap-of-the-earth mission tasks were evaluated using a helmet-mounted display which provided a limited field-of-view image with superimposed flight control symbology. A wide range of stability and control augmentation designs was investigated. Variations in controller force-deflection characteristics and the number of axes controlled through an integrated side-stick controller were studied. In general, a small displacement controller is preferred over a stiffstick controller particularly for maneuvering flight. Higher levels of stability augmentation were required for IMC tasks to provide handling qualities comparable to those achieved for the same tasks conducted under simulated visual flight conditions.

Load type influences motor unit recruitment in biceps brachii during a sustained contraction.

PubMed

Baudry, Stéphane; Rudroff, Thorsten; Pierpoint, Lauren A; Enoka, Roger M

2009-09-01

Twenty subjects participated in four experiments designed to compare time to task failure and motor-unit recruitment threshold during contractions sustained at 15% of maximum as the elbow flexor muscles either supported an inertial load (position task) or exerted an equivalent constant torque against a rigid restraint (force task). Subcutaneous branched bipolar electrodes were used to record single motor unit activity from the biceps brachii muscle during ramp contractions performed before and at 50 and 90% of the time to failure for the position task during both fatiguing contractions. The time to task failure was briefer for the position task than for the force task (P=0.0002). Thirty and 29 motor units were isolated during the force and position tasks, respectively. The recruitment threshold declined by 48 and 30% (P=0.0001) during the position task for motor units with an initial recruitment threshold below and above the target force, respectively, whereas no significant change in recruitment threshold was observed during the force task. Changes in recruitment threshold were associated with a decrease in the mean discharge rate (-16%), an increase in discharge rate variability (+40%), and a prolongation of the first two interspike intervals (+29 and +13%). These data indicate that there were faster changes in motor unit recruitment and rate coding during the position task than the force task despite a similar net muscle torque during both tasks. Moreover, the results suggest that the differential synaptic input observed during the position task influences most of the motor unit pool.

Task- and time-dependent modulation of Ia presynaptic inhibition during fatiguing contractions performed by humans

PubMed Central

Maerz, Adam H.; Gould, Jeffrey R.; Enoka, Roger M.

2011-01-01

Presynaptic modulation of Ia afferents converging onto the motor neuron pool of the extensor carpi radialis (ECR) was compared during contractions (20% of maximal force) sustained to failure as subjects controlled either the angular position of the wrist while supporting an inertial load (position task) or exerted an equivalent force against a rigid restraint (force task). Test Hoffmann (H) reflexes were evoked in the ECR by stimulating the radial nerve above the elbow. Conditioned H reflexes were obtained by stimulating either the median nerve above the elbow or at the wrist (palmar branch) to assess presynaptic inhibition of homonymous (D1 inhibition) and heteronymous Ia afferents (heteronymous Ia facilitation), respectively. The position task was briefer than the force task (P = 0.001), although the maximal voluntary force and electromyograph for ECR declined similarly at failure for both tasks. Changes in the amplitude of the conditioned H reflex were positively correlated between the two conditioning methods (P = 0.02) and differed between the two tasks (P < 0.05). The amplitude of the conditioned H reflex during the position task first increased (129 ± 20.5% of the initial value, P < 0.001) before returning to its initial value (P = 0.22), whereas it increased progressively during the force task to reach 122 ± 17.4% of the initial value at failure (P < 0.001). Moreover, changes in conditioned H reflexes were associated with the time to task failure and force fluctuations. The results suggest a task- and time-dependent modulation of presynaptic inhibition of Ia afferents during fatiguing contractions. PMID:21543747

77 FR 6786 - U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Public Meeting and Public Comment

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-09

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration U.S. Coral Reef Task Force... of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force. The meeting will be held in Washington, DC This meeting, the 27th [[Page 6787

First Responder Refresher: National Standard Curriculum (Instructor Course Guide)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-07-08

This white paper provides a brief overview of the report titled "ITS Focus Task Force on System Architecture Report", dated May 1997. The report was prepared by a special task force of the United Kingdoms ITS Focus organization. This task force wa...

2013 Review and Update of the Genetic Counseling Practice Based Competencies by a Task Force of the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling.

PubMed

Doyle, Debra Lochner; Awwad, Rawan I; Austin, Jehannine C; Baty, Bonnie J; Bergner, Amanda L; Brewster, Stephanie J; Erby, Lori A H; Franklin, Cathi Rubin; Greb, Anne E; Grubs, Robin E; Hooker, Gillian W; Noblin, Sarah Jane; Ormond, Kelly E; Palmer, Christina G; Petty, Elizabeth M; Singletary, Claire N; Thomas, Matthew J; Toriello, Helga; Walton, Carol S; Uhlmann, Wendy R

2016-10-01

The first practice based competencies (PBCs) for the field of genetic counseling were adopted by the American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC), 1996. Since that time, there has been significant growth in established and new work settings (clinical and non-clinical) and changes in service delivery models and the roles of genetic counselors. These changes prompted the ABGC to appoint a PBC Task Force in 2011 to review the PBCs with respect to their current relevance and to revise and update them as necessary. There are four domains in the revised PBCs: (I) Genetics Expertise and Analysis (II) Interpersonal, Psychosocial and Counseling Skills (III) Education and (IV) Professional Development and Practice. There are 22 competencies, each clarified with learning objectives or samples of activities and skills; a glossary is included. New competencies were added that address genomics, genetic testing and genetic counselors' roles in risk assessment, education, supervision, conducting research and presenting research options to patients. With PBCs serving as the pre-defined abilities or outcomes of training, graduating genetic counselors will be well prepared to enter the field with a minimum level of skills and abilities. A description of the Task Force's work, key changes and the 2013 PBCs are presented herein.

The health sciences librarian in medical education: a vital pathways project task force

PubMed Central

Schwartz, Diane G.; Blobaum, Paul M.; Shipman, Jean P.; Markwell, Linda Garr; Marshall, Joanne Gard

2009-01-01

Objectives: The Medical Education Task Force of the Task Force on Vital Pathways for Hospital Librarians reviewed current and future roles of health sciences librarians in medical education at the graduate and undergraduate levels and worked with national organizations to integrate library services, education, and staff into the requirements for training medical students and residents. Methods: Standards for medical education accreditation programs were studied, and a literature search was conducted on the topic of the role of the health sciences librarian in medical education. Results: Expectations for library and information services in current standards were documented, and a draft standard prepared. A comprehensive bibliography on the role of the health sciences librarian in medical education was completed, and an analysis of the services provided by health sciences librarians was created. Conclusion: An essential role and responsibility of the health sciences librarian will be to provide the health care professional with the skills needed to access, manage, and use library and information resources effectively. Validation and recognition of the health sciences librarian's contributions to medical education by accrediting agencies will be critical. The opportunity lies in health sciences librarians embracing the diverse roles that can be served in this vital activity, regardless of accrediting agency mandates. PMID:19851492

Nutritional assessment and therapy in COPD: a European Respiratory Society statement.

PubMed

Schols, Annemie M; Ferreira, Ivone M; Franssen, Frits M; Gosker, Harry R; Janssens, Wim; Muscaritoli, Maurizio; Pison, Christophe; Rutten-van Mölken, Maureen; Slinde, Frode; Steiner, Michael C; Tkacova, Ruzena; Singh, Sally J

2014-12-01

Nutrition and metabolism have been the topic of extensive scientific research in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but clinical awareness of the impact dietary habits, nutritional status and nutritional interventions may have on COPD incidence, progression and outcome is limited. A multidisciplinary Task Force was created by the European Respiratory Society to deliver a summary of the evidence and description of current practice in nutritional assessment and therapy in COPD, and to provide directions for future research. Task Force members conducted focused reviews of the literature on relevant topics, advised by a methodologist. It is well established that nutritional status, and in particular abnormal body composition, is an important independent determinant of COPD outcome. The Task Force identified different metabolic phenotypes of COPD as a basis for nutritional risk profile assessment that is useful in clinical trial design and patient counselling. Nutritional intervention is probably effective in undernourished patients and probably most when combined with an exercise programme. Providing evidence of cost-effectiveness of nutritional intervention is required to support reimbursement and thus increase access to nutritional intervention. Overall, the evidence indicates that a well-balanced diet is beneficial to all COPD patients, not only for its potential pulmonary benefits, but also for its proven benefits in metabolic and cardiovascular risk. ©ERS 2014.

Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis for Health Care Decision Making--An Introduction: Report 1 of the ISPOR MCDA Emerging Good Practices Task Force.

PubMed

Thokala, Praveen; Devlin, Nancy; Marsh, Kevin; Baltussen, Rob; Boysen, Meindert; Kalo, Zoltan; Longrenn, Thomas; Mussen, Filip; Peacock, Stuart; Watkins, John; Ijzerman, Maarten

2016-01-01

Health care decisions are complex and involve confronting trade-offs between multiple, often conflicting, objectives. Using structured, explicit approaches to decisions involving multiple criteria can improve the quality of decision making and a set of techniques, known under the collective heading multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA), are useful for this purpose. MCDA methods are widely used in other sectors, and recently there has been an increase in health care applications. In 2014, ISPOR established an MCDA Emerging Good Practices Task Force. It was charged with establishing a common definition for MCDA in health care decision making and developing good practice guidelines for conducting MCDA to aid health care decision making. This initial ISPOR MCDA task force report provides an introduction to MCDA - it defines MCDA; provides examples of its use in different kinds of decision making in health care (including benefit risk analysis, health technology assessment, resource allocation, portfolio decision analysis, shared patient clinician decision making and prioritizing patients' access to services); provides an overview of the principal methods of MCDA; and describes the key steps involved. Upon reviewing this report, readers should have a solid overview of MCDA methods and their potential for supporting health care decision making. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Repairing the Breach. Key Ways To Support Family Life, Reclaim Our Streets, and Rebuild Civil Society in America's Communities. Report of the National Task Force on African-American Men and Boys.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Austin, Bobby William, Ed.

This report of the National Task Force on African-American Men and Boys is the beginning of an approach to repair society's breaches and restore the streets to safety. The Task Force, headed by Andrew J. Young and established in 1994, conceived its mission as one of reclamation. The Task Force made 61 specific recommendations, and three general…

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

Not Available

This is the final report of a task force of citizens and academics who, with funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission, set out to answer that question for a sample of 80 mountain counties in the Virginias, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Alabama. By mobilizing and training local volunteers, the Task Force was able to examine county courthouse records and compile an impressive data base on the ownership of land and mineral rights in those counties. For these counties, the Task Force recorded all owners of 250 or more acres and all corporate or absentee owners of 20 or moremore » acres. The picture of land ownership that emerges from the study is one of concentration (the top 5% of land owners in the sample hold 31.3% of the surface areas in these counties), of corporateness (in 10 counties, corporations own 45% or more of the surface, while in Lincoln County, West Virginia, corporate mineral holdings are equivalent to 120% of the county's surface area), and of absenteeism (38% of the land area in the survey counties). The data collected were sufficiently detailed to allow the construction of Gini coefficients within the sample, to examine the tax burden by type of owner and land use, to identify the largest land and mineral owners in these counties, and to run some statistical tests against data from other sources. The Task Force conducted interviews with local residents in 19 of the counties, although very little from these case studies is reported. The results of these investigations is a data base that might be useful to many of those interested in regional economics, natural resources, local government finance, distribution, or public choice.« less

Neural basis of postural focus effect on concurrent postural and motor tasks: phase-locked electroencephalogram responses.

PubMed

Huang, Cheng-Ya; Zhao, Chen-Guang; Hwang, Ing-Shiou

2014-11-01

Dual-task performance is strongly affected by the direction of attentional focus. This study investigated neural control of a postural-suprapostural procedure when postural focus strategy varied. Twelve adults concurrently conducted force-matching and maintained stabilometer stance with visual feedback on ankle movement (visual internal focus, VIF) and on stabilometer movement (visual external focus, VEF). Force-matching error, dynamics of ankle and stabilometer movements, and event-related potentials (ERPs) were registered. Postural control with VEF caused superior force-matching performance, more complex ankle movement, and stronger kinematic coupling between the ankle and stabilometer movements than postural control with VIF. The postural focus strategy also altered ERP temporal-spatial patterns. Postural control with VEF resulted in later N1 with less negativity around the bilateral fronto-central and contralateral sensorimotor areas, earlier P2 deflection with more positivity around the bilateral fronto-central and ipsilateral temporal areas, and late movement-related potential commencing in the left frontal-central area, as compared with postural control with VIF. The time-frequency distribution of the ERP principal component revealed phase-locked neural oscillations in the delta (1-4Hz), theta (4-7Hz), and beta (13-35Hz) rhythms. The delta and theta rhythms were more pronounced prior to the timing of P2 positive deflection, and beta rebound was greater after the completion of force-matching in VEF condition than VIF condition. This study is the first to reveal the neural correlation of postural focusing effect on a postural-suprapostural task. Postural control with VEF takes advantage of efficient task-switching to facilitate autonomous postural response, in agreement with the "constrained-action" hypothesis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Human rights and mental health among Latin American women in situations of state-sponsored violence. Bibliographic resources.

PubMed

Lykes, M B; Brabeck, M M; Ferns, T; Radan, A

1993-12-01

The Task Force of the American Psychological Association Division 35, Psychology of Women, conducted a literature review of resources from Latin America to examine the social dimensions of state-sponsored violence in Latin America, their effects on socialization and community, and some responses of women surviving these experiences. It limited its review to works of women's groups, progressive organizations, and individual women exploring the effects of war and state-sponsored violence on women's mental health. Recurring emergent themes included the false dichotomy of violence committed against women in public versus that committed in private, silencing of women accompanies state imposed terror, collective resistance to such terror. The resources addressed 3 types of women's experiences of violence: exile within and beyond one's national borders; torture--an extreme form of state-sponsored violence; and nontraditional, culturally appropriate interventions--alternatives to Western models. This review motivated the Task Force to call on their colleagues to contribute to the on-going documentation of state-sponsored violence. Task Force members identified several areas for collaborative research and/or theory development. Psychologists should question the validity of clinical neutrality and examine the particular meanings of non-neutrality within different cultures. For example, some Latin American psychologists reject diagnoses of intrapsychic syndromes (e.g., post-traumatic stress syndrome) and propose concepts that center on the nexus of individuals and social life. The Task Force sees great opportunities for US psychologists to network and to form solidarity-based relationships with Latin American women. It has identified many women's groups working in Latin America. Human rights organizations (e.g., Americas Watch) have formed women's projects. Further work should be done to improve resource exchanges.

Assessing and addressing cognitive impairment in bipolar disorder: the International Society for Bipolar Disorders Targeting Cognition Task Force recommendations for clinicians.

PubMed

Miskowiak, K W; Burdick, K E; Martinez-Aran, A; Bonnin, C M; Bowie, C R; Carvalho, A F; Gallagher, P; Lafer, B; López-Jaramillo, C; Sumiyoshi, T; McIntyre, R S; Schaffer, A; Porter, R J; Purdon, S; Torres, I J; Yatham, L N; Young, A H; Kessing, L V; Vieta, E

2018-05-01

Cognition is a new treatment target to aid functional recovery and enhance quality of life for patients with bipolar disorder. The International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) Targeting Cognition Task Force aimed to develop consensus-based clinical recommendations on whether, when and how to assess and address cognitive impairment. The task force, consisting of 19 international experts from nine countries, discussed the challenges and recommendations in a face-to-face meeting, telephone conference call and email exchanges. Consensus-based recommendations were achieved through these exchanges with no need for formal consensus methods. The identified questions were: (I) Should cognitive screening assessments be routinely conducted in clinical settings? (II) What are the most feasible screening tools? (III) What are the implications if cognitive impairment is detected? (IV) What are the treatment perspectives? Key recommendations are that clinicians: (I) formally screen cognition in partially or fully remitted patients whenever possible, (II) use brief, easy-to-administer tools such as the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry and Cognitive Complaints in Bipolar Disorder Rating Assessment, and (III) evaluate the impact of medication and comorbidity, refer patients for comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation when clinically indicated, and encourage patients to build cognitive reserve. Regarding question (IV), there is limited evidence for current evidence-based treatments but intense research efforts are underway to identify new pharmacological and/or psychological cognition treatments. This task force paper provides the first consensus-based recommendations for clinicians on whether, when, and how to assess and address cognition, which may aid patients' functional recovery and improve their quality of life. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Bidirectional transfer between joint and individual actions in a task of discrete force production.

PubMed

Masumoto, Junya; Inui, Nobuyuki

2017-07-01

The present study examined bidirectional learning transfer between joint and individual actions involving discrete isometric force production with the right index finger. To examine the effects of practice of joint action on performance of the individual action, participants performed a pre-test (individual condition), practice blocks (joint condition), and a post-test (individual condition) (IJI task). To examine the effects of practice of the individual action on performance during the joint action, the participants performed a pre-test (joint condition), practice blocks (individual condition), and a post-test (joint condition) (JIJ task). Whereas one participant made pressing movements with a target peak force of 10% maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) in the individual condition, two participants produced the target force of the sum of 10% MVC produced by each of them in the joint condition. In both the IJI and JIJ tasks, absolute errors and standard deviations of peak force were smaller post-test than pre-test, indicating bidirectional transfer between individual and joint conditions for force accuracy and variability. Although the negative correlation between forces produced by two participants (complementary force production) became stronger with practice blocks in the IJI task, there was no difference between the pre- and post-tests for the negative correlation in the JIJ task. In the JIJ task, the decrease in force accuracy and variability during the individual action did not facilitate complementary force production during the joint action. This indicates that practice performed by two people is essential for complementary force production in joint action.

Analysis and experimental evaluation of a Stewart platform-based force/torque sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Charles C.; Antrazi, Sami S.

1992-01-01

The kinematic analysis and experimentation of a force/torque sensor whose design is based on the mechanism of the Stewart Platform are discussed. Besides being used for measurement of forces/torques, the sensor also serves as a compliant platform which provides passive compliance during a robotic assembly task. It consists of two platforms, the upper compliant platform (UCP) and the lower compliant platform (LCP), coupled together through six spring-loaded pistons whose length variations are measured by six linear voltage differential transformers (LVDT) mounted along the pistons. Solutions to the forward and inverse kinematics of the force sensor are derived. Based on the known spring constant and the piston length changes, forces/torques applied to the LCP gripper are computed using vector algebra. Results of experiments conducted to evaluate the sensing capability of the force sensor are reported and discussed.

A Recommended Scale for Cognitive Screening in Clinical Trials of Parkinson’s Disease

PubMed Central

Chou, Kelvin L.; Amick, Melissa M.; Brandt, Jason; Camicioli, Richard; Frei, Karen; Gitelman, Darren; Goldman, Jennifer; Growdon, John; Hurtig, Howard I.; Levin, Bonnie; Litvan, Irene; Marsh, Laura; Simuni, Tanya; Tröster, Alexander I.; Uc, Ergun Y.

2010-01-01

Background Cognitive impairment is common in Parkinson’s disease (PD). There is a critical need for a brief, standard cognitive screening measure for use in PD trials whose primary focus is not on cognition. Methods The Parkinson Study Group (PSG) Cognitive/Psychiatric Working Group formed a Task Force to make recommendations for a cognitive scale that could screen for dementia and mild cognitive impairment in clinical trials of PD where cognition is not the primary outcome. This Task Force conducted a systematic literature search for cognitive assessments previously used in a PD population. Scales were then evaluated for their appropriateness to screen for cognitive deficits in clinical trials, including brief administration time (<15 minutes), assessment of the major cognitive domains, and potential to detect subtle cognitive impairment in PD. Results Five scales of global cognition met the predetermined screening criteria and were considered for review. Based on the Task Force’s evaluation criteria the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), appeared to be the most suitable measure. Conclusions This Task Force recommends consideration of the MoCA as a minimum cognitive screening measure in clinical trials of PD where cognitive performance is not the primary outcome measure. The MoCA still requires further study of its diagnostic utility in PD populations but appears to be the most appropriate measure among the currently available brief cognitive assessments. Widespread adoption of a single instrument such as the MoCA in clinical trials can improve comparability between research studies on PD. PMID:20878991

Addressing Needs of Employers, Older Workers, and Retirees: An Educational Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Segrist, Kathleen A.; Tell, Brian; Byrd, Vicki; Perkins, Susie

2007-01-01

The Retirement Research Foundation of Chicago supported a collaborative to collect demographic data about working and aging, conduct a survey of older job seekers, and interview businesses in the region to assess their awareness and attitudes about mature workers. The 2005 project was titled the 60 + Success Project. A regional task force oversaw…

Globalisation and the Internationalisation of Higher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dzvimbo, Kuzvinetsa Peter; Moloi, Kholeka Constance

2013-01-01

In a shrinking world, in which a neo-liberal discourse has permeated sub-Saharan African higher education, critical reflection is required to assess the merits and demerits of globalisation. Research, intensive discussion and hearings conducted over a two-year period by the Task Force on Higher Education and Society, convened by the World Bank and…

Development of Articulated Competency-Based Curriculum in Laser/Electro-Optics Technology. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luzerne County Community Coll., Nanticoke, PA.

The project described in this report was conducted at the Community College of Luzerne County (Pennsylvania) to develop, in conjunction with area vocational-technical schools, the second year of a competency-based curriculum in laser/electro-optics technology. During the project, a task force of teachers from the area schools and the college…

Development of Articulated Competency-Based Curriculum in Automated Systems/Robotics Technology. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luzerne County Community Coll., Nanticoke, PA.

A project was conducted at the Community College of Luzerne County (Pennsylvania) to develop, in cooperation with area vocational-technical schools, the first year of a competency-based curriculum in automated systems/robotics. Existing programs were reviewed by the task force and a list of sample competencies was developed and sent to area…

Development of Articulated Competency-Based Curriculum in Automated Systems/Robotics Technology. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luzerne County Community Coll., Nanticoke, PA.

The project described in this report was conducted at the Community College of Luzerne County (Pennsylvania) to develop, in conjunction with area vocational-technical schools, the second year of a competency-based curriculum in automated systems/robotics technology. During the project, a task force of teachers from the area schools and the college…

Prime Diagnosticity in Short-Term Repetition Priming: Is Primed Evidence Discounted, Even when It Reliably Indicates the Correct Answer?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weidemann, Christoph T.; Huber, David E.; Shiffrin, Richard M.

2008-01-01

The authors conducted 4 repetition priming experiments that manipulated prime duration and prime diagnosticity in a visual forced-choice perceptual identification task. The strength and direction of prime diagnosticity produced marked effects on identification accuracy, but those effects were resistant to subsequent changes of diagnosticity.…

Learning about Practice from Practice: A Peer-Based Methodology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanley, Tony

2014-01-01

A recommendation from the Social Work Task Force was that all employers of social workers should conduct a regular "health check" of the social work profession to learn from practice as part of a continuous cycle of improvement. This article documents how the London Borough of Tower Hamlets has gone about this. I describe the…

AQMEII3: the EU and NA regional scale program of the Hemispheric Trasport of Air Pollution Task Force

EPA Science Inventory

The presentation builds on the work presented last year at the 14th CMAS meeting and it is applied to the work performed in the context of the AQMEII-HTAP collaboration. The analysis is conducted within the framework of the third phase of AQMEII (Air Quality Model Evaluation Inte...

77 FR 55218 - Homeland Security Advisory Council

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-07

... childhood arrivals program. The HSAC will also receive a report from the Sustainability and Efficiency Task Force, review and discuss the task forces' report, and formulate recommendations for the Department. The.... HSAC conference call details and the Sustainability and Efficiency Task Force report will be provided...

Task force on deterrence of air piracy : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1978-11-01

In February 1969, as the frequency of hijacking of U.S. air carrier aircraft was rising to an all-time high, the Federal Aviation Administration established a multi-disciplinary Task Force on Deterrence of Air Piracy. The work of the Task Force in de...

75 FR 16577 - Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-01

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). ACTION: Notice with request for comments. SUMMARY: The Secretary Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) established the Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force (GWVI-TF) in August 2009 to...

78 FR 28292 - Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-14

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). ACTION: Notice with request for comments. SUMMARY: The Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) established the Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force (GWVI-TF) in August 2009 to...

76 FR 65321 - Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-20

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). ACTION: Notice with request for comments. SUMMARY: The Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) established the Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force (GWVI-TF) in August 2009 to...

78 FR 63208 - UPDATE-Meeting of the Community Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-23

..., and issues recommendations. These recommendations provide evidence-based options from which decision makers in communities, companies, health departments, health plans and healthcare systems, non..., available resources, and constraints of their constituents. The Task Force's recommendations, along with the...

An introductory handbook for state task forces to combat drunk driving.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1983-01-01

In June 1982 Governor Robb created a task force to identify and assess efforts under way in Virginia to address the problem of drunken driving and to make recommendations. This booklet was prepared to assist the task force in its deliberations.

Agricultural work exposures and pulmonary function among hired farm workers in California (the MICASA study).

PubMed

Rodriquez, Erik J; Stoecklin-Marois, Maria T; Bennett, Deborah H; Tancredi, Daniel J; Schenker, Marc B

2014-01-01

Despite California's dependence on hired farm labor, scarce research has been conducted on the respiratory health of hired farm workers. Agricultural exposures to inorganic and organic dusts can adversely affect an individual's respiratory health and differ by farm type and job task. The purpose of the present analysis was to examine associations between agricultural work exposures and pulmonary function among 450 California farm workers. Data were collected as part of the Mexican Immigration to California: Agricultural Safety and Acculturation (MICASA) study, a prospective cohort study examining occupational risk factors and health of hired farm worker families in Mendota, California. Time-weighted self-reported average (TWSRA) dust scores were calculated from assessments of past-12-month agricultural work history. Other dust exposure indicator variables included months worked in agriculture in the past 12 months and years worked in agriculture. Multiple linear regression modeled FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 second), FEF(25-75%) (forced midexpiratory flow rate), FVC (forced vital capacity), FEV6, FEV1/FVC, and FEV1/FEV6 separately. Seventy-six percent of participants had worked in agriculture in the past year. In models conducted for crops and tasks separately, high TWSRA dust score was associated with better FEV6. Crop and task models showed associations between greater months worked in agriculture in the past year and better FEV1, FEF(25-75%), and FEV6. Both models also found greater years worked in agriculture to be associated with worse FEV1/FEV6. Results were generally in the opposite direction as expected given past research but not uncommon. Future research should investigate relationships between pulmonary function and agricultural dust exposure over a lifetime and changes in pulmonary function over time.

Update on Outcome Measure Development for Large Vessel Vasculitis: Report from OMERACT 12

PubMed Central

Aydin, Sibel Zehra; Direskeneli, Haner; Sreih, Antoine; Alibaz-Oner, Fatma; Gul, Ahmet; Kamali, Sevil; Hatemi, Gulen; Kermani, Tanaz; Mackie, Sarah L.; Mahr, Alfred; Meara, Alexa; Milman, Nataliya; Nugent, Heidi; Robson, Joanna; Tomasson, Gunnar; Merkel, Peter A.

2015-01-01

Objective The rarity of large vessel vasculitis (LVV) is a major factor limiting randomized controlled trials in LVV, resulting in treatment choices in these diseases that are guided mainly by observational studies and expert opinion. Further complicating trials in LVV is the absence of validated and meaningful outcome measures. The Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) vasculitis working group initiated the Large Vessel Vasculitis task force in 2009 to develop data-driven, validated outcome tools for clinical investigation in LVV. This report summarizes the progress that has been made on a disease activity assessment tool and patient-reported outcomes in LVV as well as the group’s research agenda. Methods The OMERACT LVV task force brought an international group of investigators and patient research partners together to work collaboratively on developing outcome tools. The group initially focused on disease activity assessment tools in LVV. Following a systematic literature review, an international Delphi exercise was conducted to obtain expert opinion on principles and domains for disease assessment. The OMERACT vasculitis working group’s LVV task force is also conducting qualitative research with patients, including interviews, focus groups, and engaging patients as research partners, all to ensure that the approach to disease assessment includes measures of patients’ perspectives and that patients have input into the research agenda and process. Results The preliminary results of both the Delphi exercise and the qualitative interviews were discussed at the OMERACT 12 (2014) meeting and the completion of the analyses will produce an initial set of domains and instruments to form the basis of next steps in the research agenda. Conclusion The research agenda continues to evolve, with the ultimate goal of developing an OMERACT-endorsed core set of outcome measures for use in clinical trials of LVV. PMID:26077399

Forced Aerobic Exercise Preceding Task Practice Improves Motor Recovery Poststroke.

PubMed

Linder, Susan M; Rosenfeldt, Anson B; Dey, Tanujit; Alberts, Jay L

To understand how two types of aerobic exercise affect upper-extremity motor recovery post-stroke. Our aims were to (1) evaluate the feasibility of having people who had a stroke complete an aerobic exercise intervention and (2) determine whether forced or voluntary exercise differentially facilitates upper-extremity recovery when paired with task practice. Seventeen participants with chronic stroke completed twenty-four 90-min sessions over 8 wk. Aerobic exercise was immediately followed by task practice. Participants were randomized to forced or voluntary aerobic exercise groups or to task practice only. Improvement on the Fugl-Meyer Assessment exceeded the minimal clinically important difference: 12.3, 4.8, and 4.4 for the forced exercise, voluntary exercise, and repetitive task practice-only groups, respectively. Only the forced exercise group exhibited a statistically significant improvement. People with chronic stroke can safely complete intensive aerobic exercise. Forced aerobic exercise may be optimal in facilitating motor recovery associated with task practice. Copyright © 2017 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Strategic Planning to Conduct Joint Force Network Operations: A Content Analysis of NETOPS Organizations Strategic Plans

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-01

information dominance , Joint Network Operations (NETOPS) organizations need to be strategically aligned. As result, to enhance the capabilities-based effects of NETOPS and reduce our NETOP infrastructures susceptibility to compromise. Once the key organizations were identified, their strategic plans were analyzed using a structured content analysis framework. The results illustrated that the strategic plans were aligned with the community of interests tasking to conduct NETOPS. Further research is required into the strategic alignment beyond the strategic

Response to Vogelstein: How the 2012 AAP Task Force on circumcision went wrong.

PubMed

Van Howe, Robert S

2018-01-01

Vogelstein cautions medical organizations against jumping into the fray of controversial issues, yet proffers the 2012 American Academy of Pediatrics' Task Force policy position on infant male circumcision as 'an appropriate use of position-statements.' Only a scratch below the surface of this policy statement uncovers the Task Force's failure to consider Vogelstein's many caveats. The Task Force supported the cultural practice by putting undeserved emphasis on questionable scientific data, while ignoring or underplaying the importance of valid contrary scientific data. Without any effort to quantitatively assess the risk/benefit balance, the Task Force concluded the benefits of circumcision outweighed the risks, while acknowledging that the incidence of risks was unknown. This Task Force differed from other Academy policy-forming panels by ignoring the Academy's standard quality measures and by not appointing members with extensive research experience, extensive publications, or recognized expertise directly related to this topic. Despite nearly 100 publications available at the time addressing the substantial ethical issues associated with infant male circumcision, the Task Force chose to ignore the ethical controversy. They merely stated, with minimal justification, the opinion of one of the Task Force members that the practice of infant male circumcision is morally permissible. The release of the report has fostered an explosion of academic discussion on the ethics of infant male circumcision with a number of national medical organizations now decrying the practice as a human rights violation. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Task analysis of Air Force pharmacy practice.

PubMed

Bartholomew, A; Sawyer, W T; Coats, L

1995-01-15

The frequency with which United States Air Force pharmacists perform specific professional tasks and the pharmacists' views as to the importance of those tasks were studied. A questionnaire was prepared that asked recipients to rate each of 36 tasks selected as representing the spectrum of practice activities. There were four categories of tasks: managerial tasks, dispensing tasks, drug information tasks, and patient care tasks. Recipients rated the tasks with respect to frequency of performance and importance on separate 6-point scales. The questionnaire was mailed in May 1991 to the 225 pharmacists then serving in the Air Force worldwide. Of the 225 questionnaires, 150 usable questionnaires were returned (response rate, 67%). All the tasks in the survey were performed by at least one Air Force pharmacy officer, although the frequency of task performance varied. In particular, the frequency of many patient care tasks was low. All the tasks were perceived to have some importance, but drug information tasks were rated as being significantly more important than tasks in the other categories; patient care tasks were rated lowest in importance. The results varied with the respondents' demographic characteristics. Pharmacy officers with more years of service, more senior positions, higher rank, or an advanced degree in a field other than pharmacy tended to give responses that diverged from those of the population. A 1991 survey showed an awareness among Air Force pharmacists of the need to orient practice around patient care; however, they were not spending substantial time on patient care and tended to view it as less important than more traditional pharmacy tasks.

Challenges in ethics, safety, best practices, and oversight regarding HIT vendors, their customers, and patients: a report of an AMIA special task force.

PubMed

Goodman, Kenneth W; Berner, Eta S; Dente, Mark A; Kaplan, Bonnie; Koppel, Ross; Rucker, Donald; Sands, Daniel Z; Winkelstein, Peter

2011-01-01

The current commercial health information technology (HIT) arena encompasses a number of competing firms that provide electronic health applications to hospitals, clinical practices, and other healthcare-related entities. Such applications collect, store, and analyze patient information. Some vendors incorporate contract language whereby purchasers of HIT systems, such as hospitals and clinics, must indemnify vendors for malpractice or personal injury claims, even if those events are not caused or fostered by the purchasers. Some vendors require contract clauses that force HIT system purchasers to adopt vendor-defined policies that prevent the disclosure of errors, bugs, design flaws, and other HIT-software-related hazards. To address this issue, the AMIA Board of Directors appointed a Task Force to provide an analysis and insights. Task Force findings and recommendations include: patient safety should trump all other values; corporate concerns about liability and intellectual property ownership may be valid but should not over-ride all other considerations; transparency and a commitment to patient safety should govern vendor contracts; institutions are duty-bound to provide ethics education to purchasers and users, and should commit publicly to standards of corporate conduct; and vendors, system purchasers, and users should encourage and assist in each others' efforts to adopt best practices. Finally, the HIT community should re-examine whether and how regulation of electronic health applications could foster improved care, public health, and patient safety.

Challenges in ethics, safety, best practices, and oversight regarding HIT vendors, their customers, and patients: a report of an AMIA special task force

PubMed Central

Berner, Eta S; Dente, Mark A; Kaplan, Bonnie; Koppel, Ross; Rucker, Donald; Sands, Daniel Z; Winkelstein, Peter

2010-01-01

The current commercial health information technology (HIT) arena encompasses a number of competing firms that provide electronic health applications to hospitals, clinical practices, and other healthcare-related entities. Such applications collect, store, and analyze patient information. Some vendors incorporate contract language whereby purchasers of HIT systems, such as hospitals and clinics, must indemnify vendors for malpractice or personal injury claims, even if those events are not caused or fostered by the purchasers. Some vendors require contract clauses that force HIT system purchasers to adopt vendor-defined policies that prevent the disclosure of errors, bugs, design flaws, and other HIT-software-related hazards. To address this issue, the AMIA Board of Directors appointed a Task Force to provide an analysis and insights. Task Force findings and recommendations include: patient safety should trump all other values; corporate concerns about liability and intellectual property ownership may be valid but should not over-ride all other considerations; transparency and a commitment to patient safety should govern vendor contracts; institutions are duty-bound to provide ethics education to purchasers and users, and should commit publicly to standards of corporate conduct; and vendors, system purchasers, and users should encourage and assist in each others' efforts to adopt best practices. Finally, the HIT community should re-examine whether and how regulation of electronic health applications could foster improved care, public health, and patient safety. PMID:21075789

Grip force control in individuals with multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Iyengar, Veena; Santos, Marcio J; Ko, Michael; Aruin, Alexander S

2009-10-01

Appropriate regulation of grip force is essential in performance of various activities of daily living such as drinking, eating, buttoning a shirt, and so on. The extent to which individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) are able to regulate grip forces while performing elements of the activities of daily living is largely unknown. . To investigate how individuals with MS control grip force during performance of functional tasks. . This study evaluated the grip force control in selected individuals with MS (n = 9) and healthy control subjects (n = 9) while they performed the task of lifting and placing an instrumented object on a shelf and the task of lifting the object and bringing it close to the mouth to mimic drinking. The grip forces, object acceleration, force ratio, and time lag were recorded and analyzed. . The individuals with MS used significantly larger peak grip force and force ratio than control subjects while performing both tasks and for both hands. In addition, the time lag between the peaks of grip and load forces was significantly longer in individuals with MS. . The application of excessive grip force could predispose individuals with MS to additional fatigue and musculoskeletal overuse trauma. Rehabilitation protocols for the MS population may need to account for increased levels of grip force applied during the performance of functional tasks.

76 FR 52932 - Notice of Meeting of the Agricultural Air Quality Task Force

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-24

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Natural Resources Conservation Service Notice of Meeting of the Agricultural Air Quality Task Force AGENCY: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The Agricultural Air Quality Task Force (AAQTF) will meet to continue discussions on...

Metallurgical Evaluations of Depainting Processes on Aluminum Substrate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McGill, Preston

1999-01-01

In December 1993, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Emission Standards Division and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) signed an Interagency Agreement (IA) initiating a task force for the technical assessment of alternative technologies for aerospace depainting operations. The United States Air Force (USAF) joined the task force in 1994. The mandates of the task force were: (1) To identify available alternative depainting systems that do not rely on methylene chloride or other ozone-depleting, chlorinated, and volatile organic carbon solvents. (2) To determine the viability, applicability, and pollution prevention potential of each identified alternative. (3) To address issues of safety, environmental impact, reliability, and maintainability. Through a Technical Implementation Committee (TIC), the task force selected and evaluated eight alternative paint stripping technologies: chemical stripping, carbon dioxide (CO2) blasting, xenon flashlamp and CO2 coatings removal (FLASHJET(R)), CO2 laser stripping, plastic media blasting (PMB), sodium bicarbonate wet stripping, high-pressure water blasting (WaterJet), and wheat starch abrasive blasting (Enviro-Strip(R)). (The CO2 blasting study was discontinued after the first depainting sequence.) This final report presents the results of the Joint EPA/NASA/USAF Interagency Depainting Study. Significant topics include: (1) Final depainting sequence data for the chemical stripping, PMB, sodium bicarbonate wet stripping, and WaterJet processes. (2) Strip rates for all eight technologies. (3) Sequential comparisons of surface roughness measurements for the seven viable depainting technologies. (4) Chronological reviews of and lessons learned in the conduct of all eight technologies. (5) An analysis of the surface roughness trends for each of the seven technologies. (6) Metallurgic evaluations of panels Summaries of corrosion and hydrogen embrittlement evaluations of chemical stripping panels, detailed descriptions of which appear in previous reports. Because the requirements for alternative systems are diverse, as are initial setup, training, and on-going operational considerations, this study does not recommend a particular product or process. Users of this study will draw their own conclusions from the data presented herein.

Using grasping tasks to evaluate hand force coordination in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Mackenzie, Samuel J; Getchell, Nancy; Modlesky, Christopher M; Miller, Freeman; Jaric, Slobodan

2009-08-01

Mackenzie SJ, Getchell N, Modlesky CM, Miller F, Jaric S. Using grasping tasks to evaluate hand force coordination in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy. To assess force coordination in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (CP) using a device that allows for testing both unimanual and bimanual manipulation tasks performed under static and dynamic conditions. Nonequivalent groups design. University research laboratory for motor control. Six children with hemiplegic CP (age, mean +/- SD, 11.6+/-1.8 y) and 6 typically developing controls (11.6+/-1.6 y). Not applicable. Children performed simple lifting and force-matching static ramp tasks by way of both unimanual and bimanual pulling using a device that measures grip force (force acting perpendicularly at the digits-device contact area) and load force (tangential force). Main outcome measures were grip/load force ratios (grip force scaling) and correlation coefficients (force coupling). CP subjects showed significantly higher grip/load force ratios (P<.05) and slightly lower correlation coefficients than the control group, with more pronounced differences for most tasks when using their involved hand. For subjects with CP, switching from unimanual to bimanual conditions did not bring changes in scaling or coupling for the involved hand (P>.05). Compared with healthy children, the impaired hand function in the hemiplegic CP pediatric population could be reflected in excessive grip force that is also decoupled from ongoing changes in load force. Therefore, the bimanual grip load device used in this study could provide a sensitive measure of grip force coordination in CP, although nonmotor deficits should be taken into account when asking children to perform more complex tasks.

77 FR 3241 - Intent To Hold North Dakota Task Force Meeting as Established by the Missouri River Protection...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-23

... duties of the Task Force are to prepare and approve a plan for the use of the funds made available under... of the Task Force are to prepare and approve a plan for the use of the funds made available under... Force Meeting as Established by the Missouri River Protection and Improvement Act of 2000 (Title VII...

75 FR 33838 - NASA Advisory Council; Ad-Hoc Task Force on Planetary Defense; Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-15

... NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION [Notice (10-065)] NASA Advisory Council; Ad-Hoc Task Force on Planetary Defense; Meeting AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. ACTION... amended, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announces a meeting of the Ad-Hoc Task Force on...

75 FR 15742 - NASA Advisory Council; Ad-Hoc Task Force on Planetary Defense; Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-30

... NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION [Notice: (10-035)] NASA Advisory Council; Ad-Hoc Task Force on Planetary Defense; Meeting AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. ACTION... amended, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announces a meeting of the Ad-Hoc Task Force on...

Honeywell's Working Parents Task Force. Final Report and Recommendations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Honeywell, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn.

This publication provides a summary of the Honeywell Working Parent Task Force's recommendations on how to solve problems experienced by working parents. The Task Force consisted of three committees: the Employment Practices Committee (EPC); the Parent Education Committee (PEC); and the Child Care Facilities Committee (CCFC). After examining a…

77 FR 71471 - Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development; Notice of Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-30

... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: U.S. Small Business Administration. ACTION: Notice of open Federal Interagency... agenda for its public meeting of the Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development. The...

75 FR 34439 - Defense Science Board Task Force on Nuclear Treaty Monitoring and Verification

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-17

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Defense Science Board Task Force on Nuclear Treaty... meetings. SUMMARY: The Defense Science Board Task Force on Nuclear Treaty Monitoring and Verification will... Applications International Corporation, 4001 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 300, Arlington, VA. FOR FURTHER...

76 FR 70913 - Retrospective Review Under Executive Order 13579

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-16

... Fukushima Task Force Report. DATES: November 16, 2011. ADDRESSES: You can access publicly available... Enhancing Reactor Safety in the 21st Century: The Near-Term Task Force Review of Insights from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Accident'' (Fukushima Task Force Report, ML111861807), was issued. The Commission has...

76 FR 55394 - Meeting of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-07

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Meeting of the...), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease... (Task Force). The Task Force--an independent, nonfederal body of nationally known leaders in public...

76 FR 4115 - Meeting of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-24

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Meeting of the...), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease... (Task Force). The Task Force--an independent, nonfederal body of nationally known leaders in public...

75 FR 63846 - Meeting of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-18

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Meeting of the...), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease... (Task Force). The Task Force is an independent, nonfederal body of nationally known leaders in public...

75 FR 48929 - Notice of Meeting of the Agricultural Air Quality Task Force

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-12

... Agricultural Air Quality Task Force AGENCY: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), United States... Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711; (919) 541-5400. The Agricultural Air Quality Task Force (AAQTF) will meet to continue discussions on air quality issues relating to agriculture. Additionally, the Livestock...

NASA replanning efforts continue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katzoff, Judith A.

A task force of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is producing new launch schedules for NASA's three remaining space shuttle orbiters, possibly supplemented by expendable launch vehicles. In the wake of the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986, the task force is assuming a delay of 12-18 months before resumption of shuttle flights.NASA's Headquarters Replanning Task Force, which meets daily, is separate from the agency's Data and Design Analysis Task Force, which collects and analyzes information about the accident for the use of the investigative commission appointed by President Ronald Reagan.

Report of NASA Lunar Energy Enterprise Case Study Task Force

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kearney, John J.

1989-01-01

The Lunar Energy Enterprise Case Study Task Force was asked to determine the economic viability and commercial potential of mining and extracting He-3 from the lunar soil, and transporting the material to Earth for use in a power-generating fusion reactor. Two other space energy projects, the Space Power Station (SPS) and the Lunar Power Station (LPS), were also reviewed because of several interrelated aspects of these projects. The specific findings of the Task Force are presented. Appendices contain related papers generated by individual Task Force Members.

14th International Congress on Antiphospholipid Antibodies Task Force Report on Catastrophic Antiphospholipid Syndrome.

PubMed

Cervera, Ricard; Rodríguez-Pintó, Ignasi; Colafrancesco, Serena; Conti, Fabrizio; Valesini, Guido; Rosário, Cristina; Agmon-Levin, Nancy; Shoenfeld, Yehuda; Ferrão, Claudia; Faria, Raquel; Vasconcelos, Carlos; Signorelli, Flavio; Espinosa, Gerard

2014-07-01

The 'Task Force on Catastrophic Antiphospholipid Syndrome (CAPS)' was developed on the occasion of the 14th International Congress on Antiphospholipid Antibodies. The objectives of this Task Force were to assess the current knowledge on pathogenesis, clinical and laboratory features, diagnosis and classification, precipitating factors and treatment of this condition in order to address recommendations for future research. This article summarizes the studies analyzed by the Task Force, its recommendations and the future research agenda. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fitts’ Law in the Control of Isometric Grip Force With Naturalistic Targets

PubMed Central

Thumser, Zachary C.; Slifkin, Andrew B.; Beckler, Dylan T.; Marasco, Paul D.

2018-01-01

Fitts’ law models the relationship between amplitude, precision, and speed of rapid movements. It is widely used to quantify performance in pointing tasks, study human-computer interaction, and generally to understand perceptual-motor information processes, including research to model performance in isometric force production tasks. Applying Fitts’ law to an isometric grip force task would allow for quantifying grasp performance in rehabilitative medicine and may aid research on prosthetic control and design. We examined whether Fitts’ law would hold when participants attempted to accurately produce their intended force output while grasping a manipulandum when presented with images of various everyday objects (we termed this the implicit task). Although our main interest was the implicit task, to benchmark it and establish validity, we examined performance against a more standard visual feedback condition via a digital force-feedback meter on a video monitor (explicit task). Next, we progressed from visual force feedback with force meter targets to the same targets without visual force feedback (operating largely on feedforward control with tactile feedback). This provided an opportunity to see if Fitts’ law would hold without vision, and allowed us to progress toward the more naturalistic implicit task (which does not include visual feedback). Finally, we changed the nature of the targets from requiring explicit force values presented as arrows on a force-feedback meter (explicit targets) to the more naturalistic and intuitive target forces implied by images of objects (implicit targets). With visual force feedback the relation between task difficulty and the time to produce the target grip force was predicted by Fitts’ law (average r2 = 0.82). Without vision, average grip force scaled accurately although force variability was insensitive to the target presented. In contrast, images of everyday objects generated more reliable grip forces without the visualized force meter. In sum, population means were well-described by Fitts’ law for explicit targets with vision (r2 = 0.96) and implicit targets (r2 = 0.89), but not as well-described for explicit targets without vision (r2 = 0.54). Implicit targets should provide a realistic see-object-squeeze-object test using Fitts’ law to quantify the relative speed-accuracy relationship of any given grasper. PMID:29773999

Covert face recognition in congenital prosopagnosia: a group study.

PubMed

Rivolta, Davide; Palermo, Romina; Schmalzl, Laura; Coltheart, Max

2012-03-01

Even though people with congenital prosopagnosia (CP) never develop a normal ability to "overtly" recognize faces, some individuals show indices of "covert" (or implicit) face recognition. The aim of this study was to demonstrate covert face recognition in CP when participants could not overtly recognize the faces. Eleven people with CP completed three tasks assessing their overt face recognition ability, and three tasks assessing their "covert" face recognition: a Forced choice familiarity task, a Forced choice cued task, and a Priming task. Evidence of covert recognition was observed with the Forced choice familiarity task, but not the Priming task. In addition, we propose that the Forced choice cued task does not measure covert processing as such, but instead "provoked-overt" recognition. Our study clearly shows that people with CP demonstrate covert recognition for faces that they cannot overtly recognize, and that behavioural tasks vary in their sensitivity to detect covert recognition in CP. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Srl. All rights reserved.

Report of the Fermilab ILC Citizens' Task Force

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

None

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory convened the ILC Citizens' Task Force to provide guidance and advice to the laboratory to ensure that community concerns and ideas are included in all public aspects of planning and design for a proposed future accelerator, the International Linear Collider. In this report, the members of the Task Force describe the process they used to gather and analyze information on all aspects of the proposed accelerator and its potential location at Fermilab in northern Illinois. They present the conclusions and recommendations they reached as a result of the learning process and their subsequent discussions and deliberations.more » While the Task Force was charged to provide guidance on the ILC, it became clear during the process that the high cost of the proposed accelerator made a near-term start for the project at Fermilab unlikely. Nevertheless, based on a year of extensive learning and dialogue, the Task Force developed a series of recommendations for Fermilab to consider as the laboratory develops all successor projects to the Tevatron. The Task Force recognizes that bringing a next-generation particle physics project to Fermilab will require both a large international effort and the support of the local community. While the Task Force developed its recommendations in response to the parameters of a future ILC, the principles they set forth apply directly to any large project that may be conceived at Fermilab, or at other laboratories, in the future. With this report, the Task Force fulfills its task of guiding Fermilab from the perspective of the local community on how to move forward with a large-scale project while building positive relationships with surrounding communities. The report summarizes the benefits, concerns and potential impacts of bringing a large-scale scientific project to northern Illinois.« less

Intentional Interprofessional Experiential Education.

PubMed

Grice, Gloria R; Thomason, Angela R; Meny, Lisa M; Pinelli, Nicole R; Martello, Jay L; Zorek, Joseph A

2018-04-01

The experiential component of a doctor of pharmacy curricula is an ideal, yet underutilized vehicle to advance interprofessional education (IPE) initiatives. To date, most experiential-based IPE initiatives occur in a naturally occurring, non-deliberate fashion. The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Experiential Education Section formed the Task Force on Intentional Interprofessional Education in Experiential Education in academic year 2015-2016 to explore the issue. This commentary describes the work of the task force, including the following elements: defining intentional interprofessional experiential education as "the explicit effort by preceptors and practice sites to create/foster educational opportunities or activities designed specifically to achieve interprofessional educational competencies;" conducting a systematic literature review to identify examples of intentional interprofessional experiential education in the published literature; surveying faculty with oversight of experiential education programs and preceptors within those programs; and generating recommendations to stakeholders including AACP, pharmacy schools, and experiential education administrators.

Postural sway and exposure to jet propulsion fuel 8 among US Air Force personnel.

PubMed

Maule, Alexis L; Heaton, Kristin J; Rodrigues, Ema; Smith, Kristen W; McClean, Michael D; Proctor, Susan P

2013-04-01

To determine whether short-term jet propulsion fuel 8 (JP-8) exposure is associated with balance measurements in JP-8-exposed air force personnel. As part of a larger neuroepidemiology study, balance tasks were completed by JP-8-exposed individuals (n = 37). Short-term JP-8 exposure was measured using personal breathing zone levels and urinary biomarkers. Multivariate linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between workday JP-8 exposure and postural sway. Balance control decreased as the task became more challenging. Workday exposure to JP-8, measured by either personal air or urinary metabolite levels, was not significantly related to postural sway. Increases in workday postural sway were associated with demographic variables, including younger age, being a current smoker, and higher body mass index. Results suggest that short-term workday JP-8 exposure does not significantly contribute to diminished balance control.

Psychophysical testing of visual prosthetic devices: a call to establish a multi-national joint task force

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rizzo, Joseph F., III; Ayton, Lauren N.

2014-04-01

Recent advances in the field of visual prostheses, as showcased in this special feature of Journal of Neural Engineering , have led to promising results from clinical trials of a number of devices. However, as noted by these groups there are many challenges involved in assessing vision of people with profound vision loss. As such, it is important that there is consistency in the methodology and reporting standards for clinical trials of visual prostheses and, indeed, the broader vision restoration research field. Two visual prosthesis research groups, the Boston Retinal Implant Project (BRIP) and Bionic Vision Australia (BVA), have agreed to work cooperatively to establish a multi-national Joint Task Force. The aim of this Task Force will be to develop a consensus statement to guide the methods used to conduct and report psychophysical and clinical results of humans who receive visual prosthetic devices. The overarching goal is to ensure maximum benefit to the implant recipients, not only in the outcomes of the visual prosthesis itself, but also in enabling them to obtain accurate information about this research with ease. The aspiration to develop a Joint Task Force was first promulgated at the inaugural 'The Eye and the Chip' meeting in September 2000. This meeting was established to promote the development of the visual prosthetic field by applying the principles of inclusiveness, openness, and collegiality among the growing body of researchers in this field. These same principles underlie the intent of this Joint Task Force to enhance the quality of psychophysical research within our community. Despite prior efforts, a critical mass of interested parties could not congeal. Renewed interest for developing joint guidelines has developed recently because of a growing awareness of the challenges of obtaining reliable measurements of visual function in patients who are severely visually impaired (in whom testing is inherently noisy), and of the importance of comparing outcomes amongst the many research teams that have entered this field, all of which are using different devices implanted at various locations within the visual system and different methods of assessing efficacy. Researchers at the BRIP and BVA believe that use of common methods for testing and for reporting results would benefit all scientists and clinicians in the field, the agencies that regulate human testing, corporations that are invested in the success of this field, and, most importantly, potential patients. The Task Force will be formed with the intent of developing substantive recommendations to provide a measure of consistency and quality control within the field. The guidelines will offer recommendations for the assessment of the: (1) baseline (pre-implant) visual status of potential patients (including specification of the disease diagnosis and impact on visual functioning) and (2) post-operative visual function. The guidelines will be available to the public, research groups and companies. Any groups that choose to adopt the recommendations would be encouraged to include a formal statement of compliance in their presentations and publications. The Task Force will develop these guidelines with the understanding that the ability to perform experiments in the suggested manner might be limited by the particular engineering design and functionality of different prosthesis devices. It is not the intent of the Task Force to write strict test protocols for all parties to follow, but instead to work cooperatively as a research field to develop guidelines about the types of tests that should be implemented, and how they could be reported in a similar format between groups. The opportunity to participate on the Task Force is open to all researchers, clinicians and other specialists who work in the fields of sensory prostheses (both visual and cochlear implants), molecular therapy, stem cells, optogenetics or other fields that share a similar goal of restoring vision to the blind. Decisions about the guidelines will be made democratically, with precautions to prevent any one group or company from having a more dominant voice than any other. One or more smaller working groups may be established to delve more deeply into specific issues, like the ethics of testing or governance structure, and to develop specific wording for recommendations that would be voted on by the entire Task Force group. Ultimately, the various recommendations, once approved democratically, will serve as the consensus document for the Multi-National Joint Task Force. The full list of members of the Task Force and the rules of governance will be published to promote transparency. The Joint Task force will post its guidelines with all signatories on a dedicated page within the website of the Henry Ford Department of Ophthalmology (Detroit). This site was chosen in recognition of the consistent support that Phillip Hessburg MD and the Board of Directors of the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology, which has recently merged with the Henry Ford Department of Ophthalmology, have so generously and selflessly provided to our field over the past 14 years. This website will also contain a list of all human psychophysical testing that has been performed in the visual prosthetic field, with designations for those studies that were performed in accordance with the guidelines of the Multi-National Task Force, which will assume responsibility for the accuracy of the material. For those who wish to join this Task Force or have further questions, Dr Rizzo and Dr Ayton can be contacted at the email addresses listed above. The founding members of the Task Force anticipate that this digital resource will prove valuable to anyone who has interest in learning more about the achievements in our field, especially our prospective patients, to whom we dedicate our work.

Status Report on Activities of the Systems Assessment Task Force, OECD-NEA Expert Group on Accident Tolerant Fuels for LWRs

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

Bragg-Sitton, Shannon Michelle

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development /Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD/NEA) Nuclear Science Committee approved the formation of an Expert Group on Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) for LWRs (EGATFL) in 2014. Chaired by Kemal Pasamehmetoglu, INL Associate Laboratory Director for Nuclear Science and Technology, the mandate for the EGATFL defines work under three task forces: (1) Systems Assessment, (2) Cladding and Core Materials, and (3) Fuel Concepts. Scope for the Systems Assessment task force includes definition of evaluation metrics for ATF, technology readiness level definition, definition of illustrative scenarios for ATF evaluation, parametric studies, and selection of system codes. Themore » Cladding and Core Materials and Fuel Concepts task forces will identify gaps and needs for modeling and experimental demonstration; define key properties of interest; identify the data necessary to perform concept evaluation under normal conditions and illustrative scenarios; identify available infrastructure (internationally) to support experimental needs; and make recommendations on priorities. Where possible, considering proprietary and other export restrictions (e.g., International Traffic in Arms Regulations), the Expert Group will facilitate the sharing of data and lessons learned across the international group membership. The Systems Assessment Task Force is chaired by Shannon Bragg-Sitton (INL), while the Cladding Task Force will be chaired by a representative from France (Marie Moatti, Electricite de France [EdF]) and the Fuels Task Force will be chaired by a representative from Japan (Masaki Kurata, Japan Atomic Energy Agency [JAEA]). This report provides an overview of the Systems Assessment Task Force charter and status of work accomplishment.« less

Increased reaction times and reduced response preparation already starts at middle age

PubMed Central

Wolkorte, Ria; Kamphuis, Janine; Zijdewind, Inge

2014-01-01

Generalized slowing characterizes aging and there is some evidence to suggest that this slowing already starts at midlife. This study aims to assess reaction time changes while performing a concurrent low-force and high-force motor task in young and middle-aged subjects. The high-force motor task is designed to induce muscle fatigue and thereby progressively increase the attentional demands. Twenty-five young (20–30 years, 12 males) and 16 middle-aged (35–55 years, 9 males) adults performed an auditory two-choice reaction time task (CRT) with and without a concurrent low- or high-force motor task. The CRT required subjects to respond to two different stimuli that occurred with a probability of 70 or 30%. The motor task consisted of index finger abduction, at either 10% (10%-dual-task) or 30% (30%-dual-task) of maximal voluntary force. Cognitive task performance was measured as percentage of correct responses and reaction times. Middle-aged subjects responded slower on the frequent but more accurately on the infrequent stimuli of CRT than young subjects. Both young and middle-aged subjects showed increased errors and reaction times while performing under dual-task conditions and both outcome measures increased further under fatiguing conditions. Only under 30%-dual-task demands, an age-effect on dual-task performance was present. Both single- and dual-task conditions showed that already at mid-life response preparation is seriously declined and that subjects implement different strategies to perform a CRT task. PMID:24808862

Development of a valid simulation assessment for a military dismounted assault task.

PubMed

Silk, Aaron J; Billing, Daniel C

2013-03-01

The Australian Defence Force is currently developing physical standards commensurate with job demands. Vital to this development process has been the accurate profiling of common military tasks. One such task required of all dismounted combat soldiers, an offensive assault on an enemy force, was the subject of in-depth profiling. In addition to overall assault performance, potential differences among patrol roles (scout, gunner, and flank) were investigated. Three different mock assaults of 100 to 150 m were performed by three patrols comprising qualified experienced infantry soldiers. Each soldier was fitted with a heart rate monitor and wore a global positioning device. Average assault duration was 6.5 minutes and required nineteen 7-m bounds performed on a 22-seconds duty cycle at 75% heart rate reserve and a work to rest ratio 1:4. Assaults conducted in more densely vegetated terrain resulted in significantly reduced (p < 0.05) bound distance, bound duration, and movement velocity. Results indicated significant performance differences (p < 0.05) among patrol roles for external load carried, heart rate response, bound duration, and distance covered while movement velocity was not different (p > 0.05). As a result of profiling the assault task, a valid simulation capable of assessing soldiers' physical capacity to perform this task was developed. Reprint & Copyright © 2013 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

TASK FORCE REPORT ON ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MORRIS, ROBERT

THE TASK FORCE ON ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION HAS BEEN CHARGED TO RECOMMEND THE MOST EFFECTIVE MEANS FOR ASSESSING AND EVALUATING THE SHORT-TERM ACTIVITIES AND THE LONG-TERM ACHIEVEMENTS OF ACTION FOR BOSTON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. THE GENERAL OBJECTIVES OF THE TASK FORCE ARE--THE ANALYSIS OF DATA RELEVANT FOR EVALUATING DAY-BY-DAY DECISION-MAKING,…

Inter-Association Task Force Report on Image.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Special Libraries Association, Washington, DC.

In 1988, the Board of Directors of the Special Libraries Association provided funding to a task force to gather data which would determine how certain segments of society perceive librarians, how librarians view themselves and their colleagues, and to provide recommendations for addressing the issue of image. The task force project consisted of…

Report of the Social Studies Task Force.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gathman, John; And Others

In 1982 the Colorado Board of Education directed the State Board of Education to organize task forces to address a variety of state educational needs. This report, presented by the Social Studies Task Force, explains the group's purposes and concerns, provides a social studies definition, and outlines the Colorado grades K-12 social studies…

Report of the Task Force on School Health.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maryland State Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene, Baltimore.

The 1990 Report of the Task Force on School Health examines the current status of Maryland's school health programs and proposes 16 recommendations designed to implement a comprehensive school health (CSH) program to meet the needs of all students. The report describes the Task Force, which was appointed in 1989. After presenting a background on…

A Status Report from the Task Force on Marketing Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keim, William A.; And Others

Concerned with changes in enrollment and credit hour patterns, the chancellor of the Kansas City Metropolitan Community Colleges (MCC) created a special Task Force to consider recommendations for marketing strategies for the 1978-79 academic year. The Task Force reviewed regional and district demography, area population trends and density, age and…

Task Force on Education Funding Equity, Accountability, and Partnerships. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maryland State Dept. of Legislative Services, Annapolis.

In 1997, Maryland formed the Task Force on Education Funding Equity, Accountability, and Partnerships. The group made a comprehensive review of education funding and programs in grades K-12 to ensure that students throughout Maryland have an equal opportunity for academic success. The task force's final report features the membership roster, the…

75 FR 43943 - Defense Science Board; Task Force on Nuclear Treaty Monitoring and Verification

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-27

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Defense Science Board; Task Force on Nuclear Treaty... meetings. SUMMARY: The Defense Science Board Task Force on Nuclear Treaty Monitoring and Verification will... held September 13-14, and 25-26, 2010. ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at Science Applications...

76 FR 69296 - Proposed Models for Plant-Specific Adoption of Technical Specifications Task Force Traveler TSTF...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-08

... Adoption of Technical Specifications Task Force Traveler TSTF-500, Revision 2, ``DC Electrical Rewrite... Technical Specifications Task Force (TSTF) Traveler TSTF-500, Revision 2, ``DC Electrical Rewrite--Update to... Reactor Systems Engineer, Technical Specifications Branch, Mail Stop: O-7 C2A, Division of Inspection and...

28 CFR 16.105 - Exemption of Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force System.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Exemption of Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force System. 16.105 Section 16.105 Judicial Administration DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE PRODUCTION OR... of Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force System. (a) The following system of records is exempt from 5...

26 CFR 54.9815-2713T - Coverage of preventive health services (temporary).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... the current recommendations of the United States Preventive Services Task Force with respect to the... States Preventive Services Task Force with respect to the individual. The provider bills the plan for an... A or B in the current recommendations of the United States Preventive Services Task Force with...

National Task Force on Student Aid Problems. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1975

This document presents a full discussion of the activities, findings, and recommendations of the National Task Force on Student Aid Problems. The task force was a voluntary association of concerned and interested agencies and organizations. Its only standing came from the support of those directly concerned with student aid problems. By design and…

Task Force on Education Funding Equity, Accountability, and Partnerships. Preliminary Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maryland State Dept. of Legislative Services, Annapolis.

In 1997, Maryland formed the Task Force on Education Funding Equity, Accountability, and Partnerships to ensure that students throughout Maryland have an equal opportunity for academic success. The Task Force's preliminary report features a comprehensive review of education funding and programs in grades K-12. The report presents membership and…

78 FR 44034 - Petition for Rulemaking Submitted by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-23

... the Fukushima Dai-ichi Accident,'' (Fukushima Task Force Report, ADAMS Accession No. ML111861807..., pages 43-46, of the Fukushima Task Force Report, which discusses the enhancement of spent fuel pool... Commission was still in the process of reviewing the Fukushima Task Force Report, and the NRC did not...

Initial Report of the Task Force on Cultural Competence Education in the Health Sciences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New Mexico Higher Education Department, 2007

2007-01-01

This report summarizes the findings and recommendations of the Task Force on Cultural Competence Education and represents the distillation of the Task Force's efforts to fulfill its legislative charge. The report is intended to facilitate a statewide conversation about the health services provided to New Mexico's multicultural citizenry. It…

75 FR 30002 - Federal Advisory Committee; Defense Task Force on Sexual Assault in the Military Services

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-28

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Federal Advisory Committee; Defense Task Force on Sexual Assault in the Military Services AGENCY: Department of Defense (DoD). ACTION: Termination of... Department of Defense gives notice that it is terminating the Defense Task Force on Sexual Assault in the...

Convergence, Competition, Cooperation: The Report of the Governor's Blue Ribbon Telecommunications Infrastructure Task Force. Volume One.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wisconsin Governor's Office, Madison.

This report by the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Wisconsin's Telecommunications Infrastructure considers infrastructure to be the common network that connects individual residences, businesses, and agencies, rather than the individual systems and equipment themselves. The task force recognizes that advances in telecommunications technologies and…

Youth Employment. Final Recommendations of the State Superintendent's Task Force.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wisconsin State Dept. of Public Instruction, Madison.

This report contains the final recommendations of the task force on youth employment for the state of Wisconsin. The task force was specifically charged with studying issues related to working teenagers, reviewing existing laws and regulations on child labor, and developing recommendations to ensure that when teenagers work, their jobs do not…

78 FR 10636 - Task Force on Research on Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women; Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-14

... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Task Force on Research on Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women; Meeting AGENCY: Office on Violence Against Women, United States Department of Justice. ACTION... public meeting of the Task Force on Research on Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women...

32 CFR 700.1053 - Commander of a task force.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 32 National Defense 5 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Commander of a task force. 700.1053 Section 700.1053 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY UNITED STATES NAVY... Command Detail to Duty § 700.1053 Commander of a task force. (a) A geographic fleet commander, and any...

32 CFR 700.1053 - Commander of a task force.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 32 National Defense 5 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Commander of a task force. 700.1053 Section 700.1053 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY UNITED STATES NAVY... Command Detail to Duty § 700.1053 Commander of a task force. (a) A geographic fleet commander, and any...

32 CFR 700.1053 - Commander of a task force.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 32 National Defense 5 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Commander of a task force. 700.1053 Section 700.1053 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY UNITED STATES NAVY... Command Detail to Duty § 700.1053 Commander of a task force. (a) A geographic fleet commander, and any...

77 FR 59627 - Homeland Security Advisory Council

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-28

... purpose of reviewing and deliberating on recommendations by the HSAC's Cyber Skills Task Force. DATES: The.... The HSAC will meet to review and deliberate on the Cyber Skills Task Force report of findings and... details and the Cyber Skills Task Force report will be provided to interested members of the public at the...

Report of the Task Force on Declining Enrollment. Third Revision.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Highline Public Schools, Seattle, WA.

The purpose of this task force was to study the program, facilities, and alternatives of the Highline School District as they relate to enrollment decline. Specifically, the task force was to establish criteria for identifying facilities where changes should be considered; identify and prioritize alternatives for use of excess classroom space; and…

77 FR 1913 - Notice of Meeting of the Agricultural Air Quality Task Force

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-12

... Conservation Service Notice of Meeting of the Agricultural Air Quality Task Force AGENCY: Natural Resources...), Agricultural Air Quality Task Force (AAQTF) will meet to continue discussions on critical air quality issues... relationship between agricultural production and air quality. The meeting is open to the public, and a draft...

Toward a Shift in Expectations and Values: What We've Learned from Collaborative Action Research in Northern Indigenous Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Shelly Stagg; Horton, Laura; Restoule, Jean Paul

2016-01-01

In this paper we propose that collaborative action research values, goals and practices have much in common with guiding principles for conducting research with educators and community members in First Nation, Inuit and Metis communities, as outlined in the Task Force on Aboriginal Languages and Cultures on Aboriginal Languages and Cultures'…

An Examination of the Outporting Ship Program Implemented in Response to the Increased Program Size of the Ready Reserve Force.

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-06-01

conjunction with the NATO exercise Wintex- Cimex 83, in February 83. The Maritime Administration conducted a survey of facilities and tugboat availability, and...BREAKOUT-85 69 32 32 21 16 WINTEX- CIMEX 83 30 3 21 6 3 During this exercise, the Maritime Administration tasked its Eastern, Central and Western

Back to Basics: Literacy at Work. Special Report. ERB Report No. 1764, Section III.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bureau of Business Practice, Waterford, CT.

Functional illiteracy is an urgent problem for the U.S. business and industrial communities. Employers can uncover literacy problems among employees by conducting analyses of the literacy tasks needed on the job and assessing the basic skill levels of their work force. The design of a basic skills training program should be based on clearly…

Looking and Touching: What Extant Approaches Reveal about the Structure of Early Word Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hendrickson, Kristi; Mitsven, Samantha; Poulin-Dubois, Diane; Zesiger, Pascal; Friend, Margaret

2015-01-01

The goal of the current study is to assess the temporal dynamics of vision and action to evaluate the underlying word representations that guide infants' responses. Sixteen-month-old infants participated in a two-alternative forced-choice word-picture matching task. We conducted a moment-by-moment analysis of looking and reaching behaviors as they…

Planning for Rural Communities. A Case Study of Zebulon North Carolina.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh. School of Design.

As part of an urbanization program, this study on Zebulon, North Carolina, was conducted in 1966 by fifth-year students at North Carolina State University. The student group was known as the Regional Task Force, the mission of which was to provide a description of the Zebulon region in terms of the definition of the systems which make up the…

Systemwide Aviation/Aerospace Education Program Review. Aviation/Aerospace Task Force's Report to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, Oklahoma City.

A program review was done of all aviation/aerospace-related higher education programs in Oklahoma. A team of nine experts reviewed statistics on the state's public and private programs, conducted a survey of institutions on industry status and projected training needs, and visited all 10 program locations. The project applied guidelines to…

Status Report on Activities of the Systems Assessment Task Force, OECD-NEA Expert Group on Accident Tolerant Fuels for LWRs

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

Bragg-Sitton, Shannon Michelle

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development /Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD/NEA) Nuclear Science Committee approved the formation of an Expert Group on Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) for LWRs (EGATFL) in 2014. Chaired by Kemal Pasamehmetoglu, INL Associate Laboratory Director for Nuclear Science and Technology, the mandate for the EGATFL defines work under three task forces: (1) Systems Assessment, (2) Cladding and Core Materials, and (3) Fuel Concepts. Scope for the Systems Assessment task force (TF1) includes definition of evaluation metrics for ATF, technology readiness level definition, definition of illustrative scenarios for ATF evaluation, and identification of fuel performance and systemmore » codes applicable to ATF evaluation. The Cladding and Core Materials (TF2) and Fuel Concepts (TF3) task forces will identify gaps and needs for modeling and experimental demonstration; define key properties of interest; identify the data necessary to perform concept evaluation under normal conditions and illustrative scenarios; identify available infrastructure (internationally) to support experimental needs; and make recommendations on priorities. Where possible, considering proprietary and other export restrictions (e.g., International Traffic in Arms Regulations), the Expert Group will facilitate the sharing of data and lessons learned across the international group membership. The Systems Assessment task force is chaired by Shannon Bragg-Sitton (Idaho National Laboratory [INL], U.S.), the Cladding Task Force is chaired by Marie Moatti (Electricite de France [EdF], France), and the Fuels Task Force is chaired by a Masaki Kurata (Japan Atomic Energy Agency [JAEA], Japan). The original Expert Group mandate was established for June 2014 to June 2016. In April 2016 the Expert Group voted to extend the mandate one additional year to June 2017 in order to complete the task force deliverables; this request was subsequently approved by the Nuclear Science Committee. This report provides an update on the status Systems Assessment Task Force activities.« less

Fifth Report of the NASA Advisory Council Task Force on the Shuttle-Mir Rendezvous and Docking Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

The NASA Advisory Council Task Force on the Shuttle-Mir rendezvous and docking missions examine a number of specific issues related to the Shuttle-Mir program. Three teams composed of Task Force members and technical advisors were formed to address the follow issues: preliminary results from STS-71 and the status of preparations for STS-74; NASA's presence in Russia; and NASA's automated data processing and telecommunications (ADP/T) infrastructure in Russia. The three review team reports have been included in the fifth report of the Task Force.

Enhanced Training by a Systemic Governance of Force Capabilities, Tasks, and Processes

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

18th ICCRTS “C2 in Underdeveloped, Degraded and Denied Operational Environments” Enhanced Training by a Systemic Governance of Force Capabilities...TITLE AND SUBTITLE Enhanced Training by a Systemic Governance of Force Capabilities, Tasks, and Processes 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c...assess, evaluate and accredit the Swedish forces. This paper presents a Systemic Governance of Capabilities, Tasks, and Processes applied to the

Evaluation of pliers' grip spans in the maximum gripping task and sub-maximum cutting task.

PubMed

Kim, Dae-Min; Kong, Yong-Ku

2016-12-01

A total of 25 males participated to investigate the effects of the grip spans of pliers on the total grip force, individual finger forces and muscle activities in the maximum gripping task and wire-cutting tasks. In the maximum gripping task, results showed that the 50-mm grip span had significantly higher total grip strength than the other grip spans. In the cutting task, the 50-mm grip span also showed significantly higher grip strength than the 65-mm and 80-mm grip spans, whereas the muscle activities showed a higher value at 80-mm grip span. The ratios of cutting force to maximum grip strength were also investigated. Ratios of 30.3%, 31.3% and 41.3% were obtained by grip spans of 50-mm, 65-mm, and 80-mm, respectively. Thus, the 50-mm grip span for pliers might be recommended to provide maximum exertion in gripping tasks, as well as lower maximum-cutting force ratios in the cutting tasks.

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations and cancer screening among female Medicare beneficiaries.

PubMed

Salloum, Ramzi G; Kohler, Racquel E; Jensen, Gail A; Sheridan, Stacey L; Carpenter, William R; Biddle, Andrea K

2014-03-01

Medicare covers several cancer screening tests not currently recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force). In September 2002, the Task Force relaxed the upper age limit of 70 years for breast cancer screening recommendations, and in March 2003 an upper age limit of 65 years was introduced for cervical cancer screening recommendations. We assessed whether mammogram and Pap test utilization among women with Medicare coverage is influenced by changes in the Task Force's recommendations for screening. We identified female Medicare beneficiaries aged 66-80 years and used bivariate probit regression to examine the receipt of breast (mammogram) and cervical (Pap test) cancer screening reflecting changes in the Task Force recommendations. We analyzed 9,760 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey responses from 2001 to 2007. More than two-thirds reported receiving a mammogram and more than one-third a Pap test in the previous 2 years. Lack of recommendation was given as a reason for not getting screened among the majority (51% for mammogram and 75% for Pap). After controlling for beneficiary-level socioeconomic characteristics and access to care factors, we did not observe a significant change in breast and cervical cancer screening patterns following the changes in Task Force recommendations. Although there is evidence that many Medicare beneficiaries adhere to screening guidelines, some women may be receiving non-recommended screening services covered by Medicare.

Deficits in inhibitory force control in young adults with ADHD.

PubMed

Neely, Kristina A; Wang, Peiyuan; Chennavasin, Amanda P; Samimy, Shaadee; Tucker, Jacqueline; Merida, Andrea; Perez-Edgar, Koraly; Huang-Pollock, Cynthia

2017-05-01

Poor inhibitory control is a well-established cognitive correlate of adults with ADHD. However, the simple reaction time (RT) task used in a majority of studies records performance errors only via the presence or absence of a single key press. This all-or-nothing response makes it impossible to capture subtle differences in underlying processes that shape performance. Subsequently, all-or-nothing tasks may underestimate the prevalence of executive function deficits in ADHD. The current study measured inhibitory control using a standard Go/No-Go RT task and a more sensitive continuous grip force task among adults with (N=51, 22 female) and without (N=51, 29 female) ADHD. Compared to adults without ADHD, adults with ADHD made more failed inhibits in the classic Go/No-Go paradigm and produced greater and more variable force during motor inhibition. The amount of force produced on failed inhibits was a stronger predictor of ADHD-related symptoms than the number of commissions in the standard RT task. Adults with ADHD did not differ from those without ADHD on the mean force and variability of force produced in Go trials. These findings suggest that the use of a precise and continuous motor task, such as the force task used here, provides additional information about the nature of inhibitory motor control in adults with ADHD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

U.S. Air Force Installation Restoration Program. Phase 1. Records Search. Air National Guard, Camp Edwards (ARNG), U.S. Air Force and Veteran’s Administration Facilities at Massachusetts Military Reservation, Massachusetts. Task 6

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-12-11

MMR main gate (see Figure 3.2-1). In those ponds Umbrella-grass (Guirena-pumila) and Hyssop Hedge- nettle (Stachys- hyssopifolia) were found. The other...has conducted research in Buildings 286 and 240. From 1963 to 1969, the lab tested insecticides for private companies. Residuals from the 4...Airport Turf Insecticidal Treatments for Japanese Beetle and European Chafer, Eastern Region. Stahl, Ralph G., Joachim G. Liehr, and Ernst M. Davis. 1984

Interaction of feel system and flight control system dynamics on lateral flying qualities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, R. E.; Knotts, L. H.

1990-01-01

An experimental investigation of the influence of lateral feel system characteristics on fighter aircraft roll flying qualities was conducted using the variable stability USAF NT-33. Forty-two evaluation flights were flown by three engineering test pilots. The investigation utilized the power approach, visual landing task and up-and-away tasks including formation, gun tracking, and computer-generated compensatory attitude tracking tasks displayed on the Head-Up Display. Experimental variations included the feel system frequency, force-deflection gradient, control system command type (force or position input command), aircraft roll mode time constant, control system prefilter frequency, and control system time delay. The primary data were task performance records and evaluation pilot comments and ratings using the Cooper-Harper scale. The data highlight the unique and powerful effect of the feel system of flying qualities. The data show that the feel system is not 'equivalent' in flying qualities influence to analogous control system elements. A lower limit of allowable feel system frequency appears warranted to ensure good lateral flying qualities. Flying qualities criteria should most properly treat the feel system dynamic influence separately from the control system, since the input and output of this dynamic element is apparent to the pilot and thus, does not produce a 'hidden' effect.

A simple method for assessment of muscle force, velocity, and power producing capacities from functional movement tasks.

PubMed

Zivkovic, Milena Z; Djuric, Sasa; Cuk, Ivan; Suzovic, Dejan; Jaric, Slobodan

2017-07-01

A range of force (F) and velocity (V) data obtained from functional movement tasks (e.g., running, jumping, throwing, lifting, cycling) performed under variety of external loads have typically revealed strong and approximately linear F-V relationships. The regression model parameters reveal the maximum F (F-intercept), V (V-intercept), and power (P) producing capacities of the tested muscles. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the level of agreement between the routinely used "multiple-load model" and a simple "two-load model" based on direct assessment of the F-V relationship from only 2 external loads applied. Twelve participants were tested on the maximum performance vertical jumps, cycling, bench press throws, and bench pull performed against a variety of different loads. All 4 tested tasks revealed both exceptionally strong relationships between the parameters of the 2 models (median R = 0.98) and a lack of meaningful differences between their magnitudes (fixed bias below 3.4%). Therefore, addition of another load to the standard tests of various functional tasks typically conducted under a single set of mechanical conditions could allow for the assessment of the muscle mechanical properties such as the muscle F, V, and P producing capacities.

Estimation of lumbar spinal loading and trunk muscle forces during asymmetric lifting tasks: application of whole-body musculoskeletal modelling in OpenSim.

PubMed

Kim, Hyun-Kyung; Zhang, Yanxin

2017-04-01

Large spinal compressive force combined with axial torsional shear force during asymmetric lifting tasks is highly associated with lower back injury (LBI). The aim of this study was to estimate lumbar spinal loading and muscle forces during symmetric lifting (SL) and asymmetric lifting (AL) tasks using a whole-body musculoskeletal modelling approach. Thirteen healthy males lifted loads of 7 and 12 kg under two lifting conditions (SL and AL). Kinematic data and ground reaction force data were collected and then processed by a whole-body musculoskeletal model. The results show AL produced a significantly higher peak lateral shear force as well as greater peak force of psoas major, quadratus lumborum, multifidus, iliocostalis lumborum pars lumborum, longissimus thoracis pars lumborum and external oblique than SL. The greater lateral shear forces combined with higher muscle force and asymmetrical muscle contractions may have the biomechanical mechanism responsible for the increased risk of LBI during AL. Practitioner Summary: Estimating lumbar spinal loading and muscle forces during free-dynamic asymmetric lifting tasks with a whole-body musculoskeletal modelling in OpenSim is the core value of this research. The results show that certain muscle groups are fundamentally responsible for asymmetric movement, thereby producing high lumbar spinal loading and muscle forces, which may increase risks of LBI during asymmetric lifting tasks.

Finger Interdependence: Linking the Kinetic and Kinematic Variables

PubMed Central

Kim, Sun Wook; Shim, Jae Kun; Zatsiorsky, Vladimir M.; Latash, Mark L.

2008-01-01

We studied the dependence between voluntary motion of a finger and pressing forces produced by the tips of other fingers of the hand. Subjects moved one of the fingers (task finger) of the right hand trying to follow a cyclic, ramp-like flexion-extension template at different frequencies. The other fingers (slave fingers) were restricted from moving; their flexion forces were recorded and analyzed. Index finger motion caused the smallest force production by the slave fingers. Larger forces were produced by the neighbors of the task finger; these forces showed strong modulation over the range of motion of the task finger. The enslaved forces were higher during the flexion phase of the movement cycle as compared to the extension phase. The index of enslaving expressed in N/rad was higher when the task finger moved through the more flexed postures. The dependence of enslaving on both range and direction of task finger motion poses problems for methods of analysis of finger coordination based on an assumption of universal matrices of finger inter-dependence. PMID:18255182

Report of the MLA Task Force on Evaluating Scholarship for Tenure and Promotion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Modern Language Association, 2007

2007-01-01

In 2004 the Executive Council of the Modern Language Association of America (MLA) created a task force to examine current standards and emerging trends in publication requirements for tenure and promotion in English and foreign language departments in the United States. To fulfill its charge, the task force reviewed numerous studies, reports, and…

Short-Circuiting the Bureaucracy: Policy Origins in Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graham, Hugh Davis

The Great Society's secret task forces created by Lyndon Johnson, particularly in the case-study area of federal education policy, show the use and misuse of the task force device. Modern use of it began with John F. Kennedy. Although he used the task force device effectively sometimes, he did not use it effectively in his educational programs in…

77 FR 39724 - U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Public Meeting and Public Comment

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-05

...-DS61200000] U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Public Meeting and Public Comment AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service... Wildlife Service (Service), announce a public meeting of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) and a... strengthen U.S. government actions to better preserve and protect coral reef ecosystems. The Departments of...

Idaho Rural Education Task Force. Public School Information. Legislative Report, 2008

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Idaho State Department of Education, 2008

2008-01-01

The Idaho Rural Education Task Force was formed in July 2007 with the goal of proposing and examining solutions to challenges facing rural schools. The task force's work this year has focused on three areas: recruitment and retention of highly qualified teachers, funding shortages related to insurance costs and staff allowances, and the technology…

Lifelong Learning NCES Task Force: Final Report, Volume I. Working Paper Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Binkley, Marilyn; Hudson, Lisa; Knepper, Paula; Kolstad, Andy; Stowe, Peter; Wirt, John

In September 1998, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) established a 1-year task force to review the NCES's role concerning lifelong learning. The eight-member task force established a working definition of lifelong learning ("a process or system through which individuals are able and willing to learn at all stages of life,…

Million Hearts 2022: Understanding the Links between Environmental Pollutant Exposure and Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Events - Justus-Warren Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Task Force

EPA Science Inventory

The webinar was requested by the Justus-Warren Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Task Force. From their website, “The task force was established in 1995 in North Carolina to provide statewide leadership for the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease. Meetings are...

History and background of the California Oak Mortality Task Force (COMTF)

Treesearch

Mark R. Stanley

2006-01-01

The California Oak Mortality Task Force was formed in August 2000 as a consensus group to address the impacts caused by Phytophthora ramorum. It is over 1000 strong with over 80 agencies, universities, public, and private groups currently involved. The Task Force has been a tremendous success and may serve as model for other similar efforts.

77 FR 17534 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The Depository Trust Company; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-26

... Association (``SIFMA'') formed the MMI Blue-Sky Task Force (``Task Force'') to address systemic and unique... processing. The Task Force, along other money market industry members,\\8\\ determined that DTC's current MMI... amount or proceeds after the 3 p.m. E.T. deadline for RTP instructions.\\9\\ Accordingly, DTC is proposing...

"Rekindle and Recapture the Love": Establishing System-Wide Indicators of Progress in Community Engagement and Economic Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Janke, Emily M.

2014-01-01

In May 2012, University of North Carolina (UNC) President Tom Ross simultaneously commissioned two task forces to develop indicators that all UNC campuses could use to measure "progress in community engagement and economic development." The charge to the Community Engagement Task Force and the Economic Development Task Force was to…

77 FR 16483 - Petition for Rulemaking Submitted by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-21

... Enhancing Reactor Safety in the 21st Century: The Near-Term Task Force Review of Insights from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Accident'' (Fukushima Task Force Report, ADAMS Accession No. ML111861807), dated July 12..., of the Fukushima Task Force Report, regarding the enhancement of the ability of nuclear power plants...

San Juan College Task Force on Innovation 1995 Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Nelle

In fall 1994, San Juan College, in New Mexico, established the Task Force on Innovation to examine changes in the paradigm of education and how those changes might affect the college. The Task Force determined that the primary driver of change in education was technology, and specifically the increasing number of means and ease of access to…

Report of the Task Force on Continuing Education and Non-Credit Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ernest, Richard J.; And Others

The Task Force on Continuing Education and Non-Credit Instruction was appointed to develop specific strategies for expanding lifelong learning and non-credit instruction in the Virginia community colleges. The task force reviewed a report on the state funding of non-credit instruction; wrote to the community college coordinating offices in 17…

ACHP | News

Science.gov Websites

Search skip specific nav links Home arrow News arrow June 27, 2012 ACHP Rightsizing Task Force to Meet in Cleveland The ACHP's Rightsizing Task Force will be making a visit to Cleveland, Ohio, June 25-26 for a tour and a listening session and open meeting. The task force will host a public meeting on June 26 at

Responding to Violence and Abuse: Educating Minnesota Professionals for the Future. A Report of the Statewide Task Forces.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minnesota Higher Education Center against Violence and Abuse, St. Paul.

In response to a 1993 Minnesota crime bill, four task forces reviewed violence education in professional higher education programs and made recommendations for legislation and law enforcement. The four task forces--in Law, Health Services, Human Services, and Education--made several critical recommendations that applied across professions:…

National Library of Education Advisory Task Force. Briefing Book.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Library of Education (ED/OERI), Washington, DC.

This briefing book with appendices was prepared for the initial meetings of the National Library of Education Advisory Task Force (NLE/ATF), in March 1996. An agenda for this meeting is included in the briefing book. The first section, "Governing Authorities for NLE and the Advisory Task Force," contains a copy of Public Law 103-227,…

Baseline assessment of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Project Management Office

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

Not Available

The Oak Ridge Operations Office (ORO) was assigned overall responsibility for implementation of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Project (SPR) by the Secretary of Energy on June 15, 1983. One of the actions immediately initiated by the Manager of ORO was the establishment of a Task Force under a charter which included directions to conduct a review of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Project Management Office (SPRPMO) in New Orleans, Louisiana, and to compile a report which would establish a baseline of the PMO status at the time of this major management transition. The purpose of this report is to document thosemore » findings and recommendations for use by the Manager of ORO. The Task Force was also chartered to conduct a full and complete review of all allegations of mismanagement and misconduct since inception of the program in 1977. The review of each allegation of misconduct and mismanagement will be documented in a second report which will be issued at a later date. By necessity, this report covers a broad range of project activities; therefore, within the allotted schedule, it was impossible to conduct an in-depth review and analysis of all of these areas. It is believed, however, that the materials contained within this report are representative of many of the conditions which prevail at the SPRPMO and should serve as a useful basis for management decisions.« less

Dystonia rating scales: critique and recommendations

PubMed Central

Albanese, Alberto; Sorbo, Francesca Del; Comella, Cynthia; Jinnah, H.A.; Mink, Jonathan W.; Post, Bart; Vidailhet, Marie; Volkmann, Jens; Warner, Thomas T.; Leentjens, Albert F.G.; Martinez-Martin, Pablo; Stebbins, Glenn T.; Goetz, Christopher G.; Schrag, Anette

2014-01-01

Background Many rating scales have been applied to the evaluation of dystonia, but only few have been assessed for clinimetric properties. The Movement Disorders Society commissioned this task force to critique existing dystonia rating scales and place them in the clinical and clinimetric context. Methods A systematic literature review was conducted to identify rating scales that have either been validated or used in dystonia. Results Thirty six potential scales were identified. Eight were excluded because they did not meet review criteria, leaving twenty-eight scales that were critiqued and rated by the task force. Seven scales were found to meet criteria to be “recommended”: the Blepharospasm Disability Index is recommended for rating blepharospasm; the Cervical Dystonia Impact Scale and the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale for rating cervical dystonia; the Craniocervical Dystonia Questionnaire for blepharospasm and cervical dystonia; the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and the Vocal Performance Questionnaire (VPQ) for laryngeal dystonia; and the Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale for rating generalized dystonia. Two “recommended” scales (VHI and VPQ) are generic scales validated on few patients with laryngeal dystonia, whereas the others are disease-specific scales. Twelve scales met criteria for “suggested” and seven scales met criteria for “listed”. All the scales are individually reviewed in the online appendix. Conclusion The task force recommends five specific dystonia scales and suggests to further validate in dystonia two recommended generic voice-disorder scales. Existing scales for oromandibular, arm and task-specific dystonia should be refined and fully assessed. Scales should be developed for body regions where no scales are available, such as lower limbs and trunk. PMID:23893443

Attainment and retention of force moderation following laparoscopic resection training with visual force feedback.

PubMed

Hernandez, Rafael; Onar-Thomas, Arzu; Travascio, Francesco; Asfour, Shihab

2017-11-01

Laparoscopic training with visual force feedback can lead to immediate improvements in force moderation. However, the long-term retention of this kind of learning and its potential decay are yet unclear. A laparoscopic resection task and force sensing apparatus were designed to assess the benefits of visual force feedback training. Twenty-two male university students with no previous experience in laparoscopy underwent relevant FLS proficiency training. Participants were randomly assigned to either a control or treatment group. Both groups trained on the task for 2 weeks as follows: initial baseline, sixteen training trials, and post-test immediately after. The treatment group had visual force feedback during training, whereas the control group did not. Participants then performed four weekly test trials to assess long-term retention of training. Outcomes recorded were maximum pulling and pushing forces, completion time, and rated task difficulty. Extreme maximum pulling force values were tapered throughout both the training and retention periods. Average maximum pushing forces were significantly lowered towards the end of training and during retention period. No significant decay of applied force learning was found during the 4-week retention period. Completion time and rated task difficulty were higher during training, but results indicate that the difference eventually fades during the retention period. Significant differences in aptitude across participants were found. Visual force feedback training improves on certain aspects of force moderation in a laparoscopic resection task. Results suggest that with enough training there is no significant decay of learning within the first month of the retention period. It is essential to account for differences in aptitude between individuals in this type of longitudinal research. This study shows how an inexpensive force measuring system can be used with an FLS Trainer System after some retrofitting. Surgical instructors can develop their own tasks and adjust force feedback levels accordingly.

A teleoperation training simulator with visual and kinesthetic force virtual reality

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Won S.; Schenker, Paul

1992-01-01

A force-reflecting teleoperation training simulator with a high-fidelity real-time graphics display has been developed for operator training. A novel feature of this simulator is that it enables the operator to feel contact forces and torques through a force-reflecting controller during the execution of the simulated peg-in-hole task, providing the operator with the feel of visual and kinesthetic force virtual reality. A peg-in-hole task is used in our simulated teleoperation trainer as a generic teleoperation task. A quasi-static analysis of a two-dimensional peg-in-hole task model has been extended to a three-dimensional model analysis to compute contact forces and torques for a virtual realization of kinesthetic force feedback. The simulator allows the user to specify force reflection gains and stiffness (compliance) values of the manipulator hand for both the three translational and the three rotational axes in Cartesian space. Three viewing modes are provided for graphics display: single view, two split views, and stereoscopic view.

Improving child and adolescent psychiatry education for medical students: an inter-organizational collaborative action plan.

PubMed

Fox, Geraldine S; Stock, Saundra; Briscoe, Gregory W; Beck, Gary L; Horton, Rita; Hunt, Jeffrey I; Liu, Howard Y; Partner Rutter, Ashley; Sexson, Sandra; Schlozman, Steven C; Stubbe, Dorothy E; Stuber, Margaret L

2012-11-01

A new Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Medical Education (CAPME) Task Force, sponsored by the Association for Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry (ADMSEP), has created an inter-organizational partnership between child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) educators and medical student educators in psychiatry. This paper outlines the task force design and strategic plan to address the long-standing dearth of CAP training for medical students. The CAPME ADMSEP Task Force, formed in 2010, identified common challenges to teaching CAP among ADMSEP's CAPME Task Force members, utilizing focus-group discussions and a needs-assessment survey. The Task Force was organized into five major sections, with inter-organizational action plans to address identified areas of need, such as portable modules and development of benchmark CAP competencies. The authors predict that all new physicians, regardless of specialty, will be better trained in CAP. Increased exposure may also improve recruitment into this underserved area.

Revised American Thyroid Association guidelines for the management of medullary thyroid carcinoma.

PubMed

Wells, Samuel A; Asa, Sylvia L; Dralle, Henning; Elisei, Rossella; Evans, Douglas B; Gagel, Robert F; Lee, Nancy; Machens, Andreas; Moley, Jeffrey F; Pacini, Furio; Raue, Friedhelm; Frank-Raue, Karin; Robinson, Bruce; Rosenthal, M Sara; Santoro, Massimo; Schlumberger, Martin; Shah, Manisha; Waguespack, Steven G

2015-06-01

The American Thyroid Association appointed a Task Force of experts to revise the original Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma: Management Guidelines of the American Thyroid Association. The Task Force identified relevant articles using a systematic PubMed search, supplemented with additional published materials, and then created evidence-based recommendations, which were set in categories using criteria adapted from the United States Preventive Services Task Force Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The original guidelines provided abundant source material and an excellent organizational structure that served as the basis for the current revised document. The revised guidelines are focused primarily on the diagnosis and treatment of patients with sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and hereditary MTC. The Task Force developed 67 evidence-based recommendations to assist clinicians in the care of patients with MTC. The Task Force considers the recommendations to represent current, rational, and optimal medical practice.

Revised American Thyroid Association Guidelines for the Management of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma

PubMed Central

Asa, Sylvia L.; Dralle, Henning; Elisei, Rossella; Evans, Douglas B.; Gagel, Robert F.; Lee, Nancy; Machens, Andreas; Moley, Jeffrey F.; Pacini, Furio; Raue, Friedhelm; Frank-Raue, Karin; Robinson, Bruce; Rosenthal, M. Sara; Santoro, Massimo; Schlumberger, Martin; Shah, Manisha; Waguespack, Steven G.

2015-01-01

Introduction: The American Thyroid Association appointed a Task Force of experts to revise the original Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma: Management Guidelines of the American Thyroid Association. Methods: The Task Force identified relevant articles using a systematic PubMed search, supplemented with additional published materials, and then created evidence-based recommendations, which were set in categories using criteria adapted from the United States Preventive Services Task Force Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The original guidelines provided abundant source material and an excellent organizational structure that served as the basis for the current revised document. Results: The revised guidelines are focused primarily on the diagnosis and treatment of patients with sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and hereditary MTC. Conclusions: The Task Force developed 67 evidence-based recommendations to assist clinicians in the care of patients with MTC. The Task Force considers the recommendations to represent current, rational, and optimal medical practice. PMID:25810047

International confederation for cleft lip and palate and related craniofacial anomalies task force report: holistic outcomes.

PubMed

Broder, Hillary L

2014-11-01

Objective : This paper describes the process and outcomes of the 2013 American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association task force on Holistic Outcomes. The goals and membership of the task force are presented. Methods : Using internet communication, the group introduced themselves, shared ideas and information related to holistic assessment and implementation of using a validated holistic measure, the Child Oral Health Impact Profile (COHIP) at participating international sites. Results : Data from the sites were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Administration of the COHIP was successful. It varied from self-completion as well as verbal presentation due to language differences and a function of the short time period to complete collection. Additionally qualitative comments were reported by the task force site directors. Conclusions : Future directions for holistic assessment and communication among task force members and sites were discussed at the Congress and are presented in this report.

NASA's Big Data Task Force

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holmes, C. P.; Kinter, J. L.; Beebe, R. F.; Feigelson, E.; Hurlburt, N. E.; Mentzel, C.; Smith, G.; Tino, C.; Walker, R. J.

2017-12-01

Two years ago NASA established the Ad Hoc Big Data Task Force (BDTF - https://science.nasa.gov/science-committee/subcommittees/big-data-task-force), an advisory working group with the NASA Advisory Council system. The scope of the Task Force included all NASA Big Data programs, projects, missions, and activities. The Task Force focused on such topics as exploring the existing and planned evolution of NASA's science data cyber-infrastructure that supports broad access to data repositories for NASA Science Mission Directorate missions; best practices within NASA, other Federal agencies, private industry and research institutions; and Federal initiatives related to big data and data access. The BDTF has completed its two-year term and produced several recommendations plus four white papers for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. This presentation will discuss the activities and results of the TF including summaries of key points from its focused study topics. The paper serves as an introduction to the papers following in this ESSI session.

A Model for Steering with Haptic-Force Guidance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xing-Dong; Irani, Pourang; Boulanger, Pierre; Bischof, Walter F.

Trajectory-based tasks are common in many applications and have been widely studied. Recently, researchers have shown that even very simple tasks, such as selecting items from cascading menus, can benefit from haptic-force guidance. Haptic guidance is also of significant value in many applications such as medical training, handwriting learning, and in applications requiring precise manipulations. There are, however, only very few guiding principles for selecting parameters that are best suited for proper force guiding. In this paper, we present a model, derived from the steering law that relates movement time to the essential components of a tunneling task in the presence of haptic-force guidance. Results of an experiment show that our model is highly accurate for predicting performance times in force-enhanced tunneling tasks.

Results of telerobotic hand controller study using force information and rate control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Willshire, Kelli F.; Harrison, F. W.; Hogge, Edward F.; Williams, Robert L.; Soloway, Donald

1992-01-01

To increase quantified information about the effectiveness and subjective workload of force information relayed through manipulator input control devices, a space related task was performed by eight subjects with kinesthetic force feedback and/or local force accommodation through three different input control devices (i.e., hand controllers) operating in rate control mode. Task completion time, manipulator work, and subjective responses were measured. Results indicated a difference among the hand controllers. For the Honeywell six degree-of-freedom hand controller, the overall task completion times were shortest, the amount of work exerted was the least, and was the most preferred by test subjects. Neither force accommodation with or without reflection resulted in shorter task completion times or reduced work although those conditions were better than no force information for some aspects. Comparisons of results from previous studies are discussed.

Problems and research issues associated with the hybrid control of force and displacement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paul, R. P.

1987-01-01

The hybrid control of force and position is basic to the science of robotics but is only poorly understood. Before much progress can be made in robotics, this problem needs to be solved in a robust manner. However, the use of hybrid control implies the existence of a model of the environment, not an exact model (as the function of hybrid control is to accommodate these errors), but a model appropriate for planning and reasoning. The monitored forces in position control are interpreted in terms of a model of the task as are the monitored displacements in force control. The reaction forces of the task of writing are far different from those of hammering. The programming of actions in such a modeled world becomes more complicated and systems of task level programming need to be developed. Sensor based robotics, of which force sensing is the most basic, implies an entirely new level of technology. Indeed, robot force sensors, no matter how compliant they may be, must be protected from accidental collisions. This implies other sensors to monitor task execution and again the use of a world model. This new level of technology is the task level, in which task actions are specified, not the actions of individual sensors and manipulators.

Identification of Occupational Areas for Indiana's Future. Final Report of the Technology Forecasting Task Force.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Indiana State Commission on Vocational and Technical Education, Indianapolis.

A task force representing the Indiana private sector was convened for two purposes: to (1) identify the impact of technology on required worker skills, the labor market, and the vocational education, training, and employment system; and (2) identify occupational areas that should be future growth areas for the state. Task force members reviewed…

Task Force for Expanding Credit and Noncredit Courses for Students with Intellectual and Development Disabilities. Final Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maryland Higher Education Commission, 2016

2016-01-01

The Task Force to Study the Impact of Expanding Credit and Noncredit Courses for Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities was formed in July 2013. Chapter 392, Acts of 2013, (House Bill 813) established the Task Force to Study the Impact of Expanding Credit and Noncredit Courses for Students with Intellectual and Developmental…

Arizona Community Colleges: Report of the Task Force on Community College Enrollment Growth Planning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arizona State Board of Directors for Community Colleges, Phoenix.

The Task Force on Enrollment Growth Planning (TFEGP), authorized in 1992 by the State Board of Directors for Community Colleges (SBDCC) of Arizona, includes representatives from each community college as well as staff from SBDCC office. The Task Force was created to prepare enrollment growth estimates for community colleges through the year 2010;…

The Educational, Fiscal, and Access Implications of the Fall Academic Calendar. The Report of the Academic Calendar Task Force.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armstrong, William B.

In 1991, California's San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) formed a task force to investigate the effects of adopting academic calendars that end either before or after the winter holidays. To gather information, the task force performed a grade distribution analysis among district college students to determine the impact of fall semester…

Report of the Task Force to Explore Feasibility of a Three-Year Baccalaureate Program. Established March 1, 1972.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee.

Presented in this document are the results of a Task Force study in Florida that explored the feasibility of a baccalaureate degree program that can be completed in 3 academic years. The Task Force addressed itself to the issues surrounding time-shortened degrees: acceleration; locksteps; relevancy of educational objectives to individual and…

Report of the Task Force on the Status of Women at the University of California, Davis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Kathleen M.

The charge given to the Task Force on the Status of Women at the University of California, Davis, was to determine the employment opportunities for women on the Davis campus. The Task Force addressed itself primarily to 4 major employment categories: non-academic staff, academic staff, faculty, and administration, with lesser consideration given…

A Report by the Governor's Task Force on Vocational and Technical Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Governor's Task Force on Vocational and Technical Education, Columbus, OH.

On July 19, 1968, a Task Force on Vocational and Technical Education was created by the governor of Ohio to develop proposals for organization, financing, and legislation. Some major problems to which the Task Force gave attention were: (1) the serious gap between the need for and the availability of vocational and technical education, (2) the…

76 FR 70067 - Taxpayers and Ratepayers United, et al.; Environmental Impacts of Severe Reactor and Spent Fuel...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-10

... environmental issues raised in the Fukushima Task Force Report. The NRC is not instituting a public comment... Reactor Safety in the 21st Century: The Near-Term Task Force Review of Insights from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Accident'' (Fukushima Task Force Report, ADAMS Accession No. ML111861807), dated July 12, 2011, as...

77 FR 30560 - Proposed Generic Communication; Generic Letter on Seismic Risk Evaluations for Operating Reactors

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-23

... the Fukushima Near-Term Task Force Recommendations 2.1 and 2.3. The request for information letters... addressing the Fukushima Near-Term Task Force Recommendations 2.1 and 2.3. The memorandum is available... Fukushima Near-Term Task Force Recommendations 2.1 and 2.3 (ADAMS Accession Number ML12056A046), as...

The APA Task Force on Statistical Inference (TFSI) Report as a Framework for Teaching and Evaluating Students' Understandings of Study Validity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Bruce

Web-based statistical instruction, like all statistical instruction, ought to focus on teaching the essence of the research endeavor: the exercise of reflective judgment. Using the framework of the recent report of the American Psychological Association (APA) Task Force on Statistical Inference (Wilkinson and the APA Task Force on Statistical…

Building Bridges to the Information Superhighway: Annual Report of the Disabilities Issues Task Force, Federal Communications Commission (March 1995--April 1996).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Federal Communications Commission, Washington, DC.

This report describes activities and accomplishments of the Federal Communications Commission's Disabilities Issues Task Force on disabilities issues from March 1995 through April 1996, its first year. Introductory material includes a message from the chairman of the Commission and a statement of the Task Force's purpose, which is to address…

U. S. Atlantic Fleet, Task Force 85. Operation Plan Number 3-44

DTIC Science & Technology

1944-07-27

Potential Targets in Sectors of Responsibility Gril /8thPhib/Al6-3 Serial: 0031(P) DEAN/14- Potential Targets in Se_otors t of Respon- sibility...tags accompany the remains, ANNEX QUEEN MEDICAL PLAN - Page 6 of 8 GrIl /8thPhib/Al6-3 WESTERN NAVAL TASK FORCE, Serial: 0037(P) TASK FORCE EIGHTY-FIVE

Credentialing Educational Accomplishment. Report and Recommendations of the Task Force on Educational Credit and Credentials.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Jerry W., Ed.; Mills, Olive, Ed.

The Task Force on Educational Credit and Credentials of the American Council on Education undertook a two-year study to determine how postsecondary education's system for awarding credit and credentials can be changed or its adequacy improved to meet today's educational and social needs. This book sets forth the Task Force's report and…

Tomorrow. The Report of the Task Force for the Study of Chemistry Education in the United States.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Chemical Society, Washington, DC.

An American Chemical Society (ACS) task force was charged to examine the state of chemistry education in the United States and to make recommendations in light of its findings. This document presents the task force's report and 39 major (and also secondary) recommendations. These recommendations, with accompanying discussions, focus on: (1)…

Enslaving in a serial chain: interactions between grip force and hand force in isometric tasks.

PubMed

Paclet, Florent; Ambike, Satyajit; Zatsiorsky, Vladimir M; Latash, Mark L

2014-03-01

This study was motivated by the double action of extrinsic hand muscles that produce grip force and also contribute to wrist torque. We explored interactions between grip force and wrist torque in isometric force production tasks. In particular, we tested a hypothesis that an intentional change in one of the two kinetic variables would produce an unintentional change in the other (enslaving). When young healthy subjects produced accurate changes in the grip force, only minor effects on the force produced by the hand (by wrist flexion/extension action) were observed. In contrast, a change in the hand force produced consistent changes in grip force in the same direction. The magnitude of such unintentional grip force change was stronger for intentional hand force decrease as compared to hand force increase. These effects increased with the magnitude of the initial grip force. When the subjects were asked to produce accurate total force computed as the sum of the hand and grip forces, strong negative covariation between the two forces was seen across trials interpreted as a synergy stabilizing the total force. An index of this synergy was higher in the space of "modes," hypothetical signals to the two effectors that could be changed by the controller one at a time. We interpret the complex enslaving effects (positive force covariation) as conditioned by typical everyday tasks. The presence of synergic effects (negative, task-specific force covariation) can be naturally interpreted within the referent configuration hypothesis.

Enslaving in a serial chain: Interactions between grip force and hand force in isometric tasks

PubMed Central

Paclet, Florent; Ambike, Satyajit; Zatsiorsky, Vladimir M.; Latash, Mark L.

2014-01-01

This study was motivated by the double action of extrinsic hand muscles that produce grip force and also contribute to wrist torque. We explored interactions between grip force and wrist torque in isometric force production tasks. In particular, we tested a hypothesis that an intentional change in one of the two kinetic variables would produce an unintentional change in the other (enslaving). When young healthy subjects produced accurate changes in the grip force, only minor effects on the force produced by the hand (by wrist flexion/extension action) were observed. In contrast, a change in the hand force produced consistent changes in grip force in the same direction. The magnitude of such unintentional grip force change was stronger for intentional hand force decrease as compared to hand force increase. These effects increased with the magnitude of the initial grip force. When the subjects were asked to produce accurate total force computed as the sum of the hand and grip forces, strong negative co-variation between the two forces was seen across trials interpreted as a synergy stabilizing the total force. An index of this synergy was higher in the space of “modes”, hypothetical signals to the two effectors that could be changed by the controller one at a time. We interpret the complex enslaving effects (positive force co-variation) as conditioned by typical everyday tasks. The presence of synergic effects (negative, task-specific force co-variation) can be naturally interpreted within the referent configuration hypothesis. PMID:24309747

The interaction of force and repetition on musculoskeletal and neural tissue responses and sensorimotor behavior in a rat model of work-related musculoskeletal disorders

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background We examined the relationship of musculoskeletal risk factors underlying force and repetition on tissue responses in an operant rat model of repetitive reaching and pulling, and if force x repetition interactions were present, indicative of a fatigue failure process. We examined exposure-dependent changes in biochemical, morphological and sensorimotor responses occurring with repeated performance of a handle-pulling task for 12 weeks at one of four repetition and force levels: 1) low repetition with low force, 2) high repetition with low force, 3) low repetition with high force, and 4) high repetition with high force (HRHF). Methods Rats underwent initial training for 4–6 weeks, and then performed one of the tasks for 12 weeks, 2 hours/day, 3 days/week. Reflexive grip strength and sensitivity to touch were assayed as functional outcomes. Flexor digitorum muscles and tendons, forelimb bones, and serum were assayed using ELISA for indicators of inflammation, tissue stress and repair, and bone turnover. Histomorphometry was used to assay macrophage infiltration of tissues, spinal cord substance P changes, and tissue adaptative or degradative changes. MicroCT was used to assay bones for changes in bone quality. Results Several force x repetition interactions were observed for: muscle IL-1alpha and bone IL-1beta; serum TNFalpha, IL-1alpha, and IL-1beta; muscle HSP72, a tissue stress and repair protein; histomorphological evidence of tendon and cartilage degradation; serum biomarkers of bone degradation (CTXI) and bone formation (osteocalcin); and morphological evidence of bone adaptation versus resorption. In most cases, performance of the HRHF task induced the greatest tissue degenerative changes, while performance of moderate level tasks induced bone adaptation and a suggestion of muscle adaptation. Both high force tasks induced median nerve macrophage infiltration, spinal cord sensitization (increased substance P), grip strength declines and forepaw mechanical allodynia by task week 12. Conclusions Although not consistent in all tissues, we found several significant interactions between the critical musculoskeletal risk factors of force and repetition, consistent with a fatigue failure process in musculoskeletal tissues. Prolonged performance of HRHF tasks exhibited significantly increased risk for musculoskeletal disorders, while performance of moderate level tasks exhibited adaptation to task demands. PMID:24156755

The interaction of force and repetition on musculoskeletal and neural tissue responses and sensorimotor behavior in a rat model of work-related musculoskeletal disorders.

PubMed

Barbe, Mary F; Gallagher, Sean; Massicotte, Vicky S; Tytell, Michael; Popoff, Steven N; Barr-Gillespie, Ann E

2013-10-25

We examined the relationship of musculoskeletal risk factors underlying force and repetition on tissue responses in an operant rat model of repetitive reaching and pulling, and if force x repetition interactions were present, indicative of a fatigue failure process. We examined exposure-dependent changes in biochemical, morphological and sensorimotor responses occurring with repeated performance of a handle-pulling task for 12 weeks at one of four repetition and force levels: 1) low repetition with low force, 2) high repetition with low force, 3) low repetition with high force, and 4) high repetition with high force (HRHF). Rats underwent initial training for 4-6 weeks, and then performed one of the tasks for 12 weeks, 2 hours/day, 3 days/week. Reflexive grip strength and sensitivity to touch were assayed as functional outcomes. Flexor digitorum muscles and tendons, forelimb bones, and serum were assayed using ELISA for indicators of inflammation, tissue stress and repair, and bone turnover. Histomorphometry was used to assay macrophage infiltration of tissues, spinal cord substance P changes, and tissue adaptative or degradative changes. MicroCT was used to assay bones for changes in bone quality. Several force x repetition interactions were observed for: muscle IL-1alpha and bone IL-1beta; serum TNFalpha, IL-1alpha, and IL-1beta; muscle HSP72, a tissue stress and repair protein; histomorphological evidence of tendon and cartilage degradation; serum biomarkers of bone degradation (CTXI) and bone formation (osteocalcin); and morphological evidence of bone adaptation versus resorption. In most cases, performance of the HRHF task induced the greatest tissue degenerative changes, while performance of moderate level tasks induced bone adaptation and a suggestion of muscle adaptation. Both high force tasks induced median nerve macrophage infiltration, spinal cord sensitization (increased substance P), grip strength declines and forepaw mechanical allodynia by task week 12. Although not consistent in all tissues, we found several significant interactions between the critical musculoskeletal risk factors of force and repetition, consistent with a fatigue failure process in musculoskeletal tissues. Prolonged performance of HRHF tasks exhibited significantly increased risk for musculoskeletal disorders, while performance of moderate level tasks exhibited adaptation to task demands.

The Role of the Public Library in Maine: Consumer Needs and Attitudes Towards Public Libraries in Maine.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Little (Arthur D.), Inc., Cambridge, MA.

To assist the Governor's Task Force to study library services in Maine, Arthur D. Little, Inc. was retained to identify the attitudes of the general public toward libraries and how these attitudes affect library use. A series of four panel discussions was conducted; a survey of the general public was made; data was orally presented; and a workshop…

An Application of BLM's Riparian Inventory Procedure to Rangeland Riparian Resources in the Kern and Kaweah River Watersheds

Treesearch

Patricia Gradek; Lawrence Saslaw; Steven Nelson

1989-01-01

The Bakersfield District of the Bureau of Land Management conducted an inventory of rangeland riparian systems using a new method developed by a Bureau-wide task force to inventory, monitor and classify riparian areas. Data on vegetation composition were collected for 65 miles of streams and entered into a hierarchical vegetation classification system. Ratings of...

Air Support Control Officer Individual Position Training Simulation

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-01

Analysis design development implementation evaluation ASCO Air support control officer ASLT Air support liaison team ASNO Air support net operator...Instructional system design LSTM Long-short term memory MACCS Marine Air Command and Control System MAGTF Marine Air Ground Task Force MASS Marine Air...information to designated MACCS agencies. ASCOs play an important part in facilitating the safe and successful conduct of air operations in DASC- controlled

Dengue in the deserts: Search and Destroy Operations.

PubMed

Cariappa, M P; Bansal, A S; Dutt, Manohar; Reddy, K P

2015-01-01

Dengue, a viral disease transmitted by the Aedes mosquito has the potential to cause outbreaks in urban settings. Planned and coordinated actions including entomological surveillance need to be undertaken at the community level, through synergized efforts by all partners and stakeholders. The experience of conducting such a Task Force based action plan for prevention and control of dengue, in a desert township is highlighted in this study.

The Long War Concept: Using the Security Cooperation Marine Air Ground Task Force to Address Irregular Threats through Shaping and Deterrence

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

8217 relationships and alliances and/or deter potenrlal advetsaries. • PlltlSE 1: Deter the Enem ~’, This phase focuses on deterring specific opponents by...destruction of the enem ~’ in ol’der to break the opponent’s will for organized resistance. StabIllty operations WIll also be conducted as needed to

Learning to combine high variability with high precision: lack of transfer to a different task.

PubMed

Wu, Yen-Hsun; Truglio, Thomas S; Zatsiorsky, Vladimir M; Latash, Mark L

2015-01-01

The authors studied effects of practicing a 4-finger accurate force production task on multifinger coordination quantified within the uncontrolled manifold hypothesis. During practice, task instability was modified by changing visual feedback gain based on accuracy of performance. The authors also explored the retention of these effects, and their transfer to a prehensile task. Subjects practiced the force production task for 2 days. After the practice, total force variability decreased and performance became more accurate. In contrast, variance of finger forces showed a tendency to increase during the first practice session while in the space of finger modes (hypothetical commands to fingers) the increase was under the significance level. These effects were retained for 2 weeks. No transfer of these effects to the prehensile task was seen, suggesting high specificity of coordination changes. The retention of practice effects without transfer to a different task suggests that further studies on a more practical method of improving coordination are needed.

Task Analysis in Optical & Contact Lens Dispensing. Dispensing Opticians.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hrushowy, Eugene; Stanley, Dale

A task force of opticians and educators in British Columbia was assembled to determine the knowledge and skills required of dispensing opticians and contact lens specialists. The ideas generated by the task force were analyzed and distilled into the standardized tasks listed in this document, using Krathwohl's taxonomy. The document contains 36…

Maximal force and tremor changes across the menstrual cycle.

PubMed

Tenan, Matthew S; Hackney, Anthony C; Griffin, Lisa

2016-01-01

Sex hormones have profound effects on the nervous system in vitro and in vivo. The present study examines the effect of the menstrual cycle on maximal isometric force (MVC) and tremor during an endurance task. Nine eumenorrheic females participated in five study visits across their menstrual cycle. In each menstrual phase, an MVC and an endurance task to failure were performed. Tremor across the endurance task was quantified as the coefficient of variation in force and was assessed in absolute time and relative percent time to task failure. MVC decreases 23% from ovulation to the mid luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. In absolute time, the mid luteal phase has the highest initial tremor, though the early follicular phase has substantially higher tremor than other phases after 150 s of task performance. In relative time, the mid luteal phase has the highest level of tremor throughout the endurance task. Both MVC and tremor during an endurance task are modified by the menstrual cycle. Performance of tasks and sports which require high force and steadiness to exhaustion may be decreased in the mid luteal phase compared to other menstrual phases.

75 FR 4051 - Defense Health Board; DoD Task Force on the Prevention of Suicide by Members of the Armed Forces...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-26

... Prevention of Suicide by Members of the Armed Forces; Meeting AGENCY: Department of Defense (DoD). ACTION... of Suicide by Members of the Armed Forces (hereafter, Task Force) will meet on February 11, 2010, to gather information pertaining to suicide and suicide prevention programs for members of the Armed...

Task Force on the Role of General Education in Associate Science Degree Programs. Final Report and Recommendations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weyers, Lori; Langerman, Philip

In 1989-90, the General Education Task Force of the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) was convened to determine the role of the general education curriculum in the attainment of skills that enhance the likelihood of success among technical college graduates in their careers, homes and communities. The Task Force consisted of at least one…

Guidelines for Cognitive Behavioral Training within Doctoral Psychology Programs in the United States: Report of the Inter-Organizational Task Force on Cognitive and Behavioral Psychology Doctoral Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klepac, Robert K.; Ronan, George F.; Andrasik, Frank; Arnold, Kevin D.; Belar, Cynthia D.; Berry, Sharon L.; Christofff, Karen A.; Craighead, Linda W.; Dougher, Michael J.; Dowd, E. Thomas; Herbert, James D.; McFarr, Lynn M.; Rizvi, Shireen L.; Sauer, Eric M.; Strauman, Timothy J.

2012-01-01

The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies initiated an interorganizational task force to develop guidelines for integrated education and training in cognitive and behavioral psychology at the doctoral level in the United States. Fifteen task force members representing 16 professional associations participated in a yearlong series of…

Homelessness: The New Hampshire Response. The Final Report and Recommendations of the New Hampshire Task Force on Homelessness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New Hampshire State Div. of Mental Health and Developmental Services, Concord.

This report presents results and recommendations of a two-year study and information-gathering effort by the New Hampshire Task Force on Homelessness, in compliance with the charge of the State legislature. The report is comprised of five sections. Section 1, "Introduction," presents an overview of the Task Force and a report on the…

Funds for the Future. Report of the Twentieth Century Fund Task Force on College and University Endowment Policy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williamson, J. Peter

The Task Force on College and University Endowment Policy examines endowment policy in a broad context. They feel that it is important to preserve private colleges and universities and develop a sense of mission about how best to pursue this objective. The Task Force reviews policy issues faced by managers of endowment funds for institutions of…

Conference-EC-US Task Force Joint US-EU Workshop on Metabolomics and Environmental Biotechnology

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

PI: Lily Y. Young

2009-06-04

Since 1990, the EC-US Task Force on Biotechnology Research has been coordinating transatlantic efforts to guide and exploit the ongoing revolution in biotechnology and the life sciences. The Task Force was established in June 1990 by the European Commission and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The Task Force has acted as an effective forum for discussion, coordination, and development of new ideas for the last 18 years. Task Force members are European Commission and US Government science and technology administrators who meet annually to enhance communication across the Atlantic, and to encourage collaborative research. Through sponsoringmore » workshops, and other activities, the Task Force also brings together scientific leaders and early career researchers from both sides of the Atlantic to forecast research challenges and opportunities and to promote better links between researchers. Over the years, by keeping a focus on the future of science, the Task Force has played a key role in establishing a diverse range of emerging scientific fields, including biodiversity research, neuroinformatics, genomics, nanobiotechnology, neonatal immunology, transkingdom molecular biology, biologically-based fuels, and environmental biotechnology. The EC-US Task Force has sponsored a number of Working Groups on topics of mutual transatlantic interest. The idea to create a Working Group on Environmental Biotechnology research was discussed in the Task Force meeting of October 1993. The EC-US Working Group on Environmental Biotechnology set as its mission 'To train the next generation of leaders in environmental biotechnology in the United States and the European Union to work collaboratively across the Atlantic.' Since 1995, the Working Group supported three kinds of activities, all of which focus one early career scientists: (1) Workshops on the use of molecular methods and genomics in environmental biotechnology; (2) Short courses with theoretical, laboratory and field elements; and (3) Short term exchange fellowships. The short term exchange fellowships were created to enable young scientists to develop collaborations with colleagues across the Atlantic and to learn a new skill or expertise in the area of environmental biotechnology.« less

The synergic control of multi-finger force production: Stability of explicit and implicit task components

PubMed Central

Reschechtko, Sasha; Zatsiorsky, Vladimir M.; Latash, Mark L.

2016-01-01

Manipulating objects with the hands requires the accurate production of resultant forces including shear forces; effective control of these shear forces also requires the production of internal forces normal to the surface of the object(s) being manipulated. In the present study, we investigated multi-finger synergies stabilizing shear and normal components of force, as well as drifts in both components of force, during isometric pressing tasks requiring a specific magnitude of shear force production. We hypothesized that shear and normal forces would evolve similarly in time, and also show similar stability properties as assessed by the decomposition of inter-trial variance within the uncontrolled manifold hypothesis. Healthy subjects were required to accurately produce total shear and total normal forces with four fingers of the hand during a steady-state force task (with and without visual feedback) and a self-paced force pulse task. The two force components showed similar time profiles during both shear force pulse production and unintentional drift induced by turning the visual feedback off. Only the explicitly instructed components of force, however, were stabilized with multi-finger synergies. No force-stabilizing synergies and no anticipatory synergy adjustments were seen for the normal force in shear force production trials. These unexpected qualitative differences in the control of the two force components – which are produced by some of the same muscles and show high degree of temporal coupling – are interpreted within the theory of control with referent coordinates for salient variables. These observations suggest the existence of two classes of neural variables: one that translates into shifts of referent coordinates and defines changes in magnitude of salient variables, and the other controlling gains in back-coupling loops that define stability of the salient variables. Only the former are shared between the explicit and implicit task components. PMID:27601252

Force-stabilizing synergies in motor tasks involving two actors

PubMed Central

Solnik, Stanislaw; Reschechtko, Sasha; Wu, Yen-Hsun; Zatsiorsky, Vladimir M.; Latash, Mark L.

2015-01-01

We investigated the ability of two persons to produce force-stabilizing synergies in accurate multi-finger force production tasks under visual feedback on the total force only. The subjects produced a time profile of total force (the sum of two hand forces in one-person tasks and the sum of two subject forces in two-person tasks) consisting of a ramp-up, steady-state, and ramp-down segments; the steady-state segment was interrupted in the middle by a quick force pulse. Analyses of the structure of inter-trial finger force variance, motor equivalence, anticipatory synergy adjustments (ASAs), and the unintentional drift of the sharing pattern were performed. The two-person performance was characterized by a dramatically higher amount of inter-trial variance that did not affect total force, higher finger force deviations that did not affect total force (motor equivalent deviations), shorter ASAs, and larger drift of the sharing pattern. The rate of sharing pattern drift correlated with the initial disparity between the forces produced by the two persons (or two hands). The drift accelerated following the quick force pulse. Our observations show that sensory information on the task-specific performance variable is sufficient for the organization of performance-stabilizing synergies. They suggest, however, that two actors are less likely to follow a single optimization criterion as compared to a single performer. The presence of ASAs in the two-person condition might reflect fidgeting by one or both of the subjects. We discuss the characteristics of the drift in the sharing pattern as reflections of different characteristic times of motion within the sub-spaces that affect and do not affect salient performance variables. PMID:26105756

Force-stabilizing synergies in motor tasks involving two actors.

PubMed

Solnik, Stanislaw; Reschechtko, Sasha; Wu, Yen-Hsun; Zatsiorsky, Vladimir M; Latash, Mark L

2015-10-01

We investigated the ability of two persons to produce force-stabilizing synergies in accurate multi-finger force production tasks under visual feedback on the total force only. The subjects produced a time profile of total force (the sum of two hand forces in one-person tasks and the sum of two subject forces in two-person tasks) consisting of a ramp-up, steady-state, and ramp-down segments; the steady-state segment was interrupted in the middle by a quick force pulse. Analyses of the structure of inter-trial finger force variance, motor equivalence, anticipatory synergy adjustments (ASAs), and the unintentional drift of the sharing pattern were performed. The two-person performance was characterized by a dramatically higher amount of inter-trial variance that did not affect total force, higher finger force deviations that did not affect total force (motor equivalent deviations), shorter ASAs, and larger drift of the sharing pattern. The rate of sharing pattern drift correlated with the initial disparity between the forces produced by the two persons (or two hands). The drift accelerated following the quick force pulse. Our observations show that sensory information on the task-specific performance variable is sufficient for the organization of performance-stabilizing synergies. They suggest, however, that two actors are less likely to follow a single optimization criterion as compared to a single performer. The presence of ASAs in the two-person condition might reflect fidgeting by one or both of the subjects. We discuss the characteristics of the drift in the sharing pattern as reflections of different characteristic times of motion within the subspaces that affect and do not affect salient performance variables.

The Role of Direct and Visual Force Feedback in Suturing Using a 7-DOF Dual-Arm Teleoperated System.

PubMed

Talasaz, Ali; Trejos, Ana Luisa; Patel, Rajni V

2017-01-01

The lack of haptic feedback in robotics-assisted surgery can result in tissue damage or accidental tool-tissue hits. This paper focuses on exploring the effect of haptic feedback via direct force reflection and visual presentation of force magnitudes on performance during suturing in robotics-assisted minimally invasive surgery (RAMIS). For this purpose, a haptics-enabled dual-arm master-slave teleoperation system capable of measuring tool-tissue interaction forces in all seven Degrees-of-Freedom (DOFs) was used. Two suturing tasks, tissue puncturing and knot-tightening, were chosen to assess user skills when suturing on phantom tissue. Sixteen subjects participated in the trials and their performance was evaluated from various points of view: force consistency, number of accidental hits with tissue, amount of tissue damage, quality of the suture knot, and the time required to accomplish the task. According to the results, visual force feedback was not very useful during the tissue puncturing task as different users needed different amounts of force depending on the penetration of the needle into the tissue. Direct force feedback, however, was more useful for this task to apply less force and to minimize the amount of damage to the tissue. Statistical results also reveal that both visual and direct force feedback were required for effective knot tightening: direct force feedback could reduce the number of accidental hits with the tissue and also the amount of tissue damage, while visual force feedback could help to securely tighten the suture knots and maintain force consistency among different trials/users. These results provide evidence of the importance of 7-DOF force reflection when performing complex tasks in a RAMIS setting.

Age-related differences in postural adjustments in connection with different tasks involving weight transfer while standing.

PubMed

Jonsson, Erika; Henriksson, Marketta; Hirschfeld, Helga

2007-10-01

Weight transfer designed to change the area of the supportive base during the performance of three different motor tasks (one-leg stance, tandem stance and gait initiation) was examined both in healthy, physically active elderly people and younger adults. The former two tasks are balance tests used clinically. Our hypothesis was that the elderly subjects would demonstrate age-related changes in their postural adjustments that could be detected by analysis of the ground reaction forces. While 24 healthy elderly adults (65-77 years of age) and 26 younger adults (24-40 years of age) performed these three tasks, the ground reaction forces were recorded from two force plates. Prior to the onset of all three tasks, the elderly placed significantly more weight on the leg that was to provide support (the stance leg), than did the younger individuals. The analyses revealed two distinct phases of weight transfer, i.e., an initial thrust and a subsequent unloading phase. The elderly individuals exhibited a significantly longer unloading phase, as well as a higher frequency of peaks of vertical and lateral forces during this phase. Moreover, the maximal force rate during this phase was achieved at an earlier time point by the elderly. However, both groups generated forces of similar magnitudes and force rates. In conclusion, our findings indicate the presence of age-related differences in the temporal phasing of the ground reaction forces in all three of these tasks involving weight transfer, whereas the magnitude and rates of change of these forces are independent of age.

Task Force Report 4. Report of the Task Force on Marketing and Communications

PubMed Central

Dickinson, John C.; Evans, Kenneth L.; Carter, Jan; Burke, Kevin

2004-01-01

BACKGROUND To ensure the success of the proposed New Model of family medicine and to create a better understanding of the nature and role of family medicine, an effective communications plan must be developed and implemented. This Future of Family Medicine task force report proposes strategies for communicating the role of family physicians within medicine, as well as to purchasers, consumers, and other entities. METHODS After reviewing the findings from the research conducted for the Future of Family Medicine project, the task force presents a preliminary brand-positioning strategy for family medicine messages. Based on this strategy, the task force identifies 5 major audiences to which family medicine communications should be directed. A consistent method was used to determine optimum strategies to address each audience: defining the audience, assessing the literature and other pertinent evidence, identifying the communication objectives, determining the key messages, developing brand promises, and proposing strategies and tactics to support the messages and objectives. Preliminary communications plans are then presented for each of the 5 target audiences. MAJOR FINDINGS It is important that the organizations involved in family medicine make a multiyear commitment of resources to implement and support an aggressive communications strategy, which is based on key messages to target audiences. A concerted effort is particularly needed to address the declining interest among medical students in the specialty. Implementing a comprehensive family medicine career development program may be one effective strategy to reverse this trend. To help eliminate the current confusion among the public regarding family medicine and to promote clarity and consistency in terminology, the specialty should replace the name family practice with family medicine and a new graphic symbol for the discipline of family medicine should be developed. CONCLUSION As a discipline, family medicine has failed to formulate and deliver a compelling message. New communications strategies must be implemented that will reach audiences in terms they understand and care about and in ways that convey a sense of the exciting role family physicians will play in the future. By actively implementing the communications plans described in this report, the specialty can enhance the impact and help ensure the widespread implementation of the proposed New Model of family medicine.

Haptic force-feedback devices for the office computer: performance and musculoskeletal loading issues.

PubMed

Dennerlein, J T; Yang, M C

2001-01-01

Pointing devices, essential input tools for the graphical user interface (GUI) of desktop computers, require precise motor control and dexterity to use. Haptic force-feedback devices provide the human operator with tactile cues, adding the sense of touch to existing visual and auditory interfaces. However, the performance enhancements, comfort, and possible musculoskeletal loading of using a force-feedback device in an office environment are unknown. Hypothesizing that the time to perform a task and the self-reported pain and discomfort of the task improve with the addition of force feedback, 26 people ranging in age from 22 to 44 years performed a point-and-click task 540 times with and without an attractive force field surrounding the desired target. The point-and-click movements were approximately 25% faster with the addition of force feedback (paired t-tests, p < 0.001). Perceived user discomfort and pain, as measured through a questionnaire, were also smaller with the addition of force feedback (p < 0.001). However, this difference decreased as additional distracting force fields were added to the task environment, simulating a more realistic work situation. These results suggest that for a given task, use of a force-feedback device improves performance, and potentially reduces musculoskeletal loading during mouse use. Actual or potential applications of this research include human-computer interface design, specifically that of the pointing device extensively used for the graphical user interface.

Performance evaluation of a six-axis generalized force-reflecting teleoperator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hannaford, B.; Wood, L.; Guggisberg, B.; Mcaffee, D.; Zak, H.

1989-01-01

Work in real-time distributed computation and control has culminated in a prototype force-reflecting telemanipulation system having a dissimilar master (cable-driven, force-reflecting hand controller) and a slave (PUMA 560 robot with custom controller), an extremely high sampling rate (1000 Hz), and a low loop computation delay (5 msec). In a series of experiments with this system and five trained test operators covering over 100 hours of teleoperation, performance was measured in a series of generic and application-driven tasks with and without force feedback, and with control shared between teleoperation and local sensor referenced control. Measurements defining task performance included 100-Hz recording of six-axis force/torque information from the slave manipulator wrist, task completion time, and visual observation of predefined task errors. The task consisted of high precision peg-in-hole insertion, electrical connectors, velcro attach-de-attach, and a twist-lock multi-pin connector. Each task was repeated three times under several operating conditions: normal bilateral telemanipulation, forward position control without force feedback, and shared control. In shared control, orientation was locally servo controlled to comply with applied torques, while translation was under operator control. All performance measures improved as capability was added along a spectrum of capabilities ranging from pure position control through force-reflecting teleoperation and shared control. Performance was optimal for the bare-handed operator.

Altered visual strategies and attention are related to increased force fluctuations during a pinch grip task in older adults.

PubMed

Keenan, Kevin G; Huddleston, Wendy E; Ernest, Bradley E

2017-11-01

The purpose of the study was to determine the visual strategies used by older adults during a pinch grip task and to assess the relations between visual strategy, deficits in attention, and increased force fluctuations in older adults. Eye movements of 23 older adults (>65 yr) were monitored during a low-force pinch grip task while subjects viewed three common visual feedback displays. Performance on the Grooved Pegboard test and an attention task (which required no concurrent hand movements) was also measured. Visual strategies varied across subjects and depended on the type of visual feedback provided to the subjects. First, while viewing a high-gain compensatory feedback display (horizontal bar moving up and down with force), 9 of 23 older subjects adopted a strategy of performing saccades during the task, which resulted in 2.5 times greater force fluctuations in those that exhibited saccades compared with those who maintained fixation near the target line. Second, during pursuit feedback displays (force trace moving left to right across screen and up and down with force), all subjects exhibited multiple saccades, and increased force fluctuations were associated ( r s = 0.6; P = 0.002) with fewer saccades during the pursuit task. Also, decreased low-frequency (<4 Hz) force fluctuations and Grooved Pegboard times were significantly related ( P = 0.033 and P = 0.005, respectively) with higher (i.e., better) attention z scores. Comparison of these results with our previously published results in young subjects indicates that saccadic eye movements and attention are related to force control in older adults. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The significant contributions of the study are the addition of eye movement data and an attention task to explain differences in hand motor control across different visual displays in older adults. Older participants used different visual strategies across varying feedback displays, and saccadic eye movements were related with motor performance. In addition, those older individuals with deficits in attention had impaired motor performance on two different hand motor control tasks, including the Grooved Pegboard test. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

The Oklahoma Attorney General's Task Force report on the State of End-of-Life Health Care, 2005.

PubMed

Edmondson, W A Drew

2005-05-01

This article includes the recommendations submitted by the 15 members of the Oklahoma Attorney General's Task Force in their Report on the State of End-of-Life Health Care. The task force was created on April 21, 2004, and their report was accepted by Attorney General W.A. Drew Edmondson at a press conference April 11, 2005. It has been forwarded to members of the Oklahoma Legislature, relevant state agencies and organizations with an invitation to join with members of the task force to continue efforts to improve end-of-life care for Oklahomans. Copies of the report are available upon request to the Office of Attorney General.

TRISTAR 1: Evaluation methods for testing head-up display (HUD) flight symbology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newman, R. L.; Haworth, L. A.; Kessler, G. K.; Eksuzian, D. J.; Ercoline, W. R.; Evans, R. H.; Hughes, T. C.; Weinstein, L. F.

1995-01-01

The first in a series of piloted head-up display (HUD) flight symbology studies (TRISTAR) measuring pilot task performance was conducted at the NASA Ames Research Center by the Tri-Service Flight Symbology Working Group (FSWG). Sponsored by the U.S. Army Aeroflightdynamics Directorate, this study served as a focal point for the FSWG to examine HUD test methodology and flight symbology presentations. HUD climb-dive marker dynamics and climb-dive ladder presentations were examined as pilots performed air-to-air (A/A), air-to-ground (A/G), instrument landing system (ILS), and unusual attitude (UA) recover tasks. Symbolic presentations resembled pitch ladder variations used by the U.S. Air Force (USAF), U.S. Navy (USN), and Royal Air Force (RAF). The study was initiated by the FSWG to address HUD flight symbology deficiencies, standardization, issue identification, and test methodologies. It provided the mechanism by which the USAF, USN, RAF, and USA could integrate organizational ideas and reduce differences for comparisons. Specifically it examined flight symbology issues collectively identified by each organization and the use of objective and subjective text methodology and flight tasking proposed by the FSWG.

Impaired Inhibitory Force Feedback in Fixed Dystonia.

PubMed

Mugge, Winfred; Schouten, Alfred C; van Hilten, Jacobus J; van der Helm, Frans C T

2016-04-01

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a multifactorial disorder associated with an aberrant host response to tissue injury. About 25% of CRPS patients suffer poorly understood involuntary sustained muscle contractions associated with dysfunctional reflexes that result in abnormal postures (fixed dystonia). A recent modeling study simulated fixed dystonia (FD) caused by aberrant force feedback. The current study aims to validate this hypothesis by experimentally recording the modulation of reflexive force feedback in patients with FD. CRPS patients with and without FD, patients with FD but without CRPS, as well as healthy controls participated in the experiment. Three task instructions and three perturbation characteristics were used to evoke a wide range of responses to force perturbations. During position tasks ("maintain posture"), healthy subjects as well as patients resisted the perturbations, becoming more stiff than when being relaxed (i.e., the relax task). Healthy subjects and CRPS patients without FD were both more compliant during force tasks ("maintain force") than during relax tasks, meaning they actively gave way to the imposed forces. Remarkably, the patients with FD failed to do so. A neuromuscular model was fitted to the experimental data to separate the distinct contributions of position, velocity and force feedback, as well as co-contraction to the motor behavior. The neuromuscular modeling indicated that inhibitory force feedback is deregulated in patients with FD, for both CRPS and non-CRPS patients. From previously published simulation results and the present experimental study, it is concluded that aberrant force feedback plays a role in fixed dystonia.

Effect of loudness on reaction time and response force in different motor tasks.

PubMed

Jaśkowski, Piotr; Włodarczyk, Dariusz

2005-12-01

Van der Molen and Keuss, in 1979 and 1981, showed that paradoxically long reaction times occur with extremely strong auditory stimuli when the task is difficult, e.g., choice-by-location or Simon paradigm. It was argued that this paradoxical behavior of RT is due to active inhibition of an arousal-dependent bypassing mechanism to prevent false responses. As the peak force, i.e., maximal force exerted by participants on a response key, is considered to be related to immediate arousal, we predicted that for extremely loud stimuli and for difficult tasks, lengthening of RT should be associated with reduction of peak force. Moreover, these effects should be enhanced when emphasis is on accuracy rather than speed. Although the relation between RT and intensity depended on task difficulty, no increase in RT was found for the loudest tones. Moreover, peak force increased monotonically with loudness, showing no tendency to be suppressed for loudest tones and difficult tasks.

Corporate funding and conflicts of interest: a primer for psychologists.

PubMed

Pachter, Wendy S; Fox, Ronald E; Zimbardo, Philip; Antonuccio, David O

2007-12-01

A presidential task force on external funding was established by the American Psychological Association (APA) in 2003 to review APA policies, procedures, and practices regarding the acceptance of funding and support from private corporations for educational and training programs; continuing education offerings; research projects; publications; advertising; scientific and professional meetings and conferences; and consulting, practice, and advocacy relationships. This article, based on the Executive Summary of the APA Task Force on External Funding Final Report, presents the findings and unanimous recommendations of the task force in the areas of association income, annual convention, research and journals, continuing education, education, practice, and conflicts of interest and ethics. The task force concluded that it is important for both APA and individual psychologists to become familiar with the challenges that corporate funding can pose to their integrity. The nature and extent of those challenges led the task force to recommend that APA develop explicit policies, educational materials, and continuing education programs to preserve the independence of psychological science, practice, and education. (Copyright) 2007 APA.

Early childhood: breastfeeding, "solving the problem of childhood obesity within a generation," an excerpt from the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity: report to the President, May 2010.

PubMed

2010-10-01

On February 9, 2010, the same day the First Lady launched the Let's Move! campaign, President Obama created a new interagency White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity, charged with creating and implementing a comprehensive action plan to end the childhood obesity epidemic. The resulting action plan was developed by experts from across the federal government, with substantial public input, and released on May 11. The first chapter of the task force report discusses strategies for getting children a healthy start on life, including supporting breastfeeding. Here is an excerpt from the discussion of breastfeeding that appears in the report. The full text of the task force report can be found at www.letsmove.gov . —Martha Coven, JD Special Assistant to the President for Mobility and Opportunity White House Domestic Policy Council Lead Staff, White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity.

Improving the Agility of the NATO Response Force (NRF)

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-01

the MCCE and the MIH helicopter task force. As 168 Hauser and Kernic eds., 140-141. 169 NATO...agility through unified efforts. Initiatives such as the MIH helicopter task force and the Movement Coordination Centre Europe (MCCE) are positive

Toward a State of Esteem. The Final Report of the California Task Force to Promote Self-esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

California State Dept. of Education, Sacramento.

This document contains the final report of a California Task Force created to promote self-esteem and personal responsibility. It begins with an executive summary listing key principles of the task force and providing recommendations and discussions in each of six major areas upon which the report focuses. The next section presents the task…

7 CFR Exhibit D to Subpart B of... - Fact Sheet-The Federal Interagency Task Force on Food and Shelter for the Homeless

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 14 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Fact Sheet-The Federal Interagency Task Force on Food... (CONTINUED) PROPERTY MANAGEMENT Management of Property Exhibit D to Subpart B of Part 1955—Fact Sheet—The Federal Interagency Task Force on Food and Shelter for the Homeless Editorial Note: Exhibit D is not...

Proceedings: The Conference of the University/Urban Schools National Task Force: What Works in Urban Schools (3rd, San Francisco, CA, July 9-10, 1982).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bossone, Richard M., Ed.

Proceedings of the University/Urban Schools Task Force conference on what works in urban schools are summarized in this report. The future direction of the Task Force, articulated by conference participants, is described as a move toward the conceptualization and design of programs to teach thinking skills versus programs that mainly teach subject…

Report and Recommendations of the British Columbia Teacher's Federation's (BCTF) Task Force on First Nations Education to the Annual General Meeting (January 1999). (Revised Annotated Version).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

British Columbia Teachers' Federation, Vancouver.

In 1998, the British Columbia Teachers' Federation (BCTF) appointed an eight-member task force to investigate the effectiveness of the education system for First Nations students. The task force report and recommendations are intended to serve several groups of Aboriginal students: First Nations students, with or without status under Canada's…

Last Best Chance 2004: Educating Young Adolescents in the 21st Century. Middle Grades Task Force Report. Fall 2004

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Carolina State Department of Education, 2004

2004-01-01

This study is a follow up to the Last Best Chance report published in 1989. A task force of 29 education leaders was challenged to help chart the course for middle level education in North Carolina. While examining middle level education (ages 11 through 14), task force members continuously asked, "What should it look like in order for all…

SUNY 2000. College Expectations: The Report of the SUNY Task Force on College Entry-Level Knowledge and Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

State Univ. of New York, Albany. Office of the Chancellor.

This document reports on the work of a task force charged with formulating recommendations on the kind of preparation an incoming student should have to assure successful entry to and completion of the freshman year of study at the State University of New York (SUNY). In addition, the task force was asked to specify what program of study and forms…

Defense Science Board Task Force Report on Cyber Defense Management

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

manage cyber security is often a verymanual and labor intensive process. When a crisis hits, DoD responses range from highly automatedand instrumented...DSB Task Force Report on Cyber Defense Management September 2016 (U) This page intentionally blank REPORT OF THE DEFENSE SCIENCE BOARD STUDY ON Cyber ...DEFENSE FOR ACQUISITION, TECHNOLOGY & LOGISTICS SUBJECT: Final Report of the Defense Science Board (DSB) Task Force on Cyber Defense Management I am

Flow Control and Design Assessment for Drainage System at McMurdo Station, Antarctica

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-11-24

Council BMP Best Management Practice CASQUA California Storm Water Quality Task Force CRREL Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory DS...ponds The California Storm Water Quality Task Force (CASQUA 1993) defines a sediment basin as “a pond created by excavation or constructing an em...British Standards Institution. California Storm Water Quality Task Force (CASQUA). 1993. ESC41: Check Dams. In Stormwater Best Management Practices

The Report to the United States Office of Education of the National Task Forces on Instructional Strategies in Schools with High Concentrations of Low-Income Pupils.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Optimum Computer Systems, Inc., Washington, DC.

This paper presents the reports of the National Task Forces on Urban, Rural, Migrant, Native American and Bilingual/Bicultural Education. The Task Forces were asked to pinpoint strategies for instructional and programmatic improvement in these areas. The focus of inquiry was on reading and mathematics instruction. Attention was also paid to…

The effect of ankle bracing on knee kinetics and kinematics during volleyball-specific tasks.

PubMed

West, T; Ng, L; Campbell, A

2014-12-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of ankle bracing on knee kinetics and kinematics during volleyball tasks. Fifteen healthy, elite, female volleyball players performed a series of straight-line and lateral volleyball tasks with no brace and when wearing an ankle brace. A 14-camera Vicon motion analysis system and AMTI force plate were used to capture the kinetic and kinematic data. Knee range of motion, peak knee anterior-posterior and medial-lateral shear forces, and peak ground reaction forces that occurred between initial contact with the force plate and toe off were compared using paired sample t-tests between the braced and non-braced conditions (P < 0.05). The results revealed no significant effect of bracing on knee kinematics or ground reaction forces during any task or on knee kinetics during the straight-line movement volleyball tasks. However, ankle bracing was demonstrated to reduce knee lateral shear forces during all of the lateral movement volleyball tasks. Wearing the Active Ankle T2 brace will not impact knee joint range of motion and may in fact reduce shear loading to the knee joint in volleyball players. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Proceedings of the Seminar on the DoD Computer Security Initiative Program (3rd), National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, Maryland, November 18-20, 1980.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-01-01

TECHNIQUES IMPROVING RAPIDLY C-7 INDUSTRY THRUSTS IN 70s DRIVING FORCE : IMPROVE PRODUCT QUALITY * EASE MAINTENANCE, MODIFICATION IMPROVE PERFORMANCE...together a task force to make recommendations on what we should be doing about computer secur- ity. Other members of the task force came from both our...of the marketing task force mostly echoed and endorsed the user’s report. Both reports were issued in March of 1973. Notice that DoD 5200.28 had just

Stability of multifinger action in different state spaces

PubMed Central

Reschechtko, Sasha; Zatsiorsky, Vladimir M.

2014-01-01

We investigated stability of action by a multifinger system with three methods: analysis of intertrial variance, application of transient perturbations, and analysis of the system's motion in different state spaces. The “inverse piano” device was used to apply transient (lifting-and-lowering) perturbations to individual fingers during single- and two-finger accurate force production tasks. In each trial, the perturbation was applied either to a finger explicitly involved in the task or one that was not. We hypothesized that, in one-finger tasks, task-specific stability would be observed in the redundant space of finger forces but not in the nonredundant space of finger modes (commands to explicitly involved fingers). In two-finger tasks, we expected that perturbations applied to a nontask finger would not contribute to task-specific stability in mode space. In contrast to our expectations, analyses in both force and mode spaces showed lower stability in directions that did not change total force output compared with directions that did cause changes in total force. In addition, the transient perturbations led to a significant increase in the enslaving index. We consider these results within a theoretical scheme of control with referent body configurations organized hierarchically, using multiple few-to-many mappings organized in a synergic way. The observed volatility of enslaving, greater equifinality of total force compared with elemental variables, and large magnitude of motor equivalent motion in both force and mode spaces provide support for the concept of task-specific stability of performance and the existence of multiple neural loops, which ensure this stability. PMID:25253478

Stability of multifinger action in different state spaces.

PubMed

Reschechtko, Sasha; Zatsiorsky, Vladimir M; Latash, Mark L

2014-12-15

We investigated stability of action by a multifinger system with three methods: analysis of intertrial variance, application of transient perturbations, and analysis of the system's motion in different state spaces. The "inverse piano" device was used to apply transient (lifting-and-lowering) perturbations to individual fingers during single- and two-finger accurate force production tasks. In each trial, the perturbation was applied either to a finger explicitly involved in the task or one that was not. We hypothesized that, in one-finger tasks, task-specific stability would be observed in the redundant space of finger forces but not in the nonredundant space of finger modes (commands to explicitly involved fingers). In two-finger tasks, we expected that perturbations applied to a nontask finger would not contribute to task-specific stability in mode space. In contrast to our expectations, analyses in both force and mode spaces showed lower stability in directions that did not change total force output compared with directions that did cause changes in total force. In addition, the transient perturbations led to a significant increase in the enslaving index. We consider these results within a theoretical scheme of control with referent body configurations organized hierarchically, using multiple few-to-many mappings organized in a synergic way. The observed volatility of enslaving, greater equifinality of total force compared with elemental variables, and large magnitude of motor equivalent motion in both force and mode spaces provide support for the concept of task-specific stability of performance and the existence of multiple neural loops, which ensure this stability. Copyright © 2014 the American Physiological Society.

Ecological Relevance Determines Task Priority in Older Adults' Multitasking.

PubMed

Doumas, Michail; Krampe, Ralf Th

2015-05-01

Multitasking is a challenging aspect of human behavior, especially if the concurrently performed tasks are different in nature. Several studies demonstrated pronounced performance decrements (dual-task costs) in older adults for combinations of cognitive and motor tasks. However, patterns of costs among component tasks differed across studies and reasons for participants' resource allocation strategies remained elusive. We investigated young and older adults' multitasking of a working memory task and two sensorimotor tasks, one with low (finger force control) and one with high ecological relevance (postural control). The tasks were performed in single-, dual-, and triple-task contexts. Working memory accuracy was reduced in dual-task contexts with either sensorimotor task and deteriorated further under triple-task conditions. Postural and force performance deteriorated with age and task difficulty in dual-task contexts. However, in the triple-task context with its maximum resource demands, older adults prioritized postural control over both force control and memory. Our results identify ecological relevance as the key factor in older adults' multitasking. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Cost-effectiveness analysis alongside clinical trials II-An ISPOR Good Research Practices Task Force report.

PubMed

Ramsey, Scott D; Willke, Richard J; Glick, Henry; Reed, Shelby D; Augustovski, Federico; Jonsson, Bengt; Briggs, Andrew; Sullivan, Sean D

2015-03-01

Clinical trials evaluating medicines, medical devices, and procedures now commonly assess the economic value of these interventions. The growing number of prospective clinical/economic trials reflects both widespread interest in economic information for new technologies and the regulatory and reimbursement requirements of many countries that now consider evidence of economic value along with clinical efficacy. As decision makers increasingly demand evidence of economic value for health care interventions, conducting high-quality economic analyses alongside clinical studies is desirable because they broaden the scope of information available on a particular intervention, and can efficiently provide timely information with high internal and, when designed and analyzed properly, reasonable external validity. In 2005, ISPOR published the Good Research Practices for Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Alongside Clinical Trials: The ISPOR RCT-CEA Task Force report. ISPOR initiated an update of the report in 2014 to include the methodological developments over the last 9 years. This report provides updated recommendations reflecting advances in several areas related to trial design, selecting data elements, database design and management, analysis, and reporting of results. Task force members note that trials should be designed to evaluate effectiveness (rather than efficacy) when possible, should include clinical outcome measures, and should obtain health resource use and health state utilities directly from study subjects. Collection of economic data should be fully integrated into the study. An incremental analysis should be conducted with an intention-to-treat approach, complemented by relevant subgroup analyses. Uncertainty should be characterized. Articles should adhere to established standards for reporting results of cost-effectiveness analyses. Economic studies alongside trials are complementary to other evaluations (e.g., modeling studies) as information for decision makers who consider evidence of economic value along with clinical efficacy when making resource allocation decisions. Copyright © 2015 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Plan for conducting an international machine tool task force

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

Sutton, G.P.; McClure, E.R.; Schuman, J.F.

1978-08-28

The basic objectives of the Machine Tool Task Force (MTTF) are to characterize and summarize the state of the art of cutting machine tool technology and to identify promising areas of future R and D. These goals will be accomplished with a series of multidisciplinary teams of prominent experts and individuals experienced in the specialized technologies of machine tools or in the management of machine tool operations. Experts will be drawn from all areas of the machine tool community: machine tool users or buyer organizations, builders, and R and D establishments including universities and government laboratories, both domestic and foreign.more » A plan for accomplishing this task is presented. The area of machine tool technology has been divided into about two dozen technology subjects on which teams of one or more experts will work. These teams are, in turn, organized into four principal working groups dealing, respectively, with machine tool accuracy, mechanics, control, and management systems/utilization. Details are presented on specific subjects to be covered, the organization of the Task Force and its four working groups, and the basic approach to determining the state of the art of technology and the future directions of this technology. The planned review procedure, the potential benefits, our management approach, and the schedule, as well as the key participating personnel and their background are discussed. The initial meeting of MTTF members will be held at a plenary session on October 16 and 17, 1978, in Scottsdale, AZ. The MTTF study will culminate in a conference on September 1, 1980, in Chicago, IL, immediately preceeding the 1980 International Machine Tool Show. At this time, our results will be released to the public; a series of reports will be published in late 1980.« less

The Republic of the Philippines: Background and U.S. Relations

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-15

President Noli de Catro; former Senate President Manuel B. Villar (Nacionalista Party); Senator Loren Legarda (Genuine Opposition coalition), and Senator... Manuel “Mar” Roxas II (Liberal Party).7 On the one hand, RP citizens enjoy a high level of political freedom, including a robust civil society, while...Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, Philip Alston, to conduct a fact- finding mission. The task force ( Melo Commission

Task Force to Improve Timeliness of Senior Official Administrative Investigations

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-11-04

from FY 2013. Prior to FY 2014, the Director, ISO, read and reviewed every senior official complaint received through the DoD Hotline. Beginning...files all documentary evidence into D-CATS for seamless transition to the ISO investigator. ODIG-AI Investigative Process ODIG-AI conducts...availability of potential witnesses, and the volume of documentary evidence. Key investigative milestones for a lower priority case of typical complexity

Defense Science Board (DSB) Task Force on Cyber Deterrence

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-02-01

the 2015 cyber heist from the Office of Personnel Management of some 18 million records containing personal information as so egregious as to warrant...major war, including through misperception and inadvertent escalation. The dynamics of cyber offensive weapons will increase challenges to crisis ...may have hoped to gain. − Proposed norms for the conduct of offensive cyber operations, in crisis and conflict. These norms will provide boundaries

Representing the healthcare organization in a post-Sarbanes-Oxley world: new rules, new paradigms, new perils.

PubMed

Horton, William W

2004-01-01

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (Act) significantly changed the expected corporate behavior of public companies. The Act governs the relationship between corporate organizations and their in-house or outside counsel. Under Section 307 of the Act, the Securities and Exchange Commission initially proposed expansive rules regarding counsel's duties. After comments and criticism from much of the bar, a final, narrower, version of rules under Section 307 (Final Rule) was adopted. The Final Rule contains alternative reporting procedures, attorney responsibilities, and sanctions for violations. In addition to the Act, the American Bar Association's (ABA) Task Force on Corporate Responsibility(Task Force), which was itself a reaction to Enron, reported on the importance of counsel's role in a corporate setting (Cheek Report). The ABA adopted amendments to its Model Rules of Professional Conduct (Model Rules) 1.6 and 1.13 as proposed in the Cheek Report. The Final Rule and amended Model Rules together suggest that attorneys may owe duties beyond those owed to their clients.

Ergonomic evaluation of 3D plane positioning using a mouse and a haptic device.

PubMed

Paul, Laurent; Cartiaux, Olivier; Docquier, Pierre-Louis; Banse, Xavier

2009-12-01

Preoperative planning and intraoperative assistance are needed to improve accuracy in tumour surgery. To be accepted, these processes must be efficient. An experiment was conducted to compare a mouse and a haptic device, with and without force feedback, to perform plan positioning in a 3D space. Ergonomics and performance factors were investigated during the experiment. Positioning strategies were observed. The task completion time, number of 3D orientations and failure rate were analysed. A questionnaire on ergonomics was filled out by each participant. The haptic device showed a significantly lower failure rate and was quicker and more ergonomic than the mouse. The force feedback was not beneficial to the accomplishment of the task. The haptic device is intuitive, ergonomic and more efficient than the mouse for positioning a 3D plane into a 3D space. Useful observations regarding positioning strategies will improve the integration of haptic devices into medical applications. Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Guidelines for the Surgical Management of Laryngeal Cancer: Korean Society of Thyroid-Head and Neck Surgery

PubMed Central

Ahn, Soon-Hyun; Hong, Hyun Jun; Kwon, Soon Young; Kwon, Kee Hwan; Roh, Jong-Lyel; Ryu, Junsun; Park, Jun Hee; Baek, Seung-Kuk; Lee, Guk Haeng; Lee, Sei Young; Lee, Jin Choon; Chung, Man Ki; Joo, Young Hoon; Ji, Yong Bae; Hah, Jeong Hun; Kwon, Minsu; Park, Young Min; Song, Chang Myeon; Shin, Sung-Chan; Ryu, Chang Hwan; Lee, Doh Young; Lee, Young Chan; Chang, Jae Won; Jeong, Ha Min; Cho, Jae-Keun; Cha, Wonjae; Chun, Byung Joon; Choi, Ik Joon; Choi, Hyo Geun; Lee, Kang Dae

2017-01-01

Korean Society of Thyroid-Head and Neck Surgery appointed a Task Force to develop clinical practice guidelines for the surgical treatment of laryngeal cancer. This Task Force conducted a systematic search of the EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and KoreaMed databases to identify relevant articles, using search terms selected according to the key questions. Evidence-based recommendations were then created on the basis of these articles. An external expert review and Delphi questionnaire were applied to reach consensus regarding the recommendations. The resulting guidelines focus on the surgical treatment of laryngeal cancer with the assumption that surgery is the selected treatment modality after a multidisciplinary discussion in any context. These guidelines do not, therefore, address non-surgical treatment such as radiation therapy or chemotherapy. The committee developed 62 evidence-based recommendations in 32 categories intended to assist clinicians during management of patients with laryngeal cancer and patients with laryngeal cancer, and counselors and health policy-makers. PMID:28043099

Abdominal muscle response to a simulated weight-bearing task by elite Australian Rules football players.

PubMed

Hyde, Jodie; Stanton, Warren R; Hides, Julie A

2012-02-01

The aim of this study was to examine the automatic recruitment of the deep abdominal muscles during a unilateral simulated weight-bearing task by elite Australian Rules football (AFL) players with and without low back pain (LBP). An observational cross-sectional study was conducted using ultrasound imaging to measure the thickness of the internal oblique (IO) and transversus abdominis (TrA) muscles. Thirty-seven elite male AFL players participated. Repeated measures factors included 'force level' (rest, 25% and 45% of body weight), 'leg' (dominant or non-dominant kicking leg) and 'side' (ultrasound side ipsilateral or contralateral to the leg used for the weight-bearing task). The dependent variables were thickness of the IO and TrA muscles. The results of this study showed that thickness of the IO (p<.0001) and TrA (p<.0001) muscles increased in response to 'force level'. During the task, the thickness of the IO muscle on the contralateral side of the trunk relative to the leg being tested, increased more in participants with current LBP (p=.034). This pattern was more distinct on the non-dominant kicking leg. Altered abdominal muscle recruitment in elite athletes with low back pain may be an attempt by the central nervous system (CNS) to compensate for inadequate lumbo-pelvic stability. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Millimeter wave sensor requirements for maritime small craft identification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krapels, Keith; Driggers, Ronald G.; Garcia, Jose; Boettcher, Evelyn; Prather, Dennis; Schuetz, Chrisopher; Samluk, Jesse; Stein, Lee; Kiser, William; Visnansky, Andrew; Grata, Jeremy; Wikner, David; Harris, Russ

2009-09-01

Passive millimeter wave (mmW) imagers have improved in terms of resolution sensitivity and frame rate. Currently, the Office of Naval Research (ONR), along with the US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Communications Electronics Research Development and Engineering Center (RDECOM CERDEC) Night Vision and Electronic Sensor Directorate (NVESD), are investigating the current state-of-the-art of mmW imaging systems. The focus of this study was the performance of mmW imaging systems for the task of small watercraft / boat identification field performance. First mmW signatures were collected. This consisted of a set of eight small watercrafts; at 5 different aspects, during the daylight hours over a 48 hour period in the spring of 2008. Target characteristics were measured and characteristic dimension, signatures, and Root Sum Squared of Target's Temperature (RRSΔT) tabulated. Then an eight-alternative, forced choice (8AFC) human perception experiment was developed and conducted at NVESD. The ability of observers to discriminate between small watercraft was quantified. Next, the task difficulty criterion, V50, was quantified by applying this data to NVESD's target acquisition models using the Targeting Task Performance (TTP) metric. These parameters can be used to evaluate sensor field performance for Anti-Terrorism / Force Protection (AT/FP) and navigation tasks for the U.S. Navy, as well as for design and evaluation of imaging passive mmW sensors for both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard.

Transforming American Education: Reducing the Risk to the Nation. A Report to the Secretary of Education, United States Department of Education, by The National Task Force on Educational Technology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ridley, William J.; Hull, McAllister H., Jr.

Designed to assist educational decision-makers at the school and district level, this report summarizes the work of the National Task Force on Educational Technology, which was formed in the fall of 1984 to investigate the potential of appropriately integrated technology for improving learning in American schools. The task force used six primary…

GAO's Views on the Default Task Force's Recommendations for Reducing Default Costs in the Guaranteed Student Loan Program. Testimony before the Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education, Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gainer, William J.

This General Accounting Office (GAO) testimony before the Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education, Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, concerns the findings of the task force that addressed the increasing costs of student loan defaults. The task force report is considered, generally, to provide additional incentives and…

Appalachia: Rural Women and the Economics of Hunger. Hearing before the Domestic Task Force of the Select Committee on Hunger. House of Representatives, Ninety-Ninth Congress, First Session.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. House Select Committee on Hunger.

The Domestic Task Force of the House Select Committee on Hunger met to hear testimony on women and hunger in Appalachia and on food assistance programs and legislation, including H.R. 2100, the 1985 farm bill. Introductory remarks by task force members outline the bill's food assistance provisions, which include increased funding for food stamp…

A Real Alternative: The Final Report and Recommendations of the Community National Field Task Force on the Improvement and Reform of American Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Office of Education (DHEW), Washington, DC.

This report is one of six to be released by as many task forces on educational improvement and reform. The main body of this report consists of five sections: (a) an introduction, which briefly describes the work of the task force; (b) a description of the alternative of community participation in education; (c) recommendations; (d) access to…

Staff Report on the Guaranteed Student Loan Program, Belmont Task Force Recommendations. Prepared for the Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education of the Committee on Education and Labor.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. House Committee on Education and Labor.

Recommendations of the Belmont Task Force concerning the problem of student loan defaults are offered to the U.S. House of Representatives. The task force concludes that the purpose of the Guaranteed Student Loan (GSL) program has changed significantly in the last decade. While originally established as a loan of convenience for middle-income…

The Guide to Community Preventive Services and Disability Inclusion.

PubMed

Hinton, Cynthia F; Kraus, Lewis E; Richards, T Anne; Fox, Michael H; Campbell, Vincent A

2017-12-01

Approximately 40 million people in the U.S. identify as having a serious disability, and people with disabilities experience many health disparities compared with the general population. The Guide to Community Preventive Services (The Community Guide) identifies evidence-based programs and policies recommended by the Community Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force) to promote health and prevent disease. The Community Guide was assessed to answer the questions: are Community Guide public health intervention recommendations applicable to people with disabilities, and are adaptations required? An assessment of 91 recommendations from The Community Guide was conducted for 15 health topics by qualitative analysis involving three data approaches: an integrative literature review (years 1980-2011), key informant interviews, and focus group discussion during 2011. Twenty-six recommended interventions would not need any adaptation to be of benefit to people with disabilities. Forty-one recommended interventions could benefit from adaptations in communication and technology; 33 could benefit from training adaptations; 31 from physical accessibility adaptations; and 16 could benefit from other adaptations, such as written policy changes and creation of peer support networks. Thirty-eight recommended interventions could benefit from one or more adaptations to enhance disability inclusion. As public health and healthcare systems implement Task Force recommendations, identifying and addressing barriers to full participation for people with disabilities is important so that interventions reach the entire population. With appropriate adaptations, implementation of recommendations from The Community Guide could be successfully expanded to address the needs of people with disabilities. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Muscle function in glenohumeral joint stability during lifting task.

PubMed

Blache, Yoann; Begon, Mickaël; Michaud, Benjamin; Desmoulins, Landry; Allard, Paul; Dal Maso, Fabien

2017-01-01

Ensuring glenohumeral stability during repetitive lifting tasks is a key factor to reduce the risk of shoulder injuries. Nevertheless, the literature reveals some lack concerning the assessment of the muscles that ensure glenohumeral stability during specific lifting tasks. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the stabilization function of shoulder muscles during a lifting task. Kinematics and muscle electromyograms (n = 9) were recorded from 13 healthy adults during a bi-manual lifting task performed from the hip to the shoulder level. A generic upper-limb OpenSim model was implemented to simulate glenohumeral stability and instability by performing static optimizations with and without glenohumeral stability constraints. This procedure enabled to compute the level of shoulder muscle activity and forces in the two conditions. Without the stability constraint, the simulated movement was unstable during 74%±16% of the time. The force of the supraspinatus was significantly increased of 107% (p<0.002) when the glenohumeral stability constraint was implemented. The increased supraspinatus force led to greater compressive force (p<0.001) and smaller shear force (p<0.001), which contributed to improved glenohumeral stability. It was concluded that the supraspinatus may be the main contributor to glenohumeral stability during lifting task.

Muscle function in glenohumeral joint stability during lifting task

PubMed Central

Begon, Mickaël; Michaud, Benjamin; Desmoulins, Landry; Allard, Paul

2017-01-01

Ensuring glenohumeral stability during repetitive lifting tasks is a key factor to reduce the risk of shoulder injuries. Nevertheless, the literature reveals some lack concerning the assessment of the muscles that ensure glenohumeral stability during specific lifting tasks. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the stabilization function of shoulder muscles during a lifting task. Kinematics and muscle electromyograms (n = 9) were recorded from 13 healthy adults during a bi-manual lifting task performed from the hip to the shoulder level. A generic upper-limb OpenSim model was implemented to simulate glenohumeral stability and instability by performing static optimizations with and without glenohumeral stability constraints. This procedure enabled to compute the level of shoulder muscle activity and forces in the two conditions. Without the stability constraint, the simulated movement was unstable during 74%±16% of the time. The force of the supraspinatus was significantly increased of 107% (p<0.002) when the glenohumeral stability constraint was implemented. The increased supraspinatus force led to greater compressive force (p<0.001) and smaller shear force (p<0.001), which contributed to improved glenohumeral stability. It was concluded that the supraspinatus may be the main contributor to glenohumeral stability during lifting task. PMID:29244838

Effects of Type and Strength of Force Feedback on Movement Time in a Target Selection Task

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rorie, Robert Conrad; Vu, Kim-Phuong L.; Marayong, Panadda; Robles, Jose; Strybel, Thomas Z.; Battiste, Vernol

2013-01-01

Future cockpits will likely include new onboard technologies, such as cockpit displays of traffic information, to help support future flight deck roles and responsibilities. These new technologies may benefit from multimodal feedback to aid pilot information processing. The current study investigated the effects of multiple levels of force feedback on operator performance in an aviation task. Participants were presented with two different types of force feedback (gravitational and spring force feedback) for a discrete targeting task, with multiple levels of gain examined for each force feedback type. Approach time and time in target were recorded. Results suggested that the two highest levels of gravitational force significantly reduced approach times relative to the lowest level of gravitational force. Spring force level only affected time in target. Implications of these findings for the design of future cockpit displays will be discussed.

Impaired force control in writer's cramp showing a bilateral deficit in sensorimotor integration.

PubMed

Bleton, Jean-Pierre; Teremetz, Maxime; Vidailhet, Marie; Mesure, Serge; Maier, Marc A; Lindberg, Påvel G

2014-01-01

Abnormal cortical processing of sensory inputs has been found bilaterally in writer's cramp (WC). This study tested the hypothesis that patients with WC have an impaired ability to adjust grip forces according to visual and somatosensory cues in both hands. A unimanual visuomotor force-tracking task and a bimanual sense of effort force-matching task were performed by WC patients and healthy controls. In visuomotor tracking, WC patients showed increased error, greater variability, and longer release duration than controls. In the force-matching task, patients underestimated, whereas controls overestimated, the force applied in the other hand. Visuomotor tracking and force matching were equally impaired in both the symptomatic and nonsymptomatic hand in WC patients. This study provides evidence of bilaterally impaired grip-force control in WC, when using visual or sense of effort cues. This suggests a generalized subclinical deficit in sensorimotor integration in WC. Copyright © 2013 Movement Disorder Society.

Design and Calibration of a New 6 DOF Haptic Device

PubMed Central

Qin, Huanhuan; Song, Aiguo; Liu, Yuqing; Jiang, Guohua; Zhou, Bohe

2015-01-01

For many applications such as tele-operational robots and interactions with virtual environments, it is better to have performance with force feedback than without. Haptic devices are force reflecting interfaces. They can also track human hand positions simultaneously. A new 6 DOF (degree-of-freedom) haptic device was designed and calibrated in this study. It mainly contains a double parallel linkage, a rhombus linkage, a rotating mechanical structure and a grasping interface. Benefited from the unique design, it is a hybrid structure device with a large workspace and high output capability. Therefore, it is capable of multi-finger interactions. Moreover, with an adjustable base, operators can change different postures without interrupting haptic tasks. To investigate the performance regarding position tracking accuracy and static output forces, we conducted experiments on a three-dimensional electric sliding platform and a digital force gauge, respectively. Displacement errors and force errors are calculated and analyzed. To identify the capability and potential of the device, four application examples were programmed. PMID:26690449

Effects of load position and force direction on back muscle loading in one-wheeled wheelbarrow tasks.

PubMed

Chen, Su-Huang; Lee, Yung-Hui; Lin, Chiuhsiang Joe

2015-01-01

Various parameters related to pushing/pulling tasks have been examined yet the effects of changing the load position in one-wheeled wheelbarrow task has not been examined. To explore the effects of load position and force direction on muscle activity during wheelbarrow tasks. Nine participants were recruited to take part in the experiment. Each participant performed 18 trials consisting of 2 force directions (push and pull) and 9 load positions. The dependent variables were EMG of erector spinae and gripping force. ANOVA was used to identify significant differences between force direction and load position in EMG and gripping force data. Results showed that peak EMG was lowest for the left and right erector spinae when the load was positioned farther from the participant. Peak EMG of the bilateral erector spinae increased when the weight was near the participant and on the ipsilateral hand. Based on the EMG results, we suggest that loads be arranged in the anterior part of the bin in order to reduce muscle activity on the spine during the wheelbarrow task. This finding also provides some directions in the improvement and ergonomic redesign of the one-wheeled wheelbarrow.

Reciprocity-based experimental determination of dynamic forces and moments: A feasibility study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ver, Istvan L.; Howe, Michael S.

1994-01-01

BBN Systems and Technologies has been tasked by the Georgia Tech Research Center to carry Task Assignment No. 7 for the NASA Langley Research Center to explore the feasibility of 'In-Situ Experimental Evaluation of the Source Strength of Complex Vibration Sources Utilizing Reciprocity.' The task was carried out under NASA Contract No. NAS1-19061. In flight it is not feasible to connect the vibration sources to their mounting points on the fuselage through force gauges to measure dynamic forces and moments directly. However, it is possible to measure the interior sound field or vibration response caused by these structureborne sound sources at many locations and invoke principle of reciprocity to predict the dynamic forces and moments. The work carried out in the framework of Task 7 was directed to explore the feasibility of reciprocity-based measurements of vibration forces and moments.

Age-related differences in finger force control are characterized by reduced force production.

PubMed

Vieluf, Solveig; Godde, Ben; Reuter, Eva-Maria; Voelcker-Rehage, Claudia

2013-01-01

It has been repeatedly shown that precise finger force control declines with age. The tasks and evaluation parameters used to reveal age-related differences vary between studies. In order to examine effects of task characteristics, young adults (18-25 years) and late middle-aged adults (55-65 years) performed precision grip tasks with varying speed and force requirements. Different outcome variables were used to evaluate age-related differences. Age-related differences were confirmed for performance accuracy (TWR) and variability (relative root mean square error, rRMSE). The task characteristics, however, influenced accuracy and variability in both age groups: Force modulation performance at higher speed was poorer than at lower speed and at fixed force levels than at force levels adjusted to the individual maximum forces. This effect tended to be stronger for older participants for the rRMSE. A curve fit confirmed the age-related differences for both spatial force tracking parameters (amplitude and intercept) and for one temporal parameter (phase shift), but not for the temporal parameter frequency. Additionally, matching the timing parameters of the sine wave seemed to be more important than matching the spatial parameters in both young adults and late middle-aged adults. However, the effect was stronger for the group of late middle-aged, even though maximum voluntary contraction was not significantly different between groups. Our data indicate that changes in the processing of fine motor control tasks with increasing age are caused by difficulties of late middle-aged adults to produce a predefined amount of force in a short time.

Effective teamwork and communication mitigate task saturation in simulated critical care air transport team missions.

PubMed

Davis, Bradley; Welch, Katherine; Walsh-Hart, Sharon; Hanseman, Dennis; Petro, Michael; Gerlach, Travis; Dorlac, Warren; Collins, Jocelyn; Pritts, Timothy

2014-08-01

Critical Care Air Transport Teams (CCATTs) are a critical component of the United States Air Force evacuation paradigm. This study was conducted to assess the incidence of task saturation in simulated CCATT missions and to determine if there are predictable performance domains. Sixteen CCATTs were studied over a 6-month period. Performance was scored using a tool assessing eight domains of performance. Teams were also assessed during critical events to determine the presence or absence of task saturation and its impact on patient care. Sixteen simulated missions were reviewed and 45 crisis events identified. Task saturation was present in 22/45 (49%) of crisis events. Scoring demonstrated that task saturation was associated with poor performance in teamwork (odds ratio [OR] = 1.96), communication (OR = 2.08), and mutual performance monitoring (OR = 1.9), but not maintenance of guidelines, task management, procedural skill, and equipment management. We analyzed the effect of task saturation on adverse patient outcomes during crisis events. Adverse outcomes occurred more often when teams were task saturated as compared to non-task-saturated teams (91% vs. 23%; RR 4.1, p < 0.0001). Task saturation is observed in simulated CCATT missions. Nontechnical skills correlate with task saturation. Task saturation is associated with worsening physiologic derangements in simulated patients. Reprint & Copyright © 2014 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

Purchasing oncology services. Kerr L. White Institute/American Cancer Society Task Force on Purchasing Oncology Services.

PubMed

Cangialose, C B; Blair, A E; Borchardt, J S; Ades, T B; Bennett, C L; Dickersin, K; Gesme, D H; Henderson, I C; McGinnis, L S; Mooney, K; Mortenson, L E; Sperduto, P; Winkenwerder, W; Ballard, D J

2000-06-15

A multidisciplinary panel representing various stakeholders in the health care delivery and oncology services marketplace was convened to develop specific criteria for healthcare purchasers to consider when evaluating the structures and processes of health plans. These rank ordered criteria also can be used by oncologic service providers and health plan designers as a yardstick for the services they offer. A multidisciplinary 31-member Task Force was assembled by the Kerr L. White Institute and the American Cancer Society in March 1997. Task Force members were selected for their ability to offer expert insight as purchasers, suppliers, policymakers, consumers, or stakeholders in the health care marketplace. A preference-weighted majority voting rule was used to identify the three most important recommendations of the 10 that were generated through a modified Delphi technique. To test the practicality of the top three recommendations, leaders of large managed care organizations (MCOs) were surveyed; the results of this survey then were compared with the results of the Task Force survey. The three most important recommendations from the Task Force were that health plans provide access to: 1) comprehensive cancer care, 2) preventive and screening services, and 3) second opinions and treatment options supported by scientific evidence. The difference between the responses of the Task Force and the MCOs was that MCOs placed the highest importance on evidence-based decision-making, with their next three rankings coinciding with those identified by the Task Force. The value of these summary recommendations will be realized through their use by both purchasers and suppliers to influence the structure and content of the delivery of oncologic services.

Measurement of Forces and Moments Transmitted to the Residual Limb

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-08-01

prosthesis alignment, socket pressure, gait, force and moment sensors 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: U 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT 18. NUMBER... prosthesis to measure the forces and moments at the base of the socket and to use these measurements to estimate the forces transmitted to the residual limb...BODY – EACH TASK IN STATEMENT OF WORK Task 1. To instrument a transtibial prosthesis with a tri-axial transducer to measure the forces and

The Composite Strain Index (COSI) and Cumulative Strain Index (CUSI): methodologies for quantifying biomechanical stressors for complex tasks and job rotation using the Revised Strain Index.

PubMed

Garg, Arun; Moore, J Steven; Kapellusch, Jay M

2017-08-01

The Composite Strain Index (COSI) quantifies biomechanical stressors for complex tasks consisting of exertions at different force levels and/or with different exertion times. The Cumulative Strain Index (CUSI) further integrates biomechanical stressors from different tasks to quantify exposure for the entire work shift. The paper provides methodologies to compute COSI and CUSI along with examples. Complex task simulation produced 169,214 distinct tasks. Use of average, time-weighted average (TWA) and peak force and COSI classified 66.9, 28.2, 100 and 38.9% of tasks as hazardous, respectively. For job rotation the simulation produced 10,920 distinct jobs. TWA COSI, peak task COSI and CUSI classified 36.5, 78.1 and 66.6% jobs as hazardous, respectively. The results suggest that the TWA approach systematically underestimates the biomechanical stressors and peak approach overestimates biomechanical stressors, both at the task and job level. It is believed that the COSI and CUSI partially address these underestimations and overestimations of biomechanical stressors. Practitioner Summary: COSI quantifies exposure when applied hand force and/or duration of that force changes during a task cycle. CUSI integrates physical exposures from job rotation. These should be valuable tools for designing and analysing tasks and job rotation to determine risk of musculoskeletal injuries.

75 FR 43565 - NASA Advisory Council; Ad-Hoc Task Force on Planetary Defense; Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-26

... NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION [Notice: (10-084)] NASA Advisory Council; Ad-Hoc Task Force on Planetary Defense; Meeting AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. ACTION... amended, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announces a two-part meeting of the Ad-Hoc Task...

76 FR 72404 - Pesticides: Availability of Pesticide Registration Notice Regarding the Non-Dietary Exposure Task...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-23

... Pesticide Registration Notice Regarding the Non-Dietary Exposure Task Force AGENCY: Environmental Protection... Registration Notice (PR Notice) regarding the data development efforts of the Non-Dietary Exposure Task Force... participate. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard P. Dumas, Pesticide Re- evaluation Division (7508P...

Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Globalization and Security.

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-12-01

adversaries, such as North Korea’s progress in ballistic missiles. The leveling effect of globalization is a thread that runs through the Task Force...globalization are manifold. Increased use of the commercial sector cannot be separated from the effects of globalization. Nor is increased DoD reliance...enhance dramatically DSB Task Force on Globalization and Security DoD’s organizational efficiency and effectiveness . This could allow DoD to cut

Applicability of Performance Assessment Tools to Marine Corps Air Ground Task Force C4 System of Systems Performance Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

application of existing assessment tools that may be applicable to Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Command, Control, Communications and...of existing assessment tools that may be applicable to Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Command, Control, Communications and Computers (C4...assessment tools and analysis concepts that may be extended to the Marine Corps’ C4 System of Systems assessment methodology as a means to obtain a

Training and Familiarization with the Battle Command Sustainment Support System

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-11

for Task Force Bastone and SDDC” by Mitch Chandran (Translog, Fall 2005) focuses on the initial use of the BCS3 by the Surface Deployment and...the Heartbeat of ITV for Task Force Bastone and SDDC,” Journal of Military Transportation Management (Fall 2005): 13. 49Ibid. 50Ibid. 51Colonel...Mitch. “BCS3 Becomes the Heartbeat of ITV for Task Force Bastone and SDDC.” Journal of Military Transportation Management (Fall 2005). Department

The AAPT Advanced Laboratory Task Force Report

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunham, Jeffrey

2008-04-01

In late 2005, the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) assembled a seven-member Advanced Laboratory Task Force^ to recommend ways that AAPT could increase the degree and effectiveness of its interactions with physics teachers of upper-division physics laboratories, with the ultimate goal of improving the teaching of advanced laboratories. The task force completed its work during the first half of 2006 and its recommendations were presented to the AAPT Executive Committee in July 2006. This talk will present the recommendations of the task force and actions taken by AAPT in response to them. The curricular goals of the advanced laboratory course at various institutions will also be discussed. The talk will conclude with an appeal to the APS membership to support ongoing efforts to revitalize advanced laboratory course instruction. ^Members of the Advanced Laboratory Task Force: Van Bistrow, University of Chicago; Bob DeSerio, University of Florida; Jeff Dunham, Middlebury College (Chair); Elizabeth George, Wittenburg University; Daryl Preston, California State University, East Bay; Patricia Sparks, Harvey Mudd College; Gerald Taylor, James Madison University; and David Van Baak, Calvin College.

Report of the Special Task Force to Study Not-for-Profit Hospitals and Unsponsored Charity Care.

PubMed

Anderson, R J; Milburn, L T

1990-04-01

Texas not-for-profit hospitals recently received intense scrutiny regarding their involvement in charity-related contributions when Texas Attorney General Jim Mattox formed the Task Force to Study Not-for-Profit Hospitals and Unsponsored Charity Care. This article details the task force's recommendations concerning charity care obligations of Texas not-for-profit hospitals. Setting the stage for these recommendations was a broad definition of charitable services that included costs for delivering services to indigents and for providing community services to fulfill the hospital's charitable, religious, educational, research, or eleemosynary purposes. The task force unanimously agreed that a mandated level of charity care was incongruent with the hospitals' individual missions and specific community needs, but they supported the formation of standard accounting procedures for charitable services and the voluntary submission of their mission statements to the attorney general of Texas. While the hospitals' role in providing charitable services is very important, the task force emphasized that the overall need for adequate financing and reimbursement of health care is a societal problem that needs specific state and federal actions.

Evaluation of knee joint forces during kneeling work with different kneepads.

PubMed

Xu, Hang; Jampala, Sree; Bloswick, Donald; Zhao, Jie; Merryweather, Andrew

2017-01-01

The main purpose of this study is to determine knee joint forces resulting from kneeling work with and without kneepads to quantify how different kneepads redistribute force. Eleven healthy males simulated a tile setting task to different locations during six kneepad states (five different kneepad types and without kneepad). Peak and average forces on the anatomical landmarks of both knees were obtained by custom force sensors. The results revealed that kneepad design can significantly modify the forces on the knee joint through redistribution. The Professional Gel design was preferred among the five tested kneepads which was confirmed with both force measurements and participants' responses. The extreme reaching locations induced significantly higher joint forces on left knee or right knee depending on task. The conclusion of this study is that a properly selected kneepad for specific tasks and a more neutral working posture can modify the force distribution on the knees and likely decrease the risk of knee disorders from kneeling work. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving posture-motor dual-task with a supraposture-focus strategy in young and elderly adults

PubMed Central

Yu, Shu-Han

2017-01-01

In a postural-suprapostural task, appropriate prioritization is necessary to achieve task goals and maintain postural stability. A “posture-first” principle is typically favored by elderly people in order to secure stance stability, but this comes at the cost of reduced suprapostural performance. Using a postural-suprapostural task with a motor suprapostural goal, this study investigated differences between young and older adults in dual-task cost across varying task prioritization paradigms. Eighteen healthy young (mean age: 24.8 ± 5.2 years) and 18 older (mean age: 68.8 ± 3.7 years) adults executed a designated force-matching task from a stabilometer board using either a stabilometer stance (posture-focus strategy) or force-matching (supraposture-focus strategy) as the primary task. The dual-task effect (DTE: % change in dual-task condition; positive value: dual-task benefit, negative value: dual-task cost) of force-matching error and reaction time (RT), posture error, and approximate entropy (ApEn) of stabilometer movement were measured. When using the supraposture-focus strategy, young adults exhibited larger DTE values in each behavioral parameter than when using the posture-focus strategy. The older adults using the supraposture-focus strategy also attained larger DTE values for posture error, stabilometer movement ApEn, and force-matching error than when using the posture-focus strategy. These results suggest that the supraposture-focus strategy exerted an increased dual-task benefit for posture-motor dual-tasking in both healthy young and elderly adults. The present findings imply that the older adults should make use of the supraposture-focus strategy for fall prevention during dual-task execution. PMID:28151943

Improving posture-motor dual-task with a supraposture-focus strategy in young and elderly adults.

PubMed

Yu, Shu-Han; Huang, Cheng-Ya

2017-01-01

In a postural-suprapostural task, appropriate prioritization is necessary to achieve task goals and maintain postural stability. A "posture-first" principle is typically favored by elderly people in order to secure stance stability, but this comes at the cost of reduced suprapostural performance. Using a postural-suprapostural task with a motor suprapostural goal, this study investigated differences between young and older adults in dual-task cost across varying task prioritization paradigms. Eighteen healthy young (mean age: 24.8 ± 5.2 years) and 18 older (mean age: 68.8 ± 3.7 years) adults executed a designated force-matching task from a stabilometer board using either a stabilometer stance (posture-focus strategy) or force-matching (supraposture-focus strategy) as the primary task. The dual-task effect (DTE: % change in dual-task condition; positive value: dual-task benefit, negative value: dual-task cost) of force-matching error and reaction time (RT), posture error, and approximate entropy (ApEn) of stabilometer movement were measured. When using the supraposture-focus strategy, young adults exhibited larger DTE values in each behavioral parameter than when using the posture-focus strategy. The older adults using the supraposture-focus strategy also attained larger DTE values for posture error, stabilometer movement ApEn, and force-matching error than when using the posture-focus strategy. These results suggest that the supraposture-focus strategy exerted an increased dual-task benefit for posture-motor dual-tasking in both healthy young and elderly adults. The present findings imply that the older adults should make use of the supraposture-focus strategy for fall prevention during dual-task execution.

75 FR 12493 - Task Force on Childhood Obesity: Request for Information

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-16

... Force on Childhood Obesity: Request for Information AGENCY: U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S.... SUMMARY: Across the country, childhood obesity has reached epidemic rates. On February 9, 2010, President Obama signed a Presidential Memo establishing a Task Force on Childhood Obesity that directs Federal...

America’s Army: The Strength of the Nation. 2010 Army Posture Statement

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-02-19

Task Force ARFORGEN Army Force Generation AFRICOM Africa Command AMAP Army Medical Action Plan AMC Army Material Command APS Army Prepositioned Stocks ...Facilities EBCT Evaluation Brigade Combat Team EOD Explosive Ordnance Disposal ES2 Every Soldier a Sensor ETF Enterprise Task Force FCS Future Combat

Pharmacy faculty workplace issues: findings from the 2009-2010 COD-COF Joint Task Force on Faculty Workforce.

PubMed

Desselle, Shane P; Peirce, Gretchen L; Crabtree, Brian L; Acosta, Daniel; Early, Johnnie L; Kishi, Donald T; Nobles-Knight, Dolores; Webster, Andrew A

2011-05-10

Many factors contribute to the vitality of an individual faculty member, a department, and an entire academic organization. Some of the relationships among these factors are well understood, but many questions remain unanswered. The Joint Task Force on Faculty Workforce examined the literature on faculty workforce issues, including the work of previous task forces charged by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). We identified and focused on 4 unique but interrelated concepts: organizational culture/climate, role of the department chair, faculty recruitment and retention, and mentoring. Among all 4 resides the need to consider issues of intergenerational, intercultural, and gender dynamics. This paper reports the findings of the task force and proffers specific recommendations to AACP and to colleges and schools of pharmacy.

Interpersonal synergies: static prehension tasks performed by two actors.

PubMed

Solnik, Stanislaw; Reschechtko, Sasha; Wu, Yen-Hsun; Zatsiorsky, Vladimir M; Latash, Mark L

2016-08-01

We investigated multidigit synergies stabilizing components of the resultant force vector during joint performance of a static prehension task by two persons as compared to similar tasks performed by a single person using both hands. Subjects transferred the instrumented handle from the right hand to the left hand (one-person condition) or passed that handle to another person (two-person condition) while keeping the handle's position and orientation stationary. Only three digits were involved per hand, the thumb, the index finger, and the middle finger; the forces and moments produced by the digits were measured by six-component sensors. We estimated the performance-stabilizing synergies within the uncontrolled manifold framework by quantifying the intertrial variance structure of digit forces and moments. The analysis was performed at three levels: between hands, between virtual finger and virtual thumb (imagined digits producing the same mechanical variables as the corresponding actual digits combined) produced by the two hands (in both interpersonal and intrapersonal conditions), and between the thumb and virtual finger for one hand only. Additionally, we performed correlation and phase synchronization analyses of resultant tangential forces and internal normal forces. Overall, the one-person conditions were characterized by higher amount of intertrial variance that did not affect resultant normal force components, higher internal components of normal forces, and stronger synchronization of the normal forces generated by the hands. Our observations suggest that in two-person tasks, when participants try to achieve a common mechanical outcome, the performance-stabilizing synergies depend on non-visual information exchange, possibly via the haptic and proprioceptive systems. Therefore, synergies quantified in tasks using visual feedback only may not be generalizable to more natural tasks.

Visual search in a forced-choice paradigm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holmgren, J. E.

1974-01-01

The processing of visual information was investigated in the context of two visual search tasks. The first was a forced-choice task in which one of two alternative letters appeared in a visual display of from one to five letters. The second task included trials on which neither of the two alternatives was present in the display. Search rates were estimated from the slopes of best linear fits to response latencies plotted as a function of the number of items in the visual display. These rates were found to be much slower than those estimated in yes-no search tasks. This result was interpreted as indicating that the processes underlying visual search in yes-no and forced-choice tasks are not the same.

Improving training of laparoscopic tissue manipulation skills using various visual force feedback types.

PubMed

Smit, Daan; Spruit, Edward; Dankelman, Jenny; Tuijthof, Gabrielle; Hamming, Jaap; Horeman, Tim

2017-01-01

Visual force feedback allows trainees to learn laparoscopic tissue manipulation skills. The aim of this experimental study was to find the most efficient visual force feedback method to acquire these skills. Retention and transfer validity to an untrained task were assessed. Medical students without prior experience in laparoscopy were randomized in three groups: Constant Force Feedback (CFF) (N = 17), Bandwidth Force Feedback (BFF) (N = 16) and Fade-in Force Feedback (N = 18). All participants performed a pretest, training, post-test and follow-up test. The study involved two dissimilar tissue manipulation tasks, one for training and one to assess transferability. Participants performed six trials of the training task. A force platform was used to record several force parameters. A paired-sample t test showed overall lower force parameter outcomes in the post-test compared to the pretest (p < .001). A week later, the force parameter outcomes were still significantly lower than found in the pretest (p < .005). Participants also performed the transfer task in the post-test (p < .02) and follow-up (p < .05) test with lower force parameter outcomes compared to the pretest. A one-way MANOVA indicated that in the post-test the CFF group applied 50 % less Mean Absolute Nonzero Force (p = .005) than the BFF group. All visual force feedback methods showed to be effective in decreasing tissue manipulation force as no major differences were found between groups in the post and follow-up trials. The BFF method is preferred for it respects individual progress and minimizes distraction.

Objective Assessment of Laparoscopic Force and Psychomotor Skills in a Novel Virtual Reality-Based Haptic Simulator.

PubMed

Prasad, M S Raghu; Manivannan, Muniyandi; Manoharan, Govindan; Chandramohan, S M

2016-01-01

Most of the commercially available virtual reality-based laparoscopic simulators do not effectively evaluate combined psychomotor and force-based laparoscopic skills. Consequently, the lack of training on these critical skills leads to intraoperative errors. To assess the effectiveness of the novel virtual reality-based simulator, this study analyzed the combined psychomotor (i.e., motion or movement) and force skills of residents and expert surgeons. The study also examined the effectiveness of real-time visual force feedback and tool motion during training. Bimanual fundamental (i.e., probing, pulling, sweeping, grasping, and twisting) and complex tasks (i.e., tissue dissection) were evaluated. In both tasks, visual feedback on applied force and tool motion were provided. The skills of the participants while performing the early tasks were assessed with and without visual feedback. Participants performed 5 repetitions of fundamental and complex tasks. Reaction force and instrument acceleration were used as metrics. Surgical Gastroenterology, Government Stanley Medical College and Hospital; Institute of Surgical Gastroenterology, Madras Medical College and Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. Residents (N = 25; postgraduates and surgeons with <2 years of laparoscopic surgery) and expert surgeons (N = 25; surgeons with >4 and ≤10 years of laparoscopic surgery). Residents applied large forces compared with expert surgeons and performed abrupt tool movements (p < 0.001). However, visual + haptic feedback improved the performance of residents (p < 0.001). In complex tasks, visual + haptic feedback did not influence the applied force of expert surgeons, but influenced their tool motion (p < 0.001). Furthermore, in complex tissue sweeping task, expert surgeons applied more force, but were within the tissue damage limits. In both groups, exertion of large forces and abrupt tool motion were observed during grasping, probing or pulling, and tissue sweeping maneuvers (p < 0.001). Modern day curriculum-based training should evaluate the skills of residents with robust force and psychomotor-based exercises for proficient laparoscopy. Visual feedback on force and motion during training has the potential to enhance the learning curve of residents. Copyright © 2016 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

U.S. Army Workshop on Exploring Enterprise, System of Systems, System, and Software Architectures

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

state of a net-centric intelligence /surveillance/reconnaissance (ISR) capability featuring DCGS by the middle of the next decade.5 In some situations...boundaries. The DoDAF has a relatively long history. It started as a Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Surveillance and Intelligence ...Army have needed to perform tasks such as: col- lect and analyze intelligence information; maneuver the force; target and provide fire support; conduct

Conduction and Convection of Heat Produced by the Attenuation of Laser Beams in Liquids

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-01

PROJECT NUMBER 7757 6. AUTHOR(S) +Goldberg, Irwin S.; +Garcia, Misty; # Maswadi , Saher ; ◊Thomas, Robert J.; □Clark, Clifton.D. 5e. TASK NUMBER...Misty Garcia St. Mary’s University Sahar Maswadi University of Texas Health Science Center Robert J. Thomas Air Force Research Laboratory...simulated temperature changes should be verified experimentally. For this purpose, the temperature mapping methods of Maswadi et al [2004] could be

Assessment and virtual redesign of a manual handling workstation by computer-aided three-dimensional interactive application.

PubMed

Ziaei, Mansour; Ziaei, Hojjat; Hosseini, Seyed Younes; Gharagozlou, Faramarz; Keikhamoghaddam, Ali Akbar; Laybidi, Marzieh Izadi; Moradinazar, Mehdi

2017-06-01

Manual handling of bags which imposes frequent forces and stresses on body parts is a common task that many workers have to perform every day. The present study aimed to assess the postural risk and imposed forces due to manual handling and loading of sugar bags. This study was conducted on male warehouse workers of a sugar manufacturing plant. Rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) was used to assess the risks of awkward postures and computer-aided three-dimensional interactive application to estimate the forces and moments. RULA final scores were estimated to be 7 and 3 before and after the virtual redesign, respectively. Postures B and E obtained the highest compression forces and moments. The compression forces were higher than the action limit (AL) in all postures before the redesign and exceeded the maximum permissible limit (MPL) in posture E. After the redesign, these forces were reduced below the AL and MPL. Moreover, the shearing forces were lower than the AL and MPL in all postures. The main risk factors were heavy weight and poor control of sugar bags. Virtual redesign can diminish bending and twisting postures, and, therefore, some resulting forces and moments.

WWC Review of the Report "Meeting the Challenge of Combating Chronic Absenteeism: Impact of the NYC Mayor's Interagency Task Force on Chronic Absenteeism and School Attendance and Its Implications for Other Cities." What Works Clearinghouse Single Study Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2014

2014-01-01

The 2013 study, "Meeting the Challenge of Combating Chronic Absenteeism: Impact of the NYC Mayor's Interagency Task Force on Chronic Absenteeism and School Attendance and Its Implications for Other Cities", examined the impact of the strategies developed by an interagency task force in New York City to combat chronic absenteeism in…

Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Tactical Battlefield Communications,

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-02-01

Communications, in and Intelligence (ASD/C3I); and LTG John Woodward, J6. The Task Force comprised fourteen experts from government, industry, and academe. The...O’Berry (USAF-Retired) Col Bobby Smart (USAF) Professor Stewart Personick Mr. Mark Rich Mr. Peter D. Steensma DSB Staff Assistant Mr. John ...were: The Honorable Dr. Jacques Gansler, USD/AT&L, the Honorable Art Money, ASD/C3I and LTG John Woodward, JCS-J6. The Task Force membership (Figure

Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Trends and Implications of Climate Change on National and International Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-10-01

Propulsion Laboratory Dr. Diane Evans Jet Propulsion Laboratory CAPT Tim Gallaudet US Navy Task Force on Climate Change Mr. David Goldwyn State...Ashley Moran Strauss Center, University of Texas, Austin DOD’s (Minerva) Climate Change and African Political Stability Project CAPT Timothy ... Gallaudet Office of the Oceanographer of the Navy Navy’s Climate Change Task Force Dr. Sherri Goodman, Dr. Ralph Espach and Mr. Peter MacKenzie CNA

Hispanic Youth--Dropout Prevention. Report of the Task Force on the Participation of Hispanic Students in Vocational Education Programs = La Joventud Hispana. Reporte del Grupo Especial. La Investigacion de la Participacion de los Estudiantes Hispanos en la Educacion Relativa a la Vocacion.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Idaho State Dept. of Education, Boise. Div. of Vocational Education.

An Idaho task force of Hispanic Americans, industry representatives, and education leaders studied the reasons Hispanic students were not enrolling in and completing vocational education programs. The task force sponsored a series of community meetings to identify reasons and solutions. Approximately 40-60 parents, students, and other interested…

National Task Force on a Uniform Measurement Unit for the Recognition of Continuing Education: Working Papers; and The Continuing Education Unit: A Uniform Unit of Measure for Non-Credit Continuing Education Programs (An Interim Statement of the National Task Force).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Univ. Extension Association, Washington, DC.

In 1968, a national planning conference, under the joint sponsorship of 34 organizations responsing to continuing education needs, created the National Task Force to determine the feasibility of a uniform unit of measurement and develop a proposal for field testing the concept. Stressing that continuing education units should supplement, not…

Overview of the Machine-Tool Task Force

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

Sutton, G.P.

1981-06-08

The Machine Tool Task Force, (MTTF) surveyed the state of the art of machine tool technology for material removal for two and one-half years. This overview gives a brief summary of the approach, specific subjects covered, principal conclusions and some of the key recommendations aimed at improving the technology and advancing the productivity of machine tools. The Task Force consisted of 123 experts from the US and other countries. Their findings are documented in a five-volume report, Technology of Machine Tools.

Effects of Visual Feedback and Memory on Unintentional Drifts in Performance During Finger Pressing Tasks

PubMed Central

Solnik, Stanislaw; Qiao, Mu; Latash, Mark L.

2017-01-01

This study tested two hypotheses on the nature of unintentional force drifts elicited by removing visual feedback during accurate force production tasks. The role of working memory (memory hypothesis) was explored in tasks with continuous force production, intermittent force production, and rest intervals over the same time interval. The assumption of unintentional drifts in referent coordinate for the fingertips was tested using manipulations of visual feedback: Young healthy subjects performed accurate steady-state force production tasks by pressing with the two index fingers on individual force sensors with visual feedback on the total force, sharing ratio, both, or none. Predictions based on the memory hypothesis have been falsified. In particular, we observed consistent force drifts to lower force values during continuous force production trials only. No force drift or drifts to higher forces were observed during intermittent force production trials and following rest intervals. The hypotheses based on the idea of drifts in referent finger coordinates have been confirmed. In particular, we observed superposition of two drift processes: A drift of total force to lower magnitudes and a drift of the sharing ratio to 50:50. When visual feedback on total force only was provided, the two finger forces showed drifts in opposite directions. We interpret the findings as evidence for the control of motor actions with changes in referent coordinates for participating effectors. Unintentional drifts in performance are viewed as natural relaxation processes in the involved systems; their typical time reflects stability in the direction of the drift. The magnitude of the drift was higher in the right (dominant) hand, which is consistent with the dynamic dominance hypothesis. PMID:28168396

Cortical activity predicts good variation in human motor output.

PubMed

Babikian, Sarine; Kanso, Eva; Kutch, Jason J

2017-04-01

Human movement patterns have been shown to be particularly variable if many combinations of activity in different muscles all achieve the same task goal (i.e., are goal-equivalent). The nervous system appears to automatically vary its output among goal-equivalent combinations of muscle activity to minimize muscle fatigue or distribute tissue loading, but the neural mechanism of this "good" variation is unknown. Here we use a bimanual finger task, electroencephalography (EEG), and machine learning to determine if cortical signals can predict goal-equivalent variation in finger force output. 18 healthy participants applied left and right index finger forces to repeatedly perform a task that involved matching a total (sum of right and left) finger force. As in previous studies, we observed significantly more variability in goal-equivalent muscle activity across task repetitions compared to variability in muscle activity that would not achieve the goal: participants achieved the task in some repetitions with more right finger force and less left finger force (right > left) and in other repetitions with less right finger force and more left finger force (left > right). We found that EEG signals from the 500 milliseconds (ms) prior to each task repetition could make a significant prediction of which repetitions would have right > left and which would have left > right. We also found that cortical maps of sites contributing to the prediction contain both motor and pre-motor representation in the appropriate hemisphere. Thus, goal-equivalent variation in motor output may be implemented at a cortical level.

Bilingual Advantage in Attentional Control: Evidence from the Forced-Attention Dichotic Listening Paradigm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soveri, Anna; Laine, Matti; Hamalainen, Heikki; Hugdahl, Kenneth

2011-01-01

It has been claimed that due to their experience in controlling two languages, bilinguals exceed monolinguals in certain executive functions, especially inhibition of task-irrelevant stimuli. Here we investigated the effects of bilingualism on an executive phonological task, namely the forced-attention dichotic listening task with syllabic…

Task-level testing of the JPL-OMV smart end effector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hannaford, B.

1987-01-01

An intelligent end effector previously developed at JPL has been tested in over 21 hours of experimental teleoperation. The end effector provides local control of gripper clamping force and a 6-degree-of-freedom, wrist mounted force torque sensor. Resolved forces and torques were displayed to the test subjects, and the effect of this information on their performance of simulated satellite servicing tasks was assessed. The experienced subjects accomplished the tasks with lower levels of Remote Manipulator System (RMS) forces than intermediate and naive subjects, but the force levels were apparently uncorrelated with the presence or absence of the display. This negative finding was attributed to the lack of a suitable control mode in the manipulator control system.

Grasp Assist Device with Automatic Mode Control Logic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Laske, Evan (Inventor); Davis, Donald R. (Inventor); Ihrke, Chris A. (Inventor)

2018-01-01

A system includes a glove, sensors, actuator assemblies, and controller. The sensors include load sensors which measure an actual grasping force and attitude sensors which determine a glove attitude. The actuator assembly provides a grasp assist force to the glove. Respective locations of work cells in the work environment and permitted work tasks for each work cell are programmed into the controller. The controller detects the glove location and attitude. A work task is selected by the controller for the location. The controller calculates a required grasp assist force using measured actual grasping forces from the load sensors. The required grasp assist force is applied via the glove using the actuator assembly to thereby assist the operator in performing the identified work task.

Fate of Mercury in Synthetic Gypsum Used for Wallboard Production

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

Jessica Sanderson; Gary M. Blythe; Mandi Richardson

2006-12-01

This report presents and discusses results from Task 6 of the study 'Fate of Mercury in Synthetic Gypsum Used for Wallboard Production,' performed at a full-scale commercial wallboard plant. Synthetic gypsum produced by wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems on coal-fired power plants is commonly used in the manufacture of wallboard. This practice has long benefited the environment by recycling the FGD gypsum byproduct, which is becoming available in increasing quantities, decreasing the need to landfill this material, and increasing the sustainable design of the wallboard product. However, new concerns have arisen as recent mercury control strategies involve the capturemore » of mercury in FGD systems. The objective of this study is to determine whether any mercury is released into the atmosphere when the synthetic gypsum material is used as a feedstock for wallboard production. The project is being co-funded by the U.S. DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory (Cooperative Agreement DE-FC26-04NT42080), USG Corporation, and EPRI. USG Corporation is the prime contractor, and URS Group is a subcontractor. The project scope now includes six discrete tasks, each conducted at various USG wallboard plants using synthetic gypsum from different FGD systems. The project was originally composed of five tasks, which were to include (1) a baseline test, then variations representing differing power plant: (2) emissions control configurations, (3) treatment of fine gypsum particles, (4) coal types, and (5) FGD reagent types. However, Task 5, which was to include testing with an alternate FGD reagent, could not be conducted as planned. Instead, Task 5 was conducted at conditions similar to Task 3, although with gypsum from an alternate FGD system. Subsequent to conducting Task 5 under these revised conditions, an opportunity arose to test gypsum produced at the same FGD system, but with an additive (Degussa Corporation's TMT-15) being used in the FGD system. TMT-15 was expected to impact the stability of mercury in synthetic gypsum used to produce wallboard, so Task 6 was added to the project to test this theory. In this project, process stacks in the wallboard plant have been sampled using the Ontario Hydro method. For every task, the stack locations sampled have included a dryer for the wet gypsum as it enters the plant and a gypsum calciner. For Tasks 1, 4, 5 and 6, the stack of the dryer for the wet wallboard product was also tested. Also at each site, in-stream process samples were collected and analyzed for mercury concentration before and after each significant step in wallboard production. The Ontario Hydro results, process sample mercury concentration data, and process data were used to construct mercury mass balances across the wallboard plants. Task 6 was conducted at a wallboard plant processing synthetic gypsum from a power plant that fires Eastern bituminous coal. The power plant has a single-loop, open spray tower limestone forced oxidation FGD system, with the forced oxidation conducted in the reaction tank integral with the FGD absorber. The FGD system has gypsum fines blow down as part of the dewatering step. The power plant is equipped with a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system for NOX emissions control, and the SCR was in service during the time period the gypsum tested was produced. Also, as mentioned above, Degussa additive TMT-15 was being added to the FGD system when this gypsum was produced. The results of the Task 6 stack testing, as measured by the Ontario Hydro method, detected that an average of 55% of the incoming mercury was emitted during wallboard production. These losses were distributed as about 4% across the dryer mill, 6% across the board dryer kiln, and 45% across the kettle calciner. Emissions were similar to what Task 5 results showed on a percentage basis, but about 30% lower on a mass basis. The same power plant FGD system produced the synthetic gypsum used in Task 5 (with no use of TMT-15) and in Task 6 (with TMT-15 added to the FGD system). The lower emissions on a mass basis appeared to be due to lower average mercury content in the gypsum being processed. It is not certain whether the lower average mercury content in the gypsum was an effect of TMT-15 addition to the FGD system. As was seen in the Task 1 through 5 results, most of the mercury detected in the Ontario Hydro method stack testing was in the form of elemental mercury.« less

Analysis of the pen pressure and grip force signal during basic drawing tasks: The timing and speed changes impact drawing characteristics.

PubMed

Gatouillat, Arthur; Dumortier, Antoine; Perera, Subashan; Badr, Youakim; Gehin, Claudine; Sejdić, Ervin

2017-08-01

Writing is a complex fine and trained motor skill, involving complex biomechanical and cognitive processes. In this paper, we propose the study of writing kinetics using three angles: the pen-tip normal force, the total grip force signal and eventually writing quality assessment. In order to collect writing kinetics data, we designed a sensor collecting these characteristics simultaneously. Ten healthy right-handed adults were recruited and were asked to perform four tasks: first, they were instructed to draw circles at a speed they considered comfortable; they then were instructed to draw circles at a speed they regarded as fast; afterwards, they repeated the comfortable task compelled to follow the rhythm of a metronome; and eventually they performed the fast task under the same timing constraints. Statistical differences between the tasks were computed, and while pen-tip normal force and total grip force signal were not impacted by the changes introduced in each task, writing quality features were affected by both the speed changes and timing constraint changes. This verifies the already-studied speed-accuracy trade-off and suggest the existence of a timing constraints-accuracy trade-off. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study of modeling and evaluation of remote manipulation tasks with force feedback

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hill, J. W.

1979-01-01

The use of time and motion study methods to evaluate force feedback in remote manipulation tasks are described. Several systems of time measurement derived for industrial workers were studied and adapted for manipulator use. A task board incorporating a set of basic motions was designed and built. Results obtained from two subjects in three manipulation situations for each are reported: a force-reflective manipulator, a unilateral manipulator, and the unaided human hand. The results indicate that: (1) a time-and-motion study techniques are applicable to manipulation; and that (2) force feedback facilitates some motions (notably fitting), but not others (such as positioning).

Infrastructure Task Force National Environmental Policy Act Requirements - February 2011

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This document summarizes in a matrix format the federal regulations requirements and guidance for complying with the National Environmental Policy Act for the Infrastructure Task Force federal partner agencies.

PRN 2000-7: Non-Dietary Exposure Task Force

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This PR Notice announces an industry-wide task force to jointly develop residential indoor exposure data for pesticides containing one or more of the active ingredients synthetic pyrethroids, pyrethrum and synergists.

Report of the Task Force on Human Rights.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Education Association, Washington, DC.

The NEA Task Force was instructed to "recommend to the Executive Committee a structure and program for the coordination and expansion of the human rights activities of the NEA and of the departments, divisions, commissions, and committees." Their recommendations and a discussion of the forces in American society that make them necessary comprise…

Force-Sensing Enhanced Simulation Environment (ForSense) for laparoscopic surgery training and assessment.

PubMed

Cundy, Thomas P; Thangaraj, Evelyn; Rafii-Tari, Hedyeh; Payne, Christopher J; Azzie, Georges; Sodergren, Mikael H; Yang, Guang-Zhong; Darzi, Ara

2015-04-01

Excessive or inappropriate tissue interaction force during laparoscopic surgery is a recognized contributor to surgical error, especially for robotic surgery. Measurement of force at the tool-tissue interface is, therefore, a clinically relevant skill assessment variable that may improve effectiveness of surgical simulation. Popular box trainer simulators lack the necessary technology to measure force. The aim of this study was to develop a force sensing unit that may be integrated easily with existing box trainer simulators and to (1) validate multiple force variables as objective measurements of laparoscopic skill, and (2) determine concurrent validity of a revised scoring metric. A base plate unit sensitized to a force transducer was retrofitted to a box trainer. Participants of 3 different levels of operative experience performed 5 repetitions of a peg transfer and suture task. Multiple outcome variables of force were assessed as well as a revised scoring metric that incorporated a penalty for force error. Mean, maximum, and overall magnitudes of force were significantly different among the 3 levels of experience, as well as force error. Experts were found to exert the least force and fastest task completion times, and vice versa for novices. Overall magnitude of force was the variable most correlated with experience level and task completion time. The revised scoring metric had similar predictive strength for experience level compared with the standard scoring metric. Current box trainer simulators can be adapted for enhanced objective measurements of skill involving force sensing. These outcomes are significantly influenced by level of expertise and are relevant to operative safety in laparoscopic surgery. Conventional proficiency standards that focus predominantly on task completion time may be integrated with force-based outcomes to be more accurately reflective of skill quality. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dynamic stability requirements during gait and standing exergames on the wii fit® system in the elderly

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background In rehabilitation, training intensity is usually adapted to optimize the trained system to attain better performance (overload principle). However, in balance rehabilitation, the level of intensity required during training exercises to optimize improvement in balance has rarely been studied, probably due to the difficulty in quantifying the stability level during these exercises. The goal of the present study was to test whether the stabilizing/destabilizing forces model could be used to analyze how stability is challenged during several exergames, that are more and more used in balance rehabilitation, and a dynamic functional task, such as gait. Methods Seven healthy older adults were evaluated with three-dimensional motion analysis during gait at natural and fast speed, and during three balance exergames (50/50 Challenge, Ski Slalom and Soccer). Mean and extreme values for stabilizing force, destabilizing force and the ratio of the two forces (stability index) were computed from kinematic and kinetic data to determine the mean and least level of dynamic, postural and overall balance stability, respectively. Results Mean postural stability was lower (lower mean destabilizing force) during the 50/50 Challenge game than during all the other tasks, but peak postural instability moments were less challenging during this game than during any of the other tasks, as shown by the minimum destabilizing force values. Dynamic stability was progressively more challenged (higher mean and maximum stabilizing force) from the 50/50 Challenge to the Soccer and Slalom games, to the natural gait speed task and to the fast gait speed task, increasing the overall stability difficulty (mean and minimum stability index) in the same manner. Conclusions The stabilizing/destabilizing forces model can be used to rate the level of balance requirements during different tasks such as gait or exergames. The results of our study showed that postural stability did not differ much between the evaluated tasks (except for the 50/50 Challenge), compared to dynamic stability, which was significantly less challenged during the games than during the functional tasks. Games with greater centre of mass displacements and changes in the base of support are likely to stimulate balance control enough to see improvements in balance during dynamic functional tasks, and could be tested in pathological populations with the approach used here. PMID:22607025

Force of Choice: Optimizing Theater Special Operations Commands to Achieve Synchronized Effects

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

GCC Geographic Combatant Command GFM Global Force Management GSN Global SOF Network (aka EGSN) IA Interagency IATF Interagency Task Force...and through African partners.75 SOCOM NCR was chosen because it is a primary outgrowth of the SOCOM Interagency Task Force ( IATF ), and the...result, SOCOM established the IATF and Special Operations Support Teams (SOST). While the IATF remained at SOCOM Headquarters at MacDill AFB, the

Practice and transfer of the frequency structures of continuous isometric force.

PubMed

King, Adam C; Newell, Karl M

2014-04-01

The present study examined the learning, retention and transfer of task outcome and the frequency-dependent properties of isometric force output dynamics. During practice participants produced isometric force to a moderately irregular target pattern either under a constant or variable presentation. Immediate and delayed retention tests examined the persistence of practice-induced changes of force output dynamics and transfer tests investigated performance to novel (low and high) irregular target patterns. The results showed that both constant and variable practice conditions exhibited similar reductions in task error but that the frequency-dependent properties were differentially modified across the entire bandwidth (0-12Hz) of force output dynamics as a function of practice. Task outcome exhibited persistent properties on the delayed retention test whereas the retention of faster time scales processes (i.e., 4-12Hz) of force output was mediated as a function of frequency structure. The structure of the force frequency components during early practice and following a rest interval was characterized by an enhanced emphasis on the slow time scales related to perceptual-motor feedback. The findings support the proposition that there are different time scales of learning at the levels of task outcome and the adaptive frequency bandwidths of force output dynamics. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Report of the SSME assessment team

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

In response to a request from the House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology in its Report No. 102-500 of April 22, 1992, the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) created an ad hoc task force to conduct a thorough assessment of the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). The membership was drawn mostly from organizations other than ASAP, and this report represents the views of that task force. Its task was to assess the risk that the SSME poses to the safe operation of the Space Shuttle, to identify and evaluate improvements to the engine that would reduce the risk, and to recommend a set of priorities for the implementation of these improvements. The SSME Assessment Team, as it opted to call itself, convened in mid-1992 and, subsequently, met with and gathered information from all the principal organizations involved in the SSME program. These included the Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell International, the Marshall Space Flight Center of NASA, and the Pratt & Whitney Division of United Technologies Corporation. The information in this report reflects the program status as of October 1992. From the information received, the Team formed its conclusions and recommendations. Changes in the program status have, of course, occurred since that time; however, they did not affect the Team's conclusions and recommendations.

ACHP | Archeology Task Force

Science.gov Websites

Task Force ACHP adopts new Policy Statement Regarding Treatment of Burial Sites, Human Remains, and Treatment of Human Remains and Grave Goods;" A new human remains policy statement was adopted in

USLCSG Task Force

Science.gov Websites

Unites States Linear Collider Steering Group dot dot dot dot What's New! June 2003 Meeting Welcome to the USLCSG Task Force at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center [Enter] dot dot SLAC Page Owners

Task Force on Innovation in Dental Hygiene Curricula.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bader, James; And Others

1989-01-01

The background, origins, functions, and recommendations of the American Association of Dental Schools' task force investigating improvement of access to dental hygiene training programs and of curriculum and program design are presented. (MSE)

Pharmacy Faculty Workplace Issues: Findings From the 2009-2010 COD-COF Joint Task Force on Faculty Workforce

PubMed Central

Peirce, Gretchen L.; Crabtree, Brian L.; Acosta, Daniel; Early, Johnnie L.; Kishi, Donald T.; Nobles-Knight, Dolores; Webster, Andrew A.

2011-01-01

Many factors contribute to the vitality of an individual faculty member, a department, and an entire academic organization. Some of the relationships among these factors are well understood, but many questions remain unanswered. The Joint Task Force on Faculty Workforce examined the literature on faculty workforce issues, including the work of previous task forces charged by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). We identified and focused on 4 unique but interrelated concepts: organizational culture/climate, role of the department chair, faculty recruitment and retention, and mentoring. Among all 4 resides the need to consider issues of intergenerational, intercultural, and gender dynamics. This paper reports the findings of the task force and proffers specific recommendations to AACP and to colleges and schools of pharmacy. PMID:21769139

Report of the Task Force on SSC Magnet System Test Site

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

NONE

1984-10-01

The Task Force on SSC Magnet Systems test Site was appointed by Maury Tigner, Director of the SSC, Phase 1 in August 1984. In brief, the charge asked the Task Force to make a critical evaluation of potential test sites for a major SSC magnet System Test Facility (STF) with regard to: (1) availability of the needed space, utilities, staff and other requirements on the desired time scale; and (2) the cost of preparing the sites for the tests and for operating the facilities during the test period. The charge further suggests that, by virtue of existing facilities and availabilitymore » of experienced staff, BNL and FNAL are the two best candidate sites and that is therefore appears appropriate to restrict the considerations of the Task Force to these sites. During the subsequent deliberations of the Task Force, no new facts were revealed that altered the assumptions of the charge in this regard. The charge does not ask for a specific site recommendation for the STF. Indeed, an agreement on such a recommendation would be difficult to achieve considering the composition of the Task Force, wherein a large fraction of the membership is drawn from the two contending laboratories. Instead, we have attempted to describe the purpose of the facility, outline a productive test program, list the major facilities required, carefully review the laboratories` responses to the facility requirements, and make objective comparisons of the specific features and capabilities offered.« less

AAPM/SNMMI Joint Task Force: report on the current state of nuclear medicine physics training.

PubMed

Harkness, Beth A; Allison, Jerry D; Clements, Jessica B; Coffey, Charles W; Fahey, Frederic H; Gress, Dustin A; Kinahan, Paul E; Nickoloff, Edward L; Mawlawi, Osama R; MacDougall, Robert D; Pizzutiello, Robert J

2015-09-08

The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) and the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) recognized the need for a review of the current state of nuclear  medicine physics training and the need to explore pathways for improving nuclear medicine physics training opportunities. For these reasons, the two organizations formed a joint AAPM/SNMMI Ad Hoc Task Force on Nuclear Medicine Physics  Training. The mission of this task force was to assemble a representative group of stakeholders to:• Estimate the demand for board-certified nuclear medicine physicists in the next 5-10 years,• Identify the critical issues related to supplying an adequate number of physicists who have received the appropriate level of training in nuclear medicine physics, and• Identify approaches that may be considered to facilitate the training of nuclear medicine physicists.As a result, a task force was appointed and chaired by an active member of both organizations that included representation from the AAPM, SNMMI, the American Board of Radiology (ABR), the American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine (ABSNM), and the Commission for the Accreditation of Medical Physics Educational Programs (CAMPEP). The Task Force first met at the AAPM Annual Meeting in Charlotte in July 2012 and has met regularly face-to-face, online, and by conference calls. This manuscript reports the findings of the Task Force, as well as recommendations to achieve the stated mission.

AAPM/SNMMI Joint Task Force: report on the current state of nuclear medicine physics training

PubMed Central

Allison, Jerry D.; Clements, Jessica B.; Coffey, Charles W.; Fahey, Frederic H.; Gress, Dustin A.; Kinahan, Paul E.; Nickoloff, Edward L.; Mawlawi, Osama R.; MacDougall, Robert D.; Pizzuitello, Robert J.

2015-01-01

The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) and the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) recognized the need for a review of the current state of nuclear medicine physics training and the need to explore pathways for improving nuclear medicine physics training opportunities. For these reasons, the two organizations formed a joint AAPM/SNMMI Ad Hoc Task Force on Nuclear Medicine Physics Training. The mission of this task force was to assemble a representative group of stakeholders to: Estimate the demand for board‐certified nuclear medicine physicists in the next 5–10 years,Identify the critical issues related to supplying an adequate number of physicists who have received the appropriate level of training in nuclear medicine physics, andIdentify approaches that may be considered to facilitate the training of nuclear medicine physicists. As a result, a task force was appointed and chaired by an active member of both organizations that included representation from the AAPM, SNMMI, the American Board of Radiology (ABR), the American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine (ABSNM), and the Commission for the Accreditation of Medical Physics Educational Programs (CAMPEP). The Task Force first met at the AAPM Annual Meeting in Charlotte in July 2012 and has met regularly face‐to‐face, online, and by conference calls. This manuscript reports the findings of the Task Force, as well as recommendations to achieve the stated mission. PACS number: 01.40.G‐ PMID:26699325

Recruitment of faster motor units is associated with greater rates of fascicle strain and rapid changes in muscle force during locomotion

PubMed Central

Lee, Sabrina S. M.; de Boef Miara, Maria; Arnold, Allison S.; Biewener, Andrew A.; Wakeling, James M.

2013-01-01

SUMMARY Animals modulate the power output needed for different locomotor tasks by changing muscle forces and fascicle strain rates. To generate the necessary forces, appropriate motor units must be recruited. Faster motor units have faster activation–deactivation rates than slower motor units, and they contract at higher strain rates; therefore, recruitment of faster motor units may be advantageous for tasks that involve rapid movements or high rates of work. This study identified motor unit recruitment patterns in the gastrocnemii muscles of goats and examined whether faster motor units are recruited when locomotor speed is increased. The study also examined whether locomotor tasks that elicit faster (or slower) motor units are associated with increased (or decreased) in vivo tendon forces, force rise and relaxation rates, fascicle strains and/or strain rates. Electromyography (EMG), sonomicrometry and muscle-tendon force data were collected from the lateral and medial gastrocnemius muscles of goats during level walking, trotting and galloping and during inclined walking and trotting. EMG signals were analyzed using wavelet and principal component analyses to quantify changes in the EMG frequency spectra across the different locomotor conditions. Fascicle strain and strain rate were calculated from the sonomicrometric data, and force rise and relaxation rates were determined from the tendon force data. The results of this study showed that faster motor units were recruited as goats increased their locomotor speeds from level walking to galloping. Slow inclined walking elicited EMG intensities similar to those of fast level galloping but different EMG frequency spectra, indicating that recruitment of the different motor unit types depended, in part, on characteristics of the task. For the locomotor tasks and muscles analyzed here, recruitment patterns were generally associated with in vivo fascicle strain rates, EMG intensity and tendon force. Together, these data provide new evidence that changes in motor unit recruitment have an underlying mechanical basis, at least for certain locomotor tasks. PMID:22972893

Recruitment of faster motor units is associated with greater rates of fascicle strain and rapid changes in muscle force during locomotion.

PubMed

Lee, Sabrina S M; de Boef Miara, Maria; Arnold, Allison S; Biewener, Andrew A; Wakeling, James M

2013-01-15

Animals modulate the power output needed for different locomotor tasks by changing muscle forces and fascicle strain rates. To generate the necessary forces, appropriate motor units must be recruited. Faster motor units have faster activation-deactivation rates than slower motor units, and they contract at higher strain rates; therefore, recruitment of faster motor units may be advantageous for tasks that involve rapid movements or high rates of work. This study identified motor unit recruitment patterns in the gastrocnemii muscles of goats and examined whether faster motor units are recruited when locomotor speed is increased. The study also examined whether locomotor tasks that elicit faster (or slower) motor units are associated with increased (or decreased) in vivo tendon forces, force rise and relaxation rates, fascicle strains and/or strain rates. Electromyography (EMG), sonomicrometry and muscle-tendon force data were collected from the lateral and medial gastrocnemius muscles of goats during level walking, trotting and galloping and during inclined walking and trotting. EMG signals were analyzed using wavelet and principal component analyses to quantify changes in the EMG frequency spectra across the different locomotor conditions. Fascicle strain and strain rate were calculated from the sonomicrometric data, and force rise and relaxation rates were determined from the tendon force data. The results of this study showed that faster motor units were recruited as goats increased their locomotor speeds from level walking to galloping. Slow inclined walking elicited EMG intensities similar to those of fast level galloping but different EMG frequency spectra, indicating that recruitment of the different motor unit types depended, in part, on characteristics of the task. For the locomotor tasks and muscles analyzed here, recruitment patterns were generally associated with in vivo fascicle strain rates, EMG intensity and tendon force. Together, these data provide new evidence that changes in motor unit recruitment have an underlying mechanical basis, at least for certain locomotor tasks.

Interchangeable end effector tools utilized on the PFMA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cody, Joe; Carroll, John; Crow, George; Gierow, Paul; Littles, Jay; Maness, Michael; Morrison, Jim

1992-01-01

An instrumented task board, used for measuring forces applied by the Protoflight Manipulator Arm (PFMA) to the task board, was fabricated and delivered to Marshall Space Flight Center. SRS Technologies phased out the existing IBM compatible data acquisition system, used with a instrumented task board, and integrated the force measuring electronic hardware in with the Macintosh II data acquisition system. The purpose of this change was to acquire all data with the same time tag, allowing easier and more accurate data reduction in addition to real-time graphics. A three-dimensional optical position sensing system for determining the location of the PFMA's end effect or in reference to the center of the instrumented task board was also designed and delivered under. An improved task board was fabricated which included an improved instrumented beam design. The modified design of the task board improved the force/torque measurement system by increasing the sensitivity, reliability, load range and ease of maintenance. A calibration panel for the optical position system was also designed and fabricated. The calibration method developed for the position sensors enhanced the performance of the sensors as well as simplified the installation and calibration procedures required. The modifications made under this effort expanded the capabilities of the task board system. The system developed determines the arm's position relative to the task board and measures the signals to the joints resulting from the operator's control signals in addition to the task board forces. The software and hardware required to calculate and record the position of the PFMA during the performance of tasks with the instrumented task board were defined, designed and delivered to MSFC. PFMA joint input signals can be measured from a breakout box to evaluate the sensitivity or response of the arm operation to control commands. The data processing system provides the capability for post processing of time-history graphics and plots of the PFMA positions, the operator's actions, and the PFMA servo reactions in addition to realtime force and position sensor data presentation.

Interchangeable end effector tools utilized on the PFMA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cody, Joe; Carroll, John; Crow, George; Gierow, Paul; Littles, Jay; Maness, Michael; Morrison, Jim

1992-02-01

An instrumented task board, used for measuring forces applied by the Protoflight Manipulator Arm (PFMA) to the task board, was fabricated and delivered to Marshall Space Flight Center. SRS Technologies phased out the existing IBM compatible data acquisition system, used with a instrumented task board, and integrated the force measuring electronic hardware in with the Macintosh II data acquisition system. The purpose of this change was to acquire all data with the same time tag, allowing easier and more accurate data reduction in addition to real-time graphics. A three-dimensional optical position sensing system for determining the location of the PFMA's end effect or in reference to the center of the instrumented task board was also designed and delivered under. An improved task board was fabricated which included an improved instrumented beam design. The modified design of the task board improved the force/torque measurement system by increasing the sensitivity, reliability, load range and ease of maintenance. A calibration panel for the optical position system was also designed and fabricated. The calibration method developed for the position sensors enhanced the performance of the sensors as well as simplified the installation and calibration procedures required. The modifications made under this effort expanded the capabilities of the task board system. The system developed determines the arm's position relative to the task board and measures the signals to the joints resulting from the operator's control signals in addition to the task board forces. The software and hardware required to calculate and record the position of the PFMA during the performance of tasks with the instrumented task board were defined, designed and delivered to MSFC. PFMA joint input signals can be measured from a breakout box to evaluate the sensitivity or response of the arm operation to control commands. The data processing system provides the capability for post processing of time-history graphics and plots of the PFMA positions, the operator's actions, and the PFMA servo reactions in addition to realtime force and position sensor data presentation.

Assessing Tuition- and Debt-Free Higher Education. NASFAA Task Force Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, 2017

2017-01-01

The Assessing Tuition- and Debt-Free Higher Education Task Force was convened in July 2016. Charged by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators's (NASFAA's) Board of Directors with evaluating the existing landscape of state and local promise programs with a focus on scaling such models to the national level, the task force…

Association of Academic Physiatrists Women's Task Force Report.

PubMed

Silver, Julie K; Cuccurullo, Sara; Ambrose, Anne Felicia; Bhatnagar, Saurabha; Bosques, Glendaliz; Fleming, Talya K; Frontera, Walter R; Karimi, Danielle Perret; Oh-Park, Mooyeon; Sowa, Gwendolyn; Visco, Christopher; Weiss, Lyn; Knowlton, Tiffany

2018-04-30

The Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP) convened a women's task force in 2016, and the members agreed on a list of metrics that would permit retrospective data review pertaining to the representation and inclusion of women physicians in the society. Examples of categories examined included leadership positions (i.e., board membership, board presidents, committee membership, committee chairs, and resident fellow physician chairs), conference presentations (i.e., annual meeting session proposals, annual meeting faculty, annual meeting plenary speakers) and recognition awards (i.e., recognition award nominations and recipients). The findings highlight areas in which the AAP has been successful in supporting gender equity and other areas in which women physiatrists have been underrepresented. The task force worked with the Board of Trustees to construct an action plan; asking the respective committees to address areas of underrepresentation. A volunteer from each committee was deemed a 'diversity steward' and going forward will work directly with the task force as a liaison to document an action plan and collect data. The board plans to transparently report progress to members and other stakeholders, and the task force aims to publish a follow-up report within the next five years.

Performance experiments with alternative advanced teleoperator control modes for a simulated solar maximum satellite repair

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Das, H.; Zak, H.; Kim, W. S.; Bejczy, A. K.; Schenker, P. S.

1992-01-01

Experiments are described which were conducted at the JPL Advanced Teleoperator Lab to demonstrate and evaluate the effectiveness of various teleoperator control modes in the performance of a simulated Solar Max Satellite Repair (SMSR) task. THe SMSR was selected as a test because it is very rich in performance capability requirements and it actually has been performed by two EVA astronauts in the Space Shuttle Bay in 1984. The main subtasks are: thermal blanket removal; installation of a hinge attachment for electrical panel opening; opening of electrical panel; removal of electrical connectors; relining of cable bundles; replacement of electrical panel; securing parts and cables; re-mate electrical connectors; closing of electrical panel; and reinstating thermal blanket. The current performance experiments are limited to thermal blanket cutting, electrical panel unbolting and handling electrical bundles and connectors. In one formal experiment even different control modes were applied to the unbolting and reinsertion of electrical panel screws subtasks. The seven control modes are alternative combinations of manual position and rate control with force feedback and remote compliance referenced to force-torque sensor information. Force-torque sensor and end effector position data and task completion times were recorded for analysis and quantification of operator performance.

Association for Theatre in Higher Education Task Force on Distribution Chair's Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitmore, Jon

1989-01-01

Presents recommendations of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education Task Force, addressing the issue of faculty workload. Suggests several questions to form the basis for discussions on this issue. (MM)

78 FR 57161 - Meeting of the Community Preventive Services Task Force

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-17

..., and policies that increase healthy longevity, save lives and dollars and improve Americans' quality of life. During this meeting, the Task Force will consider the findings of systematic reviews on existing...

Ohio Lake Erie Commission Homepage

Science.gov Websites

view the Lake Erie Protection & Restoration Plan 2016. Phosphorus Task Force Click here to see the Ohio Lake Erie Phosphorus Task Force II Final Report 2013. About the Lake Erie Commission The role of

Report of the Governor's Blue Ribbon Transportation Task Force

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1982-12-01

Governor Ray appointed the Blue Ribbon Transportation Task Force to provide guidance concerning specific steps that can be taken to: achieve maximum efficiency in the utilization of transportation resources; preserve essential transportation services...

Freedom of Information Act: FOIA Task Force Report

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

FOIA Task Force review of any significant weaknesses, and recommendation for improvements of efficiency and effectiveness of the agency's FOIA operations to ensure that information is provided to the Amercian public in a timely fashion.

Screening for and Management of Obesity in Adults

MedlinePlus

... Task Force Recommendations Screening for and Management of Obesity in Adults The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force ( ... final recommendation on Screening for and Management of Obesity in Adults . This recommendation is for adults ages ...

1999 Florida Freight Stakeholders Task Force Report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-11-01

The Florida Freight Stakeholders Task Force was organized in 1998 as a result of the Governor's Transportation Summit to address two principal objectives: (1) to identify, prioritize and recommend freight transportation projects for fast track fundin...

Mapping to Estimate Health-State Utility from Non-Preference-Based Outcome Measures: An ISPOR Good Practices for Outcomes Research Task Force Report.

PubMed

Wailoo, Allan J; Hernandez-Alava, Monica; Manca, Andrea; Mejia, Aurelio; Ray, Joshua; Crawford, Bruce; Botteman, Marc; Busschbach, Jan

2017-01-01

Economic evaluation conducted in terms of cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) provides information that decision makers find useful in many parts of the world. Ideally, clinical studies designed to assess the effectiveness of health technologies would include outcome measures that are directly linked to health utility to calculate QALYs. Often this does not happen, and even when it does, clinical studies may be insufficient for a cost-utility assessment. Mapping can solve this problem. It uses an additional data set to estimate the relationship between outcomes measured in clinical studies and health utility. This bridges the evidence gap between available evidence on the effect of a health technology in one metric and the requirement for decision makers to express it in a different one (QALYs). In 2014, ISPOR established a Good Practices for Outcome Research Task Force for mapping studies. This task force report provides recommendations to analysts undertaking mapping studies, those that use the results in cost-utility analysis, and those that need to critically review such studies. The recommendations cover all areas of mapping practice: the selection of data sets for the mapping estimation, model selection and performance assessment, reporting standards, and the use of results including the appropriate reflection of variability and uncertainty. This report is unique because it takes an international perspective, is comprehensive in its coverage of the aspects of mapping practice, and reflects the current state of the art. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of EULAR recommendations for the reporting of clinical trial extension studies in rheumatology

PubMed Central

Buch, Maya H; Silva-Fernandez, Lucia; Carmona, Loreto; Aletaha, Daniel; Christensen, Robin; Combe, Bernard; Emery, Paul; Ferraccioli, Gianfranco; Guillemin, Francis; Kvien, Tore K; Landewe, Robert; Pavelka, Karel; Saag, Kenneth; Smolen, Josef S; Symmons, Deborah; van der Heijde, Désirée; Welling, Joep; Wells, George; Westhovens, Rene; Zink, Angela; Boers, Maarten

2015-01-01

Objectives Our initiative aimed to produce recommendations on post-randomised controlled trial (RCT) trial extension studies (TES) reporting using European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) standard operating procedures in order to achieve more meaningful output and standardisation of reports. Methods We formed a task force of 22 participants comprising RCT experts, clinical epidemiologists and patient representatives. A two-stage Delphi survey was conducted to discuss the domains of evaluation of a TES and definitions. A ‘0–10’ agreement scale assessed each domain and definition. The resulting set of recommendations was further refined and a final vote taken for task force acceptance. Results Seven key domains and individual components were evaluated and led to agreed recommendations including definition of a TES (100% agreement), minimal data necessary (100% agreement), method of data analysis (agreement mean (SD) scores ranging between 7.9 (0.84) and 9.0 (2.16)) and reporting of results as well as ethical issues. Key recommendations included reporting of absolute numbers at each stage from the RCT to TES with reasons given for drop-out at each stage, and inclusion of a flowchart detailing change in numbers at each stage and focus (mean (SD) agreement 9.9 (0.36)). A final vote accepted the set of recommendations. Conclusions This EULAR task force provides recommendations for implementation in future TES to ensure a standardised approach to reporting. Use of this document should provide the rheumatology community with a more accurate and meaningful output from future TES, enabling better understanding and more confident application in clinical practice towards improving patient outcomes. PMID:24827533

Timing at peak force may be the hidden target controlled in continuation and synchronization tapping.

PubMed

Du, Yue; Clark, Jane E; Whitall, Jill

2017-05-01

Timing control, such as producing movements at a given rate or synchronizing movements to an external event, has been studied through a finger-tapping task where timing is measured at the initial contact between finger and tapping surface or the point when a key is pressed. However, the point of peak force is after the time registered at the tapping surface and thus is a less obvious but still an important event during finger tapping. Here, we compared the time at initial contact with the time at peak force as participants tapped their finger on a force sensor at a given rate after the metronome was turned off (continuation task) or in synchrony with the metronome (sensorimotor synchronization task). We found that, in the continuation task, timing was comparably accurate between initial contact and peak force. These two timing events also exhibited similar trial-by-trial statistical dependence (i.e., lag-one autocorrelation). However, the central clock variability was lower at the peak force than the initial contact. In the synchronization task, timing control at peak force appeared to be less variable and more accurate than that at initial contact. In addition to lower central clock variability, the mean SE magnitude at peak force (SEP) was around zero while SE at initial contact (SEC) was negative. Although SEC and SEP demonstrated the same trial-by-trial statistical dependence, we found that participants adjusted the time of tapping to correct SEP, but not SEC, toward zero. These results suggest that timing at peak force is a meaningful target of timing control, particularly in synchronization tapping. This result may explain the fact that SE at initial contact is typically negative as widely observed in the preexisting literature.