High Level Architecture Distributed Space System Simulation for Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization Simulation Smackdown

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Li, Zuqun

2011-01-01

Modeling and Simulation plays a very important role in mission design. It not only reduces design cost, but also prepares astronauts for their mission tasks. The SISO Smackdown is a simulation event that facilitates modeling and simulation in academia. The scenario of this year s Smackdown was to simulate a lunar base supply mission. The mission objective was to transfer Earth supply cargo to a lunar base supply depot and retrieve He-3 to take back to Earth. Federates for this scenario include the environment federate, Earth-Moon transfer vehicle, lunar shuttle, lunar rover, supply depot, mobile ISRU plant, exploratory hopper, and communication satellite. These federates were built by teams from all around the world, including teams from MIT, JSC, University of Alabama in Huntsville, University of Bordeaux from France, and University of Genoa from Italy. This paper focuses on the lunar shuttle federate, which was programmed by the USRP intern team from NASA JSC. The shuttle was responsible for provide transportation between lunar orbit and the lunar surface. The lunar shuttle federate was built using the NASA standard simulation package called Trick, and it was extended with HLA functions using TrickHLA. HLA functions of the lunar shuttle federate include sending and receiving interaction, publishing and subscribing attributes, and packing and unpacking fixed record data. The dynamics model of the lunar shuttle was modeled with three degrees of freedom, and the state propagation was obeying the law of two body dynamics. The descending trajectory of the lunar shuttle was designed by first defining a unique descending orbit in 2D space, and then defining a unique orbit in 3D space with the assumption of a non-rotating moon. Finally this assumption was taken away to define the initial position of the lunar shuttle so that it will start descending a second after it joins the execution. VPN software from SonicWall was used to connect federates with RTI during testing and the Smackdown event. HLA software from Pitch Technology and MAK Technology were used to edit and extend FOM and provide HLA services for federation execution. The SISO Smackdown event for 2011 was held in Boston, Massachusetts. The federation execution lasted for one hour, and the event was very successful in catching the attention of university students and faculties.

An Old Dog and New Tricks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cameron, W. Scott

2003-01-01

As I approach my 55th birthday, the old adage 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks' keeps coming to mind. I'm not sure why, because I don't feel old and I'm still interested in taking on new challenges and learning new tricks. However, as I mentor new project managers, I am also aware that others may consider me an old dog unable to learn new tricks. To the contrary, the people I mentor continue to teach me new tricks and challenge my assumptions about project management.

Simscape Modeling of a Custom Closed-Volume Tank

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fischer, Nathaniel P.

2015-01-01

The library for Mathworks Simscape does not currently contain a model for a closed volume fluid tank where the ullage pressure is variable. In order to model a closed-volume variable ullage pressure tank, it was necessary to consider at least two separate cases: a vertical cylinder, and a sphere. Using library components, it was possible to construct a rough model for the cylindrical tank. It was not possible to construct a model for a spherical tank, using library components, due to the variable area. It was decided that, for these cases, it would be preferable to create a custom library component to represent each case, using the Simscape language. Once completed, the components were added to models, where filling and draining the tanks could be simulated. When the models were performing as expected, it was necessary to generate code from the models and run them in Trick (a real-time simulation program). The data output from Trick was then compared to the output from Simscape and found to be within acceptable limits.

Staying Afloat.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Popke, Michael

2000-01-01

Examines the difficulties and solutions to wet environment repairs in pools and locker rooms. Issues include crack and leak repairs, repairs to grout and tile, on-deck accessories, and underwater lights. Several "tricks-of-the-trade" notes are included as is a brief discussion on emergency shutdowns. (GR)

Sensory tricks and brain excitability in cervical dystonia: a transcranial magnetic stimulation study.

PubMed

Amadio, Stefano; Houdayer, Elise; Bianchi, Francesca; Tesfaghebriel Tekle, Habtom; Urban, Ivan Pietro; Butera, Calogera; Guerriero, Roberta; Cursi, Marco; Leocani, Letizia; Comi, Giancarlo; Del Carro, Ubaldo

2014-08-01

Sensory tricks such as touching the face with fingertips often improve cervical dystonia [CD]. This study is to determine whether sensory tricks modulate motor cortex excitability, assessed by paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation [p-pTMS]. Eight patients with rotational CD underwent p-pTMS, at rest and when the sensory trick was applied. To test intracortical inhibition [ICI] and facilitation [ICF], the amplitude ratio between conditioned and unconditioned cortical motor evoked potentials was measured at several interstimulus intervals (ISI 1, 3, 15, and 20 ms) and compared with controls mimicking patients' sensory tricks. At rest, a significant ICF enhancement was found at ISIs 15 through 20 in patients compared with controls, whereas no significant ICI changes were observed. Sensory tricks significantly reduced the abnormal ICF in patients and did not induce any change in controls. In our CD patients, sensory tricks seem to improve dystonia through an inhibitory effect on motor cortex excitability. © 2014 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

The magic words: Using computers to uncover mental associations for use in magic trick design.

PubMed

Williams, Howard; McOwan, Peter W

2017-01-01

The use of computational systems to aid in the design of magic tricks has been previously explored. Here further steps are taken in this direction, introducing the use of computer technology as a natural language data sourcing and processing tool for magic trick design purposes. Crowd sourcing of psychological concepts is investigated; further, the role of human associative memory and its exploitation in magical effects is explored. A new trick is developed and evaluated: a physical card trick partially designed by a computational system configured to search for and explore conceptual spaces readily understood by spectators.

It's a kind of magic-what self-reports can reveal about the phenomenology of insight problem solving.

PubMed

Danek, Amory H; Fraps, Thomas; von Müller, Albrecht; Grothe, Benedikt; Öllinger, Michael

2014-01-01

Magic tricks usually remain a mystery to the observer. For the sake of science, we offered participants the opportunity to discover the magician's secret method by repeatedly presenting the same trick and asking them to find out how the trick worked. In the context of insightful problem solving, the present work investigated the emotions that participants experience upon solving a magic trick. We assumed that these emotions form the typical "Aha! experience" that accompanies insightful solutions to difficult problems. We aimed to show that Aha! experiences can be triggered by magic tricks and to systematically explore the phenomenology of the Aha! experience by breaking it down into five previously postulated dimensions. 34 video clips of different magic tricks were presented up to three times to 50 participants who had to find out how the trick was accomplished, and to indicate whether they had experienced an Aha! during the solving process. Participants then performed a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative assessment of their Aha! experiences which was repeated after 14 days to control for its reliability. 41% of all suggested solutions were accompanied by an Aha! experience. The quantitative assessment remained stable across time in all five dimensions. Happiness was rated as the most important dimension. This primacy of positive emotions was also reflected in participants' qualitative self-reports which contained more emotional than cognitive aspects. Implementing magic tricks as problem solving task, we could show that strong Aha! experiences can be triggered if a trick is solved. We could at least partially capture the phenomenology of Aha! by identifying one prevailing aspect (positive emotions), a new aspect (release of tension upon gaining insight into a magic trick) and one less important aspect (impasse).

It's a kind of magic—what self-reports can reveal about the phenomenology of insight problem solving

PubMed Central

Danek, Amory H.; Fraps, Thomas; von Müller, Albrecht; Grothe, Benedikt; Öllinger, Michael

2014-01-01

Magic tricks usually remain a mystery to the observer. For the sake of science, we offered participants the opportunity to discover the magician's secret method by repeatedly presenting the same trick and asking them to find out how the trick worked. In the context of insightful problem solving, the present work investigated the emotions that participants experience upon solving a magic trick. We assumed that these emotions form the typical “Aha! experience” that accompanies insightful solutions to difficult problems. We aimed to show that Aha! experiences can be triggered by magic tricks and to systematically explore the phenomenology of the Aha! experience by breaking it down into five previously postulated dimensions. 34 video clips of different magic tricks were presented up to three times to 50 participants who had to find out how the trick was accomplished, and to indicate whether they had experienced an Aha! during the solving process. Participants then performed a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative assessment of their Aha! experiences which was repeated after 14 days to control for its reliability. 41% of all suggested solutions were accompanied by an Aha! experience. The quantitative assessment remained stable across time in all five dimensions. Happiness was rated as the most important dimension. This primacy of positive emotions was also reflected in participants' qualitative self-reports which contained more emotional than cognitive aspects. Implementing magic tricks as problem solving task, we could show that strong Aha! experiences can be triggered if a trick is solved. We could at least partially capture the phenomenology of Aha! by identifying one prevailing aspect (positive emotions), a new aspect (release of tension upon gaining insight into a magic trick) and one less important aspect (impasse). PMID:25538658

Working wonders? investigating insight with magic tricks.

PubMed

Danek, Amory H; Fraps, Thomas; von Müller, Albrecht; Grothe, Benedikt; Ollinger, Michael

2014-02-01

We propose a new approach to differentiate between insight and noninsight problem solving, by introducing magic tricks as problem solving domain. We argue that magic tricks are ideally suited to investigate representational change, the key mechanism that yields sudden insight into the solution of a problem, because in order to gain insight into the magicians' secret method, observers must overcome implicit constraints and thus change their problem representation. In Experiment 1, 50 participants were exposed to 34 different magic tricks, asking them to find out how the trick was accomplished. Upon solving a trick, participants indicated if they had reached the solution either with or without insight. Insight was reported in 41.1% of solutions. The new task domain revealed differences in solution accuracy, time course and solution confidence with insight solutions being more likely to be true, reached earlier, and obtaining higher confidence ratings. In Experiment 2, we explored which role self-imposed constraints actually play in magic tricks. 62 participants were presented with 12 magic tricks. One group received verbal cues, providing solution relevant information without giving the solution away. The control group received no informative cue. Experiment 2 showed that participants' constraints were suggestible to verbal cues, resulting in higher solution rates. Thus, magic tricks provide more detailed information about the differences between insightful and noninsightful problem solving, and the underlying mechanisms that are necessary to have an insight. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The magic words: Using computers to uncover mental associations for use in magic trick design

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

The use of computational systems to aid in the design of magic tricks has been previously explored. Here further steps are taken in this direction, introducing the use of computer technology as a natural language data sourcing and processing tool for magic trick design purposes. Crowd sourcing of psychological concepts is investigated; further, the role of human associative memory and its exploitation in magical effects is explored. A new trick is developed and evaluated: a physical card trick partially designed by a computational system configured to search for and explore conceptual spaces readily understood by spectators. PMID:28792941

Sleep Does Not Promote Solving Classical Insight Problems and Magic Tricks

PubMed Central

Schönauer, Monika; Brodt, Svenja; Pöhlchen, Dorothee; Breßmer, Anja; Danek, Amory H.; Gais, Steffen

2018-01-01

During creative problem solving, initial solution attempts often fail because of self-imposed constraints that prevent us from thinking out of the box. In order to solve a problem successfully, the problem representation has to be restructured by combining elements of available knowledge in novel and creative ways. It has been suggested that sleep supports the reorganization of memory representations, ultimately aiding problem solving. In this study, we systematically tested the effect of sleep and time on problem solving, using classical insight tasks and magic tricks. Solving these tasks explicitly requires a restructuring of the problem representation and may be accompanied by a subjective feeling of insight. In two sessions, 77 participants had to solve classical insight problems and magic tricks. The two sessions either occurred consecutively or were spaced 3 h apart, with the time in between spent either sleeping or awake. We found that sleep affected neither general solution rates nor the number of solutions accompanied by sudden subjective insight. Our study thus adds to accumulating evidence that sleep does not provide an environment that facilitates the qualitative restructuring of memory representations and enables problem solving. PMID:29535620

"Let Me Show You a Trick!": A Toddler's Use of Humor to Explore, Interpret, and Negotiate Her Familial Environment during a Day in the Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cameron, E. Leslie; Kennedy, Katherine M.; Cameron, Catherine Ann

2008-01-01

Children employ different types of humor as they explore, interpret, and negotiate their environments. Whereas an appreciation of verbal incongruity has been a hallmark of older preschooler humor (e.g., McGhee, 1989), more recently, other violations of expectations and clowning also have been identified as ubiquitous during the first two years of…

The Baby and the Bathwater: A Tale of Standards and Storytelling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petty, Pamela

2016-01-01

Storytelling is a craft that takes "talking" to the level of "telling." The cleverest of teachers know these tricks. In this article the author presents the art of storytelling and why it is so important, especially in the educational environment of national standards and standardized testing.

Using a Card Trick to Teach Discrete Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simonson, Shai; Holm, Tara S.

2003-01-01

We present a card trick that can be used to review or teach a variety of topics in discrete mathematics. We address many subjects, including permutations, combinations, functions, graphs, depth first search, the pigeonhole principle, greedy algorithms, and concepts from number theory. Moreover, the trick motivates the use of computers in…

An Excel-lent Card Trick

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zullo, Holly S.

2011-01-01

Card tricks based on mathematical principles can be a great way to get students interested in exploring some important mathematical ideas. In this article, the author discusses a simple spreadsheet implementation that shows students why the card trick works and allows them to explore several variations. As an added bonus, students are introduced…

Cups and Downs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Ian

2012-01-01

Martin Gardner wrote about a coin-flipping trick, performed by a blindfolded magician. The paper analyses this trick, and compares it with a similar trick using three cups flipped in pairs. Several different methods of analysis are discussed, including a graphical analysis of the state space and a representation in terms of a matrix. These methods…

Keeping a (Digital) Eye on Nature's Clock

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magney, Troy; Eitel, Karla; Eitel, Jan; Jansen, Vincent; Schon, Jenny; Rittenburg, Rebecca; Vierling, Lee

2013-01-01

Many students probably take pictures daily. Whether snapshots of their friends at a Justin Bieber concert or of their latest skateboard trick, these images document changes in a student's life. Digital cameras can do more, however, than record memories to post on Facebook. They can also help students examine changes in their environment. This…

Plans and detours.

PubMed

Wei, James

2014-01-01

At various stages of my career, I made and followed plans for progress and growth. However, owing to several unexpected challenges, I had to make detours into unplanned vistas. When I look around at the careers of my former students and younger colleagues, I see fewer long-term, stable positions and frequent changes both in employers and in functions every ten or twenty years. Our curriculum prepares our students for manufacturing careers in the United States, but the current trend of corporate merger and outsourcing can suddenly turn their work into marketing or finance in the Far East. A fox that knows many tricks may be better suited to changing environments than a hedgehog that knows only one single trick. Perhaps future education should not only teach few subjects in depth for immediate career needs but also teach adaptability to unrelated challenges.

Algebra Magic Tricks: Algecadabra! Volume 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Ronald

This resource book contains 20 magic tricks based on the properties of whole numbers that are intended to spark the interest and imagination of students. Following each activity, students are asked to write about their discoveries and to create their own magic tricks. A matrix of skills for all the activities and lists of the materials required…

Algebra Magic Tricks: Algecadabra! Volume 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Ronald

This resource book contains 15 magic tricks based on the properties of whole numbers that are intended to spark the interest and imagination of students. Following each activity, students are asked to write about their discoveries and to create their own magic tricks. A matrix of skills for all the activities and lists of the materials required…

Using a Card Trick to Illustrate Fixed Points and Stability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Champanerkar, Jyoti; Jani, Mahendra

2015-01-01

Mathematical ideas from number theory, group theory, dynamical systems, and computer science have often been used to explain card tricks. Conversely, playing cards have been often used to illustrate the mathematical concepts of probability distributions and group theory. In this paper, we describe how the 21-card trick may be used to illustrate…

Understanding Quaternions and the Dirac Belt Trick

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Staley, Mark

2010-01-01

The Dirac belt trick is often employed in physics classrooms to show that a 2n rotation is not topologically equivalent to the absence of rotation whereas a 4n rotation is, mirroring a key property of quaternions and their isomorphic cousins, spinors. The belt trick can leave the student wondering if a real understanding of quaternions and spinors…

Maple[R] Version of the "Indian Rope Trick". Classroom Notes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knight, D. G.

2004-01-01

If the point of suspension of a multiple pendulum is suitably oscillated then the pendulum can remain in motion in an upside-down position. Since such pendulums can model flexible materials, this inverted motion is sometimes referred to as an 'Indian rope trick'. Despite the complexity of the governing differential equations, this rope trick can…

Gangsters, Pranksters, and the Invention of Trick-or-Treating, 1930-1960

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kawash, Samira

2011-01-01

For most children in North America, Halloween is one of the most exciting holidays of the year. But some critics insist that its emphasis on ready-made costumes, store-bought candy, and trick-or-treating seduces children into cultural passivity and socializes them to mindless consumption. These critics argue that trick-or-treating was an inherited…

Tool Support for Parametric Analysis of Large Software Simulation Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schumann, Johann; Gundy-Burlet, Karen; Pasareanu, Corina; Menzies, Tim; Barrett, Tony

2008-01-01

The analysis of large and complex parameterized software systems, e.g., systems simulation in aerospace, is very complicated and time-consuming due to the large parameter space, and the complex, highly coupled nonlinear nature of the different system components. Thus, such systems are generally validated only in regions local to anticipated operating points rather than through characterization of the entire feasible operational envelope of the system. We have addressed the factors deterring such an analysis with a tool to support envelope assessment: we utilize a combination of advanced Monte Carlo generation with n-factor combinatorial parameter variations to limit the number of cases, but still explore important interactions in the parameter space in a systematic fashion. Additional test-cases, automatically generated from models (e.g., UML, Simulink, Stateflow) improve the coverage. The distributed test runs of the software system produce vast amounts of data, making manual analysis impossible. Our tool automatically analyzes the generated data through a combination of unsupervised Bayesian clustering techniques (AutoBayes) and supervised learning of critical parameter ranges using the treatment learner TAR3. The tool has been developed around the Trick simulation environment, which is widely used within NASA. We will present this tool with a GN&C (Guidance, Navigation and Control) simulation of a small satellite system.

Interest of HYPR flow dynamic MRA for characterization of cerebral arteriovenous malformations: comparison with TRICKS MRA and catheter DSA.

PubMed

Dautry, Raphaël; Edjlali, Myriam; Roca, Pauline; Rabrait, Cécile; Wu, Yijing; Johnson, Kevin; Wieben, Olivier; Trystram, Denis; Rodriguez-Régent, Christine; Alshareef, Fawaz; Turski, Patrick; Meder, Jean-François; Naggara, Olivier; Oppenheim, Catherine

2015-11-01

HYPR flow is a 3D dynamic contrast-enhanced MRA technique providing isotropic sub-millimetre resolution with half-second temporal resolution. We compared HYPR flow and time-resolved imaging of contrast kinetics (TRICKS) MRA for the characterization of cerebral arteriovenous malformations (cAVMs), using catheter DSA as reference. Twenty-two patients underwent HYPR flow and TRICKS MRA within 15 days of DSA. HYPR flow and TRICKS datasets were reviewed separately by two readers for image quality, Spetzler-Martin grade, venous ectasia, and deep venous drainage. Image quality was better for HYPR flow than for TRICKS (narrower full width at half maximum; larger arterial diagnostic window; greater number of arterial frames, P ≤ 0.05). Using HYPR flow, inter-reader agreement was excellent for all cAVM characteristics. The agreement with DSA for the overall Spetzler-Martin grade was excellent for HYPR flow (ICC = 0.96 and 0.98, depending on the reader) and TRICKS (ICC = 0.82 and 0.95). In comparison to TRICKS, HYPR flow showed higher concordance with DSA for the identification of venous ectasia and deep venous drainage. Owing to an excellent agreement with DSA with respect to depiction of the vascular architecture of cAVMs, HYPR flow could be useful for the non-invasive characterization of cAVMs. • Dynamic MRA is used for cerebral AVM depiction and follow-up • HYPR flow is a new, highly-resolved dynamic MRA sequence • HYPR flow provides whole brain coverage • HYPR flow provides excellent agreement with the Spetzler-Martin grade • Compared to TRICKS MRA, HYPR flow improves cerebral AVM characterization.

Linked-List-Based Multibody Dynamics (MBDyn) Engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

MacLean, John; Brain, Thomas; Wuiocho, Leslie; Huynh, An; Ghosh, Tushar

2012-01-01

This new release of MBDyn is a software engine that calculates the dynamics states of kinematic, rigid, or flexible multibody systems. An MBDyn multibody system may consist of multiple groups of articulated chains, trees, or closed-loop topologies. Transient topologies are handled through conservation of energy and momentum. The solution for rigid-body systems is exact, and several configurable levels of nonlinear term fidelity are available for flexible dynamics systems. The algorithms have been optimized for efficiency and can be used for both non-real-time (NRT) and real-time (RT) simulations. Interfaces are currently compatible with NASA's Trick Simulation Environment. This new release represents a significant advance in capability and ease of use. The two most significant new additions are an application programming interface (API) that clarifies and simplifies use of MBDyn, and a link-list infrastructure that allows a single MBDyn instance to propagate an arbitrary number of interacting groups of multibody top ologies. MBDyn calculates state and state derivative vectors for integration using an external integration routine. A Trickcompatible interface is provided for initialization, data logging, integration, and input/output.

Pro-anorexia websites: what a clinician should know.

PubMed

Harshbarger, Jenni L; Ahlers-Schmidt, Carolyn R; Mayans, Laura; Mayans, David; Hawkins, Joseph H

2009-05-01

The purpose of this study was to conduct a content analysis of the "Tips and Tricks" section of pro-ana websites to better understand information shared on these sites, and aide clinicians in identification, treatment, and prevention of anorexia. Nine pro-ana websites were evaluated to identify categories of information in "Tips and Tricks." A content analysis was performed using emergent coding methods and 16 categories were determined. Reliability was acceptable (Cohen's Kappa = 0.702). Discrepancies were corrected by consensus. Frequencies of individual categories were computed. Most "Tips and Tricks" are directed at dieting/restricting calories (28.6%) and distraction (14.0%). Most disturbing, 11% of comments were directed at lying and concealing symptoms. Clinicians aware of "Tips and Tricks" might be better equipped to recognize the symptoms of anorexia early in treatment. Knowledge of "Tips and Tricks" can also facilitate better education, making it difficult for clients to conceal their illness.

Teaching an Old Game New Tricks: Long-Term Feedback on a Re-Designed Online Role Play

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardy, Mat; Totman, Sally

2017-01-01

Despite an extensive history of use in teaching Political Science subjects, long-term scholarly studies of online role plays are uncommon. This paper redresses that balance by presenting five years of data on the Middle East Politics Simulation. This online role play has been run since the 1990s and underwent significant technical upgrade in…

Time-resolved imaging of contrast kinetics does not improve performance of follow-up MRA of embolized intracranial aneurysms.

PubMed

Serafin, Zbigniew; Strześniewski, Piotr; Lasek, Władysław; Beuth, Wojciech

2012-07-01

The use of contrast media and the time-resolved imaging of contrast kinetics (TRICKS) technique have some theoretical advantages over time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (TOF-MRA) in the follow-up of intracranial aneurysms after endovascular treatment. We prospectively compared the diagnostic performance of TRICKS and TOF-MRA with digital subtracted angiography (DSA) in the assessment of occlusion of embolized aneurysms. Seventy-two consecutive patients with 72 aneurysms were examined 3 months after embolization. Test characteristics of TOF-MRA and TRICKS were calculated for the detection of residual flow. The results of quantification of flow were compared with weighted kappa. Intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility was determined. The sensitivity of TOF-MRA was 85% (95% CI, 65-96%) and of TRICKS, 89% (95% CI, 70-97%). The specificity of both methods was 91% (95% CI, 79-98%). The accuracy of the flow quantification ranged from 0.76 (TOF-MRA) to 0.83 (TRICKS). There was no significant difference between the methods in the area under the ROC curve regarding both the detection and the quantification of flow. Intraobserver reproducibility was very good with both techniques (kappa, 0.86-0.89). The interobserver reproducibility was moderate for TOF-MRA and very good for TRICKS (kappa, 0.74-0.80). In this study, TOF-MRA and TRICKS presented similar diagnostic performance; therefore, the use of time-resolved contrast-enhanced MRA is not justified in the follow-up of embolized aneurysms.

Gaze and visual search strategies of children with Asperger syndrome/high functioning autism viewing a magic trick.

PubMed

Joosten, Annette; Girdler, Sonya; Albrecht, Matthew A; Horlin, Chiara; Falkmer, Marita; Leung, Denise; Ordqvist, Anna; Fleischer, Håkan; Falkmer, Torbjörn

2016-01-01

To examine visual search patterns and strategies used by children with and without Asperger syndrome/high functioning autism (AS/HFA) while watching a magic trick. Limited responsivity to gaze cues is hypothesised to contribute to social deficits in children with AS/HFA. Twenty-one children with AS/HFA and 31 matched peers viewed a video of a gaze-cued magic trick twice. Between the viewings, they were informed about how the trick was performed. Participants' eye movements were recorded using a head-mounted eye-tracker. Children with AS/HFA looked less frequently and had shorter fixation on the magician's direct and averted gazes during both viewings and more frequently at not gaze-cued objects and on areas outside the magician's face. After being informed of how the trick was conducted, both groups made fewer fixations on gaze-cued objects and direct gaze. Information may enhance effective visual strategies in children with and without AS/HFA.

Trick or Treat and Telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buratti, Bonnie J.; Meinke, Bonnie K.; Schmude, Richard W.

2017-10-01

Based on an activity that DPS member Richard Schmude Jr. has been doing for years, with over 5000 children reached, DPS initiated in 2016 a pilot program entitled “Trick-or-Treat and Telescopes.” DPS encouraged its members to put out their telescopes during trick-or-treat time on Halloween, in their own lawns or in a neighbor’s lawn with better viewing (or more traffic). The program will be continued in 2017. This year should offer good viewing with a waxing gibbous moon and Saturn visible. The program was also advertised though the Night Sky Network, a consortium of astronomy clubs. The following website gives advice and connections to resources.https://dps.aas.org/education/trick-or-treat-and-telescopes acknowledged.

An eCK-Secure Authenticated Key Exchange Protocol without Random Oracles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moriyama, Daisuke; Okamoto, Tatsuaki

This paper presents a (PKI-based) two-pass authenticated key exchange (AKE) protocol that is secure in the extended Canetti-Krawczyk (eCK) security model. The security of the proposed protocol is proven without random oracles (under three assumptions), and relies on no implementation techniques such as a trick by LaMacchia, Lauter and Mityagin (so-called the NAXOS trick). Since an AKE protocol that is eCK-secure under a NAXOS-like implementation trick will be no more eCK-secure if some realistic information leakage occurs through side-channel attacks, it has been an important open problem how to realize an eCK-secure AKE protocol without using the NAXOS tricks (and without random oracles).

Qualitative analysis of the elliptical centric technique and the TRICKS technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Kyung-Rae; Goo, Eun-Hoe; Lee, Jae-Seung; Chung, Woon-Kwan

2013-02-01

This study evaluated the usefulness of time resolved imaging of contrast kinetics (TRICKS) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and elliptical centric MRA according to the type of cerebral disease. From February 2010 to January 2012, elliptical centric MRA and TRICKS MRA images were acquired from 50 normal individuals and 50 patients with cerebral diseases by using 3.0-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment. The images were analyzed qualitatively by examining areas such as the presence or absence of artifacts on the images, the distinctness of boundaries of blood vessels, accurate representation of the lesions, and the subtraction level. In addition, the sensitivity, specificity, positive prediction rate, negative prediction rate and accuracy were assessed by comparing the diagnostic efficacy of the two techniques. The results revealed TRICKS MRA to have superior image quality to elliptical centric MRA. Regarding each disease, TRICKS MRA showed higher diagnostic efficacy for artery venous malformation (AVM) and middle cerebral artery (MCA) bypass patients whereas elliptical centric MRA was more suitable for patients with brain tumors, cerebral infarction, cerebral stenosis or sinus mass.

Images in the air

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riveros, H. G.; Rosenberger, Franz

2012-05-01

This article discusses two 'magic tricks' in terms of underlying optical principles. The first trick is new and produces a 'ghost' in the air, and the second is the classical real image produced with two parabolic mirrors.

Lenz's Law Magic Trick

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruiz, Michael J.

2006-02-01

The demonstration of Lenz's law by dropping a powerful magnet down a nonmagnetic metal pipe has become a classic lecture-hall demonstration.1,2 An inexpensive version is packaged as a professional magic trick3 called "Newton's Nightmare." Combining sleight-of-hand with a demonstration of Lenz's law is a surefire way to heighten student interest. The subsequent student discussion motivated by a desire to understand the magic trick can lead to a memorable physics lesson. This paper will discuss Lenz's law magic and review literature that reveals the subtlety of the physics.

Teamcenter community : administration tips and tricks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rangel, Gabriel

2005-01-01

This presentation covers what areas of prerequisites are important to understand and how one can improve performance and maintenance of an existing implementation. It will also cover tips and tricks for site migration and how to plan for upgrades.

Images in the Air

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riveros, H. G.; Rosenberger, Franz

2012-01-01

This article discusses two "magic tricks" in terms of underlying optical principles. The first trick is new and produces a "ghost" in the air, and the second is the classical real image produced with two parabolic mirrors. (Contains 2 figure and 6 photos.)

Little by Little Does the Trick: Design and Construction of a Discrete Event Agent-Based Simulation Framework

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-01

model. Finally, we build a small agent-based model using the component architecture to demonstrate the library’s functionality. 15. NUMBER OF...and a Behavioral model. Finally, we build a small agent-based model using the component architecture to demonstrate the library’s functionality...prototypes an architectural design which is generalizable, reusable, and extensible. We have created an initial set of model elements that demonstrate

LED's and the "Fluttering Heart" Phenomenon.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jewett, John W., Jr.

1993-01-01

Describes the nineteenth-century parlor trick entitled the Fluttering Heart phenomenon which uses a red heart on a bright blue background. Discusses theories concerning the apparent fluttering. Suggests doing the trick with a red light-emitting diode in a darkened room. (MVL)

The Phantom Vanish Magic Trick: Investigating the Disappearance of a Non-existent Object in a Dynamic Scene

PubMed Central

Tompkins, Matthew L.; Woods, Andy T.; Aimola Davies, Anne M.

2016-01-01

Drawing inspiration from sleight-of-hand magic tricks, we developed an experimental paradigm to investigate whether magicians’ misdirection techniques could be used to induce the misperception of “phantom” objects. While previous experiments investigating sleight-of-hand magic tricks have focused on creating false assumptions about the movement of an object in a scene, our experiment investigated creating false assumptions about the presence of an object in a scene. Participants watched a sequence of silent videos depicting a magician performing with a single object. Following each video, participants were asked to write a description of the events in the video. In the final video, participants watched the Phantom Vanish Magic Trick, a novel magic trick developed for this experiment, in which the magician pantomimed the actions of presenting an object and then making it magically disappear. No object was presented during the final video. The silent videos precluded the use of false verbal suggestions, and participants were not asked leading questions about the objects. Nevertheless, 32% of participants reported having visual impressions of non-existent objects. These findings support an inferential model of perception, wherein top-down expectations can be manipulated by the magician to generate vivid illusory experiences, even in the absence of corresponding bottom-up information. PMID:27493635

An Influenced Future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Owens, Christopher

2016-01-01

Phobos is a vital precursor and catalyst before our next giant leap to Mars. The principle period of a Phobos' mission could be a series of robotic precursor missions for experimental perception, soil examination, ecological approval and landing site distinguishing proof. For my summer intern position at Johnson Space Center I chipped away at creating a GUNNS (General Use Nodal Network Solver) based power subsystem model for the miniATHLETE hopper, which is a conceptual (idea-based) robotic lander that will operate on Phobos. Keeping in mind the end goal to begin on my venture, I needed to comprehend my undertaking before whatever else, in which I concentrated on C++ to see how to implement the code that GUNNS generates to a Trick S_define file. Prior to coming to this internship at Johnson Space Center Dr. Edwin Zack Crues provided a class on modeling and simulation, which introduced me to the Trick simulation environment. The goal of my project was to develop a GUNNS based power subsystem model for the miniATHLETE hopper. The model needed to incorporate a solar array, battery, hopping legs, and onboard scientific instruments (sensitive measuring/recording devices). The secondary bonus goal after I completed the electrical aspect of my model was to develop a GUNNS based thermal subsystem model for the miniATHLETE hopper. Stringing the two aspects together, I would need to code up a signal aspect to make the system work as one. Accomplishing my goals would not be an easy thing, however I had successfully completed the electrical aspect model with twenty-four servos, six cameras, and multiple sensors. Venturing to complete my project has eluded me to many failures in my design to tune many things like the battery to the proper voltage and the load to the proper wattage. During this time I had touched up on advanced topics in calculus in which I implemented in the converter in my electrical model. I am currently working with my mentor Zu Qun Li to create a signal aspect to control the temperatures inside my electrical aspect model. During my time at JSC I had effectively figured out how to create subsystem models utilizing Trick and GUNNS. I obtain essential knowledge of power and thermal subsystem design for a robotic vehicle. I also learned how to work and communicate in a team effectively to accomplish a goal. Before coming to Johnson Space Center my future career and educational goals included uncertainty, however now I have a completely new look on my path to a prosperous future. My NASA experience has unquestionably impacted me to accomplish and surpass my own particular desires. After my time at Johnson Space Center I plan to apply for a coop position for NASA. This has been a dream come true that I adored each moment being at JSC realizing that I am far fit for doing things most individuals can just long for.

High-resolution, time-resolved MRA provides superior definition of lower-extremity arterial segments compared to 2D time-of-flight imaging.

PubMed

Thornton, F J; Du, J; Suleiman, S A; Dieter, R; Tefera, G; Pillai, K R; Korosec, F R; Mistretta, C A; Grist, T M

2006-08-01

To evaluate a novel time-resolved contrast-enhanced (CE) projection reconstruction (PR) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) method for identifying potential bypass graft target vessels in patients with Class II-IV peripheral vascular disease. Twenty patients (M:F = 15:5, mean age = 58 years, range = 48-83 years), were recruited from routine MRA referrals. All imaging was performed on a 1.5 T MRI system with fast gradients (Signa LX; GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI). Images were acquired with a novel technique that combined undersampled PR with a time-resolved acquisition to yield an MRA method with high temporal and spatial resolution. The method is called PR hyper time-resolved imaging of contrast kinetics (PR-hyperTRICKS). Quantitative and qualitative analyses were used to compare two-dimensional (2D) time-of-flight (TOF) and PR-hyperTRICKS in 13 arterial segments per lower extremity. Statistical analysis was performed with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Fifteen percent (77/517) of the vessels were scored as missing or nondiagnostic with 2D TOF, but were scored as diagnostic with PR-hyperTRICKS. Image quality was superior with PR-hyperTRICKS vs. 2D TOF (on a four-point scale, mean rank = 3.3 +/- 1.2 vs. 2.9 +/- 1.2, P < 0.0001). PR-hyperTRICKS produced images with high contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR) and high spatial and temporal resolution. 2D TOF images were of inferior quality due to moderate spatial resolution, inferior CNR, greater flow-related artifacts, and absence of temporal resolution. PR-hyperTRICKS provides superior preoperative assessment of lower limb ischemia compared to 2D TOF.

Adhesive strips: a simple and inexpensive trick for finger holding in hand surgery.

PubMed

Brutus, J P; Nikolis, A; Ortiz, S; Cordoba, C

2002-12-01

Many finger holding devices have been developed to retract digits and provide exposure during hand surgery. We describe a simple, and cheap trick to keep fingers out of the way using adhesive strips that has proven efficient and helpful.

The effect of images of Michelle Obama's face on trick-or-treaters' dietary choices: A randomized control trial.

PubMed

Aronow, Peter M; Karlan, Dean; Pinson, Lauren E

2018-01-01

To evaluate the microfoundations of a personality-inspired public health campaign's influence on minors. Multi-year randomized control trial. Economics professor's front porch in New Haven, CT. 1223 trick-or-treaters in New Haven over three years; on average, 8.5 years old and 53% male (among children whose gender was identifiable). Trick-or-treaters over the age of three that approached the house. Random assignment to the Michelle Obama side of the porch or the Comparison side of the porch. Selection of fruit over candy. Difference-in-means estimates. We estimate that viewing a photograph of Michelle Obama's face relative to control conditions caused children to be 19% more likely to choose fruit over candy. Michelle Obama's initiative to reduce childhood obesity has influenced children's dietary preferences. Whether this influence extends beyond Halloween trick-or-treating in New Haven, CT on the porch of an economics professor requires further research.

Sensory trick phenomenon improves motor control in pianists with dystonia: prognostic value of glove-effect

PubMed Central

Paulig, Jakobine; Jabusch, Hans-Christian; Großbach, Michael; Boullet, Laurent; Altenmüller, Eckart

2014-01-01

Musician’s dystonia (MD) is a task-specific movement disorder that causes loss of voluntary motor control while playing the instrument. A subgroup of patients displays the so-called sensory trick: alteration of somatosensory input, e.g., by wearing a latex glove, may result in short-term improvement of motor control. In this study, the glove-effect in pianists with MD was quantified and its potential association with MD-severity and outcome after treatment was investigated. Thirty affected pianists were included in the study. Music instrument digital interface-based scale analysis was used for assessment of fine motor control. Therapeutic options included botulinum toxin, pedagogical retraining and anticholinergic medication (trihexyphenidyl). 19% of patients showed significant improvement of fine motor control through wearing a glove. After treatment, outcome was significantly better in patients with a significant pre-treatment sensory trick. We conclude that the sensory trick may have a prognostic value for the outcome after treatment in pianists with MD. PMID:25295014

What is your #geosciencehack?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoof, Cathelijne; Hut, Rolf

2016-04-01

There's a secret MacGyver in every researcher, whether they realize it or not. It's always a challenge to get setups working, transport material, or create a solution that works in the exact environment that you have. We have our own tricks to deal with this, and know you have them too. Do you use a kitchen bowl and spatula to evenly mix water and sand, sanitary pads (super absorbent) to stop leaking flow experiments), nylons to line piezometers, duct tape for everything? No matter how obvious or simple your own geoscience hacks are to you, we'd like to hear about them! On this blank poster and on Twitter (#geosciencehack), we invite you to share the tricks that make your field and lab research work. We will collect all ideas and communicate them through Twitter (@geosciencehack), a blog (www.rolfhut.nl), and if we have sufficient material we plan to submit a joint paper to the upcoming MacGyver special issue in Frontiers, so leave your contact details along with your geoscience hack if you'd like to be a co-author.

An fMRI investigation of expectation violation in magic tricks.

PubMed

Danek, Amory H; Öllinger, Michael; Fraps, Thomas; Grothe, Benedikt; Flanagin, Virginia L

2015-01-01

Magic tricks violate the expected causal relationships that form an implicit belief system about what is possible in the world around us. Observing a magic effect seemingly invalidates our implicit assumptions about what action causes which outcome. We aimed at identifying the neural correlates of such expectation violations by contrasting 24 video clips of magic tricks with 24 control clips in which the expected action-outcome relationship is upheld. Using fMRI, we measured the brain activity of 25 normal volunteers while they watched the clips in the scanner. Additionally, we measured the professional magician who had performed the magic tricks under the assumption that, in contrast to naïve observers, the magician himself would not perceive his own magic tricks as an expectation violation. As the main effect of magic - control clips in the normal sample, we found higher activity for magic in the head of the caudate nucleus (CN) bilaterally, the left inferior frontal gyrus and the left anterior insula. As expected, the magician's brain activity substantially differed from these results, with mainly parietal areas (supramarginal gyrus bilaterally) activated, supporting our hypothesis that he did not experience any expectation violation. These findings are in accordance with previous research that has implicated the head of the CN in processing changes in the contingency between action and outcome, even in the absence of reward or feedback.

The Construction of Impossibility: A Logic-Based Analysis of Conjuring Tricks

PubMed Central

Smith, Wally; Dignum, Frank; Sonenberg, Liz

2016-01-01

Psychologists and cognitive scientists have long drawn insights and evidence from stage magic about human perceptual and attentional errors. We present a complementary analysis of conjuring tricks that seeks to understand the experience of impossibility that they produce. Our account is first motivated by insights about the constructional aspects of conjuring drawn from magicians' instructional texts. A view is then presented of the logical nature of impossibility as an unresolvable contradiction between a perception-supported belief about a situation and a memory-supported expectation. We argue that this condition of impossibility is constructed not simply through misperceptions and misattentions, but rather it is an outcome of a trick's whole structure of events. This structure is conceptualized as two parallel event sequences: an effect sequence that the spectator is intended to believe; and a method sequence that the magician understands as happening. We illustrate the value of this approach through an analysis of a simple close-up trick, Martin Gardner's Turnabout. A formalism called propositional dynamic logic is used to describe some of its logical aspects. This elucidates the nature and importance of the relationship between a trick's effect sequence and its method sequence, characterized by the careful arrangement of four evidence relationships: similarity, perceptual equivalence, structural equivalence, and congruence. The analysis further identifies two characteristics of magical apparatus that enable the construction of apparent impossibility: substitutable elements and stable occlusion. PMID:27378959

Magic in the machine: a computational magician's assistant.

PubMed

Williams, Howard; McOwan, Peter W

2014-01-01

A human magician blends science, psychology, and performance to create a magical effect. In this paper we explore what can be achieved when that human intelligence is replaced or assisted by machine intelligence. Magical effects are all in some form based on hidden mathematical, scientific, or psychological principles; often the parameters controlling these underpinning techniques are hard for a magician to blend to maximize the magical effect required. The complexity is often caused by interacting and often conflicting physical and psychological constraints that need to be optimally balanced. Normally this tuning is done by trial and error, combined with human intuitions. Here we focus on applying Artificial Intelligence methods to the creation and optimization of magic tricks exploiting mathematical principles. We use experimentally derived data about particular perceptual and cognitive features, combined with a model of the underlying mathematical process to provide a psychologically valid metric to allow optimization of magical impact. In the paper we introduce our optimization methodology and describe how it can be flexibly applied to a range of different types of mathematics based tricks. We also provide two case studies as exemplars of the methodology at work: a magical jigsaw, and a mind reading card trick effect. We evaluate each trick created through testing in laboratory and public performances, and further demonstrate the real world efficacy of our approach for professional performers through sales of the tricks in a reputable magic shop in London.

Scratch Your Brain Where It Itches: Math Games, Tricks and Quick Activities, Book C-1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brumbaugh, Doug

This resource book contains mathematical games, tricks, and quick activities for the classroom. Categories of activities include computation, manipulative challenges, puzzlers, picky puzzlers, patterns, measurement, money, and riddles. The computation section contains 13 classroom games and activities along with 4 manipulative challenges.…

Playing tricks to ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leibfried, Dietrich

2017-01-01

Ted Hänsch's career is defined by breaking new ground in experimental physics. Curiosity, vivid imagination, deep understanding, patience and tenacity are part of the winning formula, but perhaps an equally important ingredient may be Ted's favorite past-time of exploring new tricks in his "Spiellabor" (play-lab), that often resurfaced as key ingredients in rather serious experiments later. On the occasion of Ted's 75th birthday, a few past and potential future experiments with trapped ions are playfully surveyed here. Some of these tricks are already part of the trade, some are currently emerging and a few are mostly speculation today. Maybe some of the latter will be realized and even prove useful in the future.

Validation of the replica trick for simple models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shinzato, Takashi

2018-04-01

We discuss the replica analytic continuation using several simple models in order to prove mathematically the validity of the replica analysis, which is used in a wide range of fields related to large-scale complex systems. While replica analysis consists of two analytical techniques—the replica trick (or replica analytic continuation) and the thermodynamical limit (and/or order parameter expansion)—we focus our study on replica analytic continuation, which is the mathematical basis of the replica trick. We apply replica analysis to solve a variety of analytical models, and examine the properties of replica analytic continuation. Based on the positive results for these models we propose that replica analytic continuation is a robust procedure in replica analysis.

Scratch Your Brain Where It Itches: Math Games, Tricks and Quick Activities, Book D-1 Algebra.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brumbaugh, Doug

This resource book for algebra contains games, tricks, and quick activities for the classroom. Categories of activities include puzzlers, patterns, manipulatives, measurement, graphing, and a section that contains reproducible statement and value cards. Twenty one puzzle problems, four pattern activities, and 11 quick activities that engage…

Fostering Algebraic Understanding through Math

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lim, Kien H.

2016-01-01

Magic captivates humans because of their innate capacity to be intrigued and a desire to resolve their curiosity. In a mathematics classroom, algorithms akin to magic tricks can be an effective tool to engage students in thinking and problem solving. Tricks that rely on the power of mathematics are especially suitable for students to experience an…

Simple training tricks for mastering and taming bypass procedures in neurosurgery

PubMed Central

Hafez, Ahmad; Raj, Rahul; Lawton, Michael T.; Niemelä, Mika

2017-01-01

Background: Neurosurgeons devoted to bypass neurosurgery or revascularization neurosurgery are becoming scarcer. From a practical point of view, “bypass neurosurgeons” are anastomosis makers, vessels technicians, and time-racing repairers of vessel walls. This requires understanding the key features and hidden tricks of bypass surgery. The goal of this paper is to provide simple and inexpensive tricks for taming the art of bypass neurosurgery. Most of these tricks and materials described can be borrowed, donated, or purchased inexpensively. Methods: We performed a review of relevant training materials and recorded videos for training bypass procedures for 3 years between June 2014 and July 2017. In total, 1,300 training bypass procedures were performed, of which 200 procedures were chosen for this paper. Results: A training laboratory bypass procedures is required to enable a neurosurgeon to develop the necessary skills. The important skills for training bypass procedures gained through meticulous practice to be as reflexes are coordination, speed, agility, flexibility, and reaction time. Bypassing requires synchronization between the surgeon's gross movements, fine motoric skills, and mental strength. The suturing rhythm must be timed in a brain–body–hand fashion. Conclusion: Bypass-training is a critical part of neurosurgical training and not for a selected few. Diligent and meticulous training can enable every neurosurgeon to tame the art of bypass neurosurgery. This requires understanding the key features and hidden tricks of bypass surgery, as well as uncountable hours of training. In bypass neurosurgery, quality and time goes hand in hand. PMID:29285411

Magic in the machine: a computational magician's assistant

PubMed Central

Williams, Howard; McOwan, Peter W.

2014-01-01

A human magician blends science, psychology, and performance to create a magical effect. In this paper we explore what can be achieved when that human intelligence is replaced or assisted by machine intelligence. Magical effects are all in some form based on hidden mathematical, scientific, or psychological principles; often the parameters controlling these underpinning techniques are hard for a magician to blend to maximize the magical effect required. The complexity is often caused by interacting and often conflicting physical and psychological constraints that need to be optimally balanced. Normally this tuning is done by trial and error, combined with human intuitions. Here we focus on applying Artificial Intelligence methods to the creation and optimization of magic tricks exploiting mathematical principles. We use experimentally derived data about particular perceptual and cognitive features, combined with a model of the underlying mathematical process to provide a psychologically valid metric to allow optimization of magical impact. In the paper we introduce our optimization methodology and describe how it can be flexibly applied to a range of different types of mathematics based tricks. We also provide two case studies as exemplars of the methodology at work: a magical jigsaw, and a mind reading card trick effect. We evaluate each trick created through testing in laboratory and public performances, and further demonstrate the real world efficacy of our approach for professional performers through sales of the tricks in a reputable magic shop in London. PMID:25452736

The role of audience participation and task relevance on change detection during a card trick.

PubMed

Smith, Tim J

2015-01-01

Magicians utilize many techniques for misdirecting audience attention away from the secret sleight of a trick. One technique is to ask an audience member to participate in a trick either physically by asking them to choose a card or cognitively by having them keep track of a card. While such audience participation is an established part of most magic the cognitive mechanisms by which it operates are unknown. Failure to detect changes to objects while passively viewing magic tricks has been shown to be conditional on the changing feature being irrelevant to the current task. How change blindness operates during interactive tasks is unclear but preliminary evidence suggests that relevance of the changing feature may also play a role (Triesch et al., 2003). The present study created a simple on-line card trick inspired by Triesch et al.'s (2003) that allowed playing cards to be instantaneously replaced without distraction or occlusion as participants were either actively sorting the cards (Doing condition) or watching another person perform the task (Watching conditions). Participants were given one of three sets of instructions. The relevance of the card color to the task increased across the three instructions. During half of the trials a card changed color (but retained its number) as it was moving to the stack. Participants were instructed to immediately report such changes. Analysis of the probability of reporting a change revealed that actively performing the sorting task led to more missed changes than passively watching the same task but only when the changing feature was irrelevant to the sorting task. If the feature was relevant during either the pick-up or put-down action change detection was as good as during the watching block. These results confirm the ability of audience participation to create subtle dynamics of attention and perception during a magic trick and hide otherwise striking changes at the center of attention.

The role of audience participation and task relevance on change detection during a card trick

PubMed Central

Smith, Tim J.

2015-01-01

Magicians utilize many techniques for misdirecting audience attention away from the secret sleight of a trick. One technique is to ask an audience member to participate in a trick either physically by asking them to choose a card or cognitively by having them keep track of a card. While such audience participation is an established part of most magic the cognitive mechanisms by which it operates are unknown. Failure to detect changes to objects while passively viewing magic tricks has been shown to be conditional on the changing feature being irrelevant to the current task. How change blindness operates during interactive tasks is unclear but preliminary evidence suggests that relevance of the changing feature may also play a role (Triesch et al., 2003). The present study created a simple on-line card trick inspired by Triesch et al.’s (2003) that allowed playing cards to be instantaneously replaced without distraction or occlusion as participants were either actively sorting the cards (Doing condition) or watching another person perform the task (Watching conditions). Participants were given one of three sets of instructions. The relevance of the card color to the task increased across the three instructions. During half of the trials a card changed color (but retained its number) as it was moving to the stack. Participants were instructed to immediately report such changes. Analysis of the probability of reporting a change revealed that actively performing the sorting task led to more missed changes than passively watching the same task but only when the changing feature was irrelevant to the sorting task. If the feature was relevant during either the pick-up or put-down action change detection was as good as during the watching block. These results confirm the ability of audience participation to create subtle dynamics of attention and perception during a magic trick and hide otherwise striking changes at the center of attention. PMID:25698986

Unraveling a Card Trick

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoare, Tony; Shankar, Natarajan

In one version of Gilbreath's card trick, a deck of cards is arranged as a series of quartets, where each quartet contains a card from each suit and all the quartets feature the same ordering of the suits. For example, the deck could be a repeating sequence of spades, hearts, clubs, and diamonds, in that order, as in the deck below.

The Magic of Magic: The Effect of Magic Tricks on Subsequent Engagement with Lecture Material

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moss, Simon A.; Irons, Melanie; Boland, Martin

2017-01-01

Background and aims: Lecturers often present entertaining videos, or organize a variety of amusing demonstrations, to foster student engagement or to encourage critical analysis. Magic tricks, in particular, have been shown to activate neural circuits that underpin motivation or problem-solving and, therefore, could be beneficial during lectures.…

Social Reading: Promoting Reading in the Millennial Learner

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Preddy, Leslie

2009-01-01

Students' minds today are attracted to entertainment and all things social. To engage the reading attitudes of this generation, educators need to adapt some old tricks and add new tricks to their bag to meet these Digital Natives where they live--the world of social interaction and social technology. This article discusses the three R's necessary…

Scratch Your Brain Where It Itches: Math Games, Tricks and Quick Activities, Book A-1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brumbaugh, Linda

This resource book contains mathematical games, tricks, and quick activities for the classroom. Categories include place value, number lines, basic facts and computation, computation and calculator practice, puzzles for tricky thinkers, and geometry. Ten classroom games and activities are found in the place value and number line sections, 27…

A trick to improve the efficiency of generating unweighted B events from BCVEGPY

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xian-You; Wu, Xing-Gang

2012-02-01

In the present paper, we provide an addendum to improve the efficiency of generating unweighted events within PYTHIA environment for the generator BCVEGPY2.1 [C.H. Chang, J.X. Wang, X.G. Wu, Comput. Phys. Commun. 174 (2006) 241]. This trick is helpful for experimental simulation. Moreover, the BCVEGPY output has also been improved, i.e. one Les Houches Event common block has been added so as to generate a standard Les Houches Event file that contains the information of the generated B meson and the accompanying partons, which can be more conveniently used for further simulation. New version program summaryTitle of program: BCVEGPY2.1a Catalogue identifier: ADTJ_v2_2 Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/ADTJ_v2_2.html Program obtained from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: Standard CPC licence, http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/licence/licence.html No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 166 133 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 1 655 390 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language used: FORTRAN 77/90 Computer: Any LINUX based on PC with FORTRAN 77 or FORTRAN 90 and GNU C compiler as well Operating systems: LINUX RAM: About 2.0 MB Classification: 11.2, 11.5 Catalogue identifier of previous version: ADTJ_v2_1 Reference in CPC: Comput. Phys. Commun. 175 (2006) 624 Does the new version supersede the old program: No Nature of physical problem: Hadronic Production of B meson and its excited states Method of solution: To generate weighted and unweighted B events within PYTHIA environment effectively. Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: Hadronic production of ( cb¯)-quarkonium via the gluon-gluon fusion mechanism are given by the 'complete calculation approach'. The simulation of B events is done within PYTHIA environment. Reasons for new version: More and more data are accumulated at the large hadronic collider, it would be possible to make precise studies on B meson properties, such as its lifetime, mass spectrum and etc. The BCVEGPY has been adopted by several experimental groups due to its high efficiency in comparison to that of PYTHIA. However, to generate unweighted events with PYTHIA inner mechanism as programmed by the previous version is still time-consuming. So it would be helpful to improve the efficiency for generating unweighted events within PYTHIA. Moreover, it would be better to use an uniform and standard output format for further detector simulation. Typical running time: Typical running time is machine and user-parameters dependent. I) To generate 10 6 weighted S-wave ( cb¯)-quarkonium events (IDWTUP = 3), it will take about 40 minutes on a 1.8 GHz Intel P4-processor machine. II) To generate unweighted S-wave ( cb¯)-quarkonium events with PYTHIA inner structure (IDWTUP = 1), it will take about 20 hour on a 1.8 GHz Intel P4-processor machine to generate 1000 events. III) To generate 10 6 unweighted S-wave ( cb¯)-quarkonium events with the present trick (IDWTUP = 1), it will take 17 hour on a 3.16 Hz Intel E8500 processor machine. Moreover, it can be found that the running time for the P-wave ( cb¯)-quarkonium production is about two times longer than the case of S-wave production under the same conditions. Keywords: Event generator; Hadronic production; B meson; Unweighted events Summary of revisions: (1) The generator BCVEGPY [1-3] has been programmed to generate B events under PYTHIA environment [4], which has been frequently adopted for theoretical and experimental studies, e.g. Refs. [5-18]. It is found that each experimental group shall have its own simulation software architecture, and the users will spend a lot of time to write an interface so as to implement BCVEGPY into their own software. So it would be better to supply a standard output. The LHE format becomes a standard format [19], which is proposed to store process and event information from the matrix-element-based generators. The users can pass these parton-level information to the general event generators like PYTHIA and HERWIG [20] for further simulation. For such purpose, we add two common blocks in genevent.F. One common block is called as bcvegpy_pyupin and the other one is write_lhe. The bcvegpy_pyupin, which is similar to PYUPIN subroutine in PYTHIA, stores the initialization information in the HEPRUP common block. INTEGER MAXPUP PARAMETER (MAXPUP = 100) INTEGER IDBMUP,PDFGUP,PDFSUP,IDWTUP,NPRUP,LPRUP DOUBLE PRECISION EBMUP,XSECUP,XERRUP,XMAXUP COMMON/HEPRUP/IDBMUP(2),EBMUP(2),PDFGUP(2),PDFSUP(2), &IDWTUP,NPRUP,XSECUP(MAXPUP),XERRUP(MAXPUP), &XMAXUP(MAXPUP),LPRUP(MAXPUP) The write_lhe, which is similar to PYUPEV subroutine in pythia, stores the information of each separate event in the HEPEUP common block. INTEGER MAXNUP PARAMETER (MAXNUP = 500) INTEGER NUP,IDPRUP,IDUP,ISTUP,MOTHUP,ICOLUP DOUBLE PRECISION XWGTUP,SCALUP,AQEDUP,AQCDUP,PUP,VTIMUP, &SPINUP COMMON/HEPEUP/NUP,IDPRUP,XWGTUP,SCALUP,AQEDUP,AQCDUP, &IDUP(MAXNUP),ISTUP(MAXNUP),MOTHUP(2,MAXNUP), &ICOLUP(2,MAXNUP),PUP(5,MAXNUP),VTIMUP(MAXNUP), &SPINUP(MAXNUP)

Monte Carlo technique for very large ising models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalle, C.; Winkelmann, V.

1982-08-01

Rebbi's multispin coding technique is improved and applied to the kinetic Ising model with size 600*600*600. We give the central part of our computer program (for a CDC Cyber 76), which will be helpful also in a simulation of smaller systems, and describe the other tricks necessary to go to large lattices. The magnetization M at T=1.4* T c is found to decay asymptotically as exp(-t/2.90) if t is measured in Monte Carlo steps per spin, and M( t = 0) = 1 initially.

Tips and tricks of ureteroscopy: consensus statement Part I. Basic ureteroscopy.

PubMed

Rukin, Nicholas J; Somani, Bhaskar K; Patterson, Jake; Grey, Ben R; Finch, William; McClinton, Sam; Parys, Bo; Young, Graham; Syed, Haider; Myatt, Andy; Samsudin, Azi; Inglis, John A; Smith, Daron

2015-01-01

Ureteroscopy is fast becoming the first line treatment option for the majority of urinary tract stones. Ureteroscopy training can be performed in a variety of ways including simulation, hands on ureteroscopy courses and supervised operative experience. We report an "expert consensus view" from experienced endourological surgeons, on all aspects of basic ureteroscopic techniques, with a particular focus on avoiding and getting out of trouble while performing ureteroscopy. In this paper we provide a summary of treatment planning, positioning, cannulation of ureteric orifice, guidewire placement, rigid ureteroscopy and stone fragmentation.

Using Image Modelling to Teach Newton's Laws with the Ollie Trick

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dias, Marco Adriano; Carvalho, Paulo Simeão; Vianna, Deise Miranda

2016-01-01

Image modelling is a video-based teaching tool that is a combination of strobe images and video analysis. This tool can enable a qualitative and a quantitative approach to the teaching of physics, in a much more engaging and appealling way than the traditional expositive practice. In a specific scenario shown in this paper, the Ollie trick, we…

Time resolved imaging of contrast kinetics (TRICKS) MR angiography of arteriovenous malformations of head and neck.

PubMed

Razek, Ahmed Abdel Khalek Abdel; Gaballa, Gada; Megahed, Abdel Salam; Elmogy, Ebrahiem

2013-11-01

To evaluate vasculature of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) of head and neck with time resolved imaging of contrast kinetics (TRICKS) MR angiography (MRA). Prospective study was conducted upon 19 patients (age range, 12-29 years; mean age 18 years; 10 males and 9 females) with AVM of head and neck. TRICKS-MRA of head and neck was performed during injection of contrast medium. Post processing with reconstruction of the images was done. Two independent readers assessed the overall TRICKS-MRA image quality score using a 5-point scale and depiction of the main arterial feeders, nidus, and venous drainage using 3 points scale. The Kappa test for interobserver agreement was done. The AVMs were evaluated morphologically in terms of number and origin of the main arterial feeders, the location and size of nidus either small (>2 cm) or large (>2 cm) and the draining veins into the superficial or deep venous drainage. The average TRICKS-MRA image quality score as judged by reader 1 was 3.89 ± 1.15 and that as judged by reader 2 was 3.89 ± 0.10, which yielded excellent interobserver agreement (k=0.77, 95% CI=0.53-0.98, r=0.78, P=0.001). The interobserver agreement of both readers was excellent for the arterial feeders (k=0.81, 95% CI=0.57-1.00, r=0.83, P=0.001), excellent for the nidus (k=0.91, 95% CI=0.75-1.00, r=0.92, P=0.001), and good for the venous drainage (k=0.77, 95% CI=0.53-0.98, r=0.78, P=0.001). The arterial feeders were single (n=14) or multiple (n=5), the nidus was large (n=16) or small (n=3) and the venous drainage was into the internal jugular (n=17) or the external jugular (n=2) veins. Three patients with small nidus and single arterial feeder were treated with sclerotherapy. Eleven patients with large nidus and single arterial feeder were referred for embolization. Combined embolization and surgery were done for five patients with large nidus and multiple arterial feeders. We concluded that TRICKS-MRA is a reliable non invasive tool for evaluation of the feeding arteries, the nidus and the draining veins of AVMs of head and neck. TRICKS-MRA can be used for evaluation and treatment planning of AVMs of head and neck. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tricks of the Trade: State Legislative Actions in School Finance Policy that Perpetuate Racial Disparities in the Post-Brown Era

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Bruce D.; Green, Preston C., III

2005-01-01

This article discusses the tricks of the trade that legislatures in formerly de jure segregated states might use to maintain racial funding disparities in existence before Brown and whether such ploys might be vulnerable to legal challenges. The first section provides an overview of modern school finance formulas and explains how legislatures in…

Expertise among professional magicians: an interview study.

PubMed

Rissanen, Olli; Pitkänen, Petteri; Juvonen, Antti; Kuhn, Gustav; Hakkarainen, Kai

2014-01-01

The purpose of the present investigation was to analyse interviews of highly regarded Finnish magicians. Social network analysis (N = 120) was used to identify Finland's most highly regarded magicians (N = 16). The selected participants' careers in professional magic and various aspects of their professional conduct were examined by relying on semi-structured interviews. The results revealed that cultivation of professional level competence in magic usually requires an extensive period of time compared with other domains of expertise. Magic is a unique performing art and it differs from other professions focusing on deceiving the audience. A distinctive feature of magical expertise is that the process takes place entirely through informal training supported by communities of magical practitioners. Three interrelated aspects of magical activity were distinguished: magic tricks, performance, and audience. Although magic tricks constitute a central aspect of magic activity, the participants did not talk about their tricks extensively; this is in accordance with the secretive nature of magic culture. The interviews revealed that a core aspect of the magicians' activity is performance in front of an audience that repeatedly validates competence cultivated through years of practice. The interviewees reported investing a great deal of effort in planning, orchestrating, and reflecting on their performances. Close interaction with the audience plays an important role in most interviewees' activity. Many participants put a great deal of effort in developing novel magic tricks. It is common to borrow magic effects from fellow magicians and develop novel methods of implementation. Because magic tricks or programs are not copyrighted, many interviewees considered "stealing" an unacceptable and unethical aspect of magical activity. The interviewees highlighted the importance of personality and charisma in the successful pursuit of magic activity.

Expertise among professional magicians: an interview study

PubMed Central

Rissanen, Olli; Pitkänen, Petteri; Juvonen, Antti; Kuhn, Gustav; Hakkarainen, Kai

2014-01-01

The purpose of the present investigation was to analyse interviews of highly regarded Finnish magicians. Social network analysis (N = 120) was used to identify Finland's most highly regarded magicians (N = 16). The selected participants' careers in professional magic and various aspects of their professional conduct were examined by relying on semi-structured interviews. The results revealed that cultivation of professional level competence in magic usually requires an extensive period of time compared with other domains of expertise. Magic is a unique performing art and it differs from other professions focusing on deceiving the audience. A distinctive feature of magical expertise is that the process takes place entirely through informal training supported by communities of magical practitioners. Three interrelated aspects of magical activity were distinguished: magic tricks, performance, and audience. Although magic tricks constitute a central aspect of magic activity, the participants did not talk about their tricks extensively; this is in accordance with the secretive nature of magic culture. The interviews revealed that a core aspect of the magicians' activity is performance in front of an audience that repeatedly validates competence cultivated through years of practice. The interviewees reported investing a great deal of effort in planning, orchestrating, and reflecting on their performances. Close interaction with the audience plays an important role in most interviewees' activity. Many participants put a great deal of effort in developing novel magic tricks. It is common to borrow magic effects from fellow magicians and develop novel methods of implementation. Because magic tricks or programs are not copyrighted, many interviewees considered “stealing” an unacceptable and unethical aspect of magical activity. The interviewees highlighted the importance of personality and charisma in the successful pursuit of magic activity. PMID:25566156

The mechanics of trick roping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brun, Pierre-Thomas

2014-03-01

Trick roping evolved from humble origins as a cattle-catching tool into a sport that delights audiences the world over with its complex patterns or ``tricks,'' such as the Merry-Go-Round , the Wedding-Ring, the Spoke-Jumping, the Texas Skip... Its implement is the lasso, a length of rope with a small loop (``honda'') at one end through which the other end is passed to form a large loop. Here, we study the physics of the simplest rope trick, the Flat Loop, in which the motion of the lasso is forced by a uniform circular motion of the cowboy's/cowgirl's hand in a horizontal plane. To avoid accumulating twist in the rope, the cowboy/cowgirl rolls it between his/her thumb and forefinger while spinning it. The configuration of the rope is stationary in a reference frame that rotates with the hand. Exploiting this fact we derive a dynamical ``string'' model in which line tension is balanced by the centrifugal force and the rope's weight. Using a numerical continuation method, we calculate the steady shapes of a lasso with a fixed honda, examine their stability, and determine a bifurcation diagram exhibiting coat-hanger shapes and whirling modes in addition to flat loops. We then extend the model to a honda with finite sliding friction by using matched asymptotic expansions to determine the structure of the boundary layer where bending forces are significant, thereby obtaining a macroscopic criterion for frictional sliding of the honda. We compare our theoretical results with high-speed videos of a professional trick roper and experiments performed using a laboratory ``robo-cowboy.'' Finally, we conclude with a practical guidance on how to spin a lasso in the air based on the results of our analysis. With the support of Univ. Paris Sud (Lab. FAST/CNRS) and UPMC (d'Alembert/CNRS).

You Can Teach an Old Magician New Tricks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonomo, John P.

2008-01-01

Mathematics forms the basis for many types of card tricks. One of the best-known works as follows: Take any 15 cards out of a deck and ask a volunteer to select one of the cards and place it back in the deck. After shuffling the cards, you deal out three piles of cards and ask the volunteer which pile his or her card is in. You collect up the…

Resource Tracking Model Updates and Trade Studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chambliss, Joe; Stambaugh, Imelda; Moore, Michael

2016-01-01

The Resource tracking model has been updated to capture system manager and project manager inputs. Both the Trick/GUNNS RTM simulator and the RTM mass balance spreadsheet have been revised to address inputs from system managers and to refine the way mass balance is illustrated. The revisions to the RTM included addition of a Plasma Pyrolysis Assembly (PPA) to recover hydrogen from Sabatier reactor methane which was vented in the prior version of the RTM. The effect of the PPA on the overall balance of resources in an exploration vehicle is illustrated in the increased recycle of vehicle oxygen. Additionally simulation of EVAs conducted from the exploration module was added. Since the focus of the exploration module is to provide a habitat during deep space operations the EVA simulation approach to EVA is based on ISS EVA protocol and processes. Case studies have been run to show the relative effect of performance changes on vehicle resources.

Gradient calculations for dynamic recurrent neural networks: a survey.

PubMed

Pearlmutter, B A

1995-01-01

Surveys learning algorithms for recurrent neural networks with hidden units and puts the various techniques into a common framework. The authors discuss fixed point learning algorithms, namely recurrent backpropagation and deterministic Boltzmann machines, and nonfixed point algorithms, namely backpropagation through time, Elman's history cutoff, and Jordan's output feedback architecture. Forward propagation, an on-line technique that uses adjoint equations, and variations thereof, are also discussed. In many cases, the unified presentation leads to generalizations of various sorts. The author discusses advantages and disadvantages of temporally continuous neural networks in contrast to clocked ones continues with some "tricks of the trade" for training, using, and simulating continuous time and recurrent neural networks. The author presents some simulations, and at the end, addresses issues of computational complexity and learning speed.

How NASA Utilizes Dashboards to Help Ensure Mission Success

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blakeley, Chris

2013-01-01

NASA is actively planning to expand human spaceflight and robotic exploration beyond low Earth orbit. To prepare for the challenge of exploring these destinations in space, NASA conducts missions here on Earth in remote locations that have physical similarities to extreme space environments. Program managers for the Advanced Exploration Systems program requested a simple way to track financial information to ensure that each task stayed within their budgetary constraints. Using SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards (Formerly Xcelsius), a dashboard was created to satisfy all of their key requirements. Lessons learned, along with some tips and tricks, will be highlighted during this session.

Implementing Kernel Methods Incrementally by Incremental Nonlinear Projection Trick.

PubMed

Kwak, Nojun

2016-05-20

Recently, the nonlinear projection trick (NPT) was introduced enabling direct computation of coordinates of samples in a reproducing kernel Hilbert space. With NPT, any machine learning algorithm can be extended to a kernel version without relying on the so called kernel trick. However, NPT is inherently difficult to be implemented incrementally because an ever increasing kernel matrix should be treated as additional training samples are introduced. In this paper, an incremental version of the NPT (INPT) is proposed based on the observation that the centerization step in NPT is unnecessary. Because the proposed INPT does not change the coordinates of the old data, the coordinates obtained by INPT can directly be used in any incremental methods to implement a kernel version of the incremental methods. The effectiveness of the INPT is shown by applying it to implement incremental versions of kernel methods such as, kernel singular value decomposition, kernel principal component analysis, and kernel discriminant analysis which are utilized for problems of kernel matrix reconstruction, letter classification, and face image retrieval, respectively.

Clinical utility of time-resolved imaging of contrast kinetics (TRICKS) magnetic resonance angiography for infrageniculate arterial occlusive disease.

PubMed

Mell, Matthew; Tefera, Girma; Thornton, Frank; Siepman, David; Turnipseed, William

2007-03-01

The diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) in the infrapopliteal arterial segment is not well defined. This study evaluated the clinical utility and diagnostic accuracy of time-resolved imaging of contrast kinetics (TRICKS) MRA compared with digital subtraction contrast angiography (DSA) in planning for percutaneous interventions of popliteal and infrapopliteal arterial occlusive disease. Patients who underwent percutaneous lower extremity interventions for popliteal or tibial occlusive disease were identified for this study. Preprocedural TRICKS MRA was performed with 1.5 Tesla (GE Healthcare, Waukesha, Wis) magnetic resonance imaging scanners with a flexible peripheral vascular coil, using the TRICKS technique with gadodiamide injection. DSA was performed using standard techniques in angiography suite with a 15-inch image intensifier. DSA was considered the gold standard. The MRA and DSA were then evaluated in a blinded fashion by a radiologist and a vascular surgeon. The popliteal artery and tibioperoneal trunk were evaluated separately, and the tibial arteries were divided into proximal, mid, and distal segments. Each segment was interpreted as normal (0% to 49% stenosis), stenotic (50% to 99% stenosis), or occluded (100%). Lesion morphology was classified according to the TransAtlantic Inter-Society Consensus (TASC). We calculated concordance between the imaging studies and the sensitivity and specificity of MRA. The clinical utility of MRA was also assessed in terms of identifying arterial access site as well as predicting technical success of the percutaneous treatment. Comparisons were done on 150 arterial segments in 30 limbs of 27 patients. When evaluated by TASC classification, TRICKS MRA correlated with DSA in 83% of the popliteal and in 88% of the infrapopliteal segments. MRA correctly identified significant disease of the popliteal artery with a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 92%, and of the tibial arteries with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 84%. When used to evaluate for stenosis vs occlusion, MRA interpretation agreed with DSA 90% of the time. Disagreement occurred in 15 arterial segments, most commonly in distal tibioperoneal arteries. MRA misdiagnosed occlusion for stenosis in 11 of 15 segments, and stenosis for occlusion in four of 15 segments. Arterial access was accurately planned based on preprocedural MRA findings in 29 of 30 patients. MRA predicted technical success 83% of the time. Five technical failures were due to inability to cross arterial occlusions, all accurately identified by MRA. TRICKS MRA is an accurate method of evaluating patients for popliteal and infrapopliteal arterial occlusive disease and can be used for planning percutaneous interventions.

Multi-level Monte Carlo Methods for Efficient Simulation of Coulomb Collisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ricketson, Lee

2013-10-01

We discuss the use of multi-level Monte Carlo (MLMC) schemes--originally introduced by Giles for financial applications--for the efficient simulation of Coulomb collisions in the Fokker-Planck limit. The scheme is based on a Langevin treatment of collisions, and reduces the computational cost of achieving a RMS error scaling as ɛ from O (ɛ-3) --for standard Langevin methods and binary collision algorithms--to the theoretically optimal scaling O (ɛ-2) for the Milstein discretization, and to O (ɛ-2 (logɛ)2) with the simpler Euler-Maruyama discretization. In practice, this speeds up simulation by factors up to 100. We summarize standard MLMC schemes, describe some tricks for achieving the optimal scaling, present results from a test problem, and discuss the method's range of applicability. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. DOE by the University of California, Los Angeles, under grant DE-FG02-05ER25710, and by LLNL under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Flexible ureterorenoscopy: Tips and tricks.

PubMed

Somani, Bhaskar Kumar; Aboumarzouk, Omar; Srivastava, Aneesh; Traxer, Olivier

2013-01-01

With advancement in technology, improvement in endoscope and ancillary equipment, more complex procedures can be performed using flexible ureterorenoscopy. In this review article we provide a summary of flexible ureterorenoscopic procedures with "tips and tricks" for success for each type of procedure. It looks at the disposables used with flexible ureterorenoscopic procedures, set up and patient positioning for gaining access, insertion and handling of scope and the use of urethral access sheath. We also provide techniques for various flexible ureterorenoscopic procedures including management of renal stones, calyceal diverticula and upper tract urothelial tumours.

Tips and tricks of ureteroscopy: consensus statement. Part II. Advanced ureteroscopy.

PubMed

Rukin, Nicholas J; Somani, Bhaskar K; Patterson, Jake; Grey, Ben R; Finch, William; McClinton, Sam; Parys, Bo; Young, Graham; Syed, Haider; Myatt, Andy; Samsudin, Azi; Inglis, John A; Smith, Daron

2016-01-01

Our "tips and tricks" focuses on all aspects of upper tract endourology and we hope these will be of use to all trainees and consultants who perform ureteroscopy. We report an "expert consensus view" from experienced endourological surgeons, on all aspects of advanced ureteroscopic techniques, with a particular focus on avoiding and getting out of trouble while performing ureteroscopy. In this paper we provide a summary of placing ureteric access sheath, flexible ureteroscopy, intra renal stone fragmentation and retrieval, maintaining visual clarity and biopsy of ureteric and pelvicalyceal tumours.

Scientific documentary animation: How much accuracy is enough

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

Max, N.L.

1992-02-06

Scientific documentary animation presents final results, and thus has a somewhat different purpose than the scientific visualization used in their discovery. For an audience of non-specialists, production quality in the graphics, pacing, narration, music, and story-telling are important. However, the animation need only be qualitatively correct in order to communicate the desired information. When physical simulations are used to produce animated movement, the laws of motion can be adjusted to give a nicer appearance, to allow for easier programming, to compensate for incompatible time or size scales, or to artifically push things in a desired direction. Graphic tricks may evenmore » be used to disguise inadequacies in the simulation. Biological structures which are not yet completely understood may be given an arbitrary or approximate form in order to show their function. But in illustrating mathematics, it is often easy to be completely accurate.« less

Scientific documentary animation: How much accuracy is enough?

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

Max, N.L.

1992-02-06

Scientific documentary animation presents final results, and thus has a somewhat different purpose than the scientific visualization used in their discovery. For an audience of non-specialists, production quality in the graphics, pacing, narration, music, and story-telling are important. However, the animation need only be qualitatively correct in order to communicate the desired information. When physical simulations are used to produce animated movement, the laws of motion can be adjusted to give a nicer appearance, to allow for easier programming, to compensate for incompatible time or size scales, or to artifically push things in a desired direction. Graphic tricks may evenmore » be used to disguise inadequacies in the simulation. Biological structures which are not yet completely understood may be given an arbitrary or approximate form in order to show their function. But in illustrating mathematics, it is often easy to be completely accurate.« less

Research on gesture recognition of augmented reality maintenance guiding system based on improved SVM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Shouwei; Zhang, Yong; Zhou, Bin; Ma, Dongxi

2014-09-01

Interaction is one of the key techniques of augmented reality (AR) maintenance guiding system. Because of the complexity of the maintenance guiding system's image background and the high dimensionality of gesture characteristics, the whole process of gesture recognition can be divided into three stages which are gesture segmentation, gesture characteristic feature modeling and trick recognition. In segmentation stage, for solving the misrecognition of skin-like region, a segmentation algorithm combing background mode and skin color to preclude some skin-like regions is adopted. In gesture characteristic feature modeling of image attributes stage, plenty of characteristic features are analyzed and acquired, such as structure characteristics, Hu invariant moments features and Fourier descriptor. In trick recognition stage, a classifier based on Support Vector Machine (SVM) is introduced into the augmented reality maintenance guiding process. SVM is a novel learning method based on statistical learning theory, processing academic foundation and excellent learning ability, having a lot of issues in machine learning area and special advantages in dealing with small samples, non-linear pattern recognition at high dimension. The gesture recognition of augmented reality maintenance guiding system is realized by SVM after the granulation of all the characteristic features. The experimental results of the simulation of number gesture recognition and its application in augmented reality maintenance guiding system show that the real-time performance and robustness of gesture recognition of AR maintenance guiding system can be greatly enhanced by improved SVM.

NASA Tech Briefs, June 2012

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2012-01-01

Topics covered include: iGlobe Interactive Visualization and Analysis of Spatial Data; Broad-Bandwidth FPGA-Based Digital Polyphase Spectrometer; Small Aircraft Data Distribution System; Earth Science Datacasting v2.0; Algorithm for Compressing Time-Series Data; Onboard Science and Applications Algorithm for Hyperspectral Data Reduction; Sampling Technique for Robust Odorant Detection Based on MIT RealNose Data; Security Data Warehouse Application; Integrated Laser Characterization, Data Acquisition, and Command and Control Test System; Radiation-Hard SpaceWire/Gigabit Ethernet-Compatible Transponder; Hardware Implementation of Lossless Adaptive Compression of Data From a Hyperspectral Imager; High-Voltage, Low-Power BNC Feedthrough Terminator; SpaceCube Mini; Dichroic Filter for Separating W-Band and Ka-Band; Active Mirror Predictive and Requirement Verification Software (AMP-ReVS); Navigation/Prop Software Suite; Personal Computer Transport Analysis Program; Pressure Ratio to Thermal Environments; Probabilistic Fatigue Damage Program (FATIG); ASCENT Program; JPL Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) Portal; Data::Downloader; Fault Tolerance Middleware for a Multi-Core System; DspaceOgreTerrain 3D Terrain Visualization Tool; Trick Simulation Environment 07; Geometric Reasoning for Automated Planning; Water Detection Based on Color Variation; Single-Layer, All-Metal Patch Antenna Element with Wide Bandwidth; Scanning Laser Infrared Molecular Spectrometer (SLIMS); Next-Generation Microshutter Arrays for Large-Format Imaging and Spectroscopy; Detection of Carbon Monoxide Using Polymer-Composite Films with a Porphyrin-Functionalized Polypyrrole; Enhanced-Adhesion Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes on Titanium Substrates for Stray Light Control; Three-Dimensional Porous Particles Composed of Curved, Two-Dimensional, Nano-Sized Layers for Li-Ion Batteries 23 Ultra-Lightweight; and Ultra-Lightweight Nanocomposite Foams and Sandwich Structures for Space Structure Applications.

Manufacturing Magic and Computational Creativity

PubMed Central

Williams, Howard; McOwan, Peter W.

2016-01-01

This paper describes techniques in computational creativity, blending mathematical modeling and psychological insight, to generate new magic tricks. The details of an explicit computational framework capable of creating new magic tricks are summarized, and evaluated against a range of contemporary theories about what constitutes a creative system. To allow further development of the proposed system we situate this approach to the generation of magic in the wider context of other areas of application in computational creativity in performance arts. We show how approaches in these domains could be incorporated to enhance future magic generation systems, and critically review possible future applications of such magic generating computers. PMID:27375533

The curious influence of timing on the magical experience evoked by conjuring tricks involving false transfer: decay of amodal object permanence?

PubMed

Beth, Tessa; Ekroll, Vebjørn

2015-07-01

In magic tricks involving false transfer, the conjurer typically creates the illusion of transferring a coin from one hand into the other, which is then closed into a fist, while in reality the coin is kept hidden in the first hand. The magical experience occurs when the closed fist of the second hand is opened and shown to be empty. According to professional magicians, the magical experience evoked by this kind of tricks becomes noticeably weaker when the time interval between the false transfer and the opening of the fist increases. This observation is surprising, given that neither the length of this interval nor any obvious factors associated with it can be expected to change the spectators' intellectual conviction regarding the true location of the coin. We performed a controlled psychological experiment and obtained results corroborating these informal observations. Increasing the temporal interval from 1 to 32 s led to an average reduction of the strength of the magical experience of 38%. We discuss potential explanations of this curious phenomenon in terms of object persistence, object files and temporal amodal completion.

Resource Tracking Model Updates and Trade Studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chambliss, Joe; Stambaugh, Imelda; Moore, Michael

2016-01-01

The Resource Tracking Model has been updated to capture system manager and project manager inputs. Both the Trick/General Use Nodal Network Solver Resource Tracking Model (RTM) simulator and the RTM mass balance spreadsheet have been revised to address inputs from system managers and to refine the way mass balance is illustrated. The revisions to the RTM included the addition of a Plasma Pyrolysis Assembly (PPA) to recover hydrogen from Sabatier Reactor methane, which was vented in the prior version of the RTM. The effect of the PPA on the overall balance of resources in an exploration vehicle is illustrated in the increased recycle of vehicle oxygen. Case studies have been run to show the relative effect of performance changes on vehicle resources.

Automatic Parameter Tuning for the Morpheus Vehicle Using Particle Swarm Optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Birge, B.

2013-01-01

A high fidelity simulation using a PC based Trick framework has been developed for Johnson Space Center's Morpheus test bed flight vehicle. There is an iterative development loop of refining and testing the hardware, refining the software, comparing the software simulation to hardware performance and adjusting either or both the hardware and the simulation to extract the best performance from the hardware as well as the most realistic representation of the hardware from the software. A Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) based technique has been developed that increases speed and accuracy of the iterative development cycle. Parameters in software can be automatically tuned to make the simulation match real world subsystem data from test flights. Special considerations for scale, linearity, discontinuities, can be all but ignored with this technique, allowing fast turnaround both for simulation tune up to match hardware changes as well as during the test and validation phase to help identify hardware issues. Software models with insufficient control authority to match hardware test data can be immediately identified and using this technique requires very little to no specialized knowledge of optimization, freeing model developers to concentrate on spacecraft engineering. Integration of the PSO into the Morpheus development cycle will be discussed as well as a case study highlighting the tool's effectiveness.

System-Level Reuse of Space Systems Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hazen, Michael R.; Williams, Joseph C.

2004-01-01

One of the best ways to enhance space systems simulation fidelity is to leverage off of (reuse) existing high-fidelity simulations. But what happens when the model you would like to reuse is in a different coding language or other barriers arise that make one want to just start over with a clean sheet of paper? Three diverse system-level simulation reuse case studies are described based on experience to date in the development of NASA's Space Station Training Facility (SSTF) at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Case studies include (a) the Boeing/Rocketdyne-provided Electrical Power Simulation (EPSIM), (b) the NASA Automation and Robotics Division-provided TRICK robotics systems model, and (c) the Russian Space Agency- provided Russian Segment Trainer. In each case, there was an initial tendency to dismiss simulation reuse candidates based on an apparent lack of suitability. A more careful examination based on a more structured assessment of architectural and requirements-oriented representations of the reuse candidates revealed significant reuse potential. Specific steps used to conduct the detailed assessments are discussed. The steps include the following: 1) Identifying reuse candidates; 2) Requirements compatibility assessment; 3) Maturity assessment; 4) Life-cycle cost determination; and 5) Risk assessment. Observations and conclusions are presented related to the real cost of system-level simulation component reuse. Finally, lessons learned that relate to maximizing the benefits of space systems simulation reuse are shared. These concepts should be directly applicable for use in the development of space systems simulations in the future.

Toward a computational theory for motion understanding: The expert animators model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mohamed, Ahmed S.; Armstrong, William W.

1988-01-01

Artificial intelligence researchers claim to understand some aspect of human intelligence when their model is able to emulate it. In the context of computer graphics, the ability to go from motion representation to convincing animation should accordingly be treated not simply as a trick for computer graphics programmers but as important epistemological and methodological goal. In this paper we investigate a unifying model for animating a group of articulated bodies such as humans and robots in a three-dimensional environment. The proposed model is considered in the framework of knowledge representation and processing, with special reference to motion knowledge. The model is meant to help setting the basis for a computational theory for motion understanding applied to articulated bodies.

Surgery for Locally Recurrent Rectal Cancer: Tips, Tricks, and Pitfalls.

PubMed

Warrier, Satish K; Heriot, Alexander G; Lynch, Andrew Craig

2016-06-01

Rectal cancer can recur locally in up to 10% of the patients who undergo definitive resection for their primary cancer. Surgical salvage is considered appropriate in the curative setting as well as select cases with palliative intent. Disease-free survival following salvage resection is dependent upon achieving an R0 resection margin. A clear understanding of applied surgical anatomy, appropriate preoperative planning, and a multidisciplinary approach to aggressive soft tissue, bony, and vascular resection with appropriate reconstruction is necessary. Technical tips, tricks, and pitfalls that may assist in managing these cancers are discussed and the roles of additional boost radiation and intraoperative radiation therapy in the management of such cancers are also discussed.

A general dual-bolus approach for quantitative DCE-MRI.

PubMed

Kershaw, Lucy E; Cheng, Hai-Ling Margaret

2011-02-01

To present a dual-bolus technique for quantitative dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) and show that it can give an arterial input function (AIF) measurement equivalent to that from a single-bolus protocol. Five rabbits were imaged using a dual-bolus technique applicable for high-resolution DCE-MRI, incorporating a time resolved imaging of contrast kinetics (TRICKS) sequence for rapid temporal sampling. AIFs were measured from both the low-dose prebolus and the high-dose main bolus in the abdominal aorta. In one animal, TRICKS and fast spoiled gradient echo (FSPGR) acquisitions were compared. The scaled prebolus AIF was shown to match the main bolus AIF, with 95% confidence intervals overlapping for fits of gamma-variate functions to the first pass and linear fits to the washout phase, with the exception of one case. The AIFs measured using TRICKS and FSPGR were shown to be equivalent in one animal. The proposed technique can capture even the rapid circulation kinetics in the rabbit aorta, and the scaled prebolus AIF is equivalent to the AIF from a high-dose injection. This allows separate measurements of the AIF and tissue uptake curves, meaning that each curve can then be acquired using a protocol tailored to its specific requirements. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The paddle move commonly used in magic tricks as a means for analysing the perceptual limits of combined motion trajectories.

PubMed

Hergovich, Andreas; Gröbl, Kristian; Carbon, Claus-Christian

2011-01-01

Following Gustav Kuhn's inspiring technique of using magicians' acts as a source of insight into cognitive sciences, we used the 'paddle move' for testing the psychophysics of combined movement trajectories. The paddle move is a standard technique in magic consisting of a combined rotating and tilting movement. Careful control of the mutual speed parameters of the two movements makes it possible to inhibit the perception of the rotation, letting the 'magic' effect emerge--a sudden change of the tilted object. By using 3-D animated computer graphics we analysed the interaction of different angular speeds and the object shape/size parameters in evoking this motion disappearance effect. An angular speed of 540 degrees s(-1) (1.5 rev. s(-1)) sufficed to inhibit the perception of the rotary movement with the smallest object showing the strongest effect. 90.7% of the 172 participants were not able to perceive the rotary movement at an angular speed of 1125 degrees s(-1) (3.125 rev. s(-1)). Further analysis by multiple linear regression revealed major influences on the effectiveness of the magic trick of object height and object area, demonstrating the applicability of analysing key factors of magic tricks to reveal limits of the perceptual system.

Becoming a professional: What is the influence of registered nurses on nursing students' learning in the clinical environment?

PubMed

Ó Lúanaigh, Padraig

2015-11-01

This research was undertaken to understand the influence of registered nurses on nursing students' learning in the clinical environment to inform strategies to enable registered nurses to provide effective support to learners while also assisting nursing students to adopt approaches to maximise their learning in the clinical environment. A case study approach was applied in this research to explore descriptions of clinical experience of five final year nursing students. The student participants identified the importance of the clinical environment to their learning and wanted to and had actively managed their learning in the clinical environment. The students did not passively acquire knowledge or simply replicate what they observed from others. There was evidence that the students had strong and established perceptions of what constituted 'good' nursing and described an ability to discriminate between differing levels of nursing practice. Nursing knowledge was gained from respected registered nurses who were best able to describe and demonstrate the 'tricks of the trade' and 'little things that matter' when providing 'good' nursing. The outcomes from this research indicate an important role for registered nurses in both shaping nursing students' professional nursing identity and access to clinical learning. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The galaxy builders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Adrian

2018-06-01

Philip Hopkins, a theoretical astrophysicist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, likes to prank his colleagues. An expert in simulating the formation of galaxies, Hopkins sometimes begins his talks by projecting images of his creations next to photos of real galaxies and defying his audience to tell them apart. "We can even trick astronomers," Hopkins says. For decades, scientists have tried to simulate how the trillions of galaxies in the observable universe arose from clouds of gas after the big bang. But only in the past few years have the simulations begun to reproduce both the details of individual galaxies and their distribution of masses and shapes. As the fake universes improve, their role is also changing. Previously, information flowed one way: from the astronomers studying real galaxies to the modelers trying to simulate them. Now, insight is flowing the other way, too, with the models helping guide astronomers and astrophysicists. The models suggest that the earliest galaxies were oddly pickle-shaped, that wafer-thin spiral galaxies are surprisingly rugged in the face of collisions, and, perhaps most important, that galaxies must form stars far more slowly than astrophysicists expected. Progress is coming so fast, says Tiziana Di Matteo, a numerical cosmologist at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that "the whole thing has reached this little golden age."

Trick tock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blain, Barry

2017-12-01

In response to David Faux's Lateral Thoughts article "The measurement problem", in which the author describes the rather unexpected statistics he noticed in the timings recorded at his son's swimming races.

Action-Based Dynamical Modelling For The Milky Way Disk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trick, Wilma; Rix, Hans-Walter; Bovy, Jo

2016-09-01

We present Road Mapping, a full-likelihood dynamical modelling machinery, that aims to recover the Milky Way's (MW) gravitational potential from large samples of stars in the Galactic disk. Road Mapping models the observed positions and velocities of stars with a parameterized, action-based distribution function (DF) in a parameterized axisymmetric gravitational potential (Binney & McMillan 2011, Binney 2012, Bovy & Rix 2013).In anticipation of the Gaia data release in autumn, we have fully tested Road Mapping and demonstrated its robustness against the breakdown of its assumptions.Using large suites of mock data, we investigated in isolated test cases how the modelling would be affected if the data's true potential or DF was not included in the families of potentials and DFs assumed by Road Mapping, or if we misjudged measurement errors or the spatial selection function (SF) (Trick et al., submitted to ApJ). We found that the potential can be robustly recovered — given the limitations of the assumed potential model—, even for minor misjudgments in DF or SF, or for proper motion errors or distances known to within 10%.We were also able to demonstrate that Road Mapping is still successful if the strong assumption of axisymmetric breaks down (Trick et al., in preparation). Data drawn from a highresolution simulation (D'Onghia et al. 2013) of a MW-like galaxy with pronounced spiral arms does neither follow the assumed simple DF, nor does it come from an axisymmetric potential. We found that as long as the survey volume is large enough, Road Mapping gives good average constraints on the galaxy's potential.We are planning to apply Road Mapping to a real data set — the Tycho-2 catalogue (Hog et al. 2000) —very soon, and might be able to present some preliminary results already at the conference.

Closing the gap: connecting sudden representational change to the subjective Aha! experience in insightful problem solving.

PubMed

Danek, Amory H; Williams, Joshua; Wiley, Jennifer

2018-01-18

Two hallmarks of insightful problem solving are thought to be suddenness in the emergence of solution due to changes in problem representation, and the subjective Aha! Although a number of studies have explored the Aha! experience, few studies have attempted to measure representational change. Following the lead of Durso et al. (Psychol Sci 5(2):94-97, 1994) and Cushen and Wiley (Conscious Cognit 21(3):1166-1175, 2012), in this study, participants made importance-to-solution ratings throughout their solution attempts as a way to assess representational change. Participants viewed a set of magic trick videos with the task of finding out how each trick worked, and rated six action verbs for each trick (including one that implied the correct solution) multiple times during solution. They were also asked to indicate the extent to which they experienced an Aha! moment. Patterns of ratings that showed a sudden change towards a correct solution led to stronger Aha! experiences than patterns that showed a more incremental change towards a correct solution, or a change towards incorrect solutions. The results show a connection between sudden changes in problem representations (leading to correct solutions) and the subjective appraisal of solutions as an Aha! This offers the first empirical support for a close relationship between two theoretical constructs that have traditionally been assumed to be related to insightful problem solving.

Equilibrium E × B Flows in Nonlinear Gyrofluid Flux-Tube Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beer, M. A.; Hammett, G. W.

2000-10-01

Comparisons of theory with experiment often indicate levels of sheared E × B flow large enough to significantly suppress turbulence, especially when local transport barriers are formed. We extend our previous simulations by including equilibrium scale sheared E × B flow directly, by introducing a coordinate transformation which shears the simulation domain with the equilibrium E × B flow, while preserving smooth statistical periodicity across the radial domain. This method was used linearly in our previous comparisons with JET [Beer, Budny, Challis, et al., EPS (1999)] and is now applied to nonlinear simulations. This method makes use of some tricks suggested for this problem by Dimits [Int. Conf. on Numerical Simulation of Plasmas (1994)] based on special properties of discrete Fourier transforms. A similar coordinate transformation was previously used successfully by Waltz, et al. [Phys. Plasmas 5, 1784 (1998)], and we confirm their finding that the turbulence is suppressed when the shearing rate, ω_E, is comparable to the maximum linear growth rate in the absence of sheared flow, γ_lin. This is often significantly different than the threshold for linear suppression. With this extension, our simulations are able to address transport barriers from a more rigorous footing. Of particular interest will be the investigation of the expansion or propagation of barriers, where E × B shear suppression is by definition at the marginal point. In addition, our formulation uses general magnetic geometry, so we can rigorously investigate various geometrical effects (e.g. hats, Δ', κ) on the threshold for suppression.

Specifications for structural range improvements.

Treesearch

H. Reed Sanderson; Thomas M. Quigley; Emery E. Swan; Louis R. Spink

1990-01-01

Construction specifications and illustrations are provided for several types of barbed wire and pole fences, gates, cattle guards, stiles, spring developments, water troughs, stock ponds, trick tanks, and livestock access trails.

Selling ideas, attitudes, and behaviors.

PubMed

Gentile, Douglas A

2010-04-01

Advertisers are adept at changing our attitudes and purchasing behaviors, but we rarely notice the effects. This plenary talk at the eighth annual Midwest Rural Agricultural Safety and Health Forum, November 2009, focused on the psychology of advertising and how advertising is designed to work outside of our conscious awareness. Several psychological "tricks" are used to influence us, with the goal being to get us to change our behaviors but to think that it was our idea all along. These tricks include using emotional appeals and persuasion techniques that rely on biases in human problem solving. This power can be used for social marketing, the use of these techniques to promote social well-being, rather than simply for commercial purposes. Understanding how advertising works therefore allows us to use this power to effect positive changes in society.

Quantum Glass of Interacting Bosons with Off-Diagonal Disorder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piekarska, A. M.; Kopeć, T. K.

2018-04-01

We study disordered interacting bosons described by the Bose-Hubbard model with Gaussian-distributed random tunneling amplitudes. It is shown that the off-diagonal disorder induces a spin-glass-like ground state, characterized by randomly frozen quantum-mechanical U(1) phases of bosons. To access criticality, we employ the "n -replica trick," as in the spin-glass theory, and the Trotter-Suzuki method for decomposition of the statistical density operator, along with numerical calculations. The interplay between disorder, quantum, and thermal fluctuations leads to phase diagrams exhibiting a glassy state of bosons, which are studied as a function of model parameters. The considered system may be relevant for quantum simulators of optical-lattice bosons, where the randomness can be introduced in a controlled way. The latter is supported by a proposition of experimental realization of the system in question.

Accelerated Monte Carlo Methods for Coulomb Collisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosin, Mark; Ricketson, Lee; Dimits, Andris; Caflisch, Russel; Cohen, Bruce

2014-03-01

We present a new highly efficient multi-level Monte Carlo (MLMC) simulation algorithm for Coulomb collisions in a plasma. The scheme, initially developed and used successfully for applications in financial mathematics, is applied here to kinetic plasmas for the first time. The method is based on a Langevin treatment of the Landau-Fokker-Planck equation and has a rich history derived from the works of Einstein and Chandrasekhar. The MLMC scheme successfully reduces the computational cost of achieving an RMS error ɛ in the numerical solution to collisional plasma problems from (ɛ-3) - for the standard state-of-the-art Langevin and binary collision algorithms - to a theoretically optimal (ɛ-2) scaling, when used in conjunction with an underlying Milstein discretization to the Langevin equation. In the test case presented here, the method accelerates simulations by factors of up to 100. We summarize the scheme, present some tricks for improving its efficiency yet further, and discuss the method's range of applicability. Work performed for US DOE by LLNL under contract DE-AC52- 07NA27344 and by UCLA under grant DE-FG02-05ER25710.

Machine learning of frustrated classical spin models. I. Principal component analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ce; Zhai, Hui

2017-10-01

This work aims at determining whether artificial intelligence can recognize a phase transition without prior human knowledge. If this were successful, it could be applied to, for instance, analyzing data from the quantum simulation of unsolved physical models. Toward this goal, we first need to apply the machine learning algorithm to well-understood models and see whether the outputs are consistent with our prior knowledge, which serves as the benchmark for this approach. In this work, we feed the computer data generated by the classical Monte Carlo simulation for the X Y model in frustrated triangular and union jack lattices, which has two order parameters and exhibits two phase transitions. We show that the outputs of the principal component analysis agree very well with our understanding of different orders in different phases, and the temperature dependences of the major components detect the nature and the locations of the phase transitions. Our work offers promise for using machine learning techniques to study sophisticated statistical models, and our results can be further improved by using principal component analysis with kernel tricks and the neural network method.

Out-of-equilibrium protocol for Rényi entropies via the Jarzynski equality.

PubMed

Alba, Vincenzo

2017-06-01

In recent years entanglement measures, such as the von Neumann and the Rényi entropies, provided a unique opportunity to access elusive features of quantum many-body systems. However, extracting entanglement properties analytically, experimentally, or in numerical simulations can be a formidable task. Here, by combining the replica trick and the Jarzynski equality we devise an alternative effective out-of-equilibrium protocol for measuring the equilibrium Rényi entropies. The key idea is to perform a quench in the geometry of the replicas. The Rényi entropies are obtained as the exponential average of the work performed during the quench. We illustrate an application of the method in classical Monte Carlo simulations, although it could be useful in different contexts, such as in quantum Monte Carlo, or experimentally in cold-atom systems. The method is most effective in the quasistatic regime, i.e., for a slow quench. As a benchmark, we compute the Rényi entropies in the Ising universality class in 1+1 dimensions. We find perfect agreement with the well-known conformal field theory predictions.

Nature: A Box of Physical, Chemical, and Biological Tricks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heinhorst, Sabine; Cannon, Gordon C.

2008-03-01

This article summarizes scientific breakthroughs, originally reported in the journal Nature, in the development of wet-dry adhesives, pain-selective anesthetics, enantioselective cyclizations and mechanical stress-induced chemical reactions.

The HAT TRICK programme for improving physical activity, healthy eating and connectedness among overweight, inactive men: study protocol of a pragmatic feasibility trial

PubMed Central

Caperchione, Cristina M; Bottorff, Joan L; Oliffe, John L; Johnson, Steven T; Hunt, Kate; Sharp, Paul; Fitzpatrick, Kayla M; Price, Ryley; Goldenberg, S Larry

2017-01-01

Introduction Physical activity, healthy eating and maintaining a healthy weight are associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer and with improved mental health. Despite these benefits, many men do not meet recommended physical activity guidelines and have poor eating behaviours. Many health promotion programmes hold little appeal to men and consequently fail to influence men’s health practices. HAT TRICK was designed as a 12-week face-to-face, gender-sensitised intervention for overweight and inactive men focusing on physical activity, healthy eating and social connectedness and was delivered in collaboration with a major junior Canadian ice hockey team (age range 16–20 years). The programme was implemented and evaluated to assess its feasibility. This article describes the intervention design and study protocol of HAT TRICK. Methods and analysis HAT TRICK participants (n=60) were men age 35 years, residing in the Okanagan Region of British Columbia, who accumulate 150 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity a week, with a body mass index of >25 kg/m2 and a pant waist size of >38’. Each 90 min weekly session included targeted health education and theory-guided behavioural change techniques, as well as a progressive (ie, an increase in duration and intensity) group physical activity component. Outcome measures were collected at baseline, 12 weeks and 9 months and included the following: objectively measured anthropometrics, blood pressure, heart rate, physical activity and sedentary behaviour, as well as self-reported physical activity, sedentary behaviour, diet, smoking, alcohol consumption, sleep habits, risk of depression, health-related quality of life and social connectedness. Programme feasibility data (eg, recruitment, satisfaction, adherence, content delivery) were assessed at 12 weeks via interviews and self-report. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval was obtained from the University of British Columbia Okanagan Behavioural Research Ethics Board (reference no H1600736). Study findings will be disseminated through academic meetings, peer-reviewed publication, web-based podcasts, social media, plain language summaries and co-delivered community presentations. Trial registration number ISRCTN43361357,Pre results PMID:28882920

What Works for Me.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolf, Lori; And Others

1994-01-01

Offers 11 classroom tips from teachers for a variety of activities, including fictional movie reviews, haiku writing, questions to develop student journals, handouts, rewriting stories, and a "dirty trick" to get better research topics. (SR)

Robotics On-Board Trainer (ROBoT)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Genevieve; Alexander, Greg

2013-01-01

ROBoT is an on-orbit version of the ground-based Dynamics Skills Trainer (DST) that astronauts use for training on a frequent basis. This software consists of two primary software groups. The first series of components is responsible for displaying the graphical scenes. The remaining components are responsible for simulating the Mobile Servicing System (MSS), the Japanese Experiment Module Remote Manipulator System (JEMRMS), and the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) Free Flyer Robotics Operations. The MSS simulation software includes: Robotic Workstation (RWS) simulation, a simulation of the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS), a simulation of the ISS Command and Control System (CCS), and a portion of the Portable Computer System (PCS) software necessary for MSS operations. These components all run under the CentOS4.5 Linux operating system. The JEMRMS simulation software includes real-time, HIL, dynamics, manipulator multi-body dynamics, and a moving object contact model with Tricks discrete time scheduling. The JEMRMS DST will be used as a functional proficiency and skills trainer for flight crews. The HTV Free Flyer Robotics Operations simulation software adds a functional simulation of HTV vehicle controllers, sensors, and data to the MSS simulation software. These components are intended to support HTV ISS visiting vehicle analysis and training. The scene generation software will use DOUG (Dynamic On-orbit Ubiquitous Graphics) to render the graphical scenes. DOUG runs on a laptop running the CentOS4.5 Linux operating system. DOUG is an Open GL-based 3D computer graphics rendering package. It uses pre-built three-dimensional models of on-orbit ISS and space shuttle systems elements, and provides realtime views of various station and shuttle configurations.

The Tablecloth Trick, Take II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ringlein, James

2003-01-01

Explores the basic physics behind pulling a tablecloth out from under a set of dishes, glassware, and utensils without disturbing them. Discusses terminology of Newton's laws of motion and illustrates them using three simple examples. (NB)

Speeding up the learning of robot kinematics through function decomposition.

PubMed

Ruiz de Angulo, Vicente; Torras, Carme

2005-11-01

The main drawback of using neural networks or other example-based learning procedures to approximate the inverse kinematics (IK) of robot arms is the high number of training samples (i.e., robot movements) required to attain an acceptable precision. We propose here a trick, valid for most industrial robots, that greatly reduces the number of movements needed to learn or relearn the IK to a given accuracy. This trick consists in expressing the IK as a composition of learnable functions, each having half the dimensionality of the original mapping. Off-line and on-line training schemes to learn these component functions are also proposed. Experimental results obtained by using nearest neighbors and parameterized self-organizing map, with and without the decomposition, show that the time savings granted by the proposed scheme grow polynomially with the precision required.

Gaze Strategies in Skateboard Trick Jumps: Spatiotemporal Constraints in Complex Locomotion.

PubMed

Klostermann, André; Küng, Philip

2017-03-01

This study aimed to further the knowledge on gaze behavior in locomotion by studying gaze strategies in skateboard jumps of different difficulty that had to be performed either with or without an obstacle. Nine experienced skateboarders performed "Ollie" and "Kickflip" jumps either over an obstacle or over a plane surface. The stable gaze at 5 different areas of interest was calculated regarding its relative duration as well as its temporal order. During the approach phase, an interaction between area of interest and obstacle condition, F(3, 24) = 12.91, p <  .05, η p 2  = .62, was found with longer stable-gaze locations at the takeoff area in attempts with an obstacle (p <  .05, η p 2  = .47). In contrast, in attempts over a plane surface, longer stable-gaze locations at the skateboard were revealed (p <  .05, η p 2  = .73). Regarding the trick difficulty factor, the skateboarders descriptively showed longer stable-gaze locations at the skateboard for the "Kickflip" than for the "Ollie" in the no-obstacle condition only (p>.05, d = 0.74). Finally, during the jump phase, neither obstacle condition nor trick difficulty affected gaze behavior differentially. This study underlines the functional adaptability of the visuomotor system to changing demands in highly dynamic situations. As a function of certain constraints, different gaze strategies were observed that can be considered as highly relevant for successfully performing skateboard jumps.

Net Cetera: Chatting with Kids about Being Online

MedlinePlus

... age-old tricks to get people to send money or give out personal information. They pressure people ... breaches – What to do June 22, 2016 menu Money & Credit Homes & Mortgages Health & Fitness Jobs & Making Money ...

Advanced Password Tips and Tricks

MedlinePlus

... email Looking for business guidance on privacy and security? Get Email Updates Blog Feed Facebook YouTube Twitter The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the nation’s consumer protection agency. The FTC works to prevent fraudulent, deceptive ...

Magic Physics?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Featonby, David

2010-01-01

This article examines several readily available "magic tricks" which base their "trickery" on physics principles, and questions the use of the word "magic" in the 21st century, both in popular children's science and in everyday language. (Contains 18 figures.)

A Writer's Bag of Tricks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rotkow, Debra T.

2005-01-01

This paper describes how a few simple strategies can provide students with a variety of great writing ideas. Some of the ideas presented are: writing workshops, trading book lists, creating journals, writing poetry, and peer topic conferences.

Depth Perception in Space Artist Concept

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-30

This artist concept shows how astronomers use the unique orbit of NASA Spitzer Space Telescope and a depth-perceiving trick called parallax to determine the distance of dark planets, black holes and failed stars that lurk invisibly among us.

Preparation of Cytology Samples: Tricks of the Trade.

PubMed

Moore, A Russell

2017-01-01

General principles and techniques for collection, preparation, and staining of cytologic samples in the general practice setting are reviewed. Tips for collection of digital images are also discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Department Revitalization: Some Admonishments, Some Tricks, Some Topics for Discussion.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowen, Zack

1994-01-01

Considers the ways by which English departments might begin the process of revitalization. Provides suggestions in eight areas of concern: record keeping, teaching, scheduling, advertising, handling workloads, revising the curriculum, funding, and hiring. (HB)

DIY Solar Market Analysis STAT Webinars | State, Local, and Tribal

Science.gov Websites

do they help policymakers? Solar Resource and Technical Potential: Finding, using, and making maps for decision makers PVWatts: New tips and tricks for the latest update Community Solar Scenario Tool

Rooting issue for a lattice fermion formulation similar to staggered fermions but without taste mixing

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

Adams, David H.

2008-05-15

To investigate the viability of the 4th root trick for the staggered fermion determinant in a simpler setting, we consider a 2-taste (flavor) lattice fermion formulation with no taste mixing but with exact taste-nonsinglet chiral symmetries analogous to the taste-nonsinglet U(1){sub A} symmetry of staggered fermions. Creutz's objections to the rooting trick apply just as much in this setting. To counter them we show that the formulation has robust would-be zero modes in topologically nontrivial gauge backgrounds, and that these manifest themselves in a viable way in the rooted fermion determinant and also in the disconnected piece of the pseudoscalarmore » meson propagator as required to solve the U(1) problem. Also, our rooted theory is heuristically seen to be in the right universality class for QCD if the same is true for an unrooted mixed fermion action theory.« less

Online immunoaffinity LC/MS/MS. A general method to increase sensitivity and specificity: How do you do it and what do you need?

PubMed

Dufield, Dawn R; Radabaugh, Melissa R

2012-02-01

There is an increased emphasis on hyphenated techniques such as immunoaffinity LC/MS/MS (IA-LC/MS/MS) or IA-LC/MRM. These techniques offer competitive advantages with respect to sensitivity and selectivity over traditional LC/MS and are complementary to ligand binding assays (LBA) or ELISA's. However, these techniques are not entirely straightforward and there are several tips and tricks to routine sample analysis. We describe here our methods and procedures for how to perform online IA-LC/MS/MS including a detailed protocol for the preparation of antibody (Ab) enrichment columns. We have included sample trapping and Ab methods. Furthermore, we highlight tips, tricks, minimal and optimal approaches. This technology has been shown to be viable for several applications, species and fluids from small molecules to proteins and biomarkers to PK assays. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

T cell transfer model of chronic colitis: concepts, considerations, and tricks of the trade.

PubMed

Ostanin, Dmitry V; Bao, Jianxiong; Koboziev, Iurii; Gray, Laura; Robinson-Jackson, Sherry A; Kosloski-Davidson, Melissa; Price, V Hugh; Grisham, Matthew B

2009-02-01

The inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn's disease; ulcerative colitis) are idiopathic chronic inflammatory disorders of the intestine and/or colon. A major advancement in our understanding of the pathogenesis of these diseases has been the development of mouse models of chronic gut inflammation. One model that has been instrumental in delineating the immunological mechanisms responsible for the induction as well as regulation of intestinal inflammation is the T cell transfer model of chronic colitis. This paper presents a detailed protocol describing the methods used to induce chronic colitis in mice. Special attention is given to the immunological concepts that explain disease pathogenesis in this model, considerations and potential pitfalls in using this model, and finally different "tricks" that we have learned over the past 12 years that have allowed us to develop a more simplified version of this model of experimental IBD.

Application of da Vinci(®) Robot in simple or radical hysterectomy: Tips and tricks.

PubMed

Iavazzo, Christos; Gkegkes, Ioannis D

2016-01-01

The first robotic simple hysterectomy was performed more than 10 years ago. These days, robotic-assisted hysterectomy is accepted as an alternative surgical approach and is applied both in benign and malignant surgical entities. The two important points that should be taken into account to optimize postoperative outcomes in the early period of a surgeon's training are how to achieve optimal oncological and functional results. Overcoming any technical challenge, as with any innovative surgical method, leads to an improved surgical operation timewise as well as for patients' safety. The standardization of the technique and recognition of critical anatomical landmarks are essential for optimal oncological and clinical outcomes on both simple and radical robotic-assisted hysterectomy. Based on our experience, our intention is to present user-friendly tips and tricks to optimize the application of a da Vinci® robot in simple or radical hysterectomies.

Telescopic Corsair in 5F Guidion for Retrograde Recanalization of Complex Chronic Total Occlusions (CTOs).

PubMed

Palmers, Pieter-Jan; Maeremans, Joren; Meyer-Gessner, Markus; Bataille, Yoann; Dens, Joseph

2017-04-30

BACKGROUND Retrograde advancement of microcatheters through septal/epicardial connectors can be challenging. Although several tricks might help to do so (e.g., balloon trap of retro wire in second guiding, balloon trap of retro wire in native coronary artery, and use of antegrade extension to approximate the antegrade conduit to the retrograde gear), these tricks cannot always be applied, especially in patients with poor access. Also, puncturing, knuckling, and crossing of the distal CTO cap (or the aorta as described in 1 of the cases) sometimes needs a lot of backup of the microcatheter. CASE REPORT We describe 3 cases in which we used a novel telescopic technique with 5F Guidion (IMDS®) supported retrograde Corsair (Asahi®) advancement in complex CTO lesions. CONCLUSIONS The telescopic Corsair in 5F Guidion may offer the support needed to end successfully in these situations.

Z-depth integration: a new technique for manipulating z-depth properties in composited scenes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steckel, Kayla; Whittinghill, David

2014-02-01

This paper presents a new technique in the production pipeline of asset creation for virtual environments called Z-Depth Integration (ZeDI). ZeDI is intended to reduce the time required to place elements at the appropriate z-depth within a scene. Though ZeDI is intended for use primarily in two-dimensional scene composition, depth-dependent "flat" animated objects are often critical elements of augmented and virtual reality applications (AR/VR). ZeDI is derived from "deep image compositing", a capacity implemented within the OpenEXR file format. In order to trick the human eye into perceiving overlapping scene elements as being in front of or behind one another, the developer must manually manipulate which pixels of an element are visible in relation to other objects embedded within the environment's image sequence. ZeDI improves on this process by providing a means for interacting with procedurally extracted z-depth data from a virtual environment scene. By streamlining the process of defining objects' depth characteristics, it is expected that the time and energy required for developers to create compelling AR/VR scenes will be reduced. In the proof of concept presented in this manuscript, ZeDI is implemented for pre-rendered virtual scene construction via an AfterEffects software plug-in.

Tips and tricks in the dermoscopy of pigmented lesions

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Dermoscopy is a useful, widely used tool for examining pigmented lesions, especially helpful in cases of an uncertain nature. Nevertheless, doctors may experience diagnostic difficulties while using this method. An example of this may be found in the examination of subcorneal hematoma, dark nevi with black lamella or lesions of acral volar skin. In such cases, a few diagnostic tricks have proven to be helpful in achieving diagnostic accuracy. This paper reviews various methods of performing dermoscopy, suggesting a number of simple, yet helpful tests. These include the adhesive tape test, the skin scraping test and the ink furrow test. The adhesive tape test is helpful in differentiating between dark melanocytic nevi and melanoma. Hematoma may be more easily differentiated with the use of the so-called skin scraping test. The confirmation of benign and melanocytic lesions of acral volar skin, on the other hand, is more accurate when using the ink furrow test. These methods have been discussed here based upon a series of literature reviews, the authors’ own experience and, also, iconography. The present article describes novel methods used in dermoscopy, helping to bring about a faster, more accurate diagnostics of those lesions which have proven to be more difficult to recognize. Helpful tricks, such as have been known to professional literature, as well as the authors’ own experience (for instance, applying urea cream to hyperkeratotic lesions or using photographs of skin lesions taken with the aid of a mobile phone camera – all prior to surgery) will surely be considered beneficial to the practitioner, be it dermatologist or any other physician. PMID:22916721

Opportunities and barriers for smaller portions in food service: lessons from marketing and behavioral economics

PubMed Central

Riis, J

2014-01-01

This paper uses the frameworks and evidence from marketing and behavioral economics to highlight the opportunities and barriers for portion control in food service environments. Applying Kahneman's ‘thinking fast and slow' concepts, it describes 10 strategies that can be effective in ‘tricking' the consumer's fast cognitive system to make better decisions and in triggering the slow cognitive system to help prevent the fast system from making bad decisions. These strategies include shrinking defaults, elongating packages, increasing the visibility of small portions, offering more mixed virtue options, adding more small sizes, offering ‘right-sized' standard portions, using meaningful size labels, adopting linear pricing, using temporal landmarks to push smaller portions and facilitating pre-commitment. For each of these strategies, I discuss the specific cost and revenue barriers that a food service operator would face if the strategy were adopted. PMID:25033960

Opportunities and barriers for smaller portions in food service: lessons from marketing and behavioral economics.

PubMed

Riis, J

2014-07-01

This paper uses the frameworks and evidence from marketing and behavioral economics to highlight the opportunities and barriers for portion control in food service environments. Applying Kahneman's 'thinking fast and slow' concepts, it describes 10 strategies that can be effective in 'tricking' the consumer's fast cognitive system to make better decisions and in triggering the slow cognitive system to help prevent the fast system from making bad decisions. These strategies include shrinking defaults, elongating packages, increasing the visibility of small portions, offering more mixed virtue options, adding more small sizes, offering 'right-sized' standard portions, using meaningful size labels, adopting linear pricing, using temporal landmarks to push smaller portions and facilitating pre-commitment. For each of these strategies, I discuss the specific cost and revenue barriers that a food service operator would face if the strategy were adopted.

The syzygy volvelle in Astronomicum Caesareum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gislén, Lars

2017-08-01

The theory and parameters behind a volvelle in Peter Apianus' Astronomicum Caesareum are investigated. It is found that he used the full Ptolemaic model of the Moon and also that he improved the layout of the volvelle by a clever trick.

The HAT TRICK programme for improving physical activity, healthy eating and connectedness among overweight, inactive men: study protocol of a pragmatic feasibility trial.

PubMed

Caperchione, Cristina M; Bottorff, Joan L; Oliffe, John L; Johnson, Steven T; Hunt, Kate; Sharp, Paul; Fitzpatrick, Kayla M; Price, Ryley; Goldenberg, S Larry

2017-09-06

Physical activity, healthy eating and maintaining a healthy weight are associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer and with improved mental health. Despite these benefits, many men do not meet recommended physical activity guidelines and have poor eating behaviours. Many health promotion programmes hold little appeal to men and consequently fail to influence men's health practices. HAT TRICK was designed as a 12-week face-to-face, gender-sensitised intervention for overweight and inactive men focusing on physical activity, healthy eating and social connectedness and was delivered in collaboration with a major junior Canadian ice hockey team (age range 16-20 years). The programme was implemented and evaluated to assess its feasibility. This article describes the intervention design and study protocol of HAT TRICK. HAT TRICK participants (n=60) were men age 35 years, residing in the Okanagan Region of British Columbia, who accumulate 150 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity a week, with a body mass index of >25 kg/m 2 and a pant waist size of >38'. Each 90 min weekly session included targeted health education and theory-guided behavioural change techniques, as well as a progressive (ie, an increase in duration and intensity) group physical activity component. Outcome measures were collected at baseline, 12 weeks and 9 months and included the following: objectively measured anthropometrics, blood pressure, heart rate, physical activity and sedentary behaviour, as well as self-reported physical activity, sedentary behaviour, diet, smoking, alcohol consumption, sleep habits, risk of depression, health-related quality of life and social connectedness. Programme feasibility data (eg, recruitment, satisfaction, adherence, content delivery) were assessed at 12 weeks via interviews and self-report. Ethical approval was obtained from the University of British Columbia Okanagan Behavioural Research Ethics Board (reference no H1600736). Study findings will be disseminated through academic meetings, peer-reviewed publication, web-based podcasts, social media, plain language summaries and co-delivered community presentations. ISRCTN43361357,Pre results. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

A Potpourri of Math Ideas.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weisberg, Phyllis G.

1987-01-01

The article offers practical games and "tricks" to help remediate deficits in arithmetic and mathematics at the elementary school level. Games include using the fingers to calculate, lattice multiplication, dividing paper into equal columns, square games, code cracking games, and fraction dominoes. (Author/DB)

Dual Reality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pritchard, Matt

2017-01-01

Magicians and scientists have a curious relationship, with both conflicting views and common ground. Magicians use natural means to construct supernatural illusions. They exploit surprise and misdirected focus in their tricks. Scientists like to deconstruct and explain marvels. They methodically measure, evaluate and repeat observations. However,…

Annual Quality Assurance Conference Presentations by Michelle Misselwitz

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

25th Annual Quality Assurance Conference. Presentations: Tools I Can’t Live Without: Speed Up Method Development and Translation, Essentials for GC and GC/MS Users; Tricks of the Trade, Keeping Your GC System Up Longer for the Analysis of Pesticides

DON'T BE TRICKED BY YOUR INTEGRATED RATE PLOT!

EPA Science Inventory

Reaction order can be determined from kinetic data in a variety of ways. Two methods commonly employed are comparison of initial rates (while varying reactant concentration) and plotting integrated rate expressions. Both of these are introduced in general and physical chemistry t...

Early Childhood Corner: Take the Magic Out of Your Classroom!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrews, Angela Giglio

1995-01-01

Students are often as mystified by mathematical procedures as they are by magic tricks. This article suggests ways of making the estimation of how many jelly beans in a jar and the 20-questions game less magical and more understandable. (MKR)

Aflatoxin: An Old Carcinogen Teaches Us New Tricks | Division of Cancer Prevention

Cancer.gov

Speaker John D. Groopman, PhD Anna M. Baetjer Professor of Environmental Health Sciences Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Associate Director for Population Sciences Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Baltimore, MD |

New regulatory tricks for an old toxin cluster

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Trichothecenes are among the mycotoxins of greatest concern to food and feed safety and are produced by at least two lineages of Fusarium: F. sambucinum (FSAMSC) and F. incarnatum-equiseti (FIESC) species complexes. Trichothecene biosynthesis begins with the formation of a cyclic sesquiterpene follo...

Coyote Teaching for Geography Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeMers, Michael N.

2010-01-01

Coyote teaching emphasizes learning community, long term mentoring, a need for learning, ownership of learning, heightened sensory awareness, storytelling, purposefully designed tricks, and the Socratic method to promote lifelong learning and a new generation of coyote teachers. Many of these methods are found in other educational philosophies but…

Go Where the Grants Are

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Cynthia; Knop, Kathi

2008-01-01

In the world of grant-making, there are private, corporate, and government sources at the local, state, and federal level, and each of them has funds to award. The trick is to make a good match. This article offers tips for finding grant funds and writing grants.

Stop Sleazeware

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds, Ben

2005-01-01

"Sleazeware" is the authors' term for spyware, adware, malware, trackware, foistware, trojans, and other programs that sleaze into computers, either as a hidden component or by tricking someone into downloading them. Once in the machine, the program phones home for purposes ranging from simply reporting where people browse to downloading…

Onyx (Ethylene-vinyl Alcohol Copolymer) in Peripheral Applications

PubMed Central

Guimaraes, Marcelo; Wooster, Mathew

2011-01-01

Onyx is a nonadhesive liquid embolic agent approved for the treatment of brain arteriovenous malformations. Here, the use of Onyx is discussed in different peripheral procedures. The Onyx's features, its manipulation, technical details, tips, and tricks are presented followed by illustrative cases. PMID:22942553

MASA's Ultra-Long Duration Balloon Project - Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, I.; Cutts, J.

1999-01-01

The leviathan silently slides through the upper atmosphere of the blue planet, its eye steadily staring into the cold, dark recesses of deep space. Periodically the eye looks at different points in the blackness while processing the information it sees.

The Tricks of the Trade.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cross, Mary

1982-01-01

Teaching students copywriting gives them writing techniques that will help them boil a 100-word message down to 20 for a letter, write a memo that is memorable because of its clarity and word choice, or produce a report that offers findings in a readable, believable way. (HOD)

Reviews Equipment: BioLite Camp Stove Game: Burnout Paradise Equipment: 850 Universal interface and Capstone software Equipment: xllogger Book: Science Magic Tricks and Puzzles Equipment: Spinthariscope Equipment: DC Power Supply HY5002 Web Watch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2013-05-01

WE RECOMMEND BioLite CampStove Robust and multifaceted stove illuminates physics concepts 850 Universal interface and Capstone software Powerful data-acquisition system offers many options for student experiments and demonstrations xllogger Obtaining results is far from an uphill struggle with this easy-to-use datalogger Science Magic Tricks and Puzzles Small but perfectly formed and inexpensive book packed with 'magic-of-science' demonstrations Spinthariscope Kit for older students to have the memorable experience of 'seeing' radioactivity WORTH A LOOK DC Power Supply HY5002 Solid and effective, but noisy and lacks portability HANDLE WITH CARE Burnout Paradise Car computer game may be quick off the mark, but goes nowhere fast when it comes to lab use WEB WATCH 'Live' tube map and free apps would be a useful addition to school physics, but maths-questions website of no more use than a textbook

Magic and Misdirection: The Influence of Social Cues on the Allocation of Visual Attention While Watching a Cups-and-Balls Routine

PubMed Central

Hergovich, Andreas; Oberfichtner, Bernhard

2016-01-01

In recent years, a body of research that regards the scientific study of magic performances as a promising method of investigating psychological phenomena in an ecologically valid setting has emerged. Seemingly contradictory findings concerning the ability of social cues to strengthen a magic trick’s effectiveness have been published. In this experiment, an effort was made to disentangle the unique influence of different social and physical triggers of attentional misdirection on observers’ overt and covert attention. The ability of 120 participants to detect the mechanism of a cups-and-balls trick was assessed, and their visual fixations were recorded using an eye-tracker while they were watching the routine. All the investigated techniques of misdirection, including sole usage of social cues, were shown to increase the probability of missing the trick mechanism. Depending on the technique of misdirection used, very different gaze patterns were observed. A combination of social and physical techniques of misdirection influenced participants’ overt attention most effectively. PMID:27303327

(Dry) arthroscopic partial wrist arthrodesis: tips and tricks.

PubMed

del Piñal, F; Tandioy-Delgado, F

2014-10-01

One of the options for performing a partial wrist arthrodesis is the arthroscopic technique. As a first advantage arthroscopy allows us to directly assess the state of the articular surface of the carpal bones and define the best surgical option during the salvage operation. Furthermore, it allows performance of the procedure with minimal ligament damage and minimal interference with the blood supply of the carpals. These will (presumably) entail less capsular scarring and more rapid healing. Lastly, there is cosmetic benefit by reducing the amount of external scarring. The procedure has a steep learning curve even for accomplished arthroscopists but can be performed in a competitive manner to the open procedure if the dry technique is used. The aim of this paper is to present the technical details, tricks and tips to make the procedure accessible to all hand specialists with an arthroscopic interest. As it is paramount that the surgeon is acquainted with the "dry" technique, some technical details about it will also be presented. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Middle School Science Notes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

School Science Review, 1983

1983-01-01

Describes a soap bubble motor, house insulation models, using hot-water bottles as heat sources, solar mobile, surface tension boat, evaporative cooling experiments, six activities on heat, and a magic trick based on friction. Also discusses using the Cambion Electronics Kit to introduce junior high students to the subject. (JM)

The exploitation of Gestalt principles by magicians.

PubMed

Barnhart, Anthony S

2010-01-01

Magicians exploit a host of psychological principles in deceiving their audiences. Psychologists have recently attempted to pinpoint the most common psychological tendencies exploited by magicians. This paper highlights two co-occurring principles that appear to be the basis for many popular magic tricks: accidental alignment and good continuation.

Preventing Food Allergies by Tricking Dendritic Cells

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Food allergies are adverse responses to components (usually proteins) within the foods we eat, which result in a self-damaging response from our immune system. A myriad of cellular and molecular components are involved in the decision to tolerate or respond to foreign molecules that pass through the...

100 Repetitions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benson, Jeffrey

2012-01-01

One hundred repetitions--100 "useful" repetitions. This notion has guided the author's work in alternative education programs for almost 20 years, dealing with the most challenging students, from addicts to conduct-disordered adolescents to traumatized 5th graders. There are no magic tricks. The role of educators is to align with the healthy…

High Throughput Exposure Assessment for Thousands of Chemicals (Fit-For-Purpose Exposure Assessment workshop - Italy)

EPA Science Inventory

Models incorporate knowledge, assumptions and data. The trick is to know which model to use and when. Rough exposure assessments may be potentially useful if the uncertainty can be quantified and is acceptable (i.e., “fit for purpose”).

Math in Your Classroom: Math Magic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naylor, Michael

2005-01-01

Mathematics truly is magical, especially for students with strong number sense and algebra skills. This paper describes a variety of mathematical surprises that will capture students' interest and motivate exploration of mathematical ideas. While the tricks themselves are fascinating, push students to think about the reasons why these stunning…

Same Sneakers, New Tricks: Curricular Alternatives for Physical Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lund, Jacalyn L.

1993-01-01

As societal demands for health and fitness are changing, physical education curricula must also change. The traditional multiactivity curriculum is inadequate, because poorly skilled students lack enough time to learn the necessary skills. Three alternative curriculum models (adventure education, physical fitness, and sports education)…

Rewiring a Working Library or Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Robert L.; Jaffe, Lee David

1995-01-01

This case study describes the planning, funding, and implementation of a complete data-wiring renovation at the University of California, Santa Cruz library. Highlights include design principles; project schedule; benefits for staff's electronic mail and network use and for upgraded public terminals; and the importance of planning and…

Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks: On the Continuing Education of Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bates, Richard

The emergence of globalization and its impact on knowledge, communications, economies, social structures, and institutions such as education is rapidly changing the context, content, and methods of teachers' work. Consequently, the continuing professional development of teachers, especially in Australia with its aging teacher force, is essential.…

Old moms with new tricks: modeling the effects of age-specific spawning behaviors in Pacific Ocean perch

EPA Science Inventory

In commercially exploited, long-lived fish species, age structure plays an important role in determining population stability and resilience to human and environmental impacts. The often observed increase in energy allocation per offspring by older females can improve larval surv...

Presto: Open Inquiry!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hermann, Ronald S.; Miranda, Rommel J.

2010-01-01

Although inquiry-based science teaching has been around since the 1960s, many teachers are slow to incorporate inquiry principles into their science lessons. The authors address this issue by using an analogy between a magician's card trick and open inquiry. This analogy was chosen to portray a difference of perspective and demonstrate how the…

Insect vision: a few tricks to regulate flight altitude.

PubMed

Floreano, Dario; Zufferey, Jean-Christophe

2010-10-12

A recent study sheds new light on the visual cues used by Drosophila to regulate flight altitude. The striking similarity with previously identified steering mechanisms provides a coherent basis for novel models of vision-based flight control in insects and robots. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Bibliography of Recreational Mathematics, Volume 3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaaf, William L.

This book is a partially annotated bibliography of books, articles and periodicals concerned with mathematical games, puzzles, tricks, amusements, and paradoxes. Because the literature in recreational mathematics has proliferated to amazing proportions since Volume 2 of this series (ED 040 874), Volume 3 is more than just an updating of the…

--No Title--

Science.gov Websites

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/ /* undo the min-height 100% trick used to fill the container's height */ .fc-time-grid { min-height: 0 !important; } /* don't display the side axis at all ("all-day" and time cells) */ .fc-agenda-view .fc-axis { display: none; } /* don't display the horizontal lines */ .fc-slats, .fc-time-grid hr

Handbook of Poetic Forms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Padgett, Ron, Ed.

Intended for secondary teachers and student writers but useful for anyone interested in poetic forms, this book defines 74 basic poetic forms, summarizes their histories, quotes examples from noted poets, and offers professional tricks of the trade on how to use each form. The book covers the following poetic forms: abstract poem, acrostic,…

Teaching Shakespeare with YouTube

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Desmet, Christy

2009-01-01

YouTube, the video sharing website that allows viewers to upload video content ranging from cute dog tricks to rare rock videos, also supports a lively community devoted to the performance of Shakespeare and Shakespearean adaptations. YouTube is also a popular site for student producers of Shakespeare performances, parodies, and other artistic…

Don't Let "Phishers" Steal from You

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldsborough, Reid

2005-01-01

Many people still have not heard about the many ways identity theft via bogus e-mail links, or "phishing," is escalating, with criminals becoming ever more brazen and sophisticated in their online schemes to trick people into revealing their personal information. The tricksters are getting trickier. One of the newest scares involves…

Analysis of the Occurrence of "Applications/Replications" in Ten Published Papers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fahy, Patrick J.

2017-01-01

"Application" or "replication" research, already rare, is diminishing in both quantity and quality, for a variety of reasons ("How science goes wrong," 2013; "For my next trick," 2016). In this study of "replications" and "applications," 351 papers that included a reference to any one of…

The Effects of Two Reality Explanations on Children's Reactions to a Frightening Movie Scene.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Barbara J.; Weiss, Audrey J.

1991-01-01

Assesses the effectiveness of two reality explanations on children's reactions to frightening programs. Shows that neither influenced younger children's emotional or cognitive reactions, whereas the special tricks explanation reduced older children's emotional responses with no impact on their interpretation. Shows that the real life explanation…

Proof of Nishida's Conjecture on Anharmonic Lattices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rink, Bob

2006-02-01

We prove Nishida's 1971 conjecture stating that almost all low-energetic motions of the anharmonic Fermi-Pasta-Ulam lattice with fixed endpoints are quasi-periodic. The proof is based on the formal computations of Nishida, the KAM theorem, discrete symmetry considerations and an algebraic trick that considerably simplifies earlier results.

Turning Tricks: Sexuality and Trickster Language in Vizenor's "The Heirs of Columbus"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lush, Rebecca M.

2012-01-01

First published in anticipation of the quincentennial of Christopher Columbus's "discovery" of the Americas, Gerald Vizenor's novel "The Heirs of Columbus" (1991) appropriates the European narrative of discovery to privilege a Native perspective that follows "trickster discourse," a mode that rejects the tragic narratives of the European…

A Spectrum of Pedagogical Awareness for Undergraduate Mathematics: From "Tricks" to "Techniques"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nardi, Elena; Jaworski, Barbara; Hegedus, Stephen

2005-01-01

We describe a four-level spectrum of pedagogical awareness (SPA) that emerged from the analysis of six undergraduate mathematics tutors' (1) conceptualizations of their first-year students' difficulties; (2) descriptive accounts of their strategies for facilitating the overcoming of these difficulties; and (3) self-reflective accounts regarding…

Does Halloween Belong in School?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drevitch, Gary

2005-01-01

For many teachers, trying to organize a Halloween celebration has become more of a trick than a treat. Some religious groups protest the observance of what they consider a pagan celebration and administrators fret about maintaining security during events that are, by definition, wild. Even educators complain that class time devoted to candy corn…

A Trick of Gravity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newburgh, Ronald

2010-01-01

It's both surprising and rewarding when an old, standard problem reveals a subtlety that expands its pedagogic value. I realized recently that the role of gravity in the range equation for a projectile is not so simple as first appears. This realization may be completely obvious to others but was quite new to me.

New tricks for the glycyl radical enzyme family

PubMed Central

Backman, Lindsey R.F.; Funk, Michael A.; Dawson, Christopher D.; Drennan, Catherine. L.

2018-01-01

Glycyl radical enzymes (GREs) are important biological catalysts in both strict and facultative anaerobes, playing key roles both in the human microbiota and in the environment. GREs contain a backbone glycyl radical that is post-translationally installed, enabling radical-based mechanisms. GREs function in several metabolic pathways including mixed acid fermentation, ribonucleotide reduction, and the anaerobic breakdown of the nutrient choline and the pollutant toluene. By generating a substrate-based radical species within the active site, GREs enable C-C, C-O, and C-N bond breaking and formation steps that are otherwise challenging for non-radical enzymes. Identification of previously unknown family members from genomic data and the determination of structures of well-characterized GREs have expanded the scope of GRE-catalyzed reactions as well as defined key features that enable radical catalysis. Here we review the structures and mechanisms of characterized GREs, classifying members into five categories. We consider the open questions about each of the five GRE classes and evaluate the tools available to interrogate uncharacterized GREs. PMID:28901199

A multi-layered mechanistic modelling approach to understand how effector genes extend beyond phytoplasma to modulate plant hosts, insect vectors and the environment.

PubMed

Tomkins, Melissa; Kliot, Adi; Marée, Athanasius Fm; Hogenhout, Saskia A

2018-03-13

Members of the Candidatus genus Phytoplasma are small bacterial pathogens that hijack their plant hosts via the secretion of virulence proteins (effectors) leading to a fascinating array of plant phenotypes, such as witch's brooms (stem proliferations) and phyllody (retrograde development of flowers into vegetative tissues). Phytoplasma depend on insect vectors for transmission, and interestingly, these insect vectors were found to be (in)directly attracted to plants with these phenotypes. Therefore, phytoplasma effectors appear to reprogram plant development and defence to lure insect vectors, similarly to social engineering malware, which employs tricks to lure people to infected computers and webpages. A multi-layered mechanistic modelling approach will enable a better understanding of how phytoplasma effector-mediated modulations of plant host development and insect vector behaviour contribute to phytoplasma spread, and ultimately to predict the long reach of phytoplasma effector genes. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Treatment of car wash wastewater by UF membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Istirokhatun, Titik; Destianti, Puti; Hargianintya, Adenira; Oktiawan, Wiharyanto; Susanto, Heru

2015-12-01

The existence of car wash service facilitates car owners to remove dirt and grime from their vehicles. However, the dirt washed off vehicles as well as the cleaning materials themselves may be harmful to the environment if they are not properly managed and discharged. Many technologies have been proposed to treat car wash wastewater such as coagulation flocculation, tricking filter and flocculation-flotation. Nevertheless, these technologies have low efficiency to eliminate oil and small organic compounds. Ultrafiltration (UF) membranes were used in this study to treat car wash wastewater. This study investigated the performance of UF membranes under various pressures to remove COD, oil and grease, and also turbidity from car wash waste water. The membrane performance was examined by investigation of permeate flux and membrane rejection. The results meet the standard of environmental regulation and it is possible to be reused. The highest rejection was shown by PES10 (polyethersulfone 10 kDa) in 1 bar operation with complete rejection for both turbidity and oil and grace and 95% rejection for COD.

Analysis of brain activity and response during monoscopic and stereoscopic visualization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calore, Enrico; Folgieri, Raffaella; Gadia, Davide; Marini, Daniele

2012-03-01

Stereoscopic visualization in cinematography and Virtual Reality (VR) creates an illusion of depth by means of two bidimensional images corresponding to different views of a scene. This perceptual trick is used to enhance the emotional response and the sense of presence and immersivity of the observers. An interesting question is if and how it is possible to measure and analyze the level of emotional involvement and attention of the observers during a stereoscopic visualization of a movie or of a virtual environment. The research aims represent a challenge, due to the large number of sensorial, physiological and cognitive stimuli involved. In this paper we begin this research by analyzing possible differences in the brain activity of subjects during the viewing of monoscopic or stereoscopic contents. To this aim, we have performed some preliminary experiments collecting electroencephalographic (EEG) data of a group of users using a Brain- Computer Interface (BCI) during the viewing of stereoscopic and monoscopic short movies in a VR immersive installation.

Teaching New Dogs Old Tricks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldberg, Judy Hiller; Laurin, Mark Alfred

For the new two-year college instructor, gaining information that specifically addresses his/her problems and concerns, and establishing the network to generate the flow of quality information can be a problem. How the instructor deals with this problem is a function of his/her stage of growth. In the neophyte stage, the new faculty member is…

Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks: The Luxury of Digital Abundance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Brien, David; Scharber, Cassandra

2010-01-01

Today we thrive on an abundance of relatively cheap computing power and have the luxury of wasting most of it. It is quickly becoming not only possible but also financially sound, for educators to significantly complement, supplement, or even replace traditional print curricula with digital print and media, online curricula and websites, and…

You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks: The Faculty's Role in Technology Implementation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Jill T.; Myers, Susan D.

2001-01-01

Reports student and faculty perceptions of two courses that included online instruction via WebCT. Discusses how initial student concerns changed to perceptions of how the technology was beneficial and increased community and collaboration among learners. Notes the importance of adequate planning time for faculty. (SR)

New tricks of an old enemy: isolates of Fusarium graminearum produce a type A trichothecene mycotoxin

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The ubiquitous filamentous fungus Fusarium graminearum causes the important disease Fusarium head blight on various species of cereals, leading to contamination of grains with mycotoxins. In a survey of F. graminearum (sensu stricto) on wheat in North America several novel strains were isolated, whi...

New tricks of an old enemy: Isolates of Fusarium graminearum produce a type A trichothecene mycotoxin

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The ubiquitous filamentous fungus Fusarium graminearum causes the important disease Fusarium head blight on various species of cereals, leading to contamination of grains with mycotoxins. In a survey of F. graminearum (sensu stricto) on wheat in North America several novel strains were isolated, whi...

Old Dogs, New Tricks: Training Mature-Aged Manufacturing Workers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Erica; Smith, Andrew; Smith, Chris Selby

2010-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the employment and training of mature-aged workers, so that suggestions for improving training for mature-aged workers may be offered. Design/methodology/approach: Six expert interviews were carried out by telephone, and three case studies involving company site visits were completed. Each company case study…

78 FR 38240 - Authentication of Electronic Signatures on Electronically Filed Statements of Account

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-26

... up by any trick, scheme, or device a material fact; (2) makes any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation; or (3) makes or uses any false writing or document knowing the same to contain any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or entry; shall be fined under...

37 CFR 11.18 - Signature and certificate for correspondence filed in the Office.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 37 Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Signature and certificate for... of the party's own knowledge are true, all statements made therein on information and belief are... by any trick, scheme, or device a material fact, or knowingly and willfully makes any false...

Demonstrating Encapsulation and Release: A New Take on Alginate Complexation and the Nylon Rope Trick

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedli, Andrienne C.; Schlager, Inge R.; Wright, Stephen W.

2005-01-01

Three variations on a classroom demonstration of the encapsulation of droplets and evidence for release of the interior solution are described. The first two demonstrations mimic biocompatible applications of encapsulation. Reversible formation of capsules from aqueous solutions of sodium alginate, a negatively charged polysaccharide derived from…

Social Networking in Libraries: New Tricks of the Trade, Part I

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooke, Nicole A.

2008-01-01

While not a brand new phenomenon, online social networking sites continue to be exceedingly popular and seem to be where students spend much of their time. Not only are participants blogging, texting, chatting, sharing files, gaming, and existing virtually online, they also are forming communities and new cultures and exhibiting new informational…

Gaze Strategies in Skateboard Trick Jumps: Spatiotemporal Constraints in Complex Locomotion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klostermann, André; Küng, Philip

2017-01-01

Purpose: This study aimed to further the knowledge on gaze behavior in locomotion by studying gaze strategies in skateboard jumps of different difficulty that had to be performed either with or without an obstacle. Method: Nine experienced skateboarders performed "Ollie" and "Kickflip" jumps either over an obstacle or over a…

Tips to Making Successful School Board Presentations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheasty, Michelle

2011-01-01

Over the years, the author has had the opportunity to make several presentations to school boards. The author offers some tips and tricks she has learned, having given board presentations about the specific topics she listed in this article, and receiving feedback after each presentation. She points out that the most important thing to keep in…

Trick or Treat? The Autobiography of the Question.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Jane

1995-01-01

Suggests that the power of autobiographical writing, as part of teachers' reflection and theorizing, is in its potential for rethinking teaching and schooling from a critical and feminist vantage point. Maintains that an autobiographical approach keeps alive a woman's sense of the problematic nature of all theoretical discourses and works to test…

Trick or Treat? An Examination of Marketing Relationships in a Nondeceptive Counterfeit Market

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xiao, Sarah Hong; Nicholson, Michael

2010-01-01

Who is most responsible for the proliferation of counterfeit goods--the illicit purveyor of such products or the consumer who procures them? This paper seeks to address this question by presenting a behavior analysis of counterfeit marketing firms in China and the interdependent relationships between legitimate retailers, consumers, and the…

"Look at My Drawing!"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Maja

2012-01-01

Every student experiences feedback in different ways, and there is a real trick to knowing when no feedback is needed. Feedback of any kind can sometimes paralyze a student, interrupting the flow of his or her work. Teachers need to understand and recognize when and why this happens. The author's sketch of three goals for giving feedback in this…

Grand Illusions: How the Universe Plays Tricks on Us.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chernin, A. D.

1992-01-01

Presents basic facts about quasars as most powerful sources of radiation in the universe. Describes in detail the mirages and illusions that quasars generate and methods for their interpretation. Includes the notion of the gravitational lens and its relationship to twin quasars and the apparent measure of a quasar's bright jet tail moving faster…

Plagiarism Detection Algorithm for Source Code in Computer Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Xin; Xu, Chan; Ouyang, Boyu

2015-01-01

Nowadays, computer programming is getting more necessary in the course of program design in college education. However, the trick of plagiarizing plus a little modification exists among some students' home works. It's not easy for teachers to judge if there's plagiarizing in source code or not. Traditional detection algorithms cannot fit this…

Don't Get "Phished" out of Cyberspace

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldsborough, Reid

2004-01-01

Identity theft via bogus e-mail links, or "phishing," is escalating, with criminals becoming ever more brazen and sophisticated in their online schemes to trick people into revealing their personal information. People do get scammed. Phishing messages that appear to be sent by trusted companies dupe 3 percent of the people who receive…

Two Simple Tricks with Air-Rail Gliders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnes, George

1974-01-01

Describes a technique for imparting essentially the same speed, in opposite directions, to two gliders to demonstrate that total momentum of equal masses traveling at the same speed in opposite directions is zero. Also describes a technique using a compression spring and beeswax for momentarily holding two gliders together prior to starting them…

Detecting Targeted Malicious Email through Supervised Classification of Persistent Threat and Recipient Oriented Features

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amin, Rohan Mahesh

2010-01-01

Targeted email attacks to enable computer network exploitation have become more prevalent, more insidious, and more widely documented in recent years. Beyond nuisance spam or phishing designed to trick users into revealing personal information, targeted malicious email (TME) facilitates computer network exploitation and the gathering of sensitive…

Security Systems Commissioning: An Old Trick for Your New Dog

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Black, James R.

2009-01-01

Sophisticated, software-based security systems can provide powerful tools to support campus security. By nature, such systems are flexible, with many capabilities that can help manage the process of physical protection. However, the full potential of these systems can be overlooked because of unfamiliarity with the products, weaknesses in security…

Trick or Treat: Academic Buy-in to Third Stream Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Derek; Hall, Lynne; Tazzyman, Sarah

2016-01-01

This paper reports in part on a major study, carried out in 2013, in which data were collected from university senior executives and academics in the five university business schools in the North East of England: it focuses on the quantitative findings produced. Whilst prima facie evidence would suggest that universities are strategically…

Web life: ComplexityBlog.com

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2010-02-01

The site's homepage calls it "a repository of ideas and perspectives regarding the science, engineering and philosophy of complexity", and it pretty much does what it says on the tin. Part blog, part links archive, part library of modelling tips and tricks, the site is chock full of information that comes under the general heading of "complexity".

Campus, Inc.: Corporate Power in the Ivory Tower.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Geoffry D., Ed.

This collection of essays from some of the most active progressive thinkers and organizers in the U.S. offers a broad perspective on the problems of the growing corporatization of the university. The following 30 chapters are: (1) "The Tricks of Academe" (Lawrence Soley); (2) "The Goods at Their Worst: Campus Procurement in the…

The Big, Bad Wolf Goes Trick-or-Treating.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joy, Flora; And Others

1994-01-01

This adaptation of the "Three Little Pigs" story is suitable for performance in elementary grades, especially around Halloween. The story comes with step-by-step directions for how to dramatize the action for maximum audience participation and response and with suggestions for optional learning activities that can be used with the story.…

Conquering the Physics GRE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kahn, Yoni; Anderson, Adam

2018-03-01

Preface; How to use this book; Resources; 1. Classical mechanics; 2. Electricity and magnetism; 3. Optics and waves; 4. Thermodynamics and statistical mechanics; 5. Quantum mechanics and atomic physics; 6. Special relativity; 7. Laboratory methods; 8. Specialized topics; 9. Special tips and tricks for the Physics GRE; Sample exams and solutions; References; Equation index; Subject index; Problems index.

An Old Dog and New Tricks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hinshaw, Craig

2011-01-01

Glass as an art form is anything but new. Three thousand years ago the Egyptians were molding glass beads and shaping elegant glass perfume bottles. In this article, the author describes how his students created sun catchers inspired by the beauty of Notre Dame's stained glass windows and the intrigue of Dale Chihuly's sculptures. (Contains 1…

Handling News Media: Johnson and Dorman's Bag of Tricks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Ralph H.; Dorman, William A.

What passes for considered judgment in public discourse today is often little more than "unearned opinion"--the received opinion offered by others who have the power to shape the news. So students must develop consistent intellectual standards for routinely evaluating the news media which so frequently provide the empirical stuff about…

Debunking a Video on Youtube as an Authentic Research Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davidowsky, Philip; Rogers, Michael

2015-01-01

Students are exposed to a variety of unrealistic physical experiences seen in movies, video games, and short online videos. A popular classroom activity has students examine footage to identify what aspects of physics are correctly and incorrectly represented. Some of the physical phenomena pictured might be tricks or illusions made easier to…

A Girl Sues the Military over Recruiter Tricks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardy, Lawrence

2005-01-01

This paper highlights the misunderstanding between recruiters and enlistees--as well as accusations of outright deception--which are common as an all-volunteer military struggles to keep up with the personnel demands of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. What makes these disputes a school concern is that many young people are being recruited…

Tricks of the trade: Mechanism of brood theft in an ant.

PubMed

Paul, Bishwarup; Annagiri, Sumana

2018-01-01

Thievery is ubiquitous in the animal kingdom, social insects not being an exception. Brood is invaluable for the survival of social insect colonies and brood theft is well documented in ants. In many species the stolen brood act as slaves in the thief colony as they take up tasks related to foraging, defence and colony maintenance. Slave-making (dulotic) ants are at an advantage as they gain workforce without investing in rearing immature young, and several slave-making species have been recorded in temperate regions. In the current study we investigate brood theft in a primitively eusocial ponerine ant Diacamma indicum that inhabits the tropics. In the context of colony relocation we asked how thieves steal brood and what victim colonies do to prevent theft. While exposed nests increased colonies' vulnerability, the relocation process itself did not enhance the chances of theft. Various aggressive interactions, in particular immobilization of intruders helped in preventing theft. Thieves that acted quickly, stayed furtive and stole unguarded brood were found to be successful. This comprehensive study of behavioural mechanism of theft reveals that these are the 'tricks' adopted by thieves.

The Flushtration Count Illusion: Attribute substitution tricks our interpretation of a simple visual event sequence.

PubMed

Thomas, Cyril; Didierjean, André; Kuhn, Gustav

2018-04-17

When faced with a difficult question, people sometimes work out an answer to a related, easier question without realizing that a substitution has taken place (e.g., Kahneman, 2011, Thinking, fast and slow. New York, Farrar, Strauss, Giroux). In two experiments, we investigated whether this attribute substitution effect can also affect the interpretation of a simple visual event sequence. We used a magic trick called the 'Flushtration Count Illusion', which involves a technique used by magicians to give the illusion of having seen multiple cards with identical backs, when in fact only the back of one card (the bottom card) is repeatedly shown. In Experiment 1, we demonstrated that most participants are susceptible to the illusion, even if they have the visual and analytical reasoning capacity to correctly process the sequence. In Experiment 2, we demonstrated that participants construct a biased and simplified representation of the Flushtration Count by substituting some attributes of the event sequence. We discussed of the psychological processes underlying this attribute substitution effect. © 2018 The British Psychological Society.

Switching Fields in Physics: Finding the Right Job

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dowell, Marla

2004-05-01

The Bad News: fewer than one in ten recent Physics PhDs will land a faculty position in physics. The Good News: non-academic career opportunities for Physics PhDs are in abundance. The trick is finding the right job. With the explosion of web-based resume sites, identifying these opportunities and getting your resume seen by the right people can be both difficult and frustrating. Tough times call for creative solutions. My presentation, based on experience as both a job seeker and potential employer, will include recent data on the physics job market. I will discuss non-academic job opportunities and practical tools for finding and landing the right job, such as career guidance tests and networking methods. A word of warning, most serious job hunts are extremely time-consuming. If you're looking for opportunities outside your physics discipline, be prepared for a lot of rejection letters. The trick is to make the most out of those contacts since you never know where they may lead. Remember, while a plethora of job offers is nice, only the right one is necessary.

Telescopic Corsair in 5F Guidion for Retrograde Recanalization of Complex Chronic Total Occlusions (CTOs)

PubMed Central

Palmers, Pieter-Jan; Maeremans, Joren; Meyer-Gessner, Markus; Bataille, Yoann; Dens, Joseph

2017-01-01

Case series Patient: Male, 81 • Female, 72 • Male, 58 Final Diagnosis: CTO Symptoms: Angina pectoris Medication: — Clinical Procedure: PCI Specialty: Cardiology Objective: Unusual setting of medical care Background: Retrograde advancement of microcatheters through septal/epicardial connectors can be challenging. Although several tricks might help to do so (e.g., balloon trap of retro wire in second guiding, balloon trap of retro wire in native coronary artery, and use of antegrade extension to approximate the antegrade conduit to the retrograde gear), these tricks cannot always be applied, especially in patients with poor access. Also, puncturing, knuckling, and crossing of the distal CTO cap (or the aorta as described in 1 of the cases) sometimes needs a lot of backup of the microcatheter. Case Report: We describe 3 cases in which we used a novel telescopic technique with 5F Guidion (IMDS®) supported retrograde Corsair (Asahi®) advancement in complex CTO lesions. Conclusions: The telescopic Corsair in 5F Guidion may offer the support needed to end successfully in these situations. PMID:28456814

Attentional Focus versus Diffuse Attention: Which is Better in Toddlers?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rivière, James; Cordonnier, Aurore; Fouasse, Christie

2017-01-01

How toddlers' attention is distributed in the visual field during a magic trick was examined using three expectation conditions. Results showed that 2.5-year-old children assigned to the condition with major task-relevant information (i.e., a verbal cue to attend to one of the visual targets) (i) outperformed those who were assigned to the…

The Extension of Cultural Dominance in Iran with the Establishment of New Schools in Ghajar Period

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piri, Mohammad

2016-01-01

Since the beginning of 19th century, England for political reasons tried to make relations with Iran. Englishmen besides political tricks tried to establish their trace in Iran society by cultural permeation. European religious commissions who proceeded in different parts of the world since 19th century, though apparently had religious…

Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks: Disaster Recovery in a Small Business Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rossmiller, Zach; Lawrence, Cameron; Clouse, Shawn; Looney, Clayton

2017-01-01

Many entrepreneurs and small business owners lack disaster recovery plans, which minimize business disruptions caused by failures of critical technical systems. Typically, technology is not the main focus for a small business owner, as most of their time is spent focused on business operations. This case study demonstrates that when a business…

The Tips, Tricks, and Challenges of Teaching Undergraduate Kinesiology Students Research Methodology through a Programmatic Lens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beller, Jennifer M.

2013-01-01

This article describes a programmatic approach to undergraduate research (UGR) at Washington State University. In a programmatic approach, UGR is woven throughout the curriculum, with the expressed intent of producing undergraduate students who have at least a moderate ability to read, use, conduct, and present research. Washington State…

The Scientific Instruments of Charles Wheatstone and the Blending of Science, Art, and Culture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Metz, Don

2015-01-01

Charles Wheatstone was a British scientist who is most often remembered for his association with the Wheatstone bridge for measuring electrical resistance. A painfully shy man in public, Wheatstone, in reality, possessed a vibrant personality and a wide array of personal interests from acoustics to electricity to optics and parlour tricks. In this…

Don't Forget Acronyms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santaniello, Shelly W.

2005-01-01

The mnemonic device can be a terrific tool to help students memorize those things that are so easy to forget. A mnemonic device is a trick or strategy to help remember something. Adults use them every day. Frequiently, they may use a rhyme to help them remember how many days are in each month and they often use associations or alliterations to…

Older Dogs and New Tricks: Career Stage and Self-Assessed Need for Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guthrie, James P.; Schwoerer, Catherine E.

1996-01-01

A training needs survey was completed by 380 of 715 managers/supervisors in a state agency. Those in later career stages perceived less need for training in management, human resource management, communication skills; they reported lower levels of self-efficacy in training effectiveness and utility of training. There appeared to be a need to…

Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks: Past, Present, and Future Priorities for Higher Education Physical Activity Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stapleton, Drue T.; Taliaferro, Andrea R.; Bulger, Sean M.

2017-01-01

Physical education programs in colleges/universities have been called on to provide students with opportunities to develop an appreciation for, and increase participation in, lifetime physical activity. Higher Education Physical Activity Programs (HEPAPs) have evolved over the past 100 years in response to changing societal and institutional…

Problem-Based Learning in Tertiary Education: Teaching Old "Dogs" New Tricks?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeo, Roland K.

2005-01-01

Purpose--The paper sets out to explore the challenges of problem-based learning (PBL) in tertiary education and to propose a framework with implications for practice and learning. Design/Methodology/Approach--A total of 18 tertiary students divided into three groups participated in the focus group discussions. A quantitative instrument was used as…

37 CFR 11.18 - Signature and certificate for correspondence filed in the Office.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 37 Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Signature and certificate for... belief are believed to be true, and all statements made therein are made with the knowledge that whoever... covers up by any trick, scheme, or device a material fact, or knowingly and willfully makes any false...

37 CFR 11.18 - Signature and certificate for correspondence filed in the Office.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 37 Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Signature and certificate for... belief are believed to be true, and all statements made therein are made with the knowledge that whoever... covers up by any trick, scheme, or device a material fact, or knowingly and willfully makes any false...

Developing and Sustaining a Research Agenda in Special Education Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maheady, Larry

2018-01-01

This article was developed from an earlier invitation to discuss what it was like to teach at a comprehensive arts and science college with a large teacher education program while also trying to conduct and publish applied research. Were there any particular tricks to getting things done that could be handed down to younger professionals working…

Neural Plasticity and Neurorehabilitation: Teaching the New Brain Old Tricks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kleim, Jeffrey A.

2011-01-01

Following brain injury or disease there are widespread biochemical, anatomical and physiological changes that result in what might be considered a new, very different brain. This adapted brain is forced to reacquire behaviors lost as a result of the injury or disease and relies on neural plasticity within the residual neural circuits. The same…

Nagging, Noobs and New Tricks--Students' Perceptions of School as a Context for Digital Technology Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bulfin, Scott; Johnson, Nicola; Nemorin, Selena; Selwyn, Neil

2016-01-01

While digital technology is an integral feature of contemporary education, schools are often presumed to constrain and compromise students' uses of technology. This paper investigates students' experiences of school as a context for digital technology use. Drawing upon survey data from three Australian secondary schools (n = 1174), this paper…

Teaching an Old Robot New Tricks: Learning Novel Tasks via Interaction with People and Things

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-06-01

visions behind the Cog Project were to build a "robot baby ", which could interact with people and objects, imitate the motions of its teachers, and even...though. A very elaborate animatronic motor controller can produce very life-like canned motion, although the controller itself bears little resemblance

Pulling Words Out of a Hat: Magic in ESL Lessons.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedenberg, Randi D.

Magic motivates students to talk, and stimulates the affective domain. While watching magic, many people imagine how the effect is accomplished or how they might perform the trick if they were performing. This can be extended into an English lesson by using phrases such as, "If I were a magician, I could..." Total physical response…

Tips and Tricks in Outdoor Education. Approaches to Providing Children with Educational Experiences in the Out-of-Doors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swan, Malcolm D., Ed.

A revision of the Lorado Taft Field Campus' 1968 "Instructional Materials Packet" on providing children with educational experiences outside the classroom, this book contains materials, tips, worksheets, and plans for offering students an opportunity for supplementary outdoor experiences in a variety of subject-matter areas: animal studies,…

Avoid the Plague: Tips and Tricks for Preventing and Detecting Plagiarism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bolkan, J. V.

2006-01-01

Plagiarism is an ugly word. Copying someone else's work and attempting to claim credit for one's self is an act that involves a number of ethical failings--theft, laziness, coveting, and lying among others. Many educators blame the Internet for what they perceive as the rise of plagiarism. Although the Internet certainly enables more efficient…

9 Tips for Affordable Student Trips

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Jonathan

2013-01-01

The trick to having a successful and affordable trip is planning ahead and planning thoroughly. Keep the spirits high and the costs low by following a well-traveled ensemble director's suggestions as presented in this article. These tips include finding local attractions that are unique to the city that the group will be visiting, looking at…

Disappearing-Reappearing Rabbit Trick: A New Twist to an Old Liquid Nitrogen Demonstration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haub, Elaine K.

2001-01-01

Demonstrations using liquid nitrogen are very common in chemistry courses and chemistry outreach programs, and the shrinking of a balloon when cooled and its subsequent "re-inflation" upon warming is a crowd pleaser. Uses a rabbit balloon which "disappears" as it is lowered into the hat and "reappears" when it is…

Effects of Distraction on Visual Enumeration in Children and Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maylor, Elizabeth A.; Watson, Derrick G.; Hartley, Emma L.

2011-01-01

Speeded enumeration of visual stimuli typically produces a bilinear function, with a shallow subitizing rate (less than 100 ms/item) up to 3-4 items (subitizing span) and a steeper counting rate ([image omitted]300 ms/item) thereafter. FINST theory (L. M. Trick & Z. W. Pylyshyn, 1993, 1994) suggests that subitizing of targets is possible in…

Teaching New Dogs New Tricks: Teacher Leadership in the Performance Assessment for California Teachers (PACT)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nordengren, Chase

2016-01-01

Institutions that work with teachers and teaching, from school districts to unions to preparation programs, find themselves under enormous pressure to define who teachers ought to be and what capabilities they ought hold, before outside forces define those ideas for them. Still, consensus is hard to find. While other professions "manage…

Aligning the Culture and Strategy for Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tosti, Donald T.

2007-01-01

One way to define culture is "the way a group of people prefer to behave." The trick for organizational leaders is to find ways to ensure that the company culture, that is the way their people prefer to behave, is supportive of what is needed to successfully deliver the company strategy. Using a criteron-referenced approach, we can first examine…

A Knock at the Door. The Oryx Multicultural Folktale Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shannon, George, Comp.

This folktales collection includes 35 versions, representing countries and cultures from around the world, of the traditional tale in which a dangerous character knocks at the door and tries to trick the children into letting him inside. The stories are intended for use in homes, schools, and libraries by both children and adults who enjoy sharing…

Tending to the Emotional Needs of Teachers and Children: Tricks of the Trade.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lauderdale, Katherine L., Ed.; Roberson, Jerry, L. Ed.; Bonilla, Carlos A., Ed.

This volume, written by teachers for teachers, parents and administrators, presents an insightful, correlative view of the emotional needs of both the teachers and their students. Frontmatter includes: "Planning to Become a Teacher?" and "Needs of Children and Their Teachers." Papers included are: (1) "On the Teaching of Teachers" (C. A.…

Advocacy in the Public Forum: The Pro/Con Program at Ohio State.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stegman, John D.

The Pro/Con Campus Debate and Community Forum program at The Ohio State University serves the educational mission of the department of communication and contributes to the intellectual life of the student body and the larger community by emphasizing the needs of the audience. Eschewing jargon and rhetorical tricks, the program encourages the…

Tips, Tricks & Techniques: Creating & Teaching with Simple Animation: Making Biology Instruction Come Alive

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zanin, Mary K. B.

2015-01-01

Over the years, many of my students have reported that they enjoy lectures that include short, simple animations. To keep students engaged, I have developed a small set of teaching animations using PowerPoint and Camtasia Studio software packages. A survey of students who learned four difficult topics with traditional written lessons and with…

Take the "C" Train

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawton, Rebecca

2008-01-01

In this essay, the author recalls several of her experiences in which she successfully pulled her boats out of river holes by throwing herself to the water as a sea-anchor. She learned this trick from her senior guides at a spring training. Her guides told her, "When you're stuck in a hole, take the "C" train."" "Meaning?" The author asked her…

Teaching Listening in Russian. Instructional Materials for the Less Commonly Taught Languages.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, Yonkers, NY.

The video-based exercises, designed at the Novice High to Intermediate High skill levels on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages language proficiency scale, are aimed at developing non-interactive listening comprehension. The tapes used contain authentic broadcast Russian. Nothing is adapted. The trick to using real Russian is…

A Simple Card Trick: Teaching Qualitative Data Analysis Using a Deck of Playing Cards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waite, Duncan

2011-01-01

Yet today, despite recent welcome additions, relatively little is written about teaching qualitative research. Why is that? This article reports out a relatively simple, yet appealing, pedagogical move, a lesson the author uses to teach qualitative data analysis. Data sorting and categorization, the use of tacit and explicit theory in data…

The Tablecloth Pull Revisited

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vollmer, Michael; Mollmann, Klaus-Peter

2015-01-01

A very old and well-known magical trick is the so-called tablecloth pull. A table is covered with a tablecloth, on top of which are certain objects. The task is to remove the tablecloth while the objects--which must not be touched--stay on top of the table. This article describes the physics behind the experiment, and presents examples recorded…

Modeling the Propagation of Mobile Phone Virus under Complex Network

PubMed Central

Yang, Wei; Wei, Xi-liang; Guo, Hao; An, Gang; Guo, Lei

2014-01-01

Mobile phone virus is a rogue program written to propagate from one phone to another, which can take control of a mobile device by exploiting its vulnerabilities. In this paper the propagation model of mobile phone virus is tackled to understand how particular factors can affect its propagation and design effective containment strategies to suppress mobile phone virus. Two different propagation models of mobile phone viruses under the complex network are proposed in this paper. One is intended to describe the propagation of user-tricking virus, and the other is to describe the propagation of the vulnerability-exploiting virus. Based on the traditional epidemic models, the characteristics of mobile phone viruses and the network topology structure are incorporated into our models. A detailed analysis is conducted to analyze the propagation models. Through analysis, the stable infection-free equilibrium point and the stability condition are derived. Finally, considering the network topology, the numerical and simulation experiments are carried out. Results indicate that both models are correct and suitable for describing the spread of two different mobile phone viruses, respectively. PMID:25133209

Adaptive design optimization: a mutual information-based approach to model discrimination in cognitive science.

PubMed

Cavagnaro, Daniel R; Myung, Jay I; Pitt, Mark A; Kujala, Janne V

2010-04-01

Discriminating among competing statistical models is a pressing issue for many experimentalists in the field of cognitive science. Resolving this issue begins with designing maximally informative experiments. To this end, the problem to be solved in adaptive design optimization is identifying experimental designs under which one can infer the underlying model in the fewest possible steps. When the models under consideration are nonlinear, as is often the case in cognitive science, this problem can be impossible to solve analytically without simplifying assumptions. However, as we show in this letter, a full solution can be found numerically with the help of a Bayesian computational trick derived from the statistics literature, which recasts the problem as a probability density simulation in which the optimal design is the mode of the density. We use a utility function based on mutual information and give three intuitive interpretations of the utility function in terms of Bayesian posterior estimates. As a proof of concept, we offer a simple example application to an experiment on memory retention.

Techniques calm fear of imaging machine

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

Van Pelt, D.

1990-04-02

Magnetic resonance imaging has become a valuable tool in diagnosing diseases, and the imaging devices are now used as often as 2 million times a year in the United States. But as many as 10 percent of patients advised to undergo the procedure cannot because they become overwhelmed with claustrophobialike fear triggered by having to lie motionless in the machine's tunnel-like cylinder for about 45 minutes. To counteract this fear, several hospitals now practice various techniques to help reduce the feelings of confinement. One popular method is to give a patient special eyeglasses that allow him to look beyond hismore » feet and see the tunnel opening. Other glasses use mirrors to direct the patient's vision out the back of the unit to large wilderness photographs or murals that simulate a sense of spaciousness. Even a basic item like a set of headphones that plays music can often distract a patient, and technicians frequently hold a patient's hand or foot during the procedure. Another trick is to invite family members and friends to remain with the patient during the scan to provide company and reassurance.« less

Design and Analysis of Morpheus Lander Flight Control System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jang, Jiann-Woei; Yang, Lee; Fritz, Mathew; Nguyen, Louis H.; Johnson, Wyatt R.; Hart, Jeremy J.

2014-01-01

The Morpheus Lander is a vertical takeoff and landing test bed vehicle developed to demonstrate the system performance of the Guidance, Navigation and Control (GN&C) system capability for the integrated autonomous landing and hazard avoidance system hardware and software. The Morpheus flight control system design must be robust to various mission profiles. This paper presents a design methodology for employing numerical optimization to develop the Morpheus flight control system. The design objectives include attitude tracking accuracy and robust stability with respect to rigid body dynamics and propellant slosh. Under the assumption that the Morpheus time-varying dynamics and control system can be frozen over a short period of time, the flight controllers are designed to stabilize all selected frozen-time control systems in the presence of parametric uncertainty. Both control gains in the inner attitude control loop and guidance gains in the outer position control loop are designed to maximize the vehicle performance while ensuring robustness. The flight control system designs provided herein have been demonstrated to provide stable control systems in both Draper Ares Stability Analysis Tool (ASAT) and the NASA/JSC Trick-based Morpheus time domain simulation.

Intelligent Control of a Sensor-Actuator System via Kernelized Least-Squares Policy Iteration

PubMed Central

Liu, Bo; Chen, Sanfeng; Li, Shuai; Liang, Yongsheng

2012-01-01

In this paper a new framework, called Compressive Kernelized Reinforcement Learning (CKRL), for computing near-optimal policies in sequential decision making with uncertainty is proposed via incorporating the non-adaptive data-independent Random Projections and nonparametric Kernelized Least-squares Policy Iteration (KLSPI). Random Projections are a fast, non-adaptive dimensionality reduction framework in which high-dimensionality data is projected onto a random lower-dimension subspace via spherically random rotation and coordination sampling. KLSPI introduce kernel trick into the LSPI framework for Reinforcement Learning, often achieving faster convergence and providing automatic feature selection via various kernel sparsification approaches. In this approach, policies are computed in a low-dimensional subspace generated by projecting the high-dimensional features onto a set of random basis. We first show how Random Projections constitute an efficient sparsification technique and how our method often converges faster than regular LSPI, while at lower computational costs. Theoretical foundation underlying this approach is a fast approximation of Singular Value Decomposition (SVD). Finally, simulation results are exhibited on benchmark MDP domains, which confirm gains both in computation time and in performance in large feature spaces. PMID:22736969

An M-estimator for reduced-rank system identification.

PubMed

Chen, Shaojie; Liu, Kai; Yang, Yuguang; Xu, Yuting; Lee, Seonjoo; Lindquist, Martin; Caffo, Brian S; Vogelstein, Joshua T

2017-01-15

High-dimensional time-series data from a wide variety of domains, such as neuroscience, are being generated every day. Fitting statistical models to such data, to enable parameter estimation and time-series prediction, is an important computational primitive. Existing methods, however, are unable to cope with the high-dimensional nature of these data, due to both computational and statistical reasons. We mitigate both kinds of issues by proposing an M-estimator for Reduced-rank System IDentification ( MR. SID). A combination of low-rank approximations, ℓ 1 and ℓ 2 penalties, and some numerical linear algebra tricks, yields an estimator that is computationally efficient and numerically stable. Simulations and real data examples demonstrate the usefulness of this approach in a variety of problems. In particular, we demonstrate that MR. SID can accurately estimate spatial filters, connectivity graphs, and time-courses from native resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging data. MR. SID therefore enables big time-series data to be analyzed using standard methods, readying the field for further generalizations including non-linear and non-Gaussian state-space models.

An M-estimator for reduced-rank system identification

PubMed Central

Chen, Shaojie; Liu, Kai; Yang, Yuguang; Xu, Yuting; Lee, Seonjoo; Lindquist, Martin; Caffo, Brian S.; Vogelstein, Joshua T.

2018-01-01

High-dimensional time-series data from a wide variety of domains, such as neuroscience, are being generated every day. Fitting statistical models to such data, to enable parameter estimation and time-series prediction, is an important computational primitive. Existing methods, however, are unable to cope with the high-dimensional nature of these data, due to both computational and statistical reasons. We mitigate both kinds of issues by proposing an M-estimator for Reduced-rank System IDentification ( MR. SID). A combination of low-rank approximations, ℓ1 and ℓ2 penalties, and some numerical linear algebra tricks, yields an estimator that is computationally efficient and numerically stable. Simulations and real data examples demonstrate the usefulness of this approach in a variety of problems. In particular, we demonstrate that MR. SID can accurately estimate spatial filters, connectivity graphs, and time-courses from native resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging data. MR. SID therefore enables big time-series data to be analyzed using standard methods, readying the field for further generalizations including non-linear and non-Gaussian state-space models. PMID:29391659

Unusual tumour ablations: report of difficult and interesting cases.

PubMed

Mauri, Giovanni; Nicosia, Luca; Varano, Gianluca Maria; Shyn, Paul; Sartori, Sergio; Tombesi, Paola; Di Vece, Francesca; Orsi, Franco; Solbiati, Luigi

2017-01-01

Image-guided ablations are nowadays applied in the treatment of a wide group of diseases and in different organs and regions, and every day interventional radiologists have to face more difficult and unusual cases of tumour ablation. In the present case review, we report four difficult and unusual cases, reporting some tips and tricks for a successful image-guided treatment.

Perception as Evidence Accumulation and Bayesian Inference: Insights from Masked Priming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norris, Dennis; Kinoshita, Sachiko

2008-01-01

The authors argue that perception is Bayesian inference based on accumulation of noisy evidence and that, in masked priming, the perceptual system is tricked into treating the prime and the target as a single object. Of the 2 algorithms considered for formalizing how the evidence sampled from a prime and target is combined, only 1 was shown to be…

Hunting Reynard: How "Reynard the Fox" Tricked His Way into English and Dutch Children's Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parlevliet, Sanne

2008-01-01

This article examines adaptations in their capacity of preserving literary heritage. It describes how the Middle Dutch beast epic "Reynard the Fox" lost its position in literature for adults and became part of a literary heritage that was no longer read but only studied for its historical value. Versions for children kept the story…

Teaching an Old Ph.D. New Tricks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simon, Jean

2006-01-01

In this article, the author, a former tenured professor who found her niche once she gave up the need to fit her new life into her old credentials, describes her experience in academe and how she enjoys her life now being a nationally certified massage therapist. One lesson she learned is that people outside academe quit their jobs all the time.…

Efficient Learning for the Poor: New Insights into Literacy Acquisition for Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abadzi, Helen

2008-01-01

Reading depends on the speed of visual recognition and capacity of short-term memory. To understand a sentence, the mind must read it fast enough to capture it within the limits of the short-term memory. This means that children must attain a minimum speed of fairly accurate reading to understand a passage. Learning to read involves "tricking" the…

Odysseus Deconstructed: Crossing the Threshold into Critical Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howell, Emily Nicole

2012-01-01

In a thematic study she calls The Hero's Journey, the author introduces the classical archetype of the hero and the journey of the hero with Homer's "The Odyssey." After all, the wily tactician dreams up the idea for the wooden horse trick, thereby winning the war for the Greeks. He visits hell and, against all odds, makes it back. He defeats the…

"Hi. Your Kid Cut Class Today. At the Tone,..."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Executive Educator, 1983

1983-01-01

THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THIS DOCUMENT: And you thought you'd tried every trick in the book to cut student absenteeism. You haven't. Now that computers have become an accepted feature in many schools' administrative offices, you might want to check out a new, computerized telephone system that six Chicago schools are using. Each of the…

Two-exponent Lavalette function: a generalization for the case of adherents to a religious movement.

PubMed

Ausloos, Marcel

2014-06-01

The Lavalette function is generalized to a two-exponent function in order to represent data looking like a sigmoid on semilogarithmic plots. A Mandelbrot trick is suggested for further investigations, if more fit parameters are needed. The analyzed data is that of the number of adherents to the main religions in the 20th century.

Problems of Gender Identity: Using the Short Story as a Teaching Tool about Gender

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Décuré, Nicole

2013-01-01

The surprise ending, a favorite feature of many short stories since the beginning of the genre, goes beyond the mere clever trick. It demonstrates, in a very efficient way, the depth of prejudice, the limits of our "horizon of expectations." Therefore, for teachers of English as a foreign language, among others, such material is a…

Trick or Treat or Trouble: Featuring Brian McDaniel. The Kids on the Block Book Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aiello, Barbara; Shulman, Jeffrey

One of a series of children's books written from the point of view of an elementary grade child with a disability or other problem, the stories emphasize the similarities in childhood experience while providing information specific to the disability. In this book, fifth-grader Brian, who has epilepsy, finds that his misconceptions about a funeral…

Teaching New Dogs New Tricks: The Rise of Entrepreneurship Education in Graduate Schools of Business. CELCEE Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Carolyn

The rapid rise in entrepreneurship programs and centers has been fueled by unprecedented student demand, and the popularity of entrepreneurship courses is outstripping the supply in programs across the United States. Entrepreneurship education has been criticized as a fad by some, but it appears to have established a firm beachhead in higher…

Social Networking in Libraries: New Tricks of the Trade, Part II

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooke, Nicole A.

2008-01-01

Social networking sites cast a wide net, not only in the sheer number of sites that exist on the Internet but also in terms of their application and usefulness. The last column, in "PSQ" v.4 (3), examined sites that could assist professionals with outreach, networking, and collaboration. In this second column dedicated to social networking sites,…

Confusing Aspects in the Calculation of the Electrostatic Potential of an Infinite Line of Charge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jimenez, J. L.; Campos, I.; Roa-Neri, J. A. E.

2012-01-01

In this work we discuss the trick of eliminating infinite potential of reference arguing that it corresponds to a constant of integration, in the problem of determining the electrostatic potential of an infinite line of charge with uniform density, and show how the problem must be tackled properly. The usual procedure is confusing for most…

Old and Young Dogs Teaching Each Other Tricks: The Importance of Developing Agency for Community Partners in Community Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bucher, Jacob

2012-01-01

This article covers the importance of creating and developing agency in community partners when engaging in community-based learning. Often when faculty incorporate service- or community-based learning into their classes, we measure the "learning" part but not the "service" or "community." Focusing more on the latter involves working "with"…

STS-33 MS Musgrave and MS Carter perform balancing act on OV-103's middeck

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

STS-33 Mission Specialist (MS) F. Story Musgrave demonstrates a microgravity trick by balancing MS Manley L. Carter, Jr on his index finger. During the performance on Discovery's, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103's, middeck, Carter freefloats at the middeck ceiling while Musgrave supports him from underneath. On the forward middeck lockers is a PURDUE Boilermakers decal.

Do Social Attribution Skills Improve with Age in Children with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bal, Elgiz; Yerys, Benjamin E.; Sokoloff, Jennifer L.; Celano, Mark J.; Kenworthy, Lauren; Giedd, Jay N.; Wallace, Gregory L.

2013-01-01

Age-related changes in social attribution skills were assessed using the "Triangles Playing Tricks" task in 7-17 year old high functioning children with ASDs (n = 41) and in typically developing (TD) children (n = 58) matched on age, IQ, and sex ratio. Children with ASDs gave responses that received lower intentionality and appropriateness ratings…

Powering Down from the Bottom up: Greener Client Computing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Donnell, Tom

2009-01-01

A decade ago, people wanting to practice "green computing" recycled their printer paper, turned their personal desktop systems off from time to time, and tried their best to donate old equipment to a nonprofit instead of throwing it away. A campus IT department can shave a few watts off just about any IT process--the real trick is planning and…

Hocus Focus: Evaluating the Academic and Functional Benefits of Integrating Magic Tricks in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spencer, Kevin

2012-01-01

As a society, we are looking to schools to be or become settings where our children learn the skills for successful adulthood. We are asking educators to teach an increasingly heterogeneous population of students, some of which face additional learning challenges. Many of these students have--or will have--a significant need to develop not only…

You Can Teach Old Dogs New Tricks: The Factors that Affect Changes over Time in Digital Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eshet-Alkalai, Yoram; Chajut, Eran

2010-01-01

The expansion of digital technologies and the rapid changes they undergo through time face users with new cognitive, social, and ergonomic challenges that they need to master in order to perform effectively. In recent years, following empirical reports on performance differences between different age-groups, there is a debate in the research…

Objects in Telescope Are Farther than They Appear

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graney, Christopher M.

2009-01-01

The wave nature of light is not part of students' common experiences, so often physics teachers and textbooks will add a historical anecdote about how scientists, too, were tricked by light. A common one is how, in the early 19th century, Poisson declared that since Fresnel's ideas on the wave nature of light implied that the shadow cast by a disk…

Tricks, Lies and Mistakes: Identifying Theory of Mind Concepts within Storybooks Shared with Deaf Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chilton, Helen

2017-01-01

Recent years have seen a significant interest in Theory of Mind (ToM), the specific groups in which it may be restricted and the opportunities which might enhance or suppress development. Previous studies have identified gaps in the literature concerning ideas for intervention and strategies which may augment the development of ToM skills.…

A Technique to Introduce Keyboard Improvisation in General Music

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Jim

2006-01-01

All the general music books the author has seen teach the pentatonic scale, and achieve success with it, by having students play only on the piano's black keys. The trick to preventing this exercise from sounding simplistic or uninteresting is to teach improvisation in the A-flat Dorian mode. Using A-flat as the tonal center puts that center right…

Trick-or-Treat Candy-Getters and Hornet Scare Devices: Second Graders Make Creative Inventions Related to Animal Adaptations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rule, Audrey C.; Baldwin, Samantha; Schell, Robert

2009-01-01

This repeated measures study examined second graders' (n = 21) performance in creating inventions related to animal adaptations for simple products under two conditions that alternated each week for a six-week period. In the analogy condition, students used form and function analogy object boxes to learn about animal adaptations, applying these…

Old Dogs Learning New Tricks: Neuroplasticity beyond the Juvenile Period

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lillard, Angeline S.; Erisir, Alev

2011-01-01

Twenty years ago, the prevalent view in Psychology was that although learning and the formation of new memories are lifelong occurrences, the neural changes associated with these events were all in the existing receptors. No new neural hardware, from synapses to neurons, was thought to appear after a protracted period early in life. In the past 20…

TGfU Pet-Agogy: Old Dogs, New Tricks and Puppy School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butler, Joy I.

2005-01-01

How do we encourage teachers to adopt Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) so that it becomes part of mainstream practice in physical education and community-based sports programmes worldwide? Why do some teachers adopt a TGfU instructional model and others stick to a technique-based approach? What happens to PETE students when they attempt to…

A Bag Full of Newspaper Clippings and Other Tricks of the ESL Trade. TECHNIQUES.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minicz, Elizabeth Watson

1985-01-01

English as a second language (ESL) teachers find the newspaper a terrific source for easy-to-prepare reusable materials. Travel ads with coupons from the travel section can be cut out for beginning level students to complete and mail in envelopes they address. Students can find places on maps. In addition, intermediate and advanced students can…

Trick or TREAT: A Scary-Good New Approach for Single-Molecule mRNA Decay Analysis.

PubMed

Russo, Joseph; Wilusz, Jeffrey

2017-11-02

In this issue of Molecular Cell, Horvathova et al. (2017) have developed a powerful approach to single-molecule assessment of RNA decay in living cells by exploiting the ability of flavivirus RNA structural elements to trap XRN1 decay intermediates in dual-labeled reporter constructs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Using Virtual Pets to Promote Physical Activity in Children: An Application of the Youth Physical Activity Promotion Model.

PubMed

Ahn, Sun Joo Grace; Johnsen, Kyle; Robertson, Tom; Moore, James; Brown, Scott; Marable, Amanda; Basu, Aryabrata

2015-01-01

A virtual pet was developed based on the framework of the youth physical activity promotion model and tested as a vehicle for promoting physical activity in children. Children in the treatment group interacted with the virtual pet for three days, setting physical activity goals and teaching tricks to the virtual pet when their goals were met. The virtual pet became more fit and learned more sophisticated tricks as the children achieved activity goals. Children in the control group interacted with a computer system presenting equivalent features but without the virtual pet. Physical activity and goal attainment were evaluated using activity monitors. Results indicated that children in the treatment group engaged in 1.09 more hours of daily physical activity (156% more) than did those in the control group. Physical activity self-efficacy and beliefs served as mediators driving this increase in activity. Children that interacted with the virtual pet also expressed higher intentions than children in the control group to continue physical activity in the future. Theoretical and practical potentials of using a virtual pet to systematically promote physical activity in children are discussed.

'Trick', 'manipulation' and 'farce': Albert Moll's critique of occultism.

PubMed

Wolffram, Heather

2012-04-01

In July 1925, the psychiatrist Albert Moll appeared before the district court in Berlin-Schöneberg charged with having defamed the medium Maria Vollhardt (alias Rudloff) in his 1924 book Der Spiritismus [Spiritism]. Supported by some of Berlin's most prominent occultists, the plaintiff--the medium's husband--argued that Moll's use of terms such as 'trick', 'manipulation' and 'farce' in reference to Vollhardt's phenomena had been libellous. In the three-part trial that followed, however, Moll's putative affront to the medium--of which he was eventually acquitted--was overshadowed, on the one hand, by a debate over the scientific status of parapsychology, and on the other, by the question of who--parapsychologists, occultists, psychiatrists or jurists--was entitled to claim epistemic authority over the occult. This paper will use the Rudloff-Moll trial as a means of examining Moll's critique of occultism, not only as it stood in the mid-1920s, but also as it had developed since the 1880s. It will also provide insight into the views of Germany's occultists and parapsychologists, who argued that their legitimate bid for scientific credibility was hindered by Dunkelmänner [obscurantists] such as Albert Moll.

Why are small and large numbers enumerated differently? A limited-capacity preattentive stage in vision.

PubMed

Trick, L M; Pylyshyn, Z W

1994-01-01

"Subitizing," the process of enumeration when there are fewer than 4 items, is rapid (40-100 ms/item), effortless, and accurate. "Counting," the process of enumeration when there are more than 4 items, is slow (250-350 ms/item), effortful, and error-prone. Why is there a difference in the way the small and large numbers of items are enumerated? A theory of enumeration is proposed that emerges from a general theory of vision, yet explains the numeric abilities of preverbal infants, children, and adults. We argue that subitizing exploits a limited-capacity parallel mechanism for item individuation, the FINST mechanism, associated with the multiple target tracking task (Pylyshyn, 1989; Pylyshyn & Storm, 1988). Two kinds of evidence support the claim that subitizing relies on preattentive information, whereas counting requires spatial attention. First, whenever spatial attention is needed to compute a spatial relation (cf. Ullman, 1984) or to perform feature integration (cf. Treisman & Gelade, 1980), subitizing does not occur (Trick & Pylyshyn, 1993a). Second, the position of the attentional focus, as manipulated by cue validity, has a greater effect on counting than subitizing latencies (Trick & Pylyshyn, 1993b).

GC-MS-Based Metabolome and Metabolite Regulation in Serum-Resistant Streptococcus agalactiae.

PubMed

Wang, Zhe; Li, Min-Yi; Peng, Bo; Cheng, Zhi-Xue; Li, Hui; Peng, Xuan-Xian

2016-07-01

Streptococcus agalactiae causes severe systemic infections in human and fish. In the present study, we established a pathogen-plasma interaction model by which we explored how S. agalactiae evaded serum-mediated killing. We found that S. agalactiae grew faster in the presence of yellow grouper plasma than in the absence of the plasma, indicating S. agalactiae evolved a way of evading the fish immune system. To determine the events underlying this phenotype, we applied GC-MS-based metabolomics approaches to identify differential metabolomes between S. agalactiae cultured with and without yellow grouper plasma. Through bioinformatics analysis, decreased malic acid and increased adenosine were identified as the most crucial metabolites that distinguish the two groups. Meanwhile, they presented with decreased TCA cycle and elevated purine metabolism, respectively. Finally, exogenous malic acid and adenosine were used to reprogram the plasma-resistant metabolome, leading to elevated and decreased susceptibility to the plasma, respectively. Therefore, our findings reveal for the first time that S. agalactiae utilizes a metabolic trick to respond to plasma killing as a result of serum resistance, which may be reverted or enhanced by exogenous malic acid and adenosine, respectively, suggesting that the metabolic trick can be regulated by metabolites.

Beyond hypercorrection: remembering corrective feedback for low-confidence errors.

PubMed

Griffiths, Lauren; Higham, Philip A

2018-02-01

Correcting errors based on corrective feedback is essential to successful learning. Previous studies have found that corrections to high-confidence errors are better remembered than low-confidence errors (the hypercorrection effect). The aim of this study was to investigate whether corrections to low-confidence errors can also be successfully retained in some cases. Participants completed an initial multiple-choice test consisting of control, trick and easy general-knowledge questions, rated their confidence after answering each question, and then received immediate corrective feedback. After a short delay, they were given a cued-recall test consisting of the same questions. In two experiments, we found high-confidence errors to control questions were better corrected on the second test compared to low-confidence errors - the typical hypercorrection effect. However, low-confidence errors to trick questions were just as likely to be corrected as high-confidence errors. Most surprisingly, we found that memory for the feedback and original responses, not confidence or surprise, were significant predictors of error correction. We conclude that for some types of material, there is an effortful process of elaboration and problem solving prior to making low-confidence errors that facilitates memory of corrective feedback.

Statistical mechanics of a single particle in a multiscale random potential: Parisi landscapes in finite-dimensional Euclidean spaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fyodorov, Yan V.; Bouchaud, Jean-Philippe

2008-08-01

We construct an N-dimensional Gaussian landscape with multiscale, translation invariant, logarithmic correlations and investigate the statistical mechanics of a single particle in this environment. In the limit of high dimension N → ∞ the free energy of the system and overlap function are calculated exactly using the replica trick and Parisi's hierarchical ansatz. In the thermodynamic limit, we recover the most general version of the Derrida's generalized random energy model (GREM). The low-temperature behaviour depends essentially on the spectrum of length scales involved in the construction of the landscape. If the latter consists of K discrete values, the system is characterized by a K-step replica symmetry breaking solution. We argue that our construction is in fact valid in any finite spatial dimensions N >= 1. We discuss the implications of our results for the singularity spectrum describing multifractality of the associated Boltzmann-Gibbs measure. Finally we discuss several generalizations and open problems, such as the dynamics in such a landscape and the construction of a generalized multifractal random walk.

Active Learning Strategies for Introductory Light and Optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sokoloff, David R.

2016-01-01

There is considerable evidence that traditional approaches are ineffective in teaching physics concepts, including light and optics concepts. A major focus of the work of the Activity Based Physics Group has been on the development of active learning curricula like RealTime Physics (RTP) labs and Interactive Lecture Demonstrations (ILDs). Among the characteristics of these curricula are: (1) use of a learning cycle in which students are challenged to compare predictions—discussed with their peers in small groups—to observations of the physical world, (2) use of guided hands-on work to construct basic concepts from observations, and (3) use of computer-based tools. It has been possible to change the lecture and laboratory learning environments at a large number of universities, colleges, and high schools without changing the structure of the introductory course. For example, in the United States, nearly 200 physics departments have adopted RTP, and many others use pre-publication, open-source versions or have adopted the RTP approach to develop their own labs. Examples from RTP and ILDs (including optics magic tricks) are described in this paper.

New Tricks for an Old Measure: The Development of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-Brief (BIS-Brief)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steinberg, Lynne; Sharp, Carla; Stanford, Matthew S.; Tharp, Andra Teten

2013-01-01

The Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS), a 30-item self-report measure, is one of the most commonly used scales for the assessment of the personality construct of impulsiveness. It has recently marked 50 years of use in research and clinical settings. The current BIS-11 is held to measure 3 theoretical subtraits, namely, attentional, motor, and…

Global Project Management: Graduate Course

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-01-01

They take advantage of the fact that the other party assumes the counterparty is acting in good faith and telling the truth . , One common trick is...average 1 h our per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed...and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of

IPV6 Network Infrastructure and Stability Inference

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

study focused on determining restart behavior for addresses with incremental fragmen- tation identification numbers. However, the initial evaluation ...the Too Big Trick (TBT) to induce the remote targets to return fragmented responses. By evaluating the responses, the uptime for approximately 35% of...to return fragmented responses. By evaluating the responses, the uptime for approximately 35% of the IPv6 addresses can be inferred. v THIS PAGE

How the Elderly Can Use Scientific Knowledge to Solve Problems While Designing Toys: A Retrospective Analysis of the Design of a Working UFO

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Mei-Yung; Hong, Jon-Chao; Hwang, Ming-Yueh; Wong, Wan-Tzu

2013-01-01

The venerable aphorism "an old dog cannot learn new tricks" implies that the elderly rarely learn anything new--in particular, scientific knowledge. On the basis of "learning by doing," the present study emphasized knowledge application (KA) as elderly subjects collaborated on the design of a toy flying saucer (UFO). Three…

Should We Teach Old Dogs New Tricks? The Impact of Community College Retraining on Older Displaced Workers. WP 2003-25

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobson, Louis; LaLonde, Robert J.; Sullivan, Daniel

2003-01-01

This paper estimates the returns to retraining for older displaced workers--those 35 or older--by estimating the impact that community college schooling has on their subsequent earnings. Our analysis relies on longitudinal administrative data covering workers who were displaced from jobs in Washington State during the first half of the 1990s and…

JPRS Report, Science & Technology: Europe.

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-11-10

Electrochromic, photochromic, and thermochromic layers , which provide targeted control over the degree of transparency; the latter includes the...22 Research Into Reducing Eastern German Air Pollution Advances [Bonn BMFT JOURNAL, No 4, Aug 92] 22 German Institute: Solar Hydrogen Will Reduce...the aerodynam- icists will have to rely on the trick of boundary layer control at the rudder unit in order to achieve the longest possible laminar

The quantum life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davies, Paul

2009-07-01

To a physicist, life seems little short of miraculous-all those stupid atoms getting together to perform such clever tricks! For centuries, living organisms were regarded as some sort of magic matter. Today, we know that no special "life force" is at work in biology; there is just ordinary matter doing extraordinary things, all the while obeying the familiar laws of physics. What, then, is the secret of life's remarkable properties?

Score a Facilities Hat Trick: Strategic Goals for Successful Hiring, Training, and Team Commitment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loy, Darcy

2012-01-01

Granted, it might be a bit of a stretch to find comparable attributes between an ice hockey team and facilities management organizations. However, if you are open-minded to the possibility and begin to analyze each of these entities, you will find there are some distinct similarities. Ice hockey is a fast-paced and ever-changing game, much like a…

Field Tripping: How to Keep Them in Their Seats After the Tire Blows Out

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Main, Margaret H.

1978-01-01

Sixty-four children, eight mothers and four teachers traveled on a bus that blew a tire in the middle of the world's busiest freeway. What saved the trip from this unexpected "letdown" and expected chaos was a "bag of tricks" that the author developed from 16 years of experience in and out of the primary-grade classroom. (Author/RK)

Bag of Tricks: 180 Great Games (and Three More with Real Potential).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanborn, Jane

The book is designed to be a reference for camp counselors with 20 minutes and 12 children on their hands, for teachers on Friday afternoons in spring, for recreation leaders whose swimming meet has just been rained out, and for parents who discover that "Pin the Tail on the Donkey" is not a big hit at a teenage birthday party. The games…

A TV Reporter, an Adviser's Internship, a TV Anchor/Reporter, an Assignment Editor, a TV Photojournalist's Bag of Tricks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patrow, Kris; Youngblood, Steve; Madden, Tracy; Hamburger, Jeff; Johnson, Kevin

2000-01-01

Intends to help high school journalism students understand the field they are preparing for by presenting brief descriptions of a day in the work life of a television news reporter, a TV anchor/reporter, and a television news assignment editor. Describes the five-week internship at a local television news station of a journalism instructor. (SR)

A Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluation of an After-School Prosocial Behavior Program in an Area of Socioeconomic Disadvantage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Hare, Liam; Biggart, Andy; Kerr, Karen; Connolly, Paul

2015-01-01

A randomized controlled trial was used to evaluate the effects of a prosocial behavior after-school program called Mate-Tricks for 9- and 10-year-old children and their parents living in an area of significant socioeconomic disadvantage. The children were randomly assigned to an intervention (n = 220) or a control group (n = 198). Children were…

Designer Nuclei--Making Atoms that Barely Exist

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Kate L.; Nazarewicz, Witold

2010-01-01

The physics of nuclei is not a democratic field. It has to be said, some nuclei are just more interesting than others. And some are more useful than others, either to explain the origins of the elements, or the nature of matter itself, or for uses in medicine and other applied fields. The trick is to work out which nuclei are going to be the most…

Ammunition Cost Research Study

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-06-01

LIBRARY TECHNICAL REPORT Gerald W. Kalal Patrick J. Gannon COST ANALYSIS DIVISION (DRSAR-CPE) HEADQUARTERS, U.S. ARMY ARMAMENT COMMAND ROCK ISLAND... Kalal trick J. Gannon COST ANALYSIS DIVISION (DRSAR-CPE) HEADQUARTERS, U.S. ARMY ARMAMENT COMMAND ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS 61201 I UNCLASSIFIED...4. DESCRIPTIVE NOTES (Type ot report and Inclusive date») Technical Report 8- AU THOR(S> (flral name, middle Initial, laat name) Gerald W. Kalal

Maritime Homeland Command Control: Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-02-04

Security, Command and Control, Navy, Coast Guard, Customs Service, Centralized Control, Decentralized Execution, Organization by Objectives 15.Abstract...primarily responsible for the maritime homeland, the Navy, the Coast guard, the Customs Service, should provide resources and command capabilities to a...Coast Guard, the Customs Service, should provide resources and command capabilities to a unified command and control structure. Coast Guard forces and

Simulation of RIRS in soft cadavers: a novel training model by the Cadaveric Research On Endourology Training (CRET) Study Group.

PubMed

Huri, Emre; Skolarikos, Andreas; Tatar, İlkan; Binbay, Murat; Sofikerim, Mustafa; Yuruk, Emrah; Karakan, Tolga; Sargon, Mustafa; Demiryurek, Deniz; Miano, Roberto; Bagcioglu, Murat; Ezer, Mehmet; Cracco, Cecilia Maria; Scoffone, Cesare Marco

2016-05-01

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the use of fresh-frozen concurrently with embalmed cadavers as initial training models for flexible ureteroscopy (fURS) in a group of urologists who were inexperienced in retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS). Twelve urologists involved in a cadaveric fURS training course were enrolled into this prospective study. All the participants were inexperienced in fURS. Theoretical lectures and step-by-step tips and tricks video presentations on fURS were used to incorporate the technical background of the procedure to the hands-on-training course and to standardize the operating steps of the procedure. An 8-item survey was administered to the participants upon initiation and at the end of the course. Pre- and post-training scores were similar for each question. All the participants successfully completed the hands-on-training tasks. Mean pre-training duration [3.56 ± 2.0 min (range 1.21-7.46)] was significantly higher than mean post-training duration [1.76 ± 1.54 min (range 1.00-6.34)] (p = 0.008). At the end of the day, the trainers checked the integrity of the collecting system both by endoscopy and by fluoroscopy and could not detect any injury of the upper ureteral wall or pelvicalyceal structures. The functionality of the scopes was also checked, and no scope injury (including a reduction in the deflection capacity) was noted. The fURS simulation training model using soft human cadavers has the unique advantage of perfectly mimicking the living human tissues. This similarity makes this model one of the best if not the perfect simulator for an effective endourologic training.

Old Dog New Tricks: Use of Point-based Crop Models in Grid-based Regional Assessment of Crop Management Technologies Impact on Future Food Security

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koo, J.; Wood, S.; Cenacchi, N.; Fisher, M.; Cox, C.

2012-12-01

HarvestChoice (harvestchoice.org) generates knowledge products to guide strategic investments to improve the productivity and profitability of smallholder farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). A keynote component of the HarvestChoice analytical framework is a grid-based overlay of SSA - a cropping simulation platform powered by process-based, crop models. Calibrated around the best available representation of cropping production systems in SSA, the simulation platform engages the DSSAT Crop Systems Model with the CENTURY Soil Organic Matter model (DSSAT-CENTURY) and provides a virtual experimentation module with which to explore the impact of a range of technological, managerial and environmental metrics on future crop productivity and profitability, as well as input use. For each of 5 (or 30) arc-minute grid cells in SSA, a stack of model input underlies it: datasets that cover soil properties and fertility, historic and future climate scenarios and farmers' management practices; all compiled from analyses of existing global and regional databases and consultations with other CGIAR centers. Running a simulation model is not always straightforward, especially when certain cropping systems or management practices are not even practiced by resource-poor farmers yet (e.g., precision agriculture) or they were never included in the existing simulation framework (e.g., water harvesting). In such cases, we used DSSAT-CENTURY as a function to iteratively estimate relative responses of cropping systems to technology-driven changes in water and nutrient balances compared to zero-adoption by farmers, while adjusting model input parameters to best mimic farmers' implementation of technologies in the field. We then fed the results of the simulation into to the economic and food trade model framework, IMPACT, to assess the potential implications on future food security. The outputs of the overall simulation analyses are packaged as a web-accessible database and published on the web with an interface that allows users to explore the simulation results in each country with user-defined baseline and what-if scenarios. The results are dynamically presented on maps, charts, and tables. This paper discusses the development of the simulation platform and its underlying data layers, a case study that assessed the role of potential crop management technology development, and the development of a web-based application that visualizes the simulation results.

Stull Repeats as Chili Champ | Poster

Cancer.gov

By Ken Michaels, Staff Writer Jim Stull, winner of the ninth annual Protective Services Chili Cookoff in January of last year, proved that he’s no one-trick pony; he brought a brand new recipe to the 2013 event and won again! And he did it decisively. His Black Bean ‘n Pumpkin Chili garnered 107 points; the second place winner netted less than half that with 52. “For me, a

Scripts, Tricks and Capability Theory: Using an Empirical Window into the Logic of Achievement to Illustrate How a Critical Addition to Capability Theory Might Work to Guide Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corrado, Gail

2016-01-01

Capability theory improves our understanding of well being because it takes account of the "conversion" problem: income/wealth/commodities. (IWCs) need to be made effectively available to really increase well being. However, just as IWCs need to be converted into functionings in order to be effective in bringing additional possibilities…

A Neat Trick Using Oxalic Acid Dihydrate and Potassium Permanganate and Other Experiments with Small Organic Amine or Oxygenated Compounds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelland, Malcolm A.

2011-01-01

Solid potassium permanganate (KMnO[subscript 4]) is shown to react in a variety of ways with small organic amines or oxygenated compounds depending on whether they are liquids or solids and whether water is present. In particular, its reaction with solid oxalic acid dihydrate can be initiated by the moisture in one's breath, making an intriguing…

Congressional Control of Navy Budget Execution: Acquisition of the A-6F Aircraft

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-06-01

understandable to Congress, and explaining the rationale may employ tricks of storytelling . Promotional efforts serve the purpose of 64 0 winning...Circumstances That Gain Congressional Empathy The second sub-category of financial manipulation is a tactic that gains understanding for the mutability...defeat at the polls. Similarly, the bid for empathy in coping with uncertainty creates an atmosphere of friendliness, trust and benevolence in which

OSA Trends in Optics and Photonics Series. Volume 13: Ultrafast Electronics and Optoelectronics

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-01-01

David DiGiovanni, Uziel Koren, and Kevin Dreyer Multiwavelength , 10 GHz Picosecond Pulse Generation from a Single-Stripe Semiconductor Traveling...community. The change in slope in the experimental results that led to more rapid progress was due to the invention of an experimental trick which...feed-forward channel equalization for chirped pulse wavelength division multiplexing," Electr. Lett., vol. 33, p. 10-11,(1997). Multiwavelength

Leveraging the Power of High Performance Computing for Next Generation Sequencing Data Analysis: Tricks and Twists from a High Throughput Exome Workflow

PubMed Central

Wonczak, Stephan; Thiele, Holger; Nieroda, Lech; Jabbari, Kamel; Borowski, Stefan; Sinha, Vishal; Gunia, Wilfried; Lang, Ulrich; Achter, Viktor; Nürnberg, Peter

2015-01-01

Next generation sequencing (NGS) has been a great success and is now a standard method of research in the life sciences. With this technology, dozens of whole genomes or hundreds of exomes can be sequenced in rather short time, producing huge amounts of data. Complex bioinformatics analyses are required to turn these data into scientific findings. In order to run these analyses fast, automated workflows implemented on high performance computers are state of the art. While providing sufficient compute power and storage to meet the NGS data challenge, high performance computing (HPC) systems require special care when utilized for high throughput processing. This is especially true if the HPC system is shared by different users. Here, stability, robustness and maintainability are as important for automated workflows as speed and throughput. To achieve all of these aims, dedicated solutions have to be developed. In this paper, we present the tricks and twists that we utilized in the implementation of our exome data processing workflow. It may serve as a guideline for other high throughput data analysis projects using a similar infrastructure. The code implementing our solutions is provided in the supporting information files. PMID:25942438

Intuitive Feelings of Warmth and Confidence in Insight and Noninsight Problem Solving of Magic Tricks.

PubMed

Hedne, Mikael R; Norman, Elisabeth; Metcalfe, Janet

2016-01-01

The focus of the current study is on intuitive feelings of insight during problem solving and the extent to which such feelings are predictive of successful problem solving. We report the results from an experiment (N = 51) that applied a procedure where the to-be-solved problems were 32 short (15 s) video recordings of magic tricks. The procedure included metacognitive ratings similar to the "warmth ratings" previously used by Metcalfe and colleagues, as well as confidence ratings. At regular intervals during problem solving, participants indicated the perceived closeness to the correct solution. Participants also indicated directly whether each problem was solved by insight or not. Problems that people claimed were solved by insight were characterized by higher accuracy and higher confidence than noninsight solutions. There was no difference between the two types of solution in warmth ratings, however. Confidence ratings were more strongly associated with solution accuracy for noninsight than insight trials. Moreover, for insight trials the participants were more likely to repeat their incorrect solutions on a subsequent recognition test. The results have implications for understanding people's metacognitive awareness of the cognitive processes involved in problem solving. They also have general implications for our understanding of how intuition and insight are related.

Intuitive Feelings of Warmth and Confidence in Insight and Noninsight Problem Solving of Magic Tricks

PubMed Central

Hedne, Mikael R.; Norman, Elisabeth; Metcalfe, Janet

2016-01-01

The focus of the current study is on intuitive feelings of insight during problem solving and the extent to which such feelings are predictive of successful problem solving. We report the results from an experiment (N = 51) that applied a procedure where the to-be-solved problems were 32 short (15 s) video recordings of magic tricks. The procedure included metacognitive ratings similar to the “warmth ratings” previously used by Metcalfe and colleagues, as well as confidence ratings. At regular intervals during problem solving, participants indicated the perceived closeness to the correct solution. Participants also indicated directly whether each problem was solved by insight or not. Problems that people claimed were solved by insight were characterized by higher accuracy and higher confidence than noninsight solutions. There was no difference between the two types of solution in warmth ratings, however. Confidence ratings were more strongly associated with solution accuracy for noninsight than insight trials. Moreover, for insight trials the participants were more likely to repeat their incorrect solutions on a subsequent recognition test. The results have implications for understanding people's metacognitive awareness of the cognitive processes involved in problem solving. They also have general implications for our understanding of how intuition and insight are related. PMID:27630598

L1-norm kernel discriminant analysis via Bayes error bound optimization for robust feature extraction.

PubMed

Zheng, Wenming; Lin, Zhouchen; Wang, Haixian

2014-04-01

A novel discriminant analysis criterion is derived in this paper under the theoretical framework of Bayes optimality. In contrast to the conventional Fisher's discriminant criterion, the major novelty of the proposed one is the use of L1 norm rather than L2 norm, which makes it less sensitive to the outliers. With the L1-norm discriminant criterion, we propose a new linear discriminant analysis (L1-LDA) method for linear feature extraction problem. To solve the L1-LDA optimization problem, we propose an efficient iterative algorithm, in which a novel surrogate convex function is introduced such that the optimization problem in each iteration is to simply solve a convex programming problem and a close-form solution is guaranteed to this problem. Moreover, we also generalize the L1-LDA method to deal with the nonlinear robust feature extraction problems via the use of kernel trick, and hereafter proposed the L1-norm kernel discriminant analysis (L1-KDA) method. Extensive experiments on simulated and real data sets are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method in comparing with the state-of-the-art methods.

The influence of image valence on visual attention and perception of risk in drivers.

PubMed

Jones, M P; Chapman, P; Bailey, K

2014-12-01

Currently there is little research into the relationship between emotion and driving in the context of advertising and distraction. Research that has looked into this also has methodological limitations that could be affecting the results rather than emotional processing (Trick et al., 2012). The current study investigated the relationship between image valence and risk perception, eye movements and physiological reactions. Participants watched hazard perception clips which had emotional images from the international affective picture system overlaid onto them. They rated how hazardous or safe they felt, whilst eye movements, galvanic skin response and heart rate were recorded. Results suggested that participants were more aware of potential hazards when a neutral image had been shown, in comparison to positive and negative valenced images; that is, participants showed higher subjective ratings of risk, larger physiological responses and marginally longer fixation durations when viewing a hazard after a neutral image, but this effect was attenuated after emotional images. It appears that emotional images reduce sensitivity to potential hazards, and we suggest that future studies could apply these findings to higher fidelity paradigms such as driving simulators. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modeling the Blast Load Simulator Airblast Environment using First Principles Codes. Report 1, Blast Load Simulator Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-11-01

ER D C/ G SL T R- 16 -3 1 Modeling the Blast Load Simulator Airblast Environment Using First Principles Codes Report 1, Blast Load...Simulator Airblast Environment using First Principles Codes Report 1, Blast Load Simulator Environment Gregory C. Bessette, James L. O’Daniel...evaluate several first principles codes (FPCs) for modeling airblast environments typical of those encountered in the BLS. The FPCs considered were

Thermal properties

Treesearch

Roger M. Rowell

2005-01-01

The traditional question at the start of a class on thermal properties of wood is, “Does wood burn?” The students have all been warmed in front of a wood-burning fire before, so they are sure the answer is yes—but since the professor asked the question, there must be some hidden trick to the obvious answer. Going with their experience, their answer is “yes, wood burns...

USSR Report, International Affairs

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-01-09

sience fiction nightmare about a future occupation of the United States by Soviet communists. Such movie tricks arouse anti-Soviet sentiments and a...New York. We spoke face to face, on narrow and broad topics. Every such meeting left a deep impression. In this delicate woman , with a light step, an...Indian woman . It was as if she personified all of the best qualities that were characteristic of the women of her country. Nehru laid the basis for

Finding the Fortunate Islands and Other Astrolabe Tricks of Early Astronomical Navigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lattis, James

2007-12-01

Explorers of the late 16th and early 17th centuries had at their disposal a very limited set of tools and techniques useful for astronomical navigation. At least one author, Christoph Clavius, saw the traditional planispheric astrolabe as an important adjunct for mapping, navigation, and other tasks useful in an age of exploration. This paper will explain some of the applications Clavius recommends and evaluate some of their important limitations.

The representation of spacetime through steep time functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minguzzi, Ettore

2018-02-01

In a recent work I showed that the family of smooth steep time functions can be used to recover the order, the topology and the (Lorentz-Finsler) distance of spacetime. In this work I present the main ideas entering the proof of the (smooth) distance formula, particularly the product trick which converts metric statements into causal ones. The paper ends with a second proof of the distance formula valid for globally hyperbolic Lorentzian spacetimes.

The use of cylindrical lenses in easy experiments for physics education and the magic arts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bednarek, Stanisław; Krysiak, Jerzy

2011-09-01

The purpose of this article is to present the properties of cylindrical lenses and provide some examples of their use in easy school physics experiments. Such experiments could be successfully conducted in the context of science education, in fun experiments that teach physics and in science fair projects, or used to entertain an audience by staging tricks, effects or illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats.

Safe surgical technique for associated acetabular fractures

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Associated acetabular fractures are challenging injuries to manage. The complex surgical approaches and the technical difficulty in achieving anatomical reduction imply that the learning curve to achieve high-quality care of patients with such challenging injuries is extremely steep. This first article in the Journal’s “Safe Surgical Technique” section presents the standard surgical care, in conjunction with intraoperative tips and tricks, for the safe management of all subgroups of associated acetabular fractures. PMID:23414782

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

Weinstein, Marvin; /SLAC

Last year, in 2008, I gave a talk titled Quantum Calisthenics. This year I am going to tell you about how the work I described then has spun off into a most unlikely direction. What I am going to talk about is how one maps the problem of finding clusters in a given data set into a problem in quantum mechanics. I will then use the tricks I described to let quantum evolution lets the clusters come together on their own.

Coyote & Little Turtle = Iisaw Niqw Yongosonhoya: A Traditional Hopi Tale and Coyote & the Winnowing Birds = Iisaw Niqw Tsaayantotaqam Tsiroot: A Traditional Hopi Tale. Original Language Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sekaquaptewa, Emory, Ed.; Pepper, Barbara, Ed.

Intended to promote the preservation of the Hopi language, two illustrated children's books present traditional Hopi tales in bilingual format. Based on a story told by Herschel Talashoema, "Coyote & Little Turtle" tells how Little Turtle tricked Coyote into carrying him from the hot sand that burned his feet to Little Turtle's home in a spring.…

Fourier analysis of the SOR iteration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leveque, R. J.; Trefethen, L. N.

1986-01-01

The SOR iteration for solving linear systems of equations depends upon an overrelaxation factor omega. It is shown that for the standard model problem of Poisson's equation on a rectangle, the optimal omega and corresponding convergence rate can be rigorously obtained by Fourier analysis. The trick is to tilt the space-time grid so that the SOR stencil becomes symmetrical. The tilted grid also gives insight into the relation between convergence rates of several variants.

Trapped buckyball turns up the amp

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

Hellemans, A.

1997-02-21

Since their discovery in 1985, the soccer-ball shaped molecules of 60 or more carbon atoms known as fullerenes have displayed a dazzling variety of tricks, coaxed by researchers to become superconductors at low temperature, light and carbon ion beam emittors. Two European researchers have added something to this list: they have created an electronic-mechanical amplifier from a single buckyball. This article describes the circumstances of the discovery and future directions of the research.

Teaching old spacecraft new tricks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farquhar, Robert; Dunham, David

1988-01-01

The technique of sending existing space probes on extended mission by altering their orbital paths with gravity-assist maneuvers and relatively brief rocket firings is examined. The use of the technique to convert the International Sun-Earth Explorer 3 mission into the International Cometary Explorer mission is discussed. Other examples are considered, including the extension of the Giotto mission and the retargeting of the Sakigake spacecraft. The original and altered trajectories of these three missions are illustrated.

Hazing in the U.S. Armed Forces: Recommendations for Hazing Prevention Policy and Practice

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-01-01

playing abusive tricks; threatening or oering violence or bodily harm to another; striking; branding; tattooing; shav- ing; greasing; painting...or bodily harm to another; striking; branding; tattooing; shav- ing; greasing; painting; “pinning,” “tacking on,” “blood wings”; or forcing or...particular issue for hazing denitions that address psychological, mental, or emotional harm. Specically, as one of the most thorough previous reviews of

a New Ubiquitous-Based Indoor Positioning System with Minimum Extra Hardware Using Smart Phones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassany Pazoky, S.; Chehreghan, A.; Sadeghi Niaraki, A.; Abbaspour, R. Ali

2014-10-01

Knowing the position has been an ambition in many areas such as science, military, business, etc. GPS was the realization of this wish in 1970s. Technological advances such as ubiquitous computing, as a conquering perspective, requires any service to work for any user, any place, anytime, and via any network. As GPS cannot provide services in indoor environments, many scientists began to develop indoor positioning systems (IPS). Smart phones penetrating our everyday lives were a great platform to host IPS applications. Sensors in smart phones were another big motive to develop IPS applications. Many researchers have been working on the topic developing various applications. However, the applications introduced lack simplicity. In other words, they need to install a step counter or smart phone on the ankle, which makes it awkward and inapplicable in many situations. In the current study, a new IPS methodology is introduced using only the usual embedded sensors in the smart phones. The robustness of this methodology cannot compete with those of the aforementioned approaches. The price paid for simplicity was decreasing robustness and complicating the methods and formulations. However, methods or tricks to harness the errors to an acceptable range are introduced as the future works.

Promise and deceit: pharmakos, drug replacement therapy, and the perils of experience.

PubMed

Meyers, Todd

2014-06-01

The problem of lying as a feature of medication compliance has been well documented in anthropological and clinical literatures. Yet the role of the lie-its destabilizing effects on the continuity of drug treatment and therapy, as a technology of drug misuse, or as a way to understand the neuro-chemical processes of treatment (pharmacotherapy "tricking" or lying to the brain)-has been less considered, particularly in the context of opioid replacement therapy. The following paper is set against the backdrop of a three-year study of adolescents receiving a relatively new drug (buprenorphine) for the treatment of opiate dependency inside and outside of highly monitored treatment environments in the United States. Lies give order not only to the experience of addiction but also to the experience of therapy as well. In order to better understand this ordering of experience, the paper puts the widely discussed conceptual duality of the pharmakon (healing and poison) in conversation with a perilously overlooked subject in the critical study of pharmacotherapy, namely the pharmakos or the personification of sacrifice. The paper demonstrates how the patient-subject comes to represent therapeutic promise by allowing for the possibility of (and often performing) deceit.

The use of virtual reality to reimagine two-dimensional representations of three-dimensional spaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fath, Elaine

2015-03-01

A familiar realm in the world of two-dimensional art is the craft of taking a flat canvas and creating, through color, size, and perspective, the illusion of a three-dimensional space. Using well-explored tricks of logic and sight, impossible landscapes such as those by surrealists de Chirico or Salvador Dalí seem to be windows into new and incredible spaces which appear to be simultaneously feasible and utterly nonsensical. As real-time 3D imaging becomes increasingly prevalent as an artistic medium, this process takes on an additional layer of depth: no longer is two-dimensional space restricted to strategies of light, color, line and geometry to create the impression of a three-dimensional space. A digital interactive environment is a space laid out in three dimensions, allowing the user to explore impossible environments in a way that feels very real. In this project, surrealist two-dimensional art was researched and reimagined: what would stepping into a de Chirico or a Magritte look and feel like, if the depth and distance created by light and geometry were not simply single-perspective illusions, but fully formed and explorable spaces? 3D environment-building software is allowing us to step into these impossible spaces in ways that 2D representations leave us yearning for. This art project explores what we gain--and what gets left behind--when these impossible spaces become doors, rather than windows. Using sketching, Maya 3D rendering software, and the Unity Engine, surrealist art was reimagined as a fully navigable real-time digital environment. The surrealist movement and its key artists were researched for their use of color, geometry, texture, and space and how these elements contributed to their work as a whole, which often conveys feelings of unexpectedness or uneasiness. The end goal was to preserve these feelings while allowing the viewer to actively engage with the space.

[Approach to syncope in the elderly].

PubMed

Erdoğan, Okan

2017-09-01

Elderly syncope currently accounts a substantial number of emergency admissions. Unfortunately, in elderly syncope we are faced with major difficulties while providing diagnostic and therapeutic decisions. It is quite necessary to distinguish between syncope and non-syncopal causes which create further difficulties during diagnostic work-up because of co-morbid conditions and poly-pharmacy used by the elderly. The present article aims to describe causes of elderly syncope and its differential diagnosis as well as tips and tricks during diagnostic process.

Chemical energy storage: Part of a systemic solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlögl, Robert

2017-07-01

This paper is a primer into concepts and opportunities of chemical energy storage. Starting from the quest for decarbonisation we reveal the possibilities of chemical energy storage. We briefly discuss the critical role of catalysis as enabling technology. We concentrate on options of large-scale production of chemicals from CO2 and green hydrogen. We discuss one potential application of fueling future combustion engines that could run with minimal regulated emissions without exhaust purifications and legal tricks.

Department of Defense Energy Strategy: Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-04-01

extensively by terrorists outside and within the United States. Rebels have targeted one oil pipeline in Colombia over 600 times since 1995. In 1996 ...fourth look at re-engining the B-52H fleet since 1996 . The first three Air Force studies concluded re-engining was not economically justifiable... Peterson , to AMC OG/CCs, memorandum. 12 James, Bullet Background Paper on Hawaii ANG. 13 Muellner, USAF Energy Forum. KC-135 Fact Sheet, http

A gathering for Gardner

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crease, Robert P.

2008-07-01

Martin Gardner, who turns 94 this autumn, seems to have pulled off an astounding trick. Every other year hundreds of people gather to honour Gardner, who is the author of over 70 books and wrote the popular "Mathematical Games" column that appeared in Scientific American for a quarter of a century from 1956. What is astonishing is that the people come from a bewildering variety of professions and include jugglers, magicians, artists, puzzle-makers, logicians, computer scientists, pseudoscience debunkers and mathematicians.

Wherever I may roam: protein and membrane trafficking in P. falciparum-infected red blood cells.

PubMed

Deponte, Marcel; Hoppe, Heinrich C; Lee, Marcus C S; Maier, Alexander G; Richard, Dave; Rug, Melanie; Spielmann, Tobias; Przyborski, Jude M

2012-12-01

Quite aside from its immense importance as a human pathogen, studies in recent years have brought to light the fact that the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is an interesting eukaryotic model system to study protein trafficking. Studying parasite cell biology often reveals an overrepresentation of atypical cell biological features, possibly driven by the parasites' need to survive in an unusual biological niche. Malaria parasites possess uncommon cellular compartments to which protein traffic must be directed, including secretory organelles such as rhoptries and micronemes, a lysosome-like compartment referred to as the digestive vacuole and a complex (four membrane-bound) plastid, the apicoplast. In addition, the parasite must provide proteins to extracellular compartments and structures including the parasitophorous vacuole, the parasitophorous vacuolar membrane, the Maurer's clefts and both cytosol and plasma membrane of the host cell, the mature human red blood cell. Although some of these unusual destinations are possessed by other cell types, only Plasmodium parasites contain them all within one cell. Here we review what is known about protein and membrane transport in the P. falciparum-infected cell, highlighting novel features of these processes. A growing body of evidence suggests that this parasite is a real "box of tricks" with regards to protein traffic. Possibly, these tricks may be turned against the parasite by exploiting them as novel therapeutic targets. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dipping Your Toes into Evaluation in Five Easy Steps: Tips, Tricks, and Lessons Learned

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, A. M.

2013-04-01

With limited funding, staffing, and resources for STEM education projects, the push for rigorous evaluation of our efforts offers up significant challenges, but opportunities as well. Evaluative thinking can enrich and improve the entire life cycle of an education, communication, or outreach project, and can take many forms other than a final, summative evaluation report. The community of attendees at the Astronomical Society of the Pacific will share an abundance of evaluation expertise, approaches, and results, but where does one turn if evaluation is a new concept or responsibility? This session will briefly highlight five tips, tricks, and lessons learned from the perspective of a novice and from a NASA project new to evaluation. The resources and ideas shared in the session will represent the concrete advice and driving ideas that put the author on firmer evaluative footing. Themes explored will include: (1) strategies for incorporating evaluative thinking early in the development of a project and throughout its life cycle; (2) the benefit of taking the time to elucidate a program's logic model of theory of action; (3) linking program activities to outcomes that are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely); (4) working with an external or internal evaluator; and (5) taking evaluation beyond the formal, final report. Finally, we'll close with resources to help individuals and their organizations learn more about evaluation and build their evaluation capacity.

Curiosity and exploratory behaviour towards possible and impossible events in children and adults.

PubMed

Subbotsky, Eugene

2010-08-01

In four experiments with 4-, 6-, and 9-year-old children and adults, the hypothesis was tested that, all other conditions being equal, a novel and unusual event elicits stronger curiosity and exploratory behaviour if its suggested explanation involves an element of the supernatural than if it does not (the impossible over possible effect - the I/P effect). Participants were shown an unusual phenomenon (a spontaneous disintegration of a physical object in an apparently empty box) framed in the context of either a magical (the impossible event) or scientific (the possible event) explanation. In the verbal trial, participants showed a clear understanding of the difference between the effect of genuine magic and the effect of a trick. In the behavioural trial, both children and adults showed the I/P effect. They were more likely to run the risk of losing their valuable objects in order to explore the impossible event than the possible event. Follow-up experiments showed that the I/P effect couldn't be explained as an artifact of the different degrees of cost of exploratory behaviour in the possible and impossible conditions or as a result of misinterpreting magic as tricks. The I/P effect emerged when the cost of exploratory behaviour was moderate and disappeared when the cost was perceived as too high or too low.

The simulated clinical environment: Cognitive and emotional impact among undergraduates.

PubMed

Tremblay, Marie-Laurence; Lafleur, Alexandre; Leppink, Jimmie; Dolmans, Diana H J M

2017-02-01

Simulated clinical immersion (SCI) is used in undergraduate healthcare programs to expose the learner to real-life situations in authentic simulated clinical environments. For novices, the environment in which the simulation occurs can be distracting and stressful, hence potentially compromising learning. This study aims to determine whether SCI (with environment) imposes greater extraneous cognitive load and stress on undergraduate pharmacy students than simulated patients (SP) (without environment). It also aims to explore how features of the simulated environment influence students' perception of learning. In this mixed-methods study, 143 undergraduate pharmacy students experienced both SCI and SP in a crossover design. After the simulations, participants rated their cognitive load and emotions. Thirty-five students met in focus groups to explore their perception of learning in simulation. Intrinsic and extraneous cognitive load and stress scores in SCI were significantly but modestly higher compared to SP. Qualitative findings reveal that the physical environment in SCI generated more stress and affected students? focus. In SP, students concentrated on clinical reasoning. SCI stimulated a focus on data collection but impeded in-depth problem solving processes. The physical environment in simulation influences what and how students learn. SCI was reported as more cognitively demanding than SP. Our findings emphasize the need for the development of adapted instructional design guidelines in simulation for novices.

Integrated Clinical Training for Space Flight Using a High-Fidelity Patient Simulator in a Simulated Microgravity Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hurst, Victor; Doerr, Harold K.; Polk, J. D.; Schmid, Josef; Parazynksi, Scott; Kelly, Scott

2007-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the use of telemedicine in a simulated microgravity environment using a patient simulator. For decades, telemedicine techniques have been used in terrestrial environments by many cohorts with varied clinical experience. The success of these techniques has been recently expanded to include microgravity environments aboard the International Space Station (ISS). In order to investigate how an astronaut crew medical officer will execute medical tasks in a microgravity environment, while being remotely guided by a flight surgeon, the Medical Operation Support Team (MOST) used the simulated microgravity environment provided aboard DC-9 aircraft teams of crew medical officers, and remote flight surgeons performed several tasks on a patient simulator.

An intelligent processing environment for real-time simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carroll, Chester C.; Wells, Buren Earl, Jr.

1988-01-01

The development of a highly efficient and thus truly intelligent processing environment for real-time general purpose simulation of continuous systems is described. Such an environment can be created by mapping the simulation process directly onto the University of Alamba's OPERA architecture. To facilitate this effort, the field of continuous simulation is explored, highlighting areas in which efficiency can be improved. Areas in which parallel processing can be applied are also identified, and several general OPERA type hardware configurations that support improved simulation are investigated. Three direct execution parallel processing environments are introduced, each of which greatly improves efficiency by exploiting distinct areas of the simulation process. These suggested environments are candidate architectures around which a highly intelligent real-time simulation configuration can be developed.

Excel for Cost Engineers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Butts, Glenn C.

2007-01-01

Excel is a powerful tool with a plethora of largely unused capabilities that can make the life of an engineer cognizant of them a great deal easier. This paper offers tips, tricks and techniques for better worksheets. Including the use of data validation, conditional formatting, subtotals, text formulas, custom functions and much more. It is assumed that the reader will have a cursory understanding of Excel so the basics will not be covered, if you get hung up try Excel's built in help menus, or a good book.

The Role of Polycomb Group Gene Bmi-1 in the Development of Prostate Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

new tricks. Cell Div. 2006 Jul 24;1:15. 17. Fu M, Wang C, Li Z, Sakamaki T, Pestell RG. Minireview: Cyclin D1: normal and abnormal functions... Pestell RG. Signal transduction mediated by cyclin D1: from mitogens to cell proliferation: a molecular target with therapeutic potential. Cancer...Datar 22 R, Cote R, Pestell R, Albanese C. ErbB-2 induces the cyclin D1 gene in prostate epithelial cells in vitro and in vivo. Cancer Res. 2007

Teaching in the Age of Electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Impey, C. D.

2002-12-01

Technology opens up a bewildering array of opportunities and options for faculty teaching courses to large groups of non-science majors. The trick is in understanding which modes of instruction increase the engagement and learning of students. Among the tools that show good potential for advancing learning in introductory astronomy classes are virtual worlds, exercises that use real astronomy data sets, expert systems, and content accessible by phone. Some of the capabilities of a new web site to assist astronomy instructors, www.astronomica.org, will be demonstrated.

MsLDR-creator: a web service to design msLDR assays.

PubMed

Bormann, Felix; Dahl, Andreas; Sers, Christine

2012-03-01

MsLDR-creator is a free web service to design assays for the new DNA methylation detection method msLDR. The service provides the user with all necessary information about the oligonucleotides required for the measurement of a given CpG within a sequence of interest. The parameters are calculated by the nearest neighbour approach to achieve optimal behaviour during the experimental procedure. In addition, to guarantee a good start using msLDR, further information, like protocols and hints and tricks, are provided.

Percutaneous Pulmonary Embolism Thrombectomy and Thrombolysis: Technical Tips and Tricks.

PubMed

Devcic, Zlatko; Kuo, William T

2018-06-01

Catheter-directed therapy (CDT) is now acknowledged as a treatment option for select patients with acute massive or submassive pulmonary embolism (PE), and more patients are being considered for CDT if there is available expertise. Therefore, interventionalists should be aware of the variety of catheter-based treatment options, specific pitfalls to avoid during therapy, and the appropriate treatment endpoints. This article reviews currently available techniques and protocols for treating acute massive and submassive PE, with tips to safely and successfully perform percutaneous PE interventions.

Glass Transition Temperature Measurement for Undercured Cyanate Ester Networks: Challenges, Tips, and Tricks (Briefing Charts)

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-01-29

DISTRIBUTION A: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Thermosetting Polymers Have a TG Envelope – Not Just a TG 4 • The glass transition...glass transition temperature of a thermosetting polymer can vary over a wide range of temperatures depending on how the polymer is processed • A... thermosetting polymer with only one kind of network formation and negligible side reactions, the conversion may be determined at every point in the scan. • By

Strange Bedfellows: Quantum Mechanics and Data Mining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weinstein, Marvin

2010-02-01

Last year, in 2008, I gave a talk titled Quantum Calisthenics. This year I am going to tell you about how the work I described then has spun off into a most unlikely direction. What I am going to talk about is how one maps the problem of finding clusters in a given data set into a problem in quantum mechanics. I will then use the tricks I described to let quantum evolution lets the clusters come together on their own.

Automated video surveillance: teaching an old dog new tricks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McLeod, Alastair

1993-12-01

The automated video surveillance market is booming with new players, new systems, new hardware and software, and an extended range of applications. This paper reviews available technology, and describes the features required for a good automated surveillance system. Both hardware and software are discussed. An overview of typical applications is also given. A shift towards PC-based hybrid systems, use of parallel processing, neural networks, and exploitation of modern telecomms are introduced, highlighting the evolution modern video surveillance systems.

Where Are the Asteroids? The Design of ASTPT and ASTID.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-04-15

obliquity A = nutation in longitude = obliquity of ecliptic , of date e 0 obliquity of ecliptic , 1950.0 0O eutra rcsin uniy e q 1c 6 equatorial precession...need an additional rotation by the obliquity of the ecliptic , r- = R1(-Eo)o; Eo = 23*26󈧰蠔 (6) There is a very old trick in astronomy to simplify...execution speed. This is accomplished by using an approximate geocentric ecliptic position to eliminate, as quickly (in terms of CPU time) as possible

Making Sense in the Edge of Chaos: A Framework for Effective Initial Response Efforts to Large-Scale Incidents

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

working with equally experienced partners who can, cumulatively, help each other make sense of chaotic situations. “Human brains collect, organize...but a process reinforced by years of Fire Department training. No matter what we do, even an optimally functioning human brain will prepare for...trick or reorganize the brain of those who will be first responding incident commanders to an edge-of-chaos event into creatively making sense of

Department of Defense Energy Strategy. Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks (Walker Paper, Number 10)

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

outside and within the United States. Rebels have targeted one oil pipeline in Colombia more than 600 times since 1995. In 1996 , London police...ing the USAF B-52H fleet. This study was the fourth look at reengining the B-52H fleet since 1996 . The first three Air Force studies concluded...16. 10. Clary, Air Force Aviations Operations. 11. Peterson to AMC OG/CCs, memorandum. 12. James, Bullet Background Paper on Hawaii ANG. 13

Cybersickness and Anxiety During Simulated Motion: Implications for VRET.

PubMed

Bruck, Susan; Watters, Paul

2009-01-01

Some clinicians have suggested using virtual reality environments to deliver psychological interventions to treat anxiety disorders. However, given a significant body of work on cybersickness symptoms which may arise in virtual environments - especially those involving simulated motion - we tested (a) whether being exposed to a virtual reality environment alone causes anxiety to increase, and (b) whether exposure to simulated motion in a virtual reality environment increases anxiety. Using a repeated measures design, we used Kim's Anxiety Scale questionnaire to compare baseline anxiety, anxiety after virtual environment exposure, and anxiety after simulated motion. While there was no significant effect on anxiety for being in a virtual environment with no simulated motion, the introduction of simulated motion caused anxiety to significantly increase, but not to a severe or extreme level. The implications of this work for virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) are discussed.

A Comparison of Students' Conceptual Understanding of Electric Circuits in Simulation Only and Simulation-Laboratory Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaakkola, Tomi; Nurmi, Sami; Veermans, Koen

2011-01-01

The aim of this experimental study was to compare learning outcomes of students using a simulation alone (simulation environment) with outcomes of those using a simulation in parallel with real circuits (combination environment) in the domain of electricity, and to explore how learning outcomes in these environments are mediated by implicit (only…

Full immersion simulation: validation of a distributed simulation environment for technical and non-technical skills training in Urology.

PubMed

Brewin, James; Tang, Jessica; Dasgupta, Prokar; Khan, Muhammad S; Ahmed, Kamran; Bello, Fernando; Kneebone, Roger; Jaye, Peter

2015-07-01

To evaluate the face, content and construct validity of the distributed simulation (DS) environment for technical and non-technical skills training in endourology. To evaluate the educational impact of DS for urology training. DS offers a portable, low-cost simulated operating room environment that can be set up in any open space. A prospective mixed methods design using established validation methodology was conducted in this simulated environment with 10 experienced and 10 trainee urologists. All participants performed a simulated prostate resection in the DS environment. Outcome measures included surveys to evaluate the DS, as well as comparative analyses of experienced and trainee urologist's performance using real-time and 'blinded' video analysis and validated performance metrics. Non-parametric statistical methods were used to compare differences between groups. The DS environment demonstrated face, content and construct validity for both non-technical and technical skills. Kirkpatrick level 1 evidence for the educational impact of the DS environment was shown. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effect of simulated operating room training on real operating room performance. This study has shown the validity of the DS environment for non-technical, as well as technical skills training. DS-based simulation appears to be a valuable addition to traditional classroom-based simulation training. © 2014 The Authors BJU International © 2014 BJU International Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Approximate Bayesian Computation Using Markov Chain Monte Carlo Simulation: Theory, Concepts, and Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadegh, M.; Vrugt, J. A.

2013-12-01

The ever increasing pace of computational power, along with continued advances in measurement technologies and improvements in process understanding has stimulated the development of increasingly complex hydrologic models that simulate soil moisture flow, groundwater recharge, surface runoff, root water uptake, and river discharge at increasingly finer spatial and temporal scales. Reconciling these system models with field and remote sensing data is a difficult task, particularly because average measures of model/data similarity inherently lack the power to provide a meaningful comparative evaluation of the consistency in model form and function. The very construction of the likelihood function - as a summary variable of the (usually averaged) properties of the error residuals - dilutes and mixes the available information into an index having little remaining correspondence to specific behaviors of the system (Gupta et al., 2008). The quest for a more powerful method for model evaluation has inspired Vrugt and Sadegh [2013] to introduce "likelihood-free" inference as vehicle for diagnostic model evaluation. This class of methods is also referred to as Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) and relaxes the need for an explicit likelihood function in favor of one or multiple different summary statistics rooted in hydrologic theory that together have a much stronger and compelling diagnostic power than some aggregated measure of the size of the error residuals. Here, we will introduce an efficient ABC sampling method that is orders of magnitude faster in exploring the posterior parameter distribution than commonly used rejection and Population Monte Carlo (PMC) samplers. Our methodology uses Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulation with DREAM, and takes advantage of a simple computational trick to resolve discontinuity problems with the application of set-theoretic summary statistics. We will also demonstrate a set of summary statistics that are rather insensitive to errors in the forcing data. This enhances prospects of detecting model structural deficiencies.

Optimizing Support Vector Machine Parameters with Genetic Algorithm for Credit Risk Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manurung, Jonson; Mawengkang, Herman; Zamzami, Elviawaty

2017-12-01

Support vector machine (SVM) is a popular classification method known to have strong generalization capabilities. SVM can solve the problem of classification and linear regression or nonlinear kernel which can be a learning algorithm for the ability of classification and regression. However, SVM also has a weakness that is difficult to determine the optimal parameter value. SVM calculates the best linear separator on the input feature space according to the training data. To classify data which are non-linearly separable, SVM uses kernel tricks to transform the data into a linearly separable data on a higher dimension feature space. The kernel trick using various kinds of kernel functions, such as : linear kernel, polynomial, radial base function (RBF) and sigmoid. Each function has parameters which affect the accuracy of SVM classification. To solve the problem genetic algorithms are proposed to be applied as the optimal parameter value search algorithm thus increasing the best classification accuracy on SVM. Data taken from UCI repository of machine learning database: Australian Credit Approval. The results show that the combination of SVM and genetic algorithms is effective in improving classification accuracy. Genetic algorithms has been shown to be effective in systematically finding optimal kernel parameters for SVM, instead of randomly selected kernel parameters. The best accuracy for data has been upgraded from kernel Linear: 85.12%, polynomial: 81.76%, RBF: 77.22% Sigmoid: 78.70%. However, for bigger data sizes, this method is not practical because it takes a lot of time.

Tricks, tips, and literature review on the adapted vaporize system to deliver volatile agents during cardiopulmonary bypass

PubMed Central

Nigro Neto, Caetano; De Simone, Francesco; Cassarà, Luigi; Dos Santos Silva, Carlos Gustavo; Maranhão Cardoso, Thiago Augusto Almeida; Carcò, Francesco; Zangrillo, Alberto; Landoni, Giovanni

2016-01-01

Background: Recently, evidence of cardio-protection and reduction in mortality due to the use of volatile agents during cardiac surgery led to an increase in their use during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). These findings seem to be enhanced when the volatile agents are used during all the surgical procedure, including the CPB period. Aims: Since the administration of volatile agents through CPB can be beneficial to the patients, we decided to review the use of volatile agents vaporized in the CPB circuit and to summarize some tricks and tips of this technique using our 10-year experience of Brazilian and Italian centers with a large volume of cardiac surgeries. Study Setting: Hospital. Methods: A literature review. Results: During the use of the volatile agents in CPB, it is very important to analyze all gases that come in and go out of the membrane oxygenators. The proper monitoring of inhaled and exhaled fraction of the gas allows not only monitoring of anesthesia level, but also the detection of possible leakage in the circuit. Any volatile agent in the membrane oxygenator is supposed to pollute the operating theater. This is the major reason why proper scavenging systems are always necessary when this technique is used. Conclusion: While waiting for industry upgrades, we recommend that volatile agents should be used during CPB only by skilled perfusionists and physicians with the aim to reduce postoperative morbidity and mortality. PMID:27052063

No need to fake it: reproduction of the Asch experiment without confederates.

PubMed

Mori, Kazuo; Arai, Miho

2010-10-01

In the present experiment, we replicated Asch's seminal study on social conformity without using confederates. We adapted a presentation trick in order to present two different stimuli secretly to groups of participants to create minorities and majorities without utilizing confederates. One hundred and four Japanese undergraduates (40 men and 64 women) carried out Asch-equivalent tasks in same-sex groups of four. In each group, we adapted the fMORI Technique to present the tasks such that one person (minority participant) observed different stimuli than the other three people (majority participants). The same nine stimulus sets that Asch had used were carefully reproduced as PowerPoint slides and projected onto a half-transparent screen. As for the critical tasks, the top part of the standard lines appeared in either green or magenta so that two groups of participants would see them differently when they wore two types of polarizing sunglasses that filtered either green or magenta to make the lines appear longer or shorter. A post-experimental questionnaire confirmed that no participant among either the minority or majority viewers noticed the presentation trick. The results showed that, in line with Asch's basic findings, the minority women participants conformed to the majority. However, our study produced two different results: While minority women conformed, minority men did not. Contrary to Asch's findings, the frequency of conformity of minority participants was almost the same regardless of whether the majority answered unanimously or not.

A comparison of the accuracy of intraoral scanners using an intraoral environment simulator.

PubMed

Park, Hye-Nan; Lim, Young-Jun; Yi, Won-Jin; Han, Jung-Suk; Lee, Seung-Pyo

2018-02-01

The aim of this study was to design an intraoral environment simulator and to assess the accuracy of two intraoral scanners using the simulator. A box-shaped intraoral environment simulator was designed to simulate two specific intraoral environments. The cast was scanned 10 times by Identica Blue (MEDIT, Seoul, South Korea), TRIOS (3Shape, Copenhagen, Denmark), and CS3500 (Carestream Dental, Georgia, USA) scanners in the two simulated groups. The distances between the left and right canines (D3), first molars (D6), second molars (D7), and the left canine and left second molar (D37) were measured. The distance data were analyzed by the Kruskal-Wallis test. The differences in intraoral environments were not statistically significant ( P >.05). Between intraoral scanners, statistically significant differences ( P <.05) were revealed by the Kruskal-Wallis test with regard to D3 and D6. No difference due to the intraoral environment was revealed. The simulator will contribute to the higher accuracy of intraoral scanners in the future.

Visualization of Uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, P. W.; Strelitz, R. A.

2012-12-01

The output of a simulation is best comprehended through the agency and methods of visualization, but a vital component of good science is knowledge of uncertainty. While great strides have been made in the quantification of uncertainty, especially in simulation, there is still a notable gap: there is no widely accepted means of simultaneously viewing the data and the associated uncertainty in one pane. Visualization saturates the screen, using the full range of color, shadow, opacity and tricks of perspective to display even a single variable. There is no room in the visualization expert's repertoire left for uncertainty. We present a method of visualizing uncertainty without sacrificing the clarity and power of the underlying visualization that works as well in 3-D and time-varying visualizations as it does in 2-D. At its heart, it relies on a principal tenet of continuum mechanics, replacing the notion of value at a point with a more diffuse notion of density as a measure of content in a region. First, the uncertainties calculated or tabulated at each point are transformed into a piecewise continuous field of uncertainty density . We next compute a weighted Voronoi tessellation of a user specified N convex polygonal/polyhedral cells such that each cell contains the same amount of uncertainty as defined by . The problem thus devolves into minimizing . Computation of such a spatial decomposition is O(N*N ), and can be computed iteratively making it possible to update easily over time as well as faster. The polygonal mesh does not interfere with the visualization of the data and can be easily toggled on or off. In this representation, a small cell implies a great concentration of uncertainty, and conversely. The content weighted polygons are identical to the cartogram familiar to the information visualization community in the depiction of things voting results per stat. Furthermore, one can dispense with the mesh or edges entirely to be replaced by symbols or glyphs at the generating points (effectively the center of the polygon). This methodology readily admits to rigorous statistical analysis using standard components found in R and thus entirely compatible with the visualization package we use (Visit and/or ParaView), the language we use (Python) and the UVCDAT environment that provides the programmer and analyst workbench. We will demonstrate the power and effectiveness of this methodology in climate studies. We will further argue that our method of defining (or predicting) values in a region has many advantages over the traditional visualization notion of value at a point.

The Simultaneous Production Model; A Model for the Construction, Testing, Implementation and Revision of Educational Computer Simulation Environments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zillesen, Pieter G. van Schaick

This paper introduces a hardware and software independent model for producing educational computer simulation environments. The model, which is based on the results of 32 studies of educational computer simulations program production, implies that educational computer simulation environments are specified, constructed, tested, implemented, and…

[The heart and aerobatics].

PubMed

Perrier, E; Leduc, P A; Manen, O; Lerecouvreux, M; Deroche, J; Paris, J F; Doireau, Ph; Quiniou, G; Geffroy, S; Carlioz, R

2005-01-01

Aerobatics is an aerial sport which has many physiological constraints, principally cardiovascular, with a risk if not adapted of sudden mid-air incapacity which could jeopardise aviation safety, and thus justifies the selection and surveillance of pilots. The aeronautical constraints during flight are multiple, related to the environment traversed, how the aircraft functions and its movements. Those which cause accelerations (+G in particular) pose the problem of haemodynamic tolerance because they can induce loss of consciousness due to cerebral hypoxia. Tolerance of acceleration varies among individuals; it can be improved with training, certain protective manoeuvres, and is reduced by hypoxia, certain medications, dehydration and heat. Moreover, in aerobatics certain tricks require manoeuvres which reduce this tolerance to +G accelerations. This is the "push-pull" effect (_G acceleration immediately followed by +G acceleration). This leads to a risk of sudden loss of consciousness with a load factor much lower than that which the pilot knows he is capable of tolerating. Besides the haemodynamic effects, the existence of an actual acceleration cardiomyopathy has been suggested but has not been proven in man. Finally, while changes in cardiac rhythm during accelerations are usual and relate to changes in vaso-sympathetic balance, ventricular and supra-ventricular rhythm disturbances are rare and are related to the intensity and duration of the acceleration.

Using the Chebychev expansion in quantum transport calculations

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

Popescu, Bogdan; Rahman, Hasan; Kleinekathöfer, Ulrich, E-mail: u.kleinekathoefer@jacobs-university.de

2015-04-21

Irradiation by laser pulses and a fluctuating surrounding liquid environment can, for example, lead to time-dependent effects in the transport through molecular junctions. From the theoretical point of view, time-dependent theories of quantum transport are still challenging. In one of these existing transport theories, the energy-dependent coupling between molecule and leads is decomposed into Lorentzian functions. This trick has successfully been combined with quantum master approaches, hierarchical formalisms, and non-equilibrium Green’s functions. The drawback of this approach is, however, its serious limitation to certain forms of the molecule-lead coupling and to higher temperatures. Tian and Chen [J. Chem. Phys. 137,more » 204114 (2012)] recently employed a Chebychev expansion to circumvent some of these latter problems. Here, we report on a similar approach also based on the Chebychev expansion but leading to a different set of coupled differential equations using the fact that a derivative of a zeroth-order Bessel function can again be given in terms of Bessel functions. Test calculations show the excellent numerical accuracy and stability of the presented formalism. The time span for which this Chebychev expansion scheme is valid without any restrictions on the form of the spectral density or temperature can be determined a priori.« less

Comparative Study of the Effectiveness of Three Learning Environments: Hyper-Realistic Virtual Simulations, Traditional Schematic Simulations and Traditional Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martinez, Guadalupe; Naranjo, Francisco L.; Perez, Angel L.; Suero, Maria Isabel; Pardo, Pedro J.

2011-01-01

This study compared the educational effects of computer simulations developed in a hyper-realistic virtual environment with the educational effects of either traditional schematic simulations or a traditional optics laboratory. The virtual environment was constructed on the basis of Java applets complemented with a photorealistic visual output.…

The Development and Evaluation of a Computer-Simulated Science Inquiry Environment Using Gamified Elements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, Fu-Hsing

2018-01-01

This study developed a computer-simulated science inquiry environment, called the Science Detective Squad, to engage students in investigating an electricity problem that may happen in daily life. The environment combined the simulation of scientific instruments and a virtual environment, including gamified elements, such as points and a story for…

Simulation fails to replicate stress in trainees performing a technical procedure in the clinical environment.

PubMed

Baker, B G; Bhalla, A; Doleman, B; Yarnold, E; Simons, S; Lund, J N; Williams, J P

2017-01-01

Simulation-based training (SBT) has become an increasingly important method by which doctors learn. Stress has an impact upon learning, performance, technical, and non-technical skills. However, there are currently no studies that compare stress in the clinical and simulated environment. We aimed to compare objective (heart rate variability, HRV) and subjective (state trait anxiety inventory, STAI) measures of stress theatre with a simulated environment. HRV recordings were obtained from eight anesthetic trainees performing an uncomplicated rapid sequence induction at pre-determined procedural steps using a wireless Polar RS800CX monitor © in an emergency theatre setting. This was repeated in the simulated environment. Participants completed an STAI before and after the procedure. Eight trainees completed the study. The theatre environment caused an increase in objective stress vs baseline (p = .004). There was no significant difference between average objective stress levels across all time points (p = .20) between environments. However, there was a significant interaction between the variables of objective stress and environment (p = .045). There was no significant difference in subjective stress (p = .27) between environments. Simulation was unable to accurately replicate the stress of the technical procedure. This is the first study that compares the stress during SBT with the theatre environment and has implications for the assessment of simulated environments for use in examinations, rating of technical and non-technical skills, and stress management training.

Development of an Interactive Augmented Environment and Its Application to Autonomous Learning for Quadruped Robots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kobayashi, Hayato; Osaki, Tsugutoyo; Okuyama, Tetsuro; Gramm, Joshua; Ishino, Akira; Shinohara, Ayumi

This paper describes an interactive experimental environment for autonomous soccer robots, which is a soccer field augmented by utilizing camera input and projector output. This environment, in a sense, plays an intermediate role between simulated environments and real environments. We can simulate some parts of real environments, e.g., real objects such as robots or a ball, and reflect simulated data into the real environments, e.g., to visualize the positions on the field, so as to create a situation that allows easy debugging of robot programs. The significant point compared with analogous work is that virtual objects are touchable in this system owing to projectors. We also show the portable version of our system that does not require ceiling cameras. As an application in the augmented environment, we address the learning of goalie strategies on real quadruped robots in penalty kicks. We make our robots utilize virtual balls in order to perform only quadruped locomotion in real environments, which is quite difficult to simulate accurately. Our robots autonomously learn and acquire more beneficial strategies without human intervention in our augmented environment than those in a fully simulated environment.

Department of the Navy Supporting Data for Fiscal Year 1984 Budget Estimates Descriptive Summaries Submitted to Congress January 1983. Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Navy. Book 2. Tactical Programs

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-01-01

SUMMARY: (ollars in Thouesands) The changes between the funding profile shown in the FY 1983 Descriptive Summary and that shown in this De ,,criptive...System (ONAV Report Symbol 3960-12 b. I April 1982 MOSC Test Report Joint Tactical Information Distribution System Phase II (Distributed Time De -ision...Vehicle Tricked (LVTP7) 453 - - - 5,728 Product Improvement C0021 Landing Vehicle Tracked-Al - - - 2,848*, TBD TED C0061 Battlefield Surveillance De -vices

5 Things You Didn't Know About Astronaut Joe Acaba

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-09-25

He’s been an astronaut since 2004 and launched last week with more than four months in space to his credit on two previous missions, so there’s not much more to know about Joe Acaba, right? Nope: the California native, former middle school math and science teacher and Peace Corps veteran has a few more tricks up his sleeve, and he shares five of them with you right here. _______________________________________ FOLLOW THE SPACE STATION! Twitter: https://twitter.com/Space_Station Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ISS Instagram: https://instagram.com/iss/

Trick or treat?

PubMed Central

Cehreli, Murat; Cehreli, Zafer; Stamm, Thomas; Meyer, Ulrich; Wiesmann, Hans-Peter

2007-01-01

The purpose of this article is to draw attention to current transgressions in scientific writing and to promote commitment to ethical standards and good science. All participants of any research project, particularly under interdiciplinary team approach, should not only play an active role on the management and carrying out of their study but also ensure that their study is not fraudulent. Manuscript fabrication, data and/or figure manupilation, piracy (plagiarism), sloppy research, and transgressions in authorship are reasons for loss of scientific value and records, retraction of articles, and application of a variety of sanctions. PMID:17498285

Covariant constraints in ghost free massive gravity

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

Deffayet, C.; Mourad, J.; Zahariade, G., E-mail: deffayet@iap.fr, E-mail: mourad@apc.univ-paris7.fr, E-mail: zahariad@apc.univ-paris7.fr

2013-01-01

We show that the reformulation of the de Rham-Gabadadze-Tolley massive gravity theory using vielbeins leads to a very simple and covariant way to count constraints, and hence degrees of freedom. Our method singles out a subset of theories, in the de Rham-Gabadadze-Tolley family, where an extra constraint, needed to eliminate the Boulware Deser ghost, is easily seen to appear. As a side result, we also introduce a new method, different from the Stuckelberg trick, to extract kinetic terms for the polarizations propagating in addition to those of the massless graviton.

Stull Repeats as Chili Champ | Poster

Cancer.gov

By Ken Michaels, Staff Writer Jim Stull, winner of the ninth annual Protective Services Chili Cookoff in January of last year, proved that he’s no one-trick pony; he brought a brand new recipe to the 2013 event and won again! And he did it decisively. His Black Bean ‘n Pumpkin Chili garnered 107 points; the second place winner netted less than half that with 52. “For me, a good chili is just not hot and spicy. It has to have a distinctive flavor that makes you want to come back for more.”

Yeast biotechnology: teaching the old dog new tricks.

PubMed

Mattanovich, Diethard; Sauer, Michael; Gasser, Brigitte

2014-03-06

Yeasts are regarded as the first microorganisms used by humans to process food and alcoholic beverages. The technology developed out of these ancient processes has been the basis for modern industrial biotechnology. Yeast biotechnology has gained great interest again in the last decades. Joining the potentials of genomics, metabolic engineering, systems and synthetic biology enables the production of numerous valuable products of primary and secondary metabolism, technical enzymes and biopharmaceutical proteins. An overview of emerging and established substrates and products of yeast biotechnology is provided and discussed in the light of the recent literature.

Flexible ureterorenoscopy: Tips and tricks

PubMed Central

Somani, Bhaskar Kumar; Aboumarzouk, Omar; Srivastava, Aneesh; Traxer, Olivier

2013-01-01

With advancement in technology, improvement in endoscope and ancillary equipment, more complex procedures can be performed using flexible ureterorenoscopy. In this review article we provide a summary of flexible ureterorenoscopic procedures with “tips and tricks” for success for each type of procedure. It looks at the disposables used with flexible ureterorenoscopic procedures, set up and patient positioning for gaining access, insertion and handling of scope and the use of urethral access sheath. We also provide techniques for various flexible ureterorenoscopic procedures including management of renal stones, calyceal diverticula and upper tract urothelial tumours. PMID:23662000

Plant Ethylene Detection Using Laser-Based Photo-Acoustic Spectroscopy.

PubMed

Van de Poel, Bram; Van Der Straeten, Dominique

2017-01-01

Analytical detection of the plant hormone ethylene is an important prerequisite in physiological studies. Real-time and super sensitive detection of trace amounts of ethylene gas is possible using laser-based photo-acoustic spectroscopy. This Chapter will provide some background on the technique, compare it with conventional gas chromatography, and provide a detailed user-friendly hand-out on how to operate the machine and the software. In addition, this Chapter provides some tips and tricks for designing and performing physiological experiments suited for ethylene detection with laser-based photo-acoustic spectroscopy.

A comparison of the accuracy of intraoral scanners using an intraoral environment simulator

PubMed Central

Park, Hye-Nan; Lim, Young-Jun; Yi, Won-Jin

2018-01-01

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to design an intraoral environment simulator and to assess the accuracy of two intraoral scanners using the simulator. MATERIALS AND METHODS A box-shaped intraoral environment simulator was designed to simulate two specific intraoral environments. The cast was scanned 10 times by Identica Blue (MEDIT, Seoul, South Korea), TRIOS (3Shape, Copenhagen, Denmark), and CS3500 (Carestream Dental, Georgia, USA) scanners in the two simulated groups. The distances between the left and right canines (D3), first molars (D6), second molars (D7), and the left canine and left second molar (D37) were measured. The distance data were analyzed by the Kruskal-Wallis test. RESULTS The differences in intraoral environments were not statistically significant (P>.05). Between intraoral scanners, statistically significant differences (P<.05) were revealed by the Kruskal-Wallis test with regard to D3 and D6. CONCLUSION No difference due to the intraoral environment was revealed. The simulator will contribute to the higher accuracy of intraoral scanners in the future. PMID:29503715

A methodology towards virtualisation-based high performance simulation platform supporting multidisciplinary design of complex products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Lei; Zhang, Lin; Tao, Fei; (Luke) Zhang, Xiaolong; Luo, Yongliang; Zhang, Yabin

2012-08-01

Multidisciplinary design of complex products leads to an increasing demand for high performance simulation (HPS) platforms. One great challenge is how to achieve high efficient utilisation of large-scale simulation resources in distributed and heterogeneous environments. This article reports a virtualisation-based methodology to realise a HPS platform. This research is driven by the issues concerning large-scale simulation resources deployment and complex simulation environment construction, efficient and transparent utilisation of fine-grained simulation resources and high reliable simulation with fault tolerance. A framework of virtualisation-based simulation platform (VSIM) is first proposed. Then the article investigates and discusses key approaches in VSIM, including simulation resources modelling, a method to automatically deploying simulation resources for dynamic construction of system environment, and a live migration mechanism in case of faults in run-time simulation. Furthermore, the proposed methodology is applied to a multidisciplinary design system for aircraft virtual prototyping and some experiments are conducted. The experimental results show that the proposed methodology can (1) significantly improve the utilisation of fine-grained simulation resources, (2) result in a great reduction in deployment time and an increased flexibility for simulation environment construction and (3)achieve fault tolerant simulation.

A Collaborative Extensible User Environment for Simulation and Knowledge Management

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

Freedman, Vicky L.; Lansing, Carina S.; Porter, Ellen A.

2015-06-01

In scientific simulation, scientists use measured data to create numerical models, execute simulations and analyze results from advanced simulators executing on high performance computing platforms. This process usually requires a team of scientists collaborating on data collection, model creation and analysis, and on authorship of publications and data. This paper shows that scientific teams can benefit from a user environment called Akuna that permits subsurface scientists in disparate locations to collaborate on numerical modeling and analysis projects. The Akuna user environment is built on the Velo framework that provides both a rich client environment for conducting and analyzing simulations andmore » a Web environment for data sharing and annotation. Akuna is an extensible toolset that integrates with Velo, and is designed to support any type of simulator. This is achieved through data-driven user interface generation, use of a customizable knowledge management platform, and an extensible framework for simulation execution, monitoring and analysis. This paper describes how the customized Velo content management system and the Akuna toolset are used to integrate and enhance an effective collaborative research and application environment. The extensible architecture of Akuna is also described and demonstrates its usage for creation and execution of a 3D subsurface simulation.« less

Spatial and temporal occurrence of pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs in the aqueous environment and during wastewater treatment: new developments.

PubMed

Baker, David R; Kasprzyk-Hordern, Barbara

2013-06-01

This paper presents, for the first time, spatial and temporal occurrence of a comprehensive set of >60 pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs and their metabolites in wastewater (7 wastewater treatment plants utilising different treatment technologies) and a major river in the UK over a 12 month period. This paper also undertakes a comparison of the efficiency of processes utilised during wastewater treatment and it discusses under-researched aspects of pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs in the environment including sorption to solids and stereoselectivity in the fate of chiral drugs during wastewater treatment and in receiving waters. The removal efficiency of analytes strongly depended on the type of wastewater treatment technology employed and denoted <50% or >60% in the case of tricking filter and activated sludge respectively. It should be stressed, however, that the removal rate was highly variable for different groups of compounds. A clear increase in the cumulative concentration of all monitored compounds was observed in receiving waters; thus highlighting the impact of WWTP discharge on water quality and the importance of the removal efficiency of WWTPs. No seasonal variation was observed with regard to the total load of targeted compounds in the river each month. The concentration of each analyte was largely dependent on rainfall and the dilution factor of WWTP discharge. These results indicate that although the drugs of abuse are not present at very high concentrations in river water (typically low ng L(-1) levels), their occurrence and possible synergic action is of concern, and the study of multiple groups of drugs of abuse is of significant importance. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Letter to Dr. Felix Bronner

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenleaf, John E.; Dalton, Bonnie (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Dear Dr. Bronner: I have been reading in The Physiologist the letters from senior physiologists for many years with great interest. It is impressive that many of the respondents are still pursuing scientific endeavours in their 70's and some even in their 80's. The interesting task is to ponder the relative causative proportions of heredity and environment responsible. One wonders whether knowing something about physiology engenders longer and more productive lives? I suspect so because of the accompanying self-discipline. But another factor would seem to be the pervasive joy of working in this profession. I have been fortunate to be able to acquire the joy of physiology during my graduate studies at Illinois, and to have been able to carry it over here at NASA, Ames Research Center for the past 40 years. A truly academic style research environment at a federal research center is rare. The trick to a joyous research career is to overcome those ever-present slings and arrows of outrageous fortune with dignity whenever possible. To that end I have found solace and guidance in reading the history of warfare and its leaders, especially Sun Tsu's The Art of War and Clauswitz's On War. I became eligible for retirement in 1993, but to insure domestic tranquility and also the joy of pursuing my research hobby have continued working in the laboratory on human research. It is troubling to see that funding for individual scientists conducting human research is declining rapidly, along with their new ideas; perhaps the old ones are more comfortable. Hopefully I can provide a similar response when I'm 80! Thanks for your interest. Sincerely, John Greenleaf

Twisting a β-Carotene, an Adaptive Trick from Nature for Dissipating Energy during Photoprotection*

PubMed Central

Sobotka, Roman; Kish, Elizabeth; Shukla, Mahendra Kumar; Pascal, Andrew A.; Polívka, Tomáš; Robert, Bruno

2017-01-01

Cyanobacteria possess a family of one-helix high light-inducible proteins (Hlips) that are homologous to light-harvesting antenna of plants and algae. An Hlip protein, high light-inducible protein D (HliD) purified as a small complex with the Ycf39 protein is evaluated using resonance Raman spectroscopy. We show that the HliD binds two different β-carotenes, each present in two non-equivalent binding pockets with different conformations, having their (0,0) absorption maxima at 489 and 522 nm, respectively. Both populations of β-carotene molecules were in all-trans configuration and the absorption position of the farthest blue-shifted β-carotene was attributed entirely to the polarizability of the environment in its binding pocket. In contrast, the absorption maximum of the red-shifted β-carotene was attributed to two different factors: the polarizability of the environment in its binding pocket and, more importantly, to the conformation of its β-rings. This second β-carotene has highly twisted β-rings adopting a flat conformation, which implies that the effective conjugation length N is extended up to 10.5 modifying the energetic levels. This increase in N will also result in a lower S1 energy state, which may provide a permanent energy dissipation channel. Analysis of the carbonyl stretching region for chlorophyll a excitations indicates that the HliD binds six chlorophyll a molecules in five non-equivalent binding sites, with at least one chlorophyll a presenting a slight distortion to its macrocycle. The binding modes and conformations of HliD-bound pigments are discussed with respect to the known structures of LHCII and CP29. PMID:27994060

Triangles, tricks and tics: Hyper-mentalizing in response to animated shapes in Tourette syndrome.

PubMed

Eddy, Clare M; Cavanna, Andrea E

2015-10-01

Tourette syndrome (TS) can feature complex tics involving socially inappropriate behaviours. Adults with TS can also demonstrate differences to healthy controls when reasoning about mental states. This study investigated spontaneous mentalizing in TS. Twenty adults with TS and twenty healthy controls completed the animations task. Participants were asked to watch short ambiguous animations involving two triangles and describe what was happening. Some animations featured random movement of the triangles, while others depicted social interactions that were simple (e.g., dancing) or more complex (e.g., one triangle tricking the other). Measures were taken of executive functions, alexithymia and clinical symptoms. Individuals with TS responded similarly to controls when viewing animations featuring simple and complex interactions, demonstrating intact mentalizing ability. However, significant group differences were apparent for the random movement animations. TS was associated with a greater tendency to attribute mental states during this condition, and to describe random movements as motivated actions guided by the intentions of the triangles. There were no group differences for the alexithymia scale, but TS was associated with mild executive deficits. No relationships were apparent between animation responses and other measures. Our findings suggest that TS is associated with a propensity to adopt the intentional stance. Hyper-mentalizing in TS could be linked to both dopamine dysfunction and altered social behaviour, whereby amplified salience of social cues could contribute to the complex interplay between environmental context and tic expression. These observations may offer further insight into the potential effects of dopamine dysfunction on social cognition. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Wide-undermining neck liposuction: tips and tricks for good results.

PubMed

Innocenti, Alessandro; Andretto Amodeo, Chiara; Ciancio, Francesco

2014-08-01

Neck rejuvenation is one of the most sought after procedures in the restoration of the facial contour. Numerous techniques to improve the aesthetic outcome and reduce downtime have been described. In our experience, wide undermining and local anesthesia are key to obtaining good results in selected patients who want a quick recovery. This article presents our experience with liposuction of the neck and proposes some tips and tricks to master wide-undermining neck liposuction. From January 2005 to September 2012, a total of 118 patients (34 males, 84 females) underwent neck liposuction. Patient selection was based mainly on age and neck-aging features. The procedure was performed with the patients under local anesthesia. A wide rhomboid-shaped skin undermining of the submandibular and neck area was performed and a very thin fat layer was preserved. Dressing was applied for 3 days. Improvement of the neck's contour was observed in all patients. Redefinition of the cervicomandibular angle and skin redraping of the cervical area occurred in all cases. No further touch-ups were needed. Edema and ecchymosis resolved in a few days. No major complications were observed. Our results show that wide-undermining neck liposuction performed under local anesthesia is an effective and safe procedure. Patient selection based on age and anatomical features was fundamental to obtain impressive improvement of neck contour. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

PELS (Planetary Environmental Liquid Simulator): a new type of simulation facility to study extraterrestrial aqueous environments.

PubMed

Martin, Derek; Cockell, Charles S

2015-02-01

Investigations of other planetary bodies, including Mars and icy moons such as Enceladus and Europa, show that they may have hosted aqueous environments in the past and may do so even today. Therefore, a major challenge in astrobiology is to build facilities that will allow us to study the geochemistry and habitability of these extraterrestrial environments. Here, we describe a simulation facility (PELS: Planetary Environmental Liquid Simulator) with the capability for liquid input and output that allows for the study of such environments. The facility, containing six separate sample vessels, allows for statistical replication of samples. Control of pressure, gas composition, UV irradiation conditions, and temperature allows for the precise replication of aqueous conditions, including subzero brines under martian atmospheric conditions. A sample acquisition system allows for the collection of both liquid and solid samples from within the chamber without breaking the atmospheric conditions, enabling detailed studies of the geochemical evolution and habitability of past and present extraterrestrial environments. The facility we describe represents a new frontier in planetary simulation-continuous flow-through simulation of extraterrestrial aqueous environments.

Methodology for testing infrared focal plane arrays in simulated nuclear radiation environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Divita, E. L.; Mills, R. E.; Koch, T. L.; Gordon, M. J.; Wilcox, R. A.; Williams, R. E.

1992-07-01

This paper summarizes test methodology for focal plane array (FPA) testing that can be used for benign (clear) and radiation environments, and describes the use of custom dewars and integrated test equipment in an example environment. The test methodology, consistent with American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) standards, is presented for the total accumulated gamma dose, transient dose rate, gamma flux, and neutron fluence environments. The merits and limitations of using Cobalt 60 for gamma environment simulations and of using various fast-neutron reactors and neutron sources for neutron simulations are presented. Test result examples are presented to demonstrate test data acquisition and FPA parameter performance under different measurement conditions and environmental simulations.

Theory of quantized systems: formal basis for DEVS/HLA distributed simulation environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeigler, Bernard P.; Lee, J. S.

1998-08-01

In the context of a DARPA ASTT project, we are developing an HLA-compliant distributed simulation environment based on the DEVS formalism. This environment will provide a user- friendly, high-level tool-set for developing interoperable discrete and continuous simulation models. One application is the study of contract-based predictive filtering. This paper presents a new approach to predictive filtering based on a process called 'quantization' to reduce state update transmission. Quantization, which generates state updates only at quantum level crossings, abstracts a sender model into a DEVS representation. This affords an alternative, efficient approach to embedding continuous models within distributed discrete event simulations. Applications of quantization to message traffic reduction are discussed. The theory has been validated by DEVSJAVA simulations of test cases. It will be subject to further test in actual distributed simulations using the DEVS/HLA modeling and simulation environment.

Investigation of Propagation in Foliage Using Simulation Techniques

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-12-01

simulation models provide a rough approximation to radiowave propagation in an actual rainforest environment. Based on the simulated results, the...simulation models provide a rough approximation to radiowave propagation in an actual rainforest environment. Based on the simulated results, the path... Rainforest ...............................2 2. Electrical Properties of a Forest .........................................................3 B. OBJECTIVES OF

Three-dimensional simulation and auto-stereoscopic 3D display of the battlefield environment based on the particle system algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ning, Jiwei; Sang, Xinzhu; Xing, Shujun; Cui, Huilong; Yan, Binbin; Yu, Chongxiu; Dou, Wenhua; Xiao, Liquan

2016-10-01

The army's combat training is very important now, and the simulation of the real battlefield environment is of great significance. Two-dimensional information has been unable to meet the demand at present. With the development of virtual reality technology, three-dimensional (3D) simulation of the battlefield environment is possible. In the simulation of 3D battlefield environment, in addition to the terrain, combat personnel and the combat tool ,the simulation of explosions, fire, smoke and other effects is also very important, since these effects can enhance senses of realism and immersion of the 3D scene. However, these special effects are irregular objects, which make it difficult to simulate with the general geometry. Therefore, the simulation of irregular objects is always a hot and difficult research topic in computer graphics. Here, the particle system algorithm is used for simulating irregular objects. We design the simulation of the explosion, fire, smoke based on the particle system and applied it to the battlefield 3D scene. Besides, the battlefield 3D scene simulation with the glasses-free 3D display is carried out with an algorithm based on GPU 4K super-multiview 3D video real-time transformation method. At the same time, with the human-computer interaction function, we ultimately realized glasses-free 3D display of the simulated more realistic and immersed 3D battlefield environment.

The Lewis Research Center geomagnetic substorm simulation facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berkopec, F. D.; Stevens, N. J.; Sturman, J. C.

1977-01-01

A simulation facility was established to determine the response of typical spacecraft materials to the geomagnetic substorm environment and to evaluate instrumentation that will be used to monitor spacecraft system response to this environment. Space environment conditions simulated include the thermal-vacuum conditions of space, solar simulation, geomagnetic substorm electron fluxes and energies, and the low energy plasma environment. Measurements for spacecraft material tests include sample currents, sample surface potentials, and the cumulative number of discharges. Discharge transients are measured by means of current probes and oscilloscopes and are verified by a photomultiplier. Details of this facility and typical operating procedures are presented.

Evaluation of the effects of solar radiation on glass. [space environment simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Firestone, R. F.; Harada, Y.

1979-01-01

The degradation of glass used on space structures due to electromagnetic and particulate radiation in a space environment was evaluated. The space environment was defined and a simulated space exposure apparatus was constructed. Four optical materials were exposed to simulated solar and particulate radiation in a space environment. Sapphire and fused silica experienced little change in transmittance, while optical crown glass and ultra low expansion glass darkened appreciably. Specimen selection and preparation, exposure conditions, and the effect of simulated exposure are discussed. A selective bibliography of the effect of radiation on glass is included.

Virtual operating room for team training in surgery.

PubMed

Abelson, Jonathan S; Silverman, Elliott; Banfelder, Jason; Naides, Alexandra; Costa, Ricardo; Dakin, Gregory

2015-09-01

We proposed to develop a novel virtual reality (VR) team training system. The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of creating a VR operating room to simulate a surgical crisis scenario and evaluate the simulator for construct and face validity. We modified ICE STORM (Integrated Clinical Environment; Systems, Training, Operations, Research, Methods), a VR-based system capable of modeling a variety of health care personnel and environments. ICE STORM was used to simulate a standardized surgical crisis scenario, whereby participants needed to correct 4 elements responsible for loss of laparoscopic visualization. The construct and face validity of the environment were measured. Thirty-three participants completed the VR simulation. Attendings completed the simulation in less time than trainees (271 vs 201 seconds, P = .032). Participants felt the training environment was realistic and had a favorable impression of the simulation. All participants felt the workload of the simulation was low. Creation of a VR-based operating room for team training in surgery is feasible and can afford a realistic team training environment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

MRMC analysis of agreement studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallas, Brandon D.; Anam, Amrita; Chen, Weijie; Wunderlich, Adam; Zhang, Zhiwei

2016-03-01

The purpose of this work is to present and evaluate methods based on U-statistics to compare intra- or inter-reader agreement across different imaging modalities. We apply these methods to multi-reader multi-case (MRMC) studies. We measure reader-averaged agreement and estimate its variance accounting for the variability from readers and cases (an MRMC analysis). In our application, pathologists (readers) evaluate patient tissue mounted on glass slides (cases) in two ways. They evaluate the slides on a microscope (reference modality) and they evaluate digital scans of the slides on a computer display (new modality). In the current work, we consider concordance as the agreement measure, but many of the concepts outlined here apply to other agreement measures. Concordance is the probability that two readers rank two cases in the same order. Concordance can be estimated with a U-statistic and thus it has some nice properties: it is unbiased, asymptotically normal, and its variance is given by an explicit formula. Another property of a U-statistic is that it is symmetric in its inputs; it doesn't matter which reader is listed first or which case is listed first, the result is the same. Using this property and a few tricks while building the U-statistic kernel for concordance, we get a mathematically tractable problem and efficient software. Simulations show that our variance and covariance estimates are unbiased.

Classical mutual information in mean-field spin glass models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alba, Vincenzo; Inglis, Stephen; Pollet, Lode

2016-03-01

We investigate the classical Rényi entropy Sn and the associated mutual information In in the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick (S-K) model, which is the paradigm model of mean-field spin glasses. Using classical Monte Carlo simulations and analytical tools we investigate the S-K model in the n -sheet booklet. This is achieved by gluing together n independent copies of the model, and it is the main ingredient for constructing the Rényi entanglement-related quantities. We find a glassy phase at low temperatures, whereas at high temperatures the model exhibits paramagnetic behavior, consistent with the regular S-K model. The temperature of the paramagnetic-glassy transition depends nontrivially on the geometry of the booklet. At high temperatures we provide the exact solution of the model by exploiting the replica symmetry. This is the permutation symmetry among the fictitious replicas that are used to perform disorder averages (via the replica trick). In the glassy phase the replica symmetry has to be broken. Using a generalization of the Parisi solution, we provide analytical results for Sn and In and for standard thermodynamic quantities. Both Sn and In exhibit a volume law in the whole phase diagram. We characterize the behavior of the corresponding densities, Sn/N and In/N , in the thermodynamic limit. Interestingly, at the critical point the mutual information does not exhibit any crossing for different system sizes, in contrast with local spin models.

An object oriented Python interface for atomistic simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hynninen, T.; Himanen, L.; Parkkinen, V.; Musso, T.; Corander, J.; Foster, A. S.

2016-01-01

Programmable simulation environments allow one to monitor and control calculations efficiently and automatically before, during, and after runtime. Environments directly accessible in a programming environment can be interfaced with powerful external analysis tools and extensions to enhance the functionality of the core program, and by incorporating a flexible object based structure, the environments make building and analysing computational setups intuitive. In this work, we present a classical atomistic force field with an interface written in Python language. The program is an extension for an existing object based atomistic simulation environment.

Psychological and physiological human responses to simulated and real environments: A comparison between Photographs, 360° Panoramas, and Virtual Reality.

PubMed

Higuera-Trujillo, Juan Luis; López-Tarruella Maldonado, Juan; Llinares Millán, Carmen

2017-11-01

Psychological research into human factors frequently uses simulations to study the relationship between human behaviour and the environment. Their validity depends on their similarity with the physical environments. This paper aims to validate three environmental-simulation display formats: photographs, 360° panoramas, and virtual reality. To do this we compared the psychological and physiological responses evoked by simulated environments set-ups to those from a physical environment setup; we also assessed the users' sense of presence. Analysis show that 360° panoramas offer the closest to reality results according to the participants' psychological responses, and virtual reality according to the physiological responses. Correlations between the feeling of presence and physiological and other psychological responses were also observed. These results may be of interest to researchers using environmental-simulation technologies currently available in order to replicate the experience of physical environments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using IMPRINT to Guide Experimental Design with Simulated Task Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-18

USING IMPRINT TO GUIDE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN OF SIMULATED TASK ENVIRONMENTS THESIS Gregory...ENG-MS-15-J-052 USING IMPRINT TO GUIDE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN WITH SIMULATED TASK ENVIRONMENTS THESIS Presented to the Faculty Department...Civilian, USAF June 2015 DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED. AFIT-ENG-MS-15-J-052 USING IMPRINT

A Simulated Learning Environment for Teaching Medicine Dispensing Skills

PubMed Central

Styles, Kim; Sewell, Keith; Trinder, Peta; Marriott, Jennifer; Maher, Sheryl; Naidu, Som

2016-01-01

Objective. To develop an authentic simulation of the professional practice dispensary context for students to develop their dispensing skills in a risk-free environment. Design. A development team used an Agile software development method to create MyDispense, a web-based simulation. Modeled on virtual learning environments elements, the software employed widely available standards-based technologies to create a virtual community pharmacy environment. Assessment. First-year pharmacy students who used the software in their tutorials, were, at the end of the second semester, surveyed on their prior dispensing experience and their perceptions of MyDispense as a tool to learn dispensing skills. Conclusion. The dispensary simulation is an effective tool for helping students develop dispensing competency and knowledge in a safe environment. PMID:26941437

Repurposing molecules: old dogs new tricks (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasan, Tayyaba

2017-02-01

Considering the consistently poor prognoses for some of the deadliest cancers, as well as the skyrocketing costs ( $1-2 billion) and long time frame ( 12-16 years) for developing a brand-new drug, rapidly translatable agents that offer improvements in outcomes are much needed. Drug repurposing is one such strategy to decrease costs, reduce time frame to clinical translation, and possibly increase success rates. This presentation will elucidate the benefit of this approach with drugs like the tetracyclines (a class of antibiotics), vitamins and chemotherapeutics combined with PDT to overcome chemoresistance in pancreatic and ovarian cancers.

Effector Mimics and Integrated Decoys, the Never-Ending Arms Race between Rice and Xanthomonas oryzae

PubMed Central

Zuluaga, Paola; Szurek, Boris; Koebnik, Ralf; Kroj, Thomas; Morel, Jean-Benoit

2017-01-01

Plants are constantly challenged by a wide range of pathogens and have therefore evolved an array of mechanisms to defend against them. In response to these defense systems, pathogens have evolved strategies to avoid recognition and suppress plant defenses (Brown and Tellier, 2011). Three recent reports dealing with the resistance of rice to Xanthomonas oryzae have added a new twist to our understanding of this fascinating co-evolutionary arms race (Ji et al., 2016; Read et al., 2016; Triplett et al., 2016). They show that pathogens also develop sophisticated effector mimics to trick recognition. PMID:28400786

Treatment of unwanted hair in auricular reconstruction.

PubMed

Gault, David

2009-08-01

In many microtia patients, the hairline is lower than ideal. Despite this, it is essential to position the reconstructed ear in the correct place. Here is a series of tips and tricks to deal with unwanted hair on the skin that covers an autogenous tissue reconstruction. Replacement of the skin with a fascial flap and skin graft remains the mainstay of treatment for a very-low-hairline case. Surgical removal of hair on the helical rim during the release procedure is also described. Laser depilation, surgical electrolysis, and even shaving techniques are also discussed. Copyright Thieme Medical Publishers.

Complement factor H-related proteins in IgA nephropathy-sometimes a gentle nudge does the trick.

PubMed

Thurman, Joshua M; Laskowski, Jennifer

2017-10-01

Complement activation probably contributes to glomerular inflammation and damage in IgA nephropathy. In this issue, 2 groups report that levels of factor H-related protein 1 are elevated in patients with IgA nephropathy and correlate with disease progression. These studies provide new evidence that the complement cascade is important to the pathogenesis of this disease. These results also suggest that factor H-related protein 1 levels may be useful for identifying those patients at high risk of disease progression. Copyright © 2017 International Society of Nephrology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pion mass dependence of the HVP contribution to muon g - 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golterman, Maarten; Maltman, Kim; Peris, Santiago

2018-03-01

One of the systematic errors in some of the current lattice computations of the HVP contribution to the muon anomalous magnetic moment g - 2 is that associated with the extrapolation to the physical pion mass. We investigate this extrapolation assuming lattice pion masses in the range of 220 to 440 MeV with the help of two-loop chiral perturbation theory, and find that such an extrapolation is unlikely to lead to control of this systematic error at the 1% level. This remains true even if various proposed tricks to improve the chiral extrapolation are taken into account.

Gradient Learning Algorithms for Ontology Computing

PubMed Central

Gao, Wei; Zhu, Linli

2014-01-01

The gradient learning model has been raising great attention in view of its promising perspectives for applications in statistics, data dimensionality reducing, and other specific fields. In this paper, we raise a new gradient learning model for ontology similarity measuring and ontology mapping in multidividing setting. The sample error in this setting is given by virtue of the hypothesis space and the trick of ontology dividing operator. Finally, two experiments presented on plant and humanoid robotics field verify the efficiency of the new computation model for ontology similarity measure and ontology mapping applications in multidividing setting. PMID:25530752

The 1922 Einstein Film: Cinematic Innovation and Public Controversy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wazeck, Milena

2010-06-01

In 1922 Hanns Walter Kornblum produced a long and comprehensive educational film on Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity that made extensive use of trick shots. His film was considered to be a milestone in the history of film and also in the popularization of science. Although the original film has been lost, I have reconstructed its content and its reception by members of the German film industry and cultural sector, laymen, scientists and academics, and politically motivated opponents based upon the large collection of newspaper clippings that was assembled by the antirelativist physicist Ernst Gehrcke.

Technology could deliver 90% Hg reduction from coal

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

Maize, K.

2009-07-15

Reducing mercury emissions at coal-fired power plants by 90% has been considered the holy grail of mercury control. A new technology promises to get used there, but at a price. This is a mixture of chemical approaches, including activated carbon injection into the gases coming off the combustor along with injection of trona or calcium carbonate to reduce sulfur trioxide in the exhaust gases. The trick according to Babcock and Wilcox's manager Sam Kumar, to 'capture the mercury as a particulate on the carbon and then capture the particulate' in an electrostatic precipitator or a fabric filter baghouse. 2 figs.

Old drug new trick: levamisole-adulterated cocaine causing acute kidney injury.

PubMed

Ammar, Abeer T; Livak, Mark; Witsil, Joanne C

2015-02-01

Levamisole is an agent previously used in humans and later withdrawn from the US drug market due to concerns of agranulocytosis.It is currently used as an adulterating agent in cocaine, bringing to light toxicities typically manifested by vasculitis and skin necrosis.We report a case of a 36-year-old crack cocaine user who presented with a purpuric rash on her face and limbs. Levamisole-induced vasculitis was suspected, and she therefore underwent an extensive work-up. In addition to these findings, she also presented with acute kidney injury of unknown etiology, which was later attributed to levamisoleadulterated cocaine.

Tips and Tricks of Incorporating Industry Standards into a Library Collection

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

Abbott, Jennifer; Sandberg, Tami

Professional literature on the incorporation of industry standards into a library collection is somewhat limited. The objective of this presentation is to discuss the intricate details of acquiring, managing, and delivering electronic industry standards to library patrons in a seamless manner. Lessons learned regarding vendor selection and license agreements will also be discussed. Results from a survey administer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory will be used to analyze how collection policies can properly be developed to incorporate industry standards into a library setting. The key points of acquisition decisions, avoidance of liability issues, and cost will be addressed.

Effector Mimics and Integrated Decoys, the Never-Ending Arms Race between Rice and Xanthomonas oryzae.

PubMed

Zuluaga, Paola; Szurek, Boris; Koebnik, Ralf; Kroj, Thomas; Morel, Jean-Benoit

2017-01-01

Plants are constantly challenged by a wide range of pathogens and have therefore evolved an array of mechanisms to defend against them. In response to these defense systems, pathogens have evolved strategies to avoid recognition and suppress plant defenses (Brown and Tellier, 2011). Three recent reports dealing with the resistance of rice to Xanthomonas oryzae have added a new twist to our understanding of this fascinating co-evolutionary arms race (Ji et al., 2016; Read et al., 2016; Triplett et al., 2016). They show that pathogens also develop sophisticated effector mimics to trick recognition.

Oncolytic gene therapy for canine cancers: teaching old dog viruses new tricks.

PubMed

Arendt, M; Nasir, L; Morgan, I M

2009-09-01

The use of viruses to treat cancer has been studied for decades. With the advancement of molecular biology, viruses have been modified and genetically engineered to optimize their ability to target cancer cells. Canine viruses, such as distemper virus and adenovirus, are being exploited for the treatment of canine cancer as the dog has proven to be a good comparative model for human cancer research and proof of concept investigations. In this review, we introduce the concept of oncolytic viruses and describe some of the preliminary attempts to use oncolytic viruses for the treatment of canine cancer.

The Galactic Magnetic Field and Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urban, Federico R.

The Galactic Magnetic Field is a peeving and importune screen between Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays and us cosmologists, engaged in the combat to unveil their properties and origin, as it deviates their paths towards the Earth in unpredictable ways. I will, in this order: briefly review the available field models on the market; explain a little trick which allows one to obtain cosmic rays deflection variances without even knowing what the (random) GMF model is; and argue that there is a lack of anisotropy in the large scales cosmic rays signal, which the Galactic field can do nothing about.

No news without new scientific ideas.

PubMed

Loonen, Anton J M

2014-04-01

In this editorial, it is strongly advocated that a change of policy is warranted in order to prevent neuroscience from becoming a waste of time and money in the 21st century. Repeating the same trick in different patient populations and perusing the scientific literature seems to currently be the backbone of medical science. However, this approach does not provide knowledge on how the brain works or how specific dysfunctions result in specific diseases. Therefore, earlier findings should, first, be combined to develop new theories on the mechanics of the mind, and, second, these new ideas should be tested in well-designed experiments.

Yeast biotechnology: teaching the old dog new tricks

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Yeasts are regarded as the first microorganisms used by humans to process food and alcoholic beverages. The technology developed out of these ancient processes has been the basis for modern industrial biotechnology. Yeast biotechnology has gained great interest again in the last decades. Joining the potentials of genomics, metabolic engineering, systems and synthetic biology enables the production of numerous valuable products of primary and secondary metabolism, technical enzymes and biopharmaceutical proteins. An overview of emerging and established substrates and products of yeast biotechnology is provided and discussed in the light of the recent literature. PMID:24602262

[Group psychotherapy for Turkish patients with a translator--a report with comments of the first, constituting session].

PubMed

Röder, F; Hersfeld, B

1995-07-01

The needs of insufficiently treated Turkish patients motivated to offer a group-psychotherapy in cooperation with an interpreter. Only on a trickful way his expenses could be paid by the health insurance. While the plan for such a group was made, it was estimated just as a second-rate escape for such patients. But already during the course of the first group-session a therapeutic concept developed which overcame barriers of language and culture. So this experiment turned out to be an important step for developing suitable therapeutic structures for migrants.

An examination of speech reception thresholds measured in a simulated reverberant cafeteria environment.

PubMed

Best, Virginia; Keidser, Gitte; Buchholz, Jörg M; Freeston, Katrina

2015-01-01

There is increasing demand in the hearing research community for the creation of laboratory environments that better simulate challenging real-world listening environments. The hope is that the use of such environments for testing will lead to more meaningful assessments of listening ability, and better predictions about the performance of hearing devices. Here we present one approach for simulating a complex acoustic environment in the laboratory, and investigate the effect of transplanting a speech test into such an environment. Speech reception thresholds were measured in a simulated reverberant cafeteria, and in a more typical anechoic laboratory environment containing background speech babble. The participants were 46 listeners varying in age and hearing levels, including 25 hearing-aid wearers who were tested with and without their hearing aids. Reliable SRTs were obtained in the complex environment, but led to different estimates of performance and hearing-aid benefit from those measured in the standard environment. The findings provide a starting point for future efforts to increase the real-world relevance of laboratory-based speech tests.

An examination of speech reception thresholds measured in a simulated reverberant cafeteria environment

PubMed Central

Best, Virginia; Keidser, Gitte; Buchholz, J(x004E7)rg M.; Freeston, Katrina

2016-01-01

Objective There is increasing demand in the hearing research community for the creation of laboratory environments that better simulate challenging real-world listening environments. The hope is that the use of such environments for testing will lead to more meaningful assessments of listening ability, and better predictions about the performance of hearing devices. Here we present one approach for simulating a complex acoustic environment in the laboratory, and investigate the effect of transplanting a speech test into such an environment. Design Speech reception thresholds were measured in a simulated reverberant cafeteria, and in a more typical anechoic laboratory environment containing background speech babble. Study Sample The participants were 46 listeners varying in age and hearing levels, including 25 hearing-aid wearers who were tested with and without their hearing aids. Results Reliable SRTs were obtained in the complex environment, but led to different estimates of performance and hearing aid benefit from those measured in the standard environment. Conclusions The findings provide a starting point for future efforts to increase the real-world relevance of laboratory-based speech tests. PMID:25853616

Using Social Simulations to Assess and Train Potential Leaders to Make Effective Decisions in Turbulent Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunsaker, L. Phillip

2007-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe two social simulations created to assess leadership potential and train leaders to make effective decisions in turbulent environments. One is set in the novel environment of a lunar moon colony and the other is a military combat command. The research generated from these simulations for assessing…

Multidisciplinary research leading to utilization of extraterrestrial resources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

Progress of the research accomplished during fiscal year 1972 is reported. The summaries presented include: (1) background analysis and coordination, (2) surface properties of rock in simulated lunar environment, (3) rock failure processes, strength and elastic properties in simulated lunar environment, (4) thermal fragmentation, and thermophysical and optical properties in simulated lunar environment, and (5) use of explosives on the moon.

Design Patterns for Learning and Assessment: Facilitating the Introduction of a Complex Simulation-Based Learning Environment into a Community of Instructors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frezzo, Dennis C.; Behrens, John T.; Mislevy, Robert J.

2010-01-01

Simulation environments make it possible for science and engineering students to learn to interact with complex systems. Putting these capabilities to effective use for learning, and assessing learning, requires more than a simulation environment alone. It requires a conceptual framework for the knowledge, skills, and ways of thinking that are…

Real-Time and High-Fidelity Simulation Environment for Autonomous Ground Vehicle Dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cameron, Jonathan; Myint, Steven; Kuo, Calvin; Jain, Abhi; Grip, Havard; Jayakumar, Paramsothy; Overholt, Jim

2013-01-01

This paper reports on a collaborative project between U.S. Army TARDEC and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to develop a unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) simulation model using the ROAMS vehicle modeling framework. Besides modeling the physical suspension of the vehicle, the sensing and navigation of the HMMWV vehicle are simulated. Using models of urban and off-road environments, the HMMWV simulation was tested in several ways, including navigation in an urban environment with obstacle avoidance and the performance of a lane change maneuver.

Virtual environments simulation in research reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muhamad, Shalina Bt. Sheik; Bahrin, Muhammad Hannan Bin

2017-01-01

Virtual reality based simulations are interactive and engaging. It has the useful potential in improving safety training. Virtual reality technology can be used to train workers who are unfamiliar with the physical layout of an area. In this study, a simulation program based on the virtual environment at research reactor was developed. The platform used for virtual simulation is 3DVia software for which it's rendering capabilities, physics for movement and collision and interactive navigation features have been taken advantage of. A real research reactor was virtually modelled and simulated with the model of avatars adopted to simulate walking. Collision detection algorithms were developed for various parts of the 3D building and avatars to restrain the avatars to certain regions of the virtual environment. A user can control the avatar to move around inside the virtual environment. Thus, this work can assist in the training of personnel, as in evaluating the radiological safety of the research reactor facility.

Effect of interaction with clowns on vital signs and non-verbal communication of hospitalized children

PubMed Central

Alcântara, Pauline Lima; Wogel, Ariane Zonho; Rossi, Maria Isabela Lobo; Neves, Isabela Rodrigues; Sabates, Ana Llonch; Puggina, Ana Cláudia

2016-01-01

Abstract Objective: Compare the non-verbal communication of children before and during interaction with clowns and compare their vital signs before and after this interaction. Methods: Uncontrolled, intervention, cross-sectional, quantitative study with children admitted to a public university hospital. The intervention was performed by medical students dressed as clowns and included magic tricks, juggling, singing with the children, making soap bubbles and comedic performances. The intervention time was 20min. Vital signs were assessed in two measurements with an interval of 1min immediately before and after the interaction. Non-verbal communication was observed before and during the interaction using the Non-Verbal Communication Template Chart, a tool in which non-verbal behaviors are assessed as effective or ineffective in the interactions. Results: The sample consisted of 41 children with a mean age of 7.6±2.7 years; most were aged 7-11 years (n=23; 56%) and were males (n=26; 63.4%). There was a statistically significant difference in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pain and non-verbal behavior of children with the intervention. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure increased and pain scales showed decreased scores. Conclusions: The playful interaction with clowns can be a therapeutic resource to minimize the effects of the stressing environment during the intervention, improve the children's emotional state and reduce the perception of pain. PMID:27080219

A new airborne laser rangefinder dynamic target simulator for non-stationary environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Pengge; Pang, Dongdong; Yi, Yang

2017-11-01

For the non-stationary environment simulation in laser range finder product testing, a new dynamic target simulation system is studied. First of all, the three-pulsed laser ranging principle, laser target signal composition and mathematical representation are introduced. Then, the actual nonstationary working environment of laser range finder is analyzed, and points out that the real sunshine background light clutter and target shielding effect in laser echo become the main influencing factors. After that, the dynamic laser target signal simulation method is given. Eventlly, the implementation of automatic test system based on arbitrary waveform generator is described. Practical application shows that the new echo signal automatic test system can simulate the real laser ranging environment of laser range finder, and is suitable for performance test of products.

LEGEND, a LEO-to-GEO Environment Debris Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liou, Jer Chyi; Hall, Doyle T.

2013-01-01

LEGEND (LEO-to-GEO Environment Debris model) is a three-dimensional orbital debris evolutionary model that is capable of simulating the historical and future debris populations in the near-Earth environment. The historical component in LEGEND adopts a deterministic approach to mimic the known historical populations. Launched rocket bodies, spacecraft, and mission-related debris (rings, bolts, etc.) are added to the simulated environment. Known historical breakup events are reproduced, and fragments down to 1 mm in size are created. The LEGEND future projection component adopts a Monte Carlo approach and uses an innovative pair-wise collision probability evaluation algorithm to simulate the future breakups and the growth of the debris populations. This algorithm is based on a new "random sampling in time" approach that preserves characteristics of the traditional approach and captures the rapidly changing nature of the orbital debris environment. LEGEND is a Fortran 90-based numerical simulation program. It operates in a UNIX/Linux environment.

Analysis of the effects of simulated synergistic LEO environment on solar panels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allegri, G.; Corradi, S.; Marchetti, M.; Scaglione, S.

2007-02-01

The effects due to the LEO environment exposure of a solar array primary structure are here presented and discussed in detail. The synergistic damaging components featuring LEO environment are high vacuum, thermal cycling, neutral gas, ultraviolet (UV) radiation and cold plasma. The synergistic effects due to these environmental elements are simulated by "on ground" tests, performed in the Space Environment Simulator (SAS) at the University of Rome "La Sapienza"; numerical simulations are performed by the Space Environment Information System (SPENVIS), developed by the European Space Agency (ESA). A "safe life" design for a solar array primary structure is developed, taking into consideration the combined damaging action of the LEO environment components; therefore results from both numerical and experimental simulations are coupled within the framework of a standard finite element method (FEM) based design. The expected durability of the solar array primary structure, made of laminated sandwich composite, is evaluated assuming that the loads exerted on the structure itself are essentially dependent on thermo-elastic stresses. The optical degradation of surface materials and the stiffness and strength degradation of structural elements are taken into account to assess the global structural durability of the solar array under characteristic operative conditions in LEO environment.

[Cordyceps sinensis enhances lymphocyte proliferation and CD markers expression in simulated microgravity environment].

PubMed

Hao, Tong; Li, Jun-Jie; Du, Zhi-Yan; Duan, Cui-Mi; Wang, Yan-Meng; Wang, Chang-Yong; Song, Jing-Ping; Wang, Lin-Jie; Li, Ying-Hui; Wang, Yan

2012-10-01

This study was aimed to explore the effect of cordyceps sinensis enhancing lymphocyte proliferation and surface CD marker expression in simulated microgravity environment. The splenic lymphocytes were separated from mice and cultured in the rotary cell culture system simulated microgravity environment. The cells were treated with different concentration of cordyceps sinensis solution (0, 6.25, 12.5, 25 and 50 µg/ml) for 24, 48 and 72 h respectively, then the cells were harvested, and analyzed for cell proliferation and the expression of cell surface markers (CD4 and CD8). The results showed that under simulated microgravity environment, the lymphocyte proliferation was inhibited. When the concentration of cordyceps sinensis was 25 or 50 µg/ml, the lymphocyte proliferation, CD4 and CD8 expressions all increased, but 50 µg/ml cordyceps sinensis could inhibit the proliferation ability with the time prolonging. It is concluded that the suitable concentration of cordyceps sinensis displayed the ability to enhance the lymphocyte proliferation and CD marker expression in simulated microgravity environment. These results may be valuable for screening drugs which can be potentially against immunosuppression under simulated microgravity.

3D multiplayer virtual pets game using Google Card Board

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herumurti, Darlis; Riskahadi, Dimas; Kuswardayan, Imam

2017-08-01

Virtual Reality (VR) is a technology which allows user to interact with the virtual environment. This virtual environment is generated and simulated by computer. This technology can make user feel the sensation when they are in the virtual environment. The VR technology provides real virtual environment view for user and it is not viewed from screen. But it needs another additional device to show the view of virtual environment. This device is known as Head Mounted Device (HMD). Oculust Rift and Microsoft Hololens are the most famous HMD devices used in VR. And in 2014, Google Card Board was introduced at Google I/O developers conference. Google Card Board is VR platform which allows user to enjoy the VR with simple and cheap way. In this research, we explore Google Card Board to develop simulation game of raising pet. The Google Card Board is used to create view for the VR environment. The view and control in VR environment is built using Unity game engine. And the simulation process is designed using Finite State Machine (FSM). This FSM can help to design the process clearly. So the simulation process can describe the simulation of raising pet well. Raising pet is fun activity. But sometimes, there are many conditions which cause raising pet become difficult to do, i.e. environment condition, disease, high cost, etc. this research aims to explore and implement Google Card Board in simulation of raising pet.

The impact of reduced gastric acid secretion on dissolution of salts of weak bases in the fasted upper gastrointestinal lumen: Data in biorelevant media and in human aspirates.

PubMed

Litou, Chara; Vertzoni, Maria; Xu, Wei; Kesisoglou, Filippos; Reppas, Christos

2017-06-01

To propose media for simulating the intragastric environment under reduced gastric acid secretion in the fasted state at three levels of simulation of the gastric environment and evaluate their usefulness in evaluating the intragastric dissolution of salts of weak bases. To evaluate the importance of bicarbonate buffer in biorelevant in vitro dissolution testing when using Level II biorelevant media simulating the environment in the fasted upper small intestine, regardless of gastric acid secretions. Media for simulating the hypochlorhydric and achlorhydric conditions in stomach were proposed using phosphates, maleates and bicarbonates buffers. The impact of bicarbonates in Level II biorelevant media simulating the environment in upper small intestine was evaluated so that pH and bulk buffer capacity were maintained. Dissolution data were collected using two model compounds, pioglitazone hydrochloride and semifumarate cocrystal of Compound B, and the mini-paddle dissolution apparatus in biorelevant media and in human aspirates. Simulated gastric fluids proposed in this study were in line with pH, buffer capacity, pepsin content, total bile salt/lecithin content and osmolality of the fasted stomach under partial and under complete inhibition of gastric acid secretion. Fluids simulating the conditions under partial inhibition of acid secretion were useful in simulating concentrations of both model compounds in gastric aspirates. Bicarbonates in Level III biorelevant gastric media and in Level II biorelevant media simulating the composition in the upper intestinal lumen did not improve simulation of concentrations in human aspirates. Level III biorelevant media for simulating the intragastric environment under hypochlorhydric conditions were proposed and their usefulness in the evaluation of concentrations of two model salts of weak bases in gastric aspirates was shown. Level II biorelevant media for simulating the environment in upper intestinal lumen led to underestimation of concentrations in aspirates, even when bicarbonate buffer was used. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spatial interpretation of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center Payload Operations Control Center using virtual reality technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindsey, Patricia F.

1993-01-01

In its search for higher level computer interfaces and more realistic electronic simulations for measurement and spatial analysis in human factors design, NASA at MSFC is evaluating the functionality of virtual reality (VR) technology. Virtual reality simulation generates a three dimensional environment in which the participant appears to be enveloped. It is a type of interactive simulation in which humans are not only involved, but included. Virtual reality technology is still in the experimental phase, but it appears to be the next logical step after computer aided three-dimensional animation in transferring the viewer from a passive to an active role in experiencing and evaluating an environment. There is great potential for using this new technology when designing environments for more successful interaction, both with the environment and with another participant in a remote location. At the University of North Carolina, a VR simulation of a the planned Sitterson Hall, revealed a flaw in the building's design that had not been observed during examination of the more traditional building plan simulation methods on paper and on computer aided design (CAD) work station. The virtual environment enables multiple participants in remote locations to come together and interact with one another and with the environment. Each participant is capable of seeing herself and the other participants and of interacting with them within the simulated environment.

Generation of large scale urban environments to support advanced sensor and seeker simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giuliani, Joseph; Hershey, Daniel; McKeown, David, Jr.; Willis, Carla; Van, Tan

2009-05-01

One of the key aspects for the design of a next generation weapon system is the need to operate in cluttered and complex urban environments. Simulation systems rely on accurate representation of these environments and require automated software tools to construct the underlying 3D geometry and associated spectral and material properties that are then formatted for various objective seeker simulation systems. Under an Air Force Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract, we have developed an automated process to generate 3D urban environments with user defined properties. These environments can be composed from a wide variety of source materials, including vector source data, pre-existing 3D models, and digital elevation models, and rapidly organized into a geo-specific visual simulation database. This intermediate representation can be easily inspected in the visible spectrum for content and organization and interactively queried for accuracy. Once the database contains the required contents, it can then be exported into specific synthetic scene generation runtime formats, preserving the relationship between geometry and material properties. To date an exporter for the Irma simulation system developed and maintained by AFRL/Eglin has been created and a second exporter to Real Time Composite Hardbody and Missile Plume (CHAMP) simulation system for real-time use is currently being developed. This process supports significantly more complex target environments than previous approaches to database generation. In this paper we describe the capabilities for content creation for advanced seeker processing algorithms simulation and sensor stimulation, including the overall database compilation process and sample databases produced and exported for the Irma runtime system. We also discuss the addition of object dynamics and viewer dynamics within the visual simulation into the Irma runtime environment.

Population Simulation, AKA: Grahz, Rahbitz and Fawkzes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bangert, Tyler R.

2008-01-01

In an effort to give students a more visceral experience of science and instill a deeper working knowledge of concepts, activities that utilize hands-on, laboratory and simulated experiences are recommended because these activities have a greater impact on student learning, especially for Native American students. Because it is not usually feasible to take large and/or multiple classes of high school science students into the field to count numbers of organisms of a particular species, especially over a long period of time and covering a large area of an environment, the population simulation presented in this paper was created to aid students in understanding population dynamics by working with a simulated environment, which can be done in the classroom. Students create an environment and populate the environment with imaginary species. Then, using a sequence of "rules" that allow organisms to eat, reproduce, move and age, students see how the population of a species changes over time. In particular, students practice collecting data, summarizing information, plotting graphs, and interpreting graphs for such information as carrying capacity, predator prey relationships, and how specific species factors impact population and the environment. Students draw conclusions from their results and suggest further research, which may involve changes in simulation parameters, prediction of outcomes, and testing predictions. The population Simulation has demonstrated success in the above student activities using a "board game" version of the population simulation. A computer version of the population simulation needs more testing, but preliminary runs are promising. A second - and more complicated - computer simulation will simulate the same things and will add simulated population genetics.

Early Illustrations of Geste Antagoniste in Cervical and Generalized Dystonia

PubMed Central

Broussolle, Emmanuel; Laurencin, Chloé; Bernard, Emilien; Thobois, Stéphane; Danaila, Teodor; Krack, Paul

2015-01-01

Background Geste antagoniste, or sensory trick, is a voluntary maneuver that temporarily reduces the severity of dystonic postures or movements. We present a historical review of early reports and illustrations of geste antagoniste. Results In 1894, Brissaud described this phenomenon in Paris in patients with torticollis. He noted that a violent muscular contraction could be reversed by a minor voluntary action. He considered the improvement obtained by what he called “simple mannerisms, childish behaviour or fake pathological movements” was proof of the psychogenic origin of what he named mental torticollis. This concept was supported by photographical illustrations of the patients. The term geste antagoniste was used by Brissaud’s pupils, Meige and Feindel, in their 1902 monograph on movement disorders. Other reports and illustrations of this sign were published in Europe between 1894 and 1906. Although not mentioned explicitly, geste antagoniste was also illustrated in a case report of generalized dystonia in Oppenheim’s 1911 seminal description of dystonia musculorum deformans in Berlin. Discussion Brissaud-Meige’s misinterpretation of the geste antagoniste unfortunately anchored the psychogenic origin of dystonia for decades. In New York, Herz brought dystonia back into the realm of organic neurology in 1944. Thereafter, it was given prominence by other authors, notably Fahn and Marsden in the 1970–1980s. Nowadays, neurologists routinely investigate for geste antagoniste when a dystonic syndrome is suspected, because it provides a further argument in favor of dystonia. The term alleviating maneuver was proposed in 2014 to replace sensory trick or geste antagoniste. This major sign is now part of the motor phenomenology of the 2013 Movement Disorder Society’s classification of dystonia. PMID:26417535

Skateboarding injuries of today

PubMed Central

Forsman, L; Eriksson, A

2001-01-01

Background—Skateboarding injuries have increased with the rise in popularity of the sport, and the injury pattern can be expected to have changed with the development of both skateboard tricks and the materials used for skateboard construction. Objective—To describe the injury pattern of today. Methods—The pattern of injuries, circumstances, and severity were investigated in a study of all 139 people injured in skateboarding accidents during the period 1995–1998 inclusive and admitted to the University Hospital of Umeå. This is the only hospital in the area, serving a population of 135 000. Results—Three of the 139 injured were pedestrians hit by a skateboard rider; the rest were riders. The age range was 7–47 years (mean 16). The severity of the injuries was minor (AIS 1) to moderate (AIS 2); fractures were classified as moderate. The annual number of injuries increased during the study period. Fractures were found in 29% of the casualties, and four children had concussion. The most common fractures were of the ankle and wrist. Older patients had less severe injuries, mainly sprains and soft tissue injuries. Most children were injured while skateboarding on ramps and at arenas; only 12 (9%) were injured while skateboarding on roads. Some 37% of the injuries occurred because of a loss of balance, and 26% because of a failed trick attempt. Falls caused by surface irregularities resulted in the highest proportion of the moderate injuries. Conclusions—Skateboarding should be restricted to supervised skateboard parks, and skateboarders should be required to wear protective gear. These measures would reduce the number of skateboarders injured in motor vehicle collisions, reduce the personal injuries among skateboarders, and reduce the number of pedestrians injured in collisions with skateboarders. Key Words: skateboard; injury; prevention PMID:11579065

Abbreviated breast magnetic resonance protocol: Value of high-resolution temporal dynamic sequence to improve lesion characterization.

PubMed

Oldrini, Guillaume; Fedida, Benjamin; Poujol, Julie; Felblinger, Jacques; Trop, Isabelle; Henrot, Philippe; Darai, Emile; Thomassin-Naggara, Isabelle

2017-10-01

To evaluate the added value of ULTRAFAST-MR sequence to an abbreviated FAST protocol in comparison with FULL protocol to distinguish benign from malignant lesions in a population of women, regardless of breast MR imaging indication. From March 10th to September 22th, 2014, we retrospectively included a total of 70 consecutive patients with 106 histologically proven lesions (58 malignant and 48 benign) who underwent breast MR imaging for preoperative breast staging (n=38), high-risk screening (n=7), problem solving (n=18), and nipple discharge (n=4) with 12 time resolved imaging of contrast kinetics (TRICKS) acquisitions during contrast inflow interleaved in a regular high-resolution dynamic MRI protocol (FULL protocol). Two readers scored MR exams as either positive or negative and described significant lesions according to Bi-RADS lexicon with a TRICKS images (ULTRAFAST), an abbreviated protocol (FAST) and all images (FULL protocol). Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy were calculated for each protocol and compared with McNemar's test. For all readers, the combined FAST-ULTRAFAST protocol significantly improved the reading with a specificity of 83.3% and 70.8% in comparison with FAST protocol or FULL protocol, respectively, without change in sensitivity. By adding ULTRAFAST protocol to FAST protocol, readers 1 and 2 were able to correctly change the diagnosis in 22.9% (11/48) and 10.4% (5/48) of benign lesions, without missing any malignancy, respectively. Both interpretation and image acquisition times for combined FAST-ULTRAFAST protocol and FAST protocol were shorter compared to FULL protocol (p<0.001). Compared to FULL protocol, adding ULTRAFAST to FAST protocol improves specificity, mainly in correctly reclassifying benign masses and reducing interpretation and acquisition time, without decreasing sensitivity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Don't be fooled! Attentional responses to social cues in a face-to-face and video magic trick reveals greater top-down control for overt than covert attention.

PubMed

Kuhn, Gustav; Teszka, Robert; Tenaw, Natalia; Kingstone, Alan

2016-01-01

People's attention is oriented towards faces, but the extent to which these social attention effects are under top down control is more ambiguous. Our first aim was to measure and compare, in real life and in the lab, people's top-down control over overt and covert shifts in reflexive social attention to the face of another. We employed a magic trick in which the magician used social cues (i.e. asking a question whilst establishing eye contact) to misdirect attention towards his face, and thus preventing participants from noticing a visible colour change to a playing card. Our results show that overall people spend more time looking at the magician's face when he is seen on video than in reality. Additionally, although most participants looked at the magician's face when misdirected, this tendency to look at the face was modulated by instruction (i.e., "keep your attention on the cards"), and therefore, by top down control. Moreover, while the card's colour change was fully visible, the majority of participants failed to notice the change, and critically, change detection (our measure of covert attention) was not affected by where people looked (overt attention). We conclude that there is a tendency to shift overt and covert attention reflexively to faces, but that people exert more top down control over this overt shift in attention. These finding are discussed within a new framework that focuses on the role of eye movements as an attentional process as well as a form of non-verbal communication. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tips and tricks of the surgical technique for borderline resectable pancreatic cancer: mesenteric approach and modified distal pancreatectomy with en-bloc celiac axis resection.

PubMed

Hirono, Seiko; Yamaue, Hiroki

2015-02-01

Borderline resectable (BR) pancreatic cancer involves the portal vein and/or superior mesenteric vein (PV/SMV), major arteries including the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) or common hepatic artery (CHA), and sometimes includes the involvement of the celiac axis. We herein describe tips and tricks for a surgical technique with video assistance, which may increase the R0 rates and decrease the mortality and morbidity for BR pancreatic cancer patients. First, we describe the techniques used for the "artery-first" approach for BR pancreatic cancer with involvement of the PV/SMV and/or SMA. Next, we describe the techniques used for distal pancreatectomy with en-bloc celiac axis resection (DP-CAR) and tips for decreasing the delayed gastric emptying (DGE) rates for advanced pancreatic body cancer. The mesenteric approach, followed by the dissection of posterior tissues of the SMV and SMA, is a feasible procedure to obtain R0 rates and decrease the mortality and morbidity, and the combination of this aggressive procedure and adjuvant chemo(radiation) therapy may improve the survival of BR pancreatic cancer patients. The DP-CAR procedure may increase the R0 rates for pancreatic cancer patients with involvement within 10 mm from the root of the splenic artery, as well as the CHA or celiac axis, and preserving the left gastric artery may lead to a decrease in the DGE rates in cases where there is more than 10 mm between the tumor edge and the root of the left gastric artery. The development of safer surgical procedures is necessary to improve the survival of BR pancreatic cancer patients. © 2014 Japanese Society of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery.

Aviation Safety Program Atmospheric Environment Safety Technologies (AEST) Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colantonio, Ron

2011-01-01

Engine Icing: Characterization and Simulation Capability: Develop knowledge bases, analysis methods, and simulation tools needed to address the problem of engine icing; in particular, ice-crystal icing Airframe Icing Simulation and Engineering Tool Capability: Develop and demonstrate 3-D capability to simulate and model airframe ice accretion and related aerodynamic performance degradation for current and future aircraft configurations in an expanded icing environment that includes freezing drizzle/rain Atmospheric Hazard Sensing and Mitigation Technology Capability: Improve and expand remote sensing and mitigation of hazardous atmospheric environments and phenomena

Simulating Nonmodel-Fitting Responses in a CAT Environment. ACT Research Report Series 98-10.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yi, Qing; Nering, Michael L.

This study developed a model to simulate nonmodel-fitting responses in a computerized adaptive testing (CAT) environment, and to examine the effectiveness of the model. The underlying idea was to simulate examinees' test behaviors realistically. This study simulated a situation in which examinees are exposed to or are coached on test items before…

78 FR 6269 - Amendment to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations: Revision of U.S. Munitions List...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-30

... remain subject to USML control are modeling or simulation tools that model or simulate the environments... USML revision process, the public is asked to provide specific examples of nuclear-related items whose...) Modeling or simulation tools that model or simulate the environments generated by nuclear detonations or...

Tsunami early warning in the Mediterranean: role, structure and tricks of pre-computed tsunami simulation databases and matching/forecasting algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armigliato, Alberto; Pagnoni, Gianluca; Tinti, Stefano

2014-05-01

The general idea that pre-computed simulated scenario databases can play a key role in conceiving tsunami early warning systems is commonly accepted by now. But it was only in the last decade that it started to be applied to the Mediterranean region, taking special impulse from initiatives like the GDACS and from recently concluded EU-funded projects such as TRIDEC and NearToWarn. With reference to these two projects and with the possibility of further developing this research line in the frame of the FP7 ASTARTE project, we discuss some results we obtained regarding two major topics, namely the strategies applicable to the tsunami scenario database building and the design and performance assessment of a timely and "reliable" elementary-scenario combination algorithm to be run in real-time. As for the first theme, we take advantage of the experience gained in the test areas of Western Iberia, Rhodes (Greece) and Cyprus to illustrate the criteria with which a "Matching Scenario Database" (MSDB) can be built. These involve 1) the choice of the main tectonic tsunamigenic sources (or areas), 2) their tessellation with matrices of elementary faults whose dimension heavily depend on the particular studied area and must be a compromise between the needs to represent the tsunamigenic area in sufficient detail and of limiting the number of scenarios to be simulated, 3) the computation of the scenarios themselves, 4) the choice of the relevant simulation outputs and the standardisation of their formats. Regarding the matching/forecast algorithm, we want it to select and combine the MSDB elements based on the initial earthquake magnitude and location estimate, and to produce a forecast of (at least) the tsunami arrival time, amplitude and period at the closest tide-level sensors and in all needed forecast points. We discuss the performance of the algorithm in terms of the time needed to produce the forecast after the earthquake is detected. In particular, we analyse the different contributions of a number of factors such as the efficient code development and availability of cutting-edge hardware to run the code itself, the wise selection of the MSDB outputs to be combined, the choice of the forecast points where water elevation time series must be taken into account, and few others.

An Investigation of the Potential of Interactive Simulations for Developing System Thinking Skills in Elementary School: A Case Study with Fifth-Graders and Sixth-Graders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evagorou, Maria; Korfiatis, Kostas; Nicolaou, Christiana; Constantinou, Costas

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a simulation-based learning environment on elementary school students' (11-12 years old) development of system thinking skills. The learning environment included interactive simulations using the Stagecast Creator software to simulate the ecosystem of a marsh. Simulations are an important…

Entity Modeling and Immersive Decision Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

Simulation Technologies (REST) Lerman, D. J. (2010). Correct Weather Modeling of non-Standard Days (10F- SIW -004). In Proceedings of 2010 Fall Simulation...Interoperability Workshop (Fall SIW ) SISO. Orlando, FL: SISO. Most flight simulators compute and fly in a weather environment that matches a

Construction of dynamic stochastic simulation models using knowledge-based techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, M. Douglas; Shiva, Sajjan G.

1990-01-01

Over the past three decades, computer-based simulation models have proven themselves to be cost-effective alternatives to the more structured deterministic methods of systems analysis. During this time, many techniques, tools and languages for constructing computer-based simulation models have been developed. More recently, advances in knowledge-based system technology have led many researchers to note the similarities between knowledge-based programming and simulation technologies and to investigate the potential application of knowledge-based programming techniques to simulation modeling. The integration of conventional simulation techniques with knowledge-based programming techniques is discussed to provide a development environment for constructing knowledge-based simulation models. A comparison of the techniques used in the construction of dynamic stochastic simulation models and those used in the construction of knowledge-based systems provides the requirements for the environment. This leads to the design and implementation of a knowledge-based simulation development environment. These techniques were used in the construction of several knowledge-based simulation models including the Advanced Launch System Model (ALSYM).

Evaluation and development the routing protocol of a fully functional simulation environment for VANETs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, Azhar Tareq; Warip, Mohd Nazri Mohd; Yaakob, Naimah; Abduljabbar, Waleed Khalid; Atta, Abdu Mohammed Ali

2017-11-01

Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs) is an area of wireless technologies that is attracting a great deal of interest. There are still several areas of VANETS, such as security and routing protocols, medium access control, that lack large amounts of research. There is also a lack of freely available simulators that can quickly and accurately simulate VANETs. The main goal of this paper is to develop a freely available VANETS simulator and to evaluate popular mobile ad-hoc network routing protocols in several VANETS scenarios. The VANETS simulator consisted of a network simulator, traffic (mobility simulator) and used a client-server application to keep the two simulators in sync. The VANETS simulator also models buildings to create a more realistic wireless network environment. Ad-Hoc Distance Vector routing (AODV), Dynamic Source Routing (DSR) and Dynamic MANET On-demand (DYMO) were initially simulated in a city, country, and highway environment to provide an overall evaluation.

VERSE - Virtual Equivalent Real-time Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zheng, Yang; Martin, Bryan J.; Villaume, Nathaniel

2005-01-01

Distributed real-time simulations provide important timing validation and hardware in the- loop results for the spacecraft flight software development cycle. Occasionally, the need for higher fidelity modeling and more comprehensive debugging capabilities - combined with a limited amount of computational resources - calls for a non real-time simulation environment that mimics the real-time environment. By creating a non real-time environment that accommodates simulations and flight software designed for a multi-CPU real-time system, we can save development time, cut mission costs, and reduce the likelihood of errors. This paper presents such a solution: Virtual Equivalent Real-time Simulation Environment (VERSE). VERSE turns the real-time operating system RTAI (Real-time Application Interface) into an event driven simulator that runs in virtual real time. Designed to keep the original RTAI architecture as intact as possible, and therefore inheriting RTAI's many capabilities, VERSE was implemented with remarkably little change to the RTAI source code. This small footprint together with use of the same API allows users to easily run the same application in both real-time and virtual time environments. VERSE has been used to build a workstation testbed for NASA's Space Interferometry Mission (SIM PlanetQuest) instrument flight software. With its flexible simulation controls and inexpensive setup and replication costs, VERSE will become an invaluable tool in future mission development.

Virtual Collaborative Simulation Environment for Integrated Product and Process Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gulli, Michael A.

1997-01-01

Deneb Robotics is a leader in the development of commercially available, leading edge three- dimensional simulation software tools for virtual prototyping,, simulation-based design, manufacturing process simulation, and factory floor simulation and training applications. Deneb has developed and commercially released a preliminary Virtual Collaborative Engineering (VCE) capability for Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD). This capability allows distributed, real-time visualization and evaluation of design concepts, manufacturing processes, and total factory and enterprises in one seamless simulation environment.

The Energy-Environment Simulator as a Classroom Aid.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sell, Nancy J.; Van Koevering, Thomas E.

1981-01-01

Describes the use, availability, and flexibility of the Energy-Environment Simulator, a specially designed analog computer which simulates the real-world energy situation and which is programed with estimated United States and world supplies of energy sources and estimated United States energy demands. (MP)

The effect of fidelity: how expert behavior changes in a virtual reality environment.

PubMed

Ioannou, Ioanna; Avery, Alex; Zhou, Yun; Szudek, Jacek; Kennedy, Gregor; O'Leary, Stephen

2014-09-01

We compare the behavior of expert surgeons operating on the "gold standard" of simulation-the cadaveric temporal bone-against a high-fidelity virtual reality (VR) simulation. We aim to determine whether expert behavior changes within the virtual environment and to understand how the fidelity of simulation affects users' behavior. Five expert otologists performed cortical mastoidectomy and cochleostomy on a human cadaveric temporal bone and a VR temporal bone simulator. Hand movement and video recordings were used to derive a range of measures, to facilitate an analysis of surgical technique, and to compare expert behavior between the cadaveric and simulator environments. Drilling time was similar across the two environments. Some measures such as total time and burr change count differed predictably due to the ease of switching burrs within the simulator. Surgical strokes were generally longer in distance and duration in VR, but these measures changed proportionally to cadaveric measures across the stages of the procedure. Stroke shape metrics differed, which was attributed to the modeling of burr behavior within the simulator. This will be corrected in future versions. Slight differences in drill interaction between a virtual environment and the real world can have measurable effects on surgical technique, particularly in terms of stroke length, duration, and curvature. It is important to understand these effects when designing and implementing surgical training programs based on VR simulation--and when improving the fidelity of VR simulators to facilitate use of a similar technique in both real and simulated situations. © 2014 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

Systematic analysis of signaling pathways using an integrative environment.

PubMed

Visvanathan, Mahesh; Breit, Marc; Pfeifer, Bernhard; Baumgartner, Christian; Modre-Osprian, Robert; Tilg, Bernhard

2007-01-01

Understanding the biological processes of signaling pathways as a whole system requires an integrative software environment that has comprehensive capabilities. The environment should include tools for pathway design, visualization, simulation and a knowledge base concerning signaling pathways as one. In this paper we introduce a new integrative environment for the systematic analysis of signaling pathways. This system includes environments for pathway design, visualization, simulation and a knowledge base that combines biological and modeling information concerning signaling pathways that provides the basic understanding of the biological system, its structure and functioning. The system is designed with a client-server architecture. It contains a pathway designing environment and a simulation environment as upper layers with a relational knowledge base as the underlying layer. The TNFa-mediated NF-kB signal trans-duction pathway model was designed and tested using our integrative framework. It was also useful to define the structure of the knowledge base. Sensitivity analysis of this specific pathway was performed providing simulation data. Then the model was extended showing promising initial results. The proposed system offers a holistic view of pathways containing biological and modeling data. It will help us to perform biological interpretation of the simulation results and thus contribute to a better understanding of the biological system for drug identification.

Linear Optics Simulation of Quantum Non-Markovian Dynamics

PubMed Central

Chiuri, Andrea; Greganti, Chiara; Mazzola, Laura; Paternostro, Mauro; Mataloni, Paolo

2012-01-01

The simulation of open quantum dynamics has recently allowed the direct investigation of the features of system-environment interaction and of their consequences on the evolution of a quantum system. Such interaction threatens the quantum properties of the system, spoiling them and causing the phenomenon of decoherence. Sometimes however a coherent exchange of information takes place between system and environment, memory effects arise and the dynamics of the system becomes non-Markovian. Here we report the experimental realisation of a non-Markovian process where system and environment are coupled through a simulated transverse Ising model. By engineering the evolution in a photonic quantum simulator, we demonstrate the role played by system-environment correlations in the emergence of memory effects. PMID:23236588

Physics-based approach to haptic display

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, J. Michael; Colgate, J. Edward

1994-01-01

This paper addresses the implementation of complex multiple degree of freedom virtual environments for haptic display. We suggest that a physics based approach to rigid body simulation is appropriate for hand tool simulation, but that currently available simulation techniques are not sufficient to guarantee successful implementation. We discuss the desirable features of a virtual environment simulation, specifically highlighting the importance of stability guarantees.

Microbiological assay of the Marshall Space Flight Center neutral buoyancy simulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beyerle, F. J.

1973-01-01

A neutral buoyancy simulator tank system is described in terms of microbiological and medical safety for astronauts. The system was designed to simulate a gravity-free state for evaluation of orbital operations in a microorganism-free environment. Methods for the identification and elimination of specific microorganisms are dealt with as measures for a pure system of space environment simulation.

Representing and Enacting Movement: The Body as an Instructional Resource in a Simulator-Based Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sellberg, Charlott

2017-01-01

Simulators are used to practice in a safe setting before training in a safety-critical environment. Since the nature of situations encountered in high-risk domains is complex and dynamic, it is considered important for the simulation to resemble conditions of real world tasks. For this reason, simulation-based training is often discussed in terms…

Simulation in the clinical setting: towards a standard lexicon.

PubMed

Posner, Glenn D; Clark, Marcia L; Grant, Vincent J

2017-01-01

Simulation-based educational activities are happening in the clinical environment but are not all uniform in terms of their objectives, delivery, or outputs. While these activities all provide an opportunity for individual and team training, nuances in the location, timing, notification, and participants impact the potential outcomes of these sessions and objectives achieved. In light of this, there are actually many different types of simulation-based activity that occur in the clinical environment, which has previously all been grouped together as "in situ" simulation. However, what truly defines in situ simulation is how the clinical environment responds in its' natural state, including the personnel, equipment, and systems responsible for care in that environment. Beyond individual and team skill sets, there are threats to patient safety or quality patient care that result from challenges with equipment, processes, or system breakdowns. These have been labeled "latent safety threats." We submit that the opportunity for discovery of latent safety threats is what defines in situ simulation and truly differentiates it from what would be more rightfully called "on-site" simulation. The distinction between the two is highlighted in this article, as well as some of the various sub-types of in situ simulation.

Physical environment virtualization for human activities recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poshtkar, Azin; Elangovan, Vinayak; Shirkhodaie, Amir; Chan, Alex; Hu, Shuowen

2015-05-01

Human activity recognition research relies heavily on extensive datasets to verify and validate performance of activity recognition algorithms. However, obtaining real datasets are expensive and highly time consuming. A physics-based virtual simulation can accelerate the development of context based human activity recognition algorithms and techniques by generating relevant training and testing videos simulating diverse operational scenarios. In this paper, we discuss in detail the requisite capabilities of a virtual environment to aid as a test bed for evaluating and enhancing activity recognition algorithms. To demonstrate the numerous advantages of virtual environment development, a newly developed virtual environment simulation modeling (VESM) environment is presented here to generate calibrated multisource imagery datasets suitable for development and testing of recognition algorithms for context-based human activities. The VESM environment serves as a versatile test bed to generate a vast amount of realistic data for training and testing of sensor processing algorithms. To demonstrate the effectiveness of VESM environment, we present various simulated scenarios and processed results to infer proper semantic annotations from the high fidelity imagery data for human-vehicle activity recognition under different operational contexts.

Transfer of Complex Skill Learning from Virtual to Real Rowing

PubMed Central

Rauter, Georg; Sigrist, Roland; Koch, Claudio; Crivelli, Francesco; van Raai, Mark; Riener, Robert; Wolf, Peter

2013-01-01

Simulators are commonly used to train complex tasks. In particular, simulators are applied to train dangerous tasks, to save costs, and to investigate the impact of different factors on task performance. However, in most cases, the transfer of simulator training to the real task has not been investigated. Without a proof for successful skill transfer, simulators might not be helpful at all or even counter-productive for learning the real task. In this paper, the skill transfer of complex technical aspects trained on a scull rowing simulator to sculling on water was investigated. We assume if a simulator provides high fidelity rendering of the interactions with the environment even without augmented feedback, training on such a realistic simulator would allow similar skill gains as training in the real environment. These learned skills were expected to transfer to the real environment. Two groups of four recreational rowers participated. One group trained on water, the other group trained on a simulator. Within two weeks, both groups performed four training sessions with the same licensed rowing trainer. The development in performance was assessed by quantitative biomechanical performance measures and by a qualitative video evaluation of an independent, blinded trainer. In general, both groups could improve their performance on water. The used biomechanical measures seem to allow only a limited insight into the rowers' development, while the independent trainer could also rate the rowers' overall impression. The simulator quality and naturalism was confirmed by the participants in a questionnaire. In conclusion, realistic simulator training fostered skill gains to a similar extent as training in the real environment and enabled skill transfer to the real environment. In combination with augmented feedback, simulator training can be further exploited to foster motor learning even to a higher extent, which is subject to future work. PMID:24376518

A proposal for an open source graphical environment for simulating x-ray optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanchez del Rio, Manuel; Rebuffi, Luca; Demsar, Janez; Canestrari, Niccolo; Chubar, Oleg

2014-09-01

A new graphic environment to drive X-ray optics simulation packages such as SHADOW and SRW is proposed. The aim is to simulate a virtual experiment, including the description of the electron beam and simulate the emitted radiation, the optics, the scattering by the sample and radiation detection. Python is chosen as common interaction language. The ingredients of the new application, a glossary of variables for optical component, the selection of visualization tools, and the integration of all these components in a high level workflow environment built on Orange are presented.

Physical Models and Virtual Reality Simulators in Otolaryngology.

PubMed

Javia, Luv; Sardesai, Maya G

2017-10-01

The increasing role of simulation in the medical education of future otolaryngologists has followed suit with other surgical disciplines. Simulators make it possible for the resident to explore and learn in a safe and less stressful environment. The various subspecialties in otolaryngology use physical simulators and virtual-reality simulators. Although physical simulators allow the operator to make direct contact with its components, virtual-reality simulators allow the operator to interact with an environment that is computer generated. This article gives an overview of the various types of physical simulators and virtual-reality simulators used in otolaryngology that have been reported in the literature. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

JETSTREAM Atherectomy: A Review of Technique, Tips, and Tricks in Treating the Femoropopliteal Lesions

PubMed Central

Shammas, Nicolas W.

2014-01-01

JETSTREAM (Bayer, Whippany, NJ) atherectomy is a highly effective rotational atherectomy device with active aspiration capacity approved in the United States to treat infrainguinal obstructive peripheral arterial disease. The technique in using the JETSTREAM is critical and relies on appropriate wire use, appropriate sizing, and speed in advancing the cutter as well as the use of fluoroscopic imaging and tactile and auditory senses. Using the right technique, the device appears to have a low rate of distal embolization and complications and results in high procedural success. We describe our own experience with the JETSTREAM device and the techniques used in our endovascular laboratory. PMID:26060377

Metal-coordination: Using one of nature’s tricks to control soft material mechanics

PubMed Central

Holten-Andersen, Niels; Jaishankar, Aditya; Harrington, Matthew; Fullenkamp, Dominic E.; DiMarco, Genevieve; He, Lihong; McKinley, Gareth H.; Messersmith, Phillip B.; Lee, Ka Yee C.

2015-01-01

Growing evidence supports a critical role of dynamic metal-coordination crosslinking in soft biological material properties such as self-healing and underwater adhesion1. Using bio-inspired metal-coordinating polymers, initial efforts to mimic these properties have shown promise2. Here we demonstrate how bio-inspired aqueous polymer network mechanics can be easily controlled via metal-coordination crosslink dynamics; metal ion-based crosslink stability control allows aqueous polymer network relaxation times to be finely tuned over several orders of magnitude. In addition to further biological material insights, our demonstration of this compositional scaling mechanism should provide inspiration for new polymer material property-control designs. PMID:26413297

Bold Diagrammatic Monte Carlo for Fermionic and Fermionized Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Svistunov, Boris

2013-03-01

In three different fermionic cases--repulsive Hubbard model, resonant fermions, and fermionized spins-1/2 (on triangular lattice)--we observe the phenomenon of sign blessing: Feynman diagrammatic series features finite convergence radius despite factorial growth of the number of diagrams with diagram order. Bold diagrammatic Monte Carlo technique allows us to sample millions of skeleton Feynman diagrams. With the universal fermionization trick we can fermionize essentially any (bosonic, spin, mixed, etc.) lattice system. The combination of fermionization and Bold diagrammatic Monte Carlo yields a universal first-principle approach to strongly correlated lattice systems, provided the sign blessing is a generic fermionic phenomenon. Supported by NSF and DARPA

Advanced Photosensors for Laser Beacon Adaptive Optics on the Starfire Optical Range 3.5m Telescope

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-08-01

34 " " ’" " , " Cl MIIl!Ium (2)ក) NGSWFS 321ថ subllps • " " ", , ’" ’" Cl Medium ("ŕ C4 "GS WFS Interlm 16lb160 PaD " " " ’" " , ’" a. MedIUm( bl6 ) ",.,,= 32...P’.I8’s " " " ",,, " , " Cl Med":um( b16 ) Cotte:lIliofl Trick 160.160p’Q’s " " " ,." " , " Cl MedrYmtbl6) AcQuis:llon (.J) 512.512p1><o

Vascular plugs - A key companion to Interventionists - 'Just Plug it'.

PubMed

Ramakrishnan, Sivasubramanian

2015-01-01

Vascular plugs are ideally suited to close extra-cardiac, high flowing vascular communications. The family of vascular plugs has expanded. Vascular plugs in general have a lower profile and the newer variants can be delivered even through a diagnostic catheter. These features make them versatile and easy to use. The Amplatzer vascular plugs are also used for closing intracardiac defects including coronary arterio-venous fistula and paravalvular leakage in an off-label fashion. In this review, the features of currently available vascular plugs are reviewed along with tips and tricks of using them in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

[The constribution of Justyne Siegemundin, the midwife of the Brandenburg court, to the development of the obstetrics at XVII century].

PubMed

Kraśnianin, Elzbieta; Semczuk, Andrzej

2006-12-01

From the beginning of the world assisting during childbirth was and is the women's domain. On the evolution this profession composed of many famous midwifes. Into this group unquestionably we can count Justine Siegemundin (1636-1705), midwife-self-taught person. Her activity contributed to rise the obstetrics knowledge in XVII century. Justine Siegemundin, the midwife of the Brandenburg court, published in 1690 a book describing a surgical trick still bears her name today. It is called the "double hold"--"Gedoppelter Handgriff", or "Siegemundin-Handgriff". This book counts as on the most important milestones of obstetrics history.

Photoshop tips and tricks every facial plastic surgeon should know.

PubMed

Hamilton, Grant S

2010-05-01

Postprocessing of patient photographs is an important skill for the facial plastic surgeon. Postprocessing is intended to optimize the image, not change the surgical result. This article refers to use of Photoshop CS3 (Adobe Systems Incorporated, San Jose, CA, USA) for descriptions, but any recent version of Photoshop is sufficiently similar. Topics covered are types of camera, shooting formats, color balance, alignment of preoperative and postoperative photographs, and preparing figures for publication. Each section presents step-by-step guidance and instructions along with a graphic depiction of the computer screen and Photoshop tools under discussion. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Teaching Old Compounds New Tricks: DDQ-Photocatalyzed C-H Amination of Arenes with Carbamates, Urea, and N-Heterocycles.

PubMed

Das, Somnath; Natarajan, Palani; König, Burkhard

2017-12-22

The C-H amination of benzene derivatives was achieved using DDQ as photocatalyst and BocNH 2 as the amine source under aerobic conditions and visible light irradiation. Electron-deficient and electron-rich benzenes react as substrates with moderate to good product yields. The amine scope of the reaction comprises Boc-amine, carbamates, pyrazoles, sulfonimides and urea. Preliminary mechanistic investigations indicate arene oxidation by the triplet of DDQ to radical cations with different electrophilicity and a charge transfer complex between the amine and DDQ as intermediate of the reaction. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Therapeutic potential of cannabis-related drugs.

PubMed

Alexander, Stephen P H

2016-01-04

In this review, I will consider the dual nature of Cannabis and cannabinoids. The duality arises from the potential and actuality of cannabinoids in the laboratory and clinic and the 'abuse' of Cannabis outside the clinic. The therapeutic areas currently best associated with exploitation of Cannabis-related medicines include pain, epilepsy, feeding disorders, multiple sclerosis and glaucoma. As with every other medicinal drug of course, the 'trick' will be to maximise the benefit and minimise the cost. After millennia of proximity and exploitation of the Cannabis plant, we are still playing catch up with an understanding of its potential influence for medicinal benefit. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Emerging applications of phase-change materials (PCMs): teaching an old dog new tricks.

PubMed

Hyun, Dong Choon; Levinson, Nathanael S; Jeong, Unyong; Xia, Younan

2014-04-07

The nebulous term phase-change material (PCM) simply refers to any substance that has a large heat of fusion and a sharp melting point. PCMs have been used for many years in commercial applications, mainly for heat management purposes. However, these fascinating materials have recently been rediscovered and applied to a broad range of technologies, such as smart drug delivery, information storage, barcoding, and detection. With the hope of kindling interest in this incredibly versatile range of materials, this Review presents an array of aspects related to the compositions, preparations, and emerging applications of PCMs. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

My Experience as a Foot and Ankle Trauma Surgeon in Montreal, Canada: What's Not in the Books.

PubMed

Leduc, Stéphane; Nault, Marie-Lyne; Rouleau, Dominique M; Hebert-Davies, Jonah

2016-06-01

Foot and ankle fractures are sometimes seen as routine and easy to treat. However, many fractures vary from typical patterns and require more complex management. Obtaining good outcomes in these situations can be challenging. Often, the difference between average and good results has to do with preoperative planning and good surgical technique. This article outlines numerous techniques and tricks that are not always mentioned in classic textbooks. It focuses on ankle, talus, calcaneus, and midfoot fractures, and discusses numerous techniques and aids to avoid potential problems that may be encountered intraoperatively. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Active learning of introductory optics: real-time physics labs, interactive lecture demonstrations and magic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sokoloff, David R.

2005-10-01

Widespread physics education research has shown that most introductory physics students have difficulty learning essential optics concepts - even in the best of traditional courses, and that well-designed active learning approaches can remedy this problem. This mini-workshop and the associated poster session will provide direct experience with methods for promoting students' active involvement in the learning process in lecture and laboratory. Participants will have hands-on experience with activities from RealTime Physics labs and Interactive Lecture Demonstrations - a learning strategy for large (and small) lectures, including specially designed Optics Magic Tricks. The poster will provide more details on these highly effective curricula.

[Severe trampoline injuries and their risk factors among children and the young].

PubMed

Sinikumpu, Juha-Jaakko; Salokorpi, Niina; Suo-Palosaari, Maria; Pesälä, Juha; Serlo, Willy

2016-01-01

Although the majority of trampoline injuries in children are minor, severe injuries occur as well. We have analyzed the risk factors, treatment and outcome of severe trampoline injuries treated in the Oulu University Hospital in children and the young between April and November 2105. There was a total of eight severe injuries. Five injuries involved a danger of death. Almost all severe trampoline injuries resulted from an unsuccessful trick. A safety net was in use in half of the cases. All cervical spine injuries would have been avoided provided that the children would have refrained from doing a somersault on the trampoline.

The evolution of the simulation environment in the ALMA Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Tzu-Chiang; Soto, Ruben; Saez, Norman; Velez, Gaston; Staig, Tomas; Sepulveda, Jorge; Saez, Alejandro; Ovando, Nicolas; Ibsen, Jorge

2016-07-01

The Atacama Large Millimeter /submillimeter Array (ALMA) has entered into operation phase since 2013. This transition changed the priorities within the observatory, in which, most of the available time will be dedicated to science observations at the expense of technical time. Therefore, it was planned to design and implement a new simulation environment, which must be comparable - or at least- be representative of the production environment. Concepts of model in the loop and hardware in the loop were explored. In this paper we review experiences gained and lessons learnt during the design and implementation of the new simulation environment.

A novel approach to simulate gene-environment interactions in complex diseases.

PubMed

Amato, Roberto; Pinelli, Michele; D'Andrea, Daniel; Miele, Gennaro; Nicodemi, Mario; Raiconi, Giancarlo; Cocozza, Sergio

2010-01-05

Complex diseases are multifactorial traits caused by both genetic and environmental factors. They represent the major part of human diseases and include those with largest prevalence and mortality (cancer, heart disease, obesity, etc.). Despite a large amount of information that has been collected about both genetic and environmental risk factors, there are few examples of studies on their interactions in epidemiological literature. One reason can be the incomplete knowledge of the power of statistical methods designed to search for risk factors and their interactions in these data sets. An improvement in this direction would lead to a better understanding and description of gene-environment interactions. To this aim, a possible strategy is to challenge the different statistical methods against data sets where the underlying phenomenon is completely known and fully controllable, for example simulated ones. We present a mathematical approach that models gene-environment interactions. By this method it is possible to generate simulated populations having gene-environment interactions of any form, involving any number of genetic and environmental factors and also allowing non-linear interactions as epistasis. In particular, we implemented a simple version of this model in a Gene-Environment iNteraction Simulator (GENS), a tool designed to simulate case-control data sets where a one gene-one environment interaction influences the disease risk. The main aim has been to allow the input of population characteristics by using standard epidemiological measures and to implement constraints to make the simulator behaviour biologically meaningful. By the multi-logistic model implemented in GENS it is possible to simulate case-control samples of complex disease where gene-environment interactions influence the disease risk. The user has full control of the main characteristics of the simulated population and a Monte Carlo process allows random variability. A knowledge-based approach reduces the complexity of the mathematical model by using reasonable biological constraints and makes the simulation more understandable in biological terms. Simulated data sets can be used for the assessment of novel statistical methods or for the evaluation of the statistical power when designing a study.

The Energy-Environment Simulator as a Classroom Aid.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sell, Nancy J.; Van Koevering, Thomas E.

1981-01-01

Energy-Environment Simulators, provided by the U.S. Department of Energy, can be used to help individuals experience the effects of unbridled energy consumption for the next century on a national or worldwide scale. The simulator described is a specially designed analog computer which models the real-world energy situation. (MP)

Simulation as a Method of Teaching Communication for Multinational Corporations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stull, James B.; Baird, John W.

Interpersonal simulations may be used as a module in cultural awareness programs to provide realistic environments in which students, supervisors, and managers may practice communication skills that are effective in multicultural environments. To conduct and implement a cross-cultural simulation, facilitators should proceed through four stages:…

Designing, Implementing and Evaluating Preclinical Simulation Lab for Maternity Nursing Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ALFozan, Haya; El Sayed, Yousria; Habib, Farida

2015-01-01

Background: The opportunity for students to deliver care safely in today's, complex health care environment is limited. Simulation allows students to practice skills in a safe environment. Purpose: to assess the students' perception, satisfaction, and learning outcomes after a simulation based maternity course. Method: a quasi experimental design…

A Distributed Simulation Facility to Support Human Factors Research in Advanced Air Transportation Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Amonlirdviman, Keith; Farley, Todd C.; Hansman, R. John, Jr.; Ladik, John F.; Sherer, Dana Z.

1998-01-01

A distributed real-time simulation of the civil air traffic environment developed to support human factors research in advanced air transportation technology is presented. The distributed environment is based on a custom simulation architecture designed for simplicity and flexibility in human experiments. Standard Internet protocols are used to create the distributed environment, linking all advanced cockpit simulator, all Air Traffic Control simulator, and a pseudo-aircraft control and simulation management station. The pseudo-aircraft control station also functions as a scenario design tool for coordinating human factors experiments. This station incorporates a pseudo-pilot interface designed to reduce workload for human operators piloting multiple aircraft simultaneously in real time. The application of this distributed simulation facility to support a study of the effect of shared information (via air-ground datalink) on pilot/controller shared situation awareness and re-route negotiation is also presented.

An Integrated Modeling and Simulation Methodology for Intelligent Systems Design and Testing

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-08-01

simulation and actual execution. KEYWORDS: Model Continuity, Modeling, Simulation, Experimental Frame, Real Time Systems , Intelligent Systems...the methodology for a stand-alone real time system. Then it will scale up to distributed real time systems . For both systems, step-wise simulation...MODEL CONTINUITY Intelligent real time systems monitor, respond to, or control, an external environment. This environment is connected to the digital

Exploration of Force Transition in Stability Operations Using Multi-Agent Simulation

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

risk, mission failure risk, and time in the context of the operational threat environment. The Pythagoras Multi-Agent Simulation and Data Farming...NUMBER OF PAGES 173 14. SUBJECT TERMS Stability Operations, Peace Operations, Data Farming, Pythagoras , Agent- Based Model, Multi-Agent Simulation...the operational threat environment. The Pythagoras Multi-Agent Simulation and Data Farming techniques are used to investigate force-level

Simulation of Range Safety for the NASA Space Shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rabelo, Luis; Sepulveda, Jose; Compton, Jeppie; Turner, Robert

2005-01-01

This paper describes a simulation environment that seamlessly combines a number of safety and environmental models for the launch phase of a NASA Space Shuttle mission. The components of this simulation environment represent the different systems that must interact in order to determine the Expectation of casualties (E(sub c)) resulting from the toxic effects of the gas dispersion that occurs after a disaster affecting a Space Shuttle within 120 seconds of lift-off. The utilization of the Space Shuttle reliability models, trajectory models, weather dissemination systems, population models, amount and type of toxicants, gas dispersion models, human response functions to toxicants, and a geographical information system are all integrated to create this environment. This simulation environment can help safety managers estimate the population at risk in order to plan evacuation, make sheltering decisions, determine the resources required to provide aid and comfort, and mitigate damages in case of a disaster. This simulation environment may also be modified and used for the landing phase of a space vehicle but will not be discussed in this paper.

Visual Computing Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawrence, Charles; Putt, Charles W.

1997-01-01

The Visual Computing Environment (VCE) is a NASA Lewis Research Center project to develop a framework for intercomponent and multidisciplinary computational simulations. Many current engineering analysis codes simulate various aspects of aircraft engine operation. For example, existing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes can model the airflow through individual engine components such as the inlet, compressor, combustor, turbine, or nozzle. Currently, these codes are run in isolation, making intercomponent and complete system simulations very difficult to perform. In addition, management and utilization of these engineering codes for coupled component simulations is a complex, laborious task, requiring substantial experience and effort. To facilitate multicomponent aircraft engine analysis, the CFD Research Corporation (CFDRC) is developing the VCE system. This system, which is part of NASA's Numerical Propulsion Simulation System (NPSS) program, can couple various engineering disciplines, such as CFD, structural analysis, and thermal analysis. The objectives of VCE are to (1) develop a visual computing environment for controlling the execution of individual simulation codes that are running in parallel and are distributed on heterogeneous host machines in a networked environment, (2) develop numerical coupling algorithms for interchanging boundary conditions between codes with arbitrary grid matching and different levels of dimensionality, (3) provide a graphical interface for simulation setup and control, and (4) provide tools for online visualization and plotting. VCE was designed to provide a distributed, object-oriented environment. Mechanisms are provided for creating and manipulating objects, such as grids, boundary conditions, and solution data. This environment includes parallel virtual machine (PVM) for distributed processing. Users can interactively select and couple any set of codes that have been modified to run in a parallel distributed fashion on a cluster of heterogeneous workstations. A scripting facility allows users to dictate the sequence of events that make up the particular simulation.

Extensible Adaptable Simulation Systems: Supporting Multiple Fidelity Simulations in a Common Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McLaughlin, Brian J.; Barrett, Larry K.

2012-01-01

Common practice in the development of simulation systems is meeting all user requirements within a single instantiation. The Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) presents a unique challenge to establish a simulation environment that meets the needs of a diverse user community while also spanning a multi-mission environment over decades of operation. In response, the JPSS Flight Vehicle Test Suite (FVTS) is architected with an extensible infrastructure that supports the operation of multiple observatory simulations for a single mission and multiple mission within a common system perimeter. For the JPSS-1 satellite, multiple fidelity flight observatory simulations are necessary to support the distinct user communities consisting of the Common Ground System development team, the Common Ground System Integration & Test team, and the Mission Rehearsal Team/Mission Operations Team. These key requirements present several challenges to FVTS development. First, the FVTS must ensure all critical user requirements are satisfied by at least one fidelity instance of the observatory simulation. Second, the FVTS must allow for tailoring of the system instances to function in diverse operational environments from the High-security operations environment at NOAA Satellite Operations Facility (NSOF) to the ground system factory floor. Finally, the FVTS must provide the ability to execute sustaining engineering activities on a subset of the system without impacting system availability to parallel users. The FVTS approach of allowing for multiple fidelity copies of observatory simulations represents a unique concept in simulator capability development and corresponds to the JPSS Ground System goals of establishing a capability that is flexible, extensible, and adaptable.

Gaining insight into the physics of dynamic atomic force microscopy in complex environments using the VEDA simulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiracofe, Daniel; Melcher, John; Raman, Arvind

2012-01-01

Dynamic atomic force microscopy (dAFM) continues to grow in popularity among scientists in many different fields, and research on new methods and operating modes continues to expand the resolution, capabilities, and types of samples that can be studied. But many promising increases in capability are accompanied by increases in complexity. Indeed, interpreting modern dAFM data can be challenging, especially on complicated material systems, or in liquid environments where the behavior is often contrary to what is known in air or vacuum environments. Mathematical simulations have proven to be an effective tool in providing physical insight into these non-intuitive systems. In this article we describe recent developments in the VEDA (virtual environment for dynamic AFM) simulator, which is a suite of freely available, open-source simulation tools that are delivered through the cloud computing cyber-infrastructure of nanoHUB (www.nanohub.org). Here we describe three major developments. First, simulations in liquid environments are improved by enhancements in the modeling of cantilever dynamics, excitation methods, and solvation shell forces. Second, VEDA is now able to simulate many new advanced modes of operation (bimodal, phase-modulation, frequency-modulation, etc.). Finally, nineteen different tip-sample models are available to simulate the surface physics of a wide variety different material systems including capillary, specific adhesion, van der Waals, electrostatic, viscoelasticity, and hydration forces. These features are demonstrated through example simulations and validated against experimental data, in order to provide insight into practical problems in dynamic AFM.

Gaining insight into the physics of dynamic atomic force microscopy in complex environments using the VEDA simulator.

PubMed

Kiracofe, Daniel; Melcher, John; Raman, Arvind

2012-01-01

Dynamic atomic force microscopy (dAFM) continues to grow in popularity among scientists in many different fields, and research on new methods and operating modes continues to expand the resolution, capabilities, and types of samples that can be studied. But many promising increases in capability are accompanied by increases in complexity. Indeed, interpreting modern dAFM data can be challenging, especially on complicated material systems, or in liquid environments where the behavior is often contrary to what is known in air or vacuum environments. Mathematical simulations have proven to be an effective tool in providing physical insight into these non-intuitive systems. In this article we describe recent developments in the VEDA (virtual environment for dynamic AFM) simulator, which is a suite of freely available, open-source simulation tools that are delivered through the cloud computing cyber-infrastructure of nanoHUB (www.nanohub.org). Here we describe three major developments. First, simulations in liquid environments are improved by enhancements in the modeling of cantilever dynamics, excitation methods, and solvation shell forces. Second, VEDA is now able to simulate many new advanced modes of operation (bimodal, phase-modulation, frequency-modulation, etc.). Finally, nineteen different tip-sample models are available to simulate the surface physics of a wide variety different material systems including capillary, specific adhesion, van der Waals, electrostatic, viscoelasticity, and hydration forces. These features are demonstrated through example simulations and validated against experimental data, in order to provide insight into practical problems in dynamic AFM.

Cognitive simulators for medical education and training.

PubMed

Kahol, Kanav; Vankipuram, Mithra; Smith, Marshall L

2009-08-01

Simulators for honing procedural skills (such as surgical skills and central venous catheter placement) have proven to be valuable tools for medical educators and students. While such simulations represent an effective paradigm in surgical education, there is an opportunity to add a layer of cognitive exercises to these basic simulations that can facilitate robust skill learning in residents. This paper describes a controlled methodology, inspired by neuropsychological assessment tasks and embodied cognition, to develop cognitive simulators for laparoscopic surgery. These simulators provide psychomotor skill training and offer the additional challenge of accomplishing cognitive tasks in realistic environments. A generic framework for design, development and evaluation of such simulators is described. The presented framework is generalizable and can be applied to different task domains. It is independent of the types of sensors, simulation environment and feedback mechanisms that the simulators use. A proof of concept of the framework is provided through developing a simulator that includes cognitive variations to a basic psychomotor task. The results of two pilot studies are presented that show the validity of the methodology in providing an effective evaluation and learning environments for surgeons.

Simulation environment and graphical visualization environment: a COPD use-case

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Today, many different tools are developed to execute and visualize physiological models that represent the human physiology. Most of these tools run models written in very specific programming languages which in turn simplify the communication among models. Nevertheless, not all of these tools are able to run models written in different programming languages. In addition, interoperability between such models remains an unresolved issue. Results In this paper we present a simulation environment that allows, first, the execution of models developed in different programming languages and second the communication of parameters to interconnect these models. This simulation environment, developed within the Synergy-COPD project, aims at helping and supporting bio-researchers and medical students understand the internal mechanisms of the human body through the use of physiological models. This tool is composed of a graphical visualization environment, which is a web interface through which the user can interact with the models, and a simulation workflow management system composed of a control module and a data warehouse manager. The control module monitors the correct functioning of the whole system. The data warehouse manager is responsible for managing the stored information and supporting its flow among the different modules. This simulation environment has been validated with the integration of three models: two deterministic, i.e. based on linear and differential equations, and one probabilistic, i.e., based on probability theory. These models have been selected based on the disease under study in this project, i.e., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Conclusion It has been proved that the simulation environment presented here allows the user to research and study the internal mechanisms of the human physiology by the use of models via a graphical visualization environment. A new tool for bio-researchers is ready for deployment in various use cases scenarios. PMID:25471327