WorldWideScience

Sample records for automatic train operation

  1. Automatic Train Operation Using Autonomic Prediction of Train Runs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asuka, Masashi; Kataoka, Kenji; Komaya, Kiyotoshi; Nishida, Syogo

    In this paper, we present an automatic train control method adaptable to disturbed train traffic conditions. The proposed method presumes transmission of detected time of a home track clearance to trains approaching to the station by employing equipment of Digital ATC (Automatic Train Control). Using the information, each train controls its acceleration by the method that consists of two approaches. First, by setting a designated restricted speed, the train controls its running time to arrive at the next station in accordance with predicted delay. Second, the train predicts the time at which it will reach the current braking pattern generated by Digital ATC, along with the time when the braking pattern transits ahead. By comparing them, the train correctly chooses the coasting drive mode in advance to avoid deceleration due to the current braking pattern. We evaluated the effectiveness of the proposed method regarding driving conditions, energy consumption and reduction of delays by simulation.

  2. 49 CFR 236.825 - System, automatic train control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false System, automatic train control. 236.825 Section..., INSPECTION, MAINTENANCE, AND REPAIR OF SIGNAL AND TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND APPLIANCES Definitions § 236.825 System, automatic train control. A system so arranged that its operation will automatically...

  3. Integrated training support system for PWR operator training simulator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakaguchi, Junichi; Komatsu, Yasuki

    1999-01-01

    The importance of operator training using operator training simulator has been recognized intensively. Since 1986, we have been developing and providing many PWR simulators in Japan. We also have developed some training support systems connected with the simulator and the integrated training support system to improve training effect and to reduce instructor's workload. This paper describes the concept and the effect of the integrated training support system and of the following sub-systems. We have PES (Performance Enhancement System) that evaluates training performance automatically by analyzing many plant parameters and operation data. It can reduce the deviation of training performance evaluation between instructors. PEL (Parameter and Event data Logging system), that is the subset of PES, has some data-logging functions. And we also have TPES (Team Performance Enhancement System) that is used aiming to improve trainees' ability for communication between operators. Trainee can have conversation with virtual trainees that TPES plays automatically. After that, TPES automatically display some advice to be improved. RVD (Reactor coolant system Visual Display) displays the distributed hydraulic-thermal condition of the reactor coolant system in real-time graphically. It can make trainees understand the inside plant condition in more detail. These sub-systems have been used in a training center and have contributed the improvement of operator training and have gained in popularity. (author)

  4. Second-order sliding mode controller with model reference adaptation for automatic train operation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganesan, M.; Ezhilarasi, D.; Benni, Jijo

    2017-11-01

    In this paper, a new approach to model reference based adaptive second-order sliding mode control together with adaptive state feedback is presented to control the longitudinal dynamic motion of a high speed train for automatic train operation with the objective of minimal jerk travel by the passengers. The nonlinear dynamic model for the longitudinal motion of the train comprises of a locomotive and coach subsystems is constructed using multiple point-mass model by considering the forces acting on the vehicle. An adaptation scheme using Lyapunov criterion is derived to tune the controller gains by considering a linear, stable reference model that ensures the stability of the system in closed loop. The effectiveness of the controller tracking performance is tested under uncertain passenger load, coupler-draft gear parameters, propulsion resistance coefficients variations and environmental disturbances due to side wind and wet rail conditions. The results demonstrate improved tracking performance of the proposed control scheme with a least jerk under maximum parameter uncertainties when compared to constant gain second-order sliding mode control.

  5. Development of advanced automatic operation system for nuclear ship. 1. Perfect automatic normal operation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakazawa, Toshio; Yabuuti, Noriaki; Takahashi, Hiroki; Shimazaki, Junya

    1999-02-01

    Development of operation support system such as automatic operating system and anomaly diagnosis systems of nuclear reactor is very important in practical nuclear ship because of a limited number of operators and severe conditions in which receiving support from others in a case of accident is very difficult. The goal of development of the operation support systems is to realize the perfect automatic control system in a series of normal operation from the reactor start-up to the shutdown. The automatic control system for the normal operation has been developed based on operating experiences of the first Japanese nuclear ship 'Mutsu'. Automation technique was verified by 'Mutsu' plant data at manual operation. Fully automatic control of start-up and shutdown operations was achieved by setting the desired value of operation and the limiting value of parameter fluctuation, and by making the operation program of the principal equipment such as the main coolant pump and the heaters. This report presents the automatic operation system developed for the start-up and the shutdown of reactor and the verification of the system using the Nuclear Ship Engineering Simulator System. (author)

  6. Development of the automatic control rod operation system for JOYO. Verification of automatic control rod operation guide system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Terakado, Tsuguo; Suzuki, Shinya; Kawai, Masashi; Aoki, Hiroshi; Ohkubo, Toshiyuki

    1999-10-01

    The automatic control rod operation system was developed to control the JOYO reactor power automatically in all operation modes(critical approach, cooling system heat up, power ascent, power descent), development began in 1989. Prior to applying the system, verification tests of the automatic control rod operation guide system was conducted during 32nd duty cycles of JOYO' from Dec. 1997 to Feb. 1998. The automatic control rod operation guide system consists of the control rod operation guide function and the plant operation guide function. The control rod operation guide function provides information on control rod movement and position, while the plant operation guide function provide guidance for plant operations corresponding to reactor power changes(power ascent or power descent). Control rod insertion or withdrawing are predicted by fuzzy algorithms. (J.P.N.)

  7. Features of ABWR operator training with a full-scope simulator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kondou, Shin'ichi

    1999-01-01

    Many innovations have been incorporated into the Advanced BWR (ABWR) type control panels. In the BWR Operator Training Center (BTC), we started ABWR operator training using an ABWR full-scope simulator prior to the first ABWR plant's commercial operation. In consideration of the features of the ABWR type control panels, BTC has been conducting ABWR operator training focusing on the following 2 points; (1) Operator training reflecting the differences in the Human-Machine Interface (HMI). The new HMI devices which have the touch-operation function were introduced. These devices have higher operability, however, they require new operational skills. We planned the training program so that operators can fully acquire these skills. Also the compact main console and the new HMI devices made it relatively difficult for the operator crews to grasp visually what an operator was doing. We provide the training to have proper communication skills, and check trainees' operation using monitoring systems for simulator training. (2) Operator training responding to the expanded operation automation system. The scope of the automation system was expanded to reduce the operators' burden. We provide the training to improve the trainees' competence for 'operation and monitoring' suitable to both manual and automatic operational modes. (author)

  8. Trend analysis of nuclear reactor automatic trip events subjected to operator's human error at United States nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takagawa, Kenichi

    2009-01-01

    Trends in nuclear reactor automatic trip events due to human errors during plant operating mode have been analyzed by extracting 20 events which took place in the United States during the period of seven years from 2002 to 2008, cited in the LERs (Licensee Event Reports) submitted to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). It was shown that the yearly number of events was relatively large before 2005, and thereafter the number decreased. A period of stable operation, in which the yearly number was kept very small, continued for about three years, and then the yearly number turned to increase again. Before 2005, automatic trip events occurred more frequently during periodic inspections or start-up/shut-down operations. The recent trends, however, indicate that trip events became more frequent due to human errors during daily operations. Human errors were mostly caused by the self-conceit and carelessness of operators through the whole period. The before mentioned trends in the yearly number of events might be explained as follows. The decrease in the automatic trip events is attributed to sharing trouble information, leading as a consequence to improvement of the manual and training for the operations which have a higher potential risk of automatic trip. Then, while the period of stable operation continued, some operators came to pay less attention to preventing human errors and not interest in the training, leading to automatic trip events in reality due to miss-operation. From these analyses on trouble experiences in the US, we learnt the followings to prevent the occurrence similar troubles in Japan: Operators should be thoroughly skilled in basic actions to prevent human errors as persons concerned. And it should be further emphasized that they should elaborate by imaging actual plant operations even though the simulator training gives them successful experiences. (author)

  9. Automatic operation device for control rods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sekimizu, Koichi

    1984-01-01

    Purpose: To enable automatic operation of control rods based on the reactor operation planning, and particularly, to decrease the operator's load upon start up and shutdown of the reactor. Constitution: Operation plannings, demand for the automatic operation, break point setting value, power and reactor core flow rate change, demand for operation interrupt, demand for restart, demand for forecasting and the like are inputted to an input device, and an overall judging device performs a long-term forecast as far as the break point by a long-term forecasting device based on the operation plannings. The automatic reactor operation or the like is carried out based on the long-term forecasting and the short time forecasting is performed by the change in the reactor core status due to the control rod operation sequence based on the control rod pattern and the operation planning. Then, it is judged if the operation for the intended control rod is possible or not based on the result of the short time forecasting. (Aizawa, K.)

  10. Automatic Training of Rat Cyborgs for Navigation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Yipeng; Wu, Zhaohui; Xu, Kedi; Gong, Yongyue; Zheng, Nenggan; Zheng, Xiaoxiang; Pan, Gang

    2016-01-01

    A rat cyborg system refers to a biological rat implanted with microelectrodes in its brain, via which the outer electrical stimuli can be delivered into the brain in vivo to control its behaviors. Rat cyborgs have various applications in emergency, such as search and rescue in disasters. Prior to a rat cyborg becoming controllable, a lot of effort is required to train it to adapt to the electrical stimuli. In this paper, we build a vision-based automatic training system for rat cyborgs to replace the time-consuming manual training procedure. A hierarchical framework is proposed to facilitate the colearning between rats and machines. In the framework, the behavioral states of a rat cyborg are visually sensed by a camera, a parameterized state machine is employed to model the training action transitions triggered by rat's behavioral states, and an adaptive adjustment policy is developed to adaptively adjust the stimulation intensity. The experimental results of three rat cyborgs prove the effectiveness of our system. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to tackle automatic training of animal cyborgs.

  11. Automatically controlled training systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Milashenko, A.; Afanasiev, A.

    1990-01-01

    This paper reports that the computer system for NPP personnel training was developed for training centers in the Soviet Union. The system should be considered as the first step in training, taking into account that further steps are to be devoted to part-task and full scope simulator training. The training room consists of 8-12 IBM PC/AT personal computers combined into a network. A trainee accesses the system in a dialor manner. Software enables the instructor to determine the trainee's progress in different subjects of the program. The quality of any trainee preparedness may be evaluated by Knowledge Control operation. Simplified dynamic models are adopted for separate areas of the program. For example, the system of neutron flux monitoring has a dedicated model. Currently, training, requalification and support of professional qualifications of nuclear power plant operators is being emphasized. A significant number of emergency situations during work are occurring due to operator errors. Based on data from September-October 1989, more than half of all unplanned drops in power and stoppages of power plants were due to operator error. As a comparison, problems due to equipment malfunction accounted for no more than a third of the total. The role of personnel, especially of the operators, is significant during normal operations, since energy production costs as well as losses are influenced by the capability of the staff. These facts all point to the importance of quality training of personnel

  12. Automatic Operation For A Robot Lawn Mower

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Y. Y.; Cao, Z. L.; Oh, S. J.; Kattan, E. U.; Hall, E. L.

    1987-02-01

    A domestic mobile robot, lawn mower, which performs the automatic operation mode, has been built up in the Center of Robotics Research, University of Cincinnati. The robot lawn mower automatically completes its work with the region filling operation, a new kind of path planning for mobile robots. Some strategies for region filling of path planning have been developed for a partly-known or a unknown environment. Also, an advanced omnidirectional navigation system and a multisensor-based control system are used in the automatic operation. Research on the robot lawn mower, especially on the region filling of path planning, is significant in industrial and agricultural applications.

  13. A consideration of the operation of automatic production machines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoshi, Toshiro; Sugimoto, Noboru

    2015-01-01

    At worksites, various automatic production machines are in use to release workers from muscular labor or labor in the detrimental environment. On the other hand, a large number of industrial accidents have been caused by automatic production machines. In view of this, this paper considers the operation of automatic production machines from the viewpoint of accident prevention, and points out two types of machine operation - operation for which quick performance is required (operation that is not permitted to be delayed) - and operation for which composed performance is required (operation that is not permitted to be performed in haste). These operations are distinguished by operation buttons of suitable colors and shapes. This paper shows that these characteristics are evaluated as "asymmetric on the time-axis". Here, in order for workers to accept the risk of automatic production machines, it is preconditioned in general that harm should be sufficiently small or avoidance of harm is easy. In this connection, this paper shows the possibility of facilitating the acceptance of the risk of automatic production machines by enhancing the asymmetric on the time-axis.

  14. Training cows to approach the milking unit in response to acoustic signals in an automatic milking system during the grazing season

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wredle, E.; Munksgaard, Lene; Sporndly, E.

    2006-01-01

    connected to the automatic milking system. The cows were trained indoors using an operant conditioning technique. All cows had 12 training sessions with 7–12 signals given at variable intervals. An evaluation period followed the training period. During evaluation, the trained cows received an individual...... cows housed in a barn with an automatic milking system. A small box emitting an acoustic signal was attached to the collar of the 10 cows. During the training period, the signal was induced manually from a distance and during the evaluation period, signals were activated automatically from a computer...... (with no signal) in early season was 9.7 ± 0.18 h (P 7 ± 0.56 h and 9.0 ± 0.20 h for the five cows trained in late season and a reference group (with no signal), respectively. During the evaluation in a full herd situation, the response ranged between 15 and 75...

  15. Automatic Control of Freeboard and Turbine Operation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kofoed, Jens Peter; Frigaard, Peter Bak; Friis-Madsen, Erik

    The report deals with the modules for automatic control of freeboard and turbine operation on board the Wave dragon, Nissum Bredning (WD-NB) prototype, and covers what has been going on up to ultimo 2003.......The report deals with the modules for automatic control of freeboard and turbine operation on board the Wave dragon, Nissum Bredning (WD-NB) prototype, and covers what has been going on up to ultimo 2003....

  16. Operator training

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wirstad, J.

    1983-12-01

    The traditional operator job is changing, which among other things has generated a need for better job training. Surprisingly increased process automation has lead to increased operator qualifications, i.e. basic job training but also up-date and rehearsal training within certain fixed intervals. There are several, similar models for instructional system development available in the literature. One model which is of special interest integrates Operator Training development and Man-Machine Interfaces development. The extent to which Systematic Operator Training has been implemented varies with branches and companies. The nuclear power branch is given as an example in the report. This branch probably represents something better than the average among the process industries.(author)

  17. Automatic Error Recovery in Robot Assembly Operations Using Reverse Execution

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Laursen, Johan Sund; Schultz, Ulrik Pagh; Ellekilde, Lars-Peter

    2015-01-01

    , in particular for small-batch productions. As an alternative, we propose a system for automatically handling certain classes of errors instead of preventing them. Specifically, we show that many operations can be automatically reversed. Errors can be handled through automatic reverse execution of the control...... program to a safe point, from which forward execution can be resumed. This paper describes the principles behind automatic reversal of robotic assembly operations, and experimentally demonstrates the use of a domain-specific language that supports automatic error handling through reverse execution. Our...

  18. Development of advanced automatic control system for nuclear ship. 2. Perfect automatic operation after reactor scram events

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yabuuchi, Noriaki; Nakazawa, Toshio; Takahashi, Hiroki; Shimazaki, Junya; Hoshi, Tsutao

    1997-11-01

    An automatic operation system has been developed for the purpose of realizing a perfect automatic plant operation after reactor scram events. The goal of the automatic operation after a reactor scram event is to bring the reactor hot stand-by condition automatically. The basic functions of this system are as follows; to monitor actions of the equipments of safety actions after a reactor scram, to control necessary control equipments to bring a reactor to a hot stand-by condition automatically, and to energize a decay heat removal system. The performance evaluation on this system was carried out by comparing the results using to Nuclear Ship Engineering Simulation System (NESSY) and the those measured in the scram test of the nuclear ship 'Mutsu'. As the result, it was showed that this system had the sufficient performance to bring a reactor to a hot syand-by condition quickly and safety. (author)

  19. Development of advanced automatic control system for nuclear ship. 2. Perfect automatic operation after reactor scram events

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yabuuchi, Noriaki; Nakazawa, Toshio; Takahashi, Hiroki; Shimazaki, Junya; Hoshi, Tsutao [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

    1997-11-01

    An automatic operation system has been developed for the purpose of realizing a perfect automatic plant operation after reactor scram events. The goal of the automatic operation after a reactor scram event is to bring the reactor hot stand-by condition automatically. The basic functions of this system are as follows; to monitor actions of the equipments of safety actions after a reactor scram, to control necessary control equipments to bring a reactor to a hot stand-by condition automatically, and to energize a decay heat removal system. The performance evaluation on this system was carried out by comparing the results using to Nuclear Ship Engineering Simulation System (NESSY) and the those measured in the scram test of the nuclear ship `Mutsu`. As the result, it was showed that this system had the sufficient performance to bring a reactor to a hot syand-by condition quickly and safety. (author)

  20. Simulators and their use in the training of CEGB reactor operations engineers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Madden, V.J.; Tompsett, P.A.

    1988-01-01

    The development of simulators in the Central Electricity Generating Board's nuclear power training are traced, and, in describing the overall training programme of an advanced gas-cooled reactor operations engineer, the contribution made by a range of simulation devices from concept through to full-scope replica simulators is indicated. The capabilities of today's simulators are such that they are also making other contributions to the commissioning and safe operation of nuclear power plants. They are being successfully used for ergonomic and procedure validation work and the testing and commissioning of software for automatic control systems, and data and alarm processing systems. (author)

  1. 14 CFR 29.672 - Stability augmentation, automatic, and power-operated systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... power-operated systems. 29.672 Section 29.672 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION... Construction Control Systems § 29.672 Stability augmentation, automatic, and power-operated systems. If the functioning of stability augmentation or other automatic or power-operated system is necessary to show...

  2. 14 CFR 27.672 - Stability augmentation, automatic, and power-operated systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... power-operated systems. 27.672 Section 27.672 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION... Construction Control Systems § 27.672 Stability augmentation, automatic, and power-operated systems. If the functioning of stability augmentation or other automatic or power-operated systems is necessary to show...

  3. Consistently Trained Artificial Neural Network for Automatic Ship Berthing Control

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y.A. Ahmed

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, consistently trained Artificial Neural Network controller for automatic ship berthing is discussed. Minimum time course changing manoeuvre is utilised to ensure such consistency and a new concept named ‘virtual window’ is introduced. Such consistent teaching data are then used to train two separate multi-layered feed forward neural networks for command rudder and propeller revolution output. After proper training, several known and unknown conditions are tested to judge the effectiveness of the proposed controller using Monte Carlo simulations. After getting acceptable percentages of success, the trained networks are implemented for the free running experiment system to judge the network’s real time response for Esso Osaka 3-m model ship. The network’s behaviour during such experiments is also investigated for possible effect of initial conditions as well as wind disturbances. Moreover, since the final goal point of the proposed controller is set at some distance from the actual pier to ensure safety, therefore a study on automatic tug assistance is also discussed for the final alignment of the ship with actual pier.

  4. Computerized automatic tip scanning operation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishikawa, K.; Fukushima, T.; Nakai, H.; Yanagisawa, A.

    1984-01-01

    In BWR nuclear power stations the Traversing Incore Probe (TIP) system is one of the most important components in reactor monitoring and control. In previous TIP systems, however, operators have suffered from the complexity of operation and long operation time required. The system presented in this paper realizes the automatic operation of the TIP system by monitoring and driving it with a process computer. This system significantly reduces the burden on customer operators and improves plant efficiency by simplifying the operating procedure, augmenting the accuracy of the measured data, and shortening operating time. The process computer is one of the PODIA (Plant Operation by Displayed Information Automation) systems. This computer transfers control signals to the TIP control panel, which in turn drives equipment by microprocessor control. The process computer contains such components as the CRT/KB unit, the printer plotter, the hard copier, and the message typers required for efficient man-machine communications. Its operation and interface properties are described

  5. High-Throughput Automatic Training System for Odor-Based Learned Behaviors in Head-Fixed Mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhe Han

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Understanding neuronal mechanisms of learned behaviors requires efficient behavioral assays. We designed a high-throughput automatic training system (HATS for olfactory behaviors in head-fixed mice. The hardware and software were constructed to enable automatic training with minimal human intervention. The integrated system was composed of customized 3D-printing supporting components, an odor-delivery unit with fast response, Arduino based hardware-controlling and data-acquisition unit. Furthermore, the customized software was designed to enable automatic training in all training phases, including lick-teaching, shaping and learning. Using HATS, we trained mice to perform delayed non-match to sample (DNMS, delayed paired association (DPA, Go/No-go (GNG, and GNG reversal tasks. These tasks probed cognitive functions including sensory discrimination, working memory, decision making and cognitive flexibility. Mice reached stable levels of performance within several days in the tasks. HATS enabled an experimenter to train eight mice simultaneously, therefore greatly enhanced the experimental efficiency. Combined with causal perturbation and activity recording techniques, HATS can greatly facilitate our understanding of the neural-circuitry mechanisms underlying learned behaviors.

  6. Operator overloading as an enabling technology for automatic differentiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Corliss, G.F.; Griewank, A.

    1993-01-01

    We present an example of the science that is enabled by object-oriented programming techniques. Scientific computation often needs derivatives for solving nonlinear systems such as those arising in many PDE algorithms, optimization, parameter identification, stiff ordinary differential equations, or sensitivity analysis. Automatic differentiation computes derivatives accurately and efficiently by applying the chain rule to each arithmetic operation or elementary function. Operator overloading enables the techniques of either the forward or the reverse mode of automatic differentiation to be applied to real-world scientific problems. We illustrate automatic differentiation with an example drawn from a model of unsaturated flow in a porous medium. The problem arises from planning for the long-term storage of radioactive waste

  7. A training approach to improve stepping automaticity while dual-tasking in Parkinson's disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chomiak, Taylor; Watts, Alexander; Meyer, Nicole; Pereira, Fernando V.; Hu, Bin

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Background: Deficits in motor movement automaticity in Parkinson's disease (PD), especially during multitasking, are early and consistent hallmarks of cognitive function decline, which increases fall risk and reduces quality of life. This study aimed to test the feasibility and potential efficacy of a wearable sensor-enabled technological platform designed for an in-home music-contingent stepping-in-place (SIP) training program to improve step automaticity during dual-tasking (DT). Methods: This was a 4-week prospective intervention pilot study. The intervention uses a sensor system and algorithm that runs off the iPod Touch which calculates step height (SH) in real-time. These measurements were then used to trigger auditory (treatment group, music; control group, radio podcast) playback in real-time through wireless headphones upon maintenance of repeated large amplitude stepping. With small steps or shuffling, auditory playback stops, thus allowing participants to use anticipatory motor control to regain positive feedback. Eleven participants were recruited from an ongoing trial (Trial Number: ISRCTN06023392). Fear of falling (FES-I), general cognitive functioning (MoCA), self-reported freezing of gait (FOG-Q), and DT step automaticity were evaluated. Results: While we found no significant effect of training on FES-I, MoCA, or FOG-Q, we did observe a significant group (music vs podcast) by training interaction in DT step automaticity (Ptraining to increase motor automaticity for people living with PD. The training approach described here can be implemented at home to meet the growing demand for self-management of symptoms by patients. PMID:28151878

  8. 14 CFR 25.672 - Stability augmentation and automatic and power-operated systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... power-operated systems. 25.672 Section 25.672 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION... Construction Control Systems § 25.672 Stability augmentation and automatic and power-operated systems. If the functioning of stability augmentation or other automatic or power-operated systems is necessary to show...

  9. Monju operator training report. Training results and upgrade of the operation training simulator in 2002 YF

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koyagoshi, Naoki; Sasaki, Kazuichi; Sawada, Makoto; Kawanishi, Tomotake; Yoshida, Kazuo

    2003-09-01

    The prototype fast breeder reactor, Monju, has been performing deliberately the operator training which is composed of the regulated training required by the government and the self-training. The training used a full scope type simulator (MARS: Monju Advanced Reactor Simulator) plays an important role among of the above mentioned trainings and greatly contributes to the Monju operator training for Monju restarting. This report covers the activities of Monju operator training in 2002 FY, i.e. the training results and the remodeling working of the MARS in progress since 1999. (1) Eight simulator training courses were carried out 46 times and 180 trainees participated. Additionally, both the regulated training and self-training were held total 10 times by attended 34 trainees, as besides simulator training. (2) Above training data was reduced compare with the last year's data (69 times (338 trainees)) due to the indispensable training courses in Monju operator training were changed by reorganized operator's number and decreasing of training times owing to remodeling working of the simulator was conducted. (3) By means of upgrading of the MARS completed in 2002 FY, its logic arithmetic time was became speedier and its instructing function was improved remarkably, thus, the simulator training was became to be more effective. Moreover, it's planning to do both remodeling in the next year as the final working: remodeling of reactor core model with the aim of improvement simulating accuracy and corresponding to the sodium leakage measures. Regarding on the Monju training results and simulator's remodeling so far finished, please referring JNC report number of JNC TN 4410 2002-001 Translation of Monju Simulator Training owing Monju Accident and Upgrade of MARS''. (author)

  10. Operation training aid device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshimura, Sadanori.

    1994-01-01

    The device of the present invention evaluates the propriety of an operation which is conducted optionally by a trainee depending on the state of the plant, analyzes the cause of an operation error and aids the preparation of training policy and teaching materials based on the results of the evaluation and the analysis. Namely, an operation data collection device collects operation data for the plant operation conducted by the trainee and the state of the plant during the operation. Since an operation evaluation device evaluates the plant operation in a short period of time based on the evaluation criteria of an operation evaluation knowledge base, an operation error is never overlooked. Accordingly, uniform and highly reliable operation training at definite evaluation criteria can be obtained. In addition, an error-cause analyzing device and a training policy knowledge base analyze the cause of an error inherent to each of the trainee, and it is recorded systematically independently on every trainees. Since a training policy guide device retrieves and presents an operation error and a cause of the error, there can be prepared a training policy incorporating training with respect to the operation error that each of the trainee tends to commit. (I.S.)

  11. INCREASING RELIABILITY OF STEPPED AUTOMATIC STARTING AND RHEOSTAT BREAKING SYSTEM OF ELECTRIC TRAINS ER9T AND EPL9T

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. H. Visin

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available The article examines transitional processes in the power circuit of tractive motors and their influence on the work of stepped automatic starting of electric trains ER9T and EPL9T. The recommendations for increasing the reliability of operation of multiple-unit rolling stock are proposed.

  12. Operator training and the training simulator experience

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mills, D.

    The author outlines the approach used by Ontario Hydro to train operators from the day they are hired as Operators-in-Training until they are Authorized Unit First Operators. He describes in detail the use of the simulator in the final year of the authorization program, drawing on experience with the Pickering NGS A simulator. Simulators, he concludes, are important aids to training but by no means all that is required to guarantee capable First Operators

  13. FFTF operator training

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1979-01-01

    The qualifications required and the training received by FFTF operators are described. The training includes sodium fill training and cold plant qualification. Requirements for supervisors are also outlined. Arrangement of personnel at FFTF is described. Requalification training and recertification are considered

  14. The research of automatic speed control algorithm based on Green CBTC

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Ying; Xiong, Hui; Wang, Xiaoliang; Wu, Youyou; Zhang, Chuanqi

    2017-06-01

    Automatic speed control algorithm is one of the core technologies of train operation control system. It’s a typical multi-objective optimization control algorithm, which achieve the train speed control for timing, comfort, energy-saving and precise parking. At present, the train speed automatic control technology is widely used in metro and inter-city railways. It has been found that the automatic speed control technology can effectively reduce the driver’s intensity, and improve the operation quality. However, the current used algorithm is poor at energy-saving, even not as good as manual driving. In order to solve the problem of energy-saving, this paper proposes an automatic speed control algorithm based on Green CBTC system. Based on the Green CBTC system, the algorithm can adjust the operation status of the train to improve the efficient using rate of regenerative braking feedback energy while ensuring the timing, comfort and precise parking targets. Due to the reason, the energy-using of Green CBTC system is lower than traditional CBTC system. The simulation results show that the algorithm based on Green CBTC system can effectively reduce the energy-using due to the improvement of the using rate of regenerative braking feedback energy.

  15. Method for automatic control rod operation using rule-based control

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kinoshita, Mitsuo; Yamada, Naoyuki; Kiguchi, Takashi

    1988-01-01

    An automatic control rod operation method using rule-based control is proposed. Its features are as follows: (1) a production system to recognize plant events, determine control actions and realize fast inference (fast selection of a suitable production rule), (2) use of the fuzzy control technique to determine quantitative control variables. The method's performance was evaluated by simulation tests on automatic control rod operation at a BWR plant start-up. The results were as follows; (1) The performance which is related to stabilization of controlled variables and time required for reactor start-up, was superior to that of other methods such as PID control and program control methods, (2) the process time to select and interpret the suitable production rule, which was the same as required for event recognition or determination of control action, was short (below 1 s) enough for real time control. The results showed that the method is effective for automatic control rod operation. (author)

  16. A research reactor simulator for operators training and teaching

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Carvalho, R. P.; Maiorino, J. R.

    2006-01-01

    This work describes a training simulator of Research Reactors (RR). The simulator is an interactive tool for teaching and operator training of the bases of the RR operation, reactor physics and thermal hydraulics. The Brazilian IEA-R1 RR was taken as the reference (default configuration). The implementation of the simulator consists of the modeling of the process and system (neutronics, thermal hydraulics), its numerical solution, and the implementation of the man-machine interface through visual interactive screens. The point kinetics model was used for the nuclear process and the heat and mass conservation models were used for the thermal hydraulic feed back in the average core channel. The heat exchanger and cooling tower were also modeled. The main systems were: the reactivity control system, including the automatic control, and the primary and secondary coolant systems. The Visual C++ was used to codes and graphics lay-outs. The simulator is to be used in a PC with Windows XP system. The simulator allows simulation in real time of start up, power maneuver, and shut down. (authors)

  17. Upgrading BWR training simulators for annual outage operation training

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamakabe, K.; Nakajima, A.; Shiyama, H.; Noji, K.; Okabe, N.; Murata, F.

    2006-01-01

    Based upon the recently developed quality assurance program by the Japanese electric companies, BWR Operator Training Center (BTC) identified the needs to enhance operators' knowledge and skills for operations tasks during annual outage, and started to develop a dedicated operator training course specialized for them. In this paper, we present the total framework of the training course for annual outage operations and the associated typical three functions of our full-scope simulators specially developed and upgraded to conduct the training; namely, (1) Simulation model upgrade for the flow and temperature behavior concerning residual heat removal (RHR) system with shutdown cooling mode, (2) Addition of malfunctions for DC power supply equipment, (3) Simulation model upgrade for water filling operation for reactor pressurization (future development). We have implemented a trial of the training course by using the upgraded 800MW full-scope training simulator with functions (1) and (2) above. As the result of this trial, we are confident that the developed training course is effective for enhancing operators' knowledge and skills for operations tasks during annual outage. (author)

  18. Operator training for the abnormal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marzec, R.J.

    1977-01-01

    Training of nuclear power plant control room operators, on actions to be taken for an abnormal event, has classically been limited to discussion, on-shift and/or during requalification training classes, of symptoms, logical thought processes, systems analysis, and operator experience. The prerequisites for these discussions are a common technical vocabulary, and a minimum basic comprehension of nuclear power plant fundamentals, plant component theory of operation, system configuration, system control philosophy and operating procedures. Nuclear power plant control room operators are not the only personnel who are or should be involved in these discussions. The shift supervisors, operations management, and auxiliary equipment operators require continuing training in abnormal operations, as well. More in-depth training is necessary for shift supervisors and control room operators. The availability of vendor simulators has improved the effectiveness of training efforts for these individuals to some extent by displaying typical situations and plant performance characteristics and by providing a degree of ''hands on'' experience. The evolution of in-depth training with these simulators is reviewed

  19. Training device for nuclear power plant operators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schoessow, G. J.

    1985-01-01

    A simulated nuclear energy power plant system with visible internal working components comprising a reactor adapted to contain a liquid with heating elements submerged in the liquid and capable of heating the liquid to an elevated temperature, a steam generator containing water and a heat exchanger means to receive the liquid at an elevated temperature, transform the water to steam, and return the spent liquid to the reactor; a steam turbine receiving high energy steam to drive the turbine and discharging low energy steam to a condenser where the low energy steam is condensed to water which is returned to the steam generator; an electric generator driven by the turbine; indicating means to identify the physical status of the reactor and its contents; and manual and automatic controls to selectively establish normal or abnormal operating conditions in the reactor, steam generator, pressurizer, turbine, electric generator, condenser, and pumps; and to be selectively adjusted to bring the reactor to acceptable operating condition after being placed in an abnormal operation. This device is particularly useful as an education device in demonstrating nuclear reactor operations and in training operating personnel for nuclear reactor systems and also as a device for conducting research on various safety systems to improve the safety of nuclear power plants

  20. Improvement for BWR operator training, 3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noji, Kunio; Toeda, Susumu; Saito, Genhachi; Suzuki, Koichi

    1990-01-01

    BWR Operator Training Center Corporation (BTC) is conducting training for BWR plant operators using Full-scope Simulators. There are several courses for individual operators and one training course for shift crew (Family Training Course) in BTC. Family Training is carried out by all members of the operating shift-crew. BTC has made efforts to improve the Family Training in order to acquire more effective training results and contribute to up-grade team performance of all crews. This paper describes some items of our efforts towards Family Training improvement. (author)

  1. Model-Based Reasoning in Humans Becomes Automatic with Training.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcos Economides

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Model-based and model-free reinforcement learning (RL have been suggested as algorithmic realizations of goal-directed and habitual action strategies. Model-based RL is more flexible than model-free but requires sophisticated calculations using a learnt model of the world. This has led model-based RL to be identified with slow, deliberative processing, and model-free RL with fast, automatic processing. In support of this distinction, it has recently been shown that model-based reasoning is impaired by placing subjects under cognitive load--a hallmark of non-automaticity. Here, using the same task, we show that cognitive load does not impair model-based reasoning if subjects receive prior training on the task. This finding is replicated across two studies and a variety of analysis methods. Thus, task familiarity permits use of model-based reasoning in parallel with other cognitive demands. The ability to deploy model-based reasoning in an automatic, parallelizable fashion has widespread theoretical implications, particularly for the learning and execution of complex behaviors. It also suggests a range of important failure modes in psychiatric disorders.

  2. Fully automatic detection and segmentation of abdominal aortic thrombus in post-operative CTA images using Deep Convolutional Neural Networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    López-Linares, Karen; Aranjuelo, Nerea; Kabongo, Luis; Maclair, Gregory; Lete, Nerea; Ceresa, Mario; García-Familiar, Ainhoa; Macía, Iván; González Ballester, Miguel A

    2018-05-01

    Computerized Tomography Angiography (CTA) based follow-up of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAA) treated with Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) is essential to evaluate the progress of the patient and detect complications. In this context, accurate quantification of post-operative thrombus volume is required. However, a proper evaluation is hindered by the lack of automatic, robust and reproducible thrombus segmentation algorithms. We propose a new fully automatic approach based on Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (DCNN) for robust and reproducible thrombus region of interest detection and subsequent fine thrombus segmentation. The DetecNet detection network is adapted to perform region of interest extraction from a complete CTA and a new segmentation network architecture, based on Fully Convolutional Networks and a Holistically-Nested Edge Detection Network, is presented. These networks are trained, validated and tested in 13 post-operative CTA volumes of different patients using a 4-fold cross-validation approach to provide more robustness to the results. Our pipeline achieves a Dice score of more than 82% for post-operative thrombus segmentation and provides a mean relative volume difference between ground truth and automatic segmentation that lays within the experienced human observer variance without the need of human intervention in most common cases. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE AUTOMATIC FISCAL STABILIZERS OPERATING MECHANISM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gondor Mihaela

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines the role of Automatic Fiscal Stabilizers (AFS for stabilizing the cyclical fluctuations of macroeconomic output as an alternative to discretionary fiscal policy, admitting its huge potential of being an anti crisis solution. The objectives of the study are the identification of the general features of the concept of automatic fiscal stabilizers and the logical assessment of them from economic perspectives. Based on the literature in the field, this paper points out the disadvantages of fiscal discretionary policy and argue the need of using Automatic Fiscal Stabilizers in order to provide a faster decision making process, shielded from political interference, and reduced uncertainty for households and business environment. The paper conclude about the need of using fiscal policy for smoothing the economic cycle, but in a way which includes among its features transparency, responsibility and clear operating mechanisms. Based on the research results the present paper assumes that pro-cyclicality reduces de effectiveness of the Automatic Fiscal Stabilizer and as a result concludes that it is very important to avoid the pro-cyclicality in fiscal rule design. Moreover, by committing in advance to specific fiscal policy action contingent on economic developments, uncertainty about the fiscal policy framework during a recession should be reduced. Being based on logical analysis and not focused on empirical, contextualized one, the paper presents some features of AFS operating mechanism and also identifies and systematizes the factors which provide its importance and national individuality. Reaching common understanding on the Automatic Fiscal Stabilizer concept as a institutional device for smoothing the gap of the economic cycles across different countries, particularly for the European Union Member States, will facilitate efforts to coordinate fiscal policy responses during a crisis, especially in the context of the fiscal

  4. Improvement for BWR operator training

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsuchiya, Toshio; Masuda, Hisao; Isono, Tomoyuki; Noji, Kunio; Togo, Toshiki

    1989-01-01

    BWR Operator Training Center Corporation (BTC) was established in April 1971 for the purpose of training the operators from all BWR utilities in Japan. Since April 1974, more than 2600 operators and 1000 shift teams have been trained with the full-scope simulators in BTC up to the end of March 1988. To get the satisfactory results of the training, BTC has been making every effort to improve the facilities, the training materials, the instruction methods and the curricula. In this paper, such a series of recent improvements in the instruction methods and the curricula are presented that are effective to expand the knowledge and to improve the skills of middle or senior class operators. (author)

  5. A training approach to improve stepping automaticity while dual-tasking in Parkinson's disease

    OpenAIRE

    Chomiak, Taylor; Watts, Alexander; Meyer, Nicole; Pereira, Fernando V.; Hu, Bin

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Background: Deficits in motor movement automaticity in Parkinson's disease (PD), especially during multitasking, are early and consistent hallmarks of cognitive function decline, which increases fall risk and reduces quality of life. This study aimed to test the feasibility and potential efficacy of a wearable sensor-enabled technological platform designed for an in-home music-contingent stepping-in-place (SIP) training program to improve step automaticity during dual-tasking (DT). M...

  6. Improvement for BWR operator training

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kurisu, Takanori; Takahashi, Yoshitaka; Harada, Mitsuhiro; Takahashi, Iwao.

    1988-01-01

    BWR Operator Training Center was founded in April, 1971, and in April, 1974, training was begun, since then, 13 years elapsed. During this period, the curriculum and training facilities were strengthened to meet the training needs, and the new training techniques from different viewpoint were developed, thus the improvement of training has been done. In this report, a number of the training techniques which have been developed and adopted recently, and are effective for the improvement of the knowledge and skill of operators are described. Recently Japanese nuclear power stations have been operated at stable high capacity factor, accordingly the chance of experiencing the occurrence of abnormality and the usual start and stop of plants decreased, and the training of operators using simulators becomes more important. The basic concept on training is explained. In the standard training course and the short period fundamental course, the development of the guide for reviewing lessons, the utilization of VTRs and the development of the techniques for diagnosing individual degree of learning were carried out. The problems, the points of improvement and the results of these are reported. (Kako, I.)

  7. Allied-General operator training program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ayers, A.L.; Ebel, P.E.

    1975-01-01

    All operators at Allied-General Nuclear Services are initially trained in the basic concepts of radiation and radiation protection, they are drilled in the basic technical tools needed for further training, they are instructed in the design and operation of the Barnwell Nuclear Fuel Plant, and they are introduced to the actual operations via operating procedures. This all occurs during the Before-the-Baseline training phase and then the operators move on Beyond-the-Baseline. There they physically learn how to do their job at their own pace using checklists as a guide. All operators are then internally certified. Progression is based on demonstrated ability and those that qualify go on to jobs requiring NRC licenses. Upon internal certification, retraining commences immediately and will continue in its four month, one year, and two year cycles. Current feedback from the various classes that have completed the courses and are now in the retraining program indicates that this combination of initial technical training, on-the-job training, and retraining will produce and maintain effective, safe, and efficient operators

  8. PSA in operator training

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nos, V.; Faig, J.; Plesa, P.; Delgado, J. L.

    2000-01-01

    The systematic approach to training is internationally accepted as the best method to achieve and maintain the qualification and competence of power plant personnel and to guarantee the quality of their training. Following the recommendations and guidelines of international organisations competent in the field, TECNATOM SA has developed projects based on the systematic approach to training for all Spanish nuclear power plants. One of the latest projects was the systematic approach to training developed for the operation personnel of ASCO Nuclear Power Plant. In this case, certain results of the Probabilistic Safety Analysis (PSA) which complement the systematic safety and reliability criteria of the systematic approach to training process have been incorporated in the traditional processes of work and task analysis and training plan design. This incorporation provides the training manager with additional criteria based not only on safety aspects obtained through the statistical treatment of considerations of skilled technical personnel (operators, operation chief supervisors, etc), but also on the independent criterion of the PSA. The inclusion of this approach basically affects all systematics in two of its stages: During the selection process of operating practices in SMR or SGI, the possible scenarios have been associated with all those situations where human actions which lead to an initiating event or human actions to mitigate an initiating event, may take place, as defined in the PSA. During the scenario development process, the instruments involved in the performance of human actions which originate or mitigate an event taking place have been identified. This pakes it possible to reconcile the scenario event sequence with the sequence considered in the PSA study, as the most likely to provoke a more serious accident. The incorporation of these PSA results contributes to the strengthening of safety aspects in training in an objective way, and confirms that

  9. Upgraded operator training by using advanced simulators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iwashita, Akira; Toeda, Susumu; Fujita, Eimitsu; Moriguchi, Iwao; Wada, Kouji

    1991-01-01

    BWR Operator Training Center Corporation (BTC) has been conducting the operator training for all BWR utilities in Japan using fullscope simulators. Corresponding to increasing quantitative demands and higher qualitative needs of operator training, BTC put advanced simulators in operation (BTC-2 simulator in 1983 and BTC-3 simulator in 1989). This paper describes the methods and the effects of upgraded training contents by using these advanced simulators. These training methods are applied to the 'Advanced Operator Training course,' the 'Operator Retraining Course' and also the 'Family (crew) Training Course.' (author)

  10. 49 CFR 236.528 - Restrictive condition resulting from open hand-operated switch; requirement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND APPLIANCES Automatic Train Stop, Train Control and Cab Signal Systems Rules and...-operated switch three-eighths inch or more, or hand-operated switch is not locked where facing point lock with circuit controller is used, the resultant restrictive condition of an automatic train stop or...

  11. A training approach to improve stepping automaticity while dual-tasking in Parkinson's disease: A prospective pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chomiak, Taylor; Watts, Alexander; Meyer, Nicole; Pereira, Fernando V; Hu, Bin

    2017-02-01

    Deficits in motor movement automaticity in Parkinson's disease (PD), especially during multitasking, are early and consistent hallmarks of cognitive function decline, which increases fall risk and reduces quality of life. This study aimed to test the feasibility and potential efficacy of a wearable sensor-enabled technological platform designed for an in-home music-contingent stepping-in-place (SIP) training program to improve step automaticity during dual-tasking (DT). This was a 4-week prospective intervention pilot study. The intervention uses a sensor system and algorithm that runs off the iPod Touch which calculates step height (SH) in real-time. These measurements were then used to trigger auditory (treatment group, music; control group, radio podcast) playback in real-time through wireless headphones upon maintenance of repeated large amplitude stepping. With small steps or shuffling, auditory playback stops, thus allowing participants to use anticipatory motor control to regain positive feedback. Eleven participants were recruited from an ongoing trial (Trial Number: ISRCTN06023392). Fear of falling (FES-I), general cognitive functioning (MoCA), self-reported freezing of gait (FOG-Q), and DT step automaticity were evaluated. While we found no significant effect of training on FES-I, MoCA, or FOG-Q, we did observe a significant group (music vs podcast) by training interaction in DT step automaticity (Ptraining to increase motor automaticity for people living with PD. The training approach described here can be implemented at home to meet the growing demand for self-management of symptoms by patients.

  12. Integrated automatic non-destructive testing in industrial production and in the operation of technical plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoeller, P.

    1989-01-01

    The article deals with non-destructive testing (NDT) in automated manufacture and in the automated operation of industrial plant. In both areas of application, the tests are coupled to the process (real time operation) and the results are used for the control of manufacture or of the course of the process. The control process can be coupled to the process in open loop or closed loop. The subject is explained by the following examples: 1) Automated testing of sheets in a steelworks. 2) Automatic NDT on machine parts in tempering and machining by the 3MA system (3MA: micro-magnetic, multi-parameter, micro-structure and stress analysis). 3) Automated ultrasonic testing in manufacture and in the operation of plants with the ALOK data collection and processing system (ALOK: amplitude, running time, location curves). 4) Automated wheel running surface test on Intercity experimental train, and 5) automated level measurement on BWR pressure vessels. (orig./MM) [de

  13. Operating program for an automatic alpha-beta counting system-FAG

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    German, U; Levinson, L; Shemesh, Y; Peled, O; Weistein, M [Israel Atomic Energy Commission, Beersheba (Israel). Nuclear Research Center-Negev

    1996-12-01

    An alpha and beta counting system - FAG, for planchette samples is operated at the Health Physics department`s laboratory of the NRCN. The system consists of a proportional detector of 8`` diameter operated in coincidence with a guard detector, an automatic sample changer (FAG-FHT770E) and electronics (FAG- FHT1100 digital counter and controller). The original operation mode of the system was based on manual tasks handled by the FHT1100 electronics. Pin option for a basic computer keyboard operation was available too. A computer with appropriate 110 card was connected to the system and a new operating program was developed which enables full automatic control of the various components. The program includes activity calculations and statistical checks as well as data management. The program which was developed enables computer control of all components of the system, based on bi-directional communication. The computer software controls the FHT1100 electronics using the R5232 protocol and the sample changer by an additional 110 card Contec Inodel PIO-48W(PC). The computer controls the whole operation of the system: change of samples, high voltage change, start, stop etc. It handles in the appropriate order the different commands and operates the electronic and mechanic components accordingly (authors).

  14. Operating program for an automatic alpha-beta counting system-FAG

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    German, U.; Levinson, L.; Shemesh, Y.; Peled, O.; Weistein, M.

    1996-01-01

    An alpha and beta counting system - FAG, for planchette samples is operated at the Health Physics department's laboratory of the NRCN. The system consists of a proportional detector of 8'' diameter operated in coincidence with a guard detector, an automatic sample changer (FAG-FHT770E) and electronics (FAG- FHT1100 digital counter and controller). The original operation mode of the system was based on manual tasks handled by the FHT1100 electronics. Pin option for a basic computer keyboard operation was available too. A computer with appropriate 110 card was connected to the system and a new operating program was developed which enables full automatic control of the various components. The program includes activity calculations and statistical checks as well as data management. The program which was developed enables computer control of all components of the system, based on bi-directional communication. The computer software controls the FHT1100 electronics using the R5232 protocol and the sample changer by an additional 110 card Contec Inodel PIO-48W(PC). The computer controls the whole operation of the system: change of samples, high voltage change, start, stop etc. It handles in the appropriate order the different commands and operates the electronic and mechanic components accordingly (authors)

  15. Training new operators - the first six months

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Worthel, B.; /Fermilab

    2010-04-01

    The Fermilab Operations Department takes about two years to train a new Operator. The Operator's introductory (Concepts) On-the-Job-Training (OJT) gives him or her an overview of the laboratory, teaches the basic facts about all the accelerators, and it also teaches the new operator the training process used for all the rest of their OJT training. The Concepts OJT takes about four to six months for most people to complete. This paper will explain how this first six months of training sets the new employee on their path to becoming a fully trained Operator.

  16. Training new operators - the first six months

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Worthel, B.

    2010-01-01

    The Fermilab Operations Department takes about two years to train a new Operator. The Operator's introductory (Concepts) On-the-Job-Training (OJT) gives him or her an overview of the laboratory, teaches the basic facts about all the accelerators, and it also teaches the new operator the training process used for all the rest of their OJT training. The Concepts OJT takes about four to six months for most people to complete. This paper will explain how this first six months of training sets the new employee on their path to becoming a fully trained Operator.

  17. Training reactor operators and shift supervisors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schwarz, O.

    1980-01-01

    To establish a central institution run by power plant operators to harmonize the training of power plant operating personnel was raised, and put into practice, quite early in the Federal Republic of Germany. A committee devoted to training plant crews, which had been set up by the organizations of German electricity utilities responsible for operating power plants, was changed into a Kraftwerksschule e.V. (Power Plant School) in 1963. This school runs training courses, along standard lines, for operating personnel of thermal power plants, especially for operators and power plant supervisors, in close cooperation with power plant operators. As the peaceful utilization of nuclear energy expanded, also the training of nuclear power plant operators was included in 1969. Since September 1977, the center has had a simulator of a PWR nuclear power plant, since January 1978 also that of a BWR plant available for training purposes. Besides routine operation the trainees also learn to control those incidents which occur only very rarely in real nuclear power plants. (orig./UA) [de

  18. NPP Krsko simulator training for operations personnel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pribozic, F.; Krajnc, J.

    2000-01-01

    Acquisition of a full scope replica simulator represents an important achievement for Nuclear power Plant Krsko. Operating nuclear power plant systems is definitely a set of demanding and complex tasks. The most important element in the goal of assuring capabilities for handling such tasks is efficient training of operations personnel who manipulate controls in the main control room. Use of a simulator during the training process is essential and can not be substituted by other techniques. This article gives an overview of NPP Krsko licensed personnel training historical background, current experience and plans for future training activities. Reactor operator initial training lasts approximately two and a half years. Training is divided into several phases, consisting of theoretical and practical segments, including simulator training. In the past, simulator initial training and annual simulator retraining was contracted, thus operators were trained on non-specific full scope simulators. Use of our own plant specific simulator and associated infrastructure will have a significant effect on the operations personnel training process and, in addition, will also support secondary uses, with the common goal to improve safe and reliable plant operation. A regular annual retraining program has successfully started. Use of the plant specific simulator assures consistent training and good management oversight, enhances conformity of operational practices and supports optimization of operating procedures. (author)

  19. Introduction of the computer-based operation training tools in classrooms to support simulator training

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noji, K.; Suzuki, K.; Kobayashi, A.

    1997-01-01

    Operation training with full-scope simulators is effective to improve trainees operation competency. To obtain more effective results of simulator training, roles of the ''classroom operation training'' closely cooperated to simulator training are important. The ''classroom operation training'' is aimed at pre- and post-studies for operation knowledge related to operation training using full-scope simulators. We have been developing computer-based operation training tools which are used in classroom training sessions. As the first step, we developed the Simulator Training Replay System. This is an aiding tool in the classroom used to enhance trainees operation performance. This system can synchronously replay plant behavior on CRT display with operators action on a video monitor in the simulator training sessions. This system is used to review plant behavior - trainees response after simulator training sessions and to understand plant behavior - operation procedure before operation training. (author)

  20. Hybrid Decision-making Method for Emergency Response System of Unattended Train Operation Metro

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bobo Zhao

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Suitable selection of the emergency alternatives is a critical issue in emergency response system of Unattended Train Operation (UTO metro system of China. However, there is no available method for dispatcher group in Operating Control Center (OCC to evaluate the decision under emergency situation. It was found that the emergency decision making in UTO metro system is relative with the preferences and the importance of multi-dispatcher in emergency. Regarding these factors, this paper presents a hybrid method to determinate the priority weights of emergency alternatives, which aggregates the preference matrix by constructing the emergency response task model based on the Weighted Ordered Weighted Averaging (WOWA operator. This calculation approach derives the importance weights depending on the dispatcher emergency tasks and integrates it into the Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA operator weights based on a fuzzy membership relation. A case from train fire is given to demonstrate the feasibility and practicability of the proposed methods for Group Multi-Criteria Decision Making (GMCDM in emergency management of UTO metro system. The innovation of this research is paving the way for a systematic emergency decision-making solution which connects the automatic metro emergency response system with the GMCDM theory.

  1. NTC operator training program viewed from SAT-based training process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsumoto, Yoshio

    1996-01-01

    The Nuclear Power Training Center Ltd. (NTC) was established in June 1972 to train PWR plant operators. Operator training was started in Apr. 1974. Presently we have three full-scope, control-room simulators. Recently IAEA recommended that its Systematic Approach to Training (SAT) be used for the training of NPP personnel. We thoroughly examined the SAT-based process and compared it against the NTC training program. As a result, we have recognized that the NTC training program satisfies the SAT-based training process. We now intend to improve the feedback step of the NTC training system. Our efforts continue to produce a relevant program at the forefront of our profession. (author)

  2. AUTOMATIC TRAINING SITE SELECTION FOR AGRICULTURAL CROP CLASSIFICATION: A CASE STUDY ON KARACABEY PLAIN, TURKEY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Ozdarici Ok

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available This study implements a traditional supervised classification method to an optical image composed of agricultural crops by means of a unique way, selecting the training samples automatically. Panchromatic (1m and multispectral (4m Kompsat-2 images (July 2008 of Karacabey Plain (~100km2, located in Marmara region, are used to evaluate the proposed approach. Due to the characteristic of rich, loamy soils combined with reasonable weather conditions, the Karacabey Plain is one of the most valuable agricultural regions of Turkey. Analyses start with applying an image fusion algorithm on the panchromatic and multispectral image. As a result of this process, 1m spatial resolution colour image is produced. In the next step, the four-band fused (1m image and multispectral (4m image are orthorectified. Next, the fused image (1m is segmented using a popular segmentation method, Mean- Shift. The Mean-Shift is originally a method based on kernel density estimation and it shifts each pixel to the mode of clusters. In the segmentation procedure, three parameters must be defined: (i spatial domain (hs, (ii range domain (hr, and (iii minimum region (MR. In this study, in total, 176 parameter combinations (hs, hr, and MR are tested on a small part of the area (~10km2 to find an optimum segmentation result, and a final parameter combination (hs=18, hr=20, and MR=1000 is determined after evaluating multiple goodness measures. The final segmentation output is then utilized to the classification framework. The classification operation is applied on the four-band multispectral image (4m to minimize the mixed pixel effect. Before the image classification, each segment is overlaid with the bands of the image fused, and several descriptive statistics of each segment are computed for each band. To select the potential homogeneous regions that are eligible for the selection of training samples, a user-defined threshold is applied. After finding those potential regions, the

  3. Automatic operation of CSR Drayton coal stockyard. [Australia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fauerbach, R

    1985-12-01

    The automatic remote control of the stackers and reclaimer at the coal stockyard of the CSR Drayton opencast coal mine in Australia is described. Each machine is controlled by an on-board programmable logic controller (PLC) which monitors the machine location in its working section in relation to the other machines and can halt operations should any danger of a collision be imminent.

  4. 14 CFR 23.672 - Stability augmentation and automatic and power-operated systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... power-operated systems. 23.672 Section 23.672 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION... and power-operated systems. If the functioning of stability augmentation or other automatic or power-operated systems is necessary to show compliance with the flight characteristics requirements of this part...

  5. Computer training aids for nuclear operator training

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Phillips, J.G.P.; Binns, J.B.H.

    1983-01-01

    The Royal Navy's Nuclear Propulsion School at HMS SULTAN which is responsible for training all ratings and officers who operate Submarine Pressurised Water Reactor plants, has available a varied selection of classroom simulator training aids as well as purpose built Submarine Manoeuvring Room simulators. The use of these classroom training aids in the twelve months prior to Autumn 1981 is discussed. The advantages and disadvantages of using relatively expensive computer based aids to support classroom instruction for students who do not investigate mathematically the dynamics of the Reactor Plant are identified. The conclusions drawn indicate that for students of limited academic ability the classroom simulators are disproportionately expensive in cost, maintenance load, and instructional time. Secondly, the experience gained in the use of the Manoeuvring Room Simulators to train future operators who have just finished the academic phase of their training is outlined. The possible pitfalls for the instructor are discussed and the lessons learnt, concluding that these simulators provide a valuable substitute for the live plant enabling trainees to be brought up to a common standard and reducing their on job training time to an acceptable level. (author)

  6. Study on training of nuclear power system operators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo Lifeng; Zhou Gang; Yu Lei

    2012-01-01

    In order to satisfy new requirements about operators of nuclear power system, which are brought up by development and changes of social environment, science and technology, we do research on and make analysis of the problem of operator training. This paper focuses on development and changes of operator training system and content, mentality training, application of new technology to training, feedback of experience and so on. Analysis showed that the content of operator training is also confronted with some new requirements. So we bring up the new requirements to the operator, such as mentality training, cognizance ability training, adaptability training of special environment and endurance training. Besides, it is important for perfecting operator cultivation mechanism and improving training effect to feed back experience and apply new technology. So the trainer must improve training content and cultivation mechanism continuously. (authors)

  7. Operating experience of the automatic technological control system at the Kolsk NPP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Volkov, A.P.; Ignatenko, E.I.; Kolomtsev, Yu.V.; Mel'nikov, E.F.; Trofimov, B.A.

    1981-01-01

    Briefly reviewed is operating experience of the automatic control systems of the kolsk NPP (KNPP) power units, where measuring technique of the neutron flux ''Iney'', ARM-4 power regulator, automatic turbine start-up system ATS are used. The main shortcomings of the technological process automatic control system (ACS) and ways of their removal are considered. It is noted that the KNPP ACS performs only limited start-up functions of the basic equipment and reactor power control as well as partially protection functions at instant loading drops and switch-off of the main circulating pump [ru

  8. Training of power plant operating personnel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kraftwerksschule, E.V.

    1986-01-01

    In Germany, professional training of power plant operating personnel became an important issue in the fifties, when power plant parameters as well as complexity of instrumentation and control increased considerably. Working Groups of VGB Technische Vereiningung der Grosskraftwerketreiber e.v. (Association of Large Power Plant Operators) developed a professional career for power plant operating personnel and defined pre-requisites, scope and objectives of training. In 1957 the German utilities founded KRAFTWERKSSCHULE E.V. (kws) as a school for theoretical training and for guidance of practical training in the power plants. KWS is a non-profit organisation and independent of authorities. Today KWS has 127 members in Germany and in 6 other countries. The objectives of KWS include the training of: -Kraftwerker (control room operators; - Kraftwerksmesiter (shift supervisors); and - shift engineers; according the guidelines of the VGB

  9. Evolution of Training in NASA's Mission Operations Directorate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hutt, Jason

    2012-01-01

    NASA s Mission Operations Directorate provides all the mission planning, training, and operations support for NASA's human spaceflight missions including the International Space Station (ISS) and its fleet of supporting vehicles. MOD also develops and maintains the facilities necessary to conduct training and operations for those missions including the Mission Control Center, Space Station Training Facility, Space Vehicle Mockup Facility, and Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory. MOD's overarching approach to human spaceflight training is to "train like you fly." This approach means not only trying to replicate the operational environment in training but also to approach training with the same mindset as real operations. When in training, this means using the same approach for executing operations, responding to off-nominal situations, and conducting yourself in the operations environment in the same manner as you would for the real vehicle.

  10. Phasor Simulator for Operator Training Project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dyer, Jim [Electric Power Group, Llc, Pasadena, CA (United States)

    2016-09-14

    Synchrophasor systems are being deployed in power systems throughout the North American Power Grid and there are plans to integrate this technology and its associated tools into Independent System Operator (ISO)/utility control room operations. A pre-requisite to using synchrophasor technologies in control rooms is for operators to obtain training and understand how to use this technology in real-time situations. The Phasor Simulator for Operator Training (PSOT) project objective was to develop, deploy and demonstrate a pre-commercial training simulator for operators on the use of this technology and to promote acceptance of the technology in utility and ISO/Regional Transmission Owner (RTO) control centers.

  11. An Automatic Identification Procedure to Promote the use of FES-Cycling Training for Hemiparetic Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emilia Ambrosini

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Cycling induced by Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES training currently requires a manual setting of different parameters, which is a time-consuming and scarcely repeatable procedure. We proposed an automatic procedure for setting session-specific parameters optimized for hemiparetic patients. This procedure consisted of the identification of the stimulation strategy as the angular ranges during which FES drove the motion, the comparison between the identified strategy and the physiological muscular activation strategy, and the setting of the pulse amplitude and duration of each stimulated muscle. Preliminary trials on 10 healthy volunteers helped define the procedure. Feasibility tests on 8 hemiparetic patients (5 stroke, 3 traumatic brain injury were performed. The procedure maximized the motor output within the tolerance constraint, identified a biomimetic strategy in 6 patients, and always lasted less than 5 minutes. Its reasonable duration and automatic nature make the procedure usable at the beginning of every training session, potentially enhancing the performance of FES-cycling training.

  12. Monitoring the Performance of the Pedestrian Transfer Function of Train Stations Using Automatic Fare Collection Data

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van den Heuvel, J.P.A.; Hoogenraad, J.H.

    2014-01-01

    Over the last years all train stations in The Netherlands have been equipped with automatic fare collection gates and/or validators. All public transport passengers use a smart card to pay their fare. In this paper we present a monitor for the performance of the pedestrian function of train stations

  13. Improvement of quality with Nuclear Power Training Center (NTC) operator training

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsumoto, Y.

    2005-01-01

    Nuclear Power Training Center (NTC) was established in 1972 for PWR operator training. As the result of introduction of quality assurance management into NTC operator training, it became possible to confirm each step of systematic approach to training (SAT) process and then feedback process became clearer. Simulation models were modified based on domestic or overseas accidents cases and so training was improved using simulators closer to actual plants. Also a new multipurpose simulator with modified reactor coolant system (RCS) visual display device (RVD) and parameter-event-log (PEL) device was introduced in 2003 to provide more information so as to upgrade knowledge level of operators. (T. Tanaka)

  14. Automatic Learning of Fine Operating Rules for Online Power System Security Control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Hongbin; Zhao, Feng; Wang, Hao; Wang, Kang; Jiang, Weiyong; Guo, Qinglai; Zhang, Boming; Wehenkel, Louis

    2016-08-01

    Fine operating rules for security control and an automatic system for their online discovery were developed to adapt to the development of smart grids. The automatic system uses the real-time system state to determine critical flowgates, and then a continuation power flow-based security analysis is used to compute the initial transfer capability of critical flowgates. Next, the system applies the Monte Carlo simulations to expected short-term operating condition changes, feature selection, and a linear least squares fitting of the fine operating rules. The proposed system was validated both on an academic test system and on a provincial power system in China. The results indicated that the derived rules provide accuracy and good interpretability and are suitable for real-time power system security control. The use of high-performance computing systems enables these fine operating rules to be refreshed online every 15 min.

  15. Junior Leader Training Development in Operational Units

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-01

    UNITS Successful operational units do not arise without tough, realistic, and challenging training. Field Manual (FM) 7-0, Training Units and D...operations. The manual provides junior leaders with guidance on how to conduct training and training management. Of particular importance is the definition...1 Relation htp between ADDIE and the Anny Training Management Model. The Army Training Management Model and ADDIE process appear in TRADOC PAM 350

  16. Operator training simulator for nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shiozuka, Hiromi

    1977-01-01

    In nuclear power plants, training of the operators is important. In Japan, presently there are two training centers, one is BWR operation training center at Okuma-cho, Fukushima Prefecture, and another the nuclear power generation training center in Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture, where the operators of PWR nuclear power plants are trained. This report describes the BWR operation training center briefly. Operation of a nuclear power plant is divided into three stages of start-up, steady state operation, and shut down. Start-up is divided into the cold-state start-up after the shut down for prolonged period due to periodical inspection or others and the hot-state start-up from stand-by condition after the shut down for a short time. In the cold-state start-up, the correction of reactivity change and the heating-up control to avoid excessive thermal stress to the primary system components are important. The BWR operation training center offers the next three courses, namely beginner's course, retraining course and specific training course. The training period is 12 weeks and the number of trainees is eight/course in the beginner's course. The simulator was manufactured by modeling No. 3 plant of Fukushima First Nuclear Power Station, Tokyo Electric Power Co. The simulator is composed of the mimic central control panel and the digital computer. The software system comprises the monitor to supervise the whole program execution, the logic model simulating the plant interlock system and the dynamic model simulating the plant physical phenomena. (Wakatsuki, Y.)

  17. Recent technology for BWR operator training simulators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sato, Takao; Hashimoto, Shigeo; Kato, Kanji; Mizuno, Toshiyuki; Asaoka, Koichi.

    1990-01-01

    As one of the important factors for maintaining the high capacity ratio in Japanese nuclear power stations, the contribution of excellent operators is pointed out. BWR Operation Training Center has trained many operators using two full scope simulators for operation training modeling BWRs. But in order to meet the demands of the recent increase of training needs and the upgrading of the contents, it was decided to install the third simulator, and Hitachi Ltd. received the order to construct the main part, and delivered it. This simulator obtained the good reputation as its range of simulation is wide, and the characteristics resemble very well those of the actual plants. Besides, various new designs were adopted in the control of the simulator, and its handling became very easy. Japanese nuclear power plants are operated at constant power output, and the unexpected stop is very rare, therefore the chance of operating the plants by operators is very few. Accordingly, the training using the simulators which can simulate the behavior of the plants with computers, and can freely generate abnormal phenomena has become increasingly important. The mode and positioning of the simulators for operation training, the full scope simulator BTC-3 and so on are reported. (K.I.)

  18. The Algorithm for Algorithms: An Evolutionary Algorithm Based on Automatic Designing of Genetic Operators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dazhi Jiang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available At present there is a wide range of evolutionary algorithms available to researchers and practitioners. Despite the great diversity of these algorithms, virtually all of the algorithms share one feature: they have been manually designed. A fundamental question is “are there any algorithms that can design evolutionary algorithms automatically?” A more complete definition of the question is “can computer construct an algorithm which will generate algorithms according to the requirement of a problem?” In this paper, a novel evolutionary algorithm based on automatic designing of genetic operators is presented to address these questions. The resulting algorithm not only explores solutions in the problem space like most traditional evolutionary algorithms do, but also automatically generates genetic operators in the operator space. In order to verify the performance of the proposed algorithm, comprehensive experiments on 23 well-known benchmark optimization problems are conducted. The results show that the proposed algorithm can outperform standard differential evolution algorithm in terms of convergence speed and solution accuracy which shows that the algorithm designed automatically by computers can compete with the algorithms designed by human beings.

  19. Automatic limit switch system for scintillation device and method of operation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brunnett, C.J.; Ioannou, B.N.

    1976-01-01

    A scintillation scanner is described having an automatic limit switch system for setting the limits of travel of the radiation detection device which is carried by a scanning boom. The automatic limit switch system incorporates position responsive circuitry for developing a signal representative of the position of the boom, reference signal circuitry for developing a signal representative of a selected limit of travel of the boom, and comparator circuitry for comparng these signals in order to control the operation of a boom drive and indexing mechanism. (author)

  20. Tritium Systems Test Assembly operator training program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kerstiens, F.L.

    1985-01-01

    Proper operator training is needed to help ensure the safe operation of fusion facilities by personnel who are qualified to carry out their assigned responsibilities. Operators control and monitor the Tritium Systems Test Assembly (TSTA) during normal, emergency, and maintenance phases. Their performance is critical both to operational safety, assuring no release of tritium to the atmosphere, and to the successful simulation of the fusion reaction progress. Through proper training we are helping assure that TSTA facility operators perform their assignments in a safe and efficient manner and that the operators maintain high levels of operational proficiency through continuing training, retraining, requalification, and recertification

  1. The training of the operation personnel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, H.D.

    1975-01-01

    A survey about training places and the volume of the training program for reactor personnel in the Federal Republic of Germany is given. Paragraph 7 of the atomic energy act, which imposes on the operators of nuclear energy plants the qualifired training of the personnel, is refered to. Positive experiences with the use of simulation equipment for training have led to the planning of a simulator-centre which is expected to be ready for operation in 1977. The versatile program of this centre is briefly reported. (ORU) [de

  2. Development of operator training programmes for Sizewell B

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Birnie, S.

    1988-01-01

    In accordance with existing practice, it is the Central Electricity Generating Board's (CEGB's) intention that the station manager of Sizewell B and future pressurized water reactor (PWR) stations will be responsible for ensuring that his staff perform their designated duties competently. To assist the station managers in fulfilling these responsibilities, the CEGB ensures that all nuclear training needs are identified, effective training strategies are developed and training programmes provided. The management, operation and development of the CEGB Nuclear Power Training Centre is integrated with nuclear power training activities conducted on site and at other locations. A systematic approach to training must be used so that the training is effective, i.e. that the staff can operate the plant safely and economically. To aid in the systematic production of PWR training programmes in general, but in particular for shift operations engineers, a PWR section was established in 1983 at the CEGB Nuclear Power Training Centre. A condition in the site licence for Sizewell B states that a suitable simulator must be available for training operations staff at least one year before fuel loading commences. The work of this section in operations engineer training is summarized. (author)

  3. Operator refresher training and requalification at Cernavoda NPP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Timoftei, D.

    2002-01-01

    The paper presents the Operator's training program for refresher and requalification purposes, which were developed using the CANDU training full-scope simulator at Cernavoda NPP. First the purpose of both programs is described, and then more details on how these programs are delivered are given. The Refresher Training Program, part of the Operator Continuing Training Program, and the Requalification Training Program are periodically training given to the previously authorised operating personnel. The training and the evaluation are conducted both on an individual and on the team basis. Both programs are tailored according with Systematic Approach to Training concept. In addition to that the importance of the training on simulator arises from the fact that the training is mostly related to plant transients/accidents that in real life may never happens, but the operators should be always prepared for the worst. Continuing Training Program (CTP) applies to the authorized positions of Shift Supervisor (SS) and Control Room Operator (CRO) at CNE-PROD Cernavoda. Also, the program is establishing the criteria and the process, which will allow the authorised SS and CRO to maintain their authorised status. (author)

  4. Operator training and requalification at GPU Nuclear

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Long, R.L.; Barrett, R.J.; Newton, S.L.

    1982-01-01

    The operator training and requalification programs at GPU Nuclear's Oyster Creek (650 MWe BWR) and Three Mile Island-1 (776 MWe PWR) nuclear plants have undergone significant revisions since the Three Mile Island-2 accident. This paper describes the Training and Education organization, the expanded training facilities, including basic principle trainers and replica simulators, and the present operator training and requalification programs

  5. Training and qualification of nuclear power plant operators (4)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohsuga, Y.

    2009-01-01

    Training center using the simulators, instructor training, training upgrade, deployment of digital control panel and review of training were described with overseas practice. Recently, nuclear power plant on-site simulators were also used for respective operator training. Operator teamwork training, training team performance upgrade, reflection of operating experiences in nuclear power plant accidents, development of training support equipments and management of training records were needed to review and upgrade training and qualification programs. (T. Tanaka)

  6. Automatic stabilization of underwater robots in the time manipulation operations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Filaretov, V.F.; Koval, E.V.

    1994-01-01

    When carrying out underwater technical works by means of an underwater vehicles having a manipulator it is desirable to perform manipulation operations in the regime of the underwater vehicle hovering above the object without durable and complicated operations up its rigid fixation. Underwater vehicle stabilization is achieved by compensation all the effects on the vehicle caused by the operating manipulator in water medium. This automatic stabilization is formed due to input of the required control signals into corresponding vehicle propellers proportional to calculated components of the generalized forces and moments. The propellers should form stops reacting against effects

  7. Training aids: the motor operator valve trainer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McCulloch, B.

    1987-01-01

    The spectrum of training aids used in the nuclear industry runs the gamut from the very basic (i.e., valve training aids - gate, globe, check) to the highly complex (i.e., nuclear full scope simulator). Designing and purchasing the best training aids take much time, detailed investigation, and good understanding of plant operations. The training aid that has given the New York Power Authority the best results has been the motor operator valve (MOV) trainer. Some of the items that make the MOV trainer a good choice are: (1) large number of MOVs in the plant, (2) importance of MOVs to safe plant operation, (3) detailed MOV procedures used by the plant, (4) history of MOV problems, and (5) ability to demonstrate important concepts and operation - hammer blow effect, torque and limit switch adjustment and functions, and actual sequence of operation of the limitorque valve operator

  8. Training of engineers for nuclear power station operation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Myerscough, P.B.

    1980-01-01

    The requirements for staffing and training of a nuclear electric utility are described. Current training facilities at the Central Electricity Generating Board are applicable to gas-cooled technology with the possibility of the introduction of a thermal water system and fast reactors in the future. The CEGB training centres provide for the initial training of operational staff, revision training of experienced operational staff, and training of non-operational staff from the stations and supporting departments. Details are given of the content of the training courses which also provide simulation facilities of the basic dynamics of the CEGB stations. Further developments in simulation will include dynamics of the boiler and turbine plants in Magnox stations. The flexibility of the AGR simulations will enable the training exercises to be adjusted to meet changing operating patterns for each AGR station. (U.K.)

  9. Train operation in emergencies

    CERN Document Server

    Jia, Limin; Qin, Yong

    2017-01-01

    This book presents the latest findings on train operation theories and methods in the context of emergencies. It examines and assesses a range of aspects—including the definition of a railway emergency, transport organization modes in emergencies, calculating railway transport capacity in emergencies, line planning in emergencies, train re-pathing in emergencies and train re-scheduling in emergencies—that are urgently needed in the railway transportation field, which faces the serious challenge of dealing with emergencies worldwide. The book highlights the latest research results in an integrated and systematic way, and the methodology presented is oriented on real-world problems, allowing it to be used not only directly in railway operational management, but also as the point of departure for further applications or theoretical research. As such, the book will be of considerable interest to graduate students and researchers in the field of traffic and transportation engineering.>.

  10. The development of NPP operational safety training courses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Chang Kun; Lee, Duk Sun; Lee, Byung Sun; Lee, Won Koo; Juhn, Heng Run; Moon, Byung Soo; Cho, Min Sik; Lee, Han Young; Moon, Hak Won; Seo, Yeon Ho

    1987-12-01

    The objective of the project is to develop a training course text for the betterment of reactor operation and assurance of its safety in general by providing training materials of the advanced compact nuclear simulator which will become operation in September 1988. Main scope and contents of the project are as follows: - compilation of basic data related to simulator operation and maintenance as well as the comparative analysis with respect to simulator materials in foreign countries - method of training by simulator - review the training status by simulator in foreign countries - development of training course in the field of reactor safety It is expected that the results will be reflected to the actual training and retraining of the reactor operating crew so as to improve and update their capabilities in training fashion. (Author)

  11. Training for operators and plant management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laverge, J.; Moroni, J.M.

    1992-01-01

    For many years, EDF has been making a lot of efforts to develop and to provide appropriate training to each of the different categories of personnel who participate in nuclear power plants operation and maintenance. With regard to training related to incidents and accidents management, if is important, among others, to make the difference between training of personnel on shift (plant operating teams and safety engineers) and training of personnel who makes up the emergency response teams that would be called upon in the event of a nuclear accident. Because of different origins, different backgrounds and especially different functions if an accident occurs on a unit, these two populations need completely different trainings. The training that EDF provides to these two categories of personnel is presented separately in the following pages. In both cases, links between functions to be sustained and characteristics of the training are tried to be shown. In conclusion, general perspectives on training evolution in EDF are given. 8 refs

  12. Sophistication of operator training using BWR plant simulator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohshiro, Nobuo; Endou, Hideaki; Fujita, Eimitsu; Miyakita, Kouji

    1986-01-01

    In Japanese nuclear power stations, owing to the improvement of fuel management, thorough maintenance and inspection, and the improvement of facilities, high capacity ratio has been attained. The thorough training of operators in nuclear power stations also contributes to it sufficiently. The BWR operator training center was established in 1971, and started the training of operators in April, 1974. As of the end of March, 1986, more than 1800 trainees completed training. At present, in the BWR operator training center, No.1 simulator of 800 MW class and No.2 simulator of 1100 MW class are operated for training. In this report, the method, by newly adopting it, good result was obtained, is described, that is, the method of introducing the feeling of being present on the spot into the place of training, and the new testing method introduced in retraining course. In the simulator training which is apt to place emphasis on a central control room, the method of stimulating trainees by playing the part of correspondence on the spot and heightening the training effect of multiple monitoring was tried, and the result was confirmed. The test of confirmation on the control board was added. (Kako, I.)

  13. Intelligent tutors for control center operator training

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vale, Z.A. [Porto Univ. (Portugal). Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Fernandes, M.F.; Marques, A. [Electricity of Portugal, Sacavem (Portugal)

    1995-12-31

    Power systems are presently remotely operated and controlled from control centers that receive on-line information about the power system state. Control center operators have very high-demanding tasks what makes their training a key issue for the performance of the whole power system. Simulators are usually used by electrical utilities for this purpose but they are very expensive applications and their use requires the preparation of the training sessions by qualified training staff which is a very time consuming task. Due to this, these simulators are only used a few times a year. Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) provide some new possibilities for control center operator training making easier its use without much assistance of the teaching staff. On the other hand, an expert system in use in a control center can be adapted to an ITS to train operators without much effort. 18 refs

  14. Automatic joint alignment measurements from pre- and post-operative long leg standing radiographs

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Goossen, A.; Weber, G.M.; Dries, S.P.M.

    2012-01-01

    Objectives: For diagnosis or treatment assessment of knee joint osteoarthritis it is required to measure bone morphometry from radiographic images. We propose a method for automatic measurement of joint alignment from pre-operative as well as post-operative radiographs.Methods: In a two step

  15. Training and qualification of nuclear power plant operators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohsuga, Y.

    2008-01-01

    Based on training experiences of the nuclear power plant operators of pressurized water reactors (PWR) at the Nuclear Power Training Center Ltd. (NTC) in Japan, training programs were reviewed referring to US training programs. A systematic approach is deployed to them, which mainly consist of on-the-job training and the NTC training courses to meet the needs of all operators from beginners to experienced veterans according to their experiences and objectives. The NTC training is conducted using the simulators that simulate the nuclear power plant dynamics through the use of computers. The operators trained at the NTC work in the central control room of every PWR power plant. The NTC also carries out the qualification examinations for the shift managers. (T. Tanaka)

  16. Assessment of field training for nuclear operations personnel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    White, M.

    1995-08-01

    Training of station personnel is an important component of the safe operation of the nuclear generating station. On-the-job training (OJT) is an important component of training. The AECB initiated this project to develop a process to assess the effectiveness of OJT for field operators, and perform an initial trial of the developed process. This report describes the recommended process to assess the effectiveness of OJT for field operators, as well as the results of the initial assessment at Pickering Nuclear Generating Station. The assessment's conclusions included: (1) Ontario Hydro policies and procedures are generally consistent with industry guidelines requiring a systematic approach to training; (2) Pickering NGS field operator performance is not always consistent with documented station requirements and standards, nor industry guidelines and practices; and (3) The Pickering NGS field operator on-the-job training is not consistent with a systematic approach to training, a requirement recognized in Ontario Hydro's Policy NGD 113, and does not contribute to a high level of performance in field operator tasks. Recommendations are made regarding the use of the developed process for future assessments of on-the-job training at nuclear power plants. (author). 36 refs., 4 tabs., 3 figs

  17. 'H-Bahn' - Dortmund demonstration system. Automatic vehicle protection system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rosenkranz

    1984-01-01

    The automatic vehicle protection system of the H-Bahn at the Universtiy of Dortmund is responsible for fail-safe operating of the automatic vehicles. Its functions are protection of vehicle operation and protection of passengers boarding and leaving the vehicles. These functions are managed decentrally by two fail-safe operating controllers. Besides the well-known relay-techniques of railway-fail-safe systems, electronics are applied which are based on safe operating URTL-microcontrollers. These are controlled by software stored in EPROMs. A connection link using glass-fibres serves for safe data-exchange between the two fail-safe operating controllers. The experts' favourable reports on 'train protection and safety during passenger processing' were completed in March 84; thus, transportation of passengers could start in April 84.

  18. Automatic detection of animals in mowing operations using thermal cameras.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steen, Kim Arild; Villa-Henriksen, Andrés; Therkildsen, Ole Roland; Green, Ole

    2012-01-01

    During the last decades, high-efficiency farming equipment has been developed in the agricultural sector. This has also included efficiency improvement of moving techniques, which include increased working speeds and widths. Therefore, the risk of wild animals being accidentally injured or killed during routine farming operations has increased dramatically over the years. In particular, the nests of ground nesting bird species like grey partridge (Perdix perdix) or pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) are vulnerable to farming operations in their breeding habitat, whereas in mammals, the natural instinct of e.g., leverets of brown hare (Lepus europaeus) and fawns of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) to lay low and still in the vegetation to avoid predators increase their risk of being killed or injured in farming operations. Various methods and approaches have been used to reduce wildlife mortality resulting from farming operations. However, since wildlife-friendly farming often results in lower efficiency, attempts have been made to develop automatic systems capable of detecting wild animals in the crop. Here we assessed the suitability of thermal imaging in combination with digital image processing to automatically detect a chicken (Gallus domesticus) and a rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in a grassland habitat. Throughout the different test scenarios, our study animals were detected with a high precision, although the most dense grass cover reduced the detection rate. We conclude that thermal imaging and digital imaging processing may be an important tool for the improvement of wildlife-friendly farming practices in the future.

  19. Automatic Facial Expression Recognition and Operator Functional State

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blanson, Nina

    2012-01-01

    The prevalence of human error in safety-critical occupations remains a major challenge to mission success despite increasing automation in control processes. Although various methods have been proposed to prevent incidences of human error, none of these have been developed to employ the detection and regulation of Operator Functional State (OFS), or the optimal condition of the operator while performing a task, in work environments due to drawbacks such as obtrusiveness and impracticality. A video-based system with the ability to infer an individual's emotional state from facial feature patterning mitigates some of the problems associated with other methods of detecting OFS, like obtrusiveness and impracticality in integration with the mission environment. This paper explores the utility of facial expression recognition as a technology for inferring OFS by first expounding on the intricacies of OFS and the scientific background behind emotion and its relationship with an individual's state. Then, descriptions of the feedback loop and the emotion protocols proposed for the facial recognition program are explained. A basic version of the facial expression recognition program uses Haar classifiers and OpenCV libraries to automatically locate key facial landmarks during a live video stream. Various methods of creating facial expression recognition software are reviewed to guide future extensions of the program. The paper concludes with an examination of the steps necessary in the research of emotion and recommendations for the creation of an automatic facial expression recognition program for use in real-time, safety-critical missions

  20. Automatic Facial Expression Recognition and Operator Functional State

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blanson, Nina

    2011-01-01

    The prevalence of human error in safety-critical occupations remains a major challenge to mission success despite increasing automation in control processes. Although various methods have been proposed to prevent incidences of human error, none of these have been developed to employ the detection and regulation of Operator Functional State (OFS), or the optimal condition of the operator while performing a task, in work environments due to drawbacks such as obtrusiveness and impracticality. A video-based system with the ability to infer an individual's emotional state from facial feature patterning mitigates some of the problems associated with other methods of detecting OFS, like obtrusiveness and impracticality in integration with the mission environment. This paper explores the utility of facial expression recognition as a technology for inferring OFS by first expounding on the intricacies of OFS and the scientific background behind emotion and its relationship with an individual's state. Then, descriptions of the feedback loop and the emotion protocols proposed for the facial recognition program are explained. A basic version of the facial expression recognition program uses Haar classifiers and OpenCV libraries to automatically locate key facial landmarks during a live video stream. Various methods of creating facial expression recognition software are reviewed to guide future extensions of the program. The paper concludes with an examination of the steps necessary in the research of emotion and recommendations for the creation of an automatic facial expression recognition program for use in real-time, safety-critical missions.

  1. Assessment of field training for nuclear operations personnel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    White, M [Safety Management Services, Inc. (Canada)

    1995-08-01

    Training of station personnel is an important component of the safe operation of the nuclear generating station. On-the-job training (OJT) is an important component of training. The AECB initiated this project to develop a process to assess the effectiveness of OJT for field operators, and perform an initial trial of the developed process. This report describes the recommended process to assess the effectiveness of OJT for field operators, as well as the results of the initial assessment at Pickering Nuclear Generating Station. The assessment`s conclusions included: (1) Ontario Hydro policies and procedures are generally consistent with industry guidelines requiring a systematic approach to training; (2) Pickering NGS field operator performance is not always consistent with documented station requirements and standards, nor industry guidelines and practices; and (3) The Pickering NGS field operator on-the-job training is not consistent with a systematic approach to training, a requirement recognized in Ontario Hydro`s Policy NGD 113, and does not contribute to a high level of performance in field operator tasks. Recommendations are made regarding the use of the developed process for future assessments of on-the-job training at nuclear power plants. (author). 36 refs., 4 tabs., 3 figs.

  2. Operator training simulator for BWR nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watanabe, Tadasu

    1988-01-01

    For the operation management of nuclear power stations with high reliability and safety, the role played by operators is very important. The effort of improving the man-machine interface in the central control rooms of nuclear power stations is energetically advanced, but the importance of the role of operators does not change. For the training of the operators of nuclear power stations, simulators have been used from the early stage. As the simulator facilities for operator training, there are the full scope simulator simulating faithfully the central control room of an actual plant and the small simulator mainly aiming at learning the plant functions. For BWR nuclear power stations, two full scope simulators are installed in the BWR Operator Training Center, and the training has been carried out since 1974. The plant function learning simulators have been installed in respective electric power companies as the education and training facilities in the companies. The role of simulators in operator training, the BTC No.1 simulator of a BWR-4 of 780 MWe and the BTC No.2 simulator of a BWR-5 of 1,100 MWe, plant function learning simulators, and the design of the BTC No.2 simulator and plant function learning simulators are reported. (K.I.)

  3. Job training planning and design for process plant operators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wirstad, J.

    1983-01-01

    A method is presented by which process plant operators for nuclear power plants are trained in Sweden. It works by a top-down method of systems analysis which can be integrated into the analysis, specification, and design of the process automation system. The training methods can also be adapted to existing automation systems and operating schedules. The author's method is based on the principle that training programs should be based on job requirements, e.g. operator tasks in common, less frequent, and rare operating conditions. Procedures have been tested for the following steps: Job analysis, analysis of knowledge and experience required, analysis of operator training requirements, set-up and organisation of the training programme, achievement control, evaluation of the training programme. (orig./HP) [de

  4. Job training planning and design for process plant operators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wirstad, J.

    1983-01-01

    A method is presented by which process plant operators for nuclear power plants are trained in Sweden. It works by a top-down method of systems analysis which can be integrated into the analysis, specification, and design of the process automation system. The training methods can also be adapted to existing automation systems and operating schedules. The author's method is based on the principle that training programs should be based on job requirements, e.g. operator tasks in common, less frequent, and rare operating conditions. Procedures have been tested for the following steps: Job analysis, analysis of knowledge and experience required, analysis of operator training requirements, set-up and organisation of the training programme, achievement control, evaluation of the training programme.

  5. Pipeline operators training and certification using thermohydraulic simulators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barreto, Claudio V.; Plasencia C, Jose [Pontificia Universidade Catolica (PUC-Rio), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Nucleo de Simulacao Termohidraulica de Dutos (SIMDUT); Montalvao, Filipe; Costa, Luciano [TRANSPETRO - PETROBRAS Transporte S.A., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

    2009-07-01

    The continuous pipeline operators training and certification of the TRANSPETRO's Pipeline National Operations Control Center (CNCO) is an essential task aiming the efficiency and safety of the oil and derivatives transport operations through the Brazilian pipeline network. For this objective, a hydraulic simulator is considered an excellent tool that allows the creation of different operational scenarios for training the pipeline hydraulic behavior as well as for testing the operator's responses to normal and abnormal real time operational conditions. The hydraulic simulator is developed based on a pipeline simulation software that supplies the hydraulic responses normally acquired from the pipeline remote units in the field. The pipeline simulation software has a communication interface system that sends and receives data to the SCADA supervisory system database. Using the SCADA graphical interface to create and to customize human machine interfaces (HMI) from which the operator/instructor has total control of the pipeline/system and instrumentation by sending commands. Therefore, it is possible to have realistic training outside of the real production systems, while acquiring experience during training hours with the operation of a real pipeline. A pilot Project was initiated at TRANSPETRO - CNCO targeting to evaluate the hydraulic simulators advantages in pipeline operators training and certification programs. The first part of the project was the development of three simulators for different pipelines. The excellent results permitted the project expansion for a total of twenty different pipelines, being implemented in training programs for pipelines presently operated by CNCO as well as for the new ones that are being migrated. The main objective of this paper is to present an overview of the implementation process and the development of a training environment through a pipe simulation environment using commercial software. This paper also presents

  6. Are we training operators upside down?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wachtel, J.A.

    1991-01-01

    This paper addresses questions of simulator fidelity and use in the training environment of the 1990s and beyond. It reflects the basic truism that fidelity is not an end in itself, but rather a means to the end of training effectiveness. The author expresses his belief that fidelity requirements for simulators primarily used for training are different than those for simulators used primarily for engineering design, testing or research, and he questions whether the industry has lost sight of this distinction. Simulator specifications and use in the US are compared with those in other countries which have significant commercial nuclear power industries, and the differences in approach are examined. The author questions whether the requirement for simulator certification in this country, based as it is in the licensing examination process, has led to an overdependence on these machines in the training arena - for which they are not necessarily the most effective tools. The paper addresses the future usage of simulators, as the industry begins to pay increased attention to accident management. It takes a look at the changing role of the operator in the increasingly computerized control room environment in which conventional displays and controls are replaced with integrated digital systems, where operating procedures are computerized, and where the operator's function shifts from that of today's active controller to one of systems monitor and supervisor; and it poses questions about the, perhaps unreasonable demands that may be placed on plant referenced simulators to support training in operating environments quite different from those in common use today. In short, this paper asks whether the commercial nuclear power industry in the US needs to reexamine the approach to simulation, simulator fidelity, operator training and examination as the concerns of the industry shift into new directions

  7. Operations Research for Freight Train Routing and Scheduling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Harrod, Steven; Gorman, Michael F.

    2011-01-01

    This article describes the service design activities that plan and implement the rail freight operating plan. Elements of strategic service design include the setting of train frequency, the routing of cars among trains, and the consolidation of cars, called blocking. At the operational level......, trains are dispatched either according to train paths configured in advance, called timetables, or according to priority rules. We describe the North American and European practice along with selected modeling and problem solving methodologies appropriate for each of the operating conditions described...

  8. Evaluating the effectiveness of operator education/training program of Fugen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maeda, Kouichi; Sakruai, Naoto; Nakamura, Shinji

    2003-01-01

    The ATR Fugen determines 'the Operator Education/Training Program' for plant operators to acquire knowledge, technique and skill from the reactor facility, operation and the other nuclear plant technology. This program consists of the On-the-Job Training (OJT), desk education, ETC training, compact simulator FATRAS training, and lectures in external organization. So it provides education/training according to operators' technical level, knowledge, and experience. Fugen is investigating the most suitable training/education based on past training/education experience. (author)

  9. Automatic Detection of Animals in Mowing Operations Using Thermal Cameras

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ole Green

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available During the last decades, high-efficiency farming equipment has been developed in the agricultural sector. This has also included efficiency improvement of moving techniques, which include increased working speeds and widths. Therefore, the risk of wild animals being accidentally injured or killed during routine farming operations has increased dramatically over the years. In particular, the nests of ground nesting bird species like grey partridge (Perdix perdix or pheasant (Phasianus colchicus are vulnerable to farming operations in their breeding habitat, whereas in mammals, the natural instinct of e.g., leverets of brown hare (Lepus europaeus and fawns of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus to lay low and still in the vegetation to avoid predators increase their risk of being killed or injured in farming operations. Various methods and approaches have been used to reduce wildlife mortality resulting from farming operations. However, since wildlife-friendly farming often results in lower efficiency, attempts have been made to develop automatic systems capable of detecting wild animals in the crop. Here we assessed the suitability of thermal imaging in combination with digital image processing to automatically detect a chicken (Gallus domesticus and a rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus in a grassland habitat. Throughout the different test scenarios, our study animals were detected with a high precision, although the most dense grass cover reduced the detection rate. We conclude that thermal imaging and digital imaging processing may be an important tool for the improvement of wildlife-friendly farming practices in the future.

  10. Simulation technology to develop the automatic control rod operation system in ABWR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoshihiko, Ishii; Atsushi, Fushimi; Naoyuki, Ishida [Hitachi Ltd. Power and Industrial Systems R and D Laboratory, Ibaraki (Japan); Hitoshi, Ochi; Masakazu, Yuzuki [Hitachi Ltd. Power Systems, Hitachi Works, Ibaraki (Japan); Hideki, Hanami [Hitachi Ltd. Information and Control System Div., Ibaraki (Japan)

    2007-07-01

    To design and verify the automatic power regulator system (APR) for an advanced boiling water reactor (ABWR), Hitachi has developed a plant simulation code system. The 3-dimensional kinetic analysis code STAND, based on a polynomial nodal expansion method, was effective in developing an APR automatic control rod operation algorithm in the critical mode. The point kinetic plant simulator AUTSIMU is an off-line and real time online plant simulation code that can simulate ABWR start-up and shutdown processes from a sub-critical condition with a water temperature of 20 degrees C to the rated operation power level at about 7 MPa. APR operation algorithms were designed using the off-line mode. In this mode, less than one minute in real time was needed to simulate a ten-hour transient with an ordinary personal computer. In the online mode, APR hardware was efficiently verified in a factory test before shipping. The codes were verified with ABWR start-up experimental data. It was confirmed that the simulators were effective in simulating ABWR plant start-up behavior. (authors)

  11. REALIZATION OF TRAINING PROGRAMME ON THE BASIS OF LINGUISTIC DATABASE FOR AUTOMATIC TEXTS PROCESSING SYSTEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. A. Makarych

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Due to the constant increasing of electronic textual information, modern society needs for the automatic processing of natural language (NL. The main purpose of NL automatic text processing systems is to analyze and create texts and represent their content. The purpose of the paper is the development of linguistic and software bases of an automatic system for processing English publicistic texts. This article discusses the examples of different approaches to the creation of linguistic databases for processing systems. The author gives a detailed description of basic building blocks for a new linguistic processor: lexical-semantic, syntactical and semantic-syntactical. The main advantage of the processor is using special semantic codes in the alphabetical dictionary. The semantic codes have been developed in accordance with a lexical-semantic classification. It helps to precisely define semantic functions of the keywords that are situated in parsing groups and allows the automatic system to avoid typical mistakes. The author also represents the realization of a developed linguistic database in the form of a training computer program.

  12. Combat Training Centers: Training for Full-Spectrum Operations?

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Diano, Oscar F

    2007-01-01

    The changing strategic environment has necessitated a shift in Army training from traditional maneuver warfare to full-spectrum operations to defeat irregular, catastrophic, and disruptive challenges more effectively...

  13. Systematic evaluation of nuclear operator team skills training

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harrington, D.K.; Kello, J.E.

    1991-01-01

    In recent years, the nuclear industry has increasingly recognized with the technical training given its control room operators. As yet, however, little has been done to determine the actual effectiveness of such nontechnical training. Thus, the questions of how team training should be carried out for maximum impact on the safety and efficiency of control room operation and just what the benefits of such training might be remain open. We are in the early stages of establishing a systematic evaluation process that will help nuclear utilities assess the effectiveness of their existing team skills training programs for control room operators. Research focuses on defining the specific behavioral and attitudinal objectives of team skills training. Simply put, what does good practice look like and sound like in the control room environment? What specific behaviors and attitudes should the training be directed toward? Obviously, the answers to the questions have clear implications for the design of nuclear team skills training programs

  14. Automatic creation of simulation configuration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oudot, G.; Poizat, F.

    1993-01-01

    SIPA, which stands for 'Simulator for Post Accident', includes: 1) a sophisticated software oriented workshop SWORD (which stands for 'Software Workshop Oriented towards Research and Development') designed in the ADA language including integrated CAD system and software tools for automatic generation of simulation software and man-machine interface in order to operate run-time simulation; 2) a 'simulator structure' based on hardware equipment and software for supervision and communications; 3) simulation configuration generated by SWORD, operated under the control of the 'simulator structure' and run on a target computer. SWORD has already been used to generate two simulation configurations (French 900 MW and 1300 MW nuclear power plants), which are now fully operational on the SIPA training simulator. (Z.S.) 1 ref

  15. Automated testing and reverification for training simulators using SATAR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Charles, R.D.; Gaddy, C.D.; Nargarkar, A.; Colley, R.

    1990-01-01

    This paper reports that simulators used to train nuclear power plant operators must be recertified periodically to ensure fidelity for training (10 CFR 55.45). The objective of the Simulator Automated Testing and Reverification (SATAR) project was to develop software to reverify dynamic simulator performance automatically. The software resides in a standard configuration personal computer and in the simulator computer; the two computers are linked via serial ports. SATAR will automatically run performance tests, collect and analyze data, and compare data with baseline performance data. With SATAR, support from operations and simulator support personnel can be reduced greatly, and the repeatability of performance tests can be improved

  16. OPERATIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE TRAIN TRAFFIC VOLUME ON THE SECTIONS OF RAILWAY OPERATING DOMAIN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Ya. Моzolevich

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. The task of the operational distribution of train traffic volume on the sections of operating domain is the optimization one. It is solved in the operational conditions by the dispatch station. The article sets the problem of formalizing and finding the new ways to solve this urgent problem. Methodology. A new approach to solving the problem of operational distribution of train traffic volume on the sections of the rail network with a choice of routes for all train traffics was proposed. Findings. A study of possible routes for the train traffic handle on the operating domain used for mass freight transportations between Krivyi Rih and Donbas was carried out. The use of the proposed method allowed us to obtain a rational distribution of trains on the rail network sections. Originality. The method of train traffic volume distribution in the network under operational conditions was improved. The method, as opposed to the current one allows one to select the route of separate units handle (according to the criteria of the weighted average cost for 1 ton of cargo. Practical value. The use of the proposed technology of the operational distribution of train traffic volume will increase the efficiency of the railways in general and ensure the competitiveness of rail transportations. The methodology implementation involves the use of railway dispatch station for the automated workplaces with appropriate informational support.

  17. Training simulator for operations at LNG terminals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsuta, T.; Yamamoto, K.; Tetsuka, S.; Koyama, K.

    1997-01-01

    The Tokyo Gas LNG terminals are among the major energy centers of the Tokyo area, supplying 8 million customers with city gas, and also supplying fuel for thermal power generation at the neighboring thermal power plant operated by the Tokyo Electric Power Company. For this reason, in the event of an emergency at the terminal operators have to be able to respond quickly and accurately to restore operations and prevent secondary damage. Modern LNG terminals are highly reliable and are equipped with backup systems, and occurrences of major trouble are now almost nil. Operators therefore have to be trained to respond to emergencies using simulators, in order to heighten their emergency response capabilities. Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. has long been aware of the need for simulators and has used them in training, but a new large-scale, real-time simulator has now developed in response to new training needs, applying previously accumulated expertise to create a model of an entire LNG terminal incorporating new features. The development of this new simulator has made possible training for emergencies affecting an entire terminal, and this has been very effective in raising the standards of operators. (au)

  18. Tunnel operator training with a conversational agent-assistant

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Buiel, E.; Lubbers, J.; Doesburg, W. van; Muller, T.

    2009-01-01

    A tunnel operator monitors and regulates the flow of traffic inside a tunnel. Tunnel operators need to train in a simulator regularly in order to maintain proficiency in handling incident situations. During quiet working hours, the operator has enough time for training. But generally at that time no

  19. A software environment to execute automatic operational sequences on the ITER-FEAT DTP facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fermani, G.; Zarfino, M.

    2001-01-01

    The divertor test platform (DTP) maintenance operations are carried out by means of the remote handling equipments (RHE), each dedicated to perform a set of specialised remote actions. Each RHE is controlled by an RHE control system (RHE-CS) and can be locally operated by an RHE-operator using the local control panel (LOP). To perform the maintenance activity, the DTP-operator coordinates the remote operations of every RHEs, using the supervisory system (DTP S S). Because the remote maintenance activities demand for a high degree of parallelism, automation and cooperation between various RHEs, the development of a software environment (OSAExE) that had the indicated characteristics has been necessary. The OSAExE environment is applicable to any distributed and cooperating system that is modelled as a set of autonomous subsystems. Each maintenance remote sequence needs to be modelled as a modified Petri-net diagram and subsequently 'compiled', in order to be automatically executed on OSAExE environment. The OSAExE architecture allows both, to program 'event driven' automatic sequences, and to maintain unchanged all the existing DTP S S features

  20. Grader Operator. Open Pit Mining Job Training Series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savilow, Bill

    This training outline for grader operators, one in a series of eight outlines, is designed primarily for company training foremen or supervisors and for trainers to use as an industry-wide guideline for heavy equipment operator training in open pit mining in British Columbia. Intended as a guide for preparation of lesson plans both for classroom…

  1. Shovel Operator. Open Pit Mining Job Training Series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartley, Larry

    This training outline for shovel operators, one in a series of eight outlines, is designed primarily for company training foremen or supervisors and for trainers to use as an industry-wide guideline for heavy equipment operator training in open pit mining in British Columbia. Intended as a guide for preparation of lesson plans both for classroom…

  2. A High-Speed Train Operation Plan Inspection Simulation Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yang Rui

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available We developed a train operation simulation tool to inspect a train operation plan. In applying an improved Petri Net, the train was regarded as a token, and the line and station were regarded as places, respectively, in accordance with the high-speed train operation characteristics and network function. Location change and running information transfer of the high-speed train were realized by customizing a variety of transitions. The model was built based on the concept of component combination, considering the random disturbance in the process of train running. The simulation framework can be generated quickly and the system operation can be completed according to the different test requirements and the required network data. We tested the simulation tool when used for the real-world Wuhan to Guangzhou high-speed line. The results showed that the proposed model can be developed, the simulation results basically coincide with the objective reality, and it can not only test the feasibility of the high-speed train operation plan, but also be used as a support model to develop the simulation platform with more capabilities.

  3. Training programme for direct operating functions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reuhl, R.

    1986-01-01

    In the lecture the initial and retraining programs for licensed and non-licensed nuclear power plant shift personnel will be commented. The programs were developed by Biblis Nuclear Power Plant Operations Management (RWE-Betriebsverwaltung) with regard to one decade of operational experience in Biblis nuclear power plants (2 PWR, 1300/1204 MW) and on the basis of the existing guidelines issued by the German Federal Ministry of the Interior. During the application and the constant development of the training programs emphasis was put on the connection of theory and practice following a special training strategy using different training facilities. In this context the role and qualification of the licensed instructors with shift supervisor experience get high importance. (orig./GL)

  4. Conduct of operations training - An innovative approach to team building

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Widen, W.C.; Kurth, W.; Broccolo, A.

    1987-01-01

    The conduct of nuclear power plant operations is a key parameter for station management and regulators alike. Indeed, the basic methods and demeanor in which operating crews approach overall plant operations is perhaps the principal factor leading to safe and efficient operations. Hence, Commonwealth Edison's Zion Station has initiated an innovative and positive training program designed to increase operator awareness of conducting station operations in an attentive, diligent, and conscientious manner. This Conduct of Operations Training Program is a collaborative joint effort between Commonwealth Edison and the Westinghouse Nuclear Training Center. In particular, the key managers of Zion's operating department brainstormed various philosophies and strategies with senior training staff members of the Westinghouse Nuclear Training Center. The outcome of these sessions has formed the skeleton of an intensified, one-day Conduct of Operations course. Several unique aspects of this innovative course are described

  5. Safety operation of training reactor VR-1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matejka, K.

    2001-01-01

    There are three nuclear research reactors in the Czech Republic in operation now: light water reactor LVR-15, maximum reactor power 10 MW t , owner and operator Nuclear Research Institute Rez; light water zero power reactor LR-0, maximum reactor power 5 kW t , owner and operator Nuclear Research Institute Rez and training reactor VR-1 Sparrow, maximum reactor power 5 kW t , owner and operate Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, CTU in Prague. The training reactor VR-1 Vrabec 'Sparrow', operated at the Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, was started up on December 3, 1990. Particularly it is designed for training the students of Czech universities, preparing the experts for the Czech nuclear programme, as well as for certain research work, and for information programmes in the nuclear programme, as well as for certain research work, and for information programmes in sphere of using the nuclear energy (public relations). (author)

  6. Railway automatic safety protection system based on GPS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fu Hai Juan

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The automatic protection system of railway safety is designed for the railway construction workers to protect alarm, and the safety protection device by using GPS satellite positioning system to acquire location information of the operating point, through the CTC/TDCS system and computer monitoring system for the running of the train position and the arithmetic distance. Achieving timely and continuously forecasts about the distance of the train which is apart from the operating point to prompt the voice alarm of the approaching train. Using digital technology to realize the function of the traditional analog interphone, eliminates the quality problems of the call. With the GSM-R, mobile wireless transmission channel and terminal technology, it overcomes the restrictions of the analog interphone which influenced by communication distance and more problems of blind areas. Finally to achieve practical, convenient, applicable and adaptable design goals.

  7. Qualified operator training in the simulated control room environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ionescu, Teodor; Studineanu, Emil; Radulescu, Catalina; Bolocan, Gabriel

    2005-01-01

    Full text: Mainly designed for the training of the Cernavoda NPP Unit 2 operators, the virtual simulated environment allows the training of the already qualified operators for Cernavoda NPP Unit 1, adding to the already trained knowledge, the differences which has occurred in the Unit 2 design. Using state-of-the-art computers and displays and qualified software, the virtual simulated panels could offer a viable alternative to classic hardware-based training. This approach allows quick training of the new procedures required by the new configuration of the re-designed operator panels in the main control room of Cernavoda NPP Unit 2. (authors)

  8. Qualified operator training in the simulated control room environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ionescu, Teodor; Studineanu, Emil; Radulescu, Catalina; Bolocan, Gabriel

    2005-01-01

    Mainly designed for the training of the Cernavoda NPP Unit 2 operators, the virtual simulated environment allows the training of the already qualified operators for Cernavoda NPP Unit 1, adding to the already trained knowledge, the differences which have occurred in the Unit 2 design. Using state-of-the-art computers and displays and qualified software, the virtual simulated panels could offer a viable alternative to classic hardware-based training. This approach allows quick training of the new procedures required by the new configuration of the re-designed operator panels in the main control room of Cernavoda NPP Unit 2. (authors)

  9. Automatic Control of Reactor Temperature and Power Distribution for a Daily Load following Operation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yu, Keuk Jong; Kim, Han Gon [Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2010-10-15

    An automatic control method of reactor power and power distribution was developed for a daily load following operation of APR1400. This method used a model predictive control (MPC) methodology having second-order plant data. And it utilized a reactor power ratio and axial shape index as control variables. However, the reactor regulating system of APR1400 is operated by the difference between the average temperature of the reactor core and the reference temperature, which is proportional to the turbine load. Thus, this paper reports on the model predictive control methodology using fourth-order plant data and a reactor temperature instead of the reactor power shape. The purpose of this study is to develop a revised automatic controller and analyze the behavior of the nuclear reactor temperature (Tavg) and the axial shape index (ASI) using the MPC method during a daily load following operation

  10. A Simulation-Based Approach to Training Operational Cultural Competence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, W. Lewis

    2010-01-01

    Cultural knowledge and skills are critically important for military operations, emergency response, or any job that involves interaction with a culturally diverse population. However, it is not obvious what cultural knowledge and skills need to be trained, and how to integrate that training with the other training that trainees must undergo. Cultural training needs to be broad enough to encompass both regional (culture-specific) and cross-cultural (culture-general) competencies, yet be focused enough to result in targeted improvements in on-the-job performance. This paper describes a comprehensive instructional development methodology and training technology framework that focuses cultural training on operational needs. It supports knowledge acquisition, skill acquisition, and skill transfer. It supports both training and assessment, and integrates with other aspects of operational skills training. Two training systems will be used to illustrate this approach: the Virtual Cultural Awareness Trainer (VCAT) and the Tactical Dari language and culture training system. The paper also discusses new and emerging capabilities that are integrating cultural competence training more strongly with other aspects of training and mission rehearsal.

  11. Forging a partnership between operations and training

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sheppard, J.J.

    1991-01-01

    Following the accident at Three Mile Island in 1979, the world of training changed radically, and the field became very specialized and technical. In some cases, this led to a marked separation between Operations and Training and a decrease in the effectiveness of the training program due to divergent objectives and needs. By recognizing the mutual needs between Operations and Training, defining each group's role and developing mutual objectives, an effective program can be implemented and a true partnership formed. Following the implementation of the mutually agreed upon program, an ongoing measurement of the effectiveness of the program can help to strengthen the partnership and to assure that corrective action is taken in a timely manner, when required

  12. Effective training based on the cause analysis of operation errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujita, Eimitsu; Noji, Kunio; Kobayashi, Akira.

    1991-01-01

    The authors have investigated typical error types through our training experience, and analyzed the causes of them. Error types which are observed in simulator training are: (1) lack of knowledge or lack of its applying ability to actual operation; (2) defective mastery of skillbase operation; (3) rote operation or stereotyped manner; (4) mind-setting or lack of redundant verification; (5) lack of team work; (6) misjudgement for the plant overall conditions by operation chief, who directs a reactor operator and a turbine operator in the training. The paper describes training methods used in Japan for BWR utilities to overcome these error types

  13. The training of operating personnel at Spanish nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diaz, Antonio Burgos

    2011-01-01

    An essential condition in order to ensure that nuclear power plants are operated reliably and safely is the availability in the Control Room of duly qualified persons capable both of preventing accidents and of responding to them should they occur. Training of the Control Room operating crews is accomplished in two major stages: a lengthy process of initial training in which the knowledge acquired at high school and university is built upon, leading to the specialisation required to appropriately carry out the tasks to be performed in the Control Room, and a continuous training program aimed at maintaining and improving the knowledge and skills required to operate the plant, with feedback of the lessons learned from the industry's operating experience. The use of full-scope simulators replicating the physical conditions and environment of the Control Room allows the period of initial training to be reduced and is the most appropriate method for the continuous training program of the control room personnel, since these simulators increase the realism of the training scenarios, help to better understand the response of the plant and provide an accurate idea of transient response times. Tecnatom is the Training Centre for Spanish Operators; it is the 'Operator Training Factory' and its mission is to train the nuclear power plant operating personnel in both technological fundamentals and the development of diagnostic skills through practical scenarios on the simulator and on-the-job training. Our training programmes are based on a SAT (Systematic Approach to Training) methodology that has been implemented at both Spanish and overseas plants. (author)

  14. [Operative vaginal deliveries training].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dupuis, O

    2008-12-01

    The appropriate use of forceps, vacuums or spatulas facilitates the rapid delivery of foetuses faced with life-threatening situations. It also makes possible the relief of certain cases of prolonged second-stage labor. In France, operative vaginal delivery (OVD) accounts for approximately 10% of all births. OVD training aims to optimize maternal, as well as neonatal safety. It should enable trainees to indicate or contraindicate an OVD safely, as well as to choose the appropriate instrument, use it correctly, and master quality control principles. Traditional OVD training is confronted with both spatial and time-related limitations. Spatial constraints involve both the teacher and trainee who only have limited visual access to the pelvic canal, and the head of the foetus; the time constraint occurs whenever the OVD occurs in an emergency setting. These limitations have been further aggravated by new constraints: decreasing time dedicated to training (European safety rules prohibit work the day after night duty), increasing litigation, and constraints imposed by society. Training by means of simulation removes such limitations making it possible to both avoid exposing pregnant women to the hazards of traditional training, and adapt the training to the skills of each trainee. OVD training should include forceps, vacuums and the use of spatulas. The OVD skills of obstetricians should be audited regularly on both a personal and a confidential level. Such audits could be based on a method using a simulator. Prospective studies comparing traditional and simulation-based training should be encouraged.

  15. SIMULATORS FOR TRAINING OF ROV OPERATOR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. I. Shakhtarin

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In the article issues of the organization of imitating modeling complexes for training operators of Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle are considered. It is reported about practical development of sea exercise simulation in Bauman MSTU.

  16. 49 CFR 193.2713 - Training: operations and maintenance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... first-aid; and (3) All operating and appropriate supervisory personnel— (i) To understand detailed... 49 Transportation 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Training: operations and maintenance. 193.2713... LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS FACILITIES: FEDERAL SAFETY STANDARDS Personnel Qualifications and Training § 193.2713...

  17. Integrated initial training program for a CEGB operations engineer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tompsett, P.A.

    1987-01-01

    This paper considers the overall training programs undertaken by a newly appointed Operations Engineer at one of the Central Electricity Generating Board's (CEGB) Advanced Gas Cooled Reactor (AGR) nuclear power stations. The training program is designed to equip him with the skills and knowledge necessary for him to discharge his duties safely and effectively. In order to assist the learning process and achieve and integrated program, aspects of reactor technology and operation, initially the subject of theoretical presentations at the CEGB's Nuclear Power Training Center (NPTC) are reinforced by either simulation and/or practical experience on site. In the later stages plant-specific simulators, operated by trained tutors, are incorporated into the training program to provide the trainee with practical experience of plant operation. The trainee's performance is assessed throughout the program to provide feedback to the trainee, the trainers and station management

  18. Experience of automation failures in training: effects on trust, automation bias, complacency and performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sauer, Juergen; Chavaillaz, Alain; Wastell, David

    2016-06-01

    This work examined the effects of operators' exposure to various types of automation failures in training. Forty-five participants were trained for 3.5 h on a simulated process control environment. During training, participants either experienced a fully reliable, automatic fault repair facility (i.e. faults detected and correctly diagnosed), a misdiagnosis-prone one (i.e. faults detected but not correctly diagnosed) or a miss-prone one (i.e. faults not detected). One week after training, participants were tested for 3 h, experiencing two types of automation failures (misdiagnosis, miss). The results showed that automation bias was very high when operators trained on miss-prone automation encountered a failure of the diagnostic system. Operator errors resulting from automation bias were much higher when automation misdiagnosed a fault than when it missed one. Differences in trust levels that were instilled by the different training experiences disappeared during the testing session. Practitioner Summary: The experience of automation failures during training has some consequences. A greater potential for operator errors may be expected when an automatic system failed to diagnose a fault than when it failed to detect one.

  19. Man-system interface based on automatic speech recognition: integration to a virtual control desk

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jorge, Carlos Alexandre F.; Mol, Antonio Carlos A.; Pereira, Claudio M.N.A.; Aghina, Mauricio Alves C., E-mail: calexandre@ien.gov.b, E-mail: mol@ien.gov.b, E-mail: cmnap@ien.gov.b, E-mail: mag@ien.gov.b [Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear (IEN/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Nomiya, Diogo V., E-mail: diogonomiya@gmail.co [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ (Brazil)

    2009-07-01

    This work reports the implementation of a man-system interface based on automatic speech recognition, and its integration to a virtual nuclear power plant control desk. The later is aimed to reproduce a real control desk using virtual reality technology, for operator training and ergonomic evaluation purpose. An automatic speech recognition system was developed to serve as a new interface with users, substituting computer keyboard and mouse. They can operate this virtual control desk in front of a computer monitor or a projection screen through spoken commands. The automatic speech recognition interface developed is based on a well-known signal processing technique named cepstral analysis, and on artificial neural networks. The speech recognition interface is described, along with its integration with the virtual control desk, and results are presented. (author)

  20. Man-system interface based on automatic speech recognition: integration to a virtual control desk

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jorge, Carlos Alexandre F.; Mol, Antonio Carlos A.; Pereira, Claudio M.N.A.; Aghina, Mauricio Alves C.; Nomiya, Diogo V.

    2009-01-01

    This work reports the implementation of a man-system interface based on automatic speech recognition, and its integration to a virtual nuclear power plant control desk. The later is aimed to reproduce a real control desk using virtual reality technology, for operator training and ergonomic evaluation purpose. An automatic speech recognition system was developed to serve as a new interface with users, substituting computer keyboard and mouse. They can operate this virtual control desk in front of a computer monitor or a projection screen through spoken commands. The automatic speech recognition interface developed is based on a well-known signal processing technique named cepstral analysis, and on artificial neural networks. The speech recognition interface is described, along with its integration with the virtual control desk, and results are presented. (author)

  1. Automatic training of lemmatization rules that handle morphological changes in pre-, in- and suffixes alike

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jongejan, Bart; Dalianis, Hercules

    2009-01-01

    We propose a method to automatically train lemmatization rules that handle prefix, infix and suffix changes to generate the lemma from the full form of a word. We explain how the lemmatization rules are created and how the lemmatizer works. We trained this lemmatizer on Danish, Dutch, English......, German, Greek, Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish, Slovene and Swedish full form-lemma pairs respectively. We obtained significant improvements of 24 percent for Polish, 2.3 percent for Dutch, 1.5 percent for English, 1.2 percent for German and 1.0 percent for Swedish compared to plain suffix lemmatization...... using a suffix-only lemmatizer. Icelandic deteriorated with 1.9 percent. We also made an observation regarding the number of produced lemmatization rules as a function of the number of training pairs....

  2. Information Operations: Training the Leaders

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Ferriter, Michael

    1999-01-01

    The purpose of this project is to determine if the Army's officer education and training systems adequately prepare our leaders to operate within, and to deploy, fight, and win in the Information Age...

  3. Severe accidents and operator training - discussion of potential issues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vidard, Michel

    1997-01-01

    R and D programs developed throughout the world allowed significant progress in the understanding of physical phenomena and Severe Accident Management (SAM) programs started in many OECD countries. Basically, the common denominator to all these SAM programs was to provide utility operators with procedures or guidelines allowing to deal with complex situations not formally considered in the Design Basis, including accidents where a significant portion of the core had molten. These SAM procedures or guidelines complement the traditional accident management procedures (event, symptom or physical-state oriented) and should allow operators to deal with a reasonably bounding set of situations. Dealing with operator or crisis team training, it was recognized that training would be beneficial but that training programs were lagging, i.e. though training sessions were either organized or contemplated after implementation of SAM programs, they seemed to be somewhat different from more traditional training sessions on Accident Management. After some explanations on the differences between Design Basis Accidents (DBAs) and Beyond Design Basis Accidents (BDBAs), this paper underlines some potential difficulties for training operators and discuss problems to be addressed by organisms contemplating SAM training sessions consistent with similar activities for less complex events

  4. Automatic recognition of falls in gait-slip training: Harness load cell based criteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Feng; Pai, Yi-Chung

    2011-08-11

    Over-head-harness systems, equipped with load cell sensors, are essential to the participants' safety and to the outcome assessment in perturbation training. The purpose of this study was to first develop an automatic outcome recognition criterion among young adults for gait-slip training and then verify such criterion among older adults. Each of 39 young and 71 older subjects, all protected by safety harness, experienced 8 unannounced, repeated slips, while walking on a 7m walkway. Each trial was monitored with a motion capture system, bilateral ground reaction force (GRF), harness force, and video recording. The fall trials were first unambiguously indentified with careful visual inspection of all video records. The recoveries without balance loss (in which subjects' trailing foot landed anteriorly to the slipping foot) were also first fully recognized from motion and GRF analyses. These analyses then set the gold standard for the outcome recognition with load cell measurements. Logistic regression analyses based on young subjects' data revealed that the peak load cell force was the best predictor of falls (with 100% accuracy) at the threshold of 30% body weight. On the other hand, the peak moving average force of load cell across 1s period, was the best predictor (with 100% accuracy) separating recoveries with backward balance loss (in which the recovery step landed posterior to slipping foot) from harness assistance at the threshold of 4.5% body weight. These threshold values were fully verified using the data from older adults (100% accuracy in recognizing falls). Because of the increasing popularity in the perturbation training coupling with the protective over-head-harness system, this new criterion could have far reaching implications in automatic outcome recognition during the movement therapy. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Atlantic Richfield Hanford Company chemical operator training program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zumhoff, R.G.

    1975-01-01

    Formal training and testing of Chemical Operators at Hanford were initiated as part of a negotiated union settlement in 1966. Consequently, it was agreed that 25 percent of the chemical operator force would receive a higher rated job (Lead Nuclear Chemical Operator) provided they satisfactorily completed a training program including testing. The training and testing program was developed in two parts. The first covered subjects of a general nature and was applicable to an operator's duties no matter what the assignment. Part II was more specifically oriented to the presently assigned work area. Renewed interest in retraining and requalification of all chemical operators was taken in 1971. This evolved from a Company concern that a program be developed to assure the fact that operators were qualified to do their assigned jobs, and an Atomic Energy Commission request for an outline of a retraining and requalification program for chemical operators. Building upon the experience gained in the LNCO (Lead Nuclear Chemical Operator) program, the two part format is retained. The use of video tapes is used to complement the manuals. An arrangement where an operator can view a lecture-type presentation is provided in seven plant locations. A small studio for in-house production of the video tapes is available to the training Specialists. A script is developed from a training manual by condensing the information into 20-minute presentations. A prime objective of each tape is to highlight the safety and control aspects that accompany operator responsibilities in each of these areas. Testing is also handled on a two part basis; one test covers the fundamentals and a separate test is designed for each of the plant subjects. A walk-through examination is also performed for the plant portion. Operators are required to be requalified on emergency procedures on an annual basis and at two-year intervals in the other areas. (U.S.)

  6. Track Dozer Operator. Open Pit Mining Job Training Series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    British Columbia Dept. of Education, Victoria.

    This training outline for track dozer operators, one in a series of eight outlines, is designed primarily for company training foremen or supervisors and for trainers to use as an industry-wide guideline for heavy equipment operator training in open pit mining in British Columbia. Intended as a guide for preparation of lesson plans both for…

  7. Rotary Drill Operator. Open Pit Mining Job Training Series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savilow, Bill

    This training outline for rotary drill operators, one in a series of eight outlines, is designed primarily for company training foremen or supervisors and for trainers to use as an industry-wide guideline for heavy equipment operator training in open pit mining in British Columbia. Intended as a guide for preparation of lesson plans both for…

  8. Haulage Truck Operator. Open Pit Mining Job Training Series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    British Columbia Dept. of Education, Victoria.

    This training outline for haulage truck operators, one in a series of eight outlines, is designed primarily for company training foremen or supervisors and for trainers to use as an industry-wide guideline for heavy equipment operator training in open pit mining in British Columbia. Intended as a guide for preparation of lesson plans both for…

  9. Simulator training and licensing examination for nuclear power station operator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Pingsheng

    2007-01-01

    For the recruitment, training and position qualification of the simulator instructors and feedback of training effect, the management approaches are formulated in 'The System for Simulator Training and Licensing Examination of Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station Operators'. The concrete requirements on the professional knowledge, work experience and foreign language ability of a simulator instructor are put forward. The process of instructor training is designed. The training items include the trainer training, pedagogy training, time management training, operation activities training during outage of unit, 'shadow' training and on-the-jot training on simulator courses. Job rotation is realized between simulator instructor and licensing personnel on site. New simulator instructor must pass the qualification identification. After a duration of 2 years, re-qualification has to be carried out. On the basis of the operator training method introduced from EDF (electricite De France), some new courses are developed and the improvement on the initial training, retaining courses, the technical support and the experience feedback by using the simulator is done also. (authors)

  10. Nuclear power plant operating personnel training for normal and accident situations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dufrene, C.

    1995-01-01

    Training system of reactor operating staff in France for maximum safety is discussed. The structure of the training program consists of three levels, initial training in each aspect of operations job functions, with systematic refresher training sessions; the principles at global team skills; the range of skills required for unit operation. (N.T.). 1 fig

  11. Recent experience of Almaraz NPP in operator training

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanchez Cabanero, J.G.; Gomez de la Torre, J.M.

    1994-01-01

    In recent years the nuclear industry has been paying special attention to boosting nuclear power plant operation. To this end, it has optimized its maintenance, engineering, safety, management and other systems, using the appropriate resources to achieve its target. Optimization of these systems required the allocation of new resources for training plant personnel. The activity of training, which hitherto dedicated most of its attention and resources to the operating area, now extends them to schooling required in other areas of the plant, with the aim of updating the skills and knowledge of personnel to deal with new needs which have arisen. Regulations at present cover the training and qualification of only personnel responsible for handling reactor or for directing plant operation activities and capable of evaluating the nature and magnitude of possible incidents, especially those causing radioactive emissions, and of personnel requiring knowledge and experience to guarantee effective protection of individuals, ie, operators, supervisors, and qualified radiological protection experts. However, it should be borne in mind that, in the future, the training of other plant personnel could also be subject to regulations. (Author)

  12. Software framework for automatic learning of telescope operation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez, Jose A.; Molgó, Jordi; Guerra, Dailos

    2016-07-01

    The "Gran Telescopio de Canarias" (GTC) is an optical-infrared 10-meter segmented mirror telescope at the ORM observatory in Canary Islands (Spain). The GTC Control System (GCS) is a distributed object and component oriented system based on RT-CORBA and it is responsible for the operation of the telescope, including its instrumentation. The current development state of GCS is mature and fully operational. On the one hand telescope users as PI's implement the sequences of observing modes of future scientific instruments that will be installed in the telescope and operators, in turn, design their own sequences for maintenance. On the other hand engineers develop new components that provide new functionality required by the system. This great work effort is possible to minimize so that costs are reduced, especially if one considers that software maintenance is the most expensive phase of the software life cycle. Could we design a system that allows the progressive assimilation of sequences of operation and maintenance of the telescope, through an automatic self-programming system, so that it can evolve from one Component oriented organization to a Service oriented organization? One possible way to achieve this is to use mechanisms of learning and knowledge consolidation to reduce to the minimum expression the effort to transform the specifications of the different telescope users to the operational deployments. This article proposes a framework for solving this problem based on the combination of the following tools: data mining, self-Adaptive software, code generation, refactoring based on metrics, Hierarchical Agglomerative Clustering and Service Oriented Architectures.

  13. Acquisition of Formal Operations: The Effects of Two Training Procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosenthal, Doreen A.

    1979-01-01

    A study of 11- and 12-year-old girls indicates that either of two training procedures, method training or dimension training, can aid in the transition from concrete operational to formal operational thought by promoting a hypothesis-testing attitude. (BH)

  14. Co-Operative Training in the Sheffield Forging Industry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duncan, R.

    2008-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to give details of an operation carried out in Sheffield to increase the recruitment of young men into the steel forging industry. Design/methodology/approach: The Sheffield Forges Co-operative Training Scheme was designed to encourage boys to enter the forging industry and to provide them with training and…

  15. Training of technical staff for nuclear power station operation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haire, T.P.; Myerscough, P.B.

    1981-01-01

    The statutory training requirements covering the technical staff in the CEGB (Central Electricity Generating Board) are discussed. Details of the training programmes emphasize the importance of the staff having a thorough understanding of the nuclear processes involved in the station operation and not relying solely upon a mechanistic approach to operating procedures. The impact of this philosophy on the design of training simulators is examined and a brief comparison is made with the training philosophies in other countries. (U.K.)

  16. The continuation training of operators and feedback of operational experience in the Royal Navy's nuclear submarine programme

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manson, R.P.

    1983-01-01

    Naval continuation training has relied heavily on the use of realistic simulators for over ten years, and this has been proved to be a cost-effective and efficient method of training. The type of simulator used, the selection and qualification of simulator instructors, and the method of training experienced operators is described. Also, the assessment of operator performance, the use of simulators during the final stages of operator qualification, and their use for training operators on plant operation whilst shut-down are covered. The Navy also pays great attention to the feedback of operating experience from sea into both continuation and basic training. This is accomplished using Incident Reports, which are rendered whenever the plant is operated outside the approved Operating Documentation, or when any other unusual circumstance arises. Each Report is individually assessed and replied to by a qualified operator, and those incidents of more general interest are published in a wider circulation document available to all plant operators. In addition, each crew is given an annual lecture on recent operating experiences. Important lessons are fed forward into new plant design, and the incident reports are also used as a source of information for plant reliability data. (author)

  17. Application of digital process controller for automatic pulse operation in the NSRR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishijima, K.; Ueda, T.; Saigo, M.

    1992-01-01

    The NSRR at JAERI is a modified TRIGA Reactor. It was built for investigating reactor fuel behavior under reactivity initiated accident (RIA) conditions. Recently, there has been a need to improve the flexibility of pulsing operations in the NSRR to cover a wide range of accidental situations, including RIA events at elevated power levels, and various abnormal power transients. To satisfy this need, we developed a new reactor control system which allows us to perform 'Shaped Pulse Operation: SP' and 'Combined Pulse Operation: CP'. Quick, accurate and complicated manipulation of control rods was required to realize these operations. Therefore we installed a new reactor control system, which we call an automatic pulse control system. This control system is composed of digital processing controllers and other digital equipments, and is fully automated and highly accurate. (author)

  18. Quantitative evaluation for training results of nuclear plant operator on BWR simulator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sato, Takao; Sato, Tatsuaki; Onishi, Hiroshi; Miyakita, Kohji; Mizuno, Toshiyuki

    1985-01-01

    Recently, the reliability of neclear power plants has largely risen, and the abnormal phenomena in the actual plants are rarely encountered. Therefore, the training using simulators becomes more and more important. In BWR Operator Training Center Corp., the training of the operators of BWR power plants has been continued for about ten years using a simulator having the nearly same function as the actual plants. The recent high capacity ratio of nuclear power plants has been mostly supported by excellent operators trained in this way. Taking the opportunity of the start of operation of No.2 simulator, effort has been exerted to quantitatively grasp the effect of training and to heighten the quality of training. The outline of seven training courses is shown. The technical ability required for operators, the items of quantifying the effect of training, that is, operational errors and the time required for operation, the method of quantifying, the method of collecting the data and the results of the application to the actual training are described. It was found that this method is suitable to quantify the effect of training. (Kako, I.)

  19. NET-ZERO ENERGY BUILDING OPERATOR TRAINING PROGRAM (NZEBOT)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brizendine, Anthony; Byars, Nan; Sleiti, Ahmad; Gehrig, Bruce; Lu, Na

    2012-12-31

    The primary objective of the Net-Zero Energy Building Operator Training Program (NZEBOT) was to develop certificate level training programs for commercial building owners, managers and operators, principally in the areas of energy / sustainability management. The expected outcome of the project was a multi-faceted mechanism for developing the skill-based competency of building operators, owners, architects/engineers, construction professionals, tenants, brokers and other interested groups in energy efficient building technologies and best practices. The training program draws heavily on DOE supported and developed materials available in the existing literature, as well as existing, modified, and newly developed curricula from the Department of Engineering Technology & Construction Management (ETCM) at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC-Charlotte). The project goal is to develop a certificate level training curriculum for commercial energy and sustainability managers and building operators that: 1) Increases the skill-based competency of building professionals in energy efficient building technologies and best practices, and 2) Increases the workforce pool of expertise in energy management and conservation techniques. The curriculum developed in this project can subsequently be used to establish a sustainable energy training program that can contribute to the creation of new “green” job opportunities in North Carolina and throughout the Southeast region, and workforce training that leads to overall reductions in commercial building energy consumption. Three energy training / education programs were developed to achieve the stated goal, namely: 1. Building Energy/Sustainability Management (BESM) Certificate Program for Building Managers and Operators (40 hours); 2. Energy Efficient Building Technologies (EEBT) Certificate Program (16 hours); and 3. Energy Efficent Buildings (EEB) Seminar (4 hours). Training Program 1 incorporates the following

  20. Task 5: role of simulators in operator training

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1998-01-01

    The purpose of the report is to present an analysis of the role of simulators in the training of nuclear power plant operators, from a human factors point of view. Task 5, and this report, consist of the following main parts: 'Current practices in operator training with simulators' (its objective was to identify the role of simulators in the operator training programs, from a human factors point of view, in OECD countries; the information requested was oriented towards the techniques and criteria used for establishing and evaluating that role in the different countries). 'Experiences or studies on specific issues' (its objective was to discuss in-depth some of the issues more difficult or not completely solved yet, with the aim to draw lessons learned and current practices which are used to avoid incidents originated by operator errors due to inadequate training; the selected issues were: Teamwork, Diagnosis and Decision-Making, Stress, and Simulator Fidelity, Issues and Concerns). 'Conclusions and recommendations' (its objective was to gather, present and sum up the conclusions and recommendations reached all over the contributions reported by the ETF-HF members and during the discussions held at the ETF-HF meetings)

  1. Preparedness of fire safety in underground train station: Comparison between train operators in Malaysia with other operators from the developed countries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tajedi, Noor Aqilah A.; Sukor, Nur Sabahiah A.; Ismail, Mohd Ashraf M.; Shamsudin, Shahrul A.

    2017-10-01

    The purpose of this paper is to compare the fire evacuation plan and preparation at the underground train stations in the different countries. The methodology for this study was using the extended questionnaire survey to investigate the Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd, Malaysia's fire safety plan and preparation at the underground train stations. There were four sections in the questionnaire which included (i) background of the respondents, (ii) the details on the train stations, safety instruction and fire evacuation exercises (iii) technical systems, installation and equipment at the underground stations and (iv) procedures and technical changes related to fire safety that had been applied by the operators. Previously, the respondents from the different train operator services in the developed countries had completed the questionnaires. This paper extends the response from the Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd to compare the emergency procedures and preparation for fire event with the developed countries. As a result, this study found that the equipment and facilities that provided at the underground train stations that operated by Rapid Rail are relevant for fire safety procedures and needs. The main advantage for Rapid Rail is the underground stations were designed with two or more entrances/exits that may perform better evacuation compare to one main entrance/exit train stations in the other developed countries.

  2. Automatic exchange unit for control rod drive device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nasu, Seiji; Sasaki, Masayoshi.

    1982-01-01

    Purpose: To enable automatic reoperation and continuation without external power interruption remedy device at the time of recovering the interrupted power soruce during automatic positioning operation. Constitution: In case of an automatic exchange unit for a control rod drive device of the control type for setting the deviation between the positioning target position and the present position of the device to zero, the position data of the drive device of the positioning target value of the device is automatically read, and an interlock of operation inhibit is applied to a control system until the data reading is completed and automatic operation start or restart conditions are sequentially confirmed. After the confirmation, the interlock is released to start the automatic operation or reoperation. Accordingly, the automatic operation can be safely restarted and continued. (Yoshihara, H.)

  3. Automatic lung segmentation in functional SPECT images using active shape models trained on reference lung shapes from CT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheimariotis, Grigorios-Aris; Al-Mashat, Mariam; Haris, Kostas; Aletras, Anthony H; Jögi, Jonas; Bajc, Marika; Maglaveras, Nicolaos; Heiberg, Einar

    2018-02-01

    Image segmentation is an essential step in quantifying the extent of reduced or absent lung function. The aim of this study is to develop and validate a new tool for automatic segmentation of lungs in ventilation and perfusion SPECT images and compare automatic and manual SPECT lung segmentations with reference computed tomography (CT) volumes. A total of 77 subjects (69 patients with obstructive lung disease, and 8 subjects without apparent perfusion of ventilation loss) performed low-dose CT followed by ventilation/perfusion (V/P) SPECT examination in a hybrid gamma camera system. In the training phase, lung shapes from the 57 anatomical low-dose CT images were used to construct two active shape models (right lung and left lung) which were then used for image segmentation. The algorithm was validated in 20 patients, comparing its results to reference delineation of corresponding CT images, and by comparing automatic segmentation to manual delineations in SPECT images. The Dice coefficient between automatic SPECT delineations and manual SPECT delineations were 0.83 ± 0.04% for the right and 0.82 ± 0.05% for the left lung. There was statistically significant difference between reference volumes from CT and automatic delineations for the right (R = 0.53, p = 0.02) and left lung (R = 0.69, p automatic quantification of wide range of measurements.

  4. Organization for field operator training

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boizet, F.; Dejou, P.

    1996-01-01

    Organization for field operator training is described, dealing with 4 strong ambitions: deliberate policy of encouraging the staff to accept greater personal responsibilities; on shift and off shift support to allow this acceptation; continuous enhancement of individual and team professionalism; reinforcement of the management

  5. Enhanced operator-training simulator for the Fast Flux Test Facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schrader, F.D.; Swanson, C.D.

    1983-01-01

    The FFTF Plant Operator Training Simulator Facility has proven to be a valuable asset throughtout the testing, startup and early operational phases of the Fast Flux Test facility. However, limitations inherent in the existing simulation facility, increased emphasis on the required quality of operator training, and an expanded scope of applications (e.g., MNI development) justify an enhanced facility. Direct use of plant operators in the development of improved reactor control room displays and other man/machine interface equipment and procedures increases the credibility of proposed techniques and reported results. The FFTF Plant Operator Training Simulator provides a key element in this development program

  6. Automatic determination of L/H transition times in DIII-D through a collaborative distributed environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farias, G.; Vega, J.; González, S.; Pereira, A.; Lee, X.; Schissel, D.; Gohil, P.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► An automatic predictor of L/H transition times has been implemented for the DIII-D tokamak. ► The system predicts the transition combining two techniques: a morphological pattern recognition algorithm and a support vector machines multi-layer model. ► The predictor is employed within a collaborative distributed computing environment. The system is trained remotely in the Ciemat computer cluster and operated on the DIII-D site. - Abstract: An automatic predictor of L/H transition times has been implemented for the DIII-D tokamak. The system predicts the transition combining two techniques: A morphological pattern recognition algorithm, which estimates the transition based on the waveform of a Dα emission signal, and a support vector machines multi-layer model, which predicts the L/H transition using a non-parametric model. The predictor is employed within a collaborative distributed computing environment. The system is trained remotely in the Ciemat computer cluster and operated on the DIII-D site.

  7. 49 CFR 232.407 - Operations requiring use of two-way end-of-train devices; prohibition on purchase of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... a secondary, fully independent braking system capable of safely stopping the train in the event of... either by using the manual toggle switch or through automatic activation, whenever it becomes necessary... automatic brake valve or the conductor's emergency brake valve. (g) En route failure of device on a freight...

  8. Simulation and operation of the EBR-II automatic control rod drive system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lehto, W.K.; Larson, H.A.; Dean, E.M.; Christensen, L.J.

    1985-01-01

    An automatic control rod drive system (ACRDS) installed at EBR-II produces shaped power transients from 40% to full reactor power at a linear ramp rate of 4 MWt/s. A digital computer and modified control-rod-drive provides this capability. Simulation and analysis of ACRDS experiments establish the safety envelope for reactor transient operation. Tailored transients are required as part of USDOE Operational Reliability Testing program for prototypic fast reactor fuel cladding breach behavior studies. After initial EBR-II driver fuel testing and system checkout, test subassemblies were subjected to both slow and fast transients. In addition, the ACRDS is used for steady-state operation and will be qualified to control power ascent from initial critical to full power

  9. Simulation and operation of the EBR-II automatic control rod drive system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lehto, W.K.; Larson, H.A.; Dean, E.M.; Christensen, L.J.

    1985-01-01

    An automatic control rod drive system (ACRDS) installed at EBR-II produces shaped power transients from 40% to full reactor power at a linear ramp rate of 4 MWt/s. A digital computer and modified control-rod-drive provides this capability. Simulation and analysis of ACRDS experiments establish the safety envelope for reactor transient operation. Tailored transients are required as part of USDOE Operational Reliability Testing program for prototypic fast reactor fuel cladding breach behavior studies. After initial EBR-II driver fuel testing and system checkout, test subassemblies were subjected to both slow and fast transients. In additions, the ACRDS is used for steady-state operation and will be qualified to control power ascent from initial critical to full power

  10. Spaceflight Systems Training: A Comparison and Contrasting of Techniques for Training Ground Operators and Onboard Crewmembers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balmain, Clinton; Fleming, Mark

    2009-01-01

    When developing techniques and products for instruction on manned spaceflight systems, training organizations are often faced with two very different customers: ground operators and onboard crewmembers. Frequently, instructional development focuses on one of these customers with the assumption that the other s needs will be met by default. Experience teaches us that differing approaches are required when developing training tailored to the specific needs of each customer. As a rule, ground operators require focused instruction on specific areas of expertise. Their knowledge should be of the details of the hardware, software, and operational techniques associated with that system. They often benefit from historical knowledge of how their system has operated over its lifetime. Since several different ground operators may be interfacing with the same system, each individual operator must understand the agreed-to principles by which that system will be run. In contrast, onboard crewmembers require a more broad, hands-on awareness of their operational environment. Their training should be developed with an understanding of the physical environment in which they live and work and the day-to-day tasks they are most likely to perform. Rarely do they require a deep understanding of the details of a system; it is often sufficient to teach them just enough to maintain situational awareness and perform basic tasks associated with maintenance and operation of onboard systems. Crewmembers may also develop unique onboard operational techniques that differ from preceding crews. They should be taught what flexibility they have in systems operations and how their specific habits can be communicated to ground support personnel. This paper will explore the techniques that can be employed when developing training for these unique customers. We will explore the history of International Space Station training development and how past efforts can guide us in creating training for users of

  11. Chemical name extraction based on automatic training data generation and rich feature set.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Su; Spangler, W Scott; Chen, Ying

    2013-01-01

    The automation of extracting chemical names from text has significant value to biomedical and life science research. A major barrier in this task is the difficulty of getting a sizable and good quality data to train a reliable entity extraction model. Another difficulty is the selection of informative features of chemical names, since comprehensive domain knowledge on chemistry nomenclature is required. Leveraging random text generation techniques, we explore the idea of automatically creating training sets for the task of chemical name extraction. Assuming the availability of an incomplete list of chemical names, called a dictionary, we are able to generate well-controlled, random, yet realistic chemical-like training documents. We statistically analyze the construction of chemical names based on the incomplete dictionary, and propose a series of new features, without relying on any domain knowledge. Compared to state-of-the-art models learned from manually labeled data and domain knowledge, our solution shows better or comparable results in annotating real-world data with less human effort. Moreover, we report an interesting observation about the language for chemical names. That is, both the structural and semantic components of chemical names follow a Zipfian distribution, which resembles many natural languages.

  12. Front End Loader Operator. Open Pit Mining Job Training Series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savilow, Bill

    This training outline for front end loader operators, one in a series of eight outlines, is designed primarily for company training foremen or supervisors and for trainers to use as an industry-wide guideline for heavy equipment operator training in open pit mining in British Columbia. Intended as a guide for preparation of lesson plans both for…

  13. Rubber Tire Dozer Operator. Open Pit Mining Job Training Series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    British Columbia Dept. of Education, Victoria.

    This training outline for rubber tire dozer operators, one in a series of eight outlines, is designed primarily for company training foremen or supervisors and for trainers to use as an industry-wide guideline for heavy equipment operator training in open pit mining in British Columbia. Intended as a guide for preparation of lesson plans both for…

  14. Training benefits of research on operator reliability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Worledge, D.H.

    1989-01-01

    The purpose of the EPRI Operator Reliability Experiments (ORE) Program is to collect data for use in reliability and safety studies of nuclear power plant operation which more realistically take credit for operator performance in preventing core damage. The three objectives in fulfilling this purpose are: to obtain quantitative/qualitative performance data on operating crew responses in the control room for potential accident sequences by using plant simulators; to test the human cognitive reliability (HCR) correlation; and to develop a data collection analysis procedure. This paper discusses the background to this program, data collection and analysis, and the results of quantitative/qualitative insights stemming from initial work. Special attention is paid to how this program impacts upon simulator use and assessment of simulator fidelity. Attention is also paid to the use of data collection procedures to assist training departments in assessing the quality of their training programs

  15. Timing system for multi-bunch/multi-train operation at ATF

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Naito, T.; Hayano, H.; Urakawa, J.; Imai, T.

    2000-01-01

    A timing system has been constructed for multi-bunch/multi-train operation at KEK-ATF. The linac accelerates 20 bunches of multi-bunch with 2.8 ns spacing. The Damping Ring stores up to 5 trains of multi-bunch. The timing system is required to provide flexible operation mode and bucket selection. A personal computer is used for manipulating the timing. The performance of kicker magnets at the injection/extruction is key issue for multi-train operation. The hardware and the test results are presented. (author)

  16. Advanced technology for BWR operator training simulator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shibuya, Akira; Fujita, Eimitsu; Nakao, Toshihiko; Nakabaru, Mitsugu; Asaoka, Kouchi.

    1991-01-01

    This paper describes an operator training simulator for BWR nuclear power plants which went into service recently. The simulator is a full scope replica type simulator which faithfully replicates the control room environment of the reference plant with six main control panels and twelve auxiliary ones. In comparison with earlier simulators, the scope of the simulation is significantly extended in both width and depth. The simulation model is also refined in order to include operator training according to sympton-based emergency procedure guidelines to mitigate the results in accident cases. In particular, the core model and the calculational model of the radiation intensity distribution, if radioactive materials were released, are improved. As for simulator control capabilities by which efficient and effective training can be achieved, various advanced designs are adopted allowing easy use of the simulators. (author)

  17. Training simulator for advanced gas-cooled reactor (AGR) shutdown sequence equipment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shankland, J.P.; Nixon, G.L.

    1978-01-01

    Successful shutdown of nuclear plant is of prime importance for both safety and economic reasons and large sums of money are spent on equipment to make shutdowns fully automatic, thus removing the possibility of operator errors. While this aim can largely be realized, one must consider the possibility of automatic equipment or plant failures when operators are required to take manual action, and off-line training facilities should be available to operating staff to minimize the risk of incorrect actions being taken. This paper presents the practice adopted at Hunterston 'B' Nuclear Power Station to solve this problem and concerns the computer-based training simulator for the Reactor Shutdown Sequence Equipment (RSSE) which was commissioned in January 1977. The plant associated with shutdown is briefly described and the reasoning which shows the need for a simulator is outlined. The paper also gives details of the comprehensive facilities available on the simulator and goes on to describe the form that shutdown training takes and the experience gained at this time. (author)

  18. Training shortest-path tractography: Automatic learning of spatial priors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kasenburg, Niklas; Liptrot, Matthew George; Reislev, Nina Linde

    2016-01-01

    Tractography is the standard tool for automatic delineation of white matter tracts from diffusion weighted images. However, the output of tractography often requires post-processing to remove false positives and ensure a robust delineation of the studied tract, and this demands expert prior...... knowledge. Here we demonstrate how such prior knowledge, or indeed any prior spatial information, can be automatically incorporated into a shortest-path tractography approach to produce more robust results. We describe how such a prior can be automatically generated (learned) from a population, and we...

  19. Upgrade of reactor operation technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Itoh, Hideaki; Suzuki, Toshiaki; O-kawa, Toshikatsu

    2003-01-01

    To improve operational reliability and availability, the operation technology for a fast reactor was developed in the ''JOYO''. This report describes the upgrading of the simulator, plant operation management tools and fuel handling system for the MK-III core operation. The simulator was modified to the MK-III version to verify operation manuals, and to train operators in MK-III operation. The plant operation management tool was replaced on the operation experience to increase the reliability and efficiency of plant management works relating to plant operation and maintenance. To shorten the refueling period, the fuel handling system was upgraded to full automatic remote control. (author)

  20. U.S. Special Operations Command Training and Education Program

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Gimble, Thomas

    1996-01-01

    .... Special Operations Command (USCINCSOC), to train assigned forces to meet special operations mission taskings and to ensure interoperability with conventional forces and other special operations forces (SOF...

  1. Improving inspection reliability through operator selection and training

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McGrath, Bernard; Carter, Luke

    2013-01-01

    A number of years ago the UK's Health and Safety Executive sponsored a series of three PANI projects investigating the application of manual ultrasonics, which endeavoured to establish the necessary steps that ensure a reliable inspection is performed. The results of the three projects were each reported separately on completion and also presented at number of international conferences. This paper summarises the results of these projects from the point of view of operator performance. The correlation of operator ultrasonic performance with results of aptitude tests is presented along with observations on the impact of training and qualifications of the operators. The results lead to conclusions on how the selection and training of operators could be modified to improve reliability of inspections.

  2. Simple Automatic File Exchange (SAFE) to Support Low-Cost Spacecraft Operation via the Internet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baker, Paul; Repaci, Max; Sames, David

    1998-01-01

    Various issues associated with Simple Automatic File Exchange (SAFE) are presented in viewgraph form. Specific topics include: 1) Packet telemetry, Internet IP networks and cost reduction; 2) Basic functions and technical features of SAFE; 3) Project goals, including low-cost satellite transmission to data centers to be distributed via an Internet; 4) Operations with a replicated file protocol; 5) File exchange operation; 6) Ground stations as gateways; 7) Lessons learned from demonstrations and tests with SAFE; and 8) Feedback and future initiatives.

  3. DOE handbook: Guide to good practices for training and qualification of chemical operators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1996-03-01

    The purpose of this Handbook is to provide contractor training organizations with information that can be used as a reference to refine existing chemical operator training programs, or develop new training programs where no program exists. This guide, used in conjunction with facility-specific job analyses, will provide a framework for training and qualification programs for chemical operators at DOE reactor and nonreactor facilities. Recommendations for qualification are made in four areas: education, experience, physical attributes, and training. Contents include: initial qualification; administrative training; industrial safety training; specialized skills training; on-the-job training; trainee evaluation; continuing training; training effectiveness evaluation; and program records. Two appendices describe Fundamentals training and Process operations. This handbook covers chemical operators in transportation of fuels and wastes, spent fuel receiving and storage, fuel disassembly, fuel reprocessing, and both liquid and solid low-level waste processing

  4. Knowledge-based full-automatic control system for a nuclear ship reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimazaki, J.; Nakazawa, T.; Yabuuchi, N.

    2000-01-01

    Plant operations aboard nuclear ships require quick judgements and actions due to changing marine conditions such as wind, waves and currents. Furthermore, additional human support is not available for nuclear ship operation at sea, so advanced automatic operations are necessary to reduce the number of operators required finally. Therefore, an advanced automatic operating system has been developed based on operational knowledge of nuclear ship 'Mutsu' plant. The advanced automatic operating system includes both the automatic operation system and the operator-support system which assists operators in completing actions during plant accidents, anomaly diagnosis and plant supervision. These system are largely being developed using artificial intelligent techniques such as neural network, fuzzy logic and knowledge-based expert. The automatic operation system is fundamentally based upon application of an operator's knowledge of both normal (start-up to rated power level) and abnormal (after scram) operations. Comparing plant behaviors from start-up to power level by the automatic operation with by 'Mutsu' manual operation, stable automatic operation was obtained almost same as manual operation within all operating limits. The abnormal automatic system was for hard work of manual operations after scram or LOCA accidents. An integrating system with the normal and the abnormal automatic systems are being developed for interacting smoothly both systems. (author)

  5. Education and training of operators and maintenance staff at Hamaoka Nuclear Power Stations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Makido, Hideki; Hayashi, Haruhisa

    1999-01-01

    At Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station, in order to ensure higher safety and reliability of plant operation, education and training is provided consistently, on a comprehensive basis, for all operating, maintenance and other technical staff, aimed at developing more capable human resources in the nuclear power division. To this end, Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station has the 'Nuclear Training Center' on its site. The training center provides the technical personnel including operators and maintenance personnel with practical training, utilizing simulators for operation training and the identical facilities with those at the real plant. Thus, it plays a central role in promoting comprehensive education and training concerning nuclear power generation. Our education system covers knowledge and skills necessary for the safe and stable operation of nuclear power plant, targeting new employees to managerial personnel. It is also organized systematically in accordance with experience and job level. We will report the present education and training of operators and maintenance personnel at Hamaoka Nuclear Training Center. (author)

  6. Finding weak points automatically

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Archinger, P.; Wassenberg, M.

    1999-01-01

    Operators of nuclear power stations have to carry out material tests at selected components by regular intervalls. Therefore a full automaticated test, which achieves a clearly higher reproducibility, compared to part automaticated variations, would provide a solution. In addition the full automaticated test reduces the dose of radiation for the test person. (orig.) [de

  7. Training for Operations Other Than War (Stability Operations): Front End Analysis

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Salter, Margaret

    1996-01-01

    An Army Research Institute Infantry Forces Research Unit work program on Improving Light Forces Low Intensity Conflict Training for Operations Other Than War was planned as research on Civil Affairs...

  8. Towards Autonomous Agriculture: Automatic Ground Detection Using Trinocular Stereovision

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Annalisa Milella

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Autonomous driving is a challenging problem, particularly when the domain is unstructured, as in an outdoor agricultural setting. Thus, advanced perception systems are primarily required to sense and understand the surrounding environment recognizing artificial and natural structures, topology, vegetation and paths. In this paper, a self-learning framework is proposed to automatically train a ground classifier for scene interpretation and autonomous navigation based on multi-baseline stereovision. The use of rich 3D data is emphasized where the sensor output includes range and color information of the surrounding environment. Two distinct classifiers are presented, one based on geometric data that can detect the broad class of ground and one based on color data that can further segment ground into subclasses. The geometry-based classifier features two main stages: an adaptive training stage and a classification stage. During the training stage, the system automatically learns to associate geometric appearance of 3D stereo-generated data with class labels. Then, it makes predictions based on past observations. It serves as well to provide training labels to the color-based classifier. Once trained, the color-based classifier is able to recognize similar terrain classes in stereo imagery. The system is continuously updated online using the latest stereo readings, thus making it feasible for long range and long duration navigation, over changing environments. Experimental results, obtained with a tractor test platform operating in a rural environment, are presented to validate this approach, showing an average classification precision and recall of 91.0% and 77.3%, respectively.

  9. INTELLECTUAL MODEL FORMATION OF RAILWAY STATION WORK DURING THE TRAIN OPERATION EXECUTION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. V. Lavrukhin

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. The aim of this research work is to develop an intelligent technology for determination of the optimal route of freight trains administration on the basis of the technical and technological parameters. This will allow receiving the operational informed decisions by the station duty officer regarding to the train operation execution within the railway station. Metodology. The main elements of the research are the technical and technological parameters of the train station during the train operation. The methods of neural networks in order to form the self-teaching automated system were put in the basis of the generated model of train operation execution. Findings. The presented model of train operation execution at the railway station is realized on the basis of artificial neural networks using learning algorithm with a «teacher» in Matlab environment. The Matlab is also used for the immediate implementation of the intelligent automated control system of the train operation designed for the integration into the automated workplace of the duty station officer. The developed system is also useful to integrate on workplace of the traffic controller. This proposal is viable in case of the availability of centralized traffic control on the separate section of railway track. Originality. The model of train station operation during the train operation execution with elements of artificial intelligence was formed. It allows providing informed decisions to the station duty officer concerning a choice of rational and a safe option of reception and non-stop run of the trains with the ability of self-learning and adaptation to changing conditions. This condition is achieved by the principles of the neural network functioning. Practical value. The model of the intelligent system management of the process control for determining the optimal route receptionfor different categories of trains was formed.In the operational mode it offers the possibility

  10. EHV network operation, maintenance, organization and training

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gravier, J P [Electricite de France (EDF), 75 - Paris (France)

    1994-12-31

    The service interruptions of electricity have an ever increasing social and industrial impact, it is thus fundamental to operate the network to its best level of performances. To face these changing conditions, Electricite de France has consequently adapted its strategy to improve its organization for maintenance and operation, clarify the operation procedures and give further training to the staff. This work presents the above mentioned issues. (author) 2 figs.

  11. Operant psychology makes a splash--in marine mammal training (1955-1965).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gillaspy, James Arthur; Brinegar, Jennifer L; Bailey, Robert E

    2014-01-01

    Despite the wide spread use of operant conditioning within marine animal training, relatively little is known about this unique application of behavioral technology. This article explores the expansion of operant psychology to commercial marine animal training from 1955 to 1965, specifically at marine parks such as Marine Studios Florida, Marineland of the Pacific, Sea Life Park, and SeaWorld. The contributions of Keller and Marian Breland and their business Animal Behavior Enterprises (ABE) as well as other early practitioners of behavioral technology are reviewed. We also describe how operant technology was introduced and formalized into procedures that have become the cornerstone of marine animal training and entertainment. The rapid growth of the marine park industry during this time was closely linked to the spread of behavioral technology. The expansion of operant training methods within marine animal training is a unique success story of behavioral technology. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  12. Upgrade of the Hunterston B AGR operator training simulator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morrison, J.; Nicol, D.; Hacking, D.

    1997-01-01

    Nuclear power plant simulators provide a vital tool in the training of operational staff in the statutory procedures and operational requirements of the nuclear industry. Scottish Nuclear, and its predecessor the South of Scotland Electricity Board, recognised the value such facilities offered to safety and efficiency and commissioned the construction of the Hunterston Operator Training Simulator as early as 1980. The simulator is a full scope, total plant, and real time system, with a complete 'as plant' replication of the operator interface, together with extensive instructor and tutorial facilities. Its uses have extended beyond the operator training role into plant engineering post incident analysis, evolving to be an essential feature of the station as a whole. Operation of the simulator for the foreseeable life of the station was the main driving force behind the current simulator update project, and whilst the need to move to a new computing platform, avoiding impending obsolescence problems, was the prime reason, the retention of 17 years of software development was seen as a valuable legacy to preserve. This paper discusses the main criteria considered during the simulator upgrade programme, highlighting the main technical issues and risks involved. (author)

  13. The training and assessment of operations engineers at Hinkley Point 'B' nuclear power station

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walsey, B.A.; Howard, J.D.

    1986-01-01

    The Nuclear Power Training Centre at Oldbury-on-Severn was established to provide a common training of staff at all nuclear power stations operated by the Central Electricity Generating Board, following the ''Standard Specification for the Nuclear Training of Staff at CEGB Nuclear Power Stations''. The paper deals with the following aspects of AGR Stations: The Legislation applicable to these stations. The current training requirements for Operations Staff. The development of training for operations staff at Hinkley Point 'B' including training for career progression within the Operations Department. A detailed explanation of the training package developed for Reactor Desk Drivers at Hinkley 'B'. Revision training of Operations staff to ensure that they continue to run the plant in a safe and commercially viable manner. The training of Shift Operations Engineers for their duties under the Station Emergency Plan. (author)

  14. Adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system based automatic generation control

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hosseini, S.H.; Etemadi, A.H. [Department of Electrical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran (Iran)

    2008-07-15

    Fixed gain controllers for automatic generation control are designed at nominal operating conditions and fail to provide best control performance over a wide range of operating conditions. So, to keep system performance near its optimum, it is desirable to track the operating conditions and use updated parameters to compute control gains. A control scheme based on artificial neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), which is trained by the results of off-line studies obtained using particle swarm optimization, is proposed in this paper to optimize and update control gains in real-time according to load variations. Also, frequency relaxation is implemented using ANFIS. The efficiency of the proposed method is demonstrated via simulations. Compliance of the proposed method with NERC control performance standard is verified. (author)

  15. A pattern recognition approach based on DTW for automatic transient identification in nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Galbally, Javier; Galbally, David

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Novel transient identification method for NPPs. • Low-complexity. • Low training data requirements. • High accuracy. • Fully reproducible protocol carried out on a real benchmark. - Abstract: Automatic identification of transients in nuclear power plants (NPPs) allows monitoring the fatigue damage accumulated by critical components during plant operation, and is therefore of great importance for ensuring that usage factors remain within the original design bases postulated by the plant designer. Although several schemes to address this important issue have been explored in the literature, there is still no definitive solution available. In the present work, a new method for automatic transient identification is proposed, based on the Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) algorithm, largely used in other related areas such as signature or speech recognition. The novel transient identification system is evaluated on real operational data following a rigorous pattern recognition protocol. Results show the high accuracy of the proposed approach, which is combined with other interesting features such as its low complexity and its very limited requirements of training data

  16. Use of operator training and simulating complexes for development of NPP APCS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malkin, S.D.; Rakitin, I.D.; Sivokon', V.P.

    2002-01-01

    The evolution of NPP educational facilities - from systems of training of personnel to power simulating systems for the development of Automatic Process Control System (APCS) and safety analysis is followed. High efficiency of simulating systems application for the development of NPP APCS including optimization of man-machine system interface was shown by experiments of USA, France, Japan, United Kingdom, conforming examples were given [ru

  17. Lessons learned from operating experience, maintenance procedures and training measures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guttner, K.; Gronau, D.

    2003-01-01

    Training programmes for nuclear facility personnel as a result of the developing phase of SAT have to be approved in the subsequent implementation and evaluation phases with the consequence of several feedback activities in the whole training process. The effectiveness of this procedure has to be evaluated especially with respect to an improvement of safety culture, shorter outage times or better plant performance, resulting in a smaller number of incidents due to human failures. The first two arguments are directly connected with all types of maintenance work in a nuclear power plant and the related preparatory training measures. The reduction of incidents due to human failures is the result of different influences, i.e. training of the operational as well as of the maintenance personnel together with changes of the operating procedures or system design. Though an evaluation of the training process should always be based on a clear definition of criteria by which the fulfilment of the learning objectives can be measured directly, the real effectiveness of training is proven by the behaviour and attitude of the personnel which can only be taken from indirect indicators. This is discussed in more detail for some examples being partly related to the above mentioned arguments. An excellent plant performance, representing a general objective of all activities, can be analysed by the changed number and reasons of incidents in a plant during its operation time. Two further examples are taken from the reactor service field where there is a tendency to reduce the individual dose rates by changed devices and/or procedures as an output from training experience with mockups. Finally the rationalisation of refresher training for operational personnel by the use of interactive teaching programs (Computer Based Training - CBT) is presented which integrate learning objectives together with a test module. (author)

  18. 76 FR 3831 - Crew Resource Management Training for Crewmembers in Part 135 Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-21

    ... training in the use of crew resource management principles, as appropriate for their operation. This final... incorporation of team management concepts in flight operations. This training focuses on communication and... document. Title: Crew Resource Management Training for Crewmembers in Part 135 Operations. Summary: This...

  19. Some experimental results for an automatic helium liquefier

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watanabe, T.; Kudo, T.; Kuraoka, Y.; Sakura, K.; Tsuruga, H.; Watanabe, T.

    1984-01-01

    This chapter describes the testing of an automatic cooldown system. The liquefying machine examined is a CTi Model 1400. The automatic helium gas liquefying system is operated by using sequence control with a programmable controller. The automatic mode is carried out by operation of two compressors. The monitoring system consists of 41 remote sensors. Liquid level is measured by a superconducting level meter. The J-T valve and return valve, which require precise control, are operated by pulse motors. The advantages of the automatic cooldown system are reduced operator man power; temperatures and pressures are changed smoothly, so that the flow chart of automation is simple; and the system makes continuous liquefier operation possible

  20. Automatic Tortuosity-Based Retinopathy of Prematurity Screening System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sukkaew, Lassada; Uyyanonvara, Bunyarit; Makhanov, Stanislav S.; Barman, Sarah; Pangputhipong, Pannet

    Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is an infant disease characterized by increased dilation and tortuosity of the retinal blood vessels. Automatic tortuosity evaluation from retinal digital images is very useful to facilitate an ophthalmologist in the ROP screening and to prevent childhood blindness. This paper proposes a method to automatically classify the image into tortuous and non-tortuous. The process imitates expert ophthalmologists' screening by searching for clearly tortuous vessel segments. First, a skeleton of the retinal blood vessels is extracted from the original infant retinal image using a series of morphological operators. Next, we propose to partition the blood vessels recursively using an adaptive linear interpolation scheme. Finally, the tortuosity is calculated based on the curvature of the resulting vessel segments. The retinal images are then classified into two classes using segments characterized by the highest tortuosity. For an optimal set of training parameters the prediction is as high as 100%.

  1. Experience in using a research reactor for the training of power reactor operators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blotcky, A.J.; Arsenaut, L.J.

    1972-01-01

    A research reactor facility such as the one at the Omaha Veterans Administration Hospital would have much to offer in the way of training reactor operators. Although most of the candidates for the course had either received previous training in the Westinghouse Reactor Operator Training Program, had operated nuclear submarine reactors or had operated power reactors, they were not offered the opportunity to perform the extensive manipulations of a reactor that a small research facility will allow. In addition the AEC recommends 10 research reactor startups per student as a prerequisite for a cold operator?s license and these can easily be obtained during the training period

  2. Operator training facilities for CEGB advanced gas cooled reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Green, J.F.; Birnie, S.

    1980-01-01

    The facilities provided at the Nuclear Power Training Centre of the CEGB for the training of operators fo the AGR are described. The simulator control desks are replicas of three AGR designs with, in addition, simulation of the Data Processing System for each station. Three modes of operation are envisaged: a.) Demonstration where the simulator is used by the tutor to illustrate lecture on plant behaviour. b.) Interaction where the student carries out normal procedures and experiences plant failure situations. c.) Investigation where engineering staff use the simulator for validation of modified operational procedures, ergonomic studies etc. (orig./HP)

  3. Development of the operator training system using computer graphics. Pt. 2. Operator behavior CG system and its applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sasou, Kunihide; Ebisu, Mitsuhiro; Takano, Kenichi; Watabe, Kazuyuki

    2003-01-01

    In training, it has been important to show good performance of operators dealing with abnormal operating; condition simulated by a training simulator. Video-taping of the scenario-based performance by instructors of a training center is the most common way. However, it is difficult for the experienced instructors to show good performance due to the stress of being video-taped. Therefore, the authors developed a system named Operator Behavior Computer Graphic System (OBCGS) to computer-graphically show the behavior of operators. The input data of this system are data on operation, watching, walking and utterances with time, objects of operation and watching, contents of their behavior, etc. The system temporally uses the output data of Man Machine Simulator developed by CRIEPI. OBCGS has 3 kinds of user interfaces. The first one computer-graphically shows 3 operators and one shift supervisor behaving in the control room from a bird's eye viewpoint. The second one has multi windows to show details of computer graphics of operators and control panels. The last one shows the history of operations, warnings and utterance. The system shows reasonable computer graphics in quality from the viewpoint of showing good performance of operations. This report also describes how to use the OBCGS and ways of application to the operator training. (author)

  4. Expanding role of operations training

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bernardi, M.S.

    1987-01-01

    The number of licensed nuclear power plants producing commercial electricity is climbing. Attitudes and skills successfully applied to developing the industry are less successfully applied to managing plants in a steady-state mode of operations. Fine-tuning the complex relationships between people and technology is a challenge that requires a fresh perspective. An increasing number of industry guidelines indicate that effective teamwork, communication, leadership, and diagnostic skills are aspects of human performance requiring attention. A total system view is suggested as a framework to integrate these training needs with the existing base of technical instruction. The total system perspective balances the needs of people and the needs of the physical plant against the unifying favors a leadership role for the training function

  5. PWR plant operator training used full scope simulator incorporated MAAP model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsumoto, Y.; Tabuchi, T.; Yamashita, T.; Komatsu, Y.; Tsubouchi, K.; Banka, T.; Mochizuki, T.; Nishimura, K.; Iizuka, H.

    2015-01-01

    NTC makes an effort with the understanding of plant behavior of core damage accident as part of our advanced training. For the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident, we introduced the MAAP model into PWR operator training full scope simulator and also made the Severe Accident Visual Display unit. From 2014, we will introduce new training program for a core damage accident with PWR operator training full scope simulator incorporated the MAAP model and the Severe Accident Visual Display unit. (author)

  6. Automatic segmentation of the left ventricle in a cardiac MR short axis image using blind morphological operation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Irshad, Mehreen; Muhammad, Nazeer; Sharif, Muhammad; Yasmeen, Mussarat

    2018-04-01

    Conventionally, cardiac MR image analysis is done manually. Automatic examination for analyzing images can replace the monotonous tasks of massive amounts of data to analyze the global and regional functions of the cardiac left ventricle (LV). This task is performed using MR images to calculate the analytic cardiac parameter like end-systolic volume, end-diastolic volume, ejection fraction, and myocardial mass, respectively. These analytic parameters depend upon genuine delineation of epicardial, endocardial, papillary muscle, and trabeculations contours. In this paper, we propose an automatic segmentation method using the sum of absolute differences technique to localize the left ventricle. Blind morphological operations are proposed to segment and detect the LV contours of the epicardium and endocardium, automatically. We test the benchmark Sunny Brook dataset for evaluation of the proposed work. Contours of epicardium and endocardium are compared quantitatively to determine contour's accuracy and observe high matching values. Similarity or overlapping of an automatic examination to the given ground truth analysis by an expert are observed with high accuracy as with an index value of 91.30% . The proposed method for automatic segmentation gives better performance relative to existing techniques in terms of accuracy.

  7. Farm-specific economic value of automatic lameness detection systems in dairy cattle: From concepts to operational simulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van De Gucht, Tim; Saeys, Wouter; Van Meensel, Jef; Van Nuffel, Annelies; Vangeyte, Jurgen; Lauwers, Ludwig

    2018-01-01

    Although prototypes of automatic lameness detection systems for dairy cattle exist, information about their economic value is lacking. In this paper, a conceptual and operational framework for simulating the farm-specific economic value of automatic lameness detection systems was developed and tested on 4 system types: walkover pressure plates, walkover pressure mats, camera systems, and accelerometers. The conceptual framework maps essential factors that determine economic value (e.g., lameness prevalence, incidence and duration, lameness costs, detection performance, and their relationships). The operational simulation model links treatment costs and avoided losses with detection results and farm-specific information, such as herd size and lameness status. Results show that detection performance, herd size, discount rate, and system lifespan have a large influence on economic value. In addition, lameness prevalence influences the economic value, stressing the importance of an adequate prior estimation of the on-farm prevalence. The simulations provide first estimates for the upper limits for purchase prices of automatic detection systems. The framework allowed for identification of knowledge gaps obstructing more accurate economic value estimation. These include insights in cost reductions due to early detection and treatment, and links between specific lameness causes and their related losses. Because this model provides insight in the trade-offs between automatic detection systems' performance and investment price, it is a valuable tool to guide future research and developments. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Man-machine interface systems and operator training program for ABWR in Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kunito, Susumu

    2004-01-01

    The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has developed a new Main Control Room design for the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) to improve man-machine interface. New configuration of panels and enhanced automation are some of the features of the ABWR type Main Control Room design. Various technologies such as Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs) and Flat Displays (FDs) with touch-sensitive operations are contributed to the development of the ABWR type control room design. This design will be first applied to Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station unit 6 (K-6). To train the operators sufficiently, TEPCO reviewed the operator training program. Compared with the conventional training, new training menu will be added and the training of ABWR operators will be started 6 months earlier. An ABWR simulator is under construction and training using this simulator is scheduled to be started in August 1994, which is 18 months before fuel loading of K-6. We are reviewing malfunction modes on the simulator. (author)

  9. Crew resource management training adapted to nuclear power plant operators for enhancing safety attitude

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishibashi, Akira; Kitamura, Masaharu; Takahashi, Makoto

    2015-01-01

    A conventional training program for nuclear power plant operators mainly focuses on the improvement of knowledge and skills of individual operators. Although it has certainly contributed to safety operation of nuclear power plants, some recent incidents have indicated the necessity of an additional training program aiming at the improvement of team performance. In the aviation domain, crew resource management (CRM) training has demonstrated the effectiveness in resolving team management issues of flight crews, aircraft maintenance crews, and so on. In the present research, we attempt to introduce the CRM concept into operator training in nuclear power plant for the training of conceptual skill (that is, non-technical skill). In this paper an adapted CRM training for nuclear power plant operators is proposed. The proposed training method has been practically utilized in the training course of the managers of nuclear power plants. (author)

  10. Defensive Operations in a Decisive Action Training Environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-07-01

    Operations in a Decisive Action Training Environment Christopher L. Vowels W. Anthony Scroggins U.S. Army Research Institute Captain Kyle T...Daniels Master Sergeant Paul M. Volino Joint Readiness Training Center July 2017 Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited...for distribution: MICHELLE SAMS Director Technical review by Dr. William R. Bickley, U.S. Army Research

  11. Performance measurement system for training simulators. Interim report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bockhold, G. Jr.; Roth, D.R.

    1978-05-01

    In the first project phase, the project team has designed, installed, and test run on the Browns Ferry nuclear power plant training simulator a performance measurement system capable of automatic recording of statistical information on operator actions and plant response. Key plant variables and operator actions were monitored and analyzed by the simulator computer for a selected set of four operating and casualty drills. The project has the following objectives: (1) To provide an empirical data base for statistical analysis of operator reliability and for allocation of safety and control functions between operators and automated controls; (2) To develop a method for evaluation of the effectiveness of control room designs and operating procedures; and (3) To develop a system for scoring aspects of operator performance to assist in training evaluations and to support operator selection research. The performance measurement system has shown potential for meeting the research objectives. However, the cost of training simulator time is high; to keep research program costs reasonable, the measurement system is being designed to be an integral part of operator training programs. In the pilot implementation, participating instructors judged the measurement system to be a valuable and objective extension of their abilities to monitor trainee performance

  12. Automatic face morphing for transferring facial animation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bui Huu Trung, B.H.T.; Bui, T.D.; Poel, Mannes; Heylen, Dirk K.J.; Nijholt, Antinus; Hamza, H.M.

    2003-01-01

    In this paper, we introduce a novel method of automatically finding the training set of RBF networks for morphing a prototype face to represent a new face. This is done by automatically specifying and adjusting corresponding feature points on a target face. The RBF networks are then used to transfer

  13. Image simulation for automatic license plate recognition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bala, Raja; Zhao, Yonghui; Burry, Aaron; Kozitsky, Vladimir; Fillion, Claude; Saunders, Craig; Rodríguez-Serrano, José

    2012-01-01

    Automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) is an important capability for traffic surveillance applications, including toll monitoring and detection of different types of traffic violations. ALPR is a multi-stage process comprising plate localization, character segmentation, optical character recognition (OCR), and identification of originating jurisdiction (i.e. state or province). Training of an ALPR system for a new jurisdiction typically involves gathering vast amounts of license plate images and associated ground truth data, followed by iterative tuning and optimization of the ALPR algorithms. The substantial time and effort required to train and optimize the ALPR system can result in excessive operational cost and overhead. In this paper we propose a framework to create an artificial set of license plate images for accelerated training and optimization of ALPR algorithms. The framework comprises two steps: the synthesis of license plate images according to the design and layout for a jurisdiction of interest; and the modeling of imaging transformations and distortions typically encountered in the image capture process. Distortion parameters are estimated by measurements of real plate images. The simulation methodology is successfully demonstrated for training of OCR.

  14. Human Resources Training Requirement on NPP Operation and Maintenance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nurlaila; Yuliastuti

    2009-01-01

    This paper discussed the human resources requirement on Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) operation and maintenance (O&M) phase related with the training required for O&M personnel. In addition, this paper also briefly discussed the availability of training facilities domestically include with some suggestion to develop the training facilities intended for the near future time in Indonesia. This paper was developed under the assumptions that Indonesia will build twin unit of NPP with capacity 1000 MWe for each using the turnkey contract method. The total of NPP O&M personnel were predicted about 692 peoples which consists of 42 personnel located in the head quarter and the rest 650 people work at NPP site. Up until now, Indonesia had the experience on operating and maintaining the nonnuclear power plant and several research reactors namely Kartini Reactor Yogyakarta, Triga Mark II Reactor Bandung, and GA Siwabessy Reactor Serpong. Beside that, experience on operating and maintaining the NPP in other countries would act as one of the reference to Indonesia in formulating an appropriate strategy to develop NPP human resources particularly in O&M phases. Education and training development program could be done trough the cooperation with vendor candidates. (author)

  15. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automatic external defibrillator training in schools: "is anyone learning how to save a life?".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hart, Devin; Flores-Medrano, Oscar; Brooks, Steve; Buick, Jason E; Morrison, Laurie J

    2013-09-01

    Bystander resuscitation efforts, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and use of an automatic external defibrillator (AED), save lives in cardiac arrest cases. School training in CPR and AED use may increase the currently low community rates of bystander resuscitation. The study objective was to determine the rates of CPR and AED training in Toronto secondary schools and to identify barriers to training and training techniques. This prospective study consisted of telephone interviews conducted with key school staff knowledgeable about CPR and AED teaching. An encrypted Web-based tool with prespecified variables and built-in logic was employed to standardize data collection. Of 268 schools contacted, 93% were available for interview and 83% consented to participate. Students and staff were trained in CPR in 51% and 80% of schools, respectively. Private schools had the lowest training rate (39%). Six percent of schools provided AED training to students and 47% provided AED training to staff. Forty-eight percent of schools had at least one AED installed, but 25% were unaware if their AED was registered with emergency services dispatch. Cost (17%), perceived need (11%), and school population size (10%) were common barriers to student training. Frequently employed training techniques were interactive (32%), didactic instruction (30%) and printed material (16%). CPR training rates for staff and students were moderate overall and lowest in private schools, whereas training rates in AED use were poor in all schools. Identified barriers to training include cost and student population size (perceived to be too small to be cost-effective or too large to be implemented). Future studies should assess the application of convenient and cost-effective teaching alternatives not presently in use.

  16. Model training curriculum for Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility Operations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tyner, C.J.; Birk, S.M.

    1995-09-01

    This document is to assist in the development of the training programs required to be in place for the operating license for a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility. It consists of an introductory document and four additional appendixes of individual training program curricula. This information will provide the starting point for the more detailed facility-specific training programs that will be developed as the facility hires and trains new personnel and begins operation. This document is comprehensive and is intended as a guide for the development of a company- or facility-specific program. The individual licensee does not need to use this model training curriculum as written. Instead, this document can be used as a menu for the development, modification, or verification of customized training programs.

  17. Model training curriculum for Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility Operations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tyner, C.J.; Birk, S.M.

    1995-09-01

    This document is to assist in the development of the training programs required to be in place for the operating license for a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility. It consists of an introductory document and four additional appendixes of individual training program curricula. This information will provide the starting point for the more detailed facility-specific training programs that will be developed as the facility hires and trains new personnel and begins operation. This document is comprehensive and is intended as a guide for the development of a company- or facility-specific program. The individual licensee does not need to use this model training curriculum as written. Instead, this document can be used as a menu for the development, modification, or verification of customized training programs

  18. Training lay-people to use automatic external defibrillators: are all of their needs being met?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrison-Paul, Russell; Timmons, Stephen; van Schalkwyk, Wilna Dirkse

    2006-10-01

    We explored the experiences of lay people who have been trained to use automatic external defibrillators. The research questions were: (1) How can training courses help prepare people for dealing with real life situations? (2) Who is ultimately responsible for providing critical incident debriefing and how should this be organised? (3) What is the best process for providing feedback to those who have used an AED? Fifty-three semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted, some with those who had been trained and others with trainers. Locations included airports, railway stations, private companies and first responder schemes. Geographically, we covered Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Essex and the West Midlands in the UK. Our analysis of the data indicates that most people believe scenarios based within their place of work were most useful in preparing for 'real life'. Many people had not received critical incident debriefing after using an AED. There were a variety of systems in place to provide support after an incident, many of which were informal. Training scenarios should be conducted outside the classroom. There should be more focus on critical incident debriefing during training and a clear identification of who should provide support after an incident. Other issues which were of interest included: (1) people's views on do not attempt resuscitation (DNAR); (2) perceived boundaries of responsibility when using an AED; (3) when is someone no longer 'qualified' to use an AED?

  19. Automatic Photoelectric Telescope Service

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Genet, R.M.; Boyd, L.J.; Kissell, K.E.; Crawford, D.L.; Hall, D.S.; BDM Corp., McLean, VA; Kitt Peak National Observatory, Tucson, AZ; Dyer Observatory, Nashville, TN)

    1987-01-01

    Automatic observatories have the potential of gathering sizable amounts of high-quality astronomical data at low cost. The Automatic Photoelectric Telescope Service (APT Service) has realized this potential and is routinely making photometric observations of a large number of variable stars. However, without observers to provide on-site monitoring, it was necessary to incorporate special quality checks into the operation of the APT Service at its multiple automatic telescope installation on Mount Hopkins. 18 references

  20. Electricite de France: The search for excellence in the nuclear operator training process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tangy, N.

    1991-01-01

    Electricite de France (EdF) operates 51 pressurized water reactor units. The total staff of operators, operating and safety engineers, and supervisors who perform control room tasks today number about 2,000. During the last decade, EdF has had to recruit and train operating staff to handle the equivalent of four to six units reaching criticality every year. To meet this need, the company training department had to design and commission ∼10 full-scope simulators and 50 partial-task simulators, in synchrony with the various stages of unit design. Beyond the initial education and training of the newly recruited staff, EdF has adopted a retraining process in which every professional works with the simulator twice a year, five days at a time. The latest advances in the field of simulation are the 'steam generator tube break operation' simulator, based on an expert system self-training concept, and the SIPA simulator, based on a real-time contraction of the CATHARE thermohydraulic accident code. These training tools contribute to raising quality in human performance and are used for both training purposes and research and development (R and D). In 1987, the training department of the company started a national R and D program to improve operator evaluation as well as to assess the training scope and methods overall

  1. Appetitive operant conditioning in mice: heritability and dissociability of training stages

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hemi A I Malkki

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available To study the heritability of different training stages of appetitive operant conditioning, we carried out behavioural screening of 5 standard inbred mouse strains, 28 recombinant-inbred (BxD mouse lines and their progenitor strains C57BL/6J and DBA/2J. We also computed correlations between successive training stages to study whether learning deficits at an advanced stage of operant conditioning may be dissociated from normal performance in preceding phases of training.The training consisted of two phases: an operant nose poking phase, in which mice learned to collect a sucrose pellet from a food magazine by nose poking, and an operant lever press and nose poking phase, in which mice had to execute a sequence of these two actions to collect a food pellet. As a measure of magazine oriented exploration, we also studied the nose poke entries in the food magazine during the intertrial intervals at the beginning of the first session of the nose-poke training phase.We found significantly heritable components in initial magazine checking behaviour, operant nose-poking and lever press-nose poking. Performance levels in these phases were positively correlated, but several individual strains were identified that showed poor lever press-nose poking while performing well in preceding training stages. Quantitative trait loci mapping revealed suggestive likelihood ratio statistic peaks for initial magazine checking behaviour and lever press – nose poking. These findings indicate that consecutive stages towards more complex operant behavior show significant heritable components, as well as dissociability between stages in specific mouse strains. These heritable components may reside in different chromosomal areas.

  2. Error analysis of nuclear power plant operator cognitive behavior

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He Xuhong; Zhao Bingquan; Chen Yulong

    2001-01-01

    Nuclear power plant is a complex human-machine system integrated with many advanced machines, electron devices and automatic controls. It demands operators to have high cognitive ability and correct analysis skill. The author divides operator's cognitive process into five stages to analysis. With this cognitive model, operator's cognitive error is analysed to get the root causes and stages that error happens. The results of the analysis serve as a basis in design of control rooms and training and evaluation of operators

  3. Approach to training the operators of WWER-440 reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pironkov, L.; Minakova, R.

    2002-01-01

    The paper has three parts. (1) Personnel Training and Qualifications (2) Description of Kozloduy NPP Training and Qualification System (TQS) built in the last 7 years and its interfaces with the Certification System and (3) Application of the TQS for the Senior Reactor Operator (SRO). (author)

  4. Automatic Gleason grading of prostate cancer using quantitative phase imaging and machine learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Tan H.; Sridharan, Shamira; Macias, Virgilia; Kajdacsy-Balla, Andre; Melamed, Jonathan; Do, Minh N.; Popescu, Gabriel

    2017-03-01

    We present an approach for automatic diagnosis of tissue biopsies. Our methodology consists of a quantitative phase imaging tissue scanner and machine learning algorithms to process these data. We illustrate the performance by automatic Gleason grading of prostate specimens. The imaging system operates on the principle of interferometry and, as a result, reports on the nanoscale architecture of the unlabeled specimen. We use these data to train a random forest classifier to learn textural behaviors of prostate samples and classify each pixel in the image into different classes. Automatic diagnosis results were computed from the segmented regions. By combining morphological features with quantitative information from the glands and stroma, logistic regression was used to discriminate regions with Gleason grade 3 versus grade 4 cancer in prostatectomy tissue. The overall accuracy of this classification derived from a receiver operating curve was 82%, which is in the range of human error when interobserver variability is considered. We anticipate that our approach will provide a clinically objective and quantitative metric for Gleason grading, allowing us to corroborate results across instruments and laboratories and feed the computer algorithms for improved accuracy.

  5. Development of a training simulator for offshore crane operators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cooper, S.J.

    2003-01-01

    The crane simulator, trade name KraneSIM-6000, underpins an integrated training package developed to provide crane operator exposure to simulated normal and dangerous conditions in a safe training environment. The prototype simulator is significantly more sophisticated than the system initially envisaged: a number of conceptual changes incorporated during its development ensured that the very latest in simulation computer technology was incorporate unique in that it offers the opportunity to practice the lifting and laying down of loads between a moving (floating) rig and moving supply vessels, together with the possibility of benchmarking crane operator competency. Concludes that there is great scope for expansion of the simulator facilities so far developed. In particular, it is recognised that training and competency testing of teams of personnel such as banksman and supply ship's master could be integrated into crane simulator training scenarios, and that this approach offers great potential for reducing the number of crane related accidents. (Author)

  6. An Operation Control Strategy for the Connected Maglev Trains Based on Vehicle-Borne Battery Condition Monitoring

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wenjing Zhang

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Vehicle-borne battery condition is an important factor affecting the efficiency of the maglev train operation and other connected ones. To effectively eliminate the influence of the battery condition and improve the operation efficiency of the connected maglev trains, an operation control strategy is proposed to guarantee train operation safety. First, based on Internet of Things, a sensor network is designed to monitor vehicle-borne battery condition in each vehicle of the train. Second, the train Operation Control System collects battery data of all vehicles in a maglev train by Train Communication Network. Third, all connected maglev trains share the battery data via a 38 GHz directional Radio Communication System and adjust operation control strategy accordingly. Simulation results indicate that the proposed strategy can guarantee the operation safety of the connected maglev trains.

  7. Automatic welding and cladding in heavy fabrication

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Altamer, A. de

    1980-01-01

    A description is given of the automatic welding processes used by an Italian fabricator of pressure vessels for petrochemical and nuclear plant. The automatic submerged arc welding, submerged arc strip cladding, pulsed TIG, hot wire TIG and MIG welding processes have proved satisfactory in terms of process reliability, metal deposition rate, and cost effectiveness for low alloy and carbon steels. An example shows sequences required during automatic butt welding, including heat treatments. Factors which govern satisfactory automatic welding include automatic anti-drift rotator device, electrode guidance and bead programming system, the capability of single and dual head operation, flux recovery and slag removal systems, operator environment and controls, maintaining continuity of welding and automatic reverse side grinding. Automatic welding is used for: joining vessel sections; joining tubes to tubeplate; cladding of vessel rings and tubes, dished ends and extruded nozzles; nozzle to shell and butt welds, including narrow gap welding. (author)

  8. New operator's console recorder

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    2009-01-01

    This article described a software module that automatically records images being shown on multiple HMI or SCADA operator's displays. Videos used for monitoring activities at industrial plants can be combined with the operator console videos and data from a process historian. This enables engineers, analysts or investigators to see what is occurring in the plant, what the operator is seeing on the HMI screen, and all relevant real-time data from an event. In the case of a leak at a pumping station, investigators could watch plant video taken at a remote site showing fuel oil creeping across the floor, real-time data being acquired from pumps, valves and the receiving tank while the leak is occurring. The video shows the operator's HMI screen as well as the alarm screen that signifies the leak detection. The Longwatch Operator's Console Recorder and Video Historian are used together to acquire data about actual plant plant management because they show everything that happens during an event. The Console Recorder automatically retrieves and replays operator displays by clicking on a time-based alarm or system message. Play back of video feed is a valuable tool for training and analysis purposes, and can help mitigate insurance and regulatory issues by eliminating uncertainty and conjecture. 1 fig.

  9. Observer Based Traction/Braking Control Design for High Speed Trains Considering Adhesion Nonlinearity

    OpenAIRE

    Cai, Wenchuan; Liao, Wenhao; Li, Danyong; Song, Yongduan

    2014-01-01

    Train traction/braking control, one of the key enabling technologies for automatic train operation, literally takes its action through adhesion force. However, adhesion coefficient of high speed train (HST) is uncertain in general because it varies with wheel-rail surface condition and running speed; thus, it is extremely difficult to be measured, which makes traction/braking control design and implementation of HSTs greatly challenging. In this work, force observers are applied to estimate t...

  10. Training and qualification of licensed reactor operators at General Public Utilities Nuclear Corporation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Long, R.L.; Coe, R.P.

    1992-01-01

    Following the Three Mile Island-2 (TMI-2) accident in 1979, the utility responsible for managing the facility has looked closely at the training and qualification of its reactor operators. Performance-based operator training programmes are now in place, as required by the United States National Academy for Nuclear Training. Operators also participate directly in the development of a professional code of behaviour. (UK)

  11. Training of operating personnel for nuclear ships

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lakey, J.R.A.; Gibbs, D.C.C.

    1983-01-01

    Training for Nuclear Power Plant Operators is provided by the Royal Navy in support of the Nuclear Submarine Programme which is based on the Pressurised Water Reactor. The Royal naval college has 21 years of experience in this training field in which the core is the preparation of graduate electro-mechanical engineers to assume the duties of marine engineer in command of a team of supporting Engineer Officers of the Watch and Fleet Chief Petty Officers. The paper describes the training programme and shows how it is monitored by academic, professional and naval authorities and indicates the use of feedback from the user. The lynch pin of the programme is a post-graduate diploma course in Nuclear Reactor Technology attended by graduates after gaining some practical experience at sea. The course which is described in detail makes use of simplified simulators and models to develop the principles, these are applied on the JASON Training Reactor with the emphasis on in-core experiments demonstrating reactivity effects and instrumentation interpretation. The training programme provides for interaction between academic education, practical experience, applied education, full plant simulation training and on-the-job training in which boards or examinations have to be successfully passed at each stage. (author)

  12. Design and construction of automatic operating system of double chamber plasma nitriding device PLC based

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saminto; Slamet Santosa; Eko Priyono

    2012-01-01

    The automatic operating system of double chamber plasma nitriding device has been done. The system is used for operating double chamber plasma nitriding automatically as according to the standard operating procedure by pressing push button on the human machine interface (HMI). The system consists of hardware and software. The hardware was constructed using main components T100MD1616+ PLC module and supported by temperature signal conditioner module, Wheatstone bridge module, isolated amplifier module and EMS 30A H Bridge motor driver module. A software program that is planted on T100MD1616+ PLC using ladder diagrams and Tbasic program. Test system functions performed by inserting a set values of temperature and pressure by pressing the button on the human machine interface (HMI). The test results show that the temperature control with a set of values 100 °C obtained stable coverage of 98 °C to 102 °C, (Δ ± 2 °C) with a 2% tolerance and the output voltage of the DAC is 2.436 volts to 2.913 volts. The pressure control with a set of values 2.169 x 10 -1 mbar obtained stable coverage of 1.995 x 10 -1 mbar to 2.205 x 10 -1 mbar, (Δ ± 0.105 x 10 -1 mbar) with a 5% tol. (author)

  13. The structure and operation scheme of an automatic and supervisory control system for KEPCO UPFC

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ahn, S.J.; Lee, D.W.; Moon, S.I. [Seoul National Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of). School of Electrical Engineering

    2007-07-01

    The structure and functions of a control system that can be used for automatic and supervisory control of a unified power flow controller (UPFC) was presented. A UPFC is a device used in power electronic based transmission to allow the independent control of active and reactive power flows as well as the simultaneous control of voltage profile. The Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) installed a {+-}80 MVA UPFC at the 154 kV Kangjin substation, operated in the Kangjin-Jangheung transmission line. The operation strategies used in both the normal state and emergency state were presented along with a scheme that includes the minimization of active power loss, coordination of voltage/Var control with an under load tap changer (ULTC), and better system security. Although this UPFC is operated by set-point control, it has some limitations, particularly in emergency events. In order to overcome the limitation of set-point control, this paper proposed the automatic and supervisory control system connected to a local SCADA for data exchange. The primary function of the system is to analyze the state of the power system, determine the control objectives and to calculate the optimal power flow. Details of each of these functions was described in this paper along with a detailed algorithm for each scheme. 5 refs., 6 figs.

  14. Operating control techniques for maglev transport systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kraft, K H; Schnieder, E

    1984-06-01

    The technical and operational possibilities of magnetic levitation transport systems can only be fully exploited by introducing 'intelligent' control systems which ensure automatic and trouble-free train running. The solution of exacting requirements in the fields of traction dynamics, security and control as well as information gathering transmission and processing is an important prior condition in that respect. The authors report here on the present state of research and development in operating control techniques applicable to maglev transport systems.

  15. Research on Energy-Saving Operation Strategy for Multiple Trains on the Urban Subway Line

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jianqiang Liu

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Energy consumption for multiple trains on the urban subway line is predominantly affected by the operation strategy. This paper proposed an energy-saving operation strategy for multiple trains, which is suitable for various line conditions and complex train schedules. The model and operation modes of the strategy are illustrated in detail, aiming to take full use of regenerative braking energy in complex multi-train systems with different departure intervals and dwell times. The computing method is proposed by means of the heuristic algorithm to obtain the optimum operation curve for each train. The simulation result based on a real urban subway line is provided to verify the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed energy-saving operation strategy.

  16. Efficient driving of CBTC ATO operated trains

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Carvajal Carreño, W.

    2017-01-01

    Energy consumption reduction is one of the priorities of metro operators, due to financial cost and environmental impact. The new signalling system Communications- Based Train Control (CBTC) is being installed in new and upgraded metro lines to increase transportation capacity. But its continuous

  17. Simulation of longitudinal dynamics of long freight trains in positioning operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qi, Zhaohui; Huang, Zhihao; Kong, Xianchao

    2012-09-01

    Positioning operations are performed in a railway goods yard, in which the freight train is pulled precisely at a specific point by a positioner. The positioner moves strictly according to the predesigned speed and provides all the traction and braking forces which are highly dependent on the longitudinal dynamic response. In order to improve the efficiency and protect the wagons from damage during positioning operations, the design speed of the positioner has to be optimised based on the simulation of longitudinal train dynamics. However, traditional models of longitudinal train dynamics are not accurate enough in some aspects. In this study, we make some changes in the traditional theory to make it suitable for the study of long freight trains in positioning operations. In the proposed method, instead of the traction force on the train, the motion of the positioner is assumed to be known; more importantly, the traditional draft gear model with nonlinear spring and linear damping is replaced by a more detailed model based on the achievement of contact and impact mechanics; the switching effects of the resistance and the coupler slack are also taken into consideration. Numerical examples that deal with positioning operations on the straight lines, slope lines and curving lines are given.

  18. Simulation in training for nuclear power plant operators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stammers, R.B.

    1979-08-01

    The need for simulation in nuclear operator training is reviewed, and the use of simulators is justified on a number of criteria. The role of simulators is discussed against the background of training media that are or could be used. The question of the degree of realism or fidelity of simulation is tackled, with comparisons being made between views from the industry and views from the area of instructional technology. Training research in the general area of process control is outlined and emphasis is placed on the importance of instructional control. Finally, some future directions for study are sketched. (author)

  19. Detainee/Interrogation Operations and Military Intelligence Leadership Training

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Hirst, Barbara

    2005-01-01

    Military Intelligence leadership training: Setting a stage for failure? The recommendations and lessons learned following detainee operations such as those mentioned in the investigations of Abu Ghraib detainee abuses...

  20. Programmable automatic alpha--beta air sample counter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Howell, W.P.

    1978-01-01

    A programmable automatic alpha-beta air sample counter was developed for routine sample counting by operational health physics personnel. The system is composed of an automatic sample changer utilizing a large silicon diode detector, an electronic counting system with energy analysis capability, an automatic data acquisition controller, an interface module, and a teletypewriter with paper tape punch and paper tape reader. The system is operated through the teletypewriter keyboard and the paper tape reader, which are used to instruct the automatic data acquisition controller. Paper tape programs are provided for background counting, Chi 2 test, and sample counting. Output data are printed by the teletypewriter on standard continuous roll or multifold paper. Data are automatically corrected for background and counter efficiency

  1. Automatic control system at the ''Loviisa'' NPP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kukhtevich, I.V.; Mal'tsev, B.K.; Sergievskaya, E.N.

    1980-01-01

    Automatic control system of the Loviisa-1 NPP (Finland) is described. According to operation conditions of Finland power system the Loviisa-1 NPP must operate in the mode of week and day control of loading schedule and participate in current control of power system frequency and capacity. With provision for these requirements NPP is equipped with the all-regime system for automatic control functioning during reactor start-up, shut-down, in normal and transient regimes and in emergency situations. The automatic control system includes: a data subsystem, an automatic control subsystem, a discrete control subsystem including remote, a subsystem for reactor control and protection and overall station system of protections: control and dosimetry inside the reactor. Structures of a data-computer complex, discrete control subsystems, reactor control and protection systems, neutron flux control system, inside-reactor control system, station protection system and system for control of fuel element tightness are presented in short. Two-year experience of the NPP operation confirmed advisability of the chosen volume of automatization. The Loviisa-1 NPP operates successfully in the mode of the week and day control of supervisor schedule and current control of frequency (short-term control)

  2. New control method of on-board ATP system of Shinkansen trains

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fukuda, N.; Watanabe, T. [Railway Technical Research Inst. (Japan)

    2000-07-01

    We studied a new control method of the on-board automatic train protection (ATP) system for Shinkansen trains to shorten the operation time and not to degrade ride comfort at changes in deceleration of the train, while maintaining the safety and reliability of the present ATP signal system. We propose a new on-board pattern brake control system based on the present ATP data without changing the wayside equipment. By simulating the ATP braking of the proposed control method, we succeeded in shortening the operation time by 48 seconds per one station in comparison with the present ATP brake control system. This paper reports the concept of the system and simulation results of the on-board pattern. (orig.)

  3. Automatic feature design for optical character recognition using an evolutionary search procedure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stentiford, F W

    1985-03-01

    An automatic evolutionary search is applied to the problem of feature extraction in an OCR application. A performance measure based on feature independence is used to generate features which do not appear to suffer from peaking effects [17]. Features are extracted from a training set of 30 600 machine printed 34 class alphanumeric characters derived from British mail. Classification results on the training set and a test set of 10 200 characters are reported for an increasing number of features. A 1.01 percent forced decision error rate is obtained on the test data using 316 features. The hardware implementation should be cheap and fast to operate. The performance compares favorably with current low cost OCR page readers.

  4. The German simulator center for the training of nuclear power plant operators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoffmann, E.

    1996-01-01

    Simulator training for nuclear power plant operators in Germany is conducted in The Simulator Center in Essen. The companies operating The Center are KSG/GfS. KSG provides simulators, GfS performs the training. The German Simulator Center is equipped with five simulators in training, nine simulators are under construction and will be ready for training until the beginning of 1997. This institution serves 22 nuclear power plants units in Germany, Switzerland (NPP Goesgen-Daeniken) and the Netherlands (NPP Borssele) and trains 1,800 persons every year. As a common enterprise the company is owned by 12 utilities, which leads to the necessity to prepare common rules and guidelines for simulator specification, training of instructors, assessment of trainees, training material and preparation and methodical running of simulator courses

  5. Training of NPP operators: OJT completes use of non replica simulator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Billoen, G. van

    1996-01-01

    In the paper, it is discussed the contribution of a Multifunctional Optimised Scope Simulator (MOSS), to the training of nuclear power plant operators and we will explain how this tool can be integrated into a training plan including On the Job Training (OJT). Then it is analyzed to what extent OJT and MOSS based training can be complementary

  6. Emergency department operations and management education in emergency medicine training

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Bret A Nicks; Darrell Nelson

    2012-01-01

    BACKGROUND:This study was undertaken to examine the current level of operations and management education within US-based Emergency Medicine Residency programs.METHODS:Residency program directors at all US-based Emergency Medicine Residency programs were anonymously surveyed via a web-based instrument.Participants indicated their levels of residency education dedicated to documentation,billing/coding,core measure/quality indicator compliance,and operations management.Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics for the ordinal data/Likert scales.RESULTS:One hundred and six(106)program directors completed the study instrument of one hundred and fifty-six(156)programs(70%).Of these,82.6%indicated emergency department(ED)operations and management education within the training curriculum.Dedicated documentation training was noted in all but 1 program(99%).Program educational offerings also included billing/coding(83%),core measure/quality indicators(78%)and operations management training(71%).In all areas,the most common means of educating came through didactic sessions and direct attending feedback or 69%-94%and 72%-98%respectively.Residency leadership was most confident with resident understanding of quality documentation(80%)and less so with core measures(72%),billing/coding/RVUs(58%),and operations management tools(23%).CONCLUSIONS:While most EM residency programs integrate basic operational education related to documentation and billing/coding,a smaller number provide focused education on the dayto-day management and operations of the ED.Residency leadership perceives graduating resident understanding of operational management tools to be limited.All respondents value further resident curriculum development of ED operations and management.

  7. Applied Research on Laparoscopic Simulator in the Resident Surgical Laparoscopic Operation Technical Training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Shangxi; Liu, Xiao; Zhou, Li; Zhou, Meisheng; Wang, Liming

    2017-08-01

    The purpose of this study was to estimate the effects of surgical laparoscopic operation course on laparoscopic operation skills after the simulated training for medical students with relatively objective results via data gained before and after the practice course of laparoscopic simulator of the resident standardized trainees. Experiment 1: 20 resident standardized trainees with no experience in laparoscopic surgery were included in the inexperienced group and finished simulated cholecystectomy according to simulator videos. Simulator data was collected (total operation time, path length, average speed of instrument movement, movement efficiency, number of perforations, the time cautery is applied without appropriate contact with adhesions, number of serious complications). Ten attending doctors were included in the experienced group and conducted the operation of simulated cholecystectomy directly. Data was collected with simulator. Data of two groups was compared. Experiment 2: Participants in inexperienced group were assigned to basic group (receiving 8 items of basic operation training) and special group (receiving 8 items of basic operation training and 4 items of specialized training), and 10 persons for each group. They received training course designed by us respectively. After training level had reached the expected target, simulated cholecystectomy was performed, and data was collected. Experimental data between basic group and special group was compared and then data between special group and experienced group was compared. Results of experiment 1 showed that there is significant difference between data in inexperienced group in which participants operated simulated cholecystectomy only according to instructors' teaching and operation video and data in experienced group. Result of experiment 2 suggested that, total operation time, number of perforations, number of serious complications, number of non-cauterized bleeding and the time cautery is applied

  8. Designing train-speed trajectory with energy efficiency and service quality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, Jiannan; Yang, Kai; Yang, Lixing; Gao, Yuan; Li, Shukai

    2018-05-01

    With the development of automatic train operations, optimal trajectory design is significant to the performance of train operations in railway transportation systems. Considering energy efficiency and service quality, this article formulates a bi-objective train-speed trajectory optimization model to minimize simultaneously the energy consumption and travel time in an inter-station section. This article is distinct from previous studies in that more sophisticated train driving strategies characterized by the acceleration/deceleration gear, the cruising speed, and the speed-shift site are specifically considered. For obtaining an optimal train-speed trajectory which has equal satisfactory degree on both objectives, a fuzzy linear programming approach is applied to reformulate the objectives. In addition, a genetic algorithm is developed to solve the proposed train-speed trajectory optimization problem. Finally, a series of numerical experiments based on a real-world instance of Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway are implemented to illustrate the practicability of the proposed model as well as the effectiveness of the solution methodology.

  9. 49 CFR 238.447 - Train operator's controls and power car cab layout.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Train operator's controls and power car cab layout. 238.447 Section 238.447 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued... layout. (a) Train operator controls in the power car cab shall be arranged so as to minimize the chance...

  10. Methods and means for the in-house training of mining machine operators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Velikanov Vladimir

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This study investigates the quality issue of the in-house training process for mining machine operators. The authors prove the urgency of the designated problem. The changes in modern society, as well as the development of science and technology have a direct impact on the vocational education system. This paper describes the main aspects of the in-house training process of mining machine operators; define the essence, structure, contents, and main directions of its revitalization. The following solutions are proposed in order to improve the quality of the in-house training process: to use the original method based on a rating system of the operator knowledge evaluation, active and interactive forms of using modern training technologies. The authors conducted testing techniques in mining enterprises with the aim of confirming the adequacy of the suggested approaches. The results are given in the work. It was proposed that the methods and tools integration has a positive impact on professional training system.

  11. African Network Operators Group (AfNOG) Training Workshops and ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    The African Network Operators Group (AfNOG) is a forum for technical cooperation and coordination between African network operators and engineers from the region's universities, research institutions and industry. This year, AfNOG's training workshops and meetings will be held in Rabat, Morocco, between 24 May and 6 ...

  12. Automatic methods of the processing of data from track detectors on the basis of the PAVICOM facility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aleksandrov, A. B.; Goncharova, L. A.; Davydov, D. A.; Publichenko, P. A.; Roganova, T. M.; Polukhina, N. G.; Feinberg, E. L.

    2007-02-01

    New automatic methods essentially simplify and increase the rate of the processing of data from track detectors. This provides a possibility of processing large data arrays and considerably improves their statistical significance. This fact predetermines the development of new experiments which plan to use large-volume targets, large-area emulsion, and solid-state track detectors [1]. In this regard, the problem of training qualified physicists who are capable of operating modern automatic equipment is very important. Annually, about ten Moscow students master the new methods, working at the Lebedev Physical Institute at the PAVICOM facility [2 4]. Most students specializing in high-energy physics are only given an idea of archaic manual methods of the processing of data from track detectors. In 2005, on the basis of the PAVICOM facility and the physicstraining course of Moscow State University, a new training work was prepared. This work is devoted to the determination of the energy of neutrons passing through a nuclear emulsion. It provides the possibility of acquiring basic practical skills of the processing of data from track detectors using automatic equipment and can be included in the educational process of students of any physical faculty. Those who have mastered the methods of automatic data processing in a simple and pictorial example of track detectors will be able to apply their knowledge in various fields of science and technique. Formulation of training works for pregraduate and graduate students is a new additional aspect of application of the PAVICOM facility described earlier in [4].

  13. ORGANIZING, TRAINING, AND RETAINING INTELLIGENCE PROFESSIONALS FOR CYBER OPERATIONS

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-02-13

    in Education,” Preventing School Failure 57(3), (2013): 162-170. Wall , Andru, “Demystifying the Title 10-Title 50 Debate,” Harvard Law School...AIR WAR COLLEGE AIR UNIVERSITY ORGANIZING, TRAINING, AND RETAINING INTELLIGENCE PROFESSIONALS FOR CYBER OPERATIONS by Melissa A...to adequately organize, train and retain cyber expertise. This is especially true within Air Force intelligence, a critical component of the

  14. Interactive videodisc training for power plant operations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nolan, R.; Nolan, J.; Campos, M.; Haukom, R.; Quentin, G.

    1990-01-01

    During the last several years, professionals in the personal computer and video fields have seen their two technologies coming together. This merging has created a new medium called multimedia. Multimedia provides the user with the interactivity of the personal computer and the realism of live-action television. It appears to be a perfect marriage for education, training and selling applications. As multimedia productions continue to be produced and tested with high marks, business and industry are becoming interested. The Interactive Videodisc Trainer (IVT) is a demonstration of how multimedia technology can be used by the electric power industry for operator training. Although the subject for this pilot program is the Claus sulfur recovery unit at the Cool Water Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle plant, similar courseware can be put to use for training at any type of power plant. The goal is to show many of the features and capabilities inherent in this powerful new training tool, so that utilities can begin to see how it could work for them

  15. Combat Trains Command Post (CTCP) Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-10-28

    development through the execution of several validation exercises leading up to the NTC rotation. The squadron utilized home station training opportunities at...evolving problem as the troop 1SG had the responsibility to tie in all disabled vehicles awaiting parts into the security plan. The crews of those...Additionally, depth of knowledge in critical equipment would have assisted the CTCP [i.e. only one operator for the Combat-Service- Support Automated

  16. Compex system for teaching and training operators for TPP and NPP power units

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsiptsyura, R.D.

    1985-01-01

    Requirements, taken as a principle for constructing the system for operator teaching and training (OTT), have been formulated on the basis of investigation of operators' work at TPP and NPP power units. Functional structure and a structural block-diagram for OTT are built. As a criterion, which determines the structure of any trainers, being a part of OTT a requirement has been chosen satisfying the correspondence beetween habits developed with the help of trainers and habits of real operators' work. Results of analysis permit to confirm that refusal or under statement of the role of any stage of operator training leads to reduction of quality of his training

  17. Simulator experiments on operator reliability and training effectiveness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, A. Spurgin, A.J.

    1990-01-01

    This paper discusses some aspects of the Operator Reliability Experiments project sponsored by Electric Power Research Institute. The paper deals with modifications to the HCR correlation which have resulted from the study of operators in responding to nuclear accident scenarios using emergency procedures. The interpretation of time response data and how insights in crew performance can lead to improvements in not only crew performance but also in training effectiveness are discussed

  18. Improvement in operators training for better performance of RAPS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Banerjee, D.K.

    1989-01-01

    Nuclear Power Corporation (India) will need substantial number of technical personnel in the next couple of years to operate the new power plants. With number of stations coming up within a short span of time, standardisation of training, improved quality trainer, better technical support will be required to ensure reliable operation. (author)

  19. Automatic Segmentation of Dermoscopic Images by Iterative Classification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maciel Zortea

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Accurate detection of the borders of skin lesions is a vital first step for computer aided diagnostic systems. This paper presents a novel automatic approach to segmentation of skin lesions that is particularly suitable for analysis of dermoscopic images. Assumptions about the image acquisition, in particular, the approximate location and color, are used to derive an automatic rule to select small seed regions, likely to correspond to samples of skin and the lesion of interest. The seed regions are used as initial training samples, and the lesion segmentation problem is treated as binary classification problem. An iterative hybrid classification strategy, based on a weighted combination of estimated posteriors of a linear and quadratic classifier, is used to update both the automatically selected training samples and the segmentation, increasing reliability and final accuracy, especially for those challenging images, where the contrast between the background skin and lesion is low.

  20. Electric system training with programmable controllers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Benson, M.B.

    1989-01-01

    A power system simulator (PSS) for training system operators has been opened at the Pacific Gas and Electric Training Center at San Ramon, California. The simulator was designed as an instructional aid and is part of a larger, more comprehensive operating training facility. It has the capability of duplicating both routine and emergency situations for transmission and distribution lines, power plants, and substations. Modeled after nuclear plant simulators, the PSS utilizes state-of-the-art technology and is believed to be on the leading edge of power system simulators. The new operator training facility covers 10,000 ft/sup 2/ and is divided into four classrooms, two labs, three simulated dispatch centers, and various administrative offices. Ten full- and part-time instructors are on staff to train the over 900 system, power plant, agency, and trainee personnel. The simulator is considered the heart of the complex and covers over half of the available floor space. It is divided into two large rooms and further separated by the dispatch centers. The indoor room represents the high-voltage transmission and generating stations, the outdoor room is for both the lower-voltage distribution system and simulated physical equipment. In each room, full-size control boards (equipped with actual relay protection and automatic schemes) are arranged into various stations and lines

  1. Morphological self-organizing feature map neural network with applications to automatic target recognition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Shijun; Jing, Zhongliang; Li, Jianxun

    2005-01-01

    The rotation invariant feature of the target is obtained using the multi-direction feature extraction property of the steerable filter. Combining the morphological operation top-hat transform with the self-organizing feature map neural network, the adaptive topological region is selected. Using the erosion operation, the topological region shrinkage is achieved. The steerable filter based morphological self-organizing feature map neural network is applied to automatic target recognition of binary standard patterns and real-world infrared sequence images. Compared with Hamming network and morphological shared-weight networks respectively, the higher recognition correct rate, robust adaptability, quick training, and better generalization of the proposed method are achieved.

  2. Automatic reel controls filler wire in welding machines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Millett, A. V.

    1966-01-01

    Automatic reel on automatic welding equipment takes up slack in the reel-fed filler wire when welding operation is terminated. The reel maintains constant, adjustable tension on the wire during the welding operation and rewinds the wire from the wire feed unit when the welding is completed.

  3. Computer simulation as an operational and training aid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, D.J.; Tottman-Trayner, E.

    1995-01-01

    The paper describes how the rapid development of desktop computing power, the associated fall in prices, and the advancement of computer graphics technology driven by the entertainment industry has enabled the nuclear industry to achieve improvements in operation and training through the use of computer simulation. Applications are focused on the fuel handling operations at Torness Power Station where visualization through computer modelling is being used to enhance operator awareness and to assist in a number of operational scenarios. It is concluded that there are significant benefits to be gained from the introduction of the facility at Torness as well as other locations. (author)

  4. Purpose and benefit of control system training for operators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zimoch, E.; Luedeke, A.

    2012-01-01

    The complexity of accelerators is ever increasing and today it is typical that a large number of feedback loops are implemented, based on sophisticated models which describe the underlying physics. Despite this increased complexity the machine operators must still effectively monitor and supervise the desired behavior of the accelerator. This is not alone sufficient; additionally, the correct operation of the control system must also be verified. This is not always easy since the structure, design, and performance of the control system is usually not visualized and is often hidden to the operator. To better deal with this situation operators need some knowledge of the control system in order to react properly in the case of problems. In fact operators need mental models of the control system to recognize fault states and react appropriate to errors and misbehavior of both, the accelerator and the control system itself. Mental models gained only on infrequent experience can be imprecise or plain wrong in worst case. Control system training can provide a foundation to build better mental models and therefore help to enhance operator responses and machine availability. For a refinement of the mental model repeated experience is needed. This can be provided by training sessions at the real accelerator

  5. An improved cellular automata model for train operation simulation with dynamic acceleration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Wen-Jun; Nie, Lei

    2018-03-01

    Urban rail transit plays an important role in the urban public traffic because of its advantages of fast speed, large transport capacity, high safety, reliability and low pollution. This study proposes an improved cellular automaton (CA) model by considering the dynamic characteristic of the train acceleration to analyze the energy consumption and train running time. Constructing an effective model for calculating energy consumption to aid train operation improvement is the basis for studying and analyzing energy-saving measures for urban rail transit system operation.

  6. Nuclear power plant control room operators' performance research

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gray, L.H.; Haas, P.M.

    1984-01-01

    A research program is being conducted to provide information on the performance of nuclear power plant control room operators when responding to abnormal/emergency events in the plants and in full-scope training simulators. The initial impetus for this program was the need for data to assess proposed design criteria for the choice of manual versus automatic action for accomplishing safety-related functions during design basis accidents. The program also included studies of training simulator capabilities, of procedures and data for specifying and verifying simulator performance, and of methods and applications of task analysis

  7. Training operators of VVER-1000 units in Eastern Europe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Normand, X.; Nabet, E.; Hauesberger, P.

    1996-01-01

    The VVER 1000 is the most recent nuclear reactor designed in the former Soviet Union. Its design and operation principles are close to Western four-loop reactors in the 1000- to 1500-MW class; therefore, the Western simulation technology is usually directly applicable to the simulation of these units. Moreover, the current number of state-of-the-art training simulators in operation is very limited. A total of 19 units are in operation, while only 2 modern simulators are available (full-scope type) in Balakovo and Zaporozhe. Access to these simulators is practically limited to the respective plants' trainees, which means that the other units have to be satisfied with hands-on training. Facing this situation and taking into account the predicted lifetime of these plants (15 to 25 yr to go, maybe more), a lot of effort has been made in recent years to provide the plants with modern simulators. The major hurdles to this action were obviously financial and technical (availability of codes, computers, software tools). Today, one full-scope project (Kalinin) is almost complete, and three have been announced (Novovoronezh, Khmelnitsky, Kozloduy). Full-scope simulators are clearly the ultimate target of a concerned power plants. However, all users do realize the advantages of the complementary approach with compact simulators: 1. They can be available quickly for starting the training process. 2. They cover a training field that is not (or partly) addressed by full-scope simulators, i.e., the demonstration of physical phenomena in normal and accidental situations

  8. Development of an automatic scaler

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He Yuehong

    2009-04-01

    A self-designed automatic scaler is introduced. A microcontroller LPC936 is used as the master chip in the scaler. A counter integrated with the micro-controller is configured to operate as external pulse counter. Software employed in the scaler is based on a embedded real-time operating system kernel named Small RTOS. Data storage, calculation and some other functions are also provided. The scaler is designed for applications with low cost, low power consumption solutions. By now, the automatic scaler has been applied in a surface contamination instrument. (authors)

  9. An operator training simulator based on interactive virtual teleoperation: nuclear facilities maintenance applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Ki Ho; Kim, Seung Ho

    1997-01-01

    Remote manipulation in nuclear hazardous environment is very often complex and difficult to operate and requires excessively careful preparation. Remote slave manipulators for unstructured work are manually controlled by a human operator. Small errors made by the operator via the master manipulator during operation can cause the slave to be surffered from excessive forces and result in considerable damages to the slave iteself and its environment. In this paper, we present a prototype of an operator training simulator for use in nuclear facilities maintenance applications, as part of the ongoing Nuclear Robotics Development Program at Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI). The operator training simulator provides a means by which, in virtual task simulation, the operator can try out and train for expected remote tasks that the real slave manipulator will perform in advance. The operator interacts with both the virtual slave and task environment through the real master. Virtual interaction force feedback is provided to the operator. We also describe a man-in-the loop control scheme to realize bilateral force reflection in virtual teleoperation

  10. Recruitment training and licensing of operating personnel for nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Palabrica, R.J.

    1979-01-01

    This article covers the step-by-step and most rigid recruitment, training, and licensing procedures undertaken in the selection for personnel involved in nuclear power plant operations. These procedures are true to all countries. However, for developing countries such as the Philippines, a bachelor's degree may be required as compared with the U.S. wherein a high school diploma is the minimum requirement. Because of the complexity of a nuclear facility, the work will require highly capable individuals with mature judgement who can render correct decisions even under highly stressed conditions. Thus during the selection and recruitment of applicants for the operator position, they are not only given aptitude tests but are also subjected to a series of psychological examintions. Once they are accepted, they are made to undergo a comprehensive and in-depth training to ensure that they will be capable of operating the nuclear power plant safely and effectively. Finally, those prospective operators have to pass licensing examinations in order to prove their competence and skills. Retraining programs follow after their training to maintain their skills. (RTD)

  11. Expert systems for plant operations training and assistance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pack, R.W.; Lazar, P.M.; Schmidt, R.V.; Gaddy, C.D.

    1988-01-01

    The project described in this paper explored the use of expert systems for plant operations training and assistance. Three computer technologies were reviewed: computer-aided instruction, expert systems, and expert training systems (ETS). The technology of CAI has been developed since the early 1960s, and a wide range of applications are available commercially today. Expert systems have been developed primarily as job performance aids, and the number of commercial applications is increasing. A fully developed ETS has models of the trainer and trainee, in addition to a knowledge base

  12. Academic training for nuclear power plant operators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jones, D.W.

    1982-01-01

    In view of the increasing emphasis being placed upon academic training of nuclear power plant operators, it is important that institutions of higher education develop and implement programs which will meet the educational needs of operational personnel in the nuclear industry. Two primary objectives must be satisfied by these programs if they are to be effective in meeting the needs of the industry. One objective is for academic quality. The other primary objective is for programs to address the specialized needs of the nuclear plant operator and to be relevant to the operator's job. The Center for Nuclear Studies at Memphis State University, therefore, has developed a total program for these objectives, which delivers the programs, and/or appropriate parts thereto, at ten nuclear plant sites and with other plants in the planning stage. The Center for Nuclear Studies program leads to a Bachelor of Professional Studies degree in nuclear industrial operations, which is offered through the university college of Memphis State University

  13. Economics of MRI Operations After Implementation of Interpersonal Skills Training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ladapo, Joseph A; Spritzer, Charles E; Nguyen, Xuan V; Pool, Judy; Lang, Elvira

    2018-03-09

    Examine the cost of MRI operations before and after implementation of interpersonal skills training to reduce unanticipated patient-related events in an academic medical center. Teams at four MRI sites (two hospital-based, two freestanding) were trained in evidence-based communication skills in February to April 2015. Training was designed to enable staff members to help patients mobilize their innate coping skills in response to any distress they experienced during their MRI visit. Data were collected before training and afterward from January to June 2016. Staff reported the incidence of disruptive motion, sedation use, MRI delays, incomplete examinations, and no-shows. Cost and revenue associated with MRI operations and staff and physician costs were estimated using Medicare and private insurance rates and data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The study included 12,930 outpatient MRI visits. From baseline to follow-up, average monthly patient volume increased from 1,105 to 1,463 at hospital MRI sites and from 245 to 313 at freestanding MRI sites. Patient factors necessitating sedation or interfering with image progression or quality decreased from 9.0% to 5.5% at hospital sites and from 3.1% to 1.2% at freestanding sites. These changes translated into a reduction in operational costs of $4,600 per 1,000 scheduled patients and an increase in profit of $8,370 per 1,000 scheduled patients in hospital MRI sites, and a corresponding increase in operational costs of $1,570 per 1,000 scheduled-patients and an increase in profit of $12,800 per 1,000 scheduled patients in freestanding MRI sites. We found significant improvements in MRI operational efficiency after interpersonal skills team training, which were associated with reductions in costs and growth in revenue. Copyright © 2018 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Selection, training, qualification and licensing of Three Mile Island reactor operating personnel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eytchison, R.M.

    1980-01-01

    The various programs which were intended to staff Three Mile Island with competent, trained operators and supervisors are reviewed. The analysis includes a review of the regulations concerning operator training and licensing, and describes how the requirements were implemented by the NRC, Metropolitan Edison Company, and Babcock and Wilcox Company. Finally the programs conducted by these three organisations are evaluated. (U.K.)

  15. CAI and training system for the emergency operation procedure in the advanced thermal reactor, FUGEN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kozaki, T.; Imanaga, K.; Nakamura, S.; Maeda, K.; Sakurai, N.; Miyamoto, M.

    2003-01-01

    In the Advanced Thermal Reactor (ATR ) of the JNC, 'FUGEN', a symptom based Emergency Operating Procedure (EOF) was introduced in order to operate Fugen more safely and it became necessary for the plant operators to master the EOF. However it took a lot of time for the instructor to teach the EOP to operators and to train them. Thus, we have developed a Computer Aided Instruction (CAI) and Training System for the EOP, by which the operators can learn the EOP and can be trained. This system has two major functions, i.e., CAI and training. In the CAI function, there are three learning courses, namely, the EOP procedure, the simulation with guidance and Q and A, and the free simulation. In the training function, all of necessary control instruments (indicators, switches, annunciators and so forth) and physics models for the EOP training are simulated so that the trainees can be trained for all of the EOPs. In addition, 50 kinds of malfunction models are installed in order to perform appropriate accident scenarios for the EOP. The training of the EOP covers the range from AOO (Anticipated Operational Occurrence) to Over-DBAs (Design Based Accidents). This system is built in three personal computers that are connected by the computer network. One of the computers is expected to be used for the instructor and the other two are for the trainees. The EOP is composed of eight guidelines, such as 'Reactor Control' and 'Depression and Cooling', and the operation screens which are corresponded to the guidelines are respectively provided. According to the trial, we have estimated that the efficiency of the learning and the training would be improved about 30% for the trainee and about 75% for the instructor in the actual learning and training. (author)

  16. Training, education and qualification of NPP operating personnel in the Netherlands

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    de Vrey, G.A.

    1987-01-01

    This paper outlines the organization and the requirements of the training, education and qualification of NPP operating personnel in the Netherlands. It describes the implementation of a formally required scheme of personnel qualification after TMI, and the current practice as developed by the training staff of both Dutch nuclear power plants. Attention is given to the specific circumstances and problems in the Netherlands, and the resulting program. The licensing criteria for control room operating personnel are discussed, including the level of government involvement. Measures are described to improve the approach to training of NPP personnel involved in safety relevant activities. Finally, some ideas are given for strategies to cope with adverse stress situations

  17. Captain upgrade CRM training: A new focus for enhanced flight operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taggart, William R.

    1993-01-01

    Crew Resource Management (CRM) research has resulted in numerous payoffs of applied applications in flight training and standardization of air carrier flight operations. This paper describes one example of how basic research into human factors and crew performance was used to create a specific training intervention for upgrading new captains for a major United States air carrier. The basis for the training is examined along with some of the specific training methods used, and several unexpeced results.

  18. A Study on Evaluation of Training Program for MCR Operators of SMART Simulator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Hyun Jun; Lee, Joon Ku; Jeong, Kwang Il [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-10-15

    It is important to develop a training program by simulators in main control room of nuclear power plants because there is no an operation expert and no operating experience in the pre-construction phase of nuclear power plants. It is also necessary to develop a training program and its evaluation method taking human error into account. The purpose of this study is developing evaluation model of simulators. In a training program, once training requirements are selected, evaluation of training is as important as its implementation. Training effectiveness is available value in a simulator-based environment. The main control room of SMART (System-integrated Modular Advanced ReacTor) is consist of workstation, visual display units such as LDP and FPD based on digital systems. Cognitive behaviors of a high level are required to operators in these man-machine interface system (MMIS). Therefore, it is essential to identify training requirements and to develop its evaluation model. Virtual Environments such as a simulator have utilized by a lot of industries and companies for training and accident prevention. Simulators have three primary benefits. The first is that training by simulators is less expensive than those in real environment. The second is that simulators enable safety enhancement using systematic training program. The third is that simulators provide a preliminary to prevent human error. It is significant to apply TER, TCR, TCE in evaluation of training effect. It is expected that these could be applied to revise training criteria and enable to consider efficiency in terms of cost and benefit.

  19. A Study on Evaluation of Training Program for MCR Operators of SMART Simulator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Hyun Jun; Lee, Joon Ku; Jeong, Kwang Il

    2015-01-01

    It is important to develop a training program by simulators in main control room of nuclear power plants because there is no an operation expert and no operating experience in the pre-construction phase of nuclear power plants. It is also necessary to develop a training program and its evaluation method taking human error into account. The purpose of this study is developing evaluation model of simulators. In a training program, once training requirements are selected, evaluation of training is as important as its implementation. Training effectiveness is available value in a simulator-based environment. The main control room of SMART (System-integrated Modular Advanced ReacTor) is consist of workstation, visual display units such as LDP and FPD based on digital systems. Cognitive behaviors of a high level are required to operators in these man-machine interface system (MMIS). Therefore, it is essential to identify training requirements and to develop its evaluation model. Virtual Environments such as a simulator have utilized by a lot of industries and companies for training and accident prevention. Simulators have three primary benefits. The first is that training by simulators is less expensive than those in real environment. The second is that simulators enable safety enhancement using systematic training program. The third is that simulators provide a preliminary to prevent human error. It is significant to apply TER, TCR, TCE in evaluation of training effect. It is expected that these could be applied to revise training criteria and enable to consider efficiency in terms of cost and benefit

  20. Simulation of longitudinal dynamics of a freight train operating through a car dumper

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kovalev, R.; Sakalo, A.; Yazykov, V.; Shamdani, A.; Bowey, R.; Wakeling, C.

    2016-06-01

    A heavy haul train and car dumper model was created to analyse train longitudinal dynamics during dumping. Influence of such factors as performance curve of draft gears, total free slack in couplers, operating mode of train positioner and braking of last two cars of train on the in-train forces was considered.

  1. Education and training of operators and maintenance staff at commercial nuclear power stations in Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takahashi, M.; Kataoka, H.

    1998-01-01

    Safe and stable operation of a nuclear power station requires personnel fostering. In Japan, with the objectives of systematically securing qualified people for a long period of time, and maintaining and improving their skills and knowledge, the utilities have created strict personnel training plans, for continuous education and training. Concrete examples of education and training for operators and maintenance personnel at commercial nuclear power stations in Japan, such as education systems training, facility and contents of curriculum, are detailed including some related matters. Recent activities to catch up with environment changes surrounding education and training of operators and maintenance staff are also mentioned. (author)

  2. Remotely Operated Train for Inspection and Measurement in CERN's LHC Tunnel

    CERN Document Server

    Kershaw, K; Bestmann, P; Feniet, T; Forkel-Wirth, D; Grenard, J L; Rousset, N

    2010-01-01

    Personnel access to the LHC tunnel will be restricted to varying extents during the life of the machine due to radiation and cryogenic hazards. For this reason a remotely operated modular inspection train, (TIM) running on the LHC tunnel’s overhead monorail has been developed. In order to be compatible with the LHC personnel access system, a small section train that can pass through small openings at the top of sector doors has now been produced. The basic train can be used for remote visual inspection; additional modules give the capability of carrying out remote measurement of radiation levels, environmental conditions around the tunnel, and even remote measurement of the precise position of machine elements such as collimators. The paper outlines the design, development and operation of the equipment including preparation of the infrastructure. Key features of the trains are described along with future developments and intervention scenarios.

  3. Effective and efficient learning in the operating theater with intraoperative video-enhanced surgical procedure training

    OpenAIRE

    van Det, M.J.; Meijerink, W.J.; Hoff, C.; Middel, B.; Pierie, J.P.

    2013-01-01

    INtraoperative Video Enhanced Surgical procedure Training (INVEST) is a new training method designed to improve the transition from basic skills training in a skills lab to procedural training in the operating theater. Traditionally, the master-apprentice model (MAM) is used for procedural training in the operating theater, but this model lacks uniformity and efficiency at the beginning of the learning curve. This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness and efficiency of INVEST co...

  4. Enhancing Operational Effectiveness in the Norwegian Army through Simulation-Based Training

    OpenAIRE

    B. Bakken; O. Boe

    2009-01-01

    The Norwegian Military Academy (Army) has initiated a project with the main ambition to explore possible avenues to enhancing operational effectiveness through an increased use of simulation-based training and exercises. Within a cost/benefit framework, we discuss opportunities and limitations of vertical and horizontal integration of the existing tactical training system. Vertical integration implies expanding the existing training system to span the full range of traini...

  5. GTRI Remote Monitoring System: Training and Operational Needs Assessment Analysis Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Day, Debra E.; Fox, Sorcha

    2012-04-20

    The mission of the United States Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administrations (NNSA's) Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI) is to identify, secure, recover and facilitate the disposition of vulnerable nuclear and high-risk radioactive materials around the world that pose a threat to the United States and the international community. The GTRI's unique mission to reduce and protect vulnerable nuclear and radiological materials located at civilian sites worldwide directly addresses recommendations of the 9/11 Commission1, and is a vital part of the President's National Security Strategy and the Global Initiative. The GTRI Remote Monitoring System (RMS) is a standalone security system that includes radiation and tamper alarms, and CCTV; which can be transmitted securely over the Internet to multiple on-site and off-site locations. Through our experiences during installation of the system at 162 sites, plus feedback received from Alarm Response Training course participants, site input to project teams and analysis of trouble calls; indications were that current system training was lacking and inconsistent. A survey was undertaken to gather information from RMS users across the nation, to evaluate the current level of training and determine what if any improvements needed to be made. Additional questions were focused on the operation of the RMS software. The training survey was initially sent electronically to 245 users at the RMS sites and achieved a 37.6% return rate. Analysis of the resulting data revealed that 34.6% of the respondents had not received training or were unsure if they had, despite the fact that vendor engineers provide training at installation of the system. Any training received was referred to as minimal, and brief, not documented, and nothing in writing. 63.7% of respondents said they were either not at all prepared or only somewhat prepared to use the RMS software required to effectively operate the

  6. SIMULA - C a simplified PC simulation training fool developed for the initial training of NPP operations personnel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reuhl, R.

    1997-01-01

    During initial training of some 50 young reactor operators and shift supervisors in the last 5 years in Biblis it was found that it takes some time before trainees gain a food overview of the most important plant systems and develop a ''feeling'' of the dynamic plant behaviour which is an important prerequisite for the first full-scope simulator training courses. To enhance this, a PC software training tool was developed SIMULA - C. (author)

  7. A neurocomputational model of automatic sequence production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Helie, Sebastien; Roeder, Jessica L; Vucovich, Lauren; Rünger, Dennis; Ashby, F Gregory

    2015-07-01

    Most behaviors unfold in time and include a sequence of submovements or cognitive activities. In addition, most behaviors are automatic and repeated daily throughout life. Yet, relatively little is known about the neurobiology of automatic sequence production. Past research suggests a gradual transfer from the associative striatum to the sensorimotor striatum, but a number of more recent studies challenge this role of the BG in automatic sequence production. In this article, we propose a new neurocomputational model of automatic sequence production in which the main role of the BG is to train cortical-cortical connections within the premotor areas that are responsible for automatic sequence production. The new model is used to simulate four different data sets from human and nonhuman animals, including (1) behavioral data (e.g., RTs), (2) electrophysiology data (e.g., single-neuron recordings), (3) macrostructure data (e.g., TMS), and (4) neurological circuit data (e.g., inactivation studies). We conclude with a comparison of the new model with existing models of automatic sequence production and discuss a possible new role for the BG in automaticity and its implication for Parkinson's disease.

  8. Basic surgical training in Ireland: the impact of operative experience, training program allocation and mentorship on trainee satisfaction.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    O'Sullivan, K E

    2013-12-01

    Application to the Irish basic surgical training (BST) program in Ireland has decreased progressively over the past 5 years. We hypothesised that this decline was secondary to dissatisfaction with training correlated with reduced operative experience and lack of mentorship among BSTs.

  9. Solar Powered Automatic Shrimp Feeding System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dindo T. Ani

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available - Automatic system has brought many revolutions in the existing technologies. One among the technologies, which has greater developments, is the solar powered automatic shrimp feeding system. For instance, the solar power which is a renewable energy can be an alternative solution to energy crisis and basically reducing man power by using it in an automatic manner. The researchers believe an automatic shrimp feeding system may help solve problems on manual feeding operations. The project study aimed to design and develop a solar powered automatic shrimp feeding system. It specifically sought to prepare the design specifications of the project, to determine the methods of fabrication and assembly, and to test the response time of the automatic shrimp feeding system. The researchers designed and developed an automatic system which utilizes a 10 hour timer to be set in intervals preferred by the user and will undergo a continuous process. The magnetic contactor acts as a switch connected to the 10 hour timer which controls the activation or termination of electrical loads and powered by means of a solar panel outputting electrical power, and a rechargeable battery in electrical communication with the solar panel for storing the power. By undergoing through series of testing, the components of the modified system were proven functional and were operating within the desired output. It was recommended that the timer to be used should be tested to avoid malfunction and achieve the fully automatic system and that the system may be improved to handle changes in scope of the project.

  10. Development of Regenerative Braking Co-operative Control System for Automatic Transmission-based Hybrid Electric Vehicle using Electronic Wedge Brake

    OpenAIRE

    Ko, Jiweon; Ko, Sungyeon; Bak, Yongsun; Jang, Mijeong; Yoo, Byoungsoo; Cheon, Jaeseung; Kim, Hyunsoo

    2013-01-01

    This research proposes a regenerative braking co-operative control system for the automatic transmission (AT)-based hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). The brake system of the subject HEV consists of the regenerative braking and the electronic wedge brake (EWB) friction braking for the front wheel, and the hydraulic friction braking for the rear wheel. A regenerative braking co-operative control algorithm is suggested for the regenerative braking and friction braking, which distributes the braking...

  11. Improving operator training and performance through simulator observations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Flynn, J.P.

    1987-01-01

    This paper describes the methods and results of INPO observations of simulator training for licensed operators. It discusses the history of the observation program to the present. Effective methods for conducting and documenting simulator observations are discussed. The methods used to analyze the observations is also discussed. The major conclusion of the analysis is that opportunities exist for improvement in the use of emergency operating procedures. Teamwork, communication, and simulator instructor skills are also areas where improvement could be made

  12. Cognitive skill training for nuclear power plant operational decision making

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mumaw, R.J.; Swatzler, D.; Roth, E.M. [Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Thomas, W.A. [Quantum Technologies, Inc., Oak Brook, IL (United States)

    1994-06-01

    Training for operator and other technical positions in the commercial nuclear power industry traditionally has focused on mastery of the formal procedures used to control plant systems and processes. However, decisionmaking tasks required of nuclear power plant operators involve cognitive skills (e.g., situation assessment, planning). Cognitive skills are needed in situations where formal procedures may not exist or may not be as prescriptive, as is the case in severe accident management (SAM). The Westinghouse research team investigated the potential cognitive demands of SAM on the control room operators and Technical Support Center staff who would be most involved in the selection and execution of severe accident control actions. A model of decision making, organized around six general cognitive processes, was developed to identify the types of cognitive skills that may be needed for effective performance. Also, twelve SAM scenarios were developed to reveal specific decision-making difficulties. Following the identification of relevant cognitive skills, 19 approaches for training individual and team cognitive skills were identified. A review of these approaches resulted in the identification of general characteristics that are important in effective training of cognitive skills.

  13. Cognitive skill training for nuclear power plant operational decision making

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mumaw, R.J.; Swatzler, D.; Roth, E.M.; Thomas, W.A.

    1994-06-01

    Training for operator and other technical positions in the commercial nuclear power industry traditionally has focused on mastery of the formal procedures used to control plant systems and processes. However, decisionmaking tasks required of nuclear power plant operators involve cognitive skills (e.g., situation assessment, planning). Cognitive skills are needed in situations where formal procedures may not exist or may not be as prescriptive, as is the case in severe accident management (SAM). The Westinghouse research team investigated the potential cognitive demands of SAM on the control room operators and Technical Support Center staff who would be most involved in the selection and execution of severe accident control actions. A model of decision making, organized around six general cognitive processes, was developed to identify the types of cognitive skills that may be needed for effective performance. Also, twelve SAM scenarios were developed to reveal specific decision-making difficulties. Following the identification of relevant cognitive skills, 19 approaches for training individual and team cognitive skills were identified. A review of these approaches resulted in the identification of general characteristics that are important in effective training of cognitive skills

  14. Water Treatment Plant Operation. Volume II. A Field Study Training Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    California State Univ., Sacramento. School of Engineering.

    The purpose of this water treatment field study training program is to: (1) develop new qualified water treatment plant operators; (2) expand the abilities of existing operators, permitting better service both to employers and public; and (3) prepare operators for civil service and certification examinations (examinations administered by…

  15. Water Treatment Plant Operation. Volume I. A Field Study Training Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    California State Univ., Sacramento. School of Engineering.

    The purpose of this water treatment field study training program is to: (1) develop new qualified water treatment plant operators; (2) expand the abilities of existing operators, permitting better service both to employers and public; and (3) prepare operators for civil service and certification examinations (examinations administered by…

  16. MOPITT Near Real-Time Data for LANCE: Automatic Quality Assurance and Comparison to Operational Products

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinez-Alonso, S.; Deeter, M. N.; Worden, H. M.; Ziskin, D.

    2017-12-01

    Terra-MOPITT (the Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere instrument) near real-time (NRT) carbon monoxide (CO) products have been selected for distribution through NASA's LANCE (the Land, Atmosphere Near Real-Time Capability for EOS). MOPITT version 7 NRT data will be made publicly available within 3 hours from observation. The retrieval process is the same for both MOPITT NRT and operational products, albeit for the former it is constrained to use ancillary data available within the latency time. Among other requirements, LANCE NRT products must be examined for quality assurance (QA) purposes and relative errors between NRT and operational products must be quantified. Here we present an algorithm for automatic MOPITT NRT QA aimed to identify artifacts and separate those from anomalously high but real CO values. The algorithm is based on a comparison to the statistics of MOPITT operational products. We discuss the algorithm's performance when tested by applying it to three MOPITT datasets: a known (and corrected) artifact in version 4 operational data, anomalously high CO values in operational data during the 2015 Indonesia fires, and actual NRT data. Last, we describe results from a quantitative comparison between MOPITT NRT data and their operational counterparts.

  17. 46 CFR 8.535 - Training and operational evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... will report periodically to the cognizant OCMI and the Company SIP Agent on the vessel's performance...) have been approved by the cognizant OCMI, the company may begin training and operating under the plans. This evaluation phase includes the following: (a) The company shall provide the designated SIP support...

  18. The automatic component of habit in health behavior: habit as cue-contingent automaticity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orbell, Sheina; Verplanken, Bas

    2010-07-01

    Habit might be usefully characterized as a form of automaticity that involves the association of a cue and a response. Three studies examined habitual automaticity in regard to different aspects of the cue-response relationship characteristic of unhealthy and healthy habits. In each study, habitual automaticity was assessed by the Self-Report Habit Index (SRHI). In Study 1 SRHI scores correlated with attentional bias to smoking cues in a Stroop task. Study 2 examined the ability of a habit cue to elicit an unwanted habit response. In a prospective field study, habitual automaticity in relation to smoking when drinking alcohol in a licensed public house (pub) predicted the likelihood of cigarette-related action slips 2 months later after smoking in pubs had become illegal. In Study 3 experimental group participants formed an implementation intention to floss in response to a specified situational cue. Habitual automaticity of dental flossing was rapidly enhanced compared to controls. The studies provided three different demonstrations of the importance of cues in the automatic operation of habits. Habitual automaticity assessed by the SRHI captured aspects of a habit that go beyond mere frequency or consistency of the behavior. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved.

  19. Interactive CD based training on NDA instruments for facility operators and international inspectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Horley, E.C.; Smith, H.A.

    1996-01-01

    Interactive multimedia training is rapidly becoming a popular and highly effective medium for learning. An interactive CD based training module on the Active Well Coincidence counter is being developed for on-site training at nuclear facility, including foreign facilities. The training module incorporates interactive text, graphics and video that demonstrate the operating principles, and the use and set-up of the instrument. The user is in control of the pace of learning and of the directions taken to acquire information based on personal need. By being in control, the user stays highly motivated. A mix of visuals (text and graphics), audio clips (in different languages), and video (with audio) clips also keeps the interest level high. Skill reviews and evaluations can be incorporated into the training to provide feedback to the student. In addition, general background information is provided on gamma and neutron based MC and A measurements. This material serves as a condensed MC and A encyclopedia. By supplying an interactive CD with an NDA instrument, nuclear facilities will have greater assurance operators are properly trained in the set-up and operation of the NDA-equipment

  20. Training: An Opportunity for People with Disabilities in School Foodservice Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paez, Paola; Arendt, Susan; Strohbehn, Catherine

    2011-01-01

    Purpose/Objectives: This study assessed current training methods and topics used at public school foodservice operations as well as school foodservice representatives' attitudes toward training employees with disabilities. Methods: A mixed method approach of data collection included two phases. Phase I used a more qualitative approach; interviews…

  1. Fully automatic oil spill detection from COSMO-SkyMed imagery using a neural network approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avezzano, Ruggero G.; Del Frate, Fabio; Latini, Daniele

    2012-09-01

    The increased amount of available Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images acquired over the ocean represents an extraordinary potential for improving oil spill detection activities. On the other side this involves a growing workload on the operators at analysis centers. In addition, even if the operators go through extensive training to learn manual oil spill detection, they can provide different and subjective responses. Hence, the upgrade and improvements of algorithms for automatic detection that can help in screening the images and prioritizing the alarms are of great benefit. In the framework of an ASI Announcement of Opportunity for the exploitation of COSMO-SkyMed data, a research activity (ASI contract L/020/09/0) aiming at studying the possibility to use neural networks architectures to set up fully automatic processing chains using COSMO-SkyMed imagery has been carried out and results are presented in this paper. The automatic identification of an oil spill is seen as a three step process based on segmentation, feature extraction and classification. We observed that a PCNN (Pulse Coupled Neural Network) was capable of providing a satisfactory performance in the different dark spots extraction, close to what it would be produced by manual editing. For the classification task a Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) Neural Network was employed.

  2. The training and qualification of nuclear power plant operations personnel in Canada. A regulatory overview

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thomas, R.

    1993-01-01

    This report gives the history of training programmes for reactor operation personnel in Canada. With increased experience in reactor operation and awareness of reactor safety, more importance is given to the selection of a candidate and his training as control room operator or shift supervisor

  3. Adapting existing training standards for unmanned aircraft: finding ways to train staff for unmanned aircraft operations

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Burger, CR

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available - unmanned aircraft; pilot training. I. INTRODUCTION Unmanned aircraft offer flexibility not found in manned aircraft. They can be made smaller and cheaper to operate. They offer payload advantages relative to small manned aircraft. They can also perform... certificate to non-state users. To facilitate useful operations by UAs, future operations must be subject to no more than routine notification (e.g. an ATC flight plan), just like manned aircraft already are. Before such operations can be established, some...

  4. The pedagogical effectiveness of ASR-based computer assisted pronunciation training

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Neri, A.

    2007-01-01

    Computer Assisted Pronunciation Training (CAPT) systems with Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology have become increasingly popular to train pronunciation in the second language (L2). The advantage of these systems is the provision of a self-paced, stress-free type of training with automatic

  5. Hybrid simulation: bringing motivation to the art of teamwork training in the operating room.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kjellin, A; Hedman, L; Escher, C; Felländer-Tsai, L

    2014-12-01

    Crew resource management-based operating room team training will be an evident part of future surgical training. Hybrid simulation in the operating room enables the opportunity for trainees to perform higher fidelity training of technical and non-technical skills in a realistic context. We focus on situational motivation and self-efficacy, two important factors for optimal learning in light of a prototype course for teams of residents in surgery and anesthesiology and nurses. Authentic operating room teams consisting of residents in anesthesia (n = 2), anesthesia nurses (n = 3), residents in surgery (n = 2), and scrub nurses (n = 6) were, during a one-day course, exposed to four different scenarios. Their situational motivation was self-assessed (ranging from 1 = does not correspond at all to 7 = corresponds exactly) immediately after training, and their self-efficacy (graded from 1 to 7) before and after training. Training was performed in a mock-up operating theater equipped with a hybrid patient simulator (SimMan 3G; Laerdal) and a laparoscopic simulator (Lap Mentor Express; Simbionix). The functionality of the systematic hybrid procedure simulation scenario was evaluated by an exit questionnaire (graded from 1 = disagree entirely to 5 = agree completely). The trainees were mostly intrinsically motivated, engaged for their own sake, and had a rather great degree of self-determination toward the training situation. Self-efficacy among the team members improved significantly from 4 to 6 (median). Overall evaluation showed very good result with a median grading of 5. We conclude that hybrid simulation is feasible and has the possibility to train an authentic operating team in order to improve individual motivation and confidence. © The Finnish Surgical Society 2014.

  6. Reactor operator: Training for the job while earning college credit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murdick, S.A.

    1988-01-01

    The nuclear industry is looking for ways to maximize the dollars spent to train licensed reactor operators and other personnel and, at the same time, upgrade their educational level. The prospects of college credit and/or degree requirements imposed by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission have provided a significant driving force behind this search. The task is complicated, however, because shift schedules do not permit reactor operators to pursue higher education through the traditional classroom route, and the need for plant-specific training and requalification programs dictate against uniformly adapting college-based courses for training use. The National Program on Noncollegiate Sponsored Instruction (National PONSI) has been of considerable help to the nuclear industry in meeting these challenges. Through its college credit recommendation service, National PONSI has assessed the comparability of certain industry training activities to college-level instruction and has been instrumental in gaining academic recognition of these activities. The program has become a vital means for the industry to achieve its dual mission of preparing employees to successfully perform their jobs and providing them with ways to obtain college degrees in the shortest possible time

  7. Reactor operator: Training for the job while earning college credit

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Murdick, S.A.

    1988-01-01

    The nuclear industry is looking for ways to maximize the dollars spent to train licensed reactor operators and other personnel and, at the same time, upgrade their educational level. The prospects of college credit and/or degree requirements imposed by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission have provided a significant driving force behind this search. The task is complicated, however, because shift schedules do not permit reactor operators to pursue higher education through the traditional classroom route, and the need for plant-specific training and requalification programs dictate against uniformly adapting college-based courses for training use. The National Program on Noncollegiate Sponsored Instruction (National PONSI) has been of considerable help to the nuclear industry in meeting these challenges. Through its college credit recommendation service, National PONSI has assessed the comparability of certain industry training activities to college-level instruction and has been instrumental in gaining academic recognition of these activities. The program has become a vital means for the industry to achieve its dual mission of preparing employees to successfully perform their jobs and providing them with ways to obtain college degrees in the shortest possible time.

  8. Study on the present and future training of managers and operators for reactor facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hagemann, G.; Preuss, W.; Tietze, A.; Wuest, S.

    1973-09-01

    The study gives a survey on the training methods for the operating personnel of reactors in operation or under construction in the FRG and compares them with the training and testing methods of other countries, in particular the USA. (RW/AK) [de

  9. Process and device for automatically surveying complex installations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pekrul, P.J.; Thiele, A.W.

    1976-01-01

    A description is given of a process for automatically analysing separate signal processing channels in real time, one channel per signal, in a facility with significant background noise in signals varying in time and coming from transducers at selected points for the continuous monitoring of the operating conditions of the various components of the installation. The signals are intended to determine potential breakdowns, determine conclusions as to the severity of these potential breakdowns and indicate to an operator the measures to be taken in consequence. The feature of this process is that it comprises the automatic and successive selection of each channel for the purpose of spectral analysis, the automatic processing of the signal of each selected channel to show energy spectrum density data at pre-determined frequencies, the automatic comparison of the energy spectrum density data of each channel with pre-determined sets of limits varying with the frequency, and the automatic indication to the operator of the condition of the various components of the installation associated to each channel and the measures to be taken depending on the set of limits [fr

  10. Influence of operation incidents on the french training programme

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cernes, A.

    1987-04-01

    The French Electricity Producer (EDF) and the Safety Authorities have developed, each of his own, a procedure for analysing the operating incidents. One of the major lessons of their analysis was the importance of incidents due to human error and, among them, to deficiences in the training of the operators. It is, in consequence, particularly important to improve the quality of these programmes and one of the major concerns is how to take into account the lessons of operation experience. Our purpose is aimed at describing how this is now done

  11. Utilization of a full-scope simulation for training the operating personel of nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mathias, S.G.

    1987-01-01

    A full-scope simulator of the Angra-2 Nuclear Power Plant has been installed at the NUCLEBRAS Training Center in Mambucaba - close to the site where that Plant is being built -, the goal of providing training for the operating personnel of the KWU-design nuclear power plants to be installed in Brazil. Due to the delays which occurred in the construction of Angra-2, NUCLEBRAS has established an extensive program for the utilization of the simulator for the training of operators for German nuclear power plants and for Spain's Trillo Plant. Besides yielding profits to NUCLEBRAS, that program is resulting in considerable experience in the area of nuclear power plant operators' training generating international recognition to the NUCLEBRAS Training Center. (Author) [pt

  12. Development of an operationally efficient PTC braking enforcement algorithm for freight trains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-01

    Software algorithms used in positive train control (PTC) systems designed to predict freight train stopping distance and enforce a penalty brake application have been shown to be overly conservative, which can lead to operational inefficiencies by in...

  13. Investigation of the Bilibin reactor operation in the regime of automatic power and frequency control in isolated power system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sankovskij, G.A.; Molochkov, V.I.; Dolgov, V.V.; Soldatov, G.E.; Minashin, M.E.

    1981-01-01

    The results of experimental investigations of the power unit operation of the Bilibin nuclear power and heating plant (BNPHP) in the regime of automatic power and frequency control in an isolated power system are presented. The BNPHP comprises four similar power units. Each unit includes a steam generating setup - the channel water-graphite reactor with tubular fuel elements with natural circulation of boiling water at all the power levels as well as a turbosetup with two heat selectors and a turbogenerator. The turbine operates on dry saturated steam (with intermediate separation) which is brought from the drum-separator of the reactor natural circulation circuit. The BNPHP operates according to the controller schedule since the start-up of the first power unit. The BNPHP unit power varifies within the 50-100% range 3-4 times per day (by the number of maxima in the schedule of the power system loadings). Two design flowsheets of the unit power control and dynamic characteristics of the system for both vatiants are considered. It is concluded that both investigated automatic control systems are seviceable and deviations of the reactor parameters within the transients are not dangerous for heat release from the core. The plant is better shielded from external mainly short-term perturbations coming from the power system when the system operates in accordance with the first variant of the flowsheet [ru

  14. Semi-automatic logarithmic converter of logs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gol'dman, Z.A.; Bondar's, V.V.

    1974-01-01

    Semi-automatic logarithmic converter of logging charts. An original semi-automatic converter was developed for use in converting BK resistance logging charts and the time interval, ΔT, of acoustic logs from a linear to a logarithmic scale with a specific ratio for subsequent combining of them with neutron-gamma logging charts in operative interpretation of logging materials by a normalization method. The converter can be used to increase productivity by giving curves different from those obtained in manual, pointwise processing. The equipment operates reliably and is simple in use. (author)

  15. Experience with training of operating and maintenance personnel of nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pospisil, M.; Cencinger, F.

    1988-01-01

    The system is described of the specialist training of personnel for Czechoslovak nuclear power plants. Training consists of basic training, vocational training and training for the respective job. Responsible for the training is the Research Institute for Nuclear Power Plants; actual training takes place at three training centres. Personnel are divided into seven categories for training purposes: senior technical and economic staff, shift leaders, whose work has immediate effect on nuclear safety, engineering and technical personnel of technical units, shift leaders of technical units, personnel in technical units, shift service personnel and operating personnel, maintenance workers. Experience with training courses run at the training centre is summed up. Since 1980 the Centre has been training personnel mainly for the Dukovany nuclear power plant. Recommendations are presented for training personnel for the Temelin nuclear power plant. (Z.M.)

  16. Automatic Management Systems for the Operation of the Cryogenic Test Facilities for LHC Series Superconducting Magnets

    CERN Document Server

    Tovar-Gonzalez, A; Herblin, L; Lamboy, J P; Vullierme, B

    2006-01-01

    Prior to their final preparation before installation in the tunnel, the ~1800 series superconducting magnets of the LHC machine shall be entirely tested at reception on modular test facilities. The operation 24 hours per day of the cryogenic test facilities is conducted in turn by 3-operator teams, assisted in real time by the use of the Test Bench Priorities Handling System, a process control application enforcing the optimum use of cryogenic utilities and of the "Tasks Tracking System", a web-based e-traveller application handling 12 parallel 38-task test sequences. This paper describes how such computer-based management systems can be used to optimize operation of concurrent test benches within technical boundary conditions given by the cryogenic capacity, and how they can be used to study the efficiency of the automatic steering of all individual cryogenic sub-systems. Finally, this paper presents the overall performance of the cryomagnet test station for the first complete year of operation at high produ...

  17. Operation logic and functionality of automatic dose rate and image quality control of conventional fluoroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, Pei-Jan Paul

    2009-01-01

    New generation of fluoroscopic imaging systems is equipped with spectral shaping filters complemented with sophisticated automatic dose rate and image quality control logic called ''fluoroscopy curve'' or ''trajectory''. Such fluoroscopy curves were implemented first on cardiovascular angiographic imaging systems and are now available on conventional fluoroscopy equipment. This study aims to investigate the control logic operations under the fluoroscopy mode and acquisition mode (equivalent to the legacy spot filming) of a conventional fluoroscopy system typically installed for upper-lower gastrointestinal examinations, interventional endoscopy laboratories, gastrointestinal laboratory, and pain clinics.

  18. Energy-Efficient Train Operation Using Nature-Inspired Algorithms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kemal Keskin

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available A train operation optimization by minimizing its traction energy subject to various constraints is carried out using nature-inspired evolutionary algorithms. The optimization process results in switching points that initiate cruising and coasting phases of the driving. Due to nonlinear optimization formulation of the problem, nature-inspired evolutionary search methods, Genetic Simulated Annealing, Firefly, and Big Bang-Big Crunch algorithms were employed in this study. As a case study a real-like train and test track from a part of Eskisehir light rail network were modeled. Speed limitations, various track alignments, maximum allowable trip time, and changes in train mass were considered, and punctuality was put into objective function as a penalty factor. Results have shown that all three evolutionary methods generated effective and consistent solutions. However, it has also been shown that each one has different accuracy and convergence characteristics.

  19. Effective and efficient learning in the operating theater with intraoperative video-enhanced surgical procedure training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Det, M J; Meijerink, W J H J; Hoff, C; Middel, B; Pierie, J P E N

    2013-08-01

    INtraoperative Video Enhanced Surgical procedure Training (INVEST) is a new training method designed to improve the transition from basic skills training in a skills lab to procedural training in the operating theater. Traditionally, the master-apprentice model (MAM) is used for procedural training in the operating theater, but this model lacks uniformity and efficiency at the beginning of the learning curve. This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness and efficiency of INVEST compared to MAM. Ten surgical residents with no laparoscopic experience were recruited for a laparoscopic cholecystectomy training curriculum either by the MAM or with INVEST. After a uniform course in basic laparoscopic skills, each trainee performed six cholecystectomies that were digitally recorded. For 14 steps of the procedure, an observer who was blinded for the type of training determined whether the step was performed entirely by the trainee (2 points), partially by the trainee (1 point), or by the supervisor (0 points). Time measurements revealed the total procedure time and the amount of effective procedure time during which the trainee acted as the operating surgeon. Results were compared between both groups. Trainees in the INVEST group were awarded statistically significant more points (115.8 vs. 70.2; p < 0.001) and performed more steps without the interference of the supervisor (46.6 vs. 18.8; p < 0.001). Total procedure time was not lengthened by INVEST, and the part performed by trainees was significantly larger (69.9 vs. 54.1 %; p = 0.004). INVEST enhances effectiveness and training efficiency for procedural training inside the operating theater without compromising operating theater time efficiency.

  20. The role of staff training in the safety of nuclear facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koechlin, J.C.; Tanguy, P.

    1980-01-01

    Although nuclear energy largely involves automatic protection systems enabling the effects of human error to be mitigated, the human factor still remains of extreme importance in nuclear risk analysis. Hence, the attainment of the high safety standards sought after for nuclear energy must of necessity entail staff training programmes which take into account the concern for nuclear safety. It is incumbent upon constructors and operators to evolve a training programme suited to each job, and the safety authorities are responsible for assessing whether the programme is satisfactory from the standpoint of safety and, where necessary, for issuing the relevant certificates or permits. The paper makes some comments on the cost of human error and the profitability of investment in training, on the importance of practical training and of the role of simulators, and on the need for operators to note and analyse all operational abnormalities, which are so often an advance warning of accidents. The training of special safety teams is examined, with consideration of three aspects: safety assessment, inspection, and action to be taken in the event of accident. Finally, some information is given on the human reliability studies under way and their implications for nuclear safety and training, with emphasis on the valuable assistance rendered in this matter by international organizations. (author)

  1. 40 CFR 60.2635 - What are the operator training and qualification requirements?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ...) Combustion controls and monitoring. (v) Operation of air pollution control equipment and factors affecting... Construction On or Before November 30, 1999 Model Rule-Operator Training and Qualification § 60.2635 What are...

  2. Survey of foreign reactor operator qualifications, training, and staffing requirements. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Au, M.L.; DiSalvo, R.; Merschoff, E.

    1982-05-01

    The report is a compilation of the data obtained from a survey of foreign nuclear power plant operator requirements. Included among the considerations are: (1) shift staffing; (2) operator eligibility; (3) operator training programs; (4) operator licensing or certification; and (5) operator retraining. The data obtained from this survey are presented in matrix form and contrasted with U.S. requirements

  3. Track-monitoring from the dynamic response of an operational train

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lederman, George; Chen, Siheng; Garrett, James; Kovačević, Jelena; Noh, Hae Young; Bielak, Jacobo

    2017-03-01

    We explore a data-driven approach for monitoring rail infrastructure from the dynamic response of a train in revenue-service. Presently, track inspection is performed either visually or with dedicated track geometry cars. In this study, we examine a more economical approach where track inspection is performed by analyzing vibration data collected from an operational passenger train. The high frequency with which passenger trains travel each section of track means that faults can be detected sooner than with dedicated inspection vehicles, and the large number of passes over each section of track makes a data-driven approach statistically feasible. We have deployed a test-system on a light-rail vehicle and have been collecting data for the past two years. The collected data underscores two of the main challenges that arise in train-based track monitoring: the speed of the train at a given location varies from pass to pass and the position of the train is not known precisely. In this study, we explore which feature representations of the data best characterize the state of the tracks despite these sources of uncertainty (i.e., in the spatial domain or frequency domain), and we examine how consistently change detection approaches can identify track changes from the data. We show the accuracy of these different representations, or features, and different change detection approaches on two types of track changes, track replacement and tamping (a maintenance procedure to improve track geometry), and two types of data, simulated data and operational data from our test-system. The sensing, signal processing, and data analysis we propose in the study could facilitate safer trains and more cost-efficient maintenance in the future. Moreover, the proposed approach is quite general and could be extended to other parts of the infrastructure, including bridges.

  4. Generating realistic environments for cyber operations development, testing, and training

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berk, Vincent H.; Gregorio-de Souza, Ian; Murphy, John P.

    2012-06-01

    Training eective cyber operatives requires realistic network environments that incorporate the structural and social complexities representative of the real world. Network trac generators facilitate repeatable experiments for the development, training and testing of cyber operations. However, current network trac generators, ranging from simple load testers to complex frameworks, fail to capture the realism inherent in actual environments. In order to improve the realism of network trac generated by these systems, it is necessary to quantitatively measure the level of realism in generated trac with respect to the environment being mimicked. We categorize realism measures into statistical, content, and behavioral measurements, and propose various metrics that can be applied at each level to indicate how eectively the generated trac mimics the real world.

  5. Effective and efficient learning in the operating theater with intraoperative video-enhanced surgical procedure training

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Det, M.J.; Meijerink, W.J.; Hoff, C.; Middel, B.; Pierie, J.P.

    INtraoperative Video Enhanced Surgical procedure Training (INVEST) is a new training method designed to improve the transition from basic skills training in a skills lab to procedural training in the operating theater. Traditionally, the master-apprentice model (MAM) is used for procedural training

  6. 75 FR 2490 - Taking and Importing Marine Mammals; Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal School Training Operations...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-15

    ... Importing Marine Mammals; Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal School Training Operations Activities at Eglin...) for authorization to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal School (NEODS) training operations, military readiness activities, at Eglin AFB, FL from...

  7. A Medical Logistics Officer Training Needs Assessment Utilizing Feedback from Operation Iraqi Freedom

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Waddick, James L

    2004-01-01

    ... their missions during the initial Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment (OIF 1). Additionally, the study sought to identify the potential benefit of additional training on key medical logistics tasks and training events...

  8. An operator self-training system based upon the emulation of instructor skill

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zuenkov, M.; Marsiletti, M.

    1999-01-01

    In the early 90's a project started in Ansaldo for developing the Training Compact Simulation Technology. One of the objectives was to substitute the human instructor with an Expert System based on the Emulation of Instructor Skill (EIS). EIS stems from software architecture and an ad hoc language (ABIS) developed at Institute of Control Sciences (ICS) of Moscow. The expert system relies upon Artificial Intelligence technology and qualitative logic modelling of controlled plant physics. Its task is to explain the physical effects of controlled plant behaviour and control system response and comment on them as well as estimation of operator's actions in standard and nonstandard situations. Insight into process physics is obtained through consulting the expert system into which the qualitative process model is built-in, thus enabling expert explanation of fine physical effects such as: identification of disturbance and control system actions. The main features of EIS are: (a) checking the correct memorisation of the plant procedures, (b) testing his own reactions when facing abnormal and/or unexpected situations, (c) improving his own engineering sensitivity, (d) getting on-line answers to specific questions, such as: what are the reasons of the current status of Plant (Operator control actions, control system actions, disturbances imposed by the Instructor, transient behaviour of parameters); what events are the result of the action performed by the Operator (step by step); what events can result from a given Operator action (prediction); correspondence of the Operator actions to the steps of the performed procedures; in abnormal situations, judgement about operator actions (positive or negative, with respect to the goal of plant stabilisation or disturbances elimination). A demonstrative application was developed for Sampierdarena 40 MW Cogeneration Plant. The plant model running under the simulator was built-up by means of the LEGO code. The LEGO code is a modular

  9. Immersive Virtual Reality with Applications to Tele-Operation and Training

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-03-07

    reviewed journals : Number of Papers published in non peer-reviewed journals : Final Report: Immersive Virtual Reality with Applications to Tele-Operation... Immersive Virtual Reality with Applications to Tele-Operation and Training The proposed project aims to develop a fundamental framework for...establishing an immersive virtual reality environment for robust and scalable human robotics interaction in a cooperative intelligent architecture at the

  10. An Analysis of United States Marine Corps Enlisted Entry-Level Training Using Supply Chain and Operations Management

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-12-01

    An Analysis of United States Marine Corps Enlisted Entry-Level Training Using Supply Chain and Operations Management ______________________________________ By...Report 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE: An Analysis of United States Marine Corps Enlisted Entry-Level Training Using Supply Chain and Operations Management 6...Level Training; United States Marine Corps; Operations Management ; Supply Chain Management; Process Analysis 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY

  11. Changes in default mode network as automaticity develops in a categorization task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shamloo, Farzin; Helie, Sebastien

    2016-10-15

    The default mode network (DMN) is a set of brain regions in which blood oxygen level dependent signal is suppressed during attentional focus on the external environment. Because automatic task processing requires less attention, development of automaticity in a rule-based categorization task may result in less deactivation and altered functional connectivity of the DMN when compared to the initial learning stage. We tested this hypothesis by re-analyzing functional magnetic resonance imaging data of participants trained in rule-based categorization for over 10,000 trials (Helie et al., 2010) [12,13]. The results show that some DMN regions are deactivated in initial training but not after automaticity has developed. There is also a significant decrease in DMN deactivation after extensive practice. Seed-based functional connectivity analyses with the precuneus, medial prefrontal cortex (two important DMN regions) and Brodmann area 6 (an important region in automatic categorization) were also performed. The results show increased functional connectivity with both DMN and non-DMN regions after the development of automaticity, and a decrease in functional connectivity between the medial prefrontal cortex and ventromedial orbitofrontal cortex. Together, these results further support the hypothesis of a strategy shift in automatic categorization and bridge the cognitive and neuroscientific conceptions of automaticity in showing that the reduced need for cognitive resources in automatic processing is accompanied by a disinhibition of the DMN and stronger functional connectivity between DMN and task-related brain regions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. NEEMO 20: Science Training, Operations, and Tool Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graff, T.; Miller, M.; Rodriguez-Lanetty, M.; Chappell, S.; Naids, A.; Hood, A.; Coan, D.; Abell, P.; Reagan, M.; Janoiko, B.

    2016-01-01

    The 20th mission of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) was a highly integrated evaluation of operational protocols and tools designed to enable future exploration beyond low-Earth orbit. NEEMO 20 was conducted from the Aquarius habitat off the coast of Key Largo, FL in July 2015. The habitat and its surroundings provide a convincing analog for space exploration. A crew of six (comprised of astronauts, engineers, and habitat technicians) lived and worked in and around the unique underwater laboratory over a mission duration of 14-days. Incorporated into NEEMO 20 was a diverse Science Team (ST) comprised of geoscientists from the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES/XI) Division from the Johnson Space Center (JSC), as well as marine scientists from the Department of Biological Sciences at Florida International University (FIU). This team trained the crew on the science to be conducted, defined sampling techniques and operational procedures, and planned and coordinated the science focused Extra Vehicular Activities (EVAs). The primary science objectives of NEEMO 20 was to study planetary sampling techniques and tools in partial gravity environments under realistic mission communication time delays and operational pressures. To facilitate these objectives two types of science sites were employed 1) geoscience sites with available rocks and regolith for testing sampling procedures and tools and, 2) marine science sites dedicated to specific research focused on assessing the photosynthetic capability of corals and their genetic connectivity between deep and shallow reefs. These marine sites and associated research objectives included deployment of handheld instrumentation, context descriptions, imaging, and sampling; thus acted as a suitable proxy for planetary surface exploration activities. This abstract briefly summarizes the scientific training, scientific operations, and tool

  13. Water Treatment Plant Operation Volume 2. A Field Study Training Program. Revised.

    Science.gov (United States)

    California State Univ., Sacramento. School of Engineering.

    The purpose of this water treatment field study training program is to: (1) develop new qualified water treatment plant operators; (2) expand the abilities of existing operators, permitting better service both to employers and public; and (3) prepare operators for civil service and certification examinations (examinations administered by…

  14. From traditional locomotive engineers to automated train control; Vom triebfahrzeugfuehrergefuehrten Zug zum Fahrautomaten

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hohnecker, E. [Karlsruhe Univ. (T.H.) (Germany). Inst. fuer Strassenbau und Eisenbahnwesen

    2000-07-01

    Profitability and capacity in public guided transport must be increased. One option is automatic, driverless train control. There are many questions surrounding the legal, technical and operational aspects of automated control which need to be answered. These intrinsic aspects of the system will be presented and discussed. The various options leading to automatic train control as well as the necessary technical measures will also be presented. (orig.) [German] Die Wirtschaftlichkeit und die Leistungsfaehigkeit im oeffentlichen spurgefuehrten Verkehr muessen erhoeht werden. Als Loesung bietet sich zukuenftig auch der automatische und fahrerlose Betrieb an. Das Fahren ohne Triebfahrzeugfuehrer wirft jedoch eine Vielzahl von Fragestellungen auf, die sowohl in juristischer, technischer und betrieblicher Hinsicht beantwortet werden muessen. Diese systemimmanenten Aspekte werden dargestellt und diskutiert. Anschliessend werden die Moeglichkeiten auf dem Weg zum Fahrautomaten aufgezeigt und die technischen Massnahmen zur Umsetzung des automatischen Fahrens erlaeutert. (orig.)

  15. Automatic methods for processing track-detector data at the PAVICOM facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aleksandrov, A.B.; Goncharova, L.A.; Polukhina, N.G.; Fejnberg, E.L.; Davydov, D.A.; Publichenko, P.A.; Roganova, T.M.

    2007-01-01

    New automatic methods essentially simplify and hasten the data treatment of tracking detectors. It allows handling big data files and appreciably improves their statistics; this fact predetermines an elaboration of new experiments, which suppose to use large volume targets, emulsive and solid-state large square tracking detectors. Thereupon the problem of training competent physicists able to work on modern automatic equipment is very relevant. About ten Moscow students working in LPI at PAVICOM facility master new methods every year. Most of the students working in high-energy physics take the print only about archaic hand methods of data handling from tracking detectors. In 2005 on the base of the PAVICOM facility and physics training of the MSU a new educational work for determination of the energy of neutrons passing through nuclear emulsion, which lets students acquire a base habit of data handling from tracking detectors using an automatic facility, was prepared; it can be included in the training process for students of any physical faculty. Specialists mastering methods of an automatic handling by the simple and obvious example of tracking detectors will be able to use their knowledge in various areas of science and techniques. The organization of upper division courses is a new additional aspect of using the PAVICOM facility described in an earlier paper [4

  16. 77 FR 25435 - Taking and Importing Marine Mammals; Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal School Training Operations...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-30

    ... B harassment, incidental to Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal School (NEODS) training operations at... Importing Marine Mammals; Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal School Training Operations at Eglin Air Force... and the Issuance of Letters of Authorization to Take Marine Mammals, by Level B Harassment, Incidental...

  17. 75 FR 60694 - Taking and Importing Marine Mammals; Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal School Training Operations...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... Marine Mammals, by Harassment, Incidental to Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal School Training Operations... School Training Operations at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service... authorization to take marine mammals, by Level B harassment, incidental to Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal...

  18. GIONET (GMES Initial Operations Network for Earth Observation Research Training)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nicolas, V.; Balzter, H.

    2013-12-01

    GMES Initial Operations - Network for Earth Observation Research Training (GIONET) is a Marie Curie funded project that aims to establish the first of a kind European Centre of Excellence for Earth Observation Research Training. Copernicus (previously known as GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) is a joint undertaking of the European Space Agency and the European Commission. It develops fully operational Earth Observation monitoring services for a community of end users from the public and private sector. The first services that are considered fully operational are the land monitoring and emergency monitoring core services. In GIONET, 14 early stage researchers are being trained at PhD level in understanding the complex physical processes that determine how electromagnetic radiation interacts with the atmosphere and the land surface ultimately form the signal received by a satellite. In order to achieve this, the researchers are based in industry and universities across Europe, as well as receiving the best technical training and scientific education. The training programme through supervised research focuses on 14 research topics. Each topic is carried out by an Early Stage Researcher based in one of the partner organisations and is expected to lead to a PhD degree. The 14 topics are grouped in 5 research themes: Forest monitoring Land cover and change Coastal zone and freshwater monitoring Geohazards and emergency response Climate adaptation and emergency response The methods developed and used in GIONET are as diverse as its research topics. GIONET has already held two summer schools; one at Friedrich Schiller University in Jena (Germany), on 'New operational radar satellite applications: Introduction to SAR, Interferometry and Polarimetry for Land Surface Mapping'. The 2nd summer school took place last September at the University of Leicester (UK )on 'Remote sensing of land cover and forest in GMES'. The next Summer School in September 2013

  19. Accessories for Enhancement of the Semi-Automatic Welding Processes

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Wheeler, Douglas M; Sawhill, James M

    2000-01-01

    The project's objective is to identify specific areas of the semi-automatic welding operation that is performed with the major semi-automatic processes, which would be more productive if a suitable...

  20. Automatic classification of MR scans in Alzheimer's disease

    OpenAIRE

    García, Fernando Pérez; uk, fernando perezgarcia ucl ac

    2018-01-01

    Presentation of the paper "Automatic classification of MR scans in Alzheimer's disease" by Klöppel et al. for the journal club of the Centre for Doctoral Training in Medical Image Computing at University College London.

  1. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) new-employee training manual for the Operations Division RCRA personnel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barkenbus, B.D.

    1987-03-01

    This manual has been prepared for the training of new employees who will work with RCRA hazardous waste management in the Operations Division. It will be taught by a person who is trained in hazardous waste regulations/procedures. It consists of nine modules. The topics of these modules are: RCRA Training, Hazardous Waste Regulations, Transportation Regulations, Hazardous Waste Management at ORNL, Chemical Hazards and Safety, Hazardous Waste Operations Training, Sampling of Hazardous Waste, Hazardous Waste Identification/Classification, and RCRA Contingency Plans and Emergency Procedures. The on-the-job training areas are identified in the modules. They are an integral part of training.

  2. Automatic Task Classification via Support Vector Machine and Crowdsourcing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyungsik Shin

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Automatic task classification is a core part of personal assistant systems that are widely used in mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Even though many industry leaders are providing their own personal assistant services, their proprietary internals and implementations are not well known to the public. In this work, we show through real implementation and evaluation that automatic task classification can be implemented for mobile devices by using the support vector machine algorithm and crowdsourcing. To train our task classifier, we collected our training data set via crowdsourcing using the Amazon Mechanical Turk platform. Our classifier can classify a short English sentence into one of the thirty-two predefined tasks that are frequently requested while using personal mobile devices. Evaluation results show high prediction accuracy of our classifier ranging from 82% to 99%. By using large amount of crowdsourced data, we also illustrate the relationship between training data size and the prediction accuracy of our task classifier.

  3. RISK DECREASE PROBLEM WITH MAKING ERRORS IN ACTIVITY OF OPERATORS DEALING WITH AUTOMATIC CONTROL SYSTEMS OF GAS-DISTRIBUTION STATIONS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. V. Egorov

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper contains an analysis of specific features pertaining to the activity of operators dealing with automatic control systems of gas-distribution stations. The professional operator’s activity is presented in the form of the developed data model. Possible conceptual approaches to the research are analyzed in the paper. The paper describes an author’s approach to studying a risk decrease problem in the activity of operators on the basis of the analytical research results. Technology for obtaining  research results is cited in the paper. 

  4. Operation logic and functionality of automatic dose rate and image quality control of conventional fluoroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lin, Pei-Jan Paul [Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 (United States)

    2009-05-15

    New generation of fluoroscopic imaging systems is equipped with spectral shaping filters complemented with sophisticated automatic dose rate and image quality control logic called ''fluoroscopy curve'' or ''trajectory''. Such fluoroscopy curves were implemented first on cardiovascular angiographic imaging systems and are now available on conventional fluoroscopy equipment. This study aims to investigate the control logic operations under the fluoroscopy mode and acquisition mode (equivalent to the legacy spot filming) of a conventional fluoroscopy system typically installed for upper-lower gastrointestinal examinations, interventional endoscopy laboratories, gastrointestinal laboratory, and pain clinics.

  5. On the automaticity of response inhibition in individuals with alcoholism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noël, Xavier; Brevers, Damien; Hanak, Catherine; Kornreich, Charles; Verbanck, Paul; Verbruggen, Frederick

    2016-06-01

    Response inhibition is usually considered a hallmark of executive control. However, recent work indicates that stop performance can become associatively mediated ('automatic') over practice. This study investigated automatic response inhibition in sober and recently detoxified individuals with alcoholism.. We administered to forty recently detoxified alcoholics and forty healthy participants a modified stop-signal task that consisted of a training phase in which a subset of the stimuli was consistently associated with stopping or going, and a test phase in which this mapping was reversed. In the training phase, stop performance improved for the consistent stop stimuli, compared with control stimuli that were not associated with going or stopping. In the test phase, go performance tended to be impaired for old stop stimuli. Combined, these findings support the automatic inhibition hypothesis. Importantly, performance was similar in both groups, which indicates that automatic inhibitory control develops normally in individuals with alcoholism.. This finding is specific to individuals with alcoholism without other psychiatric disorders, which is rather atypical and prevents generalization. Personalized stimuli with a stronger affective content should be used in future studies. These results advance our understanding of behavioral inhibition in individuals with alcoholism. Furthermore, intact automatic inhibitory control may be an important element of successful cognitive remediation of addictive behaviors.. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. A comparison of automatic histogram constructions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Davies, P.L.; Gather, U.; Nordman, D.J.; Weinert, H.

    2009-01-01

    Even for a well-trained statistician the construction of a histogram for a given real-valued data set is a difficult problem. It is even more difficult to construct a fully automatic procedure which specifies the number and widths of the bins in a satisfactory manner for a wide range of data sets.

  7. Basic CNC Operation. Training Workbook [and] Assessment and Training Guide [and] Hands-on Assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anoka-Hennepin Technical Coll., Minneapolis, MN.

    This workbook is intended for students taking a course in basic computer numerical control (CNC) operation that was developed during a project to retrain defense industry workers at risk of job loss or dislocation because of conversion of the defense industry. The workbook contains daily training guides for each of the course's 13 sessions. Among…

  8. Training of nuclear power plant operating personnel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1980-04-01

    A collection is presented containing 11 papers submitted at a conference on the selection and education of specialists for operation and maintenance of nuclear power plants. The conference was attended by specialists from universities and colleges, research institutes and production plants. It debated the methods and aims of both general and specialized theoretical and practical personnel education, the proposals for teaching centre equipment, the use of simulators, computers and other aids in the teaching process; training on school reactors was included. A proposal was put forward of the system of education, the teaching process itself, the content of the basic theoretical subjects, and the method of testing pupils' knowledge. The importance was stressed of establishing a national coordination centre to safeguard the syllabus, methodology, teaching aids, and also the training proper. The system of personnel education in the Paks nuclear power plant, Hungary, is presented as an example. (M.S.)

  9. The research and development of the automatic solar power tracker

    OpenAIRE

    Li Yan Ping; Yuan Zhong Ying

    2016-01-01

    The article describes a kind of automatic tracker using solar power. It depends on two important parts which are servo system and adjusting mechanism system to keep the tracker operating normally. The article focuses on describing the characteristics and functions of two systems and the operating details of the automatic solar power tracker.

  10. Convolutional neural networks based on augmented training samples for synthetic aperture radar target recognition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Yue

    2018-03-01

    A synthetic aperture radar (SAR) automatic target recognition (ATR) method based on the convolutional neural networks (CNN) trained by augmented training samples is proposed. To enhance the robustness of CNN to various extended operating conditions (EOCs), the original training images are used to generate the noisy samples at different signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), multiresolution representations, and partially occluded images. Then, the generated images together with the original ones are used to train a designed CNN for target recognition. The augmented training samples can contrapuntally improve the robustness of the trained CNN to the covered EOCs, i.e., the noise corruption, resolution variance, and partial occlusion. Moreover, the significantly larger training set effectively enhances the representation capability for other conditions, e.g., the standard operating condition (SOC), as well as the stability of the network. Therefore, better performance can be achieved by the proposed method for SAR ATR. For experimental evaluation, extensive experiments are conducted on the Moving and Stationary Target Acquisition and Recognition dataset under SOC and several typical EOCs.

  11. Comparison Of Semi-Automatic And Automatic Slick Detection Algorithms For Jiyeh Power Station Oil Spill, Lebanon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osmanoglu, B.; Ozkan, C.; Sunar, F.

    2013-10-01

    After air strikes on July 14 and 15, 2006 the Jiyeh Power Station started leaking oil into the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The power station is located about 30 km south of Beirut and the slick covered about 170 km of coastline threatening the neighboring countries Turkey and Cyprus. Due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Lebanon, cleaning efforts could not start immediately resulting in 12 000 to 15 000 tons of fuel oil leaking into the sea. In this paper we compare results from automatic and semi-automatic slick detection algorithms. The automatic detection method combines the probabilities calculated for each pixel from each image to obtain a joint probability, minimizing the adverse effects of atmosphere on oil spill detection. The method can readily utilize X-, C- and L-band data where available. Furthermore wind and wave speed observations can be used for a more accurate analysis. For this study, we utilize Envisat ASAR ScanSAR data. A probability map is generated based on the radar backscatter, effect of wind and dampening value. The semi-automatic algorithm is based on supervised classification. As a classifier, Artificial Neural Network Multilayer Perceptron (ANN MLP) classifier is used since it is more flexible and efficient than conventional maximum likelihood classifier for multisource and multi-temporal data. The learning algorithm for ANN MLP is chosen as the Levenberg-Marquardt (LM). Training and test data for supervised classification are composed from the textural information created from SAR images. This approach is semiautomatic because tuning the parameters of classifier and composing training data need a human interaction. We point out the similarities and differences between the two methods and their results as well as underlining their advantages and disadvantages. Due to the lack of ground truth data, we compare obtained results to each other, as well as other published oil slick area assessments.

  12. Staffing of nuclear power plants and the recruitment, training and authorization of operating personnel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1979-01-01

    The Guide is a part of the International Atomic Energy Agency's programme, referred to as the NUSS (Nuclear Safety Standards) programme, for establishing Codes of Practice and Safety Guides relating to nuclear power plants. It outlines the various factors to be considered in order to ensure that the Operating Organization has a sufficient number of qualified site personnel who are clearly aware of their duties and responsibilities. The Guide covers the organization for a nuclear power plant, the educational qualifications and experience of the persons who are recruited for plant operation, the recruitment and training schedule, the training of operating personnel, the authorizations for persons whose duties have an immediate bearing on safety, and re-training of personnel. The provisional list of NUSS programme titles is attached

  13. Automatic generation of gene finders for eukaryotic species

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Terkelsen, Kasper Munch; Krogh, A.

    2006-01-01

    and quality of reliable gene annotation grows. Results We present a procedure, Agene, that automatically generates a species-specific gene predictor from a set of reliable mRNA sequences and a genome. We apply a Hidden Markov model (HMM) that implements explicit length distribution modelling for all gene......Background The number of sequenced eukaryotic genomes is rapidly increasing. This means that over time it will be hard to keep supplying customised gene finders for each genome. This calls for procedures to automatically generate species-specific gene finders and to re-train them as the quantity...... structure blocks using acyclic discrete phase type distributions. The state structure of the each HMM is generated dynamically from an array of sub-models to include only gene features represented in the training set. Conclusion Acyclic discrete phase type distributions are well suited to model sequence...

  14. Using virtual reality technology to include field operators in simulation and training

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nystad, E.; Strand, S.

    2006-01-01

    By using virtual reality technology, field operators can be included in simulator training. A study has been performed where field operators could perform their activities in a virtual plant and communicate with a control room operator who was placed in a physical control room simulator. This paper describes the use of VR technology in the study and how the operators experienced interacting with the virtual plant. (author)

  15. 14 CFR 25.904 - Automatic takeoff thrust control system (ATTCS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Automatic takeoff thrust control system... Automatic takeoff thrust control system (ATTCS). Each applicant seeking approval for installation of an engine power control system that automatically resets the power or thrust on the operating engine(s) when...

  16. Automatic positioning control device for automatic control rod exchanger

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nasu, Seiji; Sasaki, Masayoshi.

    1982-01-01

    Purpose: To attain accurate positioning for a control rod exchanger. Constitution: The present position for an automatic control rod exchanger is detected by a synchro generator. An aimed stopping position for the exchanger, a stop instruction range depending on the distantial operation delay in the control system and the inertia-running distance of the mechanical system, and a coincidence confirmation range depending on the required positioning accuracy are previously set. If there is a difference between the present position and the aimed stopping position, the automatic exchanger is caused to run toward the aimed stopping position. A stop instruction is generated upon arrival at the position within said stop instruction range, and a coincidence confirmation signal is generated upon arrival at the position within the coincidence confirmation range. Since uncertain factors such as operation delay in the control system and the inertia-running distance of the mechanical system that influence the positioning accuracy are made definite by the method of actual measurement or the like and the stop instruction range and the coincidence confirmation range are set based on the measured data, the accuracy for the positioning can be improved. (Ikeda, J.)

  17. The research and development of the automatic solar power tracker

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Yan Ping

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The article describes a kind of automatic tracker using solar power. It depends on two important parts which are servo system and adjusting mechanism system to keep the tracker operating normally. The article focuses on describing the characteristics and functions of two systems and the operating details of the automatic solar power tracker.

  18. Quality assurance/quality control training for plant operation and maintenance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bergbauer, A.K.

    1986-01-01

    One of the most important tasks during the period of plant operation is to ensure the effectiveness of the information links inside the utility and the nuclear industry. To make use of all information, experience and knowledge as well as to make sure that instructions are followed, it is necessary to provide rules, instructions and training for all people involved. QA/QC-training for plant operation and maintenance must deliver a consciousness of men in a way that e.g. instructions or procedures are followed strictly, the management is informed about deviations and mistakes, alterations are carried out with approval only, safety systems are kept integer all the time and interfaces are linked together properly. By means of examples about staff organization, control room and shift rules, work permit procedures and use of an information feedback system QA measures shall be demonstrated. (orig.)

  19. 47 CFR 25.281 - Automatic Transmitter Identification System (ATIS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Automatic Transmitter Identification System (ATIS). 25.281 Section 25.281 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS Technical Operations § 25.281 Automatic Transmitter...

  20. The Eindhoven laparoscopic cholecystectomy training course--improving operating room performance using virtual reality training: results from the first E.A.E.S. accredited virtual reality trainings curriculum

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schijven, M. P.; Jakimowicz, J. J.; Broeders, I. A. M. J.; Tseng, L. N. L.

    2005-01-01

    BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to investigate operating room performance of surgical residents, after participating in the Eindhoven virtual reality laparoscopic cholecystectomy training course. This course is the first formal surgical resident trainings course, using a variety of

  1. Staffing of nuclear power plants and the recruitment, training and authorization of operating personnel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1991-01-01

    This Safety Guide was prepared as part of Nuclear Safety Standards programme for establishing Codes and Safety Guides relating to nuclear power plants (NPP). It supplements Safety Series No. 50-C-O(Rev.1) ''Code on the Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation''. The present version of this Guide is a revision which takes into account the developments, particularly in training practices, which have taken place since the first edition appeared in 1979. The objective of this Safety Guide is to outline various factors to be considered in order to ensure that the operating organization has a sufficient number of qualified and motivated personnel for the operation of NPP. The Guide covers the organization for a NPP, the requirements in terms of education and experience for the various members of the operating personnel to be recruited, the recruitment, the training and continuing training programmes, as well as the authorizations for persons whose duties have an immediate bearing on safety

  2. Safer nuclear power. Strengthening training for operational safety at Paks nuclear power plant - Hungary

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2003-01-01

    For a nuclear power plant, safety must always be paramount. There can be no compromise on safety to meet production targets or to reduce costs. For any reactor, and in particular where older type reactors are in place, their operational safety can be enhanced by upgrading the training of personnel responsible for operating and maintaining the plant. The Department of Technical Co-operation is sponsoring a programme with technical support from the Nuclear Energy and Nuclear Safety Departments to help improve facilities at the PAKS plant in Hungary and establish self sufficiency in training to the highest international standards for all levels of nuclear power plant manpower. The Model Project described will have a direct impact on the improvement of operational safety and performance at PAKS NPP. It will lead to a more efficient use of resources which in turn will result in lower electricity generation costs. The impact of the project is not expected to be limited to Hungary. WWER reactors are common in Eastern Europe and provide one third to one half of the electricity supply to the region. The training programmes and facilities at PAKS offer a possibility in the future to provide training to experts from other countries operating WWER units and serve as a model to be emulated. Slovakia and the Czech Republic have already expressed interest in using the PAKS experience

  3. Doosan Experience on I and C Upgrade for Operating NPPs: Control Rod Control System and Automatic Seismic Trip System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nam, C.H.; Kim, K.H.; Lee, D.H.

    2012-01-01

    This paper describes DHIC's experience on upgrading 3 coil type control rod control system(CRCS), 4 coil type control element drive mechanism control system(CEDMCS) and automatic seismic trip system(ASTS). Common main feature of the above systems are full duplex system to prevent unwanted trip and mis-operation. 5 CRCS and CEDMCS have been supplied to Kori 1,2, Ulchin 1,2 and Younggwang 3 since 2010 and 7 CEDMCS are contracted to supply Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co.(KHNP) site. Also 16 ASTS are supplied and 12 ASTS will be supplied to operating and new NPPs within 3 years. (author)

  4. Guide to the selection, training, and licensing or certification of reprocessing plant operators. Volume I

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1976-06-01

    The Code of Federal Regulations, Title 10, Part 55, establishes procedures and criteria for the licensing of operators, including senior operators, in ''Production and Utilization Facilities'', which includes plants for reprocessing irradiated fuel. A training guide is presented which will facilitate the licensing of operators for nuclear reprocessing plants by offering generalized descriptions of the basic principles (theory) and the unit operations (mechanics) employed in reprocessing spent fuels. In the present volume, details about the portions of a training program that are of major interest to management are presented

  5. Guide to the selection, training, and licensing or certification of reprocessing plant operators. Volume I

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    1976-06-01

    The Code of Federal Regulations, Title 10, Part 55, establishes procedures and criteria for the licensing of operators, including senior operators, in ''Production and Utilization Facilities'', which includes plants for reprocessing irradiated fuel. A training guide is presented which will facilitate the licensing of operators for nuclear reprocessing plants by offering generalized descriptions of the basic principles (theory) and the unit operations (mechanics) employed in reprocessing spent fuels. In the present volume, details about the portions of a training program that are of major interest to management are presented. (JSR)

  6. Fully automatic time-window selection using machine learning for global adjoint tomography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Y.; Hill, J.; Lei, W.; Lefebvre, M. P.; Bozdag, E.; Komatitsch, D.; Tromp, J.

    2017-12-01

    Selecting time windows from seismograms such that the synthetic measurements (from simulations) and measured observations are sufficiently close is indispensable in a global adjoint tomography framework. The increasing amount of seismic data collected everyday around the world demands "intelligent" algorithms for seismic window selection. While the traditional FLEXWIN algorithm can be "automatic" to some extent, it still requires both human input and human knowledge or experience, and thus is not deemed to be fully automatic. The goal of intelligent window selection is to automatically select windows based on a learnt engine that is built upon a huge number of existing windows generated through the adjoint tomography project. We have formulated the automatic window selection problem as a classification problem. All possible misfit calculation windows are classified as either usable or unusable. Given a large number of windows with a known selection mode (select or not select), we train a neural network to predict the selection mode of an arbitrary input window. Currently, the five features we extract from the windows are its cross-correlation value, cross-correlation time lag, amplitude ratio between observed and synthetic data, window length, and minimum STA/LTA value. More features can be included in the future. We use these features to characterize each window for training a multilayer perceptron neural network (MPNN). Training the MPNN is equivalent to solve a non-linear optimization problem. We use backward propagation to derive the gradient of the loss function with respect to the weighting matrices and bias vectors and use the mini-batch stochastic gradient method to iteratively optimize the MPNN. Numerical tests show that with a careful selection of the training data and a sufficient amount of training data, we are able to train a robust neural network that is capable of detecting the waveforms in an arbitrary earthquake data with negligible detection error

  7. Digital intelligent booster for DCC miniature train networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ursu, M. P.; Condruz, D. A.

    2017-08-01

    Modern miniature trains are now driven by means of the DCC (Digital Command and Control) system, which allows the human operator or a personal computer to launch commands to each individual train or even to control different features of the same train. The digital command station encodes these commands and sends them to the trains by means of electrical pulses via the rails of the railway network. Due to the development of the miniature railway network, it may happen that the power requirement of the increasing number of digital locomotives, carriages and accessories exceeds the nominal output power of the digital command station. This digital intelligent booster relieves the digital command station from powering the entire railway network all by itself, and it automatically handles the multiple powered sections of the network. This electronic device is also able to detect and process short-circuits and overload conditions, without the intervention of the digital command station.

  8. A swarm-trained k-nearest prototypes adaptive classifier with automatic feature selection for interval data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva Filho, Telmo M; Souza, Renata M C R; Prudêncio, Ricardo B C

    2016-08-01

    Some complex data types are capable of modeling data variability and imprecision. These data types are studied in the symbolic data analysis field. One such data type is interval data, which represents ranges of values and is more versatile than classic point data for many domains. This paper proposes a new prototype-based classifier for interval data, trained by a swarm optimization method. Our work has two main contributions: a swarm method which is capable of performing both automatic selection of features and pruning of unused prototypes and a generalized weighted squared Euclidean distance for interval data. By discarding unnecessary features and prototypes, the proposed algorithm deals with typical limitations of prototype-based methods, such as the problem of prototype initialization. The proposed distance is useful for learning classes in interval datasets with different shapes, sizes and structures. When compared to other prototype-based methods, the proposed method achieves lower error rates in both synthetic and real interval datasets. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. SRV-automatic handling device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamada, Koji

    1987-01-01

    Automatic handling device for the steam relief valves (SRV's) is developed in order to achieve a decrease in exposure of workers, increase in availability factor, improvement in reliability, improvement in safety of operation, and labor saving. A survey is made during a periodical inspection to examine the actual SVR handling operation. An SRV automatic handling device consists of four components: conveyor, armed conveyor, lifting machine, and control/monitoring system. The conveyor is so designed that the existing I-rail installed in the containment vessel can be used without any modification. This is employed for conveying an SRV along the rail. The armed conveyor, designed for a box rail, is used for an SRV installed away from the rail. By using the lifting machine, an SRV installed away from the I-rail is brought to a spot just below the rail so that the SRV can be transferred by the conveyor. The control/monitoring system consists of a control computer, operation panel, TV monitor and annunciator. The SRV handling device is operated by remote control from a control room. A trial equipment is constructed and performance/function testing is carried out using actual SRV's. As a result, is it shown that the SRV handling device requires only two operators to serve satisfactorily. The required time for removal and replacement of one SRV is about 10 minutes. (Nogami, K.)

  10. SIMULATION STUDY OF LONGITUDINAL FORCES IN THE COUPLING DEVICE OF HEAVY FREIGHT TRAINS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Józef Stokłosa

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available On the LHS line (Broad-gauge Metallurgical Line, far out West of the railway line with a gauge of 1520 mm, heavy goods trains for a gross weight 5500 tons and a length of 850 m are operated. The article presents the results of a simulation study of the forces that occur in the automatic coupling device of SA-3 type of Russian production train consisting of 60 coal wagons of Russian construction of gross mass 91 tons each. The train moves on the 1520 mm gauge tracks curve S type (the radius of curvature of curves 300 m. Simulation studies were conducted using the Train Module of program to dynamic study multi-elements systems of Universal Mechanism UM 6.0.

  11. A simulation training evaluation method for distribution network fault based on radar chart

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuhang Xu

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available In order to solve the problem of automatic evaluation of dispatcher fault simulation training in distribution network, a simulation training evaluation method based on radar chart for distribution network fault is proposed. The fault handling information matrix is established to record the dispatcher fault handling operation sequence and operation information. The four situations of the dispatcher fault isolation operation are analyzed. The fault handling anti-misoperation rule set is established to describe the rules prohibiting dispatcher operation. Based on the idea of artificial intelligence reasoning, the feasibility of dispatcher fault handling is described by the feasibility index. The relevant factors and evaluation methods are discussed from the three aspects of the fault handling result feasibility, the anti-misoperation correctness and the operation process conciseness. The detailed calculation formula is given. Combining the independence and correlation between the three evaluation angles, a comprehensive evaluation method of distribution network fault simulation training based on radar chart is proposed. The method can comprehensively reflect the fault handling process of dispatchers, and comprehensively evaluate the fault handling process from various angles, which has good practical value.

  12. Grinding Parts For Automatic Welding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burley, Richard K.; Hoult, William S.

    1989-01-01

    Rollers guide grinding tool along prospective welding path. Skatelike fixture holds rotary grinder or file for machining large-diameter rings or ring segments in preparation for welding. Operator grasps handles to push rolling fixture along part. Rollers maintain precise dimensional relationship so grinding wheel cuts precise depth. Fixture-mounted grinder machines surface to quality sufficient for automatic welding; manual welding with attendant variations and distortion not necessary. Developed to enable automatic welding of parts, manual welding of which resulted in weld bead permeated with microscopic fissures.

  13. Severe accident management (SAM), operator training and instrumentation capabilities - Summary and conclusions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2002-01-01

    The Workshop on Operator Training for Severe Accident Management (SAM) and Instrumentation Capabilities During Severe Accidents was organised in collaboration with Electricite de France (Service Etudes et Projets Thermiques et Nucleaires). There were 34 participants, representing thirteen OECD Member countries, the Russian Federation and the OECD/NEA. Almost half the participants represented utilities. The second largest group was regulatory authorities and their technical support organisations. Basically, the Workshop was a follow-up to the 1997 Second Specialist Meeting on Operator Aids for Severe Accident Management (SAMOA-2) [Reports NEA/CSNI/R(97)10 and 27] and to the 1992 Specialist Meeting on Instrumentation to Manage Severe Accidents [Reports NEA/CSNI/R(92)11 and (93)3]. It was aimed at sharing and comparing progress made and experience gained from these two meetings, emphasizing practical lessons learnt during training or incidents as well as feedback from instrumentation capability assessment. The objectives of the Workshop were therefore: - to exchange information on recent and current activities in the area of operator training for SAM, and lessons learnt during the management of real incidents ('operator' is defined hear as all personnel involved in SAM); - to compare capabilities and use of instrumentation available during severe accidents; - to monitor progress made; - to identify and discuss differences between approaches relevant to reactor safety; - and to make recommendations to the Working Group on the Analysis and Management of Accidents and the CSNI (GAMA). The Workshop was organised into five sessions: - 1: Introduction; - 2: Tools and Methods; - 3: Training Programmes and Experience; - 4: SAM Organisation Efficiency; - 5: Instrumentation Capabilities. It was concluded by a Panel and General Discussion. This report presents the summary and conclusions: the meeting confirmed that only limited information is needed for making required decisions

  14. [THE ALTERNATIVE MODEL IN TRAINING FOR OPERATION MANAGEMENT ON LUMBAR SPINE].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zakondyrin, D E

    2015-01-01

    The authors proposed to use a lumbar part of calf carcass as a new biological model for training of basic practical skills in order to perform the neurosurgical operative interventions on the spine. The proximity of anatomico-surgical parameters of given model and human cavader lumbar spine was estimated. The study proved the possibility of use of lumbar part of calf carcass for training techniques of transpedicular fixation and microdiskectomy in lumbar part.

  15. Development of the operator training system using computer graphics. Pt. 1. Defining the system configuration and developing basic techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takana, Kenchi; Sasou, Kunihide; Sano, Toshiaki; Suzuki, Koichi; Noji, Kunio

    2001-01-01

    Efficient and concurrent operator training seems to be crucial in near future because of an increase in operators to be trained due to generation alternations. Ever developed Man -Machine-Simulator (MMS) has several merits: (1) Operators' cognitive and behavioral activities among team in emergency could be simulated based on the concurrent mental model; (2) Simulated scenarios could be expanded to multiple malfunctions events, to all of which procedures could not be stipulated previously, (3) Standard behavior in coping with anomalies including communication and operations could be presented. This paper describes the development of an operator training system by applying this MMS. Three dimensional computer graphics (3D-CG) was adopted for improving the training effects and attracting operators' interest by visually presenting realistic operating team behavior in the main control room. Towards the completion of the operator training system, following designs of system configuration and developments of several basic techniques were availed: (1) Imaging the utilization of the operator training system, functions to be equipped and system configurations for realizing functions were determined. And three of scenarios were chosen in order to appeal the merits of the MMS and to raise training effects. (2) Knowledge base was completed to execute simulations. And connection between operator team model and plant simulator, that is the 2nd generation type simulator of the BTC -4, was executed to obtain simulation results (time sequential log data of plant dynamics and operating team behavior). (3) Operator's actions seen in VCR tapes in real training were classified for eighteen kinds of fundamental categories and those fundamental actions were modeled on 3D-CG using the People Shop software. The 3D-CG of main control panel was prepared using Multi Gen software. (author)

  16. Ergonomics design and operator training as contributors to human reliability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jackson, A.R.G.; Madden, V.J.; Umbers, I.G.; Williams, J.C.

    1987-01-01

    The safe operation of nuclear reactors depends not only on good physical safety engineering but on the human operators as well. The Central Electricity Generating Board's approach to human reliability includes the following aspects: ergonomics design (task analysis and the development of man-machine interfaces), analysis of human reliability, operational feedback, staff training and assessment, maintenance management, research programmes and management. This paper describes how these combine to achieve the highest practicable level of human reliability, not only for the Sizewell-B pressurized water reactor, but also for the Board's gas-cooled reactors. Examples are used to illustrate the topics considered. (UK)

  17. Applying Hierarchical Model Calibration to Automatically Generated Items.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williamson, David M.; Johnson, Matthew S.; Sinharay, Sandip; Bejar, Isaac I.

    This study explored the application of hierarchical model calibration as a means of reducing, if not eliminating, the need for pretesting of automatically generated items from a common item model prior to operational use. Ultimately the successful development of automatic item generation (AIG) systems capable of producing items with highly similar…

  18. Application of automatic image analysis in wood science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charles W. McMillin

    1982-01-01

    In this paper I describe an image analysis system and illustrate with examples the application of automatic quantitative measurement to wood science. Automatic image analysis, a powerful and relatively new technology, uses optical, video, electronic, and computer components to rapidly derive information from images with minimal operator interaction. Such instruments...

  19. Operation characteristics and conditions of training reactor VR-1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matejka, K.; Kolros, A.; Polach, S.; Sklenka, L.

    1994-01-01

    The first 3 years of operation of the VR-1 training reactor are reviewed. This period includes its physical start-up (preparation, implementation, results) and operation development as far as the current operating configuration of the reactor core. The physical start-up was commenced using a reactor core referred to as AZ A1, whose physical parameters had been verified by calculation and whose configuration was based on data tested experimentally on the SR-0 reactor at Vochov. The next operating core, labelled AZ A2, was already prepared during the test operation of the VR-1 reactor. Its configuration was such that both of the main horizontal channels, radial and tangential, could be employed. The configuration that followed, AZ A3, was an intermediate step before testing the graphite side reflector. The current reactor core, labelled AZ A3 G, was obtained by supplementing the previous core with a one-sided graphite side reflector. (Z.S.). 2 tabs., 11 figs., 2 refs

  20. An ergonomics study of computerized emergency operating procedures: Presentation style, task complexity, and training level

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Song; Song Fei; Li Zhizhong; Zhao Qianyi; Luo Wei; He Xuhong; Salvendy, Gavriel

    2008-01-01

    Emergency operating procedures (EOPs) are widely used in nuclear power plants (NPPs). With the development of information technology, computerized EOPs are taking the place of paper-based ones. Unlike paper-based EOPs, the industrial practice of computerized EOPs is still quite limited. Ergonomics issues of computerized EOPs have not been studied adequately. This study focuses on the effects of EOP presentation style, task complexity, and training level on the performance of the operators in the execution of computerized EOPs. One simulated computerized EOP system was developed to present two EOPs, each with different task complexity levels, by two presentation styles (Style A: one- and two-dimensional flowcharts combination; Style B: two-dimensional flowchart and success logic tree combination). Forty subjects participated in the experiment of EOP execution using the simulated system. Statistical analysis of the experimental results indicates that: (1) complexity, presentation style, and training level all can significantly influence the error rate. High-complexity tasks and lack of sufficient training may lead to a higher error rate. Style B caused a significantly higher error rate than style A did in the skilled phase. So the designers of computerized procedures should take the presentation styles of EOPs into account. (2) Task complexity and training level can significantly influence operation time. No significant difference was found in operation time between the two presentation styles. (3) Training level can also significantly influence the subjective workload of EOPs operations. This implies that adequate training is very important for the performance of computerized EOPs even if emergency responses with computerized EOPs are much more simple and easy than that with paper-based EOPs

  1. An ergonomics study of computerized emergency operating procedures: Presentation style, task complexity, and training level

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xu Song; Song Fei [Department of Industrial Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Li Zhizhong [Department of Industrial Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)], E-mail: zzli@tsinghua.edu.cn; Zhao Qianyi; Luo Wei [Department of Industrial Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); He Xuhong [Scanpower Risk Management China Inc., Towercrest International Plaza, No. 3 Maizidian West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100016 (China); Salvendy, Gavriel [Department of Industrial Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

    2008-10-15

    Emergency operating procedures (EOPs) are widely used in nuclear power plants (NPPs). With the development of information technology, computerized EOPs are taking the place of paper-based ones. Unlike paper-based EOPs, the industrial practice of computerized EOPs is still quite limited. Ergonomics issues of computerized EOPs have not been studied adequately. This study focuses on the effects of EOP presentation style, task complexity, and training level on the performance of the operators in the execution of computerized EOPs. One simulated computerized EOP system was developed to present two EOPs, each with different task complexity levels, by two presentation styles (Style A: one- and two-dimensional flowcharts combination; Style B: two-dimensional flowchart and success logic tree combination). Forty subjects participated in the experiment of EOP execution using the simulated system. Statistical analysis of the experimental results indicates that: (1) complexity, presentation style, and training level all can significantly influence the error rate. High-complexity tasks and lack of sufficient training may lead to a higher error rate. Style B caused a significantly higher error rate than style A did in the skilled phase. So the designers of computerized procedures should take the presentation styles of EOPs into account. (2) Task complexity and training level can significantly influence operation time. No significant difference was found in operation time between the two presentation styles. (3) Training level can also significantly influence the subjective workload of EOPs operations. This implies that adequate training is very important for the performance of computerized EOPs even if emergency responses with computerized EOPs are much more simple and easy than that with paper-based EOPs.

  2. Management Systems of Gdynia Maritime University’s the Training Ships Operation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katarzyna Muszynska

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this elaboration is to present management systems working in Gdynia Maritime University. Compliance with the International Safety Management Code (ISM Code, the International Safety Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code and with the Quality Management System complies with ISO 9001 standard, allows to ensure safe operations of ships and to meet requirements of regulations. In the theoretical parts of this elaboration it has been described the definition of the quality, according to different authors, as well as Quality Management Systems. Whole activity of the Gdynia Maritime University’s ships and Shipowner Brunch is covered by ISM and ISPS Code. The International Safety Management, it is a system of the training ships’ safe operation and prevention of pollution, elaborated by International Maritime Organization (IMO. ISPS system consists of detailed Ship Security Plan, is divided into unclassified part and the part which is classified and owned to shipowner. The Quality Management System refers to The University’s activity, and only the part of the procedures, which covers student’s trainings refers to the ships and Shipowner Branch. In view of very specific operational activity of the training ships: “Dar M?odzie?y” and “Horyzont II”, only the principle conventions, acts and regulations, which the Shipowner and the ships are obliged to obey, has been expressed.

  3. A semi-automatic technique for measurement of arterial wall from black blood MRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ladak, Hanif M.; Thomas, Jonathan B.; Mitchell, J. Ross; Rutt, Brian K.; Steinman, David A.

    2001-01-01

    Black blood magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become a popular technique for imaging the artery wall in vivo. Its noninvasiveness and high resolution make it ideal for studying the progression of early atherosclerosis in normal volunteers or asymptomatic patients with mild disease. However, the operator variability inherent in the manual measurement of vessel wall area from MR images hinders the reliable detection of relatively small changes in the artery wall over time. In this paper we present a semi-automatic method for segmenting the inner and outer boundary of the artery wall, and evaluate its operator variability using analysis of variance (ANOVA). In our approach, a discrete dynamic contour is approximately initialized by an operator, deformed to the inner boundary, dilated, and then deformed to the outer boundary. A group of four operators performed repeated measurements on 12 images from normal human subjects using both our semi-automatic technique and a manual approach. Results from the ANOVA indicate that the inter-operator standard error of measurement (SEM) of total wall area decreased from 3.254 mm2 (manual) to 1.293 mm2 (semi-automatic), and the intra-operator SEM decreased from 3.005 mm2 to 0.958 mm2. Operator reliability coefficients increased from less than 69% to more than 91% (inter-operator) and 95% (intra-operator). The minimum detectable change in wall area improved from more than 8.32 mm2 (intra-operator, manual) to less than 3.59 mm2 (inter-operator, semi-automatic), suggesting that it is better to have multiple operators measure wall area with our semi-automatic technique than to have a single operator make repeated measurements manually. Similar improvements in wall thickness and lumen radius measurements were also recorded. Since the semi-automatic technique has effectively ruled out the effect of the operator on these measurements, it may be possible to use such techniques to expand prospective studies of atherogenesis to multiple

  4. SAT in operations training

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gonzalez, M.

    1995-01-01

    The selection of tasks for analysis is made based on the decision tree that incorporates management's expectations of task difficulty and importance. The training setting (e.g., OJT, classroom, simulator, or laboratory) and the steps necessary to prepare the final training plan (along with example training plans for RO/SRO) was presented. The On-the-Job Training Manual is composed of a special video of each system that guides the trainee through a specified route in the plant showing the keypoints about the specific system. This Manual includes scanned photos of the main components and very detailed layout drawings to quickly walk-through a system. Two data bases were established to keep track of all the systems and tasks associated with a job post and to maintain the JPMs. SAT application in Spain, Argentina, Novovoronezh (Russia), and Hungary has varied by the time and human resources necessary to develop a complete SAT or a simplified SAT (which omits the taxonomic code for obtaining knowledge and skills associated to each task). An example of simulator training program materials and its correlation with the JPMs was presented along with a simulator evaluation guide showing how to assess RO/SRO behaviour

  5. Acquisition of automatic imitation is sensitive to sensorimotor contingency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cook, Richard; Press, Clare; Dickinson, Anthony; Heyes, Cecilia

    2010-08-01

    The associative sequence learning model proposes that the development of the mirror system depends on the same mechanisms of associative learning that mediate Pavlovian and instrumental conditioning. To test this model, two experiments used the reduction of automatic imitation through incompatible sensorimotor training to assess whether mirror system plasticity is sensitive to contingency (i.e., the extent to which activation of one representation predicts activation of another). In Experiment 1, residual automatic imitation was measured following incompatible training in which the action stimulus was a perfect predictor of the response (contingent) or not at all predictive of the response (noncontingent). A contingency effect was observed: There was less automatic imitation indicative of more learning in the contingent group. Experiment 2 replicated this contingency effect and showed that, as predicted by associative learning theory, it can be abolished by signaling trials in which the response occurs in the absence of an action stimulus. These findings support the view that mirror system development depends on associative learning and indicate that this learning is not purely Hebbian. If this is correct, associative learning theory could be used to explain, predict, and intervene in mirror system development.

  6. Automatic braking system modification for the Advanced Transport Operating Systems (ATOPS) Transportation Systems Research Vehicle (TSRV)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coogan, J. J.

    1986-01-01

    Modifications were designed for the B-737-100 Research Aircraft autobrake system hardware of the Advanced Transport Operating Systems (ATOPS) Program at Langley Research Center. These modifications will allow the on-board flight control computer to control the aircraft deceleration after landing to a continuously variable level for the purpose of executing automatic high speed turn-offs from the runway. A bread board version of the proposed modifications was built and tested in simulated stopping conditions. Test results, for various aircraft weights, turnoff speed, winds, and runway conditions show that the turnoff speeds are achieved generally with errors less than 1 ft/sec.

  7. [Development of a Software for Automatically Generated Contours in Eclipse TPS].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Zhao; Hu, Jinyou; Zou, Lian; Zhang, Weisha; Zou, Yuxin; Luo, Kelin; Liu, Xiangxiang; Yu, Luxin

    2015-03-01

    The automatic generation of planning targets and auxiliary contours have achieved in Eclipse TPS 11.0. The scripting language autohotkey was used to develop a software for automatically generated contours in Eclipse TPS. This software is named Contour Auto Margin (CAM), which is composed of operational functions of contours, script generated visualization and script file operations. RESULTS Ten cases in different cancers have separately selected, in Eclipse TPS 11.0 scripts generated by the software could not only automatically generate contours but also do contour post-processing. For different cancers, there was no difference between automatically generated contours and manually created contours. The CAM is a user-friendly and powerful software, and can automatically generated contours fast in Eclipse TPS 11.0. With the help of CAM, it greatly save plan preparation time and improve working efficiency of radiation therapy physicists.

  8. Training improves laparoscopic tasks performance and decreases operator workload.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Jesse S L; Lu, Jirong; Tan, Wee Boon; Lomanto, Davide

    2016-05-01

    It has been postulated that increased operator workload during task performance may increase fatigue and surgical errors. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) is a validated tool for self-assessment for workload. Our study aims to assess the relationship of workload and performance of novices in simulated laparoscopic tasks of different complexity levels before and after training. Forty-seven novices without prior laparoscopic experience were recruited in a trial to investigate whether training improves task performance as well as mental workload. The participants were tested on three standard tasks (ring transfer, precision cutting and intracorporeal suturing) in increasing complexity based on the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) curriculum. Following a period of training and rest, participants were tested again. Test scores were computed from time taken and time penalties for precision errors. Test scores and NASA-TLX scores were recorded pre- and post-training and analysed using paired t tests. One-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyse differences in NASA-TLX scores between the three tasks. NASA-TLX score was lowest with ring transfer and highest with intracorporeal suturing. This was statistically significant in both pre-training (p NASA-TLX scores mirror the changes in test scores for the three tasks. Workload scores decreased significantly after training for all three tasks (ring transfer = 2.93, p NASA-TLX score is an accurate reflection of the complexity of simulated laparoscopic tasks in the FLS curriculum. This also correlates with the relationship of test scores between the three tasks. Simulation training improves both performance score and workload score across the tasks.

  9. The Energy-Efficient Operation Problem of a Freight Train Considering Long-Distance Steep Downhill Sections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xuan Lin

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available With the energy consumption rising in rail transport, the railway sector is showing increasing interest in the energy-efficient operation of freight trains. Freight trains require more complicated driving strategies than ordinary passenger trains do due to their heavy loads, especially in the long-distance steep downhill (LDSD sections that are very common in freight rail lines in China. This paper studies the energy-efficient operation of a freight train considering LDSD sections. An optimal control model including regenerative and pneumatic braking is developed for the freight train. Then, when a train leaves/enters the LDSD section, we verify the uniqueness of control transitions and discuss the speed profile linkage between LDSD and its adjacent sections, which indicates that the periodic braking should be applied on LDSD sections for optimality. Additionally, given the same running time for the entire journey, our analysis shows that electrical braking-full braking strategy is more energy-efficient than coasting-full braking strategy on LDSD sections. Finally, a numerical algorithm for the optimal driving solution is proposed. The simulation results demonstrate that the driving strategies generated by the proposed algorithm performs better than those from fuzzy predictive control and field operation regarding energy saving.

  10. An Overview of Automaticity and Implications For Training the Thinking Process

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Holt, Brian

    2002-01-01

    ...., visual search to battlefield thinking). The results of this examination suggest that automaticity can be developed using consistent rules and extensive practice that vary depending on the type of task...

  11. Automatic power control for a pressurized water reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hah, Yung Joon

    1994-02-01

    During a normal operation of a pressurized water reactor (PWR), the reactivity is controlled by control rods, boron, and the average temperature of the primary coolant. Especially in load follow operation, the reactivity change is induced by changes in power level and effects of xenon concentration. The control of the core power distribution is concerned, mainly, with the axial power distribution which depends on insertion and withdrawal of the control rods resulting in additional reactivity compensation. The utilization of part strength control element assemblies (PSCEAs) is quite appropriate for a control of the power distribution in the case of Yonggwang Nuclear Unit 3 (YGN Unit 3). However, control of the PSCEAs is not automatic, and changes in the boron concentration by dilution/boration are done manually. Thus, manual control of the PSCEAs and the boron concentration require the operator's experience and knowledge for a successful load follow operation. In this thesis, the new concepts have been proposed to adapt for an automatic power control in a PWR. One of the new concepts is the mode K control, another is a fuzzy power control. The system in mode K control implements a heavy-worth bank dedicated to axial shape control, independent of the existing regulating banks. The heavy bank provides a monotonic relationship between its motion and the axial power shape change, which allows automatic control of the axial power distribution. And the mode K enables precise regulation, by using double closed-loop control of the reactor coolant temperature and the axial power difference. Automatic reactor power control permits the nuclear power plant to accommodate the load follow operations, including frequency control, to respond to the grid requirements. The mode K reactor control concepts were tested using simulation responses of a Korean standardized 1000-MWe PWR which is a reference plant for the YGN Unit 3. The simulation results illustrate that the mode K would be

  12. Model for Team Training Using the Advanced Trauma Operative Management Course: Pilot Study Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perkins, R Serene; Lehner, Kathryn A; Armstrong, Randy; Gardiner, Stuart K; Karmy-Jones, Riyad C; Izenberg, Seth D; Long, William B; Wackym, P Ashley

    2015-01-01

    Education and training of surgeons has traditionally focused on the development of individual knowledge, technical skills, and decision making. Team training with the surgeon's operating room staff has not been prioritized in existing educational paradigms, particularly in trauma surgery. We aimed to determine whether a pilot curriculum for surgical technicians and nurses, based on the American College of Surgeons' Advanced Trauma Operative Management (ATOM) course, would improve staff knowledge if conducted in a team-training environment. Between December 2012 and December 2014, 22 surgical technicians and nurses participated in a curriculum complementary to the ATOM course, consisting of 8 individual 8-hour training sessions designed by and conducted at our institution. Didactic and practical sessions included educational content, hands-on instruction, and alternating role play during 5 system-specific injury scenarios in a simulated operating room environment. A pre- and postcourse examination was administered to participants to assess for improvements in team members' didactic knowledge. Course participants displayed a significant improvement in didactic knowledge after working in a team setting with trauma surgeons during the ATOM course, with a 9-point improvement on the postcourse examination (83%-92%, p = 0.0008). Most participants (90.5%) completing postcourse surveys reported being "highly satisfied" with course content and quality after working in our simulated team-training setting. Team training is critical to improving the knowledge base of surgical technicians and nurses in the trauma operative setting. Improved communication, efficiency, appropriate equipment use, and staff awareness are the desired outcomes when shifting the paradigm from individual to surgical team training so that improved patient outcomes, decreased risk, and cost savings can be achieved. Determine whether a pilot curriculum for surgical technicians and nurses, based on the

  13. Guidebook on training to establish and maintain the qualification and competence of nuclear power plant operations personnel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1994-03-01

    Since the IAEA published its Guidebook on the Qualification of Nuclear Power Plant Operations Personnel in 1984 (Technical Reports Series 242) there have been important developments in the approach to training adopted by many operating organizations in different countries. It is now accepted that developing training programmes based solely on experience is inappropriate for the nuclear power industry, and that a systematic approach to training is necessary. It has been recognized that inadequate knowledge and skills may lead to human errors, and it is therefore necessary to review and improve the development and implementation of initial and continuing training programmes. The present Guidebook proposes an approach which is comprehensive and systematic in its methodology and also cost effective in its implementation. This Guidebook is mainly intended for management and training staff of nuclear power plant operating organizations. Relevant examples of current training practices are presented in the Appendices, which constitute an integral part of the Guidebook. Ref, figs and tabs

  14. Guidebook on training to establish and maintain the qualification and competence of nuclear power plant operations personnel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1989-11-01

    Since the IAEA published its Guidebook on the Qualification of Nuclear Power Plant Operations Personnel in 1984 (Technical Reports Series 242) there have been important developments in the approach to training adopted by many operating organizations in different countries. It is now accepted that developing training programmes based solely on experience is inappropriate for the nuclear power industry, and that a systematic approach to training is necessary. It has been recognized that inadequate knowledge and skills may lead to human errors, and it is therefore necessary to review and improve the development and implementation of initial and continuing training programmes. The present Guidebook proposes an approach which is comprehensive and systematic in its methodology and also cost effective in its implementation. This Guidebook is mainly intended for management and training staff of nuclear power plant operating organizations. Relevant examples of current training practices are presented in the Appendices, which constitute an integral part of the Guidebook. Refs, figs and tabs

  15. Human factors and operation of nuclear power plants: orientations for research

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mosneron Dupin, F.

    1993-01-01

    This paper first presents the main lessons derived from operating feedback regarding the operation of EDF PWR plants under accident conditions. In this context, the advantages and limitations of the guidance-based procedures developed since the TMI accident are discussed. Approaches are then outlined which could enable further progress to be achieved for future reactors. The distribution of roles and responsibilities between man and machine, and perhaps between the men themselves, must be re-examined. Purely technical solutions are not enough. We have to combine solutions relating to system design, control and instrumentation and automatic control with those concerning the man-machine interface, staff training and operator shift organization. These solutions will probably imply modifications to the safety demonstration methods, which could no longer rely so extensively on guidance-based procedures. Safety demonstration would have to make better use of the potential represented by highly trained operators and more sophisticated operator aids. Proposals are made on all these points and the relevant EDF and CEA research programs are described

  16. Automatically sweeping dual-channel boxcar integrator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keefe, D.J.; Patterson, D.R.

    1978-01-01

    An automatically sweeping dual-channel boxcar integrator has been developed to automate the search for a signal that repeatedly follows a trigger pulse by a constant or slowly varying time delay when that signal is completely hidden in random electrical noise and dc-offset drifts. The automatically sweeping dual-channel boxcar integrator improves the signal-to-noise ratio and eliminates dc-drift errors in the same way that a conventional dual-channel boxcar integrator does, but, in addition, automatically locates the hidden signal. When the signal is found, its time delay is displayed with 100-ns resolution, and its peak value is automatically measured and displayed. This relieves the operator of the tedious, time-consuming, and error-prone search for the signal whenever the time delay changes. The automatically sweeping boxcar integrator can also be used as a conventional dual-channel boxcar integrator. In either mode, it can repeatedly integrate a signal up to 990 times and thus make accurate measurements of the signal pulse height in the presence of random noise, dc offsets, and unsynchronized interfering signals

  17. A proposal for a course of Operations Management for the Degree in Electronics and Automatic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pilar I. Vidal-Carreras

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available At this work a methodology is proposed for a course of the discipline of Operations Management with a focus on active methodologies in the degree of Electronics and Automatic. For the course is combined: lecture, group work, problem-based learning, project-based learning and presentation of group work. Previous experiences in the same course allow us to conclude the importance of the lecture in this environment in what is the only course of the discipline in all the degree. The importance of feedback in project learning is not easy for large groups such as the case study, suggesting the presentation of group work as a good solution to the problem

  18. Fuzzy algorithm for an automatic reactor power control in a PWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hah, Yung Joon; Song, In Ho; Yu, Sung Sik; Choi, Jung In; Lee, Byong Whi

    1994-01-01

    A fuzzy algorithm is presented for automatic reactor power control in a pressurized water reactor. Automatic power shape control is complicated by the use of control rods because it is highly coupled with reactivity compensation. Thus, manual shape controls are usually employed even for the limited capability for the load - follow operation including frequency control. In an attempt to achieve automatic power shape control without any design modification of the core, a fuzzy power control algorithm is proposed. For the fuzzy control, the rule base is formulated based on a multi - input multi - output system. The minimum operation rule and the center of area method are implemented for the development of the fuzzy algorithm. The fuzzy power control algorithm has been applied to the Yonggwang Nuclear Unit 3. The simulation results show that the fuzzy control can be adapted as a practical control strategy for automatic reactor power control of the pressurized water reactor during the load - follow operation

  19. Automatic control variac system for electronic accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Shuocheng; Wang Dan; Jing Lan; Qiao Weimin; Ma Yunhai

    2006-01-01

    An automatic control variac system is designed in order to satisfy the controlling requirement of the electronic accelerator developed by the Institute. Both design and operational principles, structure of the system as well as the software of industrial PC and micro controller unit are described. The interfaces of the control module are RS232 and RS485. A fiber optical interface (FOC) could be set up if an industrial FOC network is necessary, which will extend the filed of its application and make the communication of the system better. It is shown in practice that the system can adjust the variac output voltage automatically and assure the accurate and automatic control of the electronic accelerator. The system is designed in accordance with the general design principles and possesses the merits such as easy operation and maintenance, good expansibility, and low cost, thus it could also be used in other industrial branches. (authors)

  20. Study on the identification of main drivers affecting the performance of human operators during low power and shutdown operation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Ar Ryum; Park, Jinkyun; Kim, Ji Tae; Kim, Jaewhan; Seong, Poong Hyun

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • The performance of human operator during LPSD operation is significantly important. • Human performance is affected by drivers such as procedure, training, and etc. • Main drivers during LPSD operation at domestic NPPs were suggested. • It is expected that it will be used for estimating human reliability during LPSD operation. - Abstract: In the past, many researchers believed that a reactor during low power and shutdown operation was sufficiently safe. This belief has been changed by the number of accidents during such types of operation, which is significantly high. Also, it was pointed out that one of the main differences between low power and shutdown operation and full power operation is the significance of human action because there are huge amounts of human actions due to extensive maintenance and testing while automatic control and safety functions may be disabled and procedures are insufficient or incomplete. This paper suggests the main drivers in performing human reliability analysis. For this study, we reviewed eight reports relating to human performance during low power and shutdown operation and applied a root cause analysis method for 53 human or human-related events at domestic nuclear power plants to derive the main drivers that affect the occurrence of those events. As a result, several main drivers were derived, such as procedures, training, experience of personnel, and workload/stress. It is expected that these main drivers will be used to perform human reliability analysis for low power and shutdown operation.

  1. Commissioning methods applied to the Hunterston 'B' AGR operator training simulator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hacking, D.

    1985-01-01

    The Hunterston 'B' full scope AGR Simulator, built for the South of Scotland Electricity Board by Marconi Instruments, encompasses all systems under direct and indirect control of the Hunterston central control room operators. The resulting breadth and depth of simulation together with the specification for the real time implementation of a large number of highly interactive detailed plant models leads to the classic problem of identifying acceptance and acceptability criteria. For example, whilst the ultimate criterion for acceptability must clearly be that within the context of the training requirement the simulator should be indistinguishable from the actual plant, far more measurable (i.e. less subjective) statements are required if a formal contractual acceptance condition is to be achieved. Within the framework, individual models and processes can have radically different acceptance requirements which therefore reflect on the commissioning approach applied. This paper discusses the application of a combination of quality assurance methods, design code results, plant data, theoretical analysis and operator 'feel' in the commissioning of the Hunterston 'B' AGR Operator Training Simulator. (author)

  2. Simulation-based multidisciplinary team training decreases time to critical operations for trauma patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murphy, Margaret; Curtis, Kate; Lam, Mary K; Palmer, Cameron S; Hsu, Jeremy; McCloughen, Andrea

    2018-05-01

    Simulation has been promoted as a platform for training trauma teams. However, it is not clear if this training has an impact on health service delivery and patient outcomes. This study evaluates the association between implementation of a simulation based multidisciplinary trauma team training program at a metropolitan trauma centre and subsequent patient outcomes. This was a retrospective review of trauma registry data collected at an 850-bed Level 1 Adult Trauma Centre in Sydney, Australia. Two concurrent four-year periods, before and after implementation of a simulation based multidisciplinary trauma team training program were compared for differences in time to critical operations, Emergency Department (ED) length of stay (LOS) and patient mortality. There were 2389 major trauma patients admitted to the hospital during the study, 1116 in the four years preceding trauma team training (the PREgroup) and 1273 in the subsequent 4 years (the POST group). There were no differences between the groups with respect to gender, body region injured, incidence of polytrauma, and pattern of arrival to ED. The POST group was older (median age 54 versus 43 years, p team training was associated with a reduction in time to critical operation while overall ED length of stay increased. Simulation is promoted as a platform for training teams; but the complexity of trauma care challenges efforts to demonstrate direct links between multidisciplinary team training and improved outcomes. There remain considerable gaps in knowledge as to how team training impacts health service delivery and patient outcomes. Retrospective comparative therapeutic/care management study, Level III evidence. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Automatic Adjustments of a Trans-oesophageal Ultrasound Robot for Monitoring Intra-operative Catheters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Shuangyi; Housden, James; Singh, Davinder; Rhode, Kawal

    2017-12-01

    3D trans-oesophageal echocardiography (TOE) has become a powerful tool for monitoring intra-operative catheters used during cardiac procedures in recent years. However, the control of the TOE probe remains as a manual task and therefore the operator has to hold the probe for a long period of time and sometimes in a radiation environment. To solve this problem, an add-on robotic system has been developed for holding and manipulating a commercial TOE probe. This paper focuses on the application of making automatic adjustments to the probe pose in order to accurately monitor the moving catheters. The positioning strategy is divided into an initialization step based on a pre-planning method and a localized adjustments step based on the robotic differential kinematics and related image servoing techniques. Both steps are described in the paper along with simulation experiments performed to validate the concept. The results indicate an error less than 0.5 mm for the initialization step and an error less than 2 mm for the localized adjustments step. Compared to the much bigger live 3D image volume, it is concluded that the methods are promising. Future work will focus on evaluating the method in the real TOE scanning scenario.

  4. Development and Comparative Study of Effects of Training Algorithms on Performance of Artificial Neural Network Based Analog and Digital Automatic Modulation Recognition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jide Julius Popoola

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper proposes two new classifiers that automatically recognise twelve combined analog and digital modulated signals without any a priori knowledge of the modulation schemes and the modulation parameters. The classifiers are developed using pattern recognition approach. Feature keys extracted from the instantaneous amplitude, instantaneous phase and the spectrum symmetry of the simulated signals are used as inputs to the artificial neural network employed in developing the classifiers. The two developed classifiers are trained using scaled conjugate gradient (SCG and conjugate gradient (CONJGRAD training algorithms. Sample results of the two classifiers show good success recognition performance with an average overall recognition rate above 99.50% at signal-to-noise ratio (SNR value from 0 dB and above with the two training algorithms employed and an average overall recognition rate slightly above 99.00% and 96.40% respectively at - 5 dB SNR value for SCG and CONJGRAD training algorithms. The comparative performance evaluation of the two developed classifiers using the two training algorithms shows that the two training algorithms have different effects on both the response rate and efficiency of the two developed artificial neural networks classifiers. In addition, the result of the performance evaluation carried out on the overall success recognition rates between the two developed classifiers in this study using pattern recognition approach with the two training algorithms and one reported classifier in surveyed literature using decision-theoretic approach shows that the classifiers developed in this study perform favourably with regard to accuracy and performance probability as compared to classifier presented in previous study.

  5. Optimal algorithm for automatic detection of microaneurysms based on receiver operating characteristic curve

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Lili; Luo, Shuqian

    2010-11-01

    Microaneurysms (MAs) are the first manifestations of the diabetic retinopathy (DR) as well as an indicator for its progression. Their automatic detection plays a key role for both mass screening and monitoring and is therefore in the core of any system for computer-assisted diagnosis of DR. The algorithm basically comprises the following stages: candidate detection aiming at extracting the patterns possibly corresponding to MAs based on mathematical morphological black top hat, feature extraction to characterize these candidates, and classification based on support vector machine (SVM), to validate MAs. Feature vector and kernel function of SVM selection is very important to the algorithm. We use the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to evaluate the distinguishing performance of different feature vectors and different kernel functions of SVM. The ROC analysis indicates the quadratic polynomial SVM with a combination of features as the input shows the best discriminating performance.

  6. Effects of crew resource management training on the team performance of operators in an advanced nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Sa Kil; Byun, Seong Nam

    2011-01-01

    The objectives of the study are twofold: the development of a CRM training program appropriate to Korean NPPs and the evaluation of CRM training effectiveness. Firstly, the CRM program was developed with a focus on nontechnical skills - such as leadership, situational awareness, teamwork, and communication - which have been widely known to be critical for improving operational performance. Secondly, the effectiveness tests were conducted for two different crews of operators, performing six different emergency operation scenarios during a four-week period. All the crews (crews A and B) participated in the training program for the technical knowledge and skills, which were required to operate the simulator of the MCR during the first week. However, for the verification of the effectiveness of the CRM training program, only crew A was randomly selected to attend the CRM training after the technical knowledge and skills training. The results of the experiments showed that the CRM training program improved the individual attitudes of crew A with a statistical significance. The team skills of crew A were found to be significantly more advanced than those of crew B. However, the CRM training did not have a positive effect on enhancing the individual performance of crew A, as compared with that of crew B. (author)

  7. A virtual-reality simulator and force sensation combined catheter operation training system and its preliminary evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yu; Guo, Shuxiang; Tamiya, Takashi; Hirata, Hideyuki; Ishihara, Hidenori; Yin, Xuanchun

    2017-09-01

    Endovascular surgery benefits patients because of its superior short convalescence and lack of damage to healthy tissue. However, such advantages require the operator to be equipped with dexterous skills for catheter manipulation without resulting in collateral damage. To achieve this goal, a training system is in high demand. A training system integrating a VR simulator and a haptic device has been developed within this context. The VR simulator is capable of providing visual cues which assist the novice for safe catheterization. In addition, the haptic device cooperates with VR simulator to apply sensations at the same time. The training system was tested by non-medical subjects over a five days training session. The performance was evaluated in terms of safety criteria and task completion time. The results demonstrate that operation safety is improved by 15.94% and task completion time is cut by 18.80 s maximum. Moreover, according to subjects' reflections, they are more confident in operation. The proposed training system constructs a comprehensive training environment that combines visualization and force sensation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  8. Operator training for the Yacyreta binational hydroelectric power plant; Formacion de operadores para la Central Hidroelectrica de Yacireta

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dure, Francisco; Tachella, Heriberto [Entidad Binacional Yacyreta, Isla Yacireta (Paraguay). Central Hidroelectrica Yacyreta]. E-mail: yacyreta@internet.siscotel.com

    1998-07-01

    This work is oriented to the power plant operators, by exposing the criteria and methods adopted for operators selection, training and incorporation to the Yacyreta Hydroelectric Power Plant. The used criteria considered some aspects, as follows: the operation staff should be consisted of equal numbers of Argentine and Paraguayan nationalities, viewing the both systems operation; experience of the shift supervisors in operating a plant for a minimum of 10 years; the supervisors should participate training the auxiliary operators.

  9. 40 CFR 62.14595 - What are the operator training and qualification requirements?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... control equipment and factors affecting performance (where applicable). (vi) Inspection and maintenance of... Commenced Construction On or Before November 30, 1999 Operator Training and Qualification § 62.14595 What...

  10. Operating Room Performance Improves after Proficiency-Based Virtual Reality Cataract Surgery Training

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thomsen, Ann Sofia Skou; Bach-Holm, Daniella; Kjærbo, Hadi

    2017-01-01

    PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of virtual reality proficiency-based training on actual cataract surgery performance. The secondary purpose of the study was to define which surgeons benefit from virtual reality training. DESIGN: Multicenter masked clinical trial. PARTICIPANTS: Eighteen cataract...... surgeons with different levels of experience. METHODS: Cataract surgical training on a virtual reality simulator (EyeSi) until a proficiency-based test was passed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Technical performance in the operating room (OR) assessed by 3 independent, masked raters using a previously validated...... task-specific assessment tool for cataract surgery (Objective Structured Assessment of Cataract Surgical Skill). Three surgeries before and 3 surgeries after the virtual reality training were video-recorded, anonymized, and presented to the raters in random order. RESULTS: Novices (non...

  11. Automatic pipeline operation using Petri Nets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moreira, Guilherme O. [PETROBRAS TRANSPORTE S.A., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

    2009-07-01

    A pipeline operation requires several actions, attention and time from the control room operator in each of its operating phases. This article proposition is to use automation as something more than a remote control, drastically reducing the number of repetitive and routine actions needed from the operator to start and stop the system, granting more time for system supervision, decision making during critical conditions and avoiding errors caused due to the need of several actions being executed in a short period of time. To achieve these objectives the pipeline operation will be modeled as a Petri Net consisting of states, event and actions. A methodology for converting this Petri Net into a Ladder controller code will also be proposed. (author)

  12. 40 CFR 62.15105 - Who must complete the operator training course? By when?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... an employee assumes responsibilities that affect operation of the municipal waste combustion unit. (c... 40 Protection of Environment 8 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Who must complete the operator training course? By when? 62.15105 Section 62.15105 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY...

  13. 40 CFR 60.1650 - Who must complete the operator training course? By when?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    .... (3) The date before an employee assumes responsibilities that affect operation of the municipal waste... 40 Protection of Environment 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Who must complete the operator training course? By when? 60.1650 Section 60.1650 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY...

  14. 33 CFR 334.1170 - San Pablo Bay, Calif.; gunnery range, Naval Inshore Operations Training Center, Mare Island...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... range, Naval Inshore Operations Training Center, Mare Island, Vallejo. 334.1170 Section 334.1170... Operations Training Center, Mare Island, Vallejo. (a) The Danger Zone. A sector in San Pablo Bay delineated..., Vallejo, California, will conduct gunnery practice in the area during the period April 1 through September...

  15. Study on the man-operator characteristics in the peak identification problem in line spectra

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gopych, P.M.; Sorokin, V.I.; Sotnikov, V.V.

    1992-01-01

    ATOS program complex (automatical test spectra processing) realizing all stages of investigation necessary to obtain qualitative characteristics of the man-operator in the peak identification problem is developed. Qualitative characteristics of identitication ion quality of peaks by operators searching for peaks in line spectra are determined due to simulation experiment. It is shown, that for trained operators reference possibility of false detection of peaks is equal to F=0.012±0.004, while for untrained ones - F≅0.3. Comparison of results with analogous data on on-line programs for identification of peaks in γ-spectra is conducted

  16. Medical support to military airborne training and operations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Starkey, Kerry J; Lyon, J; Sigman, E; Pynn, H J; Nordmann, G

    2018-05-01

    Airborne operations enable large numbers of military forces to deploy on the ground in the shortest possible time. This however must be balanced by an increased risk of injury. The aim of this paper is to review the current UK military drop zone medical estimate process, which may help to predict the risk of potential injury and assist in planning appropriate levels of medical support. In spring 2015, a British Airborne Battlegroup (UKBG) deployed on a 7-week overseas interoperability training exercise in the USA with their American counterparts (USBG). This culminated in a 7-day Combined Joint Operations Access Exercise, which began with an airborne Joint Forcible Entry (JFE) of approximately 2100 paratroopers.The predicted number of jump-related injuries was estimated using Parachute Order Number 8 (PO No 8). Such injuries were defined as injuries occurring from the time the paratrooper exited the aircraft until they released their parachute harness on the ground. Overall, a total of 53 (2.5%) casualties occurred in the JFE phase of the exercise, lower than the predicted number of 168 (8%) using the PO No 8 tool. There was a higher incidence of back (30% actual vs 20% estimated) and head injuries (21% actual vs 5% estimated) than predicted with PO No 8. The current method for predicting the incidence of medical injuries after a parachute drop using the PO No 8 tool is potentially not accurate enough for current requirements. Further research into injury rate, influencing factors and injury type are urgently required in order to provide an evidence base to ensure optimal medical logistical and clinical planning for airborne training and operations in the future. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  17. Automatic discrimination of fine roots in minirhizotron images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Guang; Birchfield, Stanley T; Wells, Christina E

    2008-01-01

    Minirhizotrons provide detailed information on the production, life history and mortality of fine roots. However, manual processing of minirhizotron images is time-consuming, limiting the number and size of experiments that can reasonably be analysed. Previously, an algorithm was developed to automatically detect and measure individual roots in minirhizotron images. Here, species-specific root classifiers were developed to discriminate detected roots from bright background artifacts. Classifiers were developed from training images of peach (Prunus persica), freeman maple (Acer x freemanii) and sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) using the Adaboost algorithm. True- and false-positive rates for classifiers were estimated using receiver operating characteristic curves. Classifiers gave true positive rates of 89-94% and false positive rates of 3-7% when applied to nontraining images of the species for which they were developed. The application of a classifier trained on one species to images from another species resulted in little or no reduction in accuracy. These results suggest that a single root classifier can be used to distinguish roots from background objects across multiple minirhizotron experiments. By incorporating root detection and discrimination algorithms into an open-source minirhizotron image analysis application, many analysis tasks that are currently performed by hand can be automated.

  18. The irace package: Iterated racing for automatic algorithm configuration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manuel López-Ibáñez

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Modern optimization algorithms typically require the setting of a large number of parameters to optimize their performance. The immediate goal of automatic algorithm configuration is to find, automatically, the best parameter settings of an optimizer. Ultimately, automatic algorithm configuration has the potential to lead to new design paradigms for optimization software. The irace package is a software package that implements a number of automatic configuration procedures. In particular, it offers iterated racing procedures, which have been used successfully to automatically configure various state-of-the-art algorithms. The iterated racing procedures implemented in irace include the iterated F-race algorithm and several extensions and improvements over it. In this paper, we describe the rationale underlying the iterated racing procedures and introduce a number of recent extensions. Among these, we introduce a restart mechanism to avoid premature convergence, the use of truncated sampling distributions to handle correctly parameter bounds, and an elitist racing procedure for ensuring that the best configurations returned are also those evaluated in the highest number of training instances. We experimentally evaluate the most recent version of irace and demonstrate with a number of example applications the use and potential of irace, in particular, and automatic algorithm configuration, in general.

  19. Cernavoda NPP operations training programs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-01-01

    The purpose of this document is to describe the philosophy, content and minimum requirements for the Cernavoda Training Programs for all Station staff and to identify the training department organization and respective responsibilities necessary to provide the required training. The hierarchical documentation and requirements related to these programs is shown in figure Rd-TR1-1

  20. Training of tissue bank operators in Asia Pacific region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aziz Nather

    1999-01-01

    To raise quality standards of Tissue Bank in Asia Pacific Region and to meet training needs of tissue bank operators. Singapore (NUH Tissue Bank) was officially appointed by IAEA on 18 September 1996 in Vienna to be the IAEA/NUS Regional Training Centre for RCA (Regional Co-operative Agreement). Member of States including Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. The Singapore Ministry of Environment gave a grant of $225,500 for setting up of this centre with National Science and Technology Board as funding agency, $100,000 being allocated for production of IAEA Developed Curriculum into Multi-Media. (authors being National Project Co-ordinators, Directors of Tissue Banks in the region). The Modules included Guide to Curriculum, Historical Background (0), Rules and Regulation (1), Organisation (2), Quality Assurance (3), Procurement (4), Processing (5), Distribution and Utilisation (6) and Future Developments (7). The Distance Learning Package included case studies from the region in text, in slides and videotapes. A new purpose-built NUH Tissue Bank with separate Wet and Dry Processing laboratories equipped with hands-on facilities was completed in July 1997. This was inaugurated as; IAEA/NUS Regional Training Centre for RCA; IAEA/NUS Interregional Training Centre; and NUS Diploma Course on Tissue Banking also launched by Deputy vice-chancellor, NUS, in conjunction with the IAEA/RCA Regional Training Course on 3 November 1997. One year NUS Open Distance Learning Diploma Course started with two weeks Intensive Course with Core Lectures on Modules (0-7) in the Curriculum and Practical Hands-on Demonstrations. One theory and two practical assessments were conducted. Nineteen participants registered for the Diploma Course. Production of IAEA Multi-Media Curriculum was completed and the Curriculum was distributed to member States during a 2-week-RCA 'Train the Trainers' Workshop on 27 April

  1. Automatic termination of a protective action

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heil, P.H.

    1986-01-01

    Subcommittee 6 of NPEC is responsible for the development of IEEE Standard 603. The adequacy of requirements concerning control and termination of protective actions was raised during the balloting of IEEE Standard 603-1980. In essence, the concern dealt with the requirement for deliberate operator action to return the system to normal. It was questioned if control actions such as automatic termination of system operation were allowed. Changes in the standard were made to clarify that there was a distinction between control (including termination) and return to normal and also state that automatic control may be required. Additionally, an action item was identified in the forward of IEEE Standard 603-1980 to determine if any additional changes were needed. The purpose of the paper is to present the results of this additional work

  2. 49 CFR 236.401 - Automatic block signal system and interlocking standards applicable to traffic control systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND APPLIANCES Traffic Control Systems Standards § 236.401 Automatic... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Automatic block signal system and interlocking standards applicable to traffic control systems. 236.401 Section 236.401 Transportation Other Regulations...

  3. Impact of operator experience and training strategy on procedural outcomes with leadless pacing: Insights from the Micra Transcatheter Pacing Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El-Chami, Mikhael; Kowal, Robert C; Soejima, Kyoko; Ritter, Philippe; Duray, Gabor Z; Neuzil, Petr; Mont, Lluis; Kypta, Alexander; Sagi, Venkata; Hudnall, John Harrison; Stromberg, Kurt; Reynolds, Dwight

    2017-07-01

    Leadless pacemaker systems have been designed to avoid the need for a pocket and transvenous lead. However, delivery of this therapy requires a new catheter-based procedure. This study evaluates the role of operator experience and different training strategies on procedural outcomes. A total of 726 patients underwent implant attempt with the Micra transcatheter pacing system (TPS; Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA) by 94 operators trained in a teaching laboratory using a simulator, cadaver, and large animal models (lab training) or locally at the hospital with simulator/demo model and proctorship (hospital training). Procedure success, procedure duration, fluoroscopy time, and safety outcomes were compared between training methods and experience (implant case number). The Micra TPS procedure was successful in 99.2% of attempts and did not differ between the 55 operators trained in the lab setting and the 39 operators trained locally at the hospital (P = 0.189). Implant case number was also not a determinant of procedural success (P = 0.456). Each operator performed between one and 55 procedures. Procedure time and fluoroscopy duration decreased by 2.0% (P = 0.002) and 3.2% (P safety outcomes by training method. Among a large group of operators, implantation success was high regardless of experience. While procedure duration and fluoroscopy times decreased with implant number, complications were low and not associated with case number. Procedure and safety outcomes were similar between distinct training methodologies. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF THE OPERATIONAL FORMATION TWO GROUP TRAINS ON THE INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE OF THE WORK

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. P. Bozhko

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available The research of operative management by the organization of wagon flows in trains on a railway direction is executed. It is proved the expediency of introduction of a rational combination of formation of single-unit trains and two-unit trains with the purpose of acceleration of delivery of cargoes. The duration of planning period is offered as a condition for decision-making on determination of category of a separate train. The economic effect of introduction of operative management is obtained.

  5. Predictive Function Control for Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bing Bu

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available In Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC systems, random transmission delays and packet drops are inevitable in the wireless networks, which could result in unnecessary traction, brakes or even emergency brakes of trains, losses of line capacity and passenger dissatisfaction. This paper applies predictive function control technology with a mixed H2/∞ control approach to improve the control performances. The controller is in the state feedback form and satisfies the requirement of quadratic input and state constraints. A linear matrix inequality (LMI approach is developed to solve the control problem. The proposed method attenuates disturbances by incorporating H2/∞ into the control scheme. The control command from the automatic train operation (ATO is included in the reward function to optimize the train's running profile. The influence of transmission delays and packet drops is alleviated through improving the performances of the controller. Simulation results show that the method is effective to improve the performances and robustness of CBTC systems.

  6. Semi-Automatic Operational Service for Drought Monitoring and Forecasting in the Tuscany Region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ramona Magno

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available A drought-monitoring and forecasting system developed for the Tuscany region was improved in order to provide a semi-automatic, more detailed, timely and comprehensive operational service for decision making, water authorities, researchers and general stakeholders. Ground-based and satellite data from different sources (regional meteorological stations network, MODIS Terra satellite and CHIRPS/CRU precipitation datasets are integrated through an open-source, interoperable SDI (spatial data infrastructure based on PostgreSQL/PostGIS to produce vegetation and precipitation indices that allow following of the occurrence and evolution of a drought event. The SDI allows the dissemination of comprehensive, up-to-date and customizable information suitable for different end-users through different channels, from a web page and monthly bulletins, to interoperable web services, and a comprehensive climate service. The web services allow geospatial elaborations on the fly, and the geo-database can be increased with new input/output data to respond to specific requests or to increase the spatial resolution.

  7. Automatic radioxenon analyzer for CTBT monitoring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bowyer, T.W.; Abel, K.H.; Hensley, W.K.

    1996-12-01

    Over the past 3 years, with support from US DOE's NN-20 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) R ampersand D program, PNNL has developed and demonstrated a fully automatic analyzer for collecting and measuring the four Xe radionuclides, 131m Xe(11.9 d), 133m Xe(2.19 d), 133 Xe (5.24 d), and 135 Xe(9.10 h), in the atmosphere. These radionuclides are important signatures in monitoring for compliance to a CTBT. Activity ratios permit discriminating radioxenon from nuclear detonation and that from nuclear reactor operations, nuclear fuel reprocessing, or medical isotope production and usage. In the analyzer, Xe is continuously and automatically separated from the atmosphere at flow rates of about 7 m 3 /h on sorption bed. Aliquots collected for 6-12 h are automatically analyzed by electron-photon coincidence spectrometry to produce sensitivities in the range of 20-100 μBq/m 3 of air, about 100-fold better than with reported laboratory-based procedures for short time collection intervals. Spectral data are automatically analyzed and the calculated radioxenon concentrations and raw gamma- ray spectra automatically transmitted to data centers

  8. The Role of Sleep in the Military: Implications for Training and Operational Effectiveness

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    developing poor sleep hygiene habits, cadets may have difficulty in taking full advantage of the world-class education and training afforded them...and performance. Paper presented at the Second International Summer School on Mind, Brain and Education Basic and applied topics in biological...settings, ranging from military education and training regimes and extending to military missions and combat operations. It first overviews the

  9. Evaluation of the Physiological Challenges in Extreme Environments: Implications for Enhanced Training, Operational Performance and Sex-Specific Responses

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-10-01

    Operational Performance and Sex -Specific Responses PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Brent C. Ruby CONTRACTING ORGANIZATION: The University of Montana Missoula...Implications for Enhanced Training, Operational Performance and Sex -Specific Responses 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT...Evaluation of the physiological challenges in extreme environments: Implications for enhanced training, operational performance and sex -specific

  10. Development and implementation of an automatic control algorithm for the University of Utah nuclear reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Crawford, Kevan C.; Sandquist, Gary M.

    1990-01-01

    The emphasis of this work is the development and implementation of an automatic control philosophy which uses the classical operational philosophies as a foundation. Three control algorithms were derived based on various simplifying assumptions. Two of the algorithms were tested in computer simulations. After realizing the insensitivity of the system to the simplifications, the most reduced form of the algorithms was implemented on the computer control system at the University of Utah (UNEL). Since the operational philosophies have a higher priority than automatic control, they determine when automatic control may be utilized. Unlike the operational philosophies, automatic control is not concerned with component failures. The object of this philosophy is the movement of absorber rods to produce a requested power. When the current power level is compared to the requested power level, an error may be detected which will require the movement of a control rod to correct the error. The automatic control philosophy adds another dimension to the classical operational philosophies. Using this philosophy, normal operator interactions with the computer would be limited only to run parameters such as power, period, and run time. This eliminates subjective judgements, objective judgements under pressure, and distractions to the operator and insures the reactor will be operated in a safe and controlled manner as well as providing reproducible operations

  11. A novel attention training paradigm based on operant conditioning of eye gaze: Preliminary findings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Price, Rebecca B; Greven, Inez M; Siegle, Greg J; Koster, Ernst H W; De Raedt, Rudi

    2016-02-01

    Inability to engage with positive stimuli is a widespread problem associated with negative mood states across many conditions, from low self-esteem to anhedonic depression. Though attention retraining procedures have shown promise as interventions in some clinical populations, novel procedures may be necessary to reliably attenuate chronic negative mood in refractory clinical populations (e.g., clinical depression) through, for example, more active, adaptive learning processes. In addition, a focus on individual difference variables predicting intervention outcome may improve the ability to provide such targeted interventions efficiently. To provide preliminary proof-of-principle, we tested a novel paradigm using operant conditioning to train eye gaze patterns toward happy faces. Thirty-two healthy undergraduates were randomized to receive operant conditioning of eye gaze toward happy faces (train-happy) or neutral faces (train-neutral). At the group level, the train-happy condition attenuated sad mood increases following a stressful task, in comparison to train-neutral. In individual differences analysis, greater physiological reactivity (pupil dilation) in response to happy faces (during an emotional face-search task at baseline) predicted decreased mood reactivity after stress. These Preliminary results suggest that operant conditioning of eye gaze toward happy faces buffers against stress-induced effects on mood, particularly in individuals who show sufficient baseline neural engagement with happy faces. Eye gaze patterns to emotional face arrays may have a causal relationship with mood reactivity. Personalized medicine research in depression may benefit from novel cognitive training paradigms that shape eye gaze patterns through feedback. Baseline neural function (pupil dilation) may be a key mechanism, aiding in iterative refinement of this approach. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  12. Project Management Plan/Progress Report UT/GTKS Training Program Development for Commercial Building Operators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None, None

    2013-03-31

    Universidad del Turabo (UT), in a collaborative effort with Global Turn Key Services, Inc. (GTKS), proposed to develop a training program and a commercialization plan for the development of Commercial Building Operators (CBOs). The CBOs will operate energy efficient buildings to help maintain existing buildings up to their optimal energy performance level, and ensure that net-zero-energy buildings continuously operate at design specifications, thus helping achieve progress towards meeting BTP Strategic Goals of creating technologies and design approaches that enable net-zero-energy buildings at low incremental costs by 2025. The proposed objectives were then: (1) Develop a Commercial Building Operator (CBO) training program and accreditation that will in turn provide a certification to participants recognized by Accreditation Boards such as the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) and Leadership in Energy & Environmental Designs (LEED). (2) Develop and implement a commercialization and sustainability plan that details marketing, deployment, financial characterization, job placement, and other goals required for long-term sustainability of the project after the funding period. (3) After program development and deployment, provide potential candidates with the knowledge and skill sets to obtain employment in the commercial building green energy (net-zero-energy building) job market. The developed CBO training program will focus on providing skills for participants, such as displaced and unemployed workers, to enter the commercial building green energy (net-zeroenergy building) job market. This course was designed to allow a participant with minimal to no experience in commercial building green technology to obtain the required skill sets to enter the job market in as little as 12 weeks of intensive multi-faceted learning. After completion of the course, the CBO staff concluded the participant will meet minimum established accreditation

  13. Nevada Renewable Energy Training Project: Geothermal Power Plant Operators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jim, Nichols [Truckee Meadows Community College, Reno, NV (United States)

    2014-04-29

    The purpose of this project was to develop and institute a training program for certified geothermal power plant operators (GPO). An advisory board consisting of subject matter experts from the geothermal energy industry and academia identified the critical skill sets required for this profession. A 34-credit Certificate of Achievement (COA), Geothermal Power Plant Operator, was developed using eight existing courses and developing five new courses. Approval from the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents was obtained. A 2,400 sq. ft. geothermal/fluid mechanics laboratory and a 3,000 sq. ft. outdoor demonstration laboratory were constructed for hands-on training. Students also participated in field trips to geothermal power plants in the region. The majority of students were able to complete the program in 2-3 semesters, depending on their level of math proficiency. Additionally the COA allowed students to continue to an Associate of Applied Science (AAS), Energy Technologies with an emphasis in Geothermal Energy (26 additional credits), if they desired. The COA and AAS are stackable degrees, which provide students with an ongoing career pathway. Articulation agreements with other NSHE institutions provide students with additional opportunities to pursue a Bachelor of Applied Science in Management or Instrumentation. Job placement for COA graduates has been excellent.

  14. Realizing parameterless automatic classification of remote sensing imagery using ontology engineering and cyberinfrastructure techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Ziheng; Fang, Hui; Di, Liping; Yue, Peng

    2016-09-01

    It was an untouchable dream for remote sensing experts to realize total automatic image classification without inputting any parameter values. Experts usually spend hours and hours on tuning the input parameters of classification algorithms in order to obtain the best results. With the rapid development of knowledge engineering and cyberinfrastructure, a lot of data processing and knowledge reasoning capabilities become online accessible, shareable and interoperable. Based on these recent improvements, this paper presents an idea of parameterless automatic classification which only requires an image and automatically outputs a labeled vector. No parameters and operations are needed from endpoint consumers. An approach is proposed to realize the idea. It adopts an ontology database to store the experiences of tuning values for classifiers. A sample database is used to record training samples of image segments. Geoprocessing Web services are used as functionality blocks to finish basic classification steps. Workflow technology is involved to turn the overall image classification into a total automatic process. A Web-based prototypical system named PACS (Parameterless Automatic Classification System) is implemented. A number of images are fed into the system for evaluation purposes. The results show that the approach could automatically classify remote sensing images and have a fairly good average accuracy. It is indicated that the classified results will be more accurate if the two databases have higher quality. Once the experiences and samples in the databases are accumulated as many as an expert has, the approach should be able to get the results with similar quality to that a human expert can get. Since the approach is total automatic and parameterless, it can not only relieve remote sensing workers from the heavy and time-consuming parameter tuning work, but also significantly shorten the waiting time for consumers and facilitate them to engage in image

  15. Acquisition of Automatic Imitation Is Sensitive to Sensorimotor Contingency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cook, Richard; Press, Clare; Dickinson, Anthony; Heyes, Cecilia

    2010-01-01

    The associative sequence learning model proposes that the development of the mirror system depends on the same mechanisms of associative learning that mediate Pavlovian and instrumental conditioning. To test this model, two experiments used the reduction of automatic imitation through incompatible sensorimotor training to assess whether mirror…

  16. Automatic start-up system of nuclear reactor based on sequence control technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Yao; Zhang Dafa; Peng Huaqing

    2009-01-01

    A conceptive design of an automatic start-up system based on the sequence control for the nuclear reactors is given in this paper, so as to solve the problems during the start-up process, such as the long operation time, low automatic control level and high accident rate. The start-up process and its requirements are analyzed in detail at first. Then,the principle, the architecture, the key technologies of the automatic start-up system of nuclear reactors are designed and discussed. With the designed system, the automatic start-up of the nuclear reactor can be realized,the work load of the operator can be reduced,and the safety and efficiency of the nuclear power plant during its start-up can be improved. (authors)

  17. Boiler Operator Training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Stanton S.

    1978-01-01

    This program, developed by the Nalco Chemical Company, helps with energy conservation in industrial plants. The program takes four to six weeks to complete. The training sessions last for about two hours. (BB)

  18. CLG for Automatic Image Segmentation

    OpenAIRE

    Christo Ananth; S.Santhana Priya; S.Manisha; T.Ezhil Jothi; M.S.Ramasubhaeswari

    2017-01-01

    This paper proposes an automatic segmentation method which effectively combines Active Contour Model, Live Wire method and Graph Cut approach (CLG). The aim of Live wire method is to provide control to the user on segmentation process during execution. Active Contour Model provides a statistical model of object shape and appearance to a new image which are built during a training phase. In the graph cut technique, each pixel is represented as a node and the distance between those nodes is rep...

  19. Automatic Texture and Orthophoto Generation from Registered Panoramic Views

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Krispel, Ulrich; Evers, Henrik Leander; Tamke, Martin

    2015-01-01

    are automatically identified from the geometry and an image per view is created via projection. We combine methods of computer vision to train a classifier to detect the objects of interest from these orthographic views. Furthermore, these views can be used for automatic texturing of the proxy geometry....... from range data only. In order to detect these elements, we developed a method that utilizes range data and color information from high-resolution panoramic images of indoor scenes, taken at the scanners position. A proxy geometry is derived from the point clouds; orthographic views of the scene...

  20. Automatic segmentation of vertebrae from radiographs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mysling, Peter; Petersen, Peter Kersten; Nielsen, Mads

    2011-01-01

    Segmentation of vertebral contours is an essential task in the design of automatic tools for vertebral fracture assessment. In this paper, we propose a novel segmentation technique which does not require operator interaction. The proposed technique solves the segmentation problem in a hierarchical...... is constrained by a conditional shape model, based on the variability of the coarse spine location estimates. The technique is evaluated on a data set of manually annotated lumbar radiographs. The results compare favorably to the previous work in automatic vertebra segmentation, in terms of both segmentation...

  1. Predicting space telerobotic operator training performance from human spatial ability assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Andrew M.; Oman, Charles M.; Galvan, Raquel; Natapoff, Alan

    2013-11-01

    Our goal was to determine whether existing tests of spatial ability can predict an astronaut's qualification test performance after robotic training. Because training astronauts to be qualified robotics operators is so long and expensive, NASA is interested in tools that can predict robotics performance before training begins. Currently, the Astronaut Office does not have a validated tool to predict robotics ability as part of its astronaut selection or training process. Commonly used tests of human spatial ability may provide such a tool to predict robotics ability. We tested the spatial ability of 50 active astronauts who had completed at least one robotics training course, then used logistic regression models to analyze the correlation between spatial ability test scores and the astronauts' performance in their evaluation test at the end of the training course. The fit of the logistic function to our data is statistically significant for several spatial tests. However, the prediction performance of the logistic model depends on the criterion threshold assumed. To clarify the critical selection issues, we show how the probability of correct classification vs. misclassification varies as a function of the mental rotation test criterion level. Since the costs of misclassification are low, the logistic models of spatial ability and robotic performance are reliable enough only to be used to customize regular and remedial training. We suggest several changes in tracking performance throughout robotics training that could improve the range and reliability of predictive models.

  2. The operating organization and the recruitment, training and qualification of personnel for research reactors. Safety guide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2008-01-01

    This Safety Guide provides recommendations on meeting the requirements on the operating organization and on personnel for research reactors. It covers the typical operating organization for research reactor facilities; the recruitment process and qualification in terms of education, training and experience; programmes for initial and continuing training; the authorization process for those individuals having an immediate bearing on safety; and the processes for their requalification and reauthorization

  3. Next Generation Model 8800 Automatic TLD Reader

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Velbeck, K.J.; Streetz, K.L.; Rotunda, J.E.

    1999-01-01

    BICRON NE has developed an advanced version of the Model 8800 Automatic TLD Reader. Improvements in the reader include a Windows NT TM -based operating system and a Pentium microprocessor for the host controller, a servo-controlled transport, a VGA display, mouse control, and modular assembly. This high capacity reader will automatically read fourteen hundred TLD Cards in one loading. Up to four elements in a card can be heated without mechanical contact, using hot nitrogen gas. Improvements in performance include an increased throughput rate and more precise card positioning. Operation is simplified through easy-to-read Windows-type screens. Glow curves are displayed graphically along with light intensity, temperature, and channel scaling. Maintenance and diagnostic aids are included for easier troubleshooting. A click of a mouse will command actions that are displayed in easy-to-understand English words. Available options include an internal 90 Sr irradiator, automatic TLD calibration, and two different extremity monitoring modes. Results from testing include reproducibility, reader stability, linearity, detection threshold, residue, primary power supply voltage and frequency, transient voltage, drop testing, and light leakage. (author)

  4. The Final Count Down: A Review of Three Decades of Flight Controller Training Methods for Space Shuttle Mission Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dittermore, Gary; Bertels, Christie

    2011-01-01

    Operations of human spaceflight systems is extremely complex; therefore, the training and certification of operations personnel is a critical piece of ensuring mission success. Mission Control Center (MCC-H), at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, manages mission operations for the Space Shuttle Program, including the training and certification of the astronauts and flight control teams. An overview of a flight control team s makeup and responsibilities during a flight, and details on how those teams are trained and certified, reveals that while the training methodology for developing flight controllers has evolved significantly over the last thirty years the core goals and competencies have remained the same. In addition, the facilities and tools used in the control center have evolved. Changes in methodology and tools have been driven by many factors, including lessons learned, technology, shuttle accidents, shifts in risk posture, and generational differences. Flight controllers share their experiences in training and operating the space shuttle. The primary training method throughout the program has been mission simulations of the orbit, ascent, and entry phases, to truly train like you fly. A review of lessons learned from flight controller training suggests how they could be applied to future human spaceflight endeavors, including missions to the moon or to Mars. The lessons learned from operating the space shuttle for over thirty years will help the space industry build the next human transport space vehicle.

  5. 49 CFR 235.7 - Changes not requiring filing of application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... mechanical lock, or signal used in lieu thereof, from hand-operated switch in automatic block signal or... system, automatic train stop, train control, or cab signal system from track approved for abandonment by... intermittent automatic train stop system in conjunction with the implementation of a positive train control...

  6. Training simulator for nuclear power plant reactor control model and method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Czerbuejewski, F.R.

    1975-01-01

    A description is given of a method and system for the real-time dynamic simulation of a nuclear power plant for training purposes, wherein a control console has a plurality of manual and automatic remote control devices for operating simulated control rods and has indicating devices for monitoring the physical operation of a simulated reactor. Digital computer means are connected to the control console to calculate data values for operating the monitoring devices in accordance with the control devices. The simulation of the reactor control rod mechanism is disclosed whereby the digital computer means operates the rod position monitoring devices in a real-time that is a fraction of the computer time steps and simulates the quick response of a control rod remote control lever together with the delayed response upon a change of direction

  7. Development of a microcontroller-based automatic control system for the electrohydraulic total artificial heart.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, H C; Khanwilkar, P S; Bearnson, G B; Olsen, D B

    1997-01-01

    An automatic physiological control system for the actively filled, alternately pumped ventricles of the volumetrically coupled, electrohydraulic total artificial heart (EHTAH) was developed for long-term use. The automatic control system must ensure that the device: 1) maintains a physiological response of cardiac output, 2) compensates for an nonphysiological condition, and 3) is stable, reliable, and operates at a high power efficiency. The developed automatic control system met these requirements both in vitro, in week-long continuous mock circulation tests, and in vivo, in acute open-chested animals (calves). Satisfactory results were also obtained in a series of chronic animal experiments, including 21 days of continuous operation of the fully automatic control mode, and 138 days of operation in a manual mode, in a 159-day calf implant.

  8. Flavour-flavour learning occurs automatically and only in hungry participants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brunstrom, Jeffrey M; Fletcher, Hollie Z

    2008-01-28

    A novel flavour may become liked if it is presented repeatedly and in combination with a second flavour that is already liked. Conceptually, this 'flavour-flavour learning' is important, because it can account for many of our everyday food and flavour preferences. However, relatively little is known about the underlying process because learning paradigms have lacked reliability. Based on previous research we explored whether learning is determined by three variables; i) hunger state, ii) demand and contingency awareness, and iii) dietary restraint. Participants (male n=15/female n=15) consumed three different and novel-tasting fruit teas. One of the teas had a non-caloric sweetener added (CS+) and two were unsweetened (CS-). Before and after this training the participants ranked their preference for unsweetened versions of the three teas. We found that the training increased preference for the CS+ relative to the CS- teas. However, this effect was only found in hungry participants. We also found little evidence that learning was related to whether the participants could identify (recognition test) the specific tea that had been sweetened during training, suggesting that the underlying process is automatic and it operates outside conscious awareness. Learning was not predicted by dietary restraint (measured using the DEBQ-R scale). Together, these findings provide further evidence for a linkage between flavour-flavour learning and flavour-nutrient learning.

  9. Training approach-avoidance of smiling faces affects emotional vulnerability in socially anxious individuals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rinck, Mike; Telli, Sibel; Kampmann, Isabel L.; Woud, Marcella L.; Kerstholt, Merel; te Velthuis, Sarai; Wittkowski, Matthias; Becker, Eni S.

    2013-01-01

    Previous research revealed an automatic behavioral bias in high socially anxious individuals (HSAs): although their explicit evaluations of smiling faces are positive, they show automatic avoidance of these faces. This is reflected by faster pushing than pulling of smiling faces in an Approach-Avoidance Task (AAT; Heuer et al., 2007). The current study addressed the causal role of this avoidance bias for social anxiety. To this end, we used the AAT to train HSAs, either to approach smiling faces or to avoid them. We examined whether such an AAT training could change HSAs' automatic avoidance tendencies, and if yes, whether AAT effects would generalize to a new approach task with new facial stimuli, and to mood and anxiety in a social threat situation (a video-recorded self-presentation). We found that HSAs trained to approach smiling faces did indeed approach female faces faster after the training than HSAs trained to avoid smiling faces. Moreover, approach-faces training reduced emotional vulnerability: it led to more positive mood and lower anxiety after the self-presentation than avoid-faces training. These results suggest that automatic approach-avoidance tendencies have a causal role in social anxiety, and that they can be modified by a simple computerized training. This may open new avenues in the therapy of social phobia. PMID:23970862

  10. Training Approach-Avoidance of Smiling Faces Affects Emotional Vulnerability in Socially Anxious Individuals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mike eRinck

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Previous research revealed an automatic behavioral bias in high socially anxious individuals (HSAs: Although their explicit evaluations of smiling faces are positive, they show automatic avoidance of these faces. This is reflected by faster pushing than pulling of smiling faces in an Approach-Avoidance Task (AAT; Heuer, Rinck, & Becker, 2007. The current study addressed the causal role of this avoidance bias for social anxiety. To this end, we used the AAT to train HSAs, either to approach smiling faces or to avoid them. We examined whether such an AAT training could change HSAs’ automatic avoidance tendencies, and if yes, whether AAT effects would generalize to a new approach task with new facial stimuli, and to mood and anxiety in a social threat situation (a video-recorded self-presentation. We found that HSAs trained to approach smiling faces did indeed approach female faces faster after the training than HSAs trained to avoid smiling faces. Moreover, approach-faces training reduced emotional vulnerability: It led to more positive mood and lower anxiety after the self-presentation than avoid-faces training. These results suggest that automatic approach-avoidance tendencies have a causal role in social anxiety, and that they can be modified by a simple computerized training. This may open new avenues in the therapy of social phobia.

  11. Automatic programmable air ozonizer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gubarev, S.P.; Klosovsky, A.V.; Opaleva, G.P.; Taran, V.S.; Zolototrubova, M.I.

    2015-01-01

    In this paper we describe a compact, economical, easy to manage auto air ozonator developed at the Institute of Plasma Physics of the NSC KIPT. It is designed for sanitation, disinfection of premises and cleaning the air from foreign odors. A distinctive feature of the developed device is the generation of a given concentration of ozone, approximately 0.7 maximum allowable concentration (MAC), and automatic maintenance of a specified level. This allows people to be inside the processed premises during operation. The microprocessor controller to control the operation of the ozonator was developed

  12. Nonlinear Synchronization for Automatic Learning of 3D Pose Variability in Human Motion Sequences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mozerov M

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available A dense matching algorithm that solves the problem of synchronizing prerecorded human motion sequences, which show different speeds and accelerations, is proposed. The approach is based on minimization of MRF energy and solves the problem by using Dynamic Programming. Additionally, an optimal sequence is automatically selected from the input dataset to be a time-scale pattern for all other sequences. The paper utilizes an action specific model which automatically learns the variability of 3D human postures observed in a set of training sequences. The model is trained using the public CMU motion capture dataset for the walking action, and a mean walking performance is automatically learnt. Additionally, statistics about the observed variability of the postures and motion direction are also computed at each time step. The synchronized motion sequences are used to learn a model of human motion for action recognition and full-body tracking purposes.

  13. Autonomous Diagnostic Imaging Performed by Untrained Operators using Augmented Reality as a Form of "Just-in-Time" Training

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, D. S.; Wang, L.; Laurie, S. S.; Lee, S. M. C.; Fleischer, A. C.; Gibson, C. R.; Stenger, M. B.

    2017-01-01

    We will address the Human Factors and Performance Team, "Risk of performance errors due to training deficiencies" by improving the JIT training materials for ultrasound and OCT imaging by providing advanced guidance in a detailed, timely, and user-friendly manner. Specifically, we will (1) develop an audio-visual tutorial using AR that guides non-experts through an abdominal trauma ultrasound protocol; (2) develop an audio-visual tutorial using AR to guide an untrained operator through the acquisition of OCT images; (3) evaluate the quality of abdominal ultrasound and OCT images acquired by untrained operators using AR guidance compared to images acquired using traditional JIT techniques (laptop-based training conducted before image acquisition); and (4) compare the time required to complete imaging studies using AR tutorials with images acquired using current JIT practices to identify areas for time efficiency improvements. Two groups of subjects will be recruited to participate in this study. Operator-subjects, without previous experience in ultrasound or OCT, will be asked to perform both procedures using either the JIT training with AR technology or the traditional JIT training via laptop. Images acquired by inexperienced operator-subjects will be scored by experts in that imaging modality for diagnostic and research quality; experts will be blinded to the form of JIT used to acquire the images. Operator-subjects also will be asked to submit feedback to improve the training modules used during the scans to improve future training modules. Scanned-subjects will be a small group individuals from whom all images will be acquired.

  14. Autonomous Diagnostic Imaging Performed by Untrained Operator Using Augmented Reality as a Form of "Just-in-Time" Training

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, David S.; Wang, Lui; Laurie, Steven S.; Lee, Stuart M. C.; Stenger, Michael B.

    2017-01-01

    We will address the Human Factors and Performance Team, "Risk of performance errors due to training deficiencies" by improving the JIT training materials for ultrasound and OCT imaging by providing advanced guidance in a detailed, timely, and user-friendly manner. Specifically, we will (1) develop an audio-visual tutorial using AR that guides non-experts through an abdominal trauma ultrasound protocol; (2) develop an audio-visual tutorial using AR to guide an untrained operator through the acquisition of OCT images; (3) evaluate the quality of abdominal ultrasound and OCT images acquired by untrained operators using AR guidance compared to images acquired using traditional JIT techniques (laptop-based training conducted before image acquisition); and (4) compare the time required to complete imaging studies using AR tutorials with images acquired using current JIT practices to identify areas for time efficiency improvements. Two groups of subjects will be recruited to participate in this study. Operator-subjects, without previous experience in ultrasound or OCT, will be asked to perform both procedures using either the JIT training with AR technology or the traditional JIT training via laptop. Images acquired by inexperienced operator-subjects will be scored by experts in that imaging modality for diagnostic and research quality; experts will be blinded to the form of JIT used to acquire the images. Operator-subjects also will be asked to submit feedback to improve the training modules used during the scans to improve future training modules. Scanned-subjects will be a small group individuals from whom all images will be acquired.

  15. Design and construction of an automatic texture goniometer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lima, N.B. de; Pontes, E.W.; Monteiro, P.R.B.; Imakuma, K.

    1984-01-01

    The project and construction of a two-axis automatic goniometer, operated by step motors, adaptable to the scanning goniometer SG-7 or SG-8 fabricated by Rigaku-Deuki. To allow the operation of this texture goniometer, computer codes has been developed. (E.G.) [pt

  16. Computer software design description for the Treated Effluent Disposal Facility (TEDF), Project L-045H, Operator Training Station (OTS)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carter, R.L. Jr.

    1994-01-01

    The Treated Effluent Disposal Facility (TEDF) Operator Training Station (OTS) is a computer-based training tool designed to aid plant operations and engineering staff in familiarizing themselves with the TEDF Central Control System (CCS)

  17. Nuclear power plant diagnostics study at the Midland training simulator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reifman, J.; Rank, P.; Lee, J.C.

    1991-01-01

    Training simulators provide a real world environment for testing advanced diagnostic and control systems as an aid to nuclear power plant operators. The simulators not only duplicate the hardware din the actual control room, allowing for analysis of man-machine interface, but also represent the dynamic behavior of the reference plant in real-time, in a realistic manner. Training simulators provide the means to representing the reference plant operations in a wide range of operation conditions including off-normal and emergency conditions. Transient events with very low probability of occurrence can then be represented and used to test the capabilities of advanced diagnostic and control systems. For these reasons, full-scope operator training simulators have been used as a test bed for a number of advanced diagnostic concepts. The University of Michigan and Consumers Power Company have been collaborating in a program devoted to the development and study of advanced concepts for automatic diagnostics and control of nuclear power plants. The program has been focused on the use of the full-scope operator training Midland Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2 (MNP-2) Simulator for development, testing, and verification of advanced diagnostics concepts. In their current efforts, the authors have developed two artificial intelligent (AI) diagnostic concepts that have been applied to the MNP-2 Simulator: the systematic generation and updating of a rule-based knowledge system for nuclear power plant diagnostics and a nonlinear parameter estimation algorithm called the simulation filter. The simulation filter algorithm is used with the MNP-2 Simulator to improve the simulation of the Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) accident. 11 refs., 4 figs

  18. Appetitive operant conditioning in mice: heritability and dissociability of training stages

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Malkki, H.A.I.; Donga, L.A.B.; de Groot, S.E.; Battaglia, F.P.; Brussaard, A.B.; Borst, J.G.G.; Elgersma, Y.; Galjart, N.; van der Horst, G.T.; Levelt, C.N.; Pennartz, C.M.A.; Smit, A.B.; Spruijt, B.M.; Verhage, M.; de Zeeuw, C.I.

    2010-01-01

    To study the heritability of different training stages of appetitive operant conditioning, we carried out behavioral screening of 5 standard inbred mouse strains, 28 recombinant-inbred (BxD) mouse lines and their progenitor strains C57BL/6J and DBA/2J. We also computed correlations between

  19. Automatic, semi-automatic and manual validation of urban drainage data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Branisavljević, N; Prodanović, D; Pavlović, D

    2010-01-01

    Advances in sensor technology and the possibility of automated long distance data transmission have made continuous measurements the preferable way of monitoring urban drainage processes. Usually, the collected data have to be processed by an expert in order to detect and mark the wrong data, remove them and replace them with interpolated data. In general, the first step in detecting the wrong, anomaly data is called the data quality assessment or data validation. Data validation consists of three parts: data preparation, validation scores generation and scores interpretation. This paper will present the overall framework for the data quality improvement system, suitable for automatic, semi-automatic or manual operation. The first two steps of the validation process are explained in more detail, using several validation methods on the same set of real-case data from the Belgrade sewer system. The final part of the validation process, which is the scores interpretation, needs to be further investigated on the developed system.

  20. Stimulus- and response-reinforcer contingencies in autoshaping, operant, classical, and omission training procedures in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atnip, G W

    1977-07-01

    Separate groups of rats received 500 trials of lever-press training under autoshaping (food delivery followed 10-second lever presentations, or occurred immediately following a response); operant conditioning (responding was necessary for food delivery); and classical conditioning (food followed lever presentations regardless of responding). Each group then received 500 trials on an omission procedure in which food was omitted on trials with a response. Another group received 1000 trials on the omission procedure, and a fifth group, random control, received 1000 uncorrelated presentations of lever and food. The autoshaping, operant, and classical groups reached high response levels by the end of initial training. Acquisition was fastest in the autoshaping group. Responding remained consistently low in the control group. The omission group responded at a level between the control group and the other three groups. During omission training, responding in these three groups declined to the omission-group level. During omission training, the rats continued contacting the lever frequently after lever pressing had declined. Response maintenance under omission training seems not to require topographic similarity between the response and reinforcer-elicited consummatory behaviors.

  1. Study on a Footwork Training and Testing System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qi Hu

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available In the sport science fields, for a long time there are various attempts to explore more advanced technology in order to collect kinds of information concerned during athletes training and matches. In the paper, a footwork training and testing system has been developed by adopting the advanced technology of Wireless Sensor Network (WSN. The system is comprised of some wireless senor nodes and gateways, system control software and so on. By means of the system, the daily footwork training methods and modes will be simulated to automatically guide the training of the athletes, at the same time the training data concerned will be automatically recorded, including moving velocity, moving frequency and success average, moving exercise duration and so on, and it is facilitate to evaluate digitally the training and testing effects for coaches and athletes. The system will bring about an auxiliary means in sport science training and research, make coaches and researchers have more options for the technical and information forms, and provide the technology foundation for synchronizing and intermingling the training and testing smoothly.

  2. Effects of Interpersonal Skills Training on MRI Operations in a Saturated Market: A Randomized Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ajam, Amna A; Nguyen, Xuan V; Kelly, Ronda A; Ladapo, Joseph A; Lang, Elvira V

    2017-07-01

    The aim of this study was to assess the effects of team training on operational efficiency during outpatient MRI. In this institutional review board-approved, HIPAA-compliant study, six MRI outpatient sites of a midwestern hospital system were randomized to serve as controls or have their teams trained in advanced communication skills. The fourth quarter of fiscal year 2015 was the trial baseline. The trial ended in the third quarter (Q3) of fiscal year 2016 (FY16). Equipment utilization (completed scans/available slots), hourly scan rates (total orders completed per machine per hour of operation), and no-show rates stratified by time were analyzed using the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel method, with individual comparisons performed with Bonferroni correction. The study encompassed 27,425 MRI examinations. Overall volume peaked at baseline and then declined over the following quarters. Compared with baseline, untrained sites experienced significant drops in equipment utilization (P trained sites, these metrics showed no significant change, with maintenance of hourly scan rates of 1.23 and 1.27 and equipment utilization rates of 83% and 85% between baseline and Q3 FY16. No-show rates remained stable at trained sites but increased at untrained sites in the last two quarters (P trained sites from 56th at baseline to 70th and successively decreased at untrained sites from 66th to 44th. MRI outpatient facilities trained in advanced communication techniques may have more favorable operational efficiency than untrained sites in a saturated market. Copyright © 2017 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Experience of Hungarian model project: 'Strengthening training for operational safety at Paks NPP'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kiss, I.

    1998-01-01

    Training of Operational Safety at Paks NPP is described including all the features of the project including namely: description of Paks NPP, its properties and performances; reasons for establishing Hungarian Model Project, its main goals, mentioning Hungarian and IAEA experts involved in the Project, its organization, operation, budget, current status together with its short term and long term impact

  4. Operative training in otolaryngology in the United Kingdom: a specialist registrar survey

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Georgalas, Christos; Hadjihannas, Edward; Ghufoor, Khalid; Pracy, Paul; Papesch, Michael

    2005-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To assess the current status of operative training for otolaryngology specialist registrars in the United Kingdom. DESIGN: Web-based questionnaire survey. PARTICIPANTS: All otolaryngology specialist registrars in the United Kingdom. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The overall satisfaction with

  5. IAEA Technical Co-operation activities: Asia and the Pacific. Workshop on training nuclear laboratory technicians

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roeed, S.S.

    1976-01-01

    The workshop was held to exchange information on existing facilities and programmes in Asia and the Pacific for training nuclear laboratory technicians, to identify future training needs and to assess the need for IAEA's involvement in this field. As the participants outlined the requirements for nuclear laboratory technician training and the facilities available in their respective countries, it became evident that, in addition to the training of radioisotope laboratory technicians, they also wished to review the need for technician training for the operation of nuclear power plants and industrial application of atomic energy. The terms of reference of the workshop were extended accordingly. The opening address by Chang Suk Lee, the Korean Vice Minister of Science and Technology, noted the valuable contribution to quality control and other industrial uses that nuclear techniques have made in his country. He also reviewed the application of nuclear techniques in Korean agriculture and medicine. The participants explored various forms of co-operation that could be established between countries of the region. Exchange programmes, not only for students but also for expert teachers, and the exchange or loan of equipment were suggested. It was felt that some generalized training courses could be organized on a regional basis, and two countries advocated the setting up of a regional training centre. One suggestion was to arrange regional training courses in special fields that would move from one country to another. The need was felt for periodic regional meetings on training methods, course content and other questions relating to training of laboratory technicians. The IAEA was requested to act as a clearinghouse for information on available training facilities in the region and to advise on the curricula for technician training courses. The Agency was also asked to organize short courses for the training of instructors of technicians in the various fields of atomic

  6. Performance Analysis of the SIFT Operator for Automatic Feature Extraction and Matching in Photogrammetric Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francesco Nex

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available In the photogrammetry field, interest in region detectors, which are widely used in Computer Vision, is quickly increasing due to the availability of new techniques. Images acquired by Mobile Mapping Technology, Oblique Photogrammetric Cameras or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles do not observe normal acquisition conditions. Feature extraction and matching techniques, which are traditionally used in photogrammetry, are usually inefficient for these applications as they are unable to provide reliable results under extreme geometrical conditions (convergent taking geometry, strong affine transformations, etc. and for bad-textured images. A performance analysis of the SIFT technique in aerial and close-range photogrammetric applications is presented in this paper. The goal is to establish the suitability of the SIFT technique for automatic tie point extraction and approximate DSM (Digital Surface Model generation. First, the performances of the SIFT operator have been compared with those provided by feature extraction and matching techniques used in photogrammetry. All these techniques have been implemented by the authors and validated on aerial and terrestrial images. Moreover, an auto-adaptive version of the SIFT operator has been developed, in order to improve the performances of the SIFT detector in relation to the texture of the images. The Auto-Adaptive SIFT operator (A2 SIFT has been validated on several aerial images, with particular attention to large scale aerial images acquired using mini-UAV systems.

  7. Forms and methods of training and teaching of power network operators within the deregulated energy markets; Training und Schulung von Netzbetriebsfuehrern im deregulierten Markt. Formen und Methoden der Ausbildung

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Timmermann, D. [Consulectra Unternehmensberatung GmbH, Hamburg (Germany)

    2003-03-24

    The basic as well as the advanced professional training and education of future network operators is continuously receding into the background within periods of increasing pressure of the efficiency. The author shows that for the execution of training and educational measures the operation of a cost- and personal-intensive training simulator will not be necessarily required, but also other forms can make sense. The various kinds and methods for training and education of network operators will be indicated and evaluated. By this way the required expenditure will be put into relation to the benefit of the training efforts. (orig.) [German] Die Aus- und Weiterbildung von Netzbetriebsfuehrern tritt in Zeiten des steigenden Effizienzdruckes immer mehr in den Hintergrund. Der Verfasser zeigt auf, dass fuer die Durchfuehrung von Trainings- und Schulungsmassnahmen nicht zwingend der kosten- und personalintensive Betrieb eines Trainingssimulators erforderlich ist, sondern auch andere Formen sinnvoll sein koennen. Die unterschiedlichen Formen und Methoden fuer Training und Schulung von Netzbetriebsfuehrern werden aufgezeigt und bewertet. Dabei wird der erforderliche Aufwand in Relation zum Trainingsnutzen gestellt. (orig.)

  8. Operation of Wastewater Treatment Plants. Volume 1. A Field Study Training Program. Third Edition. Revised.

    Science.gov (United States)

    California State Univ., Sacramento. Dept. of Civil Engineering.

    The purpose of this wastewater treatment field study training program is to: (1) develop new qualified wastewater treatment plant operators; (2) expand the abilities of existing operators, permitting better service both to employers and public; and (3) prepare operators for civil service and certification examinations (examinations administered by…

  9. Automatic continuous dew point measurement in combustion gases

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fehler, D.

    1986-08-01

    Low exhaust temperatures serve to minimize energy consumption in combustion systems. This requires accurate, continuous measurement of exhaust condensation. An automatic dew point meter for continuous operation is described. The principle of measurement, the design of the measuring system, and practical aspects of operation are discussed.

  10. Automatic Control of the Concrete Mixture Homogeneity in Cycling Mixers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anatoly Fedorovich, Tikhonov; Drozdov, Anatoly

    2018-03-01

    The article describes the factors affecting the concrete mixture quality related to the moisture content of aggregates, since the effectiveness of the concrete mixture production is largely determined by the availability of quality management tools at all stages of the technological process. It is established that the unaccounted moisture of aggregates adversely affects the concrete mixture homogeneity and, accordingly, the strength of building structures. A new control method and the automatic control system of the concrete mixture homogeneity in the technological process of mixing components have been proposed, since the tasks of providing a concrete mixture are performed by the automatic control system of processing kneading-and-mixing machinery with operational automatic control of homogeneity. Theoretical underpinnings of the control of the mixture homogeneity are presented, which are related to a change in the frequency of vibrodynamic vibrations of the mixer body. The structure of the technical means of the automatic control system for regulating the supply of water is determined depending on the change in the concrete mixture homogeneity during the continuous mixing of components. The following technical means for establishing automatic control have been chosen: vibro-acoustic sensors, remote terminal units, electropneumatic control actuators, etc. To identify the quality indicator of automatic control, the system offers a structure flowchart with transfer functions that determine the ACS operation in transient dynamic mode.

  11. Automatic classification of time-variable X-ray sources

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lo, Kitty K.; Farrell, Sean; Murphy, Tara; Gaensler, B. M. [Sydney Institute for Astronomy, School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006 (Australia)

    2014-05-01

    To maximize the discovery potential of future synoptic surveys, especially in the field of transient science, it will be necessary to use automatic classification to identify some of the astronomical sources. The data mining technique of supervised classification is suitable for this problem. Here, we present a supervised learning method to automatically classify variable X-ray sources in the Second XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalog (2XMMi-DR2). Random Forest is our classifier of choice since it is one of the most accurate learning algorithms available. Our training set consists of 873 variable sources and their features are derived from time series, spectra, and other multi-wavelength contextual information. The 10 fold cross validation accuracy of the training data is ∼97% on a 7 class data set. We applied the trained classification model to 411 unknown variable 2XMM sources to produce a probabilistically classified catalog. Using the classification margin and the Random Forest derived outlier measure, we identified 12 anomalous sources, of which 2XMM J180658.7–500250 appears to be the most unusual source in the sample. Its X-ray spectra is suggestive of a ultraluminous X-ray source but its variability makes it highly unusual. Machine-learned classification and anomaly detection will facilitate scientific discoveries in the era of all-sky surveys.

  12. Automatic classification of time-variable X-ray sources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lo, Kitty K.; Farrell, Sean; Murphy, Tara; Gaensler, B. M.

    2014-01-01

    To maximize the discovery potential of future synoptic surveys, especially in the field of transient science, it will be necessary to use automatic classification to identify some of the astronomical sources. The data mining technique of supervised classification is suitable for this problem. Here, we present a supervised learning method to automatically classify variable X-ray sources in the Second XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalog (2XMMi-DR2). Random Forest is our classifier of choice since it is one of the most accurate learning algorithms available. Our training set consists of 873 variable sources and their features are derived from time series, spectra, and other multi-wavelength contextual information. The 10 fold cross validation accuracy of the training data is ∼97% on a 7 class data set. We applied the trained classification model to 411 unknown variable 2XMM sources to produce a probabilistically classified catalog. Using the classification margin and the Random Forest derived outlier measure, we identified 12 anomalous sources, of which 2XMM J180658.7–500250 appears to be the most unusual source in the sample. Its X-ray spectra is suggestive of a ultraluminous X-ray source but its variability makes it highly unusual. Machine-learned classification and anomaly detection will facilitate scientific discoveries in the era of all-sky surveys.

  13. Qualification requirements and training programs for nonreactor nuclear facility personnel in the Operations Division of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Preston, E.L.; Culbert, W.H.; Baldwin, M.E.; McCormack, K.E.; Rivera, A.L.; Setaro, J.A.

    1985-11-01

    This document describes the program for training, retraining, and qualification of nonreactor nuclear operators in the Operations Division of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The objective of the program is to provide the Operators and Supervisors of nuclear facilities the knowledge and skills needed to perform assigned duties in a safe and efficient manner and to comply with US Department of Energy Order 5480.1A Chapter V. This order requires DOE nuclear facilities to maintain formal training programs for their operating staff and documentation of that training.

  14. Qualification requirements and training programs for nonreactor nuclear facility personnel in the Operations Division of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Preston, E.L.; Culbert, W.H.; Baldwin, M.E.; McCormack, K.E.; Rivera, A.L.; Setaro, J.A.

    1985-11-01

    This document describes the program for training, retraining, and qualification of nonreactor nuclear operators in the Operations Division of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The objective of the program is to provide the Operators and Supervisors of nuclear facilities the knowledge and skills needed to perform assigned duties in a safe and efficient manner and to comply with US Department of Energy Order 5480.1A Chapter V. This order requires DOE nuclear facilities to maintain formal training programs for their operating staff and documentation of that training

  15. The Associate Principal Astronomer for AI Management of Automatic Telescopes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henry, Gregory W.

    1998-01-01

    This research program in scheduling and management of automatic telescopes had the following objectives: 1. To field test the 1993 Automatic Telescope Instruction Set (ATIS93) programming language, which was specifically developed to allow real-time control of an automatic telescope via an artificial intelligence scheduler running on a remote computer. 2. To develop and test the procedures for two-way communication between a telescope controller and remote scheduler via the Internet. 3. To test various concepts in Al scheduling being developed at NASA Ames Research Center on an automatic telescope operated by Tennessee State University at the Fairborn Observatory site in southern Arizona. and 4. To develop a prototype software package, dubbed the Associate Principal Astronomer, for the efficient scheduling and management of automatic telescopes.

  16. Automatic welding of stainless steel tubing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clautice, W. E.

    1978-01-01

    The use of automatic welding for making girth welds in stainless steel tubing was investigated as well as the reduction in fabrication costs resulting from the elimination of radiographic inspection. Test methodology, materials, and techniques are discussed, and data sheets for individual tests are included. Process variables studied include welding amperes, revolutions per minute, and shielding gas flow. Strip chart recordings, as a definitive method of insuring weld quality, are studied. Test results, determined by both radiographic and visual inspection, are presented and indicate that once optimum welding procedures for specific sizes of tubing are established, and the welding machine operations are certified, then the automatic tube welding process produces good quality welds repeatedly, with a high degree of reliability. Revised specifications for welding tubing using the automatic process and weld visual inspection requirements at the Kennedy Space Center are enumerated.

  17. Rocuronium: automatic infusion versus manual administration with TOF monitorisation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozturk Arikan, Fatma Gulcin; Turan, Guldem; Ozgultekin, Asu; Sivrikaya, Zubeyir; Cosar, Bekir Cem; Onder, Dondu Nisa

    2016-10-01

    TOF (train-of-four) monitoring provides objective data in application of neuromuscular blocking agent. Thus, applicator-based differences are eliminated and optimum muscle relaxation is maintained during operation. In the present study, we aimed to compare the effects of target-controlled infusion system and standard TOF monitoring, on use of rocuronium. ASA I-II patients, who were aged between 18 and 75 years and scheduled for elective abdominal surgery at Haydarpaşa Numune Training and Research Hospital, were enrolled in the study. In order to evaluate neuromuscular blockade, the patients in Group 1 were connected to the acceleromyography device of the target-controlled infusion pump (Veryark-CLMRIS-I-China) while the ones in Group 2 were connected to the routinely used acceleromyography device (TOF Watch SX). There was no significant difference between groups regarding patient characteristics, the durations of anaesthesia and surgery, quality of intubation, time to extubation and time to recovery (TOF ratio of 0.9). Intubation time was significantly longer in Group 1 (Automated group) as compared to Group 2 (Control group) (p rocuronium amount used in Group 1 was found to be significantly higher than the amount used in Group 2 (p rocuronium was administered via automatical infusion pump during anaesthesia.

  18. Training and certification program of the operating staff for a 90-day test of a regenerative life support system

    Science.gov (United States)

    1972-01-01

    Prior to beginning a 90-day test of a regenerative life support system, a need was identified for a training and certification program to qualify an operating staff for conducting the test. The staff was responsible for operating and maintaining the test facility, monitoring and ensuring crew safety, and implementing procedures to ensure effective mission performance with good data collection and analysis. The training program was designed to ensure that each operating staff member was capable of performing his assigned function and was sufficiently cross-trained to serve at certain other positions on a contingency basis. Complicating the training program were budget and schedule limitations, and the high level of sophistication of test systems.

  19. Observer Based Traction/Braking Control Design for High Speed Trains Considering Adhesion Nonlinearity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wenchuan Cai

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Train traction/braking control, one of the key enabling technologies for automatic train operation, literally takes its action through adhesion force. However, adhesion coefficient of high speed train (HST is uncertain in general because it varies with wheel-rail surface condition and running speed; thus, it is extremely difficult to be measured, which makes traction/braking control design and implementation of HSTs greatly challenging. In this work, force observers are applied to estimate the adhesion force or/and the resistance, based on which simple traction/braking control schemes are established under the consideration of actual wheel-rail adhesion condition. It is shown that the proposed controllers have simple structure and can be easily implemented from real applications. Numerical simulation also validates the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.

  20. 46 CFR 61.30-20 - Automatic control and safety tests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Automatic control and safety tests. 61.30-20 Section 61... TESTS AND INSPECTIONS Tests and Inspections of Fired Thermal Fluid Heaters § 61.30-20 Automatic control and safety tests. Operational tests and checks of all safety and limit controls, combustion controls...

  1. 20 CFR 670.510 - Are Job Corps center operators responsible for providing all vocational training?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 20 Employees' Benefits 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Are Job Corps center operators responsible for providing all vocational training? 670.510 Section 670.510 Employees' Benefits EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR THE JOB CORPS UNDER TITLE I OF THE WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACT...

  2. Automatic gas-levitation system for vacuum deposition of laser-fusion targets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jordan, C.W.; Cameron, G.R.; Krenik, R.M.; Crane, J.K.

    1981-01-01

    An improved simple system has been developed to gas-levitate microspheres during vacuum-deposition processes. The automatic operation relies on two effects: a lateral stabilizing force provided by a centering-ring; and an automatically incremented gas metering system to offset weight increases during coating

  3. An intelligent tool for the training of nuclear plant operators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cordier, B.

    1990-01-01

    A new type of pedagogical tool has been developped for the training of nuclear power plant operation. This tool combines simulation and expert system. The first process developped is about Steam Generator Tube Rupture (S.G.T.R.). All nuclear power plants will be equiped with this system in 1989 and 1990. After this first experiment, others processes will be developped for this tool

  4. Training nuclear power plant personnel on SR-O reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cerny, K.; Boucek, F.; Kveton, M.; Prokopec, Z.; Fleischhans, J.

    1983-01-01

    The SR-O reactor is an experimental pool-type reactor with a maximum output of 1 MW and maximum thermal neutron flux density of 5.3x10 13 m -2 s -1 . The reactor is described in detail and its specifications are given. The protection and control systems of the reactor permit both manual and automatic operation. The reactor is used for training courses for nuclear power plant operators and for post-graduate study courses for other specialists. Intensive courses for 4 to 6 persons take 15 to 20 days. The course is adjusted to the results of introductory theoretical tests. An optimal teaching method has been developed based on the flowchart algorithmic method, dividing activities into operations (manipulations with controls, issuing commands, making records, etc.) and decision making (information reception and processing). (M.D.)

  5. System for the quality assurance of personnel training programs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rjona, Orison; Venegas, Maria del C.; Rodriguez, Lazaro; Lopez, Miguel A.; Armenteros, Ana L.

    1999-01-01

    In this work are described the fundamental possibilities and characteristics of a software that allows to carry out the management and automatic evaluation of all data gotten during jobs analysis and design, development, implementation and evaluation of personnel training programs of nuclear and radioactive installations and risk industries. The system that is introduced, GESAT, proportion a tool of centralized managerial control of training data and the obtaining of the quality objectives of each installation in the training of their personnel. GESAT includes all phases of SAT method (Systematic Approach to Training). It constitutes the necessary practical support for the elaboration, implementation and evaluation of training programs, allowing the establishment of restrictions and controls and avoiding inconsistencies in the process. It offers the possibility of automatic evaluation that identify fundamental deficiencies in the planning and implementation of training programs. This evaluation facilitates the systematic feed back and the continuous improvement of the training programs.(author)

  6. Development and Operation of an Automatic Rotor Trim Control System for use During the UH-60 Individual Blade Control Wind Tunnel Test

    Science.gov (United States)

    Theodore, Colin R.

    2010-01-01

    A full-scale wind tunnel test to evaluate the effects of Individual Blade Control (IBC) on the performance, vibration, noise and loads of a UH-60A rotor was recently completed in the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC) 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel [1]. A key component of this wind tunnel test was an automatic rotor trim control system that allowed the rotor trim state to be set more precisely, quickly and repeatably than was possible with the rotor operator setting the trim condition manually. The trim control system was also able to maintain the desired trim condition through changes in IBC actuation both in open- and closed-loop IBC modes, and through long-period transients in wind tunnel flow. This ability of the trim control system to automatically set and maintain a steady rotor trim enabled the effects of different IBC inputs to be compared at common trim conditions and to perform these tests quickly without requiring the rotor operator to re-trim the rotor. The trim control system described in this paper was developed specifically for use during the IBC wind tunnel test

  7. Techniques for incorporating operator expertise into intelligent decision aids and training

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blackman, H.S.; Nelson, W.R.

    1987-01-01

    The objective of this work is to evaluate the potential for developing a complete model for training novices based upon a combination of rules for operation, and heuristics for application of the rules. The method used to investigate this potential is based upon the experimental evaluation of the response tree expert system. The present study used the low pressure injection system (LPIS) simulation developed for the response tree expert system evaluation, so that the rules of operation were already developed, and only the expert heuristics needed to be identified. The heuristics were abstracted from concurrent and recall protocols, taken from expert operators while attempting to solve transients on the LPIS, using protocol analysis techniques previously developed. This paper describes the experiment, and identifies the mental processes used by expert operators

  8. Automation system for operation of nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kinoshita, Mitsuo; Fukuzaki, Koji; Kato, Kanji

    1991-01-01

    The automation system comprises a general monitor control device incorporating a plurality of emergency operation plannings concerning an automatic processing, and judging whether the operation is to be conducted or not depending on the plannings based on the data planed by a plant, a control device for controlling the plant in accordance with the planning when monitor control device judges that the operation should be done due to the emergency operation plannings and an operation planning device aiding the formation of the operation plannings. When the state of the power plant exceeds a normal control region, the reactor power is lowered automatically by so much as a predetermined value or to a predetermined level, to automatically return the plant state to the normal control region. In this way, the plant operation efficiency can be improved. Further, after automatic operation, since operation plannings for recovering original operation plannings are prepared efficiently and recovered operation plannings are started in a short period of time, the operators' burden can be mitigated and power saving can be attained. (N.H.)

  9. Research on Semi-automatic Bomb Fetching for an EOD Robot

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qian Jun

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available An EOD robot system, SUPER-PLUS, which has a novel semi-automatic bomb fetching function is presented in this paper. With limited support of human, SUPER-PLUS scans the cluttered environment with a wrist-mounted laser distance sensor and plans the manipulator a collision free path to fetch the bomb. The model construction of manipulator, bomb and environment, C-space map, path planning and the operation procedure are introduced in detail. The semi-automatic bomb fetching function has greatly improved the operation performance of EOD robot.

  10. Research on Semi-Automatic Bomb Fetching for an EOD Robot

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zeng Jian-Jun

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available An EOD robot system, SUPER-PLUS, which has a novel semi-automatic bomb fetching function is presented in this paper. With limited support of human, SUPER-PLUS scans the cluttered environment with a wrist-mounted laser distance sensor and plans the manipulator a collision free path to fetch the bomb. The model construction of manipulator, bomb and environment, C-space map, path planning and the operation procedure are introduced in detail. The semi-automatic bomb fetching function has greatly improved the operation performance of EOD robot.

  11. Automatic Mechanisms for Social Attention Are Culturally Penetrable.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen, Adam S; Sasaki, Joni Y; German, Tamsin C; Kim, Heejung S

    2017-01-01

    Are mechanisms for social attention influenced by culture? Evidence that social attention is triggered automatically by bottom-up gaze cues and is uninfluenced by top-down verbal instructions may suggest it operates in the same way everywhere. Yet considerations from evolutionary and cultural psychology suggest that specific aspects of one's cultural background may have consequence for the way mechanisms for social attention develop and operate. In more interdependent cultures, the scope of social attention may be broader, focusing on more individuals and relations between those individuals. We administered a multi-gaze cueing task requiring participants to fixate a foreground face flanked by background faces and measured shifts in attention using eye tracking. For European Americans, gaze cueing did not depend on the direction of background gaze cues, suggesting foreground gaze alone drives automatic attention shifting; for East Asians, cueing patterns differed depending on whether the foreground cue matched or mismatched background cues, suggesting foreground and background gaze information were integrated. These results demonstrate that cultural background influences the social attention system by shifting it into a narrow or broad mode of operation and, importantly, provides evidence challenging the assumption that mechanisms underlying automatic social attention are necessarily rigid and impenetrable to culture. Copyright © 2015 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

  12. Retraining automatic action-tendencies to approach alcohol in hazardous drinkers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wiers, R.W.H.J.; Rinck, M.; Kordts, R.; Houben, K.; Strack, F.

    2010-01-01

    The main aim of this study was to test whether automatic action-tendencies to approach alcohol can be modified, and whether this affects drinking behaviour. Design and participants - Forty-two hazardous drinkers were assigned randomly to a condition in which they were implicitly trained to avoid or

  13. Retraining automatic action-tendencies to approach alcohol in hazardous drinkers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wiers, R.W.; Rinck, M.; Kordts, R.; Houben, K.; Strack, F.

    2010-01-01

    Aims: The main aim of this study was to test whether automatic action-tendencies to approach alcohol can be modified, and whether this affects drinking behaviour. Design and participants: Forty-two hazardous drinkers were assigned randomly to a condition in which they were implicitly trained to

  14. Chapter 5: Training

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2018-04-01

    The chapter 5 presents the 1) initial training; 2) periodic training, which includes: a) periodic training for employees at lower levels of the hierarchy than that of the operator; b) period training for operators; 3) operator training; 4) record of training; 5) safety culture.

  15. CRM training for nuclear power plant operator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohsuga, Y.; Sudou, K.; Sugimura, Z.

    2008-01-01

    It is training which expects that as for feature of CRM training, trainees observe the image of their own simulator training and become aware of the state of their selves. With this training, it is important for training crew to understand the idea and the skill of the CRM training. The CRM training consists of the lecture in order to understand what it is, the observation of simulator training image and the de-briefing which trainees discuss after their simulator practices. (author)

  16. Design scheme of automatic feeding equipment of domestic uranium chemical concentrate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu Jinming; Wang Chao; Peng Jinhui; Zhang Libo

    2014-01-01

    In order to solve problems by artificial feeding mode with low work efficiency, large intensity manual labor and environmental pollution in domestic uranium concentrate purification process, the design scheme of automatic feeding device was set up, including work flow sheet, composition of automatic equipment and operation. By application of automatic feeding equipment, the feeding speed can be greatly increased, labor force can be reduced, and harm to workman health can be decreased. (authors)

  17. Computerized operation of the DIII-D neutral beams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Glad, A.S.; Tooker, J.F.

    1986-01-01

    Operation of the DIII-D neutral beams utilizes computerized control to provide routine tokamak beam heating shots and an effective method for automatic ion source operation. Computerized control reduces operational complexity, thus providing consistent reliability and availability of beams and a significant reduction in the the costs of routine operation. The objectives in implementing computerized control for operation were: (1) to improve operator efficiency for controlling multiple beam lines and increasing beam availability through standard procedures, (2) to provide a simplified scheme that operators and coordinators can construct and maintain, and (3) to provide a single integrated mechanism for both tokamak operation and automatic source conditioning. The years of experience in operating neutral beams at Doublet III provided the data necessary to meet the objectives. The method for computerized control consisted of three integrated functions: (1) a structured command language was implemented to provide the mechanism for automatically sequencing beams, (2) a historical file was constructed from the operational parameters to characterize the ion source, and consists of data from approximately 100,000 beam shots, and (3) procedures were developed integrating the language to the historical file for normal operation and source conditioning. This paper describes the method for sequencing beams automatically, the structure of the historical data file, and the procedures which integrate the historical data with tokamak operation and automatic source conditioning

  18. Implementation and Test of the Automatic Flight Dynamics Operations for Geostationary Satellite Mission

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sangwook Park

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes the Flight Dynamics Automation (FDA system for COMS Flight Dynamics System (FDS and its test result in terms of the performance of the automation jobs. FDA controls the flight dynamics functions such as orbit determination, orbit prediction, event prediction, and fuel accounting. The designed FDA is independent from the specific characteristics which are defined by spacecraft manufacturer or specific satellite missions. Therefore, FDA could easily links its autonomous job control functions to any satellite mission control system with some interface modification. By adding autonomous system along with flight dynamics system, it decreases the operator’s tedious and repeated jobs but increase the usability and reliability of the system. Therefore, FDA is used to improve the completeness of whole mission control system’s quality. The FDA is applied to the real flight dynamics system of a geostationary satellite, COMS and the experimental test is performed. The experimental result shows the stability and reliability of the mission control operations through the automatic job control.

  19. Automatic failure identification of the nuclear power plant pellet fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oliveira, Adriano Fortunato de

    2010-01-01

    This paper proposed the development of an automatic technique for evaluating defects to help in the stage of fabrication of fuel elements. Was produced an intelligent image analysis for automatic recognition of defects in uranium pellets. Therefore, an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) was trained using segments of histograms of pellets, containing examples of both normal (no fault) and of defectives pellets (with major defects normally found). The images of the pellets were segmented into 11 shares. Histograms were made of these segments and trained the ANN. Besides automating the process, the system was able to obtain this classification accuracy of 98.33%. Although this percentage represents a significant advance ever in the quality control process, the use of more advanced techniques of photography and lighting will reduce it to insignificant levels with low cost. Technologically, the method developed, should it ever be implemented, will add substantial value in terms of process quality control and production outages in relation to domestic manufacturing of nuclear fuel. (author)

  20. Chocolate equals stop. Chocolate-specific inhibition training reduces chocolate intake and go associations with chocolate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Houben, Katrijn; Jansen, Anita

    2015-04-01

    Earlier research has demonstrated that food-specific inhibition training wherein food cues are repeatedly and consistently mapped onto stop signals decreases food intake and bodyweight. The mechanisms underlying these training effects, however, remain unclear. It has been suggested that consistently pairing stimuli with stop signals induces automatic stop associations with those stimuli, thereby facilitating automatic, bottom-up inhibition. This study examined this hypothesis with respect to food-inhibition training. Participants performed a training that consistently paired chocolate with no go cues (chocolate/no-go) or with go cues (chocolate/go). Following training, we measured automatic associations between chocolate and stop versus go, as well as food intake and desire to eat. As expected, food that was consistently mapped onto stopping was indeed more associated with stopping versus going afterwards. In replication of previous results, participants in the no-go condition also showed less desire to eat and reduced food intake relative to the go condition. Together these findings support the idea that food-specific inhibition training prompts the development of automatic inhibition associations, which subsequently facilitate inhibitory control over unwanted food-related urges. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.