WINE ADVISOR EXPERT SYSTEM USING DECISION RULES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dinuca Elena Claudia

2013-07-01

Full Text Available In this article I focus on developing an expert system for advising the choice of wine that best matches a specific occasion. An expert system is a computer application that performs a task that would be performed by a human expert. The implementation is done using Delphi programming language. I used to represent the knowledge bases a set of rules. The rules are of type IF THEN ELSE rules, decision rules based on different important wine features.

An intelligent, knowledge-based multiple criteria decision making advisor for systems design

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yongchang

In systems engineering, design and operation of systems are two main problems which always attract researcher's attentions. The accomplishment of activities in these problems often requires proper decisions to be made so that the desired goal can be achieved, thus, decision making needs to be carefully fulfilled in the design and operation of systems. Design is a decision making process which permeates through out the design process, and is at the core of all design activities. In modern aircraft design, more and more attention is paid to the conceptual and preliminary design phases so as to increase the odds of choosing a design that will ultimately be successful at the completion of the design process, therefore, decisions made during these early design stages play a critical role in determining the success of a design. Since aerospace systems are complex systems with interacting disciplines and technologies, the Decision Makers (DMs) dealing with such design problems are involved in balancing the multiple, potentially conflicting attributes/criteria, transforming a large amount of customer supplied guidelines into a solidly defined set of requirement definitions. Thus, one could state with confidence that modern aerospace system design is a Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) process. A variety of existing decision making methods are available to deal with this type of decision problems. The selection of the most appropriate decision making method is of particular importance since inappropriate decision methods are likely causes of misleading engineering design decisions. With no sufficient knowledge about each of the methods, it is usually difficult for the DMs to find an appropriate analytical model capable of solving their problems. In addition, with the complexity of the decision problem and the demand for more capable methods increasing, new decision making methods are emerging with time. These various methods exacerbate the difficulty of the selection

The Advisor Quality Survey: Good College Advisors Are Available, Knowledgeable, and Autonomy Supportive

Science.gov (United States)

Sheldon, Kennon M.; Garton, Bryan; Orr, Rachael; Smith, Amy

2015-01-01

Most US institutions of higher education do not assess advisor quality. We report a scale development effort informed by the developmental prescriptions of self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 2000). The 15-item Missouri Advisor Quality Survey assesses advisor knowledge, advisor availability, and advisor autonomy supportiveness.…

Oxytocin facilitation of acceptance of social advice is dependent upon the perceived trustworthiness of individual advisors.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Ruixue; Xu, Lei; Zhao, Weihua; Ma, Xiaole; Xu, Xiaolei; Kou, Juan; Gao, Zhao; Becker, Benjamin; Kendrick, Keith M

2017-09-01

The neuropeptide oxytocin may increase social cohesion by making us more willing to trust others and/or to conform to their opinions. Here we investigated whether intranasal oxytocin can influence acceptance of advice given on solving everyday social problems by either individual expert (psychologist) or non-expert advisors with or without influencing their perceived likeability or trustworthiness. In a double-blind, between-subject, placebo-control design study in 160 male and female subjects, intranasal oxytocin (24IU) only significantly enhanced acceptance of advice given by female psychologists who were rated as the most trustworthy advisors. However, oxytocin itself did not alter either trustworthiness or likeability ratings. The oxytocin effect on acceptance of the female psychologist's advice was not maintained after a week, with subjects mainly reverting to their original solutions. These findings suggest that while oxytocin can transiently increase acceptance of advice from the most trustworthy individuals this is because it makes subjects more likely to conform to their opinions rather than enhancing their perceived trustworthiness or likeability. Thus in every day contexts oxytocin may primarily promote social cohesion by facilitating conformity towards the opinions of the most trusted individuals. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Handbook of VLSI chip design and expert systems

CERN Document Server

Schwarz, A F

1993-01-01

Handbook of VLSI Chip Design and Expert Systems provides information pertinent to the fundamental aspects of expert systems, which provides a knowledge-based approach to problem solving. This book discusses the use of expert systems in every possible subtask of VLSI chip design as well as in the interrelations between the subtasks.Organized into nine chapters, this book begins with an overview of design automation, which can be identified as Computer-Aided Design of Circuits and Systems (CADCAS). This text then presents the progress in artificial intelligence, with emphasis on expert systems.

Design and Operational Evaluation of the Traffic Management Advisor at the Fort Worth Air Route Traffic Control Center

Science.gov (United States)

1997-06-19

NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have designed and developed an automation tool known as the Traffic Management Advisor (TMA). The TMA is a time-based strategic planning tool that provides Traffic Management Coordinators (TMCs) and ...

Influence of Professional Affiliation on Expert's View on Welfare Measures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dam Otten, Nina; Rousing, Tine; Forkman, Björn

2017-01-01

are not balanced in numbers of experts. At two time points (2012 and 2016), dairy cattle and swine experts from four different stakeholder groups, namely researchers (RES), production advisors (CONS), practicing veterinarians (VET) and animal welfare control officers (AWC) were asked to weigh eight different...... between expert groups among swine experts. Inter-expert differences were more pronounced for both species. The results highlight the challenges of using expert weightings in aggregated welfare assessment models, as the choice of expert affiliation may play a confounding role in the final aggregation due...

Expert Maintenance Advisor Development for Navy Shipboard Systems

Science.gov (United States)

1994-01-01

Estoril (EDEN) Chair: Xavier Alaman, Instituto de Ingenieria del Conocimiento, SPAIN "A Model of Handling Uncertainty in Expert Systems," 01 Zhao...for Supervisory Process Control," Xavier Alaman, Instituto de Ingenieria del Conocimiento, SPAIN - (L) INTEGRATED KNOWLEDGE BASED SYSTEMS IN POWER

Expert systems for assisting in design reviews

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brtis, J.S.; Johnson, W.J.; Weber, N.; Naser, J.

1990-01-01

This paper discusses Sargent and Lundy's (S and L's) use of expert system technologies to computerize the procedures used for engineering design reviews. This paper discusses expert systems and the advantages that result from using them to computerize the decision-making process. This paper also discusses the design review expert systems that S and L has developed to perform fire protection and ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) design reviews, and is currently developing for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to perform 10 CFR 50.59 safety reviews

Comparison of the students’ satisfaction about the performance of academic advisors before and after the advisor project in Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MASOUMEH DELARAM

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Inappropriate advice interferes with the students’ achievement of educational and professional goals and they may fail to use proper resources for their educational needs. The present study was carried out to compare the students’ satisfaction about the performance of academic advisors before and after the advisor project in Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This longitudinal study was carried out using census report on 244 students in different courses at Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences in two stages at the first semester of 2010-2011 and first semester of 2011-2012. To collect the data, we used a self-designed questionnaire including individual and educational information and 10 multiple-choice questions with Likert scale to assess the students’ satisfaction about the advisors’ performance. Data were analyzed in SPSS 14 using paired t-test, qui-square test. P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: Of the ten items of satisfaction, there was only a significant difference in “accessibility to an advisor before and after the advisor project in students of nursing and midwifery school” (p=0.010, and the difference was not significant in other items in these students. No significant difference was found in ten items of satisfaction in students at other schools before and after the advisor project (p=0.010. Conclusion: It seems that the implementation of advisor project could not provide a satisfactory position for students. Adequate supervision of university officials on proper implementation of the advisor project, supporting faculty advisors and strengthening their position can help to improve the process.

AN EXPERT SYSTEM USED IN DESIGN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hüdayim BAŞAK

2001-03-01

Full Text Available In this work, an expert system used in computer aided design has been developed. In the developed program, the features which are used in the models prepared by a feature based design program are evaluated by the expert system module and are used in part modeling after determining of their compatibilty according to the rules. This program, particulary for those who do not know or know very little manufacturing stages, accomplishes the duty of informing and directing them. The program developed warns the user for design mistakes made during modeling.

Expert systems use in present and future CANDU nuclear power supply systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lupton, L.R.; Basso, R.A.J.; Anderson, L.L.; Anderson, J.W.D.

1989-11-01

As CANDU nuclear power plants become more complex, and are operated under tighter constraints for longer periods between outages, plant operations staff will have to absorb more information to correctly and rapidly respond to upsets. A development program is underway at Atomic Energy of Canada Limited to use expert systems and interactive media tools to assist operations staff of existing and future CANDU plants. The complete system for plant information access and display, on-line advice and diagnosis, and interactive operating procedures is called the Operator Companion. A prototype, consisting of operator consoles, expert systems and simulation modules in a distributed architecture, is currently being developed to demonstrate the concepts of the Operator Companion. Specialized advisors are also being developed using expert system technology to meet specific operational and design needs

How do incentives lead to deception in advisor-client interactions? Explicit and implicit strategies of self-interested deception.

Science.gov (United States)

Mackinger, Barbara; Jonas, Eva

2012-01-01

When confronted with important questions we like to rely on the advice of experts. However, uncertainty can occur regarding advisors' motivation to pursue self-interest and deceive the client. This can especially occur when the advisor has the possibility to receive an incentive by recommending a certain alternative. We investigated how the possibility to pursue self-interest led to explicit strategic behavior (bias in recommendation and transfer of information) and to implicit strategic behavior (bias in information processing: evaluation and memory). In Study 1 explicit strategic behavior could be identified: self-interested advisors recommended more often the self-serving alternative and transferred more self-interested biased information to their client compared to the advisor without specific interest. Also deception through implicit strategic behavior was identified: self-interested advisors biased the evaluation of information less in favor of the client compared to the control group. Self-interested advisors also remembered conflicting information regarding their self-interest worse compared to advisors without self-interest. In Study 2 beside self-interest we assessed accountability which interacted with self-interest and increased the bias: when accountability was high advisor's self-interest led to higher explicit strategic behavior (less transfer of conflicting information), and to higher implicit strategic behavior (devaluated and remembered less conflicting information). Both studies identified implicit strategic behavior as mediator which can explain the relation between self-interest and explicit strategic behavior. Results of both studies suggest that self-interested advisors use explicit and implicit strategic behavior to receive an incentive. Thus, advisors do not only consciously inform their clients "self-interested," but they are influenced unconsciously by biased information processing - a tendency which even increased with high

Topics in expert system design methodologies and tools

CERN Document Server

Tasso, C

1989-01-01

Expert Systems are so far the most promising achievement of artificial intelligence research. Decision making, planning, design, control, supervision and diagnosis are areas where they are showing great potential. However, the establishment of expert system technology and its actual industrial impact are still limited by the lack of a sound, general and reliable design and construction methodology.This book has a dual purpose: to offer concrete guidelines and tools to the designers of expert systems, and to promote basic and applied research on methodologies and tools. It is a coordinated coll

78 FR 14297 - President's Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-05

... DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION President's Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and... Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities scheduled for March 6, 2013, and... for a date to be announced in the future. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John P. Brown, Designated...

Student goal orientation in learning inquiry skills with modifiable software advisors

Science.gov (United States)

Shimoda, Todd Adrian

A computer support environment (SCI-WISE) for learning and doing inquiry was designed. The system incorporates software advisors that give task completion advice (eg., forming hypotheses), general purpose advice (e.g., brainstorming), or system modification advice. Advisors' knowledge includes concepts, strategies, examples, referrals to other advisors, and criteria for evaluating good products and skills. Students using SCI-WISE can select the advisors' advice type (specific, general, or hints), and when advisors give advice (anytime, alert, or ask). Students can also modify the advisors' knowledge. The system is designed partly on a theoretical framework that assumes giving students higher levels of agency will facilitate higher-level goal orientation (such as knowledge-building) and produce higher levels of competence. In two studies of sixth graders, science students took a pretest of an open-ended inquiry question and a questionnaire that measured their goal orientations. The students worked in pairs on an inquiry project about memory, using one of two versions of SCI-WISE, one modifiable and one not modifiable. After finishing the project, the students took a posttest similar to the pretest, and evaluated the system. The main hypotheses predicted that knowledge-oriented students using the modifiable version would rate the system higher, use it more effectively, and do better on the inquiry posttest than task-oriented students. The results supported many of the hypotheses generated from the theoretical framework. Knowledge-oriented students tended to rate SCI-WISE higher, use more general purpose and system development advisors, and select more general advice and hints than task-oriented students. On the posttest inquiry test, students with higher goal orientations scored higher on average, particularly when paired with another knowledge oriented student. The studies also showed that goal orientation was not correlated with grade point average. Finally, the

Expert System Techniques and Applications in AEC-Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Tom

This part of a book presents expert system techniques applicable to building design and construction, and it reports and evaluates on systems developed in thar domain.......This part of a book presents expert system techniques applicable to building design and construction, and it reports and evaluates on systems developed in thar domain....

Time-based air traffic management using expert systems

Science.gov (United States)

Tobias, L.; Scoggins, J. L.

1986-01-01

A prototype expert system was developed for the time scheduling of aircraft into the terminal area. The three functions of the air traffic control schedule advisor are as follows: first, for each new arrival, it develops an admissible flight plan for that aircraft. Second, as the aircraft progresses through the terminal area, it monitors deviations from the flight plan and provides advisories to return the aircraft to its assigned schedule. Third, if major disruptions such as missed approaches occur, it develops a revised plan. The advisor is operational on a Symbolics 3600, and is programed in MRS (a logic programming language), Lisp, and FORTRAN.

How do incentives lead to deception in advisors-client interactions? Explicit and implicit strategies of self-interested deception.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barbara eMackinger

2012-12-01

Full Text Available When confronted with important questions we like to rely on the advice of experts. However, uncertainty can occur regarding advisors’ motivation to pursue self-interest and deceive the client. This can especially occur when the advisor has the possibility to receive an incentive by recommending a certain alternative. We investigated how the possibility to pursue self-interest led to explicit strategic behavior (bias in recommendation and transfer of information and to implicit strategic behavior (bias in information processing: evaluation and memory. In Study 1 explicit strategic behavior could be identified: Self-interested advisors recommended more often the self-serving alternative and transferred more self-interested biased information to their client compared to the advisor without specific interest. Also deception through implicit strategic behavior was identified: Self-interested advisors biased the evaluation of information less in favor of the client compared to the control group. Self-interested advisors also remembered conflicting information regarding their self-interest worse compared to advisors without self-interest. In Study 2 beside self-interest we assessed accountability which interacted with self-interest and increased the bias: When accountability was high advisor’s self-interest led to higher explicit strategic behavior (less transfer of conflicting information, and to higher implicit strategic behavior (devaluated and remembered less conflicting information. Both studies identified implicit strategic behavior as mediator which can explain the relation between self-interest and explicit strategic behavior. Results of both studies suggest that self-interested advisors use explicit and implicit strategic behavior to receive an incentive. Thus, advisors do not only consciously inform their clients self-interested, but they are influenced unconsciously by biased information processing—a tendency which even increased with

Expert vs. novice: Problem decomposition/recomposition in engineering design

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Ting

The purpose of this research was to investigate the differences of using problem decomposition and problem recomposition among dyads of engineering experts, dyads of engineering seniors, and dyads of engineering freshmen. Fifty participants took part in this study. Ten were engineering design experts, 20 were engineering seniors, and 20 were engineering freshmen. Participants worked in dyads to complete an engineering design challenge within an hour. The entire design process was video and audio recorded. After the design session, members participated in a group interview. This study used protocol analysis as the methodology. Video and audio data were transcribed, segmented, and coded. Two coding systems including the FBS ontology and "levels of the problem" were used in this study. A series of statistical techniques were used to analyze data. Interview data and participants' design sketches also worked as supplemental data to help answer the research questions. By analyzing the quantitative and qualitative data, it was found that students used less problem decomposition and problem recomposition than engineer experts in engineering design. This result implies that engineering education should place more importance on teaching problem decomposition and problem recomposition. Students were found to spend less cognitive effort when considering the problem as a whole and interactions between subsystems than engineer experts. In addition, students were also found to spend more cognitive effort when considering details of subsystems. These results showed that students tended to use dept-first decomposition and experts tended to use breadth-first decomposition in engineering design. The use of Function (F), Behavior (B), and Structure (S) among engineering experts, engineering seniors, and engineering freshmen was compared on three levels. Level 1 represents designers consider the problem as an integral whole, Level 2 represents designers consider interactions between

An Expert System for Designing Fire Prescriptions

Science.gov (United States)

Elizabeth Reinhardt

1987-01-01

Managers use prescribed fire to accomplish a variety of resource objectives. The knowledge needed to design successful prescriptions is both quantitative and qualitative. Some of it is available through publications and computer programs, but much of the knowledge of expert practitioners has never been collected or published. An expert system being developed at the,...

The introduction of forensic advisors in Belgium and their role in the criminal justice system.

Science.gov (United States)

Bitzer, Sonja; Heudt, Laetitia; Barret, Aurélie; George, Lore; Van Dijk, Karolien; Gason, Fabrice; Renard, Bertrand

2018-05-01

Forensic advisors (FA) at the National Institute for Criminalistics and Criminology (NICC), generalists in forensic science, act as an advising body to the magistrate to improve communication between the various parties involved in the investigation: magistrate, police and crime scene investigators, and forensic experts. Their role is manifold, but their main objectives are to optimise trace processing by selecting the most pertinent traces in the context of the case and by advising magistrates on the feasibility of forensic analyses in particular circumstances in regards to the latest technical advances. Despite the absence of a legal framework governing their role and involvement in judicial cases, the demand for their services has increased over the years. Initially, forensic advisors were called for complex homicide cases. Due to the proximity with the Public Prosecutor's Office, the types of offences for which their expertise was sought have become more diverse (mainly including robbery, burglary and sexual assault cases), leading to a diversity in the types of cases handled by the forensic advisors (complex, simple and review). In many of the cases they are requested for, in addition to consulting on the best analytical strategy, forensic advisors also assume the role of case coordinator regarding the seized objects and their respective analyses. Indeed, in the majority of cases treated by the FAs, two or more types of expertise have been requested and performed, either at the internal laboratories of NICC or at external laboratories. This paper explains the role of the forensic advisors in Belgium, the path that let to their current status and problems encountered. Copyright © 2017 The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

PI in the sky: The astronaut science advisor on SLS-2

Science.gov (United States)

Hazelton, Lyman R.; Groleau, Nicolas; Frainier, Richard J.; Compton, Michael M.; Colombano, Silvano P.; Szolovits, Peter

1994-01-01

The Astronaut Science Advisor (ASA, also known as Principal-Investigator-in-a-Box) is an advanced engineering effort to apply expert systems technology to experiment monitoring and control. Its goal is to increase the scientific value of information returned from experiments on manned space missions. The first in-space test of the system will be in conjunction with Professor Larry Young's (MIT) vestibulo-ocular 'Rotating Dome' experiment on the Spacelab Life Sciences 2 mission (STS-58) in the Fall of 1993. In a cost-saving effort, off-the-shelf equipment was employed wherever possible. Several modifications were necessary in order to make the system flight-worthy. The software consists of three interlocking modules. A real-time data acquisition system digitizes and stores all experiment data and then characterizes the signals in symbolic form; a rule-based expert system uses the symbolic signal characteristics to make decisions concerning the experiment; and a highly graphic user interface requiring a minimum of user intervention presents information to the astronaut operator. Much has been learned about the design of software and user interfaces for interactive computing in space. In addition, we gained a great deal of knowledge about building relatively inexpensive hardware and software for use in space. New technologies are being assessed to make the system a much more powerful ally in future scientific research in space and on the ground.

Expert System Approach For Generating And Evaluating Engine Design Alternatives

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Stewart N. T.; Chew, Meng-Sang; Issa, Ghassan F.

1989-03-01

Artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly important subject of study for computer scientists, engineering designers, as well as professionals in other fields. Even though AI technology is a relatively new discipline, many of its concepts have already found practical applications. Expert systems, in particular, have made significant contributions to technologies in such fields as business, medicine, engineering design, chemistry, and particle physics. This paper describes an expert system developed to aid the mechanical designer with the preliminary design of variable-stroke internal-combustion engines. The expert system accomplished its task by generating and evaluating a large number of design alternatives represented in the form of graphs. Through the application of structural and design rules directly to the graphs, optimal and near optimal preliminary design configurations of engines are deduced.

Processes in construction of failure management expert systems from device design information

Science.gov (United States)

Malin, Jane T.; Lance, Nick

1987-01-01

This paper analyzes the tasks and problem solving methods used by an engineer in constructing a failure management expert system from design information about the device to te diagnosed. An expert test engineer developed a trouble-shooting expert system based on device design information and experience with similar devices, rather than on specific expert knowledge gained from operating the device or troubleshooting its failures. The construction of the expert system was intensively observed and analyzed. This paper characterizes the knowledge, tasks, methods, and design decisions involved in constructing this type of expert system, and makes recommendations concerning tools for aiding and automating construction of such systems.

Expert systems for space power supply: design, analysis, and evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper, R.S.; Thomson, M.K.; Hoshor, A.

1987-01-01

The authors evaluated the feasibility of applying expert systems to the conceptual design, analysis, and evaluation of space power supplies in particular, and complex systems in general. To do this, they analyzed the space power supply design process and in associated knowledge base, and characterized them in a form suitable for computer emulation of a human expert. The existing expert system tools and the results achieved with them were evaluated to assess their applicability to power system design. They applied some new concepts for combining program architectures (modular expert systems and algorithms) with information about the domain to create a deep system for handling the complex design problem. They authors developed, programmed and tested NOVICE, a code to solve a simplified version of a scoping study of a wide variety of power supply types for a broad range of missions, as a concrete feasibility demonstration

The Use of Images in Intelligent Advisor Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Boulet, Marie-Michele

This paper describes the intelligent advisor system, named CODAMA, used in teaching a university-level systems analysis and design course. The paper discusses: (1) the use of CODAMA to assist students to transfer theoretical knowledge to the practical; (2) details of how CODAMA is applied in conjunction with a computer-aided software engineering…

Determinants of physical activity promotion by smoking cessation advisors.

Science.gov (United States)

Mas, Sébastien; Bernard, Paquito; Gourlan, Mathieu

2018-05-17

To investigate the cross-sectional association between personal physical activity (PA) level, Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) constructs toward PA promotion, and PA promotion behavior among smoking cessation advisors. 149 smoking cessation advisors were invited to complete online questionnaires. Hypotheses were tested using Bayesian path analysis. Attitudes and perceived behavioral control (PBC) of smoking cessation advisors were related to PA promotion intentions; intentions were in turn related to PA promotion behaviors. Advisors' personal PA level was indirectly associated with PA promotion behaviors through PBC and PA promotion intentions. The TPB is a relevant theoretical framework with which to explore determinants of PA promotion behavior among smoking cessation advisors. The PA level of health care professionals may be linked to PA promotion behavior through some TPB constructs. Smoking cessation advisor training should include education on attitude development (e.g., PA benefits on smoking cessation), PBC (e.g., modality of PA prescription) and PA promotion intentions (e.g., goal setting). Smoking cessation advisors should also be encouraged to regularly practice PA in order to improve their PA promotion behaviors. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Instructional Design Thought Processes of Expert Nurse Educators

OpenAIRE

Gross, Monty Dale

2006-01-01

This study explores how expert nurse educators design instruction. Six female expert nurse educators volunteered to participate. Each participant had over ten years experience teaching, and all were recognized for their teaching excellence. They also had master's or doctoral degrees. Participants worked in small private schools, community colleges, or large public universities. The methodology was based in developmental research. Qualitative data sources included interviews, think-aloud proto...

Development of expert system for structural design of FBR components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ueda, Hiroyoshi; Uno, Masayoshi; Ogawa, Hiroshi; Shimakawa, Takashi; Yoshimura, Shinobu; Yagawa, Genki.

1995-01-01

The characteristics of structural design processes for nuclear components can be summarized as follows : (1) Many engineers belonging to different fields are working in parallel, exchanging a huge amount of data and information. (2) A final solution is determined after a number of iterative design processes. (3) Solutions have to be examined many times based on sophisticated design codes. (4) Sophisticated calculation methods such as the finite element method are frequently utilized, and experts' knowledge on such analyses plays important roles in the design process. Taking these issues into consideration, a new expert system for structural design is developed in the present study. Here, the object-oriented data flow mechanism and the blackboard model are utilized to systematize structural design processes in a computer. An automated finite element calculation module is implemented, and experts' knowledge is stored in knowledge base. In addition, a new algorithm is employed to automatically draw the design window, which is defined as an area of permissible solutions in a design parameter space. The developed system is successfully applied to obtain the design windows of four components selected from the demonstration FBR structures. (author)

Expert system aids transport regulation users

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheshire, R.D.; Straw, R.J.

1990-01-01

During late 1984 the IAEA Regulations were identified as an area of application for an expert system adviser which could offer many advantages. Over the following year some simple tests were carried out to examine its feasibility, but TRANAID did not get underway until 1986 when British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) Corporate Management services were engaged on the product. By this time a greater choice of suitable software, in the form of expert system shells, had become available. After a number of trial systems the shell Leonardo was finally adopted for the final system. In order for TRANAID to emulate the expert it was necessary to spend time extracting and documenting the expert knowledge. This was a matter of investigating how the regulations are used and was achieved by a series of meetings including opportunity for the computer specialists to interview the regulations experts. There are several benefits in having an expert system advisor in this area. It is useful to both experienced and inexperienced users of regulations. For those who are learning to use the regulations it is an excellent training aid. For those who know the regulations but use them infrequently it can save time and provide a valuable reassurance. The adviser has enabled the expert user's know how to be captured and to be made widely available to those with less experience. (author)

Training Mentors as Educational Advisors for Adult Learners. Process Manual.

Science.gov (United States)

Singer, Elizabeth W.

Materials used by the director of a project designed to assist key personnel in businesses, industries, and agencies with the educational counseling of their employees are presented. The objectives of the project, "Training Mentors as Educational Advisors of Adult Learners," were to: (1) provide two training sessions in educational…

The knowledge-based framework for a nuclear power plant operator advisor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, D.W.

1989-01-01

An important facet in the design, development, and evaluation of aids for complex systems is the identification of the tasks performed by the operator. Operator aids utilizing artificial intelligence, or more specifically knowledge-based systems, require identification of these tasks in the context of a knowledge-based framework. In this context, the operator responses to the plant behavior are to monitor and comprehend the state of the plant, identify normal and abnormal plant conditions, diagnose abnormal plant conditions, predict plant response to specific control actions, and select the best available control action, implement a feasible control action, monitor system response to the control action, and correct for any inappropriate responses. These tasks have been identified to formulate a knowledge-based framework for an operator advisor under development at Ohio State University that utilizes the generic task methodology proposed by Chandrasekaran. The paper lays the foundation to identify the responses as a knowledge-based set of tasks in accordance with the expected human operator responses during an event. Initial evaluation of the expert system indicates the potential for an operator aid that will improve the operator's ability to respond to both anticipated and unanticipated events

Human engineering in the design of expert systems for microcomputer system troubleshooting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Easter, J.R.; Elm, W.C.

1988-01-01

The man-machine interfaces of the first generation of expert systems have usually received little or no explicit design effort. As a result, many of these systems when placed in their productive environment have only served to collect dust. One of the more aggravating attributes of such systems has been the demand that the user of such systems religiously follow the pre-determined and fixed problem solving path the domain expert designed in the expert system. Westinghouse has embarked on a program aimed at improving the productivity of the I and C maintenance staff responsible for caring for these new systems, the focus of which is the development of a computer based expert system to be used as a trouble-shooting aid. To date, Westinghouse has created a knowledge structure for such an expert system that describes the purposes or design objectives of the faulted microcomputer system

An Expert System Helps Students Learn Database Design

Science.gov (United States)

Post, Gerald V.; Whisenand, Thomas G.

2005-01-01

Teaching and learning database design is difficult for both instructors and students. Students need to solve many problems with feedback and corrections. A Web-based specialized expert system was created to enable students to create designs online and receive immediate feedback. An experiment testing the system shows that it significantly enhances…

The role of farm advisors in multifunctional landscapes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vesterager, Jens Peter; Lindegaard, Klaus

2012-01-01

This study investigates the influence of farm advisors on farmers decisions regarding Multifunctional landscape commons, a concept covering environmental and landscape values that benefit the public but which depend on farmers management practices. The influence of advisors is analysed by combining...

A standardized approach to verification and validation to assist in expert system development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hines, J.W.; Hajek, B.K.; Miller, D.W.; Haas, M.A.

1992-01-01

For the past six years, the Nuclear Engineering Program's Artificial Intelligence (AI) Group at The Ohio State University has been developing an integration of expert systems to act as an aid to nuclear power plant operators. This Operator Advisor consists of four modules that monitor plant parameters, detect deviations from normality, diagnose the root cause of the abnormality, manage procedures to effectively respond to the abnormality, and mitigate its consequences. Recently Ohio State University received a grant from the Department of Energy's Special Research Grant Program to utilize the methodologies developed for the Operator Advisor for Heavy Water Reactor (HWR) malfunction root cause diagnosis. To aid in the development of this new system, a standardized Verification and Validation (V ampersand V) approach is being implemented. Its primary functions are to guide the development of the expert system and to ensure that the end product fulfills the initial objectives. The development process has been divided into eight life-cycle V ampersand V phases from concept to operation and maintenance. Each phase has specific V ampersand V tasks to be performed to ensure a quality end product. Four documents are being used to guide development. The Software Verification and Validation Plan (SVVP) outlines the V ampersand V tasks necessary to verify the product at the end of each software development phase, and to validate that the end product complies with the established software and system requirements and meets the needs of the user. The Software Requirements Specification (SRS) documents the essential requirements of the system. The Software Design Description (SDD) represents these requirements with a specific design. And lastly, the Software Test Document establishes a testing methodology to be used throughout the development life-cycle. 10 refs., 1 fig

ACADEMIC ADVISORS: VALUES EDUCATED LEADERS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brizeida Mijares

2008-07-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this article is to study the academic advisors’ profile from the attitudes in the learning process view point, being the center of which the need that as an educator, the advisor has to be a leader educated in values. The research was documental, according to the theoretical contributions of Arana and Batista (2006,  Ortega and Minguez (2001 and Denis (2000, among others. It is concluded that an academic advisor in values allows individual and collective trasnformation and an education without values as its center, it is a hollow and useless education.

Automated Advice: A Portfolio Management Perspective on Robo-Advisors

OpenAIRE

Vukovic, Ana; Bjerknes, Line

2017-01-01

In this paper we investigate the predominant robo-advisor model, uncovering that however novel this solution might be, it also relies religiously on imperative contributions to modern portfolio theory that have been made in the past half a century. Despite conforming by and large to passive investment, we find that the slight variations in the methodologies used by robo-advisors introduce significant variability in risk-adjusted returns across the robo-advisor spectrum. Nonetheless, our perfo...

The Metamorphosis of Industrial Designers from Novices to Experts

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Ju-Joan; Chen, Po-Yu; Chen, Chun-Di

2016-01-01

Professional training for designers is crucial in the field of design studies. The characteristics of novices versus those of expert designers have been identified in the literature; however, studies exploring the issue of professional training processes in the actual workplace are not well developed. Our study addresses the topic by using…

SEPI an expert system for plant design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carotenuto, M.; Corleto, P.; Landeyro, P.

1988-01-01

The availability and suitability of technological information is of great importance in every kind of design task, especially when safety and reliability considerations are involved. In this paper an ''expert system for plant design'' (SEPI), is presented, together with its first application to nuclear back-end plants. This system is available on ENEA computer network. It is thought to be used both to collect know-how developed in the field and to assist unskilled designers during selection, evaluation and dimensioning tasks. It attemps to reproduce the normal way of ''reasoning'' and acting, and provides some graphic facilities

The impact of patient advisors on healthcare outcomes: a systematic review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anjana E. Sharma

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Patient advisory councils are a way for healthcare organizations to promote patient engagement. Despite mandates to implement patient advisory councils through programs like the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH, there is a paucity of data measuring the impact of patients functioning in advisory roles. Our objective is to investigate whether patient engagement in patient advisory councils is linked to improvements in clinical quality, patient safety or patient satisfaction. Methods We searched PubMed, SCOPUS, CINAHL and Google Scholar for English language publications between November 2002 to August 2015, using a combination of “patient advisor” and “care outcomes” search terms. Article selection utilized dual screening facilitated by DistillerSR software, with group discussion to resolve discordance. Observational studies, randomized controlled trials, and case studies were included that described patients serving in an advisory role where primary outcomes were mentioned. Reference lists of included studies and grey literature searches were conducted. Qualitative thematic analysis was performed to synthesize results. Results Database searching yielded 639 articles total after removing duplicates, with 129 articles meeting full text inclusion criteria. 32 articles were identified for final review, 16 of which were case studies. Advisory roles included patient advisory councils, ad-hoc patient committees, community advisory councils, experience-based co-design, and other. Four practice-based studies from one research group, involving community advisors in the design of public health interventions, found improved clinical outcomes. No prospective experimental studies assessed the impact of patient advisors on patient safety or patient satisfaction. One cluster-randomized RCT showed that patient advisors helped health care planning efforts identify priorities more aligned with the PCMH. Ten case studies reported

Developments in REDES: The Rocket Engine Design Expert System

Science.gov (United States)

Davidian, Kenneth O.

1990-01-01

The Rocket Engine Design Expert System (REDES) was developed at NASA-Lewis to collect, automate, and perpetuate the existing expertise of performing a comprehensive rocket engine analysis and design. Currently, REDES uses the rigorous JANNAF methodology to analyze the performance of the thrust chamber and perform computational studies of liquid rocket engine problems. The following computer codes were included in REDES: a gas properties program named GASP; a nozzle design program named RAO; a regenerative cooling channel performance evaluation code named RTE; and the JANNAF standard liquid rocket engine performance prediction code TDK (including performance evaluation modules ODE, ODK, TDE, TDK, and BLM). Computational analyses are being conducted by REDES to provide solutions to liquid rocket engine thrust chamber problems. REDES was built in the Knowledge Engineering Environment (KEE) expert system shell and runs on a Sun 4/110 computer.

Senior Enlisted Advisor to the CNGB - The National Guard

Science.gov (United States)

ARNG Readiness Home : Leadership : SEA Senior Enlisted Advisor to the CNGB Command Sergeant Major Christopher Kepner Command Sergeant Major Christopher Kepner currently serves as the Senior Enlisted Advisor include the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy, Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military

Automatic seismic support design of piping system by an object oriented expert system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakatogawa, T.; Takayama, Y.; Hayashi, Y.; Fukuda, T.; Yamamoto, Y.; Haruna, T.

1990-01-01

The seismic support design of piping systems of nuclear power plants requires many experienced engineers and plenty of man-hours, because the seismic design conditions are very severe, the bulk volume of the piping systems is hyge and the design procedures are very complicated. Therefore we have developed a piping seismic design expert system, which utilizes the piping design data base of a 3 dimensional CAD system and automatically determines the piping support locations and support styles. The data base of this system contains the maximum allowable seismic support span lengths for straight piping and the span length reduction factors for bends, branches, concentrated masses in the piping, and so forth. The system automatically produces the support design according to the design knowledge extracted and collected from expert design engineers, and using design information such as piping specifications which give diameters and thickness and piping geometric configurations. The automatic seismic support design provided by this expert system achieves in the reduction of design man-hours, improvement of design quality, verification of design result, optimization of support locations and prevention of input duplication. In the development of this system, we had to derive the design logic from expert design engineers and this could not be simply expressed descriptively. Also we had to make programs for different kinds of design knowledge. For these reasons we adopted the object oriented programming paradigm (Smalltalk-80) which is suitable for combining programs and carrying out the design work

Expert-guided evolutionary algorithm for layout design of complex space stations

Science.gov (United States)

Qian, Zhiqin; Bi, Zhuming; Cao, Qun; Ju, Weiguo; Teng, Hongfei; Zheng, Yang; Zheng, Siyu

2017-08-01

The layout of a space station should be designed in such a way that different equipment and instruments are placed for the station as a whole to achieve the best overall performance. The station layout design is a typical nondeterministic polynomial problem. In particular, how to manage the design complexity to achieve an acceptable solution within a reasonable timeframe poses a great challenge. In this article, a new evolutionary algorithm has been proposed to meet such a challenge. It is called as the expert-guided evolutionary algorithm with a tree-like structure decomposition (EGEA-TSD). Two innovations in EGEA-TSD are (i) to deal with the design complexity, the entire design space is divided into subspaces with a tree-like structure; it reduces the computation and facilitates experts' involvement in the solving process. (ii) A human-intervention interface is developed to allow experts' involvement in avoiding local optimums and accelerating convergence. To validate the proposed algorithm, the layout design of one-space station is formulated as a multi-disciplinary design problem, the developed algorithm is programmed and executed, and the result is compared with those from other two algorithms; it has illustrated the superior performance of the proposed EGEA-TSD.

A study on optimization of hybrid drive train using Advanced Vehicle Simulator (ADVISOR)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Same, Adam; Stipe, Alex; Grossman, David; Park, Jae Wan [Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616 (United States)

2010-10-01

This study investigates the advantages and disadvantages of three hybrid drive train configurations: series, parallel, and ''through-the-ground'' parallel. Power flow simulations are conducted with the MATLAB/Simulink-based software ADVISOR. These simulations are then applied in an application for the UC Davis SAE Formula Hybrid vehicle. ADVISOR performs simulation calculations for vehicle position using a combined backward/forward method. These simulations are used to study how efficiency and agility are affected by the motor, fuel converter, and hybrid configuration. Three different vehicle models are developed to optimize the drive train of a vehicle for three stages of the SAE Formula Hybrid competition: autocross, endurance, and acceleration. Input cycles are created based on rough estimates of track geometry. The output from these ADVISOR simulations is a series of plots of velocity profile and energy storage State of Charge that provide a good estimate of how the Formula Hybrid vehicle will perform on the given course. The most noticeable discrepancy between the input cycle and the actual velocity profile of the vehicle occurs during deceleration. A weighted ranking system is developed to organize the simulation results and to determine the best drive train configuration for the Formula Hybrid vehicle. Results show that the through-the-ground parallel configuration with front-mounted motors achieves an optimal balance of efficiency, simplicity, and cost. ADVISOR is proven to be a useful tool for vehicle power train design for the SAE Formula Hybrid competition. This vehicle model based on ADVISOR simulation is applicable to various studies concerning performance and efficiency of hybrid drive trains. (author)

17 CFR 4.14 - Exemption from registration as a commodity trading advisor.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... a commodity trading advisor. 4.14 Section 4.14 Commodity and Securities Exchanges COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION COMMODITY POOL OPERATORS AND COMMODITY TRADING ADVISORS General Provisions, Definitions and Exemptions § 4.14 Exemption from registration as a commodity trading advisor. This section is...

Marketing advisors and their role for junior gas producers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maffitt, D.W. [Phoenix Gas Marketing Consultants Inc., Calgary, AB (Canada)

1997-05-01

The role of marketing advisors in the new deregulated natural gas industry was discussed. These producer-oriented marketing consultants are specialists in providing affordable marketing services to junior gas producers on an `as-needed` basis. The most important service provided by marketing advisors is helping the client identify management problems, analyze such problems and recommend solutions. Accordingly, the marketing advisor should be independent and objective, with no conflict of interests. He/she should be prepared to invest a lot of time and effort in providing the junior producer with a customized diagnosis of its marketing problems. 5 refs., 3 figs.

Marketing advisors and their role for junior gas producers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maffitt, D.W.

1997-01-01

The role of marketing advisors in the new deregulated natural gas industry was discussed. These producer-oriented marketing consultants are specialists in providing affordable marketing services to junior gas producers on an 'as-needed' basis. The most important service provided by marketing advisors is helping the client identify management problems, analyze such problems and recommend solutions. Accordingly, the marketing advisor should be independent and objective, with no conflict of interests. He/she should be prepared to invest a lot of time and effort in providing the junior producer with a customized diagnosis of its marketing problems. 5 refs., 3 figs

A Pervasive Social Networking Application: I-NFC enabled Florist Smart Advisor

Science.gov (United States)

Swee Wen, Khoo; Mahinderjit Singh, Manmeet

2016-11-01

Location based service is an information and entertainment service, accessible with mobile devices through the mobile network and utilizing the ability to make use of the geographical position of the mobile device. NFC location based service is using one of the modes of NFC such as peer-to-peer, reader/writer, and card emulation to obtain the information of the object and then get the location of the object. In this paper, the proposed solution is I- NFC-enabled Pervasive Social Networking apps for florists. It combines the NFC location based service with Online Social Network (OSN). In addition, a smart advisor in the system to provide output in making their own decision while purchasing products.The development of the system demonstrates that a designed commerce site is provided which enable a communication between NFC-enabled smartphone, NFC-enabled application and OSN. GPS functionalities also implemented to provide map and location of business services. Smart advisor also designed to provide information for users who do not have ideas what to purchase.

The Design and Implementation of an Intelligent Apparel Recommend Expert System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. H. Dong

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Now with the rapid development of information science and technology, intelligent apparel recommend has drawn wide attention in apparel retail industry. Intelligent management and effective recommend are two issues of crucial importance for the retail store to enhance its corporate influence and increase its economic benefits. This paper proposes an intelligent recommend system design scheme for apparel retail which is based on expert system. By comprehensive utilization of database management and expert system technology, the proposed system provides a solid solution in improving the customer shopping experience. This paper presents a kind of object-oriented blackboard structure, which is applied in the apparel recommend expert system and establishes expert rule on the basis of apparel characteristic elements. Through the establishment of the rule base, the system generates personal recommend list by positive rule reasoning mechanism engine. The proposed method thus gives dress collocation scheme for the customer through the human-machine interaction from the point of view of the apparel experts. This design scheme avails the customers to experience targeted service with intellectualization, and personalization and it has certain reference significance for promoting apparel retail intelligence development.

Tapping into past design experiences : Knowledge sharing and creation during novice-expert design consultations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Deken, F.; Kleinsmann, M.S.; Aurisicchio, M.; Lauche, K.; Bracewell, R.

2011-01-01

Designing is a knowledge-intensive activity. For novice design engineers, an important means of acquiring knowledge is to consult experienced colleagues. We observed novice–expert consultations as part of three engineering projects in a large aerospace company. Seven meetings were analysed in detail

Cognitive engineering in the design of human-computer interaction and expert systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salvendy, G.

1987-01-01

The 68 papers contributing to this book cover the following areas: Theories of Interface Design; Methodologies of Interface Design; Applications of Interface Design; Software Design; Human Factors in Speech Technology and Telecommunications; Design of Graphic Dialogues; Knowledge Acquisition for Knowledge-Based Systems; Design, Evaluation and Use of Expert Systems. This demonstrates the dual role of cognitive engineering. On the one hand cognitive engineering is utilized to design computing systems which are compatible with human cognition and can be effectively and be easily utilized by all individuals. On the other hand, cognitive engineering is utilized to transfer human cognition into the computer for the purpose of building expert systems. Two papers are of interest to INIS

An expert system for integrated structural analysis and design optimization for aerospace structures

Science.gov (United States)

1992-04-01

The results of a research study on the development of an expert system for integrated structural analysis and design optimization is presented. An Object Representation Language (ORL) was developed first in conjunction with a rule-based system. This ORL/AI shell was then used to develop expert systems to provide assistance with a variety of structural analysis and design optimization tasks, in conjunction with procedural modules for finite element structural analysis and design optimization. The main goal of the research study was to provide expertise, judgment, and reasoning capabilities in the aerospace structural design process. This will allow engineers performing structural analysis and design, even without extensive experience in the field, to develop error-free, efficient and reliable structural designs very rapidly and cost-effectively. This would not only improve the productivity of design engineers and analysts, but also significantly reduce time to completion of structural design. An extensive literature survey in the field of structural analysis, design optimization, artificial intelligence, and database management systems and their application to the structural design process was first performed. A feasibility study was then performed, and the architecture and the conceptual design for the integrated 'intelligent' structural analysis and design optimization software was then developed. An Object Representation Language (ORL), in conjunction with a rule-based system, was then developed using C++. Such an approach would improve the expressiveness for knowledge representation (especially for structural analysis and design applications), provide ability to build very large and practical expert systems, and provide an efficient way for storing knowledge. Functional specifications for the expert systems were then developed. The ORL/AI shell was then used to develop a variety of modules of expert systems for a variety of modeling, finite element analysis, and

An expert system in C for computer-aided digital circuit design

Science.gov (United States)

Santos, Jorge S.

1989-06-01

This thesis effort documents the design, development, implementation, and test of an expert system which decomposes digital circuits into subproblems in order to detect wiring errors, which consist of improperly connected gates, missing connections, and violation of fanout or race conditions. Information needed to connect chips together is viewed as knowledge base information for the expert system. Information such type as number of pins, value of each pin (input, output, power, ground, clock), fanout for a particular type of chip are retrieved from a central database where they are represented. Implementation was done in the C programming language, which although is not design specially for dealing with problems in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) field could be used with success. An integration with a graphics package and a central database was achieved. Tests conducted with the system running in a personal computer Zenith 248 and compatible microcomputers under the Disk Operational System (DOS) version 3.2 proved the portability and efficiency of the expert system. A user's manual is included for the operation of the InterConnect Expert System (ICE).

ADVISOR Users Conference Proceedings 2000 - Final Electronic version

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NREL

2000-09-26

This is a compilation of papers presented at the ADVISOR (ADvanced Vehicle SimulatOR) Users Conference held in Costa Mesa, California, August 24-25, 2000. Major topics of the conference included modeling and simulation; partnering with the auto industry; co-simulation: partnering with the software industry in optimization and thermal modeling and geometric and mechanical modeling; forward-looking simulations coupled with ADVISOR; new concepts from universities; validation, vehicle development and applications.

An expert system for reward systems design.

OpenAIRE

Erturk, Alper

2000-01-01

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited Today's business environment is a highly competitive marketplace. In this competition, organizations distribute numerous rewards to motivate, attract and retain employees, such as pay, fringe benefits and promotions. However, not all managers have the necessary knowledge and expertise to effectively decide and structure reward systems. This thesis presents an expert system to assist managers with designing the most appropriate reward s...

78 FR 11702 - AdvisorShares Investments, LLC and AdvisorShares Trust; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-19

..., American Wealth Management, Trim Tabs Asset Management, LLC, Rockledge Advisors, LLC, Your Source Financial... of Investment Management, Office of Investment Company Regulation). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The... organized as a Delaware statutory trust and is registered under the Act as an open-end management investment...

The process of candidates choose graduate programs: an analysis from the advisor perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nascimento, Ridnal Joao do

2016-01-01

This study aims to identify the criteria used by advisors in the decision-making on whether to accept a candidate for mentoring in a postgraduate strictu sensu program and examines possible relationships between this decision and their scientific production and mentees evasion. In order to meet these goals one seeks to identify and analyze the selection criteria of candidates for the master's and doctorate programs at an institution; in this case, the Energy and Nuclear Research Institute - IPEN. More specifically, one seeks to study similarities and differences between those criteria among the advisors; find out whether there is a correlation between the selection criteria and the advisors characteristics (Profile); identify the selection process used by advisors and point out which are the motivations that lead to evasion according to their point of view. To meet these challenges, as the starting point of the research, a conceptual model was designed in order to form the basis for the preparation of the script for the interviews with open-ended questions as to identify the selection criteria used by a small group of advisors with a predefined profile. From that point, based on the responses obtained in interviews, the survey was expanded to all advisors working in the IPEN Postgraduate program by implementing an online survey using Google Docs app for data collection. These data were then analyzed and reorganized according to an operational model of research that would guide the analysis by structural equation modeling (SEM) by means of the SmartPLS software, in order to identify the presence or absence of correlation between the criteria adopted by the advisors and their academic production and the evasion of their mentees, for that one relied on studies in: Bazerman and Moore (2010); Cohen (1988); Hair Jr. et al (2009); Hansmann and Ringle (2004); Martins (1997); Ringle, C.; Silva and Bido (2014); Sousa (2007); Sousa and Yu (2014); Torres (2014); Yu (2011

Perceptions of Effectiveness and Job Satisfaction of Pre-Law Advisors

Science.gov (United States)

Knotts, H. Gibbs; Wofford, Claire B.

2017-01-01

Despite playing an important role, preprofessional advising has received little research attention. For this study, 313 U.S. preprofessional advisors were surveyed in 2015. Drawing on work adjustment and social cognitive career theories, we analyzed the job satisfaction and perceived effectiveness of pre-law advisors. The major findings reveal…

Installation and evaluation of a nuclear power plant operator advisor based on artificial intelligence technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hajek, B.K.; Miller, D.W.

1989-01-01

This report discusses the following topics on a Nuclear Power Plant operator advisor based on artificial Intelligence Technology; Workstation conversion; Software Conversion; V ampersand V Program Development Development; Simulator Interface Development; Knowledge Base Expansion; Dynamic Testing; Database Conversion; Installation at the Perry Simulator; Evaluation of Operator Interaction; Design of Man-Machine Interface; and Design of Maintenance Facility

Dissemination of colorectal cancer screening by Filipino American community health advisors: a feasibility study.

Science.gov (United States)

Maxwell, Annette E; Danao, Leda L; Bastani, Roshan

2013-07-01

Filipino Americans underutilize life-saving screening tests for colorectal cancer, resulting in late stage of diagnosis and poor survival relative to other racial/ethnic groups. Education regarding colorectal cancer screening and distribution of free fecal occult blood test (FOBT) kits are evidence-based interventions that can significantly increase screening. However, this community will only benefit if the intervention is broadly disseminated. We assessed the feasibility of promoting colorectal cancer screening in Filipino American community settings working with community health advisors, and the practicality of conducting one-on-one or small group education, in addition to passing out free FOBT kits. Twenty community health advisors from 4 organizations engaged in recruitment and education activities with 132 participants. Community health advisors consistently completed screening questionnaires to establish eligibility and kept logs of FOBT distribution. However, they did not consistently record eligible participants who did not consent to participate. Process checklists that indicated what information was covered in each educational session and postsession follow-up logs were partially completed. Almost all participants reported receipt of intervention components and receipt of screening at 4-month follow-up and reported high acceptability of the program. The pilot study established the feasibility of working with community health advisors to promote colorectal cancer screening in Filipino American community settings. Findings informed the design of a dissemination trial that is currently ongoing with regards to monitoring recruitment, intervention implementation and follow-up and allowing flexibility regarding one-on-one or small group education.

Automating expert role to determine design concept in Kansei Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Lokman, Anitawati Mohd; Haron, Mohammad Bakri Che; Abidin, Siti Zaleha Zainal; Khalid, Noor Elaiza Abd

2016-02-01

Affect has become imperative in product quality. In affective design field, Kansei Engineering (KE) has been recognized as a technology that enables discovery of consumer's emotion and formulation of guide to design products that win consumers in the competitive market. Albeit powerful technology, there is no rule of thumb in its analysis and interpretation process. KE expertise is required to determine sets of related Kansei and the significant concept of emotion. Many research endeavors become handicapped with the limited number of available and accessible KE experts. This work is performed to simulate the role of experts with the use of Natphoric algorithm thus providing sound solution to the complexity and flexibility in KE. The algorithm is designed to learn the process by implementing training datasets taken from previous KE research works. A framework for automated KE is then designed to realize the development of automated KE system. A comparative analysis is performed to determine feasibility of the developed prototype to automate the process. The result shows that the significant Kansei is determined by manual KE implementation and the automated process is highly similar. KE research advocates will benefit this system to automatically determine significant design concepts.

Comparing the creativity of children's design solutions based on expert assessment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Thang, B.; Sluis - Thiescheffer, R.J.W.; Bekker, M.M.; Eggen, J.H.; Vermeeren, A.P.O.S.; Ridder, de H.

2008-01-01

LOBBI Netherlands Consortium Subscribe (Full Service) Register (Limited Service, Free) Login Search: The ACM Digital Library The Guide Feedback Comparing the creativity of children's design solutions based on expert assessment Full text Pdf (3.04 MB) Source Interaction Design and Children archive

Designing a community-based lay health advisor training curriculum to address cancer health disparities.

Science.gov (United States)

Gwede, Clement K; Ashley, Atalie A; McGinnis, Kara; Montiel-Ishino, F Alejandro; Standifer, Maisha; Baldwin, Julie; Williams, Coni; Sneed, Kevin B; Wathington, Deanna; Dash-Pitts, Lolita; Green, B Lee

2013-05-01

Racial and ethnic minorities have disproportionately higher cancer incidence and mortality than their White counterparts. In response to this inequity in cancer prevention and care, community-based lay health advisors (LHAs) may be suited to deliver effective, culturally relevant, quality cancer education, prevention/screening, and early detection services for underserved populations. APPROACH AND STRATEGIES: Consistent with key tenets of community-based participatory research (CBPR), this project engaged community partners to develop and implement a unique LHA training curriculum to address cancer health disparities among medically underserved communities in a tricounty area. Seven phases of curriculum development went into designing a final seven-module LHA curriculum. In keeping with principles of CBPR and community engagement, academic-community partners and LHAs themselves were involved at all phases to ensure the needs of academic and community partners were mutually addressed in development and implementation of the LHA program. Community-based LHA programs for outreach, education, and promotion of cancer screening and early detection, are ideal for addressing cancer health disparities in access and quality care. When community-based LHAs are appropriately recruited, trained, and located in communities, they provide unique opportunities to link, bridge, and facilitate quality cancer education, services, and research.

An Iraq C-130 Aviation Advisor Mission and Lessons for the Future

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Bauer, Michael J

2007-01-01

.... A review of lessons learned from the initial Iraq C-130 advisor mission provided insights into challenges stemming from differences in United States advisors and Iraqi airmen in language, culture...

Further development of the ZEUS Expert System: Computer science foundations of design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flasinski, M.

1994-03-01

The prototype version of the ZEUS Expert System, ZEXP, was diagnosing selected aspects of DAQ System during ZEUS running in 1993. In November 1993 ZEUS decided to extend its scope in order to cover all crucial aspects of operating the ZEUS detector (Run Control, Slow Control, Data Acquisition performance and Data Quality Monitoring). The paper summarizes fundamental assumptions concerning the design of the final version of the ZEUS Expert System, ZEX. Although the theoretical background material relates primarily to ZEX, its elements can be used for constructing other expert systems for HEP experiments. (orig.)

Deep nets vs expert designed features in medical physics: An IMRT QA case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Interian, Yannet; Rideout, Vincent; Kearney, Vasant P; Gennatas, Efstathios; Morin, Olivier; Cheung, Joey; Solberg, Timothy; Valdes, Gilmer

2018-03-30

The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of Deep Neural Networks against a technique designed by domain experts in the prediction of gamma passing rates for Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy Quality Assurance (IMRT QA). A total of 498 IMRT plans across all treatment sites were planned in Eclipse version 11 and delivered using a dynamic sliding window technique on Clinac iX or TrueBeam Linacs. Measurements were performed using a commercial 2D diode array, and passing rates for 3%/3 mm local dose/distance-to-agreement (DTA) were recorded. Separately, fluence maps calculated for each plan were used as inputs to a convolution neural network (CNN). The CNNs were trained to predict IMRT QA gamma passing rates using TensorFlow and Keras. A set of model architectures, inspired by the convolutional blocks of the VGG-16 ImageNet model, were constructed and implemented. Synthetic data, created by rotating and translating the fluence maps during training, was created to boost the performance of the CNNs. Dropout, batch normalization, and data augmentation were utilized to help train the model. The performance of the CNNs was compared to a generalized Poisson regression model, previously developed for this application, which used 78 expert designed features. Deep Neural Networks without domain knowledge achieved comparable performance to a baseline system designed by domain experts in the prediction of 3%/3 mm Local gamma passing rates. An ensemble of neural nets resulted in a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.70 ± 0.05 and the domain expert model resulted in a 0.74 ± 0.06. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) with transfer learning can predict IMRT QA passing rates by automatically designing features from the fluence maps without human expert supervision. Predictions from CNNs are comparable to a system carefully designed by physicist experts. © 2018 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

The Advisor and Instructor as a Dynamic Duo: Academic Motivation and Basic Psychological Needs

Science.gov (United States)

Burt, Tracie D.; Young-Jones, Adena D.; Yadon, Carly A.; Carr, Michael T.

2013-01-01

Students learn in and out of a formal classroom, and instructors and academic advisors play key roles in academic motivation and learning. Therefore, through the lens of self-determination theory, we examined the ways perceived support from instructors and advisors relates to satisfaction of college students' basic psychological needs. Advisor and…

Design and implementation of real-time diagnostic expert system in nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Yan; Zhou Zhiwei; Dong Xiuchen

2006-01-01

In order to decrease the probability of malfunctions in nuclear power plant, a real-time expert system to be applied to malfunction diagnosis was designed. Based on the expert system theory the system converts the expert knowledge for diagnosing failures into the rules stored in database, and it can display real-time information of the abnormal symptoms, perform real-time diagnosis of malfunctions and suggest the operation actions related to malfunctions, etc. The results indicate that several typical malfunctions in nuclear power plant are diagnosed automatically and the corresponding operation schedules are given out by present expert system. (authors)

Lessons Learnt from Experts in Design Rationale Knowledge Capture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hall, Mark; Bermell-Garcia, Pablo; Ravindranath, Ranjitun

2017-01-01

The focus of this paper is on the use of argumentation models and software tools to support knowledge capture in the design of long-life engineering products. The results of semi-structured interviews with a number of experts in the field are presented, exploring their collective experience...... of knowledge capture and eliciting guidelines for successful implementation of such models and tools. The results of this research may be used as the basis for the design of future tools and techniques for knowledge capture....

Evaluation of preconceptual plug designs using experts' judgement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sioshansi, F.P.; O'Rourke, J.E.

1980-03-01

A number of preconceptual plug designs for an underground nuclear waste repository were to be evaluated based on the available information on plug materials and placement techniques. Because of complex environment and loading conditions, long time frame under consideration, rigid performance characteristics and considerable uncertainties present in preconceptual design and material properties, a qualitative and judgmental evaluation procedure was needed to supplement technical studies. A structured procedure was developed to qualitatively capture evaluator's views and reservations on the proposed preconceptual schemes. Since a thorough evaluation of each proposed plug scheme required in-depth experience and familiarity with many components of the plug, three knowledgeable experts with specialties in the most relevant aspects of the problem were independently interviewed. Each plug scheme was broken down into three subcomponents and each subcomponent was evaluated separately. The proposed schemes were then rated taking their subcomponents into consideration. Because the experts had different specialties, their subcomponent and overall ratings were not in full agreement. Each plug scheme's lowest overall rating was used as the most significant determinant of the judgmental preference categories reported in this study. The approach used discriminated between the proposed schemes for those with highest probability of being successful. The most preferred schemes were then reviewed with respect to the data produced in the technical analysis performed during the project. The results of the judgmental analysis were then synthesized and modified with results of the technical analysis to produce the preconceptual plug designs

An Expert System for Supporting the Design and Selection of Mechanical Equipment for Recreational Crafts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Gonciarz

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Expert Systems can be defined as computer programs, whose main task is to simulate a human expert, usually in a narrow field of expertise. Expert Systems have experienced tremendous growth and popularity since their commercial introduction in the early 1970’s. Today, Expert Systems are used in business, science, engineering, manufacturing and other engineering applications such as planning, scheduling, diagnosing equipment failures and are used in almost every stage of the manufacturing process and also in medicine and many other fields. Expert Systems belong to the field of artificial intelligence. An intelligent computer program that uses knowledge and inference procedures to solve problems that are difficult enough to require significant human expertise for the solution. The purpose of this paper is to present an Expert System which assists with the design of yachts and supports the selection of mechanical equipment for yachts and includes knowledge in the field of yachting engineering. Using the presented Expert System reduces the time during the design and production preparation process.

Career Preparation: An Often Omitted Element of the Advisor-Graduate Student Relationship

Science.gov (United States)

McManus, D. A.

2001-05-01

Most graduate research advisors care about the education of their graduate students. However, they often define "graduate education" so narrowly that it consists only of solving a research problem. This narrow definition is consistent with their principal goal as geoscientists, to understand the Earth better, and with the reward system typical of research universities, with its emphasis on research. As a result, most advisors usually well prepare students to be researchers in research universities. Research, however, is only part of a faculty member's duties. Commonly omitted is mentoring in the teaching and service duties of a faculty member. Students interested in teaching, in positions in other academic institutions, or in careers outside of academia may be perceived as questioning the advisors' career values and may not be encouraged in these interests. Graduate students should take an active role in their education. In addition to seeking information on career preparation from the campus career center and teaching center and from books, newsmagazines, newspapers, and seminars, students should also seek mentors who have demonstrated an interest in what the student is interested in: teaching and service, as well as research, or in careers outside academia. These mentors may be the students' committee members, other faculty members, or other professional geoscientists. With a broad base of information and some personal decisions, students will have a rationale for exploring careers. The questions students ask can now be more specific: How do they gain the requisite breadth in knowledge and the beneficial skills, beyond the depth of the research experience, and how do they gain opportunities to practice these skills? In short, how can they experience, and preferably practice, what professional geoscientists do in particular careers? If necessary, graduate students can work together to answer these questions by inviting experts to offer workshops in the department

Data Transfer Advisor with Transport Profiling Optimization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rao, Nageswara S. [ORNL; Liu, Qiang [ORNL; Yun, Daqing [Harrisburg University; Wu, Chase Qishi [New Jersey Institute of Technology; Kettimuthu, R. [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL); Jung, Eun-sung [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)

2017-11-01

The network infrastructures have been rapidly upgraded in many high-performance networks (HPNs). However, such infrastructure investment has not led to corresponding performance improvement in big data transfer, especially at the application layer, largely due to the complexity of optimizing transport control on end hosts. We design and implement ProbData, a PRofiling Optimization Based DAta Transfer Advisor, to help users determine the most effective data transfer method with the most appropriate control parameter values to achieve the best data transfer performance. ProbData employs a profiling optimization based approach to exploit the optimal operational zone of various data transfer methods in support of big data transfer in extreme scale scientific applications. We present a theoretical framework of the optimized profiling approach employed in ProbData as wellas its detailed design and implementation. The advising procedure and performance benefits of ProbData are illustrated and evaluated by proof-of-concept experiments in real-life networks.

Explaining Doctoral Students' Relational Maintenance with Their Advisor: A Psychosocial Development Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Goldman, Zachary W.; Goodboy, Alan K.

2017-01-01

This study explored how psychosocial development affects doctoral students' relationship and communication with their advisor. Chickering and Reisser's vectors of psychosocial development were examined in the doctoral context to understand how students preserve communicatively satisfying relationships with their advisor through the use of…

Preliminary study of an expert system for mechanical design of a pressure vessel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kasmuri, N.H.; Md Som, A.

2006-01-01

This paper describes a preliminary study of an expert system for mechanical design of a pressure vessel. The system supports the framework for the conceptual mechanical design from the initial stages within the design procedures. ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section VIII Division 1 were applied as a design rule. The proposed methodology facilitates the development of knowledge base acquisition, knowledge base construction and the prototype implementation. This study characterizes a knowledge base (procedure) of mechanical design of a pressure vessel subjected to internal pressure including all design parameters; i.e. temperature, shell thickness, selection of materials of constructions, stress analysis procedure, support and ancillary items. The rationalization of the mechanical design is shown in the form of a schematic flow diagram. A Kappa PC expert system shell is used as a tool to develop the prototype software. It provides graphical representation for creating objects, hierarchies and rules for knowledge base used in pressure vessel design. (Author)

Solar Advisor Model User Guide for Version 2.0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gilman, P.; Blair, N.; Mehos, M.; Christensen, C.; Janzou, S.; Cameron, C.

2008-08-01

The Solar Advisor Model (SAM) provides a consistent framework for analyzing and comparing power system costs and performance across the range of solar technologies and markets, from photovoltaic systems for residential and commercial markets to concentrating solar power and large photovoltaic systems for utility markets. This manual describes Version 2.0 of the software, which can model photovoltaic and concentrating solar power technologies for electric applications for several markets. The current version of the Solar Advisor Model does not model solar heating and lighting technologies.

Architecture and Design of Expert System for Quality of Life Evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irena ATANASOVA

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This article presents an architectural framework of an expert system (ES in the social area domain and describes the design of the ES, using the shell Expert System for Text Animation (ESTA. The designed system is intended for the evaluation of quality of life (QL. The development of ES for QL evaluation is a new information technology derived from artificial intelligent research, using ESTA system with application in social area domain. The proposed ES contains knowledge about sets of factors (objective conditions and subjective perception and indicators, which may be used to QL measure, as followings: equal protection of the law; freedom from discrimination; right to be treated equally without regard to gender, race, language, religion, political beliefs, nationality, socio-economic status and more; right to privacy; freedom of thought; free choice of employment; right to fair pay; equal pay for equal work; right to vote; right to rest and leisure; right to education. The system is developed in the ESTA, which is Visual Prolog 7.3 Application. The knowledge for the ES will be acquired from domain experts, texts and other related sources.

Distributed expert system architecture using a dedicated knowledge server

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trovato, S.A.; Lindgren, B.M.; Touchton, R.A.

1991-01-01

This paper presents an up-to-date look at REALM, the Reactor Emergency Action Level Monitor Expert Advisor System, including recent innovations in the system architecture and our approach to Verification and Validation (V and V). The emergency classification domain is reviewed and the problem, solution and benefits are outlined. A REALM system description is then presented, followed by a description of the REALM V and V approach. The paper concludes with a look at how REALM is being generalized to embrace plant sensor interpretation beyond emergency classification (e.g. On-line Tech Spec or thermal performance monitoring) under the name of OASYS, for On-line Advisory System

The American Military Advisor: Dealing with Senior Foreign Officials in the Islamic World

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Metrinko, Michael J

2008-01-01

"The American Military Advisor: Dealing with Senior Foreign Officials in the Islamic World" is a comprehensive guide for American military officers assigned as advisors to regional officials in places very different from the United States...

Senior Media Relations Advisor | IDRC - International Development ...

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

In addition, the Advisor contributes to the Centre's corporate strategic and ... of media strategies, opportunities, approaches, and initiatives to enhance awareness, ... The job demands strategic thinking and planning skills as well as diplomacy, ...

Compensation Services Advisor | IDRC - International Development ...

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

Job Summary The Compensation Services Advisor is accountable for the effective ... Coordinates the annual Performance Review and Assessment System ... by IDRC and the broader financial and social implications of working in Canada. ... in areas such as mortgages, credit and so on to individuals not accustomed to ...

LIRA - License Renewal Assistant an expert system advisor for system and component screening

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wood, R.M.; DeLuke, R.J.; Lu, Yi; Catron, S.R.

1992-01-01

In developing a license renewal application for a nuclear power plant, it is necessary to identify those systems and components for which age-related degradation must be evaluated and addressed in detail. One approach, used in the Monticello Lead Plant project, is to screen all plant systems and components, based on criteria developed by the Nuclear Utility Management and Resources Council (NUMARC). This paper describes an expert system developed as an assistant in the application of the screening methodology. 4 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab

Expert systems and their use in augmenting design optimization

Science.gov (United States)

Kidwell, G. H.; Eskey, M. A.

1985-01-01

The challenging requirements that are evolving for future aircraft demand that each design be optimally integrated, for the penalties imposed by nonoptimal performance are significant. Classic numerical optimization algorithms have been and will continue to be important tools for aircraft designers. These methods are, however, limited to certain categories of aircraft design variables, leaving the remainder to be determined by the user. A method that makes use of knowledge-based expert systems offers the potential for aiding the conceptual design process in a way that is similar to that of numerical optimization, except that it would address discrete, discontinuous, abstract, or any other unoptimized aspect of vehicle design and integration. Other unique capabilities such as automatic discovery and learning in design may also be achievable in the near term. This paper discusses current practice in conceptual aircraft design and knowledge-based systems, and how knowledge-based systems can be used in conceptual design.

Results of expert response when forming an exhaustive list of potential risks of constructions projects using energy efficient technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ryzhkova Anastasiya Igorevna

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The author deals with the most widely used methods of risk events identification. The expert response method is most applicable for construction projects using energy efficient technologies. The article presents the results of an opinion poll of the professional expert community using expert response method, which is aimed to identify the most likely potential “pure” risk of construction projects with energy-efficient technologies in use. 74 experts representing different levels of the construction process were polled: customers and directors of construction companies, project managers, risk managers, advisors. The answers were collected during private talks and also using a special website Survey Monkey. Experts from different countries took part: Russia, Great Britain, Austria, Luxemburg, Switzerland and Norway. Also the article presents the expert evaluation of the “effect” of risk implementation on the cost of a project, implementation time, the product quality, the environment and safety on the construction site.

Range of expert system for control, modeling and safely operation in nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorlin, A.; Semenov, S.

1990-01-01

The paper describes expert system projects which had been developed formerly and are under the development now in NVIIAES Institute, Moscow. One of the accomplished systems (PEX) is a ES-shell of classical type able to manipulate fuzzy expert assessments. The system is used as a shell for ES-advisor for MCP failures diagnostics and in some applications of the same sort. Another realized system (EDES) is on-line express-diagnostical ES for NPP unit emergency regimes identification. EDES is implemented now as a component of NPP system of control and operation conditions diagnostics. Both systems are realized on conventional programming languages Pascal and C, respectively. The presentation describes current developments in ES as well, including classification system for material researches, the project of training ES for second circuit diagnostics based on event tree generating and expert planner for neutron-physical three-dimensional reactor calculations. All this projects are implemented on different versions of PROLOG programming language

Industrial-Organizational and Human Factors Graduate Program Admission: Information for Undergraduate Advisors

Science.gov (United States)

Shoenfelt, Elizabeth L.; Stone, Nancy J.; Kottke, Janet L.

2015-01-01

Many psychology departments do not have industrial-organizational (IO) or human factors (HF) faculty members. As such, potential IO and HF graduate students may miss career opportunities because faculty advisors are unfamiliar with the disciplines and their graduate programs. To assist advisors, this article highlights the content of IO and HF…

The Home, the Family and the Energy Advisor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tjørring, Lise

within. The empirical focus is on the households' potential to perform energy renovations of their homes and adopt flexible electricity use. Four papers investigate what characterises the social and gendered engagements among the home, the family and the energy advisor and the implications...... events, social relations, historical conditions and social status. These findings call for new methods to increase the number of energy renovations and the likelihood of adopting flexible electricity use. We must focus on the home not only as a technical issue that can be improved but also as a dwelling...... space that contains gendered practices, cultural norms and social engagements among the home, the family and the energy advisor....

The influence of TripAdvisor portal on hotel bussines in Serbia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Čačić Krunoslav

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Numerous researches have shown the existence of influence of specialized Web 2.0 portals on hotel business. One of most famous portals of that kind is TripAdvisor. The goal of this work is to determine the degree and mode of representation of hotels in Serbia on TripAdvisor portal. The results of the conducted research show that in past years the number of hotels from Serbia represented on this portal has increased significantly. At the end of 2012 there have been registered 3.288 comments which evaluated the service quality of 165 hotels from Serbia. The average vote, on five-degree scale, calculated at the level of all represented hotels at the end of 2012 was 3,92. Considering that Belgrade represents the primarily business, administrative and touristic center of Serbia, on the Belgrade's hotels specimen there has been analyzed the connection between business performances of hotels expressed through indicator TREVPAR and their image on TripAdvisor expressed through average vote determined based on user's comments, as well as in relation with TripAdvisor Popularity Index (TPI. The results show the high degree of correlation between analyzed features on the specimen of Belgrade's hotels, in range of hotels of second (4* and third category (3*. Having in mind the results of conducted research it is obvious that the hotels managers from Serbia should adopt and implement the corresponding procedures of monitoring and adequate reactions on contents on TripAdvisor, considering their influence on behavior of modern consumer in hotels.

Design Features in Games for Health: Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Expert Perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Kelley, Christina; Wilcox, Lauren; Ng, Wendy; Schiffer, Jade; Hammer, Jessica

2017-06-01

Games for health (G4H) aim to improve health outcomes and encourage behavior change. While existing theoretical frameworks describe features of both games and health interventions, there has been limited systematic investigation into how disciplinary and interdisciplinary stakeholders understand design features in G4H. We recruited 18 experts from the fields of game design, behavioral health, and games for health, and prompted them with 16 sample games. Applying methods including open card sorting and triading, we elicited themes and features (e.g., real-world interaction, game mechanics) around G4H. We found evidence of conceptual differences suggesting that a G4H perspective is not simply the sum of game and health perspectives. At the same time, we found evidence of convergence in stakeholder views, including areas where game experts provided insights about health and vice versa. We discuss how this work can be applied to provide conceptual tools, improve the G4H design process, and guide approaches to encoding G4H-related data for large-scale empirical analysis.

Decommissioning economic risk advisor: DERAD Version 1.0 user's manual. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gjerde, A.R.; Qian, M.; Govil, P.; Balson, W.E.

1995-04-01

DERAD - Decommissioning Economic and Risk ADvisor - is a decision support tool designed to help utility decision makers analyze economics and financial risk of decommissioning nuclear power plants. Your current copy of DERAD, Version 1.0, is customized for PWR configurated plants. DERAD has been developed by Decision Focus Incorporated under EPRI sponsorship. If you have ideas or recommendations for how we can improve and enhance future versions of DERAD, we would like to hear from you

A Preliminary Report of Advisor Perceptions of Advising and of a Profession

Science.gov (United States)

Aiken-Wisniewski, Sharon A.; Johnson, Anna; Larson, Joshua; Barkemeyer, Jason

2015-01-01

Practicing advisors may not agree, know, or understand that advising does not meet the scholarly definition of a profession. Through a phenomenological study, members of NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising were invited to describe the position of academic advisor. The data gathered were used to address two research questions:…

2001 Joint ADVISOR/PSAT Vehicle Systems Modeling User's Conference Proceedings (CD)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Markel, T.

2001-01-01

The 2001 Joint ADVISOR/PSAT Vehicle Systems Modeling User Conference provided an opportunity for engineers in the automotive industry and the research environment to share their experiences in vehicle systems modeling using ADVISOR and PSAT. ADVISOR and PSAT are vehicle systems modeling tools developed and supported by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory respectively with the financial support of the US Department of Energy. During this conference peers presented the results of studies using the simulation tools and improvements that they have made or would like to see in the simulation tools. Focus areas of the presentations included Control Strategy, Model Validation, Optimization and Co-Simulation, Model Development, Applications, and Fuel Cell Vehicle Systems Analysis. Attendees were offered the opportunity to give feedback on future model development plans

78 FR 11865 - President's Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-20

.... Brown, Jr., White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, U.S. Department of... DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION President's Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities AGENCY: U.S. Department of Education, President's Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges...

The Effects of Task Clarification, Feedback, and Goal Setting on Student Advisors' Office Behaviors and Customer Service

Science.gov (United States)

Tittelbach, Danielle; DeAngelis, Maureen; Sturmey, Peter; Alvero, Alicia M.

2007-01-01

This study evaluated the effects of feedback, task clarification and goal-setting on office behaviors and customer service of ten undergraduate participants that served as university advisors. A multiple baseline design was implemented across three target behaviors: client greeting, front-desk behaviors, and punctuality. During intervention the…

Using the acid rain advisor to evaluate compliance strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stallard, G.S.; Anderson, A.A.

1991-01-01

Unlike prior Clean Air Act (CAA) legislation, the most recent amendments will require utilities to reduce SO 2 and NO x emissions for existing operating power station and provides for compliance strategies in which emissions for existing operating power stations and provides for compliance strategies in which emission reductions can be transferred from one unit to another. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), in conjunction with the Department of Energy (DOE), is funding the development of the Coal Quality Expert (CQE), a comprehensive analytical/planning tool to consider the myriad of potential coal purchase decisions now facing the utility, including fuel switching, blending, coal beneficiation, and the installation of retrofit emission controls. The CQE will be built on the foundation of proven, validated computer models to the maximum extent possible, including EPRI's Coal Quality Impact Model (CQIM), a state-of-the-art computer model designed to evaluate cost/performance impacts of fuel switching at existing power plants. In addition, as the CQE development permits, interim computer products will be offered. The first of these products is the Acid Rain Advisor (ARA). The ARA complements the CQIM by providing the ability to rapidly evaluate the system-wide cost and reduction benefits which result from selecting various reduction techniques on various units within the system. Thus, with the ARA, the utility can efficiently combine cost/performance information, view overall system results, and rapidly consider various 'What if' alternatives to ensure that individual unit reduction strategies are consistent with the goals of the utility as a whole. This paper demonstrates the capabilities of the ARA, and by use of a 'sample analysis,' illustrates how a utility might develop and evaluate alternative CAA compliance strategies

THE ROLE OF 'PROFESSIONAL ADVISORS ON FINANCIAL MATTERS' IN ENTREPRENEURIAL NETWORKS

OpenAIRE

KIM KLYVER; KEVIN HINDLE

2010-01-01

This study investigated the influence that 'professional advisors on financial matters' have in comparison with other people with whom entrepreneurs discuss their venture. Based on follow-up surveys completed in relation to the Danish participation in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) survey, it was found that professional advisors on financial matters only play a minor role in the two early phases of the entrepreneurial process before the venture is actually started. It was further r...

Factors leading to the involvement of Forensic Advisors in the Belgian criminal justice system.

Science.gov (United States)

Bitzer, Sonja

2018-04-01

Forensic Advisors at the National Institute for Criminalistics and Criminology in Brussels act as advising body to the magistrate regarding analytical possibilities and the usefulness of trace analysis in a case. Initially, their function was devised to assist in complex murder cases with unknown offender. However, in a previous study, the increasing diversity of the cases they are requested for has been observed (Bitzer et al., in press). In order to deepen our understanding of the decision steps in the criminal investigation process, the decision to involve a Forensic Advisor and the factors leading to their involvement were evaluated. The study focused on homicide, robbery and burglary cases with and without requests for a Forensic Advisor between January 2014 and June 2016. The factors were categorised into five knowledge dimensions: strategic, immediate, physical, criminal and utility. Decision tree modelling was carried out in order to identify the factors influencing the request for a Forensic Advisor in the case. The decision to request a Forensic Advisor differs between different types of offences. It also depends on the complexity of the case in terms of the number of traces and objects collected at the crime scene, and the availability of witness reports. Indeed, Forensic Advisors take the role of trace analysis coordinator by providing an overview of all available traces, objects, analyses and results. According to the principal implication factors and the performed case study, the contribution of Forensic Advisors consists mainly in summarising all information and advise on potential additional analyses. This might be explained by a loss of overview of the information and the possibilities regarding trace analysis by the magistrate responsible of the case. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Guide to good practices for the selection, training, and qualification of shift technical advisors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-02-01

The DOE Guide to Good Practices For The Selection, Training, and Qualification of Shift Technical Advisors can be used by any DOE nuclear facility that has implemented the shift technical advisor position. DOE Order 5480-20, ``Personnel Selection, Qualification, Training, and Staffing Requirements at DOE Reactor and Non-Reactor Nuclear Facilities,`` states that only Category A reactors must use shift technical advisor position. However, many DOE nuclear facilities have implemented the shift technical advisor position to provide independent on-shift technical advice and counsel to the shift operating personnel to help determine cause and mitigation of facility accidents. Those DOE nuclear facilities that have implemented or are going to implement the shift technical advisor position will find this guide useful. This guide addresses areas that may be covered by other training programs. In these cases, it is unnecessary (and undesirable) to duplicate these areas in the STA training program as long as the specific skills and knowledge essential for STAs are addressed. The guide is presented based on the premise that the trainee has not completed any facility-specific training other than general employee training.

Viewpoints of students of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences regarding their academic advisors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.H Fallah Yakhdani

2012-02-01

Results: The majority of samples were from Nursing, Midwifery, and Public Health School and a few from Faculty of Medicine. The majority of students (41.8% agreed to have the same advisor from the first term to the last. Also the results showed that the functions of advisors were poor in the areas of constant supervision and monitoring of students’ educational status (35.8%, preparing the timetable for performing the personal or group counseling (41.8% and providing counseling sessions according to the timetable (42.3%. But their functions were fair in the areas of acceptable guidance of students in the educational problems (35.1%, and the advisor’s familiarity to educational regulations (43.9%. It is necessary to note that the advisor's ability in making the intimate relationship with students (37.1%, and the advisors’ motivation and tendency to guidance and counseling (30.1% were the two items evaluated excellent by students. Conclusion: It is necessary that advisors make the students familiar with educational regulations at the first semester of higher education. Also, the policies and regulations for advisors will clarify their activities and will help them to perform better.

Design of groundwater pollution expert system: forward chaining and interfacing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mongkon Ta-oun; Mohamed Daud; Mohd Zohadie Bardaie; Shamshuddin Jusop

2000-01-01

The groundwater pollution expert system (GWPES was developed by C Language Integrate Production System (CLEPS). The control techniques of this system consider some conclusion and then attempts to prove it by searching for supportive information from the database. The inference process goes in forward chaining of this system such as predicting groundwater pollution vulnerability, predicting the effect of nitrogen fertiliser, agricultural impact and project development on groundwater pollution potential. In GWPES, forward chaining system begins with a matching of inputs with the existing database of groundwater environment and activities impact of the project development. While, interaction between an expert system and user is conducted in simple English language. The interaction is highly interactive. A basis design with simple Graphic User Interface (GUI) to input data and by asking simple questions. (author)

Thomas Sinks, Director, Office of the Science Advisor

Science.gov (United States)

Biography of the Director of the Office of the Science Advisor which is responsible for is responsible for EPA’s human subject research ethics, scientific integrity, and developing cross-agency science policy guidance.

78 FR 46381 - Calamos Advisors LLC and Calamos ETF Trust; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-31

... Advisors LLC and Calamos ETF Trust; Notice of Application July 24, 2013. AGENCY: Securities and Exchange... sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (B) of the Act. Applicants: Calamos Advisors LLC (``Adviser'') and Calamos ETF... series of the Trust will be the Calamos Focus Growth ETF (the ``Initial Fund''), the investment objective...

GSA Advisors' Self-Efficacy Related to LGBT Youth of Color and Transgender Youth

Science.gov (United States)

Poteat, V. Paul; Scheer, Jillian R.

2016-01-01

Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) serve lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and heterosexual youth from diverse backgrounds. Although some attention has been given to youth members in general, little attention has been given to adult advisors. Among 47 GSA advisors from 33 high schools (39 cisgender female, 8 cisgender male), the authors…

Report of the Results of an IMS LEarning Design Expert Workshop

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Neumann, Susanne; Klebl, Michael; Griffiths, David; Hernández-Leo, Davinia; De la Fuente-Valentin, Luis; Hummel, Hans; Brouns, Francis; Derntl, Michael; Oberhuemer, Petra

2009-01-01

Neumann, S., Klebl, M., Griffiths, D., Hernández-Leo, D., de la Fuente Valentín, L., Hummel, H., Brouns, F., Derntl, M., & Oberhuemer, P. (2010). Report of the Results of an IMS Learning Design Expert Workshop. International Journal Of Emerging Technologies In Learning (IJET), 5(1), pp.

PTT Advisor: A CDC-supported initiative to develop a mobile clinical laboratory decision support application for the iOS platform.

Science.gov (United States)

Savel, Thomas G; Lee, Brian A; Ledbetter, Greg; Brown, Sara; Lavalley, Dale; Taylor, Julie; Thompson, Pam

2013-01-01

This manuscript describes the development of PTT (Partial Thromboplastin Time) Advisor, one of the first of a handful of iOS-based mobile applications to be released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PTT Advisor has been a collaboration between two groups at CDC (Informatics R&D and Laboratory Science), and one partner team (Clinical Laboratory Integration into Healthcare Collaborative - CLIHC). The application offers clinicians a resource to quickly select the appropriate follow-up tests to evaluate patients with a prolonged PTT and a normal Prothrombin Time (PT) laboratory result. The application was designed leveraging an agile methodology, and best practices in user experience (UX) design and mobile application development. As it is an open-source project, the code to PTT Advisor was made available to the public under the Apache Software License. On July 6, 2012, the free app was approved by Apple, and was published to their App Store. Regardless of the complexity of the mobile application, the level of effort required in the development process should not be underestimated. There are several issues that make designing the UI for a mobile phone challenging (not just small screen size): the touchscreen, users' mobile mindset (tasks need to be quick and focused), and the fact that mobile UI conventions/expectations are still being defined and refined (due to the maturity level of the field of mobile application development).

Returning to Our Small Wars Roots: Preparing Marine Advisors to Help Other Lands Meet Future Threats

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-26

1918 uprising. Not surprisingly, the best qualified Marines like Smedley Butler were sent to France, adding to these challenges. When confronted... Robert S. McNamara authorized advisors for each province and advisory teams for each combat battalion. In addition to the increased role advisors...University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009), 51. 17 Ibid, 40. 18 Ibid. 19 Ramsey III, Robert D., Advising Indigenous Forces: American Advisors in

A standardized approach to verification and validation to assist in expert system development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hines, J.W.; Hajek, B.K.; Miller, D.W.; Haas, M.A.

1992-01-01

For the past six years, the Nuclear Engineering Program's Artificial Intelligence (AI) Group at The Ohio State University has been developing an integration of expert systems to act as an aid to nuclear power plant operators. This Operator Advisor consists of four modules that monitor plant parameters, detect deviations from normality, diagnose the root cause of the abnormality, manage procedures to effectively respond to the abnormality, and mitigate its consequences. To aid in the development of this new system, a standardized Verification and Validation (V and V) approach is being implemented. The primary functions are to guide the development of the expert system and to ensure that the end product fulfills the initial objectives. The development process has been divided into eight life-cycle V and V phases from concept to operation and maintenance. Each phase has specific V and V tasks to be performed to ensure a quality end product. Four documents are being used to guide development. The Software Verification and Validation Plan (SVVP) outlines the V and V tasks necessary to verify the product at the end of each software development phase, and to validate that the end product complies with the established software and system requirements and meets the needs of the user. The Software Requirements Specification (SRS) documents the essential requirements of the system. The Software Design Description (SDD) represents these requirements with a specific design. And lastly, the Software Test Document establishes a testing methodology to be used throughout the development life-cycle

The Honors Thesis: A Handbook for Honors Directors, Deans, and Faculty Advisors. National Collegiate Honors Council Monograph Series

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Mark; Lyons, Karen; Weiner, Norman

2014-01-01

This handbook is intended to help all those who design, administer, and implement honors thesis programs--honors directors, deans, staff, faculty, and advisors--evaluate their thesis programs, solve pressing problems, select more effective requirements or procedures, or introduce an entirely new thesis program. The authors' goal is to provide…

LIA: An Intelligent Advisor for E-Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Capuano, Nicola; Gaeta, Matteo; Marengo, Agostino; Miranda, Sergio; Orciuoli, Francesco; Ritrovato, Pierluigi

2009-01-01

Intelligent e-learning systems have revolutionized online education by providing individualized and personalized instruction for each learner. Nevertheless, until now very few systems were able to leave academic laboratories and be integrated into real commercial products. One of these few exceptions is the Learning Intelligent Advisor (LIA)…

Programs of the Office of the Science Advisor (OSA)

Science.gov (United States)

Office of the Science Advisor provides leadership in cross-Agency science and science policy. Program areas: Risk Assessment, Science and Technology Policy, Human Subjects Research, Environmental Measurement and Modeling, Scientific Integrity.

Online-Expert: An Expert System for Online Database Selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Zahir, Sajjad; Chang, Chew Lik

1992-01-01

Describes the design and development of a prototype expert system called ONLINE-EXPERT that helps users select online databases and vendors that meet users' needs. Search strategies are discussed; knowledge acquisition and knowledge bases are described; and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), a decision analysis technique that ranks databases,…

TRADING OTOMATIS PERDAGANGAN FOREX MENGGUNAKAN METODE MARTINGALE DAN CANDLESTICK SEBAGAI ACUAN TRANSAKSI DI EXNESS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fauyhi Eko Nugroho

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Perdagangan forex merupakan suatu perdagangan mata uang asing dimana seorang trader mendapatkan keuntungan dari perbedaan nilai mata uang satu dengan mata uang asing lainnya yang dapat berubah-ubah secara berkala. Salah satu faktor analisa dalam keputusan jual beli dalam perdagangan forex adalah menggunakan analisa teknikal. Analisa teknikal menggunakan data dan metode statistik berdasarkan data histori harga untuk mendukung keputusan jual atau beli. Trader sering mengalami loss karena emosi dan psikologis. Faktor emosi dan psikologis yang dimaksud diantaranya adalah keserakahan, kelelahan, kurang konsentrasi dan lainnya. Salah satu solusi untuk mengatasi masalah tersebut adalah dengan menggunakan expert advisor . Expert advisor adalah aplikasi yang digunakan trader untuk melakukan trading secara otomatis dan mampu melakukan trading tanpa seorang trader harus memantau pergerakan harga selama 24 jam karena telah diberikan logic dengan menggunakan bahasa pemrograman mql 4. Expert advisor yang dibuat menggunakan metode martingale dan candlestick sebagai acuan transaksinya dalam pembukaan posisi jual atau beli. dari hasil penelitian pengujian Expert advisor dapat disimpulkan penggunaan metode martingale dan candlestick sebagai acuan transaksinya sebagai dasar logika expert advisor membantu dalam pengambilan keputusan trading. Kata kunci: expert advisor, forex, martingale, candlestick, mq 4.

2001 Joint ADVISOR/PSAT Vehicle Systems Modeling User's Conference Proceedings (CD)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Markel, T.

2001-08-01

The 2001 Joint ADVISOR/PSAT Vehicle Systems Modeling User Conference provided an opportunity for engineers in the automotive industry and the research environment to share their experiences in vehicle systems modeling using ADVISOR and PSAT. ADVISOR and PSAT are vehicle systems modeling tools developed and supported by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory respectively with the financial support of the US Department of Energy. During this conference peers presented the results of studies using the simulation tools and improvements that they have made or would like to see in the simulation tools. Focus areas of the presentations included Control Strategy, Model Validation, Optimization and Co-Simulation, Model Development, Applications, and Fuel Cell Vehicle Systems Analysis. Attendees were offered the opportunity to give feedback on future model development plans.

A Design Science Research Methodology for Expert Systems Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shah Jahan Miah

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The knowledge of design science research (DSR can have applications for improving expert systems (ES development research. Although significant progress of utilising DSR has been observed in particular information systems design – such as decision support systems (DSS studies – only rare attempts can be found in the ES design literature. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the use of DSR for ES design. First, we explore the ES development literature to reveal the presence of DSR as a research methodology. For this, we select relevant literature criteria and apply a qualitative content analysis in order to generate themes inductively to match the DSR components. Second, utilising the findings of the comparison, we determine a new DSR approach for designing a specific ES that is guided by another result – the findings of a content analysis of examination scripts in Mathematics. The specific ES artefact for a case demonstration is designed for addressing the requirement of a ‘wicked’ problem in that the key purpose is to assist human assessors when evaluating multi-step question (MSQ solutions. It is anticipated that the proposed design knowledge, in terms of both problem class and functions of ES artefacts, will help ES designers and researchers to address similar issues for designing information system solutions.

To Whistleblow or Not to Whistleblow: Affective and Cognitive Differences in Reporting Peers and Advisors.

Science.gov (United States)

McIntosh, Tristan; Higgs, Cory; Turner, Megan; Partlow, Paul; Steele, Logan; MacDougall, Alexandra E; Connelly, Shane; Mumford, Michael D

2017-09-20

Traditional whistleblowing theories have purported that whistleblowers engage in a rational process in determining whether or not to blow the whistle on misconduct. However, stressors inherent to whistleblowing often impede rational thinking and act as a barrier to effective whistleblowing. The negative impact of these stressors on whistleblowing may be made worse depending on who engages in the misconduct: a peer or advisor. In the present study, participants are presented with an ethical scenario where either a peer or advisor engages in misconduct, and positive and the negative consequences of whistleblowing are either directed to the wrongdoer, department, or university. Participant responses to case questions were evaluated for whistleblowing intentions, moral intensity, metacognitive reasoning strategies, and positive and negative, active and passive emotions. Findings indicate that participants were less likely to report the observed misconduct of an advisor compared to a peer. Furthermore, the findings also suggest that when an advisor is the source of misconduct, greater negative affect results. Post-hoc analyses were also conducted examining the differences between those who did and did not intend to blow the whistle under the circumstances of either having to report an advisor or peer. The implications of these findings for understanding the complexities involved in whistleblowing are discussed.

System Experts and Decision Making Experts in Transdisciplinary Projects

Science.gov (United States)

Mieg, Harald A.

2006-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims at a better understanding of expert roles in transdisciplinary projects. Thus, the main purpose is the analysis of the roles of experts in transdisciplinary projects. Design/methodology/approach: The analysis of the ETH-UNS case studies from the point of view of the psychology of expertise and the sociology of professions…

Team of Advisors: The Social Science of Advice in Homeland and National Security

Science.gov (United States)

2017-03-01

choice they have to make.”19 While these biases are subconscious and unavoidable, they cannot serve as a crutch to explain away quick, uninformed or...eradicate the influence of biases and heuristics as described by Kahneman, leaders can take steps to reduce the risk of these subconscious influences...hidden bias . Advisors play a role in identifying, recognizing and mitigating the risks inherent to subconsciously relying on heuristics. Third, advisors

TOXPERT: An Expert System for Risk Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Soto, R. J.; Osimitz, T. G.; Oleson, A.

1988-01-01

TOXPERT is an artificial intelligence based system used to model product safety, toxicology (TOX) and regulatory (REG) decision processes. An expert system shell uses backward chaining rule control to link “marketing approval” goals to the type of product, REG agency, exposure conditions and TOX. Marketing risks are primarily a function of the TOX, hazards and exposure potential. The method employed differentiates between REG requirements in goal seeking control for various types of products. This is accomplished by controlling rule execution by defining frames for each REG agency. In addition, TOXPERT produces classifications of TOX ratings and suggested product labeling. This production rule system uses principles of TOX, REGs, corporate guidelines and internal “rules of thumb.” TOXPERT acts as an advisor for this narrow domain. Advantages are that it can make routine decisions freeing professional's time for more complex problem solving, provide backup and training.

Learning from Experts: Fostering Extended Thinking in the Early Phases of the Design Process

Science.gov (United States)

Haupt, Grietjie

2015-01-01

Empirical evidence on the way in which expert designers from different domains cognitively connect their internal processes with external resources is presented in the context of an extended cognition model. The article focuses briefly on the main trends in the extended design cognition theory and in particular on recent trends in information…

Undergraduate Students' Perceptions of the Communication Behaviors of Their Advisors and Perceptions of Relational Satisfaction

Science.gov (United States)

Punyanunt-Carter, Narissra; Carter, Stacy

2015-01-01

This study examined the specific interpersonal communication styles and behaviors of advisors and the expectations they have on their advisee's level of satisfaction, as well as what characteristics lead to higher relational satisfaction in the advisor-advisee relationship. A combination of convenience and snowball sampling were utilized to obtain…

Criteria for the CAREM reactor's expert system design conduction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furman, A.; Delgado, R.

1990-01-01

The present work describes the analysis made to start with the development of an Expert System for the CAREM (SE) reactor's conduction. The following tasks are presented: a) purpose of the Expert System; b) Decision Making structure; c) Architecture of the Expert System; d) Description of Subsystems and e) Licensing. (Author) [es

An Exploration of the Relationship between International Students and Their Advisors in U.S. Higher Education Institution

OpenAIRE

Mitra, Shreya

2017-01-01

International students in U.S. academic settings are facing barriers in the path of their academic accomplishments. In higher educational institutions, students work very closely with their academic advisors to solve a definite problem. Dependence on the academic advisor is much more when the advisee is international. Keeping these points in mind, one of the factors that might impact academic environment for an international student is the bonding that they share with their advisor. This rese...

Trends in Defamation Law: Let the Advisor Beware.

Science.gov (United States)

King, Robert D.

1992-01-01

Although most lawsuits brought by students against a college are grounded on contract and due process theories, courts have been willing to consider students' defamation suits using tort theories. Recent changes in defamation law have engendered increased litigation and risk of liability for faculty and advisors. (Author/MSE)

Design of a Fuzzy Rule Base Expert System to Predict and Classify ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The main objective of design of a rule base expert system using fuzzy logic approach is to predict and forecast the risk level of cardiac patients to avoid sudden death. In this proposed system, uncertainty is captured using rule base and classification using fuzzy c-means clustering is discussed to overcome the risk level, ...

77 FR 5585 - Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc. and Mason Street Advisors, LLC; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-03

... SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [Investment Company Act Release No. 29939; File No. 812-13982] Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc. and Mason Street Advisors, LLC; Notice of Application January 30, 2012... instruments. Applicants: Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc. (``Company'') and Mason Street Advisors, LLC...

Are South African financial advisor addressing the estate planning objectives that are important to their client?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Venter, J.M.P.

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Estate planning is an important aspect of any effective financial plan. When preparing an estate plan several objectives identified by the individual planner, as well as several pieces of legislation have to be considered. In South Africa the actions of financial advisors are regulated by the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act. The act aims to ensure that the financial advisor act in the best interest of his / her client. If the act meets its set objectives there will be an alignment of objectives set by a financial advisor and his / her client. This study investigates the existence of an expectation gap between the estate planning objectives considered to be important by the financial advisor and the importance allocated to these factors by the clients. The study found that there was an expectation gap for three of the objectives that should be considered in the estate plan

Mobile cosmetics advisor: an imaging based mobile service

Science.gov (United States)

Bhatti, Nina; Baker, Harlyn; Chao, Hui; Clearwater, Scott; Harville, Mike; Jain, Jhilmil; Lyons, Nic; Marguier, Joanna; Schettino, John; Süsstrunk, Sabine

2010-01-01

Selecting cosmetics requires visual information and often benefits from the assessments of a cosmetics expert. In this paper we present a unique mobile imaging application that enables women to use their cell phones to get immediate expert advice when selecting personal cosmetic products. We derive the visual information from analysis of camera phone images, and provide the judgment of the cosmetics specialist through use of an expert system. The result is a new paradigm for mobile interactions-image-based information services exploiting the ubiquity of camera phones. The application is designed to work with any handset over any cellular carrier using commonly available MMS and SMS features. Targeted at the unsophisticated consumer, it must be quick and easy to use, not requiring download capabilities or preplanning. Thus, all application processing occurs in the back-end system and not on the handset itself. We present the imaging pipeline technology and a comparison of the services' accuracy with respect to human experts.

Design of a real-time fault diagnosis expert system for the EAST cryoplant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Zhiwei; Zhuang Ming; Lu Xiaofei; Hu Liangbing; Xia Genhai

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► An expert system of real-time fault diagnosis for EAST cryoplant is designed. ► Knowledge base is built via fault tree analysis based on our fault experience. ► It can make up the deficiency of safety monitoring in cryogenic DCS. ► It can help operators to find the fault causes and give operation suggestion. ► It plays a role of operators training in certain degree. - Abstract: The EAST cryoplant consists of a 2 kW/4 K helium refrigerator and a helium distribution system. It is a complex process system which involves many process variables and cryogenic equipments. Each potential fault or abnormal event may influence stability and safety of the cryogenic system, thereby disturbing the fusion experiment. The cryogenic control system can monitor the process data and detect process alarms, but it is difficult to effectively diagnose the fault causes and provide operation suggestions to operators when anomalies occur. Therefore, a real-time fault diagnosis expert system is essential for a safe and steady operation of EAST cryogenic system. After a brief description of the EAST cryoplant and its control system, the structure design of the cryogenic fault diagnosis expert system is proposed. Based on the empirical knowledge, the fault diagnosis model is built adopting fault tree analysis method which considers the uncertainty. The knowledge base and the inference machine are presented in detail. A cross-platform integrated development environment Qt Creator and MySQL database have been used to develop the system. The proposed expert system has a fine graphic user interface for monitoring and operation. Preliminary test was conducted and the results found to be satisfactory.

Latino sexual and gender identity minorities promoting sexual health within their social networks: Process evaluation findings from a lay health advisor intervention

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Christina J.; García, Manuel; Mann, Lilli; Alonzo, Jorge; Eng, Eugenia; Rhodes, Scott D.

2015-01-01

The HOLA intervention was a lay health advisor intervention designed to reduce the disproportionate HIV burden borne by Latino sexual and gender identity minorities (gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, and transgender persons) living in the United States. Process evaluation data were collected for over a year of intervention implementation from 11 trained Latino male and transgender lay health advisors (Navegantes) to document the activities each Navegante conducted to promote condom use and HIV testing among his or her 8 social network members enrolled in the study. Over 13 months, the Navegantes reported conducting 1,820 activities. The most common activity was condom distribution. Navegantes had extensive reach beyond their enrolled social network members, and they engaged in health promotion activities beyond social network members enrolled in the study. There were significant differences between the types of activities conducted by Navegantes depending on who was present. Results suggest that lay health advisor interventions reach large number of at-risk community members and may benefit populations disproportionately impacted by HIV. PMID:25416309

78 FR 30346 - Financial Investors Trust and Hanson McClain Strategic Advisors, Inc.; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-22

...] Financial Investors Trust and Hanson McClain Strategic Advisors, Inc.; Notice of Application May 15, 2013... instruments. Applicants: Financial Investors Trust (the ``Trust''), on behalf of the Pathway Advisors... consistent with the public interest and the protection of investors. Applicants seek an exemption under...

76 FR 60564 - President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology; Notice of Meeting: Open Regional...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-29

... development. Facility and infrastructure sharing. Policies that could create a fertile innovation environment...; Notice of Meeting: Open Regional Meeting of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology... schedule and summary agenda for an open regional meeting of the President's Council of Advisors on Science...

Crop advisors as climate information brokers: Building the capacity of US farmers to adapt to climate change

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Carmen Lemos

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the role of crop advisors as brokers of climate information to support US corn farmers to adapt to climatic change. It uses quantitative data collected from a broad survey of crop advisors in the US Corn Belt to examine the factors that shape advisors’ use of (and willingness to provide climate information to their clients. Building upon a general model of climate information usability we argue that advisors’ willingness to provide climate advice to farmers is influenced by three main factors: their information seeking habits and behavior, their experience with innovation in the past, and how climate information interplays with other kinds of information that they provide—especially agronomic advice. We find that advisors’ willingness to provide climate related information depends both on factors at the individual and organizational level and on the type of advice they provide. First, at the individual and organizational levels, advisors who work in supportive organizations and who collaborate with other advisors are more likely to provide climate information. Second, advisors are more likely to provide climate information if it does not interfere with their main profit making business (e.g. provision of agronomic advice. Third, there is a significant positive relationship between trust in a greater number or sources of information and use of climate information. Fourth, the way advisors perceive short- and long-term risk also influences their willingness to provide climate information; the more concerned they are about long-term climate-related risks to farming, the more likely they are to provide (or want to provide advice based on climate information. Differently from other empirical work in the literature, our analytical model suggests that neither negative experiences with climate information in the past nor the high level of uncertainty characteristic of climate information appear to influence advisors

LEGAL STATUS OF ADVISORS IN THE FIELD OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHT IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khrystyna Kmetyk

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Purpose: to research the legal status of advisors in the field of intellectual property right in the United Kingdom. In this article an author distinguishes and gives a legal description of the types of advisors in the field of intellectual property right in the United Kingdom. The main provisions of the Rules of Conduct for Patent Attorneys, Ttrade Mark Attorneys and Other Regulated Persons (2015 are considered. Methods: to analyse the legal status of advisors in the field of intellectual property right in the United Kingdom the method of induction, systematic approach, formal legal methods were used. Results: this research provides an opportunity to broaden the understanding of the institute of advisors in the field of intellectual property right (in particular patent attorneys and trademark attorneys in the UK and thus include this knowledge in domestic research on intellectual property right. Conclusions: the majority of types of advisors in the field of intellectual property right in the United Kingdom (patent attorneys, chartered patent attorneys, European patent attorneys, registered trademark attorneys and trademark attorneys, European trademark attorneys, etc. is well-educated professionals in all areas of intellectual property and are able to advise on a wide range of technical and commercial issues in this field. The obtained results will have a positive impact on the reform of the institute of representatives in the field of intellectual property in Ukraine in order to ensure its effectiveness and relevance to the challenges of the present.

Experience with the shift technical advisor position

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melber, B.D.; Olson, J.; Schreiber, R.E.; Winges, L.

1984-03-01

The provision of engineering expertise on shift at commercial nuclear power plants has mainly taken the form of the Shift Technical Advisor (STA). This person, acting in a capacity that is part engineer and part operator, is expected to advise the operations crew in the event of an emergency and review plant operating experience during normal circumstances. The position was mandated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission following the incident at Three Mile Island. This report expands on a growing body of knowledge regarding the effectiveness of the STA. The new data presented here come from interviews with plant personnel and utility officials from nine sites. Researchers from the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) interviewed plant personnel, including the STA and immediate management, the shift supervisor and management, the training department, and ancillary staff, all of whom affect the intended performance of the STA. The conclusions of the report are that the design of the STA position results in limited contribution during emergencies; more comprehensive ways should be sought to provide the variety and specificity of engineering expertise needed during such times

Experience with the shift technical advisor position

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Melber, B.D.; Olson, J.; Schreiber, R.E.; Winges, L.

1984-03-01

The provision of engineering expertise on shift at commercial nuclear power plants has mainly taken the form of the Shift Technical Advisor (STA). This person, acting in a capacity that is part engineer and part operator, is expected to advise the operations crew in the event of an emergency and review plant operating experience during normal circumstances. The position was mandated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission following the incident at Three Mile Island. This report expands on a growing body of knowledge regarding the effectiveness of the STA. The new data presented here come from interviews with plant personnel and utility officials from nine sites. Researchers from the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) interviewed plant personnel, including the STA and immediate management, the shift supervisor and management, the training department, and ancillary staff, all of whom affect the intended performance of the STA. The conclusions of the report are that the design of the STA position results in limited contribution during emergencies; more comprehensive ways should be sought to provide the variety and specificity of engineering expertise needed during such times.

Expert systems for superalloy studies

Science.gov (United States)

Workman, Gary L.; Kaukler, William F.

1990-01-01

There are many areas in science and engineering which require knowledge of an extremely complex foundation of experimental results in order to design methodologies for developing new materials or products. Superalloys are an area which fit well into this discussion in the sense that they are complex combinations of elements which exhibit certain characteristics. Obviously the use of superalloys in high performance, high temperature systems such as the Space Shuttle Main Engine is of interest to NASA. The superalloy manufacturing process is complex and the implementation of an expert system within the design process requires some thought as to how and where it should be implemented. A major motivation is to develop a methodology to assist metallurgists in the design of superalloy materials using current expert systems technology. Hydrogen embrittlement is disasterous to rocket engines and the heuristics can be very complex. Attacking this problem as one module in the overall design process represents a significant step forward. In order to describe the objectives of the first phase implementation, the expert system was designated Hydrogen Environment Embrittlement Expert System (HEEES).

Contextualizing Gay-straight Alliances: Student, Advisor, and Structural Factors Related to Positive Youth Development among Members

Science.gov (United States)

Poteat, V. Paul; Yoshikawa, Hirokazu; Calzo, Jerel P.; Gray, Mary L.; DiGiovanni, Craig D.; Lipkin, Arthur; Mundy-Shephard, Adrienne; Perrotti, Jeff; Scheer, Jillian R.; Shaw, Matthew P.

2015-01-01

Gay-straight alliances (GSAs) may promote resilience. Yet, what GSA components predict well-being? Among 146 youth and advisors in 13 GSAs (58% lesbian, gay, bisexual, or questioning; 64% White; 38% received free/reduced-cost lunch), student (demographics, victimization, attendance frequency, leadership, support, control), advisor (years served,…

78 FR 27444 - Forum Investment Advisors, LLC, et al.;

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-10

... SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [Investment Company Act Release No. 30507; 812-13915] Forum Investment Advisors, LLC, et al.; Notice of Application May 6, 2013. AGENCY: Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission''). ACTION: Notice of an application for an order under section 6(c) of the...

DECA -- The design change assistant: An application of expert systems concepts to procedure automation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brtis, J.S.

1993-01-01

Proceduralized engineering reviews required for nuclear power stations result in significant O ampersand M cost's. A method of streamlining procedural reviews (while improving their quality) is to computerize the procedures and associated checklists. DECA, the Design Change Assistant, is an expert system based program that is specifically designed for computerizing procedures. This program improves the effectiveness of engineers in performing engineering design reviews. DECA is a development shell, which allows the computerization of most types of engineering reviews. In addition to computerizing the decision making process, DECA makes it possible to call on electronic information, such as databases or text files, and makes them available to the user to assist in a review. DECA clearly demonstrates the benefits that can accrue by applying expert system technologies to engineering reviews. It results in the following: a well defined process, reduced user training in the use of procedures, improved quality of reviews, a streamlining of the review process through elimination of questions that are not applicable, and high quality documentation of reviews. DECA has been successfully applied to Commonwealth Edison's engineering design review checklists, and is currently in use by Commonwealth Edison

Design of a real-time fault diagnosis expert system for the EAST cryoplant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou Zhiwei, E-mail: zzw@ipp.ac.cn [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui (China); Zhuang Ming, E-mail: zhm@ipp.ac.cn [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui (China); Lu Xiaofei, E-mail: luxf1212@mail.ustc.edu.cn [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui (China); Hu Liangbing, E-mail: huliangbing@ipp.ac.cn [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui (China); Xia Genhai, E-mail: xgh@ipp.ac.cn [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui (China)

2012-12-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer An expert system of real-time fault diagnosis for EAST cryoplant is designed. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Knowledge base is built via fault tree analysis based on our fault experience. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer It can make up the deficiency of safety monitoring in cryogenic DCS. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer It can help operators to find the fault causes and give operation suggestion. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer It plays a role of operators training in certain degree. - Abstract: The EAST cryoplant consists of a 2 kW/4 K helium refrigerator and a helium distribution system. It is a complex process system which involves many process variables and cryogenic equipments. Each potential fault or abnormal event may influence stability and safety of the cryogenic system, thereby disturbing the fusion experiment. The cryogenic control system can monitor the process data and detect process alarms, but it is difficult to effectively diagnose the fault causes and provide operation suggestions to operators when anomalies occur. Therefore, a real-time fault diagnosis expert system is essential for a safe and steady operation of EAST cryogenic system. After a brief description of the EAST cryoplant and its control system, the structure design of the cryogenic fault diagnosis expert system is proposed. Based on the empirical knowledge, the fault diagnosis model is built adopting fault tree analysis method which considers the uncertainty. The knowledge base and the inference machine are presented in detail. A cross-platform integrated development environment Qt Creator and MySQL database have been used to develop the system. The proposed expert system has a fine graphic user interface for monitoring and operation. Preliminary test was conducted and the results found to be satisfactory.

Artificial intelligence applications at the ICPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, C.E.

1989-01-01

Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Company (WINCO) initiated an aggressive program for artificial intelligence (AI) expert system implementations in 1985. The first expert system, Safety Analysis Methods Advisor (SAMA) was completed in 1986 to help operational safety analysts select analysis methodologies for safety analysis reports. The SAMA expert system was implemented as a rule-based system using a commercial expert system shell. The major benefit of the system is for training new safety analysts. The first successful implementation launched three other expert system projects: a process alarm filtering system, a process control advisor, and a mass spectrometer trouble-shooting advisor. This paper describes the current status of these projects

Expert systems for design, operation and management of industrial plant elctrical systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Delfino, B.; Forzano, P.; Invernizzi, M.; Massucco, S. (Genoa Univ. (Italy) Pavia Univ. (Italy) Ansaldo Industria, Genoa (Italy))

1991-02-01

A discussion is made of modern industrial plant requirements with regard to man-machine interfacing. Indications are then given as to the optimum hardware and software for electrical plant and process control systems. Illustrative examples are provided on the use of expert systems to aid in the design of industrial plant electrical systems and to allow safe and reliable on-line control and monitoring.

An expert system design incorporating fuzzy logic for diagnosing heat imbalances in a nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guth, M.A.S.

1987-01-01

This paper presents an expert system for diagnosing problems in the interface between the heat exchanger and the core of a nuclear power plant for a hypothetical pressurized water reactor (PWR). The expert system has a production rule backward-chaining-based architecture, and the knowledge base incorporates four kinds of information. First, the structural relationship between causes and consequences is given by nuclear engineering experts. Second, numerical values for the initiating events can be taken from observed performance of the reactor under normal conditions. Third, the causes of particular events are ranked in order of their likelihood based on a combination of a priori knowledge about the reactor design and actual data on the incidence of component failures. Fourth, Bellman-Zadeh Fuzzy Logic is introduced to maintain truth values for expert system rules that hold with varying degrees of certainty

Design and Operational Evaluation of the Traffic Management Advisor at the Ft. Worth Air Route Traffic Control Center

Science.gov (United States)

Swenson, Harry N.; Vincent, Danny; Tobias, Leonard (Technical Monitor)

1997-01-01

NASA and the FAA have designed and developed and an automation tool known as the Traffic Management Advisor (TMA). The system was operationally evaluated at the Ft. Worth Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). The TMA is a time-based strategic planning tool that provides Traffic Management Coordinators and En Route Air Traffic Controllers the ability to efficiently optimize the capacity of a demand impacted airport. The TMA consists of trajectory prediction, constraint-based runway scheduling, traffic flow visualization and controllers advisories. The TMA was used and operationally evaluated for forty-one rush traffic periods during a one month period in the Summer of 1996. The evaluations included all shifts of air traffic operations as well as periods of inclement weather. Performance data was collected for engineering and human factor analysis and compared with similar operations without the TMA. The engineering data indicates that the operations with the TMA show a one to two minute per aircraft delay reduction during rush periods. The human factor data indicate a perceived reduction in en route controller workload as well as an increase in job satisfaction. Upon completion of the evaluation, the TMA has become part of the normal operations at the Ft. Worth ARTCC.

The expert system OPTRAN (Ver 1.0) and its application to beam transportation line design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiao Meiqin; Lu Hongyou; Fan Mingwu

1994-01-01

The expert system OPTRAN (Ver 1.0) used for beam transportation line design is introduced. The knowledge storage and reasoning principle, of which the intelligence part of OPTRAN are composed, have been described in detail. By using OPTRAN (Ver 1.0), the design of a beam transportation line for extracted ion beam of Cyclone 30 was completed

Expanding the Use of Time-Based Metering: Multi-Center Traffic Management Advisor

Science.gov (United States)

Landry, Steven J.; Farley, Todd; Hoang, Ty

2005-01-01

Time-based metering is an efficient air traffic management alternative to the more common practice of distance-based metering (or "miles-in-trail spacing"). Despite having demonstrated significant operational benefit to airspace users and service providers, time-based metering is used in the United States for arrivals to just nine airports and is not used at all for non-arrival traffic flows. The Multi-Center Traffic Management Advisor promises to bring time-based metering into the mainstream of air traffic management techniques. Not constrained to operate solely on arrival traffic, Multi-Center Traffic Management Advisor is flexible enough to work in highly congested or heavily partitioned airspace for any and all traffic flows in a region. This broader and more general application of time-based metering is expected to bring the operational benefits of time-based metering to a much wider pool of beneficiaries than is possible with existing technology. It also promises to facilitate more collaborative traffic management on a regional basis. This paper focuses on the operational concept of the Multi-Center Traffic Management Advisor, touching also on its system architecture, field test results, and prospects for near-term deployment to the United States National Airspace System.

Expert system application for prioritizing preventive actions for shift work: shift expert.

Science.gov (United States)

Esen, Hatice; Hatipoğlu, Tuğçen; Cihan, Ahmet; Fiğlali, Nilgün

2017-09-19

Shift patterns, work hours, work arrangements and worker motivations have increasingly become key factors for job performance. The main objective of this article is to design an expert system that identifies the negative effects of shift work and prioritizes mitigation efforts according to their importance in preventing these negative effects. The proposed expert system will be referred to as the shift expert. A thorough literature review is conducted to determine the effects of shift work on workers. Our work indicates that shift work is linked to demographic variables, sleepiness and fatigue, health and well-being, and social and domestic conditions. These parameters constitute the sections of a questionnaire designed to focus on 26 important issues related to shift work. The shift expert is then constructed to provide prevention advice at the individual and organizational levels, and it prioritizes this advice using a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process model, which considers comparison matrices provided by users during the prioritization process. An empirical study of 61 workers working on three rotating shifts is performed. After administering the questionnaires, the collected data are analyzed statistically, and then the shift expert produces individual and organizational recommendations for these workers.

Perspectives on the Science Advisor Program at Sandia National Laboratories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennett, P.C.; Heath, R.B.; Podlesny, A.; Channon, P.A.

1992-01-01

This paper discusses a Science Advisor Program which has been established at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) for the long term augmentation of math and science instruction in New Mexico schools. Volunteer SNL engineers and scientists team with the faculty of participating schools to enhance the teachers' abilities to capture and hold the student's scientific imagination and develop their scientific skills. This is done primarily through providing laboratory resources, training the teachers how to use those resources, and advising how to obtain them in the future. In its first year, over 140 advisors teamed with 132 schools, for average weekly contact with 500 teachers and 10,000 students. Surveys indicate a general rise in frequency and quality of hands-on science instruction, as well as teacher and student attitudes. An expanded evaluation is planned for subsequent years

Building a Case-Based Design Assistant for Workplace Environment Design

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mallory-Hill, S.M.; Timmermans, H.J.P.

1998-01-01

This paper reports on the early stages of development of a case-based design tool. The purpose of this tool, called the Workplace Environment Design Advisor (WEDA), is to support architects in the conceptual design of workplace environments. The objective of this system is to provide electronic

AUTOLOAD, an automatic optimal pressurized water reactor reload design system with an expert module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Z.; Levine, S.H.

1994-01-01

An automatic optimal pressurized water reactor (PWR) reload design expert system AUTOLOAD has been developed. It employs two important new techniques. The first is a new loading priority scheme that defines the optimal placement of the fuel in the core that has the maximum end-of-cycle state k eff . The second is a new power-shape-driven progressive iteration method for automatically determining the burnable poison (BP) loading in the fresh fuel assemblies. The Haling power distribution is used in converting the theoretically optimal solution into the practical design, which meets the design constraints for the given fuel assemblies. AUTOLOAD is a combination of C and FORTRAN languages. It requires only the required cycle length, the maximum peak normalized power, the BP type, the number of fresh fuel assemblies, the assembly burnup, and BP histories of the available fuel assemblies as its input. Knowledge-based modules have been built into the expert system computer code to perform all of the tasks involved in reloading a PWR. AUTOLOAD takes only ∼ 30 CPU min on an IBM 3090 600s mainframe to accomplish a practical reload design. A maximum of 12.5% fresh fuel enrichment saving is observed compared with the core used by the utility

The Advantages of Abstract Control Knowledge in Expert System Design. Technical Report #7.

Science.gov (United States)

Clancey, William J.

This paper argues that an important design principle for building expert systems is to represent all control knowledge abstractly and separately from the domain knowledge upon which it operates. Abstract control knowledge is defined as the specifications of when and how a program is to carry out its operations, such as pursuing a goal, focusing,…

Expert validation of fit-for-purpose guidelines for designing programmes of assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dijkstra Joost

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background An assessment programme, a purposeful mix of assessment activities, is necessary to achieve a complete picture of assessee competence. High quality assessment programmes exist, however, design requirements for such programmes are still unclear. We developed guidelines for design based on an earlier developed framework which identified areas to be covered. A fitness-for-purpose approach defining quality was adopted to develop and validate guidelines. Methods First, in a brainstorm, ideas were generated, followed by structured interviews with 9 international assessment experts. Then, guidelines were fine-tuned through analysis of the interviews. Finally, validation was based on expert consensus via member checking. Results In total 72 guidelines were developed and in this paper the most salient guidelines are discussed. The guidelines are related and grouped per layer of the framework. Some guidelines were so generic that these are applicable in any design consideration. These are: the principle of proportionality, rationales should underpin each decisions, and requirement of expertise. Logically, many guidelines focus on practical aspects of assessment. Some guidelines were found to be clear and concrete, others were less straightforward and were phrased more as issues for contemplation. Conclusions The set of guidelines is comprehensive and not bound to a specific context or educational approach. From the fitness-for-purpose principle, guidelines are eclectic, requiring expertise judgement to use them appropriately in different contexts. Further validation studies to test practicality are required.

Workflow Agents vs. Expert Systems: Problem Solving Methods in Work Systems Design

Science.gov (United States)

Clancey, William J.; Sierhuis, Maarten; Seah, Chin

2009-01-01

During the 1980s, a community of artificial intelligence researchers became interested in formalizing problem solving methods as part of an effort called "second generation expert systems" (2nd GES). How do the motivations and results of this research relate to building tools for the workplace today? We provide an historical review of how the theory of expertise has developed, a progress report on a tool for designing and implementing model-based automation (Brahms), and a concrete example how we apply 2nd GES concepts today in an agent-based system for space flight operations (OCAMS). Brahms incorporates an ontology for modeling work practices, what people are doing in the course of a day, characterized as "activities." OCAMS was developed using a simulation-to-implementation methodology, in which a prototype tool was embedded in a simulation of future work practices. OCAMS uses model-based methods to interactively plan its actions and keep track of the work to be done. The problem solving methods of practice are interactive, employing reasoning for and through action in the real world. Analogously, it is as if a medical expert system were charged not just with interpreting culture results, but actually interacting with a patient. Our perspective shifts from building a "problem solving" (expert) system to building an actor in the world. The reusable components in work system designs include entire "problem solvers" (e.g., a planning subsystem), interoperability frameworks, and workflow agents that use and revise models dynamically in a network of people and tools. Consequently, the research focus shifts so "problem solving methods" include ways of knowing that models do not fit the world, and ways of interacting with other agents and people to gain or verify information and (ultimately) adapt rules and procedures to resolve problematic situations.

March of the Robo-advisors : The potential for global expansion of digital asset management platforms

OpenAIRE

Rättyä, Jere

2016-01-01

This thesis looks into the robo-advisory market in the U.S. and Europe, with the goal of determining the international potential for a Finnish robo-advisor service and inspecting the interest of foreign service providers in the Finnish market. Fintech is becoming increasingly disruptive for the traditional and conservative financial sector, which has resulted in start-ups building their own robo-advisor platform around the world. Traditional wealth management is both expensive and exclusi...

Science PhD career preferences: levels, changes, and advisor encouragement.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Henry Sauermann

Full Text Available Even though academic research is often viewed as the preferred career path for PhD trained scientists, most U.S. graduates enter careers in industry, government, or "alternative careers." There has been a growing concern that these career patterns reflect fundamental imbalances between the supply of scientists seeking academic positions and the availability of such positions. However, while government statistics provide insights into realized career transitions, there is little systematic data on scientists' career preferences and thus on the degree to which there is a mismatch between observed career paths and scientists' preferences. Moreover, we lack systematic evidence whether career preferences adjust over the course of the PhD training and to what extent advisors exacerbate imbalances by encouraging their students to pursue academic positions. Based on a national survey of PhD students at tier-one U.S. institutions, we provide insights into the career preferences of junior scientists across the life sciences, physics, and chemistry. We also show that the attractiveness of academic careers decreases significantly over the course of the PhD program, despite the fact that advisors strongly encourage academic careers over non-academic careers. Our data provide an empirical basis for common concerns regarding labor market imbalances. Our results also suggest the need for mechanisms that provide PhD applicants with information that allows them to carefully weigh the costs and benefits of pursuing a PhD, as well as for mechanisms that complement the job market advice advisors give to their current students.

Science PhD career preferences: levels, changes, and advisor encouragement.

Science.gov (United States)

Sauermann, Henry; Roach, Michael

2012-01-01

Even though academic research is often viewed as the preferred career path for PhD trained scientists, most U.S. graduates enter careers in industry, government, or "alternative careers." There has been a growing concern that these career patterns reflect fundamental imbalances between the supply of scientists seeking academic positions and the availability of such positions. However, while government statistics provide insights into realized career transitions, there is little systematic data on scientists' career preferences and thus on the degree to which there is a mismatch between observed career paths and scientists' preferences. Moreover, we lack systematic evidence whether career preferences adjust over the course of the PhD training and to what extent advisors exacerbate imbalances by encouraging their students to pursue academic positions. Based on a national survey of PhD students at tier-one U.S. institutions, we provide insights into the career preferences of junior scientists across the life sciences, physics, and chemistry. We also show that the attractiveness of academic careers decreases significantly over the course of the PhD program, despite the fact that advisors strongly encourage academic careers over non-academic careers. Our data provide an empirical basis for common concerns regarding labor market imbalances. Our results also suggest the need for mechanisms that provide PhD applicants with information that allows them to carefully weigh the costs and benefits of pursuing a PhD, as well as for mechanisms that complement the job market advice advisors give to their current students.

The Development of an Expert System for the Creative Design of Mechanisms

Science.gov (United States)

1989-06-26

adjacelnt Link-1 Figue 41 B.Semntc newr-bae knowlede representto cee 25 4.3 Planning Control in Mechanism Design In a "plain", rule-based expert system...the contracted level, ensures the non-crossing feature. 2. Geometrical: handled at the monochrome level, manages the approximate size of links. 3...Ornamental: handled at the colored level, manages proper orientations between binary links and other miscellaneous appearance of the sketch. Each stage

TEACHER-ADVISORS: Where There's a Skill There's A Way.

Science.gov (United States)

Tamminen, Armas; And Others

This report discusses a program to present the Teacher Advisement Training Model. This model for training teacher-advisors is based on the assumption that tentative commitment to making school a more rewarding experience for all is the first step in starting an effective program. The approach is to help teachers learn specific skills and methods…

Application of expert systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Basden, A

1983-11-01

This article seeks to bring together a number of issues relevant to the application of expert systems by discussing their advantages and limitations, their roles and benefits, and the influence that real-life applications might have on the design of expert systems software. Part of the expert systems strategy of one major chemical company is outlined. Because it was in constructing one particular expert system that many of these issues became important this system is described briefly at the start of the paper and used to illustrate much of the later discussion. It is of the plausible-inference type and has application in the field of materials engineering. 22 references.

Design of automation tools for management of descent traffic

Science.gov (United States)

Erzberger, Heinz; Nedell, William

1988-01-01

The design of an automated air traffic control system based on a hierarchy of advisory tools for controllers is described. Compatibility of the tools with the human controller, a key objective of the design, is achieved by a judicious selection of tasks to be automated and careful attention to the design of the controller system interface. The design comprises three interconnected subsystems referred to as the Traffic Management Advisor, the Descent Advisor, and the Final Approach Spacing Tool. Each of these subsystems provides a collection of tools for specific controller positions and tasks. This paper focuses primarily on the Descent Advisor which provides automation tools for managing descent traffic. The algorithms, automation modes, and graphical interfaces incorporated in the design are described. Information generated by the Descent Advisor tools is integrated into a plan view traffic display consisting of a high-resolution color monitor. Estimated arrival times of aircraft are presented graphically on a time line, which is also used interactively in combination with a mouse input device to select and schedule arrival times. Other graphical markers indicate the location of the fuel-optimum top-of-descent point and the predicted separation distances of aircraft at a designated time-control point. Computer generated advisories provide speed and descent clearances which the controller can issue to aircraft to help them arrive at the feeder gate at the scheduled times or with specified separation distances. Two types of horizontal guidance modes, selectable by the controller, provide markers for managing the horizontal flightpaths of aircraft under various conditions. The entire system consisting of descent advisor algorithm, a library of aircraft performance models, national airspace system data bases, and interactive display software has been implemented on a workstation made by Sun Microsystems, Inc. It is planned to use this configuration in operational

Design expertise: how knowledge, experience, and skills set expert architects apart from novices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wilson Florio

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The analysis of the design process under the cognitive theory proposes an understanding of internal mental processes, based on the processing of information derived from the knowledge, experience, and skills of the architect. Although it is difficult to trace the sources of the architects’ thoughts, the drawings they produce facilitate the identification of the successive approaches used during the design process. Since cognition, or the act of thinking, itself cannot be observed, we can only analyze the results of the thought that guided cognitive actions. The steps of the research conducted by the authors of this article were as follows: 1 three experienced architects and three novices were filmed individually, for 60 minutes, while they carried out a project; 2 these professionals were interviewed for 30 minutes after the end of the project; 3 physical, perceptual, functional, and conceptual cognitive actions were identified by segmenting and codifying the actions performed during the filming; 4 these data were translated into graphs; 5 the differences between novices and experts were identified from the response time in each of the four levels of cognitive actions; and 6 the qualitative analysis of actions and effectiveness were assessed. Experienced architects quickly recovered from their memory-specific knowledge and, based on scant evidence, select, combine, and generate different ideas during the design process. They can do so because the knowledge encoded in typical situations enables them to make faster and better supported decisions. Expertise is the human faculty that allows performance of cognitive operations that involve daily thinking and doing with quality, speed, and vitality. An expert is someone who performs a task significantly better than most other people do. We concluded that expert architects perform projects with greater ease than beginners, not only because they have more knowledge and experience, but

SeTES, a Self-Teaching Expert System for the analysis, design and prediction of gas production from shales and a prototype for a new generation of Expert Systems in the Earth Sciences

Science.gov (United States)

Kuzma, H. A.; Boyle, K.; Pullman, S.; Reagan, M. T.; Moridis, G. J.; Blasingame, T. A.; Rector, J. W.; Nikolaou, M.

2010-12-01

A Self Teaching Expert System (SeTES) is being developed for the analysis, design and prediction of gas production from shales. An Expert System is a computer program designed to answer questions or clarify uncertainties that its designers did not necessarily envision which would otherwise have to be addressed by consultation with one or more human experts. Modern developments in computer learning, data mining, database management, web integration and cheap computing power are bringing the promise of expert systems to fruition. SeTES is a partial successor to Prospector, a system to aid in the identification and evaluation of mineral deposits developed by Stanford University and the USGS in the late 1970s, and one of the most famous early expert systems. Instead of the text dialogue used in early systems, the web user interface of SeTES helps a non-expert user to articulate, clarify and reason about a problem by navigating through a series of interactive wizards. The wizards identify potential solutions to queries by retrieving and combining together relevant records from a database. Inferences, decisions and predictions are made from incomplete and noisy inputs using a series of probabilistic models (Bayesian Networks) which incorporate records from the database, physical laws and empirical knowledge in the form of prior probability distributions. The database is mainly populated with empirical measurements, however an automatic algorithm supplements sparse data with synthetic data obtained through physical modeling. This constitutes the mechanism for how SeTES self-teaches. SeTES’ predictive power is expected to grow as users contribute more data into the system. Samples are appropriately weighted to favor high quality empirical data over low quality or synthetic data. Finally, a set of data visualization tools digests the output measurements into graphical outputs.

Design And Ground Testing For The Expert PL4/PL5 'Natural And Roughness Induced Transition'

Science.gov (United States)

Masutti, Davie; Chazot, Olivier; Donelli, Raffaele; de Rosa, Donato

2011-05-01

Unpredicted boundary layer transition can impact dramatically the stability of the vehicle, its aerodynamic coefficients and reduce the efficiency of the thermal protection system. In this frame, ESA started the EXPERT (European eXPErimental Reentry Testbed) program to pro- vide and perform in-flight experiments in order to obtain aerothermodynamic data for the validation of numerical models and of ground-to-flight extrapolation methodologies. Considering the boundary layer transition investigation, the EXPERT vehicle is equipped with two specific payloads, PL4 and PL5, concerning respectively the study of the natural and roughness induced transition. The paper is a survey on the design process of these two in-flight experiments and it covers the major analyses and findings encountered during the development of the payloads. A large amount of transition criteria have been investigated and used to estimate either the dangerousness of the height of the distributed roughness, arising due to nose erosion, or the effectiveness of height of the isolated roughness element forcing the boundary layer transition. Supporting the PL4 design, linear stability computations and CFD analyses have been performed by CIRA on the EXPERT flight vehicle to determine the amplification factor of the boundary layer instabilities at different point of the re-entry trajectory. Ground test experiments regarding the PL5 are carried on in the Mach 6 VKI H3 Hypersonic Wind Tunnel with a Reynolds numbers ranging from 18E6/m to 26E6/m. Infrared measurements (Stanton number) and flow visualization are used on a 1/16 scaled model of the EXPERT vehicle and a flat plate to validate the Potter and Whitfield criterion as a suitable methodology for ground-to-flight extrapolation and the payload design.

Installation and evaluation of a nuclear power plant Operator Advisor based on artificial intelligence technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hajek, B.K.; Miller, D.W.

1993-02-01

The Artificial Intelligence Group in the Nuclear Engineering Program has designed and built an Operator Advisor (OA), an AI system to monitor nuclear power plant parameters, detect component and system malfunctions, dispose their causes, and provide the plant operators with the correct procedures for mitigating the consequences of the malfunctions. It then monitors performance of the procedures, and provides backup steps when specific operator actions fail. The OA has been implemented on Sun 4 workstations in Common Lisp, and has been interfaced to run in real time on the Perry Nuclear Power Plant full-function simulator in the plant training department. The eventual goal for a fully functioning Operator Advisor would be to have reactor operators receive direction for all plant operations. Such a goal requires considerable testing of the system within limited malfunction boundaries, an extensive Verification ampersand Validation (V ampersand V) effort, a large knowledge base development effort, and development of tools as part of the system to automate its maintenance. Clearly, these efforts are beyond the scope of the feasibility effort expended during this project period. However, as a result of this project, we have an AI based platform upon which a complete system can be built

The perceived roles and functions of school science subject advisors

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The science subject advisor can play an important role in upgrading ... literature study highlighted practices in the UK and the US that are ... South Africa has recently adopted a strate- ... (North West Province) felt that a solution to their teaching problems ..... teachers, clustering of schools, practical work, cross teaching,.

Risk Management in College Fraternities: Guidance from Two Faculty Advisors

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenberg, Stuart; Mosca, Joseph

2016-01-01

Students who become members of fraternities and sororities avail themselves of significant opportunities that enrich their college life. Faculty advisors play an important role in assisting fraternities and sororities in shaping students' leadership, scholastic, and personal development. Given the risks such as alcohol use and hazing that continue…

The App Squad: SLJ's Advisors Weigh in on Kids' Book Apps

Science.gov (United States)

Ishizuka, Kathy

2011-01-01

In this article, "School Library Journal's" ("SLJ") advisors talk about book apps for kids. They discuss what they like, what one should look for in discerning the best for kids and teens, and where this all might be headed.

The figure of the helper advisor in cases of sexual abuse against people with intellectual disabilities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Almudena MARTORELL CAFRANGA

2017-09-01

Full Text Available In this paper we analyse the main barriers that people with intellectual disabilities who have suffered sexual abuse have to face when they access the Justice system. Regarding these barriers, the Victim Support Unit for People with Intellectual Disabilities of the Fundación Carmen Pardo-Valcarce proposes the inclusion in the judicial process of a helper advisor. The entry into force in 2015 of the Law 4/2015, in 27 April, the Statute of the crime victim represents an exemplary opportunity to ensure the incorporation of support proposals involving the insertion of the helper advisor in the judicial process in cases where the victim is a person with intellectual disabilities. In this paper we analyse the impact of the helper advisor, with particular emphasis on cases that have been dismissed under instruction.

Demographic Trends and Advocacy Experiences of Gay-Straight Alliance Advisors

Science.gov (United States)

Graybill, Emily C.; Varjas, Kris; Meyers, Joel; Dever, Bridget V.; Greenberg, Daphne; Roach, Andrew T.; Morillas, Catalina

2015-01-01

Using an ecological model, the individual-, school-, and sociocultural-level characteristics that affect gay-straight alliance (GSA) advisors were examined in the current study. The formation of GSAs has been one way that schools have sought to improve the school climate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth. Limited information…

The microcomputer-based expert system in CAD-PV

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Y.; Qin, S.

1987-01-01

As a branch of artificial intelligence, expert system has been revealed day after day in more and more engineering scopes since the successful applications of MYCIN in diagnosis and DENDRAL in the molecular structure of organic compounds etc.. But in the design scope of pressure vessel, as we know, only a few papers have so far been published with respect to the expert system. The necessity and feasibility of accompanying CAD-PV with expert system attracted more scholars to engage in. Although many countries, including China, have regularized the design standards or codes for pressure vessel, but of which no one can solve all of the problems concerning the various practical occasions and experiences. In general, the more domain knowledges a design engineer possesses of, the better decision will be made by him. By virtue of the expert system any less experienced engineer could make the optimum decision in design as well as a skilled senior engineer in addition to the application of design code. It is the due significance for developing high level expert system as an intelligence assistant in the plan option of CAD-PV. In this paper we attempt to introduce a specified software JACKPV used in the design procedure of jacketed pressure vessel as an intelligence front in CAD-PV. JACKPV consists of the function of expert system based on the personal computer IBM-PC/XT with the language PASCAL in its program. It was proved that an ordinary CAD software could be effectively improved while equipped with expert system. (orig.)

Soviet Advisors Group in South China and Soviet Union Financing of Gomindan War Planes in 1924

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Александр Геннадьевич Юркевич

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The article dwells on the organization and activities of the Soviet advisors group, which assisted to the South China government of Sun Yatsen, its participation in financing Kuomintang political and military projects. The author pointed out that the main aim of the advisors group efforts was to form new Kuomintang power institutions and to bring its policy and army under control, for all that the tactics of implementation of strategy aim were constantly changing.

Expert Systems in Reference Services.

Science.gov (United States)

Roysdon, Christine, Ed.; White, Howard D., Ed.

1989-01-01

Eleven articles introduce expert systems applications in library and information science, and present design and implementation issues of system development for reference services. Topics covered include knowledge based systems, prototype development, the use of artificial intelligence to remedy current system inadequacies, and an expert system to…

Education and training of the shift technical advisor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, E.L.

1981-01-01

This paper discusses the background and current approaches for qualifying the required position of Shift Technical Advisor (STA). Industry positions regarding the regulation are given. Problems associated with meeting the requirement are identified, along with a discussion of other alternatives for upgrading the education level of shift management. Inherent in the discussion is the conclusion that voluntary improvements in the training and education of shift management personnel are more effective than mandatory positions or degree requirements

SP-100 shield design automation process using expert system and heuristic search techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marcille, T.F.; Protsik, R.; Deane, N.A.; Hoover, D.G.

1993-01-01

The SP-100 shield subsystem design process has been modified to utilize the GE Corporate Reserch and Development program, ENGINEOUS (Tong 1990). ENGINEOUS is a software system that automates the use of Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) analysis programs in the engineering design process. The shield subsystem design process incorporates a nuclear subsystems design and performance code, a two-dimensional neutral particle transport code, several input processors and two general purpose neutronic output processors. Coupling these programs within ENGINEOUS provides automatic transition paths between applications, with no source code modifications. ENGINEOUS captures human design knowledge, as well as information about the specific CAE applications and stores this information in knowledge base files. The knowledge base information is used by the ENGINEOUS expert system to drive knowledge directed and knowledge supplemented search modules to find an optimum shield design for a given reactor definition, ensuring that specified constraints are satisfied. Alternate designs, not accommodated in the optimization design rules, can readily be explored through the use of a parametric study capability

Comparative analysis of the tools 'Retrofit Advisor' and 'EPIQR+' - Final report; Analisi comparativa degli strumenti 'Retrofit Advisor' e 'EPIQR+' - Rapporto finale

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pittet, D.; Ghirlanda, L.

2008-07-01

This report represents the final phase of Swiss Federal Office of Energy project 'Strategy for long-term management of city-owned real estate - the case of the City Council of Chiasso'. It contains a comparative analysis of two tools for the evaluation of the potential for retrofitting and refurbishment of buildings (Retrofit Advisor and Epiqr+). By applying the two tools in parallel, it was possible to compare information and data obtained, and also to obtain indications for the evaluation of the usability of the tools. To achieve this, five buildings in the territory of the city of Chiasso were submitted to the tools for analysis. The applications have highlighted the usability of each case study. The ease of use of Retrofit Advisor has allowed the evaluation of each proposed scenario; by using the same reference system, comparable data are obtained (at indication level) to support the choice of the intervention strategy on existing buildings. In addition to the analysis of the current status, the tool Retrofit Advisor supports a structure analysis over three intervention scenarios, namely reparation, renovation, rebuild. Data entry does not require advanced knowledge of construction work, and is limited to basic characteristics. The analysis performed through Epiqr+ is more rigorous, providing a specific and detailed diagnosis on the state of deterioration of each construction element, supported by a series of intervention suggestions. The Epiqr+ tool has furthermore allowed the evaluation (within a precision range of {+-}15%) the cost of reparation/renovation works, and also the thermal energy balance of each building, based on the characteristics of their envelops. On the basis of contents criteria and cost analysis, the approach has allowed the evaluation of different options for the improvement of the buildings, from simple reparation to total rebuild. Estimates are evaluated in terms of cost, of environmental impact, and, in the case of Retrofit

76 FR 18383 - Extension of Sunset Date for Attorney Advisor Program

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-04

... Security Online, at http://www.socialsecurity.gov . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Electronic Version The... SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION 20 CFR Parts 404 and 416 [Docket No. SSA-2009-0048] RIN 0960-AH05 Extension of Sunset Date for Attorney Advisor Program AGENCY: Social Security Administration. ACTION: Final...

77 FR 58593 - Factor Advisors, LLC, et al.; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-21

... Factor Advisors (each, an ``Adviser''), and (b) seek investment returns that correspond to the price and... ``ETF,'' an ``investment company,'' a ``fund,'' or a ``trust.'' All marketing materials that describe... SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [Investment Company Act Release No. 30204; File No. 812-13934...

Developing a HACCP-like system for improving animal health and welfare in organic egg production - based on an expert panel analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hegelund, Lene; Sørensen, Jan Tind

2007-01-01

In the process of developing a generic Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)-like system for securing animal health and welfare in organic egg production, an expert panel analysis was used to perform the initial hazard analysis. Eighteen advisers and researchers in organic egg...... specific systems. An expert panel analysis based on questionnaires was a useful tool during the first steps of developing a HACCP plan, conducting a hazard analysis and suggesting control points. However, care should be taken regarding the panel's size and fields of expertise in order to assure...... that the panel fully covers the field of interest throughout the study. A further development of the hazard analysis into a farm-specific HACCP system would include assembling an on-farm HACCP team consisting of farmers and advisors for the practical application of control points, alarm values and monitoring...

Expert finder systems – design and use

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lykke, Marianne; Weidel, Eva

2011-01-01

The survey aimed at investigating how companies deal with the challenge of sharing of employees’ expert knowledge. We wanted to find out which tools are being used to register, communicate and search employees as a knowledge resource. Specifically, we wanted to know how service organizations use ...

Ties That Bind: Academic Advisors as Agents of Student Relationship Management

Science.gov (United States)

Vianden, Jörg

2016-01-01

To affect college retention, academic advisors should act as agents of student relationship management by strengthening the connection between students and their institutions. Satisfaction and dissatisfaction with academic advising as perceived by 29 college students at 3 midwestern comprehensive institutions are described. Discussion is framed in…

75 FR 33857 - DWS Advisor Funds, et al.; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-15

...''). Applicants state that the DWS Funds of Funds will offer investors a range of investment objectives generally... investment objectives and policies of the Unaffiliated Fund; (b) how the performance of securities purchased... Advisor Funds, et al.; Notice of Application June 9, 2010. AGENCY: Securities and Exchange Commission...

Development of an expert system for the simulation model for casting metal substructure of a metal-ceramic crown design.

Science.gov (United States)

Matin, Ivan; Hadzistevic, Miodrag; Vukelic, Djordje; Potran, Michal; Brajlih, Tomaz

2017-07-01

Nowadays, the integrated CAD/CAE systems are favored solutions for the design of simulation models for casting metal substructures of metal-ceramic crowns. The worldwide authors have used different approaches to solve the problems using an expert system. Despite substantial research progress in the design of experts systems for the simulation model design and manufacturing have insufficiently considered the specifics of casting in dentistry, especially the need for further CAD, RE, CAE for the estimation of casting parameters and the control of the casting machine. The novel expert system performs the following: CAD modeling of the simulation model for casting, fast modeling of gate design, CAD eligibility and cast ability check of the model, estimation and running of the program code for the casting machine, as well as manufacturing time reduction of the metal substructure. The authors propose an integration method using common data model approach, blackboard architecture, rule-based reasoning and iterative redesign method. Arithmetic mean roughness values was determinated with constant Gauss low-pass filter (cut-off length of 2.5mm) according to ISO 4287 using Mahr MARSURF PS1. Dimensional deviation between the designed model and manufactured cast was determined using the coordinate measuring machine Zeiss Contura G2 and GOM Inspect software. The ES allows for obtaining the castings derived roughness grade number N7. The dimensional deviation between the simulation model of the metal substructure and the manufactured cast is 0.018mm. The arithmetic mean roughness values measured on the casting substructure are from 1.935µm to 2.778µm. The realized developed expert system with the integrated database is fully applicable for the observed hardware and software. Values of the arithmetic mean roughness and dimensional deviation indicate that casting substructures are surface quality, which is more than enough and useful for direct porcelain veneering. The

Designing Tools for Supporting User Decision-Making in e-Commerce

Science.gov (United States)

Sutcliffe, Alistair; Al-Qaed, Faisal

The paper describes a set of tools designed to support a variety of user decision-making strategies. The tools are complemented by an online advisor so they can be adapted to different domains and users can be guided to adopt appropriate tools for different choices in e-commerce, e.g. purchasing high-value products, exploring product fit to users’ needs, or selecting products which satisfy requirements. The tools range from simple recommenders to decision support by interactive querying and comparison matrices. They were evaluated in a scenario-based experiment which varied the users’ task and motivation, with and without an advisor agent. The results show the tools and advisor were effective in supporting users and agreed with the predictions of ADM (adaptive decision making) theory, on which the design of the tools was based.

The Principles of Designing an Expert System in Teaching Mathematics

Science.gov (United States)

Salekhova, Lailya; Nurgaliev, Albert; Zaripova, Rinata; Khakimullina, Nailya

2013-01-01

This study reveals general didactic concepts of the Expert Systems (ES) development process in the educational area. The proof of concept is based on the example of teaching the 8th grade Algebra subject. The main contribution in this work is the implementation of innovative approaches in analysis and processing of data by expert system as well as…

MARBLE: A system for executing expert systems in parallel

Science.gov (United States)

Myers, Leonard; Johnson, Coe; Johnson, Dean

1990-01-01

This paper details the MARBLE 2.0 system which provides a parallel environment for cooperating expert systems. The work has been done in conjunction with the development of an intelligent computer-aided design system, ICADS, by the CAD Research Unit of the Design Institute at California Polytechnic State University. MARBLE (Multiple Accessed Rete Blackboard Linked Experts) is a system of C Language Production Systems (CLIPS) expert system tool. A copied blackboard is used for communication between the shells to establish an architecture which supports cooperating expert systems that execute in parallel. The design of MARBLE is simple, but it provides support for a rich variety of configurations, while making it relatively easy to demonstrate the correctness of its parallel execution features. In its most elementary configuration, individual CLIPS expert systems execute on their own processors and communicate with each other through a modified blackboard. Control of the system as a whole, and specifically of writing to the blackboard is provided by one of the CLIPS expert systems, an expert control system.

76 FR 70779 - President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-15

... University of Michigan North Campus Research Complex, 2800 Plymouth Road, Building 18, Ann Arbor, MI 48109... the University of Michigan North Research Complex from 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. on December 12, 2011... OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology...

77 FR 10736 - President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST)

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-23

... an overview of the Department of Agriculture's science, technology, and innovation activities, and... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) AGENCY... Science and Technology (PCAST), and describes the functions of the Council. Notice of this meeting is...

CRITERIA FOR CONSULTANT AND ADVISOR IN THE BRAZILIAN POSTGRADUATE SYSTEM.

Science.gov (United States)

Petroianu, Andy

2015-01-01

To review the rules, resolutions and existing documents relating to consultant and advisor to better target the actions of those who exercise these roles. The following documents were consulted: Statute of CAPES, through Decree No. 7692 of March 2, 2012; Ordinance No. 47 of 17/10/1995; Opinion 977 1965 Newton Sucupira; Area Document of Medicine III; Interministerial Ordinance 251 of 2012, based on Decree No. 7642 of 2011 of the Ministry of Science and Technology; CAPES Regiment. The Brazilian Postgraduate system is divided in two different fields, according to its aspects: the "lato sensu" postgraduate, defined as all professional studies performed after the high school graduation; and the "stricto sensu" postgraduate that includes the master degree and the doctorate, both of them different from what is known as MSc or MS and PhD. The Brazilian doctorate is recognized as academic because its purposes include to improve the scientific and the teaching levels of university docents. The master degree has two different objectives one is to be academic and similar to the doctorate; the other is to upgrade professionals to a higher level than specialist or MBA and is denominated professional master degree. The master degrees and the doctorate are designated as courses and may be put together in a structure known as stricto sensu postgraduate program. The complexity of these courses and programs in all the areas of the superior human knowledge requires a large number of professional directly involved with this system and other professionals that attend them, called consultants and advisors. The consultants are counselors, and the advisors are assistants, both of them legally established with the incumbency to aid the postgraduate staff in all their duties. Nothing prevents a person from being a consultant on the situation and advisor on another, even in the same institution. Have knowledge about what being a consultant and advisor is required to exercise the function

Internet-based intervention for smoking cessation (StopAdvisor) in people with low and high socioeconomic status: a randomised controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Jamie; Michie, Susan; Geraghty, Adam W A; Yardley, Lucy; Gardner, Benjamin; Shahab, Lion; Stapleton, John A; West, Robert

2014-12-01

Internet-based interventions for smoking cessation could help millions of people stop smoking at very low unit costs; however, long-term biochemically verified evidence is scarce and such interventions might be less effective for smokers with low socioeconomic status than for those with high status because of lower online literacy to engage with websites. We aimed to assess a new interactive internet-based intervention (StopAdvisor) for smoking cessation that was designed with particular attention directed to people with low socioeconomic status. We did this online randomised controlled trial between Dec 6, 2011, and Oct 11, 2013, in the UK. Participants aged 18 years and older who smoked every day were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive treatment with StopAdvisor or an information-only website. Randomisation was automated with an unseen random number function embedded in the website to establish which treatment was revealed after the online baseline assessment. Recruitment continued until the required sample size had been achieved from both high and low socioeconomic status subpopulations. Participants, and researchers who obtained data and did laboratory analyses, were masked to treatment allocation. The primary outcome was 6 month sustained, biochemically verified abstinence. The main secondary outcome was 6 month, 7 day biochemically verified point prevalence. Analysis was by intention to treat. Homogeneity of intervention effect across the socioeconomic subsamples was first assessed to establish whether overall or separate subsample analyses were appropriate. The study is registered as an International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial, number ISRCTN99820519. We randomly assigned 4613 participants to the StopAdvisor group (n=2321) or the control group (n=2292); 2142 participants were of low socioeconomic status and 2471 participants were of high status. The overall rate of smoking cessation was similar between participants in the StopAdvisor and control

Computers start to think with expert systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1983-03-21

A growing number of professionals-notably in oil and mineral exploration, plasma research, medicine, VLSI circuit design, drug design and robotics-are beginning to use computerised expert systems. A computer program uses knowledge and inference procedures to solve problems which are sufficiently difficult to require significant human expertise for their solution. The facts constitute a body of information that is widely shared, publicly available and generally agreed upon by experts in the field. The heuristics are mostly private, and little discussed, rules of good judgement (rules of plausible reasoning, rules of good guessing, etc.) that characterise expert-level decision making in the field.

THE ARCHITECTURE OF MULTI-COMPONENT DISTRIBUTED HYBRID EXPERT TRAINING SYSTEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Оleh Shevchuk

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The paper reports on the design of a multi-component architecture of distributed hybrid expert training system that can be used for the study of knowledge base of both internal and external expert systems and artificial intelligence systems that are distributed on Internet servers and other computer networks. Expert training system is based on three groups of basic principles: cybernetic, reflecting experience of previous research of systems of artificial intelligence, expert training systems; pedagogical, determining the principles, on which pedagogical design and use of expert training systems are based; psychological, determining preconditious and understanding of pupils psychics, on which the processes of design and use of expert training systems in professional training of future specialists are based.It accounts for the efficient training through the distributed knowledge via the Internet, which greatly increases the didactic capabilities of the system.

Lay Evaluation of Financial Experts: The Action Advice Effect and Confirmation Bias.

Science.gov (United States)

Zaleskiewicz, Tomasz; Gasiorowska, Agata; Stasiuk, Katarzyna; Maksymiuk, Renata; Bar-Tal, Yoram

2016-01-01

The goal of this experimental project was to investigate lay peoples' perceptions of epistemic authority (EA) in the field of finance. EA is defined as the extent to which a source of information is treated as evidence for judgments independently of its objective expertise and based on subjective beliefs. Previous research suggested that EA evaluations are biased and that lay people tend to ascribe higher EA to experts who advise action (in the case of medical experts) or confirm clients' expectations (in the case of politicians). However, there has been no research into biases in lay evaluations of financial experts and this project is aimed to fill this gap. Experiment 1 showed that lay people tended to ascribe greater authority to financial consultants who gave more active advice to clients considering taking out a mortgage. Experiment 2 confirmed the action advice effect found in Experiment 1. However, the outcomes of Experiments 2 and - particularly - 3 suggested that this bias might also be due to clients' desire to confirm their own opinions. Experiment 2 showed that the action advice effect was moderated by clients' own opinions on taking loans. Lay people ascribed the greatest EA to the advisor in the scenario in which he advised taking action and where this coincided with the client's positive opinion on the advisability of taking out a loan. In Experiment 3 only participants with a positive opinion on the financial product ascribed greater authority to experts who recommended it; participants whose opinion was negative tended to rate consultants who advised rejecting the product more highly. To conclude, these three experiments revealed that lay people ascribe higher EA to financial consultants who advise action rather than maintenance of the status quo , but this effect is limited by confirmation bias: when the client's a priori opinion is salient, greater authority is ascribed to experts whose advice confirms it. In this sense, results presented in the

The treatment implementation advisor: a component of the GypsES project

Science.gov (United States)

Michael C. Saunders; Michael A. Foster

1991-01-01

The treatment implementation advisor is one of the knowledge based advisory modules of GypsES, a knowledge system environment for decision support in gypsy moth management. Its function is to provide detailed advice on intervention tactics for gypsy moth: e.g. aerial and ground application of insecticides and microbials, inundative or augmentative releases of...

Cataloging Expert Systems: Optimism and Frustrated Reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Olmstadt, William J.

2000-01-01

Discusses artificial intelligence and attempts to catalog expert systems. Topics include the nature of expertise; examples of cataloging expert systems; barriers to implementation; and problems, including total automation, cataloging expertise, priorities, and system design. (LRW)

Expert Systems: What Is an Expert System?

Science.gov (United States)

Duval, Beverly K.; Main, Linda

1994-01-01

Describes expert systems and discusses their use in libraries. Highlights include parts of an expert system; expert system shells; an example of how to build an expert system; a bibliography of 34 sources of information on expert systems in libraries; and a list of 10 expert system shells used in libraries. (Contains five references.) (LRW)

Presenting a Framework for Evaluating and Prioritizing Risk of Information Technology Outsourcing: Perspective of Experts in Information Systems Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

abbas Keramati

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Information technology outsourcing projects have advantages including: reduced costs, improved service quality, creation of competitive advantage, etc. When these projects are being outsourced, lack of attention to their risks causes the lost of anticipated benefits and contributes to failure. As for the growing trend of information technology outsourcing projects in Iran, the purpose of this study is to identify the risks of information technology outsourcing projects, evaluate and prioritize them based on the perspective of experts in information systems design. For achieving these goals, key articles were reviewed and comprehensive list of 12 risk factors were identified. For prioritizing, a Fuzzy Analytical Network Process (F-ANP structure has been provided and the risk factors were laid in it. Then, by using a questionnaire, 13 experts' viewpoints were collected. The results show that the factor of "supplier" and the sub-factor of "Lack of skills of supplier in IT operations" are the most important factors for success and failure of information technology outsourcing projects in the perspective of experts in information systems design.

Expert systems and nuclear safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beltracchi, L.

1990-01-01

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Electric Power Research Institute have initiated a broad-based exploration of means to evaluate the potential applications of expert systems in the nuclear industry. This exploratory effort will assess the use of expert systems to augment the diagnostic and decision-making capabilities of personnel with the goal of enhancing productivity, reliability, and performance. The initial research effort is the development and documentation of guidelines for verifying and validating (V and V) expert systems. An initial application of expert systems in the nuclear industry is to aid operations and maintenance personnel in decision-making tasks. The scope of the decision aiding covers all types of cognitive behavior consisting of skill, rule, and knowledge-based behavior. For example, procedure trackers were designed and tested to support rule-based behavior. Further, these systems automate many of the tedious, error-prone human monitoring tasks, thereby reducing the potential for human error. The paper version of the procedure contains the knowledge base and the rules and thus serves as the basis of the design verification of the procedure tracker. Person-in-the-loop tests serve as the basis for the validation of a procedure tracker. When conducting validation tests, it is important to ascertain that the human retains the locus of control in the use of the expert system

77 FR 65593 - PNC Capital Advisors, LLC, et al.; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-29

... registered open-end management investment companies that operate as ``funds of funds'' to acquire shares of.... Applicants: PNC Capital Advisors, LLC (``Adviser'') and PNC Funds and PNC Advantage Funds (each a ``Trust... statutory trust. Each Trust is comprised of separate series that pursue distinct investment objectives and...

Creating wheelchair-controlled video games: challenges and opportunities when involving young people with mobility impairments and game design experts

OpenAIRE

Gerling, Kathrin; Linehan, Conor; Kirman, Ben; Kalyn, Michael; Evans, Adam; Hicks, Kieran

2016-01-01

Although participatory design (PD) is currently the most acceptable and respectful process we have for designing technology, recent discussions suggest that there may be two barriers to the successful application of PD to the design of digital games: First, the involvement of audiences with special needs can introduce new practical and ethical challenges to the design process. Second, the use of non-experts in game design roles has been criticised in that participants lack skills necessary to...

Technical assistance from state health departments for communities engaged in policy, systems, and environmental change: the ACHIEVE Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Hefelfinger, Jenny; Patty, Alice; Ussery, Ann; Young, Walter

2013-10-24

This study assessed the value of technical assistance provided by state health department expert advisors and by the staff of the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) to community groups that participated in the Action Communities for Health, Innovation, and Environmental Change (ACHIEVE) Program, a CDC-funded health promotion program. We analyzed quantitative and qualitative data reported by community project coordinators to assess the nature and value of technical assistance provided by expert advisors and NACDD staff and the usefulness of ACHIEVE resources in the development and implementation of community action plans. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze and categorize phrases in text data provided by community coordinators. Open coding placed conceptual labels on text phrases. Frequency distributions of the quantitative data are described and discussed. The most valuable technical assistance and program support resources were those determined to be in the interpersonal domain (ie, interactions with state expert advisors, NACDD staff, and peer-to-peer support). The most valuable technical assistance events were action institutes, coaches' meetings, webinars, and technical assistance conference calls. This analysis suggests that ACHIEVE communities valued the management and training assistance provided by expert advisors and NACDD staff. State health department expert advisors provided technical guidance and support, including such skills or knowledge-based services as best-practice strategies, review and discussion of community assessment data, sustainability planning, and identification of possible funding opportunities. NACDD staff led development and implementation of technical assistance events.

Spot and Runway Departure Advisor (SARDA)

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Yoon

2016-01-01

Spot and Runway Departure Advisor (SARDA) is a decision support tool to assist airline ramp controllers and ATC tower controllers to manage traffic on the airport surface to significantly improve efficiency and predictability in surface operations. The core function of the tool is the runway scheduler which generates an optimal solution for runway sequence and schedule of departure aircraft, which would minimize system delay and maximize runway throughput. The presentation also discusses the latest status of NASA's current surface research through a collaboration with an airline partner, where a tool is developed for airline ramp operators to assist departure pushback operations. The presentation describes the concept of the SARDA tool and results from human-in-the-loop simulations conducted in 2012 for Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport and 2014 for Charlotte airport ramp tower.

Senior Design in Agricultural Engineering--Progress and Pitfalls.

Science.gov (United States)

Holmes, R. G.; Rohrbach, R. P.

1979-01-01

Describes a specific senior design course and its objectives. Explains the basic deficiencies and problems for design education in agricultural engineering. Also stresses the effect the project advisor has on students' attitudes toward design and the applications of the course. (SMB)

Spot and Runway Departure Advisor

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Yoon Chul

2013-01-01

The Spot and Runway Departure Advisor (SARDA) is a research prototype of a decision support tool for ATC tower controllers to assist in manging and controlling traffic on the surface of an airport. SARDA employs a scheduler to generate an optimal runway schedule and gate push-back - spot release sequence and schedule that improves efficiency of surface operations. The advisories for ATC tower controllers are displayed on an Electronic Flight Strip (EFS) system. The human-in-the-loop simulation of the SARDA tool was conducted for east operations of Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport (DFW) to evaluate performance of the SARDA tool and human factors, such as situational awareness and workload. The results indicates noticeable taxi delay reduction and fuel savings by using the SARDA tool. Reduction in controller workload were also observed throughout the scenario runs. The future plan includes modeling and simulation of the ramp operations of the Charlotte International Airport, and develop a decision support tool for the ramp controllers.

Expert system for designing the manufacturing conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henin, F.

1990-01-01

The expert system TOTEM (French acronym for Material and Time Optimal Processing), used in computer aided manufacturing, is presented. The flow chart describing the TOTEM operation principles is given. The calculation rules which allow the optimization of the fabrication means are summarized. The steps of the TOTEM operations and an application example are included. TOTEM allows the standardization of the manufacturing specifications and takes into account technological improvements [fr

[The application of the expert system in prosthedontics].

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, P; Li, G; Wang, Y

1996-11-01

In this study, we developed an expert system for designing of frame work of Removable Partial Denture by the method of Artificial Intelligence. Both of Quick Basic and Tuber C language are used in this program. This system consider more other relative factors in removable partial denture designing except the amount and position of missing teeth. Base the idea of multy-layer knowledge we divide the process RPD designing into different layers according to their logical relationships. So, this system could imitate better the expert of prosthedontics to do the clinical examination, diagnosis, treatment plan and denture designing. There are 11 modules in this system totally. They are used to accomplish the case register, first visit examination, treatment plan, abutment examination, denture designing, biomechanic analysis of abutment, reference, explanation and etc. We used this system for 20 partial edentulous patients and compared the results with the designing plans of expert of prosthedontics, the rate of conformity is 83.6%.

Analysis and design of advice

CERN Document Server

Jureta, Ivan

2011-01-01

This innovative book offers a rigorous approach to the analysis and design of advice in real-world decision situations, in which the advisor must manage with variously imprecise, unclear, incomplete or conflicting qualitative information.

Expert system technology for nondestructive waste assay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, G.K.; Determan, J.C.

1998-01-01

Nondestructive assay waste characterization data generated for use in the National TRU Program must be of known and demonstrable quality. Each measurement is required to receive an independent technical review by a qualified expert. An expert system prototype has been developed to automate waste NDA data review of a passive/active neutron drum counter system. The expert system is designed to yield a confidence rating regarding measurement validity. Expert system rules are derived from data in a process involving data clustering, fuzzy logic, and genetic algorithms. Expert system performance is assessed against confidence assignments elicited from waste NDA domain experts. Performance levels varied for the active, passive shielded, and passive system assay modes of the drum counter system, ranging from 78% to 94% correct classifications

Graduate Students' Perceptions of Their Advisors: Is There Systematic Disadvantage in Mentorship?

Science.gov (United States)

Noy, Shiri; Ray, Rashawn

2012-01-01

We explore how race and gender shape graduate students' perceptions of their advisors. We find evidence that women of color and students in the biological/physical sciences report significantly less support than other groups. Our findings speak to the utility of the intersectionality framework for examining interpersonal relations in higher…

Exploring Inner Speech as a Psycho-Educational Resource for Language Learning Advisors

Science.gov (United States)

McCarthy, Tanya M.

2018-01-01

The analysis of advising sessions has recognized common standards of the profession in areas such as advising skills employed and non-verbal communicative practices. There are however numerous variations in advisor behavior due to differences in cognitive processes. This study used a stimulated recall approach to identify the content of inner…

Aspects Fostering the Programming of Today's College Radio Station: The Advisor's Perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Sauls, Samuel J.

To help ascertain leadership, guidance, and capabilities of the station advisor (those who foster the efforts of their student staffs), this paper provides an overview of programming elements discussing such topics as programming philosophy, general formats, and legal and ethical issues. It states that those advising the campus radio station can…

Design and implementation of expert decision system in Yellow River Irrigation

Science.gov (United States)

Fuping, Wang; Bingbing, Lei; Jie, Pan

2018-03-01

How to make full use of water resources in the Yellow River irrigation is a problem needed to be solved urgently. On account of the different irrigation strategies in various growth stages of wheat, this paper proposes a novel irrigation expert decision system basing on fuzzy control technique. According to the control experience, expert knowledge and MATLAB simulation optimization, we obtain the irrigation fuzzy control table stored in the computer memory. The controlling irrigation is accomplished by reading the data from fuzzy control table. The experimental results show that the expert system can be used in the production of wheat to achieve timely and appropriate irrigation, and ensure that wheat growth cycle is always in the best growth environment.

40 CFR 35.4190 - How does my group identify a qualified technical advisor?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false How does my group identify a qualified technical advisor? 35.4190 Section 35.4190 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS...: (1) Demonstrated knowledge of hazardous or toxic waste issues, relocation issues, redevelopment...

Learning Over Time: Using Rapid Prototyping Generative Analysis Experts and Reduction of Scope to Operationalize Design

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-04

during the Vietnam Conflict. 67 David A. Kolb , Experiential Learning : Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. (Upper Saddle River, NJ...Essentials for Military Applications. Newport Paper #10. Newport: Newport War College Press. 1996. Kolb , David A. Experiential Learning : Experience... learning over analysis. A broad review of design theory suggests that four techniques - rapid prototyping, generative analysis, use of experts, and

Roofline Analysis in the Intel® Advisor to Deliver Optimized Performance for applications on Intel® Xeon Phi™ Processor

OpenAIRE

Koskela, TS; Lobet, M

2017-01-01

In this session we show, in two case studies, how the roofline feature of Intel Advisor has been utilized to optimize the performance of kernels of the XGC1 and PICSAR codes in preparation for Intel Knights Landing architecture. The impact of the implemented optimizations and the benefits of using the automatic roofline feature of Intel Advisor to study performance of large applications will be presented. This demonstrates an effective optimization strategy that has enabled these science appl...

Contextual Factors for Finding Similar Experts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hofmann, Katja; Balog, Krisztian; Bogers, Toine

2010-01-01

-seeking models, are rarely taken into account. In this article, we extend content-based expert-finding approaches with contextual factors that have been found to influence human expert finding. We focus on a task of science communicators in a knowledge-intensive environment, the task of finding similar experts......, given an example expert. Our approach combines expertise-seeking and retrieval research. First, we conduct a user study to identify contextual factors that may play a role in the studied task and environment. Then, we design expert retrieval models to capture these factors. We combine these with content......-based retrieval models and evaluate them in a retrieval experiment. Our main finding is that while content-based features are the most important, human participants also take contextual factors into account, such as media experience and organizational structure. We develop two principled ways of modeling...

Can taking the perspective of an expert debias human decisions? The case for risky and delayed gains.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michal eBialek

2014-09-01

Full Text Available In several reported previously studies, participants increased their normative correctness after being instructed to think hypothetically, specifically taking the perspective of an expert or researcher (Beatty & Thompson 2012, Morsanyi & Handley 2012. The goal of this paper was to investigate how this manipulation affects risky or delayed payoffs. In two studies, participants (n=193 were tested online (in exchange for money using the adjusting procedure. Individuals produced certain/immediate equivalents for risky/delayed gains. Participants in the control group were solving the problem from their own perspective, while participants in the experimental group were asked to imagine what would a reliable and honest advisor advise them to do.Study 1 showed that when taking the perspective of an expert, participants in experimental group became more risk aversive compared to participants in the control group. Additionally, their certain equivalents diverged from the Expected Value (EV to a greater extent. The results obtained from the experimental group in Study 2 suggest that participants became less impulsive, which means they tried to inhibit their preferences. This favors the explanation, which suggests that the perspective shift forced individuals to override their intuitions with the social norms. Individuals expect to be blamed for impatience or risk taking thus expected an expert to advise them to be more patient and risk aversive.

Can taking the perspective of an expert debias human decisions? The case of risky and delayed gains.

Science.gov (United States)

Białek, Michał; Sawicki, Przemysław

2014-01-01

In several previously reported studies, participants increased their normative correctness after being instructed to think hypothetically, specifically taking the perspective of an expert or researcher (Beatty and Thompson, 2012; Morsanyi and Handley, 2012). The goal of this paper was to investigate how this manipulation affects risky or delayed payoffs. In two studies, participants (n = 193) were tested online (in exchange for money) using the adjusting procedure. Individuals produced certain/immediate equivalents for risky/delayed gains. Participants in the control group were solving the problem from their own perspective, while participants in the experimental group were asked to imagine "what would a reliable and honest advisor advise them to do." Study 1 showed that when taking the perspective of an expert, participants in experimental group became more risk aversive compared to participants in the control group. Additionally, their certain equivalents diverged from the expected value to a greater extent. The results obtained from the experimental group in Study 2 suggest that participants became less impulsive, which means they tried to inhibit their preferences. This favors the explanation, which suggests that the perspective shift forced individuals to override their intuitions with the social norms. Individuals expect to be blamed for impatience or risk taking thus expected an expert to advise them to be more patient and risk aversive.

Architects, Captains, and Dreamers: Creating Advisor Roles that Foster Youth-Adult Partnerships

Science.gov (United States)

Mitra, Dana; Lewis, Tiffanie; Sanders, Felicia

2013-01-01

While research has documented the many ways in which student voice can enable educational change, the process of how adults can help to enable student voice is less clear. This article examines how adults new to working as advisors of student voice initiatives begin to develop partnerships with young people. Using a Youth-Adult Partnership…

Expert system for accelerator single-freedom nonlinear components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Sheng; Xie Xi; Liu Chunliang

1995-01-01

An expert system by Arity Prolog is developed for accelerator single-freedom nonlinear components. It automatically yields any order approximate analytical solutions for various accelerator single-freedom nonlinear components. As an example, the eighth order approximate analytical solution is derived by this expert system for a general accelerator single-freedom nonlinear component, showing that the design of the expert system is successful

Expert system application education project

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzelez, Avelino J.; Ragusa, James M.

1988-01-01

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology, and in particular expert systems, has shown potential applicability in many areas of operation at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). In an era of limited resources, the early identification of good expert system applications, and their segregation from inappropriate ones can result in a more efficient use of available NASA resources. On the other hand, the education of students in a highly technical area such as AI requires an extensive hands-on effort. The nature of expert systems is such that proper sample applications for the educational process are difficult to find. A pilot project between NASA-KSC and the University of Central Florida which was designed to simultaneously address the needs of both institutions at a minimum cost. This project, referred to as Expert Systems Prototype Training Project (ESPTP), provided NASA with relatively inexpensive development of initial prototype versions of certain applications. University students likewise benefit by having expertise on a non-trivial problem accessible to them at no cost. Such expertise is indispensible in a hands-on training approach to developing expert systems.

Using Mathematical Modeling and Set-Based Design Principles to Recommend an Existing CVL Design

Science.gov (United States)

2017-09-01

MATHEMATICAL MODELING AND SET-BASED DESIGN PRINCIPLES TO RECOMMEND AN EXISTING CVL DESIGN by William H. Ehlies September 2017 Thesis Advisor...Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington, DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank) 2. REPORT DATE...September 2017 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED Master’s thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE USING MATHEMATICAL MODELING AND SET-BASED DESIGN PRINCIPLES

THE GHOST IN THE MACHINE? THE VALUE OF EXPERT ADVICE IN THE PRODUCTION OF EVIDENCE-BASED GUIDANCE: A MIXED METHODS STUDY OF THE NICE INTERVENTIONAL PROCEDURES PROGRAMME.

Science.gov (United States)

Oyebode, Oyinlola; Patrick, Hannah; Walker, Alexander; Campbell, Bruce; Powell, John

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine the aspects of expert advice that decision makers find most useful in the development of evidence-based guidance and to identify the characteristics of experts providing the most useful advice. First, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seventeen members of the Interventional Procedures Advisory Committee of the UK's National Institute of Health and Care Excellence. Interviews examined the usefulness of expert advice during guidance development. Transcripts were analyzed inductively to identify themes. Second, data were extracted from 211 experts' questionnaires for forty-one consecutive procedures. Usefulness of advice was scored using an index developed through the qualitative work. Associations between usefulness score and characteristics of the expert advisor were investigated using univariate and multivariate analyses. Expert opinion was seen as a valued complement to empirical evidence, providing context and tacit knowledge unavailable in published literature, but helpful for interpreting it. Interviewees also valued advice on the training and experience required to perform a procedure, on patient selection criteria and the place of a procedure within a clinical management pathway. Limitations of bias in expert opinion were widely acknowledged and skepticism expressed regarding the anecdotal nature of advice on safety or efficacy outcomes. Quantitative analysis demonstrated that the most useful advice was given by clinical experts with direct personal experience of the procedure, particularly research experience. Evidence-based guidance production is often characterized as a rational, pipeline process. This ignores the valuable role that expert opinion plays in guidance development, complementing and supporting the interpretation of empirical data.

12 CFR 611.210 - Director qualifications and training.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... periodically updated and provided to the institution's nominating committee. (2) Each Farm Credit institution... advisor who is a financial expert. The financial advisor must report to the board of directors and be free...

UK minister and science advisors reassert roles of PWRs and FBRs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fishlock, D.

1988-01-01

Britain continues to vigorously debate the wisdom of privatizing its electricity supply system by breaking the Central Electricity Generating Board into three separate parts, with specific consequences for nuclear energy. What is already clear is that the proposed changes must have a profound impact on all long-term activities, from the future of the fast reactor to national research into the environmental impact of electricity supply. The Government stated that future use of nuclear energy is necessary. The Government then published a nuclear study by its own top technical advisors, the Advisory Council on Science and Technology (ACOST). ACOST recommends that Britain should abandon further research and development on gas-cooled reactors and concentrate wholeheartedly on the PWR, following what it says is the public inquiry's unequivocal endorsement of the Sizewell-B design. The Advisory Council also comments on the fast reactor, in the context of what it calls the Government's responsibility to underpin long-term ventures in power generation. It states that the technology is approaching commercialization

Toward the Development of Expert Assessment Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Hasselbring, Ted S.

1986-01-01

The potential application of "expert systems" to the diagnosis and assessment of special-needs children is examined and existing prototype systems are reviewed. The future of this artificial intelligence technology is discussed in relation to emerging development tools designed for the creation of expert systems by the lay public. (Author)

Navigating contextual constraints in discourse: Design explications in institutional talk

Science.gov (United States)

Herijgers, MLC (Marloes); Maat, HLW (Henk) Pander

2017-01-01

Although institutional discourse is subject to a vast ensemble of constraints, its design is not fixed beforehand. On the contrary, optimizing the satisfaction of these constraints requires considerable discourse design skills from institutional agents. In this article, we analyze how Dutch banks’ mortgage advisors navigate their way through the consultations context. We focus on what we call discourse design explications, that is, stretches of talk in which participants refer to conflicting constraints in the discourse context, at the same time proposing particular discourse designs for dealing with these conflicts. We start by discussing three forms of design explication. Then we will examine the various resolutions they propose for constraint conflicts and show how advisors seek customer consent or cooperation for the proposed designs. Thus our analysis reveals how institutional agents, while providing services, work on demonstrating how the design of these services is optimized and tailored to customers. PMID:28781580

Lay Evaluation of Financial Experts: The Action Advice Effect and Confirmation Bias

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomasz Zaleskiewicz

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The goal of this experimental project was to investigate lay peoples’ perceptions of epistemic authority (EA in the field of finance. EA is defined as the extent to which a source of information is treated as evidence for judgments independently of its objective expertise and based on subjective beliefs. Previous research suggested that EA evaluations are biased and that lay people tend to ascribe higher EA to experts who advise action (in the case of medical experts or confirm clients’ expectations (in the case of politicians. However, there has been no research into biases in lay evaluations of financial experts and this project is aimed to fill this gap. Experiment 1 showed that lay people tended to ascribe greater authority to financial consultants who gave more active advice to clients considering taking out a mortgage. Experiment 2 confirmed the action advice effect found in Experiment 1. However, the outcomes of Experiments 2 and – particularly – 3 suggested that this bias might also be due to clients’ desire to confirm their own opinions. Experiment 2 showed that the action advice effect was moderated by clients’ own opinions on taking loans. Lay people ascribed the greatest EA to the advisor in the scenario in which he advised taking action and where this coincided with the client’s positive opinion on the advisability of taking out a loan. In Experiment 3 only participants with a positive opinion on the financial product ascribed greater authority to experts who recommended it; participants whose opinion was negative tended to rate consultants who advised rejecting the product more highly. To conclude, these three experiments revealed that lay people ascribe higher EA to financial consultants who advise action rather than maintenance of the status quo, but this effect is limited by confirmation bias: when the client’s a priori opinion is salient, greater authority is ascribed to experts whose advice confirms it. In this

The process of candidates choose graduate programs: an analysis from the advisor perspective; O processo de escolha de candidatos a programas de Pos-Graduacao: uma analise a partir da perspectiva do orientador

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nascimento, Ridnal Joao do

2016-11-01

This study aims to identify the criteria used by advisors in the decision-making on whether to accept a candidate for mentoring in a postgraduate strictu sensu program and examines possible relationships between this decision and their scientific production and mentees evasion. In order to meet these goals one seeks to identify and analyze the selection criteria of candidates for the master's and doctorate programs at an institution; in this case, the Energy and Nuclear Research Institute - IPEN. More specifically, one seeks to study similarities and differences between those criteria among the advisors; find out whether there is a correlation between the selection criteria and the advisors characteristics (Profile); identify the selection process used by advisors and point out which are the motivations that lead to evasion according to their point of view. To meet these challenges, as the starting point of the research, a conceptual model was designed in order to form the basis for the preparation of the script for the interviews with open-ended questions as to identify the selection criteria used by a small group of advisors with a predefined profile. From that point, based on the responses obtained in interviews, the survey was expanded to all advisors working in the IPEN Postgraduate program by implementing an online survey using Google Docs app for data collection. These data were then analyzed and reorganized according to an operational model of research that would guide the analysis by structural equation modeling (SEM) by means of the SmartPLS software, in order to identify the presence or absence of correlation between the criteria adopted by the advisors and their academic production and the evasion of their mentees, for that one relied on studies in: Bazerman and Moore (2010); Cohen (1988); Hair Jr. et al (2009); Hansmann and Ringle (2004); Martins (1997); Ringle, C.; Silva and Bido (2014); Sousa (2007); Sousa and Yu (2014); Torres (2014); Yu (2011

Cornell Mixing Zone Expert System

Science.gov (United States)

This page provides an overview Cornell Mixing Zone Expert System water quality modeling and decision support system designed for environmental impact assessment of mixing zones resulting from wastewater discharge from point sources

Design of an expert system for the development and formulation of push-pull osmotic pump tablets containing poorly water-soluble drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhi-hong; Dong, Hong-ye; Peng, Bo; Liu, Hong-fei; Li, Chun-lei; Liang, Min; Pan, Wei-san

2011-05-30

The purpose of this article was to build an expert system for the development and formulation of push-pull osmotic pump tablets (PPOP). Hundreds of PPOP formulations were studied according to different poorly water-soluble drugs and pharmaceutical acceptable excipients. The knowledge base including database and rule base was built based on the reported results of hundreds of PPOP formulations containing different poorly water-soluble drugs and pharmaceutical excipients and the experiences available from other researchers. The prediction model of release behavior was built using back propagation (BP) neural network, which is good at nonlinear mapping and learning function. Formulation design model was established based on the prediction model of release behavior, which was the nucleus of the inference engine. Finally, the expert system program was constructed by VB.NET associating with SQL Server. Expert system is one of the most popular aspects in artificial intelligence. To date there is no expert system available for the formulation of controlled release dosage forms yet. Moreover, osmotic pump technology (OPT) is gradually getting consummate all over the world. It is meaningful to apply expert system on OPT. Famotidine, a water insoluble drug was chosen as the model drug to validate the applicability of the developed expert system. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Career advising in family medicine: a theoretical framework for structuring the medical student/faculty advisor interview

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melissa Bradner

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Background: There are unique challenges to recruiting students into the specialty of family medicine within academic medical centers. Methods: At Virginia Commonwealth University, we developed an advising framework to help students address institutional and personal obstacles to choosing family medicine as a career. Results: The role of a faculty advisor is not to direct the student to a career choice but rather to foster a mentor relationship and help the student come to his or her own realizations regarding career choice. The faculty advisor/medical student interview is conceptualized as five discussion topics: self-knowledge, perception, organizational voice, cognitive dissonance, and anticipatory counseling. Conclusion: This framework is intended to assist faculty in their efforts to encourage students to consider a career in family medicine.

Design of the expert system to analyze disease in Plant Teak using Forward Chaining

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Poningsih Poningsih

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Teak is one kind of plant that is already widely known and developed by the wider community in the form of plantations and community forests. This is because until now Teak wood is a commodity of luxury, high quality, the price is expensive, and high economic value. Expert systems are a part of the method sciences artificial intelligence to make an application program disease diagnosis teak computerized seek to replace and mimic the reasoning process of an expert or experts in solving the problem specification that can be said to be a duplicate from an expert because science knowledge is stored inside a database  Expert System for the diagnosis of disease teak using forward chaining method aims to explore the characteristics shown in the form of questions in order to diagnose the disease teak with web-based software. Device keel expert system can recognize the disease after consulting identity by answering some of the questions presented by the application of expert systems and can infer some kind of disease in plants teak. Data disease known customize rules (rules are made to match the characteristics of teak disease and provide treatment solutions.

Price competition between an expert and a non-expert

OpenAIRE

Bouckaert, J.M.C.; Degryse, H.A.

1998-01-01

This paper characterizes price competition between an expert and a non-expert. In contrast with the expert, the non-expert’s repair technology is not always successful. Consumers visit the expert after experiencing an unsuccessful match at the non-expert. This re-entry affects the behaviour of both sellers. For low enough probability of successful repair at the non-expert, all consumers first visit the non-expert, and a ‘timid-pricing’ equilibrium results. If the non-expert’s repair technolog...

Developing knowledge management systems with an active expert methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sandahl, K.

1992-01-01

Knowledge management, understood as the ability to store, distribute and utilize human knowledge in an organization, is the subject of this dissertation. In particular we have studied the design of methods and supporting software for this process. Detailed and systematic description of the design and development processes of three case-study implementations of knowledge management software are provided. The outcome of the projects is explained in terms of an active expert development methodology, which is centered around support for a domain expert to take substantial responsibility for the design and maintenance of a knowledge management system in a given area of application. Based on the experiences from the case studies and the resulting methodology, an environment for automatically supporting knowledge management was designed in the KNOWLEDGE-LINKER research project. The vital part of this architecture is a knowledge acquisition tool, used directly by the experts in creating and maintaining a knowledge base. An elaborated version of the active expert development methodology was then formulated as the result of applying the KNOWLEDGE-LINKER approach in a fourth case study. This version of the methodology is also accounted for and evaluated together within the supporting KNOWLEDGE-LINKER architecture. (au)

An expert system for dispersion model interpretation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skyllingstad, E.D.; Ramsdell, J.V.

1988-10-01

A prototype expert system designed to diagnose dispersion model uncertainty is described in this paper with application to a puff transport model. The system obtains qualitative information from the model user and through an expert-derived knowledge base, performs a rating of the current simulation. These results can then be used in combination with dispersion model output for deciding appropriate evacuation measures. Ultimately, the goal of this work is to develop an expert system that may be operated accurately by an individual uneducated in meteorology or dispersion modeling. 5 refs., 3 figs

Elaboration et Suivi des Budgets de Marketing Industriel: le Système ADVISOR

OpenAIRE

Choffray, Jean-Marie; Delabre, Gilles

1982-01-01

Cet article revoit les problèmes posés par l'élaboration et le suivi des budgets de marketing dans un environnement industriel. Il présente le système ADVISOR pour lequel nous avons développé un programme interactif adapté aux besoins des entreprises Françaises.

Sea-Shore Interface Robotic Design

Science.gov (United States)

2014-06-01

for various beachfront terrains. Robotics , Robot , Amphibious Vehicles, Mobility, Surf-Zone, Autonomous, Wheg, exoskeleton Unclassified Unclassified...controllers and to showcase the benefits of a modular construction. The result was an exoskeleton design with modular components, see Figure 2.1. Figure 2.1...NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA THESIS SEA-SHORE INTERFACE ROBOTIC DESIGN by Timothy L. Bell June 2014 Thesis Advisor: Richard Harkins

Use of expert systems in nuclear safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-02-01

One dominant aspect of improvement in safe nuclear power plant operation is the very high speed in the development and introduction of computer technologies. This development commenced recently when advanced control technology was incorporated into the nuclear industry. This led to an increasing implementation of information displays, annunciator windows and other devices inside the control room, eventually overburdening the control room operator with detailed information. Expert systems are a further step in this direction being designed to apply large knowledge bases to solve practical problems. These ''intelligent'' systems have to incorporate enough knowledge to reach expert levels of importance and represent a very advanced man-machine interface. The aims of the Technical Committee were addressed by the three Working Groups and summarized in Sections 2, 3 and 4 of this report. Section 2 summarizes the results and discussions on the current capabilities of expert systems and identifies features for the future development and use of Expert Systems in Nuclear Power Plants. Section 3 provides an overview of the discussions and investigations into the current status of Expert Systems in NPPs. This section develops a method for assessing the overall benefit of different applications and recommends a broad strategy for priority developments of Expert Systems in NPPs. Section 4 assesses the overall use of PSA type studies in Expert Systems in NPPs and identifies specific features to be adopted in the design of these systems in future applications. The conclusions of the three Working Groups are presented in Section 5. The 15 papers presented at the meeting formed the Annex of this document. A separate abstract was prepared for each of these papers. Refs, figs, tabs and pictures

Partnering With a Family Advisor to Improve Communication in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Czulada, Laura; Leino, Patience; Willis, Tina Schade

2016-11-01

Inadequate communication between medical teams and families can lead to errors and poor-quality care. The objective was to understand why communication between the clinical team and families was not occurring consistently in the pediatric intensive care unit and improve the system using a multidisciplinary improvement team including a family advisor. This improvement project used Lean Six Sigma. The team observed updates and collected documented communication, survey, interview, and focus group data from families and staff. Root causes of failures included lack of assigned responsibility, lack of defined daily update, and lack of a daily communication standard. Process changes were implemented, resulting in an increased mean documented communication rate from 13% pre intervention to 65% post intervention that was sustained for more than 2 years (P < .001). Including a family advisor as an equal member of an improvement team provides family empowerment and a greater chance of success in complex areas. © The Author(s) 2015.

An Accurate and Impartial Expert Assignment Method for Scientific Project Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mingliang Yue

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose: This paper proposes an expert assignment method for scientific project review that considers both accuracy and impartiality. As impartial and accurate peer review is extremely important to ensure the quality and feasibility of scientific projects, enhanced methods for managing the process are needed. Design/methodology/approach: To ensure both accuracy and impartiality, we design four criteria, the reviewers’ fitness degree, research intensity, academic association, and potential conflict of interest, to express the characteristics of an appropriate peer review expert. We first formalize the expert assignment problem as an optimization problem based on the designed criteria, and then propose a randomized algorithm to solve the expert assignment problem of identifying reviewer adequacy. Findings: Simulation results show that the proposed method is quite accurate and impartial during expert assignment. Research limitations: Although the criteria used in this paper can properly show the characteristics of a good and appropriate peer review expert, more criteria/conditions can be included in the proposed scheme to further enhance accuracy and impartiality of the expert assignment. Practical implications: The proposed method can help project funding agencies (e.g. the National Natural Science Foundation of China find better experts for project peer review. Originality/value: To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first publication that proposes an algorithm that applies an impartial approach to the project review expert assignment process. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Modeling the Construct of an Expert Evidence-Adaptive Knowledge Base for a Pressure Injury Clinical Decision Support System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peck Chui Betty Khong

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The selection of appropriate wound products for the treatment of pressure injuries is paramount in promoting wound healing. However, nurses find it difficult to decide on the most optimal wound product(s due to limited live experiences in managing pressure injuries resulting from successfully implemented pressure injury prevention programs. The challenges of effective decision-making in wound treatments by nurses at the point of care are compounded by the yearly release of wide arrays of newly researched wound products into the consumer market. A clinical decision support system for pressure injury (PI-CDSS was built to facilitate effective decision-making and selection of optimal wound treatments. This paper describes the development of PI-CDSS with an expert knowledge base using an interactive development environment, Blaze Advisor. A conceptual framework using decision-making and decision theory, knowledge representation, and process modelling guided the construct of the PI-CDSS. This expert system has incorporated the practical and relevant decision knowledge of wound experts in assessment and wound treatments in its algorithm. The construct of the PI-CDSS is adaptive, with scalable capabilities for expansion to include other CDSSs and interoperability to interface with other existing clinical and administrative systems. The algorithm was formatively evaluated and tested for usability. The treatment modalities generated after using patient-specific assessment data were found to be consistent with the treatment plan(s proposed by the wound experts. The overall agreement exceeded 90% between the wound experts and the generated treatment modalities for the choice of wound products, instructions, and alerts. The PI-CDSS serves as a just-in-time wound treatment protocol with suggested clinical actions for nurses, based on the best evidence available.

Doctoral Advisor-Advisee Pairing in STEM Fields: Selection Criteria and Impact of Faculty, Student and Departmental Factors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simy Joy

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Unlike the doctoral programs in places where students are paired with advisors at the time of admission itself, most US programs require the students to choose their advisors, and the advisors to formally accept the students as advisees. Little research has been done to understand how students and faculty approach this mutual selection and pairing process. This paper examines this process in STEM departments (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, with specific focus on factors influencing the decisions. Based on focus groups and interviews of doctoral students and faculty from STEM departments in an American university, we identify criteria applied by students and faculty in making their choices. Students were found to assess faculty on available funding, area of research, personality, ability to graduate students fast, and career prospects for students, and faculty to assess students on their qualifications/credentials and perceived ability to contribute to research. We also found that this mutual assessment was not objective, but influenced by perceptions associated with faculty gender and career stage, and student nationality. In the end, whether students and faculty were actually paired with persons of their choice depended on departmental factors including prevalent pairing practices, restrictions on student numbers per faculty, and reward structure. We discuss implications of the findings for research and practice.

An Expert System-Driven Method for Parametric Trajectory Optimization During Conceptual Design

Science.gov (United States)

Dees, Patrick D.; Zwack, Mathew R.; Steffens, Michael; Edwards, Stephen; Diaz, Manuel J.; Holt, James B.

2015-01-01

During the early phases of engineering design, the costs committed are high, costs incurred are low, and the design freedom is high. It is well documented that decisions made in these early design phases drive the entire design's life cycle cost. In a traditional paradigm, key design decisions are made when little is known about the design. As the design matures, design changes become more difficult in both cost and schedule to enact. The current capability-based paradigm, which has emerged because of the constrained economic environment, calls for the infusion of knowledge usually acquired during later design phases into earlier design phases, i.e. bringing knowledge acquired during preliminary and detailed design into pre-conceptual and conceptual design. An area of critical importance to launch vehicle design is the optimization of its ascent trajectory, as the optimal trajectory will be able to take full advantage of the launch vehicle's capability to deliver a maximum amount of payload into orbit. Hence, the optimal ascent trajectory plays an important role in the vehicle's affordability posture yet little of the information required to successfully optimize a trajectory is known early in the design phase. Thus, the current paradigm of optimizing ascent trajectories involves generating point solutions for every change in a vehicle's design parameters. This is often a very tedious, manual, and time-consuming task for the analysts. Moreover, the trajectory design space is highly non-linear and multi-modal due to the interaction of various constraints. When these obstacles are coupled with the Program to Optimize Simulated Trajectories (POST), an industry standard program to optimize ascent trajectories that is difficult to use, expert trajectory analysts are required to effectively optimize a vehicle's ascent trajectory. Over the course of this paper, the authors discuss a methodology developed at NASA Marshall's Advanced Concepts Office to address these issues

Expert system characteristics and potential applications in safeguards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapman, L.D.

1986-01-01

The general growth of expert, knowledge-based (KB) or rule based systems will significantly increase in the next three to five years. Improvements in computer hardware (speed, reduced size, power) and software (rule based, data based, user interfaces) in recent years are providing the foundations for the growth of expert systems. A byproduct of this growth will undoubtedly be the application of expert systems to various safeguards problems. Characteristics of these expert systems will involve 1) multiple rules governing an outcome, 2) confidence factors on individual variables and rule sets, 3) priority, cost, and risk based rule sets, and 4) the reasoning behind the advice or decision given by the expert system. This paper presents characteristics, structures, and examples of simple rule based systems. Potential application areas for these expert systems may include training, operations, management, designs, evaluations, and specific hardware operation

OTA director to be Clinton's science advisor

Science.gov (United States)

Leath, Audrey

President Clinton has nominated John H. “Jack” Gibbons to be Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). For over a decade, Gibbons has served as director of the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), a bipartisan research arm of Congress.In nominating Gibbons, Clinton said, “I am delighted to appoint a brilliant scientist and gifted administrator… It is profoundly important that the president have a science advisor who understands science, who understands technology, who understands the practical application of these disciplines to the myriad of problems we face today. And I can tell you that from [Vice-president] Al Gore on down to every other member of Congress I have discussed John Gibbons with, I have hardly ever received more glowing and more consistent recommendations for anyone.”

Expert systems in clinical practice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Renaud-Salis, J.L.

1987-01-01

The first expert systems prototypes intended for advising physicians on diagnosis or therapy selection have been designed more than ten years ago. However, a few of them are already in use in clinical practice after years of research and development efforts. The capabilities of these systems to reason symbolically and to mimic the hypothetico-deductive processes used by physicians distinguishes them from conventional computer programs. Their power comes from their knowledge-base which embeds a large quantity of high-level, specialized knowledge captured from medical experts. Common methods for knowledge representation include production rules and frames. These methods also provide a mean for organizing and structuring the knowledge according to hierarchical or causal links. The best expert-systems perform at the level of the experts. They are easy to learn and use, and can communicate with the user in pseudo-natural language. Moreover they are able to explain their line of reasoning. These capabilities make them potentially useful, usable and acceptable by physicians. However if the problems related to difficulties and costs in building expert-systems are on the way to be solved within the next few years, forensic and ethical issues should have to be addressed before one can envisage their routine use in clinical practice [fr

78 FR 77175 - Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC and Mutual Fund Series Trust; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-20

... SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [Investment Company Act Release No. 30832; 812-14101] Catalyst... shareholder approval. APPLICANTS: Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC (``CCA'' or the ``Adviser'') and Mutual Fund Series Trust (formerly Catalyst Funds) (the ``Trust''). DATES: Filing Dates: The application was filed on...

Cooperative expert system reasoning for waste remediations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bohn, S.J.; Pennock, K.A.; Franklin, A.L.

1991-12-01

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is facing a large task in completing Remedial Investigations and Feasibility Studies (RI/FS) for hazardous waste sites across the nation. One of the primary objectives of an RI/FS is the specification of viable sequences of technology treatment trains which can provide implementable site solutions. We present a methodology which integrates expert system technology within an object-oriented framework to create a cooperative reasoning system designed to provide a comprehensive list of these implementable solutions. The system accomplishes its goal of specifying technology trains by utilizing a ''team'' of expert system objects. The system distributes the problem solving among the individual expert objects, and then coordinates the combination of individual decisions into a joint solution. Each expert object possesses the knowledge of an expert in a particular technology. An expert object can examine the parameters and characteristics of the waste site, seek information and support from other expert objects, and then make decisions concerning its own applicability. This methodology has at least two primary benefits. First, the creation of multiple expert objects provides a more direct mapping from the actual process to a software system, making the system easier to build. Second, the distribution of the inferencing among a number of loosely connected expert objects allows for a more robust and maintainable final product

Focusing on the human factor in future expert systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gordon, S.E.

1987-01-01

Technological advances in the area of artificial intelligence have produced expert systems that hold much promise for the design, operation, and maintenance of complex systems such as nuclear power plants. Such systems have been designed and implemented in a wide variety of task settings. In spite of the gains that have been made in the application of expert systems, there are still several difficult problems which have yet to be resolved. One of these problems is a frequently noted lack of user acceptance of newly fielded intelligent systems. This lack of acceptance can be attributed to a variety of factors, including unfamiliarity with computer technology, difficulty in adjusting to interface mechanisms, fear that the system was designed to replace the human operator, and a feeling that the human can perform the job better than the system. Some of the problems may be related to the fact that expert system design is essentially in it's infancy

The Moderating Effect of Personality Traits on Advisor Relationships in Predicting Doctoral Student Burnout

Science.gov (United States)

Kosh, Emily P.

2014-01-01

Personality affects relationships. During the doctoral education, the second most important factor in degree completion, after financial support, is the student-advisor relationship. Approximately half of doctoral students do not finish their degrees. While it is known mentors have a profound impact on the success of doctoral students, the effect…

WWW expert system on producer gas cleaning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schouten, E.J.; Lammers, G.; Beenackers, A.A.C.M. [University of Groningen (Netherlands)

1999-07-01

The University of Groningen (RUG) has developed an expert system on cleaning of biomass producer gas. This work was carried out in close co-operation with the Biomass Technology Group B.V. (BTG) in Enschede, The Netherlands within the framework of the EC supported JOR3-CT95-0084 project. The expert system was developed as a tool for the designer-engineer of downstream gas cleaning equipment and consists of an information package and a flowsheet package. The packages are integrated in a client/server system. The flowsheeting package of the expert system has been designed for the evaluation of different gas cleaning methods. The system contains a number of possible gas cleaning devices such as: cyclone, fabric filter, ceramic filter, venturi scrubber and catalytic cracker. The user can select up to five cleaning steps in an arbitrary order for his specific gas cleaning problem. After specification of the required design parameters, the system calculates the main design characteristics of the cleaning device. The information package is a collection of HTML{sup TM} files. It contains a large amount of information, tips, experience data, literature references and hyperlinks to other interesting Internet sites. This information is arranged per cleaning device. (orig.)

Robo advisor, your reliable partner? Building a trustworthy digital investment management service

OpenAIRE

Salo, Anni

2017-01-01

Investment management services have strongly relied on traditional face-to-face business models, causing the services being highly expensive and therefore available only for the wealthiest population. Recently a new digital business model, robo advisors, entered the market and are predicted to democratise the entire industry by bringing investment management services available to a wider public than ever before. Although the business models in financial services are changing, customer tr...

78 FR 69155 - Altegris Advisors, L.L.C., et al.; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-18

... Advisors, L.L.C., et al.; Notice of Application November 12, 2013. AGENCY: Securities and Exchange..., under sections 6(c) and 17(b) of the Act for an exemption from sections 17(a)(1) and (2) of the Act, and under section 6(c) of the Act for an exemption from rule 12d1- 2(a) under the Act. Summary of...

A fuzzy expert system based on relations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hall, L.O.; Kandel, A.

1986-01-01

The Fuzzy Expert System (FESS) is an expert system which makes use of the theory of fuzzy relations to perform inference. Relations are very general and can be used for any application, which only requires different types of relations be implemented and used. The incorporation of fuzzy reasoning techniques enables the expert system to deal with imprecision in a well-founded manner. The knowledge is represented in relational frames. FESS may operate in either a forward chaining or backward chaining manner. It uses primarily implication and factual relations. A unique methodology for combination of evidence has been developed. It makes uses of a blackboard for communication between the various knowledge sources which may operate in parallel. The expert system has been designed in such a manner that it may be used for diverse applications

Doing Research Together: A Study on the Views of Advisors with Intellectual Disabilities and Non-Disabled Researchers Collaborating in Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Puyalto, Carol; Pallisera, Maria; Fullana, Judit; Vilà, Montserrat

2016-03-01

Despite an increase in inclusive studies in recent years, research on the views of the people with and without disabilities who have participated in these studies is scarce. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions and views of advisors with intellectual disabilities and non-disabled researchers who collaborated together on a joint project to study transition to adulthood. Two questionnaires were devised, one for advisors and one for researchers; two focus groups were held with people with intellectual disabilities, three focus groups with researchers, and one focus group with all participants together. Thematic analysis was used for the data analysis. The advisors valued this experience as an opportunity to learn new skills, freely express themselves on matters that affect them, and engage in a socially valued activity. The researchers considered that the participation of people with intellectual disabilities contributed to improving the quality of the research. The study provides a better understanding of inclusive research processes by taking into account participants' views. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

NESSUS/EXPERT - An expert system for probabilistic structural analysis methods

Science.gov (United States)

Millwater, H.; Palmer, K.; Fink, P.

1988-01-01

An expert system (NESSUS/EXPERT) is presented which provides assistance in using probabilistic structural analysis methods. NESSUS/EXPERT is an interactive menu-driven expert system that provides information to assist in the use of the probabilistic finite element code NESSUS/FEM and the fast probability integrator. NESSUS/EXPERT was developed with a combination of FORTRAN and CLIPS, a C language expert system tool, to exploit the strengths of each language.

Designing a fuzzy expert system for selecting knowledge management strategy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ameneh Khadivar

2014-12-01

Full Text Available knowledge management strategy is mentioned as one of the most important success factors for implementing knowledge management. The KM strategy selection is a complex decision that requires consideration of several factors. For evaluation and selection of an appropriate knowledge management strategy in organizations, many factors must be considered. The identified factors and their impact on knowledge management strategy are inherently ambiguous. In this study, an overview of theoretical foundations of research regarding the different knowledge management strategies has been done And factors influencing the knowledge management strategy selection have been extracted from conceptual frameworks and models. How these factors influence the knowledge management strategy selection is extracted through the fuzzy Delphi. Next a fuzzy expert system for the selection of appropriate knowledge management strategy is designed with respect to factors that have an impact on knowledge management strategy. The factors which influence the selection of knowledge management strategy include: general business strategy, organizational structure, cultural factors, IT strategy, strategic human resource management, social level, the types of knowledge creation processes and release it. The factors which influence the knowledge management strategy selection include: business strategy general, organizational structure, cultural factors, IT strategy, human resource management strategies, socialization level, knowledge types and its creation and diffusion processes. According to identified factors which affect the knowledge management strategy, the final strategy is recommended based on the range of human-oriented and system-oriented by keep the balance of explicit and implicit knowledge. The Designed system performance is tested and evaluated by the information related to three Iranian organization.

Does young adults' preferred role in decision making about health, money, and career depend on their advisors' leadership skills?

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia-Retamero, Rocio; Galesic, Mirta

2013-01-01

Few empirical data exist on how decision making about health differs from that in other crucial life domains with less threatening consequences. To shed light on this issue we conducted a study with 175 young adults (average age 19 years). We presented the participants with scenarios involving advisors who provided assistance in making decisions about health, money, and career. For each scenario, participants were asked to what extent they wanted the advisor to exhibit several leadership styles and competencies and what role (active, collaborative, or passive) they preferred to play when making decisions. Results show that decision making about health is distinct from that in the other domains in three ways. First, most of the participants preferred to delegate decision making about their health to their physician, whereas they were willing to collaborate or play an active role in decision making about their career or money. Second, the competencies and leadership style preferred for the physician differed substantially from those desired for advisors in the other two domains: Participants expected physicians to show more transformational leadership--the style that is most effective in a wide range of environments--than those who provide advice about financial investments or career. Finally, participants' willingness to share medical decision making with their physician was tied to how strongly they preferred that the physician shows an effective leadership style. In contrast, motivation to participate in decision making in the other domains was not related to preferences regarding advisors' leadership style or competencies. Our results have implications for medical practice as they suggest that physicians are expected to have superior leadership skills compared to those who provide assistance in other important areas of life.

77 FR 66651 - Salient Advisors, L.P. and MarketShares ETF Trust; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-06

... Advisors, L.P. and MarketShares ETF Trust; Notice of Application October 31, 2012 AGENCY: Securities and... ETF Trust (the ``Trust''). Summary of Application: Applicants request an order that permits: (a... statutory trust. The Trust will initially offer one series, the Salient MLP and Energy Infrastructure ETF...

Knowledge representation and use. I. Expert systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lauriere, J L

1982-01-01

Expert systems are designed as aids in human reasoning in various specific areas. Symbolic knowledge manipulation, uncertain and incomplete deduction capabilities, natural communication with humans in non-procedural ways are their essential features. The paper describes their design and several implementations. 105 references.

Expert systems: an alternative paradigm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coombs, M.; Alty, J.

1984-01-01

There has recently been a significant effort by the AI community to interest industry in the potential of expert systems. However, this has resulted in far fewer substantial applications projects than might be expected. This article argues that this is because human experts are rarely required to perform the role that computer-based experts are programmed to adopt. Instead of being called in to answer well-defined problems, they are more often asked to assist other experts to extend and refine their understanding of a problem area at the junction of their two domains of knowledge. This more properly involves educational rather than problem-solving skills. An alternative approach to expert system design is proposed based upon guided discovery learning. The user is provided with a supportive environment for a particular class of problem, the system predominantly acting as an adviser rather than directing the interaction. The environment includes a database of domain knowledge, a set of procedures for its application to a concrete problem, and an intelligent machine-based adviser to judge the user's effectiveness and advise on strategy. The procedures focus upon the use of user generated explanations both to promote the application of domain knowledge and to expose understanding difficulties. Simple database PROLOG is being used as the subject material for the prototype system which is known as MINDPAD. 30 references.

Estimating Production Potentials: Expert Bias in Applied Decision Making

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matthews, L.J.; Burggraf, L.K.; Reece, W.J.

1998-01-01

A study was conducted to evaluate how workers predict manufacturing production potentials given positively and negatively framed information. Findings indicate the existence of a bias toward positive information and suggest that this bias may be reduced with experience but is never the less maintained. Experts err in the same way non experts do in differentially processing negative and positive information. Additionally, both experts and non experts tend to overestimate production potentials in a positive direction. The authors propose that these biases should be addressed with further research including cross domain analyses and consideration in training, workplace design, and human performance modeling

Development of a tool for knowledge base verification of expert system based on Design/CPN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jong Hyun

1998-02-01

Verification is a necessary work in developing a reliable expert system. Verification is a process aimed at demonstrating whether a system meets it's specified requirements. As expert systems are used in various applications, the knowledge base verification of systems takes an important position. The conventional Petri net approach that has been studied recently in order to verify the knowledge base is found that it is inadequate to verify the knowledge base of large and complex system, such as alarm processing system of nuclear power plant. Thus, we propose an improved method that models the knowledge base as enhanced colored Petri net. In this study, we analyze the reachability and the error characteristics of the knowledge base. Generally, verification process requires computational support by automated tools. For this reason, this study developed a tool for knowledge base verification based on Design/CPN, which is a tool for editing, modeling, and simulating Colored Petri net. This tool uses Enhanced Colored Petri net as a modeling method. By applying this tool to the knowledge base of nuclear power plant, it is noticed that it can successfully check most of the anomalies that can occur in a knowledge base

Theoretical construction of the contextualized dynamics of the constant shaping of advisor professors in the teaching unit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nirma Pérez-Pelipiche

2016-10-01

Full Text Available This work paper shows research results on the contextualized dynamics of the constant shaping of advisor professors in the teaching unit, taking epistemological foundations as a starting point, which substantiate their theoretical construction. A model has been displayed basing on comprehension and interpretation of this process as a whole, in which its subsystems, components, structure, relations and levels among them, prove contradictions that become evident in such process, therefore allowing to structure the dynamics of shaping professors as an instrument, earning, as a result, the transforming capability of advisor professors when practicing their skill, having the teaching unit as a scenary. In that way we used different techniques: questionnaire, interviews, observation, statistical techniques and methods: historical-logical; analysis-synthesis and systemic-structural-functional, all of those ones from the hermeneutic-dialectic focus.

Expert systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haldy, P.A.

1988-01-01

The definitions of the terms 'artificial intelligence' and 'expert systems', the methodology, areas of employment and limits of expert systems are discussed. The operation of an expert system is described, especially the presentation and organization of knowledge as well as interference and control. Methods and tools for expert system development are presented and their application in nuclear energy are briefly addressed. 7 figs., 2 tabs., 6 refs

The Advisor as Servant: The Theoretical and Philosophical Relevance of Servant Leadership to Academic Advising

Science.gov (United States)

McClellan, Jeffrey L.

2007-01-01

Servant. This novel actively portrays Greenleaf's concept of servant leadership by describing the extracurricular work of a university professor. Consequently, some scholars have demonstrated the relevance of servant leadership to classroom instruction (Powers & Moore, 2005). However, it was not as an instructor, but as an advisor that the…

Guidance, navigation, and control subsystem equipment selection algorithm using expert system methods

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Cheryl L.

1991-01-01

Enhanced engineering tools can be obtained through the integration of expert system methodologies and existing design software. The application of these methodologies to the spacecraft design and cost model (SDCM) software provides an improved technique for the selection of hardware for unmanned spacecraft subsystem design. The knowledge engineering system (KES) expert system development tool was used to implement a smarter equipment section algorithm than that which is currently achievable through the use of a standard data base system. The guidance, navigation, and control subsystems of the SDCM software was chosen as the initial subsystem for implementation. The portions of the SDCM code which compute the selection criteria and constraints remain intact, and the expert system equipment selection algorithm is embedded within this existing code. The architecture of this new methodology is described and its implementation is reported. The project background and a brief overview of the expert system is described, and once the details of the design are characterized, an example of its implementation is demonstrated.

Group of scientific experts third technical test (GSETT-III) experiences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dahlman, O.

1999-01-01

The purpose of the established verification system is to provide confidence through adequate monitoring, deter clandestine activities and counteract 'false arms'. The task og the Group of Scientific Experts was to design and test the seismic verification system including designing og the international system, sharing knowledge from national programs, encouraging establishment of new monitoring facilities, development of data analysis procedures, conducting large scale testing and training of experts

Knowledge-based computer security advisor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hunteman, W.J.; Squire, M.B.

1991-01-01

The rapid expansion of computer security information and technology has included little support to help the security officer identify the safeguards needed to comply with a policy and to secure a computing system. This paper reports that Los Alamos is developing a knowledge-based computer security system to provide expert knowledge to the security officer. This system includes a model for expressing the complex requirements in computer security policy statements. The model is part of an expert system that allows a security officer to describe a computer system and then determine compliance with the policy. The model contains a generic representation that contains network relationships among the policy concepts to support inferencing based on information represented in the generic policy description

Exploring Self-regulation of More or Less Expert College-Age Video Game Players: A Sequential Explanatory Design.

Science.gov (United States)

Yilmaz Soylu, Meryem; Bruning, Roger H

2016-01-01

This study examined differences in self-regulation among college-age expert, moderately expert, and non-expert video game players in playing video games for fun. Winne's model of self-regulation (Winne, 2001) guided the study. The main assumption of this study was that expert video game players used more processes of self-regulation than the less-expert players. We surveyed 143 college students about their game playing frequency, habits, and use of self-regulation. Data analysis indicated that while playing recreational video games, expert gamers self-regulated more than moderately expert and non-expert players and moderately expert players used more processes of self-regulation than non-experts. Semi-structured interviews also were conducted with selected participants at each of the expertise levels. Qualitative follow-up analyses revealed five themes: (1) characteristics of expert video gamers, (2) conditions for playing a video game, (3) figuring out a game, (4) how gamers act and, (5) game context. Overall, findings indicated that playing a video game is a highly self-regulated activity and that becoming an expert video game player mobilizes multiple sets of self-regulation related skills and processes. These findings are seen as promising for educators desiring to encourage student self-regulation, because they indicate the possibility of supporting students via recreational video games by recognizing that their play includes processes of self-regulation.

Exploring Self-regulation of More or Less Expert College-Age Video Game Players: A Sequential Explanatory Design

Science.gov (United States)

Yilmaz Soylu, Meryem; Bruning, Roger H.

2016-01-01

This study examined differences in self-regulation among college-age expert, moderately expert, and non-expert video game players in playing video games for fun. Winne's model of self-regulation (Winne, 2001) guided the study. The main assumption of this study was that expert video game players used more processes of self-regulation than the less-expert players. We surveyed 143 college students about their game playing frequency, habits, and use of self-regulation. Data analysis indicated that while playing recreational video games, expert gamers self-regulated more than moderately expert and non-expert players and moderately expert players used more processes of self-regulation than non-experts. Semi-structured interviews also were conducted with selected participants at each of the expertise levels. Qualitative follow-up analyses revealed five themes: (1) characteristics of expert video gamers, (2) conditions for playing a video game, (3) figuring out a game, (4) how gamers act and, (5) game context. Overall, findings indicated that playing a video game is a highly self-regulated activity and that becoming an expert video game player mobilizes multiple sets of self-regulation related skills and processes. These findings are seen as promising for educators desiring to encourage student self-regulation, because they indicate the possibility of supporting students via recreational video games by recognizing that their play includes processes of self-regulation. PMID:27729881

Exploring Self-Regulation of More or Less Expert College-Age Video Game Players: A Sequential Explanatory Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meryem YILMAZ SOYLU

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This study examined differences in self-regulation among college-age expert, moderately expert, and non-expert video game players in playing video games for fun. Winne’s model of self-regulation (Winne, 2001 guided the study. Main assumption of this study was that expert video game players used more processes of self-regulation than the less-expert players. We surveyed 143 college students about their game playing frequency, habits, and use of self-regulation. Data analysis indicated that while playing recreational video games, expert gamers self-regulated more than moderately expert and non-expert players and moderately expert players used more processes of self-regulation than non-experts. Semi-structured interviews also were conducted with selected participants at each of the expertise levels. Qualitative follow-up analyses revealed five themes: 1 characteristics of expert video gamers, 2 conditions for playing a video game, 3 figuring out a game, 4 how gamers act and, 5 game context. Overall, findings indicated that playing a video game is a highly self-regulated activity and that becoming an expert video game player mobilizes multiple sets of self-regulation related skills and processes. These findings are seen as promising for educators desiring to encourage student self-regulation, because they indicate the possibility of supporting students via recreational video games by recognizing that their play includes processes of self-regulation.

Design Expert Supported Mathematical Optimization and Predictability Study of Buccoadhesive Pharmaceutical Wafers of Loratadine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prithviraj Chakraborty

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. The objective of this work encompasses the application of the response surface approach in the development of buccoadhesive pharmaceutical wafers of Loratadine (LOR. Methods. Experiments were performed according to a 32 factorial design to evaluate the effects of buccoadhesive polymer, sodium alginate (A, and lactose monohydrate as ingredient, of hydrophilic matrix former (B on the bioadhesive force, disintegration time, percent (% swelling index, and time taken for 70% drug release (t70%. The effect of the two independent variables on the response variables was studied by response surface plots and contour plots generated by the Design-Expert software. The desirability function was used to optimize the response variables. Results. The compatibility between LOR and the wafer excipients was confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry, FTIR spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD analysis. Bioadhesion force, measured with TAXT2i texture analyzer, showed that the wafers had a good bioadhesive property which could be advantageous for retaining the drug into the buccal cavity. Conclusion. The observed responses taken were in agreement with the experimental values, and Loratadine wafers were produced with less experimental trials, and a patient compliant product was achieved with the concept of formulation by design.

Design Expert Supported Mathematical Optimization and Predictability Study of Buccoadhesive Pharmaceutical Wafers of Loratadine

Science.gov (United States)

Dey, Surajit; Parcha, Versha; Bhattacharya, Shiv Sankar; Ghosh, Amitava

2013-01-01

Objective. The objective of this work encompasses the application of the response surface approach in the development of buccoadhesive pharmaceutical wafers of Loratadine (LOR). Methods. Experiments were performed according to a 32 factorial design to evaluate the effects of buccoadhesive polymer, sodium alginate (A), and lactose monohydrate as ingredient, of hydrophilic matrix former (B) on the bioadhesive force, disintegration time, percent (%) swelling index, and time taken for 70% drug release (t 70%). The effect of the two independent variables on the response variables was studied by response surface plots and contour plots generated by the Design-Expert software. The desirability function was used to optimize the response variables. Results. The compatibility between LOR and the wafer excipients was confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry, FTIR spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Bioadhesion force, measured with TAXT2i texture analyzer, showed that the wafers had a good bioadhesive property which could be advantageous for retaining the drug into the buccal cavity. Conclusion. The observed responses taken were in agreement with the experimental values, and Loratadine wafers were produced with less experimental trials, and a patient compliant product was achieved with the concept of formulation by design. PMID:23781498

Expert Systems

OpenAIRE

Lucas, P.J.F.

2005-01-01

Expert systems mimic the problem-solving activity of human experts in specialized domains by capturing and representing expert knowledge. Expert systems include a knowledge base, an inference engine that derives conclusions from the knowledge, and a user interface. Knowledge may be stored as if-then rules, orusing other formalisms such as frames and predicate logic. Uncertain knowledge may be represented using certainty factors, Bayesian networks, Dempster-Shafer belief functions, or fuzzy se...

78 FR 29399 - ERNY Financial ETF Trust and ERNY Financial Advisors, LLC; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-20

... Financial ETF Trust and ERNY Financial Advisors, LLC; Notice of Application May 13, 2013. AGENCY: Securities... for an exemption from sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (B) of the Act. Applicants: ERNY Financial ETF Trust... ETF (the ``Initial Fund''), the investment objective of which will be to seek long-term capital...

Incorporating ''fuzzy'' data and logical relations in the design of expert systems for nuclear reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guth, M.A.S.

1987-01-01

This paper applies the method of assigning probability in Dempster-Shafer Theory (DST) to the components of rule-based expert systems used in the control of nuclear reactors. Probabilities are assigned to premises, consequences, and rules themselves. This paper considers how uncertainty can propagate through a system of Boolean equations, such as fault trees or expert systems. The probability masses assigned to primary initiating events in the expert system can be derived from observing a nuclear reactor in operation or based on engineering knowledge of the reactor parts. Use of DST mass assignments offers greater flexibility to the construction of expert systems

A study on expert system applications for nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huh, Young Hwan; Kim, Yeong Jin; Park, Nam Seog; Dong, In Sook; Choi, In Seon

1987-12-01

The application of artificial intelligence techniques to nuclear power plants such as expert systems is rapidly emerging. expert systems can contribute significantly to the availability and the improved operation and safety of nuclear power plants. The objective of the project is to develop an expert system in a selected application area in the nuclear power plants. This project will last for 3 years. The first year's tasks are: - Information collection and literature survey on expert systems. - Analysis of several applicable areas for applying AI technologies to the nuclear power plants. - Conceptual design of a few selected domains. - Selection of hardware and software tools for the development of the expert system

Retrospective Review of Student Research Projects in a Canadian Master of Science in Physical Therapy Programme and the Perceived Impact on Advisors' Research Capacity, Education, Clinical Practice, Knowledge Translation, and Health Policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Lacey, Courtney; Scodras, Stephanie; Ardron, Julie; Sellan, Ryan; Garbaczewska, Martyna; O'Brien, Kelly K; Salbach, Nancy M

2018-01-01

Purpose: This study's aim was to characterize the nature of students' research conducted for a Master of Science in Physical Therapy (MScPT) degree programme at a Canadian university and evaluate the lead advisors' perspectives of its impact on their research capacity, education, clinical practice, knowledge translation, and health policy. Methods: We conducted a quantitative, cross-sectional, retrospective review of research reports from 2003 to 2014 to characterize the MScPT students' research and a quantitative, cross-sectional e-survey of lead research advisors to evaluate the impact of this research. Results: Data were abstracted from reports of 201 research projects completed between 2003 and 2014. Projects were conducted primarily in university-affiliated hospitals (41.6%) or the university's physical therapy department (41.1%), and the majority (52.5%) had a clinical focus. Of the 95 lead advisors of 201 projects, 59 advisors (response rate 62.1%) of 119 projects completed the survey questionnaire. The respondents most frequently identified clinical practice (45.1%) and advisors' research capacity (31.4%) as areas positively affected by the students' research. Conclusions: The MScPT students' research projects facilitate the conduct of extensive research internally and across affiliated hospitals. This research appears to advance not only clinical practice but also the ability of lead advisors to undertake research.

Expert system for liquid low-level waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferrada, J.J.

1992-01-01

An expert system prototype has been developed to support system analysis activities at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for waste management tasks. This expert system will aid in prioritizing radioactive waste streams for treatment and disposal by evaluating the severity and treatability of the problem as well as the final waste form. The objectives of the expert system development included: (1) collecting information on process treatment technologies for liquid low-level waste (LLLW) that can be incorporated in the knowledge base of the expert system, and (2) producing a prototype that suggests processes and disposal technologies for the ORNL LLLW system. The concept under which the expert system has been designed is integration of knowledge. There are many sources of knowledge (data bases, text files, simulation programs, etc.) that an expert would regularly consult in order to solve a problem of liquid waste management. The expert would normally know how to extract the information from these different sources of knowledge. The general scope of this project would be to include as much pertinent information as possible within the boundaries of the expert system. As a result, the user, who may not be an expert in every aspect of liquid waste management, may be able to apply the content of the information to a specific waste problem. This paper gives the methodological steps to develop the expert system under this general framework

Molten Salt Power Tower Cost Model for the System Advisor Model (SAM)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Turchi, C. S.; Heath, G. A.

2013-02-01

This report describes a component-based cost model developed for molten-salt power tower solar power plants. The cost model was developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), using data from several prior studies, including a contracted analysis from WorleyParsons Group, which is included herein as an Appendix. The WorleyParsons' analysis also estimated material composition and mass for the plant to facilitate a life cycle analysis of the molten salt power tower technology. Details of the life cycle assessment have been published elsewhere. The cost model provides a reference plant that interfaces with NREL's System Advisor Model or SAM. The reference plant assumes a nominal 100-MWe (net) power tower running with a nitrate salt heat transfer fluid (HTF). Thermal energy storage is provided by direct storage of the HTF in a two-tank system. The design assumes dry-cooling. The model includes a spreadsheet that interfaces with SAM via the Excel Exchange option in SAM. The spreadsheet allows users to estimate the costs of different-size plants and to take into account changes in commodity prices. This report and the accompanying Excel spreadsheet can be downloaded at https://sam.nrel.gov/cost.

Heuristics in Managing Complex Clinical Decision Tasks in Experts' Decision Making.

Science.gov (United States)

Islam, Roosan; Weir, Charlene; Del Fiol, Guilherme

2014-09-01

Clinical decision support is a tool to help experts make optimal and efficient decisions. However, little is known about the high level of abstractions in the thinking process for the experts. The objective of the study is to understand how clinicians manage complexity while dealing with complex clinical decision tasks. After approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB), three clinical experts were interviewed the transcripts from these interviews were analyzed. We found five broad categories of strategies by experts for managing complex clinical decision tasks: decision conflict, mental projection, decision trade-offs, managing uncertainty and generating rule of thumb. Complexity is created by decision conflicts, mental projection, limited options and treatment uncertainty. Experts cope with complexity in a variety of ways, including using efficient and fast decision strategies to simplify complex decision tasks, mentally simulating outcomes and focusing on only the most relevant information. Understanding complex decision making processes can help design allocation based on the complexity of task for clinical decision support design.

Expert - Non-expert differences in visual behaviour during alpine slalom skiing.

Science.gov (United States)

Decroix, Marjolein; Wazir, Mohd Rozilee Wazir Norjali; Zeuwts, Linus; Deconinck, Frederik F J A; Lenoir, Matthieu; Vansteenkiste, Pieter

2017-10-01

The aim of this study was to investigate visual behaviour of expert and non-expert ski athletes during an alpine slalom. Fourteen non-experts and five expert slalom skiers completed an alpine slalom course in an indoor ski slope while wearing a head-mounted eye tracking device. Experts completed the slalom clearly faster than non-experts, but no significant difference was found in timing and position of the turn initiation. Although both groups already looked at future obstacles approximately 0,5s before passing the upcoming pole, the higher speed of experts implied that they shifted gaze spatially earlier in the bend than non-experts. Furthermore, experts focussed more on the second next pole while non-expert slalom skiers looked more to the snow surface immediately in front of their body. No difference was found in the fixation frequency, average fixation duration, and quiet eye duration between both groups. These results suggest that experts focus on the timing of their actions while non-experts still need to pay attention to the execution of these actions. These results also might suggest that ski trainers should instruct non-experts and experts to focus on the next pole and, shift their gaze to the second next pole shortly before reaching it. Based on the current study it seems unadvisable to instruct slalom skiers to look several poles ahead during the actual slalom. However, future research should test if these results still hold on a real outdoor slope, including multiple vertical gates. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Expert Cold Structure Development

Science.gov (United States)

Atkins, T.; Demuysere, P.

2011-05-01

The EXPERT Program is funded by ESA. The objective of the EXPERT mission is to perform a sub-orbital flight during which measurements of critical aero- thermodynamic phenomena will be obtained by using state-of-the-art instrumentation. As part of the EXPERT Flight Segment, the responsibility of the Cold Structure Development Design, Manufacturing and Validation was committed to the Belgian industrial team SONACA/SABCA. The EXPERT Cold Structure includes the Launcher Adapter, the Bottom Panel, the Upper Panel, two Cross Panels and the Parachute Bay. An additional Launcher Adapter was manufactured for the separation tests. The selected assembly definition and manufacturing technologies ( machined parts and sandwich panels) were dictated classically by the mass and stiffness, but also by the CoG location and the sensitive separation interface. Used as support for the various on-board equipment, the Cold Structure is fixed to but thermally uncoupled from the PM 1000 thermal shield. It is protect on its bottom panel by a thermal blanket. As it is a protoflight, analysis was the main tool for the verification. Low level stiffness and modal analysis tests have also been performed on the Cold Structure equipped with its ballast. It allowed to complete its qualification and to prepare SONACA/SABCA support for the system dynamic tests foreseen in 2011. The structure was finally coated with a thermal control black painting and delivered on time to Thales Alenia Space-Italy end of March 201.

76 FR 33376 - Altegris Advisors, L.L.C. and Northern Lights Fund Trust; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-08

... the Fund and its shareholders, and does not involve a conflict of interest from which the Adviser or... amend subadvisory agreements without shareholder approval. Applicants: Altegris Advisors, L.L.C. (the.... Interested persons may request a hearing by writing to the Commission's Secretary and serving applicants with...

Culturally Competent Training Program: A Key to Training Lay Health Advisors for Promoting Breast Cancer Screening

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Mei-yu; Song, Lixin; Seetoo, Amy; Cai, Cuijuan; Smith, Gary; Oakley, Deborah

2007-01-01

The lay health advisor (LHA) training program for breast cancer screening was conducted among Chinese-English bilingual trainees residing in Southeast Michigan. Guided by Bandura's Social Learning Theory, the development of the training curriculum followed the health communication process recommended by the National Cancer Institute. Data analysis…

A Case Study of Engaging Hard-to-Reach Participants in the Research Process: Community Advisors on Research Design and Strategies (CARDS)®.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaiser, Betty L; Thomas, Gay R; Bowers, Barbara J

2017-02-01

Lack of diversity among study participants in clinical research limits progress in eliminating health disparities. The engagement of lay stakeholders, such as patient or community advisory boards (CABs), has the potential to increase recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups by providing a structure for gathering feedback on research plans and materials from this target population. However, many CABs intentionally recruit prominent stakeholders who are connected to or comfortable with research and academia and thus may not accurately represent the perspectives of underrepresented groups who have been labeled hard-to-reach, including racial minorities and low-income or low-literacy populations. We developed a partnership between the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing and two community centers to deliberately engage hard-to-reach people in two lay advisory groups, the Community Advisors on Research Design and Strategies (CARDS)®. Community center staff recruited the CARDS from center programs, including parenting and childcare programs, women's support groups, food pantries, and senior meal programs. The CARDS model differs from other CABs in its participants, processes, and outcomes. Since 2010, the CARDS have met monthly with nurses and other researchers, helping them understand how research processes and the language, tone, appearance, and organization of research materials can discourage people from enrolling in clinical studies. We have successfully used the CARDS model to bring hard-to-reach populations into the research process and have sustained their participation. The model represents a promising strategy for increasing the diversity of participants in clinical research. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Shift technical advisors: in the eyes of the NRC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crocker, L.P.

1981-01-01

Since January 1, 1980, the NRC has required that Shift Technical Advisors be on-shift at all operating nuclear power plants. The objective of the requirement is to assure that technical expertise is immediately available to each operating shift to assess off-normal events and to provide advice to control room personnel. Further, this advice and assistance is to be provided by an individual not responsible for control manipulations or for directing the activities of reactor operators. The long-term requirement for on-shift technical expertise is firm. However, the exact manner in which this expertise must be furnished has not been determined. Licensees have proposed various alternatives to meet this requirement. These proposals still are being reviewed by the NRC staff

Incorporating fuzzy data and logical relations in the design of expert systems for nuclear reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guth, M.A.S.

1987-01-01

This paper applies the method of assigning probability in Dempster-Shafer Theory (DST) to the components of rule-based expert systems used in the control of nuclear reactors. Probabilities are assigned to premises, consequences, and rules themselves. This paper considers how uncertainty can propagate through a system of Boolean equations, such as fault trees or expert systems. The probability masses assigned to primary initiating events in the expert system can be derived from observing a nuclear reactor in operation or based on engineering knowledge of the reactor parts. Use of DST mass assignments offers greater flexibility to the construction of expert systems in two important respects. First, DST mass assignments have the advantage over classical probability methods of accommodating when necessary uncommitted probability assignments. Thus the DST probability framework can incorporate expert system inputs from imprecise or fuzzy data. Second, DST applied to the Boolean rules themselves leads to a probabilistic logic, where a given rule may be valid with probability less than unity: fuzzy logical rules

77 FR 60732 - PACE Select Advisors Trust and UBS Global Asset Management (Americas) Inc.; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-04

....; Institutional Capital, LLC; J.P. Morgan Investment Management, Inc.; Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment...; Standish Mellon Asset Management Company, LLC; Systematic Financial Management, L.P.; Wellington Management... Select Advisors Trust and UBS Global Asset Management (Americas) Inc.; Notice of Application September 27...

Towards intelligent automation of power plant design and operations: The role of interactive simulations and distributed expert systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Otaduy, P.J.

1992-01-01

The design process of a power plant can be viewed as machine- chromosome engineering: When the final layout is implemented, the lifetime operating characteristics, constraints, strengths, and weaknesses of the resulting power-plant-specimen are durably determined. Hence, the safety, operability, maneuverability, availability, maintenance requirements, and costs of a power plant are directly related to the goodness of its electromechanical-genes. This paper addresses the desirability of incorporating distributed computing, distributed object management, and multimedia technologies to power plant engineering, in particular, to design and operations. The promise these technologies have for enhancing the quality and amount of engineering knowledge available, concurrently, online, to plant designers, maintenance crews, and operators is put into perspective. The role that advanced interactive simulations and expert systems will play in the intelligent automation of power plant design and operations is discussed

Operation and maintenance support expert systems for BWR nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyazawa, Tatsuo; Hayakawa, Hiroyasu; Fukutomi, Shigeki

1990-01-01

Toshiba has been developing expert systems for operation and maintenance support in BWRs. These expert systems are designed to be integrated with conventional plant monitoring systems, and maintenance management systems to provide both comprehensive and powerful support capabilities. Some of these expert systems are already being used on a trial basis both within Toshiba and in electric power utility companies. This paper describes expert systems for the support of plant and equipment monitoring, maintenance scheduling, and maintenance work procedure planning. (author)

Which Behavior Change Techniques May Help Waterpipe Smokers to Quit? An Expert Consensus Using a Modified Delphi Technique.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Neill, Nancy; Dogar, Omara; Jawad, Mohammed; Kellar, Ian; Kanaan, Mona; Siddiqi, Kamran

2018-01-05

Waterpipe smoking is addictive and harmful. The determinants of waterpipe smoking may differ from those of cigarette smoking; therefore, behavioral approaches to support quitting may also differ between these two tobacco products. While some evidence exists on effective behavioral change techniques (BCTs) to facilitate cigarette smoking cessation, there is little research on waterpipe smoking cessation. Twenty-four experts were selected from the author lists of peer-reviewed, randomized controlled trials on waterpipe smoking cessation. They were invited to two rounds of a consensus development exercise using modified Delphi technique. Experts ranked 55 BCTs categorized further into those that promote; "awareness of harms of waterpipe smoking and advantages of quitting" (14), "preparation and planning to quit" (29), and "relapse prevention and sustaining an ex-smoker identity" (12) on their potential effectiveness. Kendall's W statistics was used to assess agreement. Fifteen experts responded in round 1 and 14 completed both rounds. A strong consensus was achieved for BCTs that help in "relapse prevention and sustaining ex-smoker identity" (w = 0.7; p consequences of waterpipe smoking and its cessation, assessing readiness and ability to quit, and making people aware of the withdrawal symptoms, were the three highest-ranking BCTs. Based on expert consensus, an inventory of BCTs ordered for their potential effectiveness can be useful for health professionals offering cessation support to waterpipe smokers. Waterpipe smoking is addictive, harmful, and gaining global popularity, particularly among youth. An expert consensus on behavior change techniques, likely to be effective in supporting waterpipe smokers to quit, has practice and research implications. Smoking cessation advisors can use these techniques to counsel waterpipe smokers who wish to quit. Behavioral and public health scientists can also use these to develop and evaluate behavioral support interventions

Reforming private drug coverage in Canada: inefficient drug benefit design and the barriers to change in unionized settings.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Brady, Sean; Gagnon, Marc-André; Cassels, Alan

2015-02-01

Prescription drugs are the highest single cost component for employees' benefits packages in Canada. While industry literature considers cost-containment for prescription drug costs to be a priority for insurers and employers, the implementation of cost-containment measures for private drug plans in Canada remains more of a myth than a reality. Through 18 semi-structured phone interviews conducted with experts from private sector companies, unions, insurers and plan advisors, this study explores the reasons behind this incapacity to implement cost-containment measures by examining how private sector employers negotiate drug benefit design in unionized settings. Respondents were asked questions on how employee benefits are negotiated; the relationships between the players who influence drug benefit design; the role of these players' strategies in influencing plan design; the broad system that underpins drug benefit design; and the potential for a universal pharmacare program in Canada. The study shows that there is consensus about the need to educate employees and employers, more collaboration and data-sharing between these two sets of players, and for external intervention from government to help transform established norms in terms of private drug plan design. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Teachers Providing Social and Emotional Support: A Study of Advisor Role Enactment in Small High Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Phillippo, Kate L.

2010-01-01

Background/Context: This study investigates the teacher's role in the student advisory process, which to date has generated limited research literature. Teachers who serve as student advisors assume a role that extends beyond the more traditional instructional role, and includes implied or explicit expectations to provide student advisees with…

Fostering Academic Self-Concept: Advisor Support and Sense of Belonging among International and Domestic Graduate Students

Science.gov (United States)

Curtin, Nicola; Stewart, Abigail J.; Ostrove, Joan M.

2013-01-01

International doctoral students in the United States face challenges of acculturation in academia yet complete graduate school at higher rates and more quickly than their domestic counterparts. This study examined advisor support, sense of belonging, and academic self-concept among international and domestic doctoral students at a research…

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2012-08-17

... Advisors LLC and IndexIQ Active ETF Trust; Notice of Application August 13, 2012. AGENCY: Securities and... IndexIQ Active ETF Trust (the ``Trust''). SUMMARY OF APPLICATION: Applicants request an order that... series, IQ Global Equity Active ETF (``Global Equity ETF''), IQ Global Fixed Income Active ETF (``Global...

Advisory expert system for test rig operator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zielczynski, P.

1994-01-01

The advisory expert system MAESTRO (Modular Advisory Expert System for Test Rig Operator) has been designed to guide the operator of large experimental installation during start-up, steady state and shut down. The installation is located in the research reactor MARIA in the Institute of Atomic Energy in Swierk, Poland. The system acquires and analyses on line signals from installation and performs two tasks in real time: leading the operator and monitoring of the installation (including signal validation). Systems tasks, architecture and knowledge representation concepts are described. The system is based on expert systems techniques what makes in phases of continuous change of process parameters and it has been achieved by special knowledge representation allowing its dynamical modification. (author). 147 refs, 42 figs, 5 tab

An expert system for diesel generator diagnostics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bley, D.C.; Read, J.W.; Kaplan, S.; Liming, J.K.; Brosee, N.M.; Hanley, D.W.

1987-01-01

The idea of developing artificial intelligence (AI) systems to capture the knowledge of human experts is receiving much attention these days. The idea is even more attractive when important expertise resides within a single individual, especially one who is nearing retirement and who has not otherwise recorded or passed along his important knowledge and thought processes. The diesel generators at Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station have performed exceptionally well, primarily due to the care and attention of one man. Therefore, the authors are constructing an expert system for the diagnosis of diesel generator problems at Pilgrim. This paper includes a description of the expert system design and operation, examples from the knowledge base, and sample diagnoses, so the reader can observe the process in action

Using Specification and Description Language (SDL) for capturing and reusing human experts' knowledge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Far, B.H.; Koono, Zenya

1994-01-01

Conventional knowledge engineering techniques for acquiring experts' knowledge can not produce quality knowledge due to improper knowledge documentation and informal knowledge acquisition method. We propose a new method for knowledge documentation and acquisition using Specification and Description Language (SDL). SDL is used to describe both the target system and the reasoning process. The main idea is to follow deterministic problem solving behavior of human experts and document it. Then knowledge can be extracted by comparing documents of the successive steps. This knowledge is recorded and reused in similar or novel cases. We present an implementation of this method in a tool for software design. The implemented system consists of a SDL CASE tool and an expert system for applying the design knowledge. This system serves as an experimental platform for the study of human design by simulating the design at the lowest level. However, we have found that by acquiring enough domain knowledge, this system can simulate general problem solving of human experts. (author)

Bioenergy, Land Use Change and Climate Change Mitigation. Report for Policy Advisors and Policy Makers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berndes, Goran [Chalmers Univ. of Technology (Sweden); Bird, Nell [Joanneum Research (Austria); Cowle, Annette [National Centre for Rural Greenhouse Gas Research (Australia)

2010-07-01

The report addresses a much debated issue - bioenergy and associated land use change, and how the climate change mitigation from use of bioenergy can be influenced by greenhouse gas emissions arising from land use change. The purpose of the report was to produce an unbiased, authoritative statement on this topic aimed especially at policy advisors and policy makers.

The challenges of science journalism: The perspectives of scientists, science communication advisors and journalists from New Zealand.

Science.gov (United States)

Ashwell, Douglas James

2016-04-01

The news media play an important role in informing the public about scientific and technological developments. Some argue that restructuring and downsizing result in journalists coming under increased pressure to produce copy, leading them to use more public relations material to meet their deadlines. This article explores science journalism in the highly commercialised media market of New Zealand. Using semi-structured interviews with scientists, science communication advisors and journalists, the study finds communication advisors and scientists believe most media outlets, excluding public service media, report science poorly. Furthermore, restructuring and staff cuts have placed the journalists interviewed under increasing pressure. While smaller newspapers appear to be printing press releases verbatim, metropolitan newspaper journalists still exercise control over their use of such material. The results suggest these journalists will continue to resist increasing their use of public relations material for some time to come. © The Author(s) 2014.

Comparison expert and novice scan behavior for using e-learning

Science.gov (United States)

Novita Sari, Felisia; Insap Santosa, Paulus; Wibirama, Sunu

2017-06-01

E-Learning is an important media that an educational institution must have. Successful information design for e-learning depends on its user's characteristics. This study explores differences between novice and expert users' eye movement data. This differences between expert and novice users were compared and identified based on gaze features. Each participant must do three main tasks of e-learning. This paper gives the result that there are differences between gaze features of experts and novices.

Perspective of the Science Advisor to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

WEART, WENDELL D.

1999-01-01

In 1975 Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) was asked by the predecessor to the Department of Energy to assume responsibility for the scientific programs necessary to assure the safe and satisfactory development of a geologic repository in the salt beds of southeast New Mexico. Sandia has continued in the role of Science Advisor to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) to the present time. This paper will share the perspectives developed over the past 25 years as the project was brought to fruition with successful certification by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on May 13, 1998 and commencement of operations on April 26, 1999

Novel Natural Convection Heat Sink Design Concepts From First Principles

Science.gov (United States)

2016-06-01

CONVECTION HEAT SINK DESIGN CONCEPTS FROM FIRST PRINCIPLES by Derek E. Fletcher June 2016 Thesis Advisor: Garth Hobson Second Reader...COVERED Master’s Thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE NOVEL NATURAL CONVECTION HEAT SINK DESIGN CONCEPTS FROM FIRST PRINCIPLES 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 6...CONVECTION HEAT SINK DESIGN CONCEPTS FROM FIRST PRINCIPLES Derek E. Fletcher Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy B.S., Southwestern

Use of expert opinion for animal disease decisions: an example of foot-and-mouth disease status designation.

Science.gov (United States)

Garabed, R B; Perez, A M; Johnson, W O; Thurmond, M C

2009-11-01

When data representing a preferred measurement of risk cannot be obtained, as is often the case for global animal diseases, decisions that affect millions of people and their animals are typically made based on expert opinion. Expert opinion can be and has been used to address the critical lack of data existing for prevalence and incidence of many global diseases, including foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). However, when a conclusion based on expert opinion applies to a topic as sensitive as FMD, which has tremendous economic, political, and social implications, care should be taken to understand the accuracy of and differences in the opinion data. The differences in experts' opinions and the relative accuracy of an expert opinion elicitation for "diagnosing" country-level FMD presence were examined for the years 1997-2003 using Bayesian methods. A formal survey of eight international FMD experts revealed that individual experts had different opinions as to the probability of finding FMD in a country. However, a weighted average of the experts' responses was relatively accurate (91% sensitivity and 85% specificity) at identifying the FMD status of a country, compared to using a method that employed information available from World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). The most apparent disagreements between individual experts and available information were found for Indonesia, South Korea, and South America, and, in general, the experts seemed to believe that countries in South Asia were more likely to be positive than other countries that reported FMD cases to OIE. This study highlights new methodology that offers a standardized, quantitative, and systematic means by which expert opinion can be used and assessed.

An Expert Instructor's Use of Social Congruence, Cognitive Congruence, and Expertise in an Online Case-Based Instructional Design Course

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, Sunnie Lee; Koehler, Adrie A.; Ertmer, Peggy; Kim, WooRi; Rico, Rudy

2018-01-01

Promoting and sustaining effective discussion--that which contributes to learning--is a skill that eludes many instructors (Darling-Hammond, 2008; Ge, Yamashiro, & Lee, 2000). This study explored the role and strategies of an expert instructor in an online advanced instructional design (ID) course that utilized a case-based learning (CBL)…

77 FR 41464 - IndexIQ Advisors LLC and IndexIQ Active ETF Trust; Notice of Application

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2012-07-13

...] IndexIQ Advisors LLC and IndexIQ Active ETF Trust; Notice of Application July 9, 2012. AGENCY... IndexIQ Active ETF Trust (``Trust''). Filing Dates: The application was filed on September 9, 2011, and... relief is unusual insofar as the requested order seeks relief for an ETF. Applicants note, however, that...

Expert ease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1984-04-01

Expert-ease allows the most inexperienced of computer users to build an expert system in a matter of hours. It is nothing more or less than a computer based problem-solving system. It allows the expert to preserve his or her knowledge in the form of rules, which can be applied to problems put to the system by the non-expert. The crucial piece of software at the heart of Expert-Ease extracts rules from data, and is called the analogue concept learning system. It was developed by Intelligent Terminals Ltd. and supplied to Export Software International to be incorporated into a commercially attractive package for business users. The resulting product runs on the Act Sirius and the IBM PC and compatibles. It is a well conceived and polished product with a popular appeal that should ensure widespread acceptance even at a cost of >1500 plus vat.

Basic Design is Indeed for Expert

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anita Rahardja

2011-10-01

Full Text Available This article would argue that basic design in undergraduate design study is equally significant in both freshmen as well as senior years (when projects of simulated professional practice tend to regard contexts as more significant than visual itself. It will be shown that basic design plays a profound role throughout the whole education setting, from lectures, form-creation process, to design criticism and assessments. It even expands its worth into sphere of professional practice, as long as form analysis and form-making ability are still demanded as a vital part of designer’s set of competencies. For how could visual analytic or consideration become less important than e.g. marketing, since designer becomes designer, if and only if he/she has certain competence in visual instead of academic-grade marketing? More after, this brief inquiry employs the method of literary study in conjunction with direct and indirect observation through the internet concerning design education and its practice, followed by critical reflections. The outcome of this study would be a firm recommendation for basic design engagement through the whole education years, since its descriptive-generative functions of visual are yet highly relevant, for they lie at the very core of visual communication design discipline itself. 

Investigate-and-redesign tasks as a context for learning and doing science and technology: A study of naive, novice and expert high school and adult designers doing product comparisons and redesign tasks

Science.gov (United States)

Crismond, David Paul

This thesis studied high school students and adults with varying degrees of design experience doing two technology investigate-and-redesign (I&R) tasks. Each involved subjects investigating products, designing experiments to compare them fairly, and then redesigning the devices. A total of 25 pairs of subjects participated in this investigation and included naive and novice high school designers, as well as naive, novice, and expert adult designers. Subjects of similar age and design experience worked in same-gender teams and met for two 2-hour sessions. The essential research question of this thesis was: "What process skills and concepts do naive, novice and expert designers use and learn when investigating devices, designing experiments, and redesigning the devices?" Three methodologies were used to gather and analyze the data: clinical interviewing (Piaget, 1929/1960), protocol analysis (Ericsson & Simon, 1984) and interaction analysis (Jordan and Henderson, 1995). The thesis provides composite case-studies of 10 of the 50 test sessions, buttressed by descriptions of performance trends for all subjects. Given the small sample sizes involved, the findings are by necessity tentative and not supported by statistical analysis: (1) I&R activities are engaging, less time-intensive complements to design-and-build tasks, which involve simple mechanical devices and carry with them a host of potential "alternative understandings" in science and technology. Much gets learned during these tasks, more involving "device knowledge" and "device inquiry skills" than "big ideas" in science and technology. (2) Redesign tasks scaffold naive and novice designers to improved performance in the multidimensional and context-specific activity of design. The performances of naive and novice designers were more like that of expert designers when redesigning existing devices than when doing start-from-scratch designing. (3) Conceptual redesign involved more analysis- than synthesis

Expert systems development: some problems, motives and issues in an exploratory study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mehdi Sagheb-Tehrani.

1993-10-01

Even though expert systems (ES) have been in use since the early eighties, there is a remarkable lack of a strong theoretical base for handling expert systems development problems. There is a requirement in the ES field for theories or explanatory models to formulate propositions, to conduct research and interpret findings in a coherent way. This work presents an exploratory investigation designed to identify some problems, motives and issues associated with developing expert systems. Totally, twenty-five expert systems were developed by various organizations which participated in the study. The study attempts to provide evidence that either supports or refutes the anecdotes, gossips and speculations currently being spread through the academic journals dealing with the expert systems development in organizations. This study provides evidence that knowledge acquisition is indeed the bottleneck of expert systems development. It also points out that most expert systems are still in the prototype stage, and that current expert systems are mostly used for aiding the decision making of less skilled domain personnel and to a lesser extent for advice to experts. The rationale behind these uses seems to be the search by organizations for better decision making in the hope of improving competitiveness. A conceptual model of expert systems development is introduced based upon theoretical studies and the findings of this study from which some hypotheses are drawn. The main objective of the model is to contribute to a larger theoretical framework. Another aim is to create a broader theoretical framework for expert systems development in order to implement such systems more successfully. The results of the study confirm that the linkages of various concepts involved in the expert systems development process are very important for the design of a successful expert system project

[Development of expert diagnostic system for common respiratory diseases].

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Wei-hua; Chen, You-ling; Yan, Zheng

2014-03-01

To develop an internet-based expert diagnostic system for common respiratory diseases. SaaS system was used to build architecture; pattern of forward reasoning was applied for inference engine design; ASP.NET with C# from the tool pack of Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 was used for website-interview medical expert system.The database of the system was constructed with Microsoft SQL Server 2005. The developed expert system contained large data memory and high efficient function of data interview and data analysis for diagnosis of various diseases.The users were able to perform this system to obtain diagnosis for common respiratory diseases via internet. The developed expert system may be used for internet-based diagnosis of various respiratory diseases,particularly in telemedicine setting.

Expert System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hildebrandt, Thomas Troels; Cattani, Gian Luca

2016-01-01

An expert system is a computer system for inferring knowledge from a knowledge base, typically by using a set of inference rules. When the concept of expert systems was introduced at Stanford University in the early 1970s, the knowledge base was an unstructured set of facts. Today the knowledge b...... for the application of expert systems, but also raises issues regarding privacy and legal liability....

Designing Fuzzy Rule Based Expert System for Cyber Security

OpenAIRE

Goztepe, Kerim

2016-01-01

The state of cyber security has begun to attract more attention and interest outside the community of computer security experts. Cyber security is not a single problem, but rather a group of highly different problems involving different sets of threats. Fuzzy Rule based system for cyber security is a system consists of a rule depository and a mechanism for accessing and running the rules. The depository is usually constructed with a collection of related rule sets. The aim of this study is to...

Designing fuzzy expert system for creating and ranking of tourism scenarios using fuzzy AHP method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zohre Nikkhah

2011-01-01

Full Text Available One of the most important activities of tour and travel agencies is to select the appropriate tour configuration. There are normally two primary objectives of season and time period to set a group of cities called designing tour scenarios. The success of tour scenarios is deeply related to the experiments and wisdom of the experts and planners in travel agencies. This paper presents a fuzzy rule decision making to find the suitable set of cities where different possible criteria are ranked using analytical hierarchy procedure. The proposed model of this paper is applied for a real-world case study of Iranian tour agency and the results are analyzed under different circumstances.

Application of expert systems in damage assessment of reinforced concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fazel Zarandi, M. H.; Sobhani, J.

2003-01-01

Expert systems are receiving great attentions in construction industry to support decision making processes in diagnostics, design, repair and rehabilitation of the structures. Although several expert systems have been examined in engineering since the 1970's, their applications in construction industry are rate. This was largely due to the lack of expert system tools available to represent the domain knowledge. Lack of flexibility, applicability, and robustness of the classical models, have forced the scientists to discover the ability of the expert systems in problem solving of civil engineering. This paper present an expert system for diagnosis the deterioration of concrete structures. This expert system emphasizes on cracking distress in reinforced concrete elements. A case study has been presented to examine and evaluate the proposed expert system. The system demonstrates a straightforward method for diagnosing the cause of reinforced concrete elements cracking

AN EXPERT SYSTEM FOR SUPPORTING THE PRODUCTION OF PLEASURE BOATS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomasz GONCIARZ

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Expert systems can be defined as computer programs, whose main task is to simulate a human expert, usually in a narrow field of expertise. Possible applications of modern information technology are very extensive, ranging from medicine, geology and technology to applications in the field of economic and financial decision support. The purpose of this paper is to present the practical application of an expert system that supports the process of managing the production of yachts and has a high suitability for use in this application. Using the expert system described in the paper reduces the time during the design and production preparation process.

Factors influencing continuing professional development : A Delphi study among nursing experts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brekelmans, G.B.; Poell, R.F.; van Wijk, K.

2013-01-01

Purpose The aim of this paper is to present an inventory of expert opinions on the factors that influence the participation of registered nurses in continuing professional development (CPD) activities. Design/methodology/approach A Delphi study was conducted among 38 Dutch experts (nursing

Perceptions of pre-clerkship medical students and academic advisors about sleep deprivation and its relationship to academic performance: a cross-sectional perspective from Saudi Arabia.

Science.gov (United States)

AlFakhri, Lama; Sarraj, Jumana; Kherallah, Shouq; Kuhail, Khulood; Obeidat, Akef; Abu-Zaid, Ahmed

2015-12-01

The medical student population is believed to be at an increased risk for sleep deprivation. Little is known about students' perceptions towards sleep deprivation and its relationship to academic performance. The aim of study is to explore the perceptions of medical students and their academic advisors about sleep deprivation and its relationship to academic performance. The study took place at Alfaisal University, College of Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. An online, anonymous, cross-sectional, self-rating survey was administered to first-, third-year students and their academic advisors. Two-tailed Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the mean 5-point Likert scale responses between students according to gender, academic year and cumulative grade point average (cGPA). A total of 259 students and 21 academic advisors participated in the survey (response rates: 70.6 and 84%, respectively). The vast majority of students agreed that sleep deprivation negatively affects academic performance (78.8%) and mood (78.4%). Around 62.2 and 73.7% of students agreed that the demanding medical curriculum and stress of final exams lead to sleep deprivation, respectively. While 36.7% of students voiced the need for incorporation of curricular separate courses about healthy sleep patterns into medical curriculum, a much greater proportion of students (45.9%) expressed interest in extracurricular activities about healthy sleep patterns. Interestingly, only 13.5% of students affirmed that they were counselled about sleep patterns and academic performance by their academic advisors. There were several statistically significant differences of means of students' perceptions according to gender, academic year and cGPA. Despite almost all academic advisors (95.5%) asserted the importance of sleep patterns to academic performance, none (0%) inquired about sleep patterns when counselling students. Nineteen academic advisors (90.5%) recommended incorporation of sleep patterns related

Beyond the knowledge deficit

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Janus Staffan; Holm, Lotte; Frewer, Lynn

2003-01-01

The paper reviews psychological and social scientific research on lay attitudes to food risks. Many experts (scientists, food producers and public health advisors) regard public unease about food risks as excessive. This expert-lay discrepancy is often attributed to a 'knowledge deficit' among la...... in institutions and experts. It suggests that an interdisciplinary, contextualised and psychologically sound approach to the study of risk is needed.......The paper reviews psychological and social scientific research on lay attitudes to food risks. Many experts (scientists, food producers and public health advisors) regard public unease about food risks as excessive. This expert-lay discrepancy is often attributed to a 'knowledge deficit' among lay...... people. However, much research in psychology and sociology suggests that lay risk assessments are complex, situationally sensitive expressions of personal value systems. The paper is organised around four themes: risk perception, the communication of risk, lay handling of risk, and public trust...

Expert-systems and computer-based industrial systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Terrien, J.F.

1987-01-01

Framatome makes wide use of expert systems, computer-assisted engineering, production management and personnel training. It has set up separate business units and subsidiaries and also participates in other companies which have the relevant expertise. Five examples of the products and services available in these are discussed. These are in the field of applied artificial intelligence and expert-systems, in integrated computer-aid design and engineering, structural analysis, computer-related products and services and document management systems. The structure of the companies involved and the work they are doing is discussed. (UK)

Subject Matter Expert Workshop to Identify Cybersecurity ...

Science.gov (United States)

Report In recognition of the growing need to better address cyber risk and cyber management, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Homeland Security Research Center (NHSRC) held a Subject Matter Expert Workshop to Identify Cybersecurity Research Gaps and Needs of the Nation’s Water and Wastewater Systems Sector on March 30th and 31st, 2016, at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C. The workshop was designed to create a forum for subject matter experts (SMEs) to exchange ideas and address important cybersecurity challenges facing the water sector.

Bioethics for Technical Experts

Science.gov (United States)

Asano, Shigetaka

Along with rapidly expanding applications of life science and technology, technical experts have been implicated more and more often with ethical, social, and legal problems than before. It should be noted that in this background there are scientific and social uncertainty elements which are inevitable during the progress of life science in addition to the historically-established social unreliability to scientists and engineers. In order to solve these problems, therefore, we should establish the social governance with ‘relief’ and ‘reliance’ which enables for both citizens and engineers to share the awareness of the issues, to design social orders and criterions based on hypothetical sense of values for bioethics, to carry out practical use management of each subject carefully, and to improve the sense of values from hypothetical to universal. Concerning these measures, the technical experts can learn many things from the present performance in the medical field.

Cooperating expert systems for space station power distribution management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, T.A.; Chiou, W.C.

1986-01-01

In a complex system such as the manned Space Station, it is deemed necessary that many expert systems must perform tasks in a concurrent and cooperative manner. An important question to arise is: what cooperative-task-performing models are appropriate for multiple expert systems to jointly perform tasks. The solution to this question will provide a crucial automation design criteria for the Space Station complex systems architecture. Based on a client/server model for performing tasks, the authors have developed a system that acts as a front-end to support loosely-coupled communications between expert systems running on multiple Symbolics machines. As an example, they use the two ART*-based expert systems to demonstrate the concept of parallel symbolic manipulation for power distribution management and dynamic load planner/scheduler in the simulated Space Station environment. This on-going work will also explore other cooperative-task-performing models as alternatives which can evaluate inter and intra expert system communication mechanisms. It will serve as a testbed and a bench-marking tool for other Space Station expert subsystem communication and information exchange

Cooperating Expert Systems For Space Station Power Distribution Management

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, T. A.; Chiou, W. C.

1987-02-01

In a complex system such as the manned Space Station, it is deem necessary that many expert systems must perform tasks in a concurrent and cooperative manner. An important question arise is: what cooperative-task-performing models are appropriate for multiple expert systems to jointly perform tasks. The solution to this question will provide a crucial automation design criteria for the Space Station complex systems architecture. Based on a client/server model for performing tasks, we have developed a system that acts as a front-end to support loosely-coupled communications between expert systems running on multiple Symbolics machines. As an example, we use two ART*-based expert systems to demonstrate the concept of parallel symbolic manipulation for power distribution management and dynamic load planner/scheduler in the simulated Space Station environment. This on-going work will also explore other cooperative-task-performing models as alternatives which can evaluate inter and intra expert system communication mechanisms. It will be served as a testbed and a bench-marking tool for other Space Station expert subsystem communication and information exchange.

The development of an expert system for finding fragility curves of building structural systems in the preliminary design stage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yee, L.Y.; Okrent, D.

1987-01-01

This research is a starting point for the development of an expert system for determining seismic fragility curves of structural systems in a nuclear power plant or conventional building at the preliminary design stage. The resulting system assists an engineer with moderate engineering background and limited reliability knowledge to analyze the failure functions of building structures. It simulates the performance of an expert in identifying the potential failure modes and their variabilities for a structure of interest. On reviewing the methodology of seismic fragility evaluation for existing building structures in the nuclear power plant industry, one finds that the investigation process starts with the identification of critical components or substructures, whose failures result in the functional failure of safety related equipment or the failure of structural integrity itself, and follows with complicated numerical analyses to estimate the capacity functions associated with the limit states of these components or substructures

Expert meeting on critical limits for heavy metals and methods for their application. Proceedings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schuetze, G. (comp.)

2003-07-01

The Berlin meeting was structured according to its most important tasks (according to the recommendations of Sorrento 2002): - Review of the harmonised set of Critical Limits for heavy metals for soils and waters, whereby inclusion of limits for Hg and of human health effects was most important; - Further development of transfer functions of Pb, Cd and Hg for soils and sediments, with emphasis on their applicability to the broad spectrum of European soils;- General methodological aspects, including the - choice of approaches (critical loads model versus stand-still model) according to the 'decision tree', proposed in Sorrento (2002), - identification and European-wide mapping of present heavy metals pollution (Pb, Cd, Hg) of soils and their sources, - methods to consider other heavy metal inputs to soils and surface waters than atmospheric pollution, - peculiarities and applicability of an effect-based approach for Hg. These headings were at the same time the themes of three draft background documents provided before the expert meeting and the names and the scope of three working groups during the workshop. For each of the items a list of most relevant questions was prepared. The proceedings of the expert meeting in Berlin, provided for the benefit of a wider number of interested scientists, advisors and decision makers, contain a short reflection on future work to be done, the workshop report (Minutes), including the conclusions and recommendations of the three working groups and six annexes, as well as the abstracts of short presentations and posters presented at the meeting. (orig.)

Expert meeting on critical limits for heavy metals and methods for their application. Proceedings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schuetze, G [comp.

2003-07-01

The Berlin meeting was structured according to its most important tasks (according to the recommendations of Sorrento 2002): - Review of the harmonised set of Critical Limits for heavy metals for soils and waters, whereby inclusion of limits for Hg and of human health effects was most important; - Further development of transfer functions of Pb, Cd and Hg for soils and sediments, with emphasis on their applicability to the broad spectrum of European soils;- General methodological aspects, including the - choice of approaches (critical loads model versus stand-still model) according to the 'decision tree', proposed in Sorrento (2002), - identification and European-wide mapping of present heavy metals pollution (Pb, Cd, Hg) of soils and their sources, - methods to consider other heavy metal inputs to soils and surface waters than atmospheric pollution, - peculiarities and applicability of an effect-based approach for Hg. These headings were at the same time the themes of three draft background documents provided before the expert meeting and the names and the scope of three working groups during the workshop. For each of the items a list of most relevant questions was prepared. The proceedings of the expert meeting in Berlin, provided for the benefit of a wider number of interested scientists, advisors and decision makers, contain a short reflection on future work to be done, the workshop report (Minutes), including the conclusions and recommendations of the three working groups and six annexes, as well as the abstracts of short presentations and posters presented at the meeting. (orig.)

Take me where I want to go: Institutional prestige, advisor sponsorship, and academic career placement preferences.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diogo L Pinheiro

Full Text Available Placement in prestigious research institutions for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics PhD recipients is generally considered to be optimal. Yet some doctoral recipients are not interested in intensive research careers and instead seek alternative careers, outside but also within academe (for example teaching positions in Liberal Arts Schools. Recent attention to non-academic pathways has expanded our understanding of alternative PhD careers. However, career preferences and placements are also nuanced along the academic pathway. Existing research on academic careers (mostly research-centric has found that certain factors have a significant impact on the prestige of both the institutional placement and the salary of PhD recipients. We understand less, however, about the functioning of career preferences and related placements outside of the top academic research institutions. Our work builds on prior studies of academic career placement to explore the impact that prestige of PhD-granting institution, advisor involvement, and cultural capital have on the extent to which STEM PhDs are placed in their preferred academic institution types. What determines whether an individual with a preference for research oriented institutions works at a Research Extensive university? Or whether an individual with a preference for teaching works at a Liberal Arts college? Using survey data from a nationally representative sample of faculty in biology, biochemistry, civil engineering and mathematics at four different Carnegie Classified institution types (Research Extensive, Research Intensive, Master's I & II, and Liberal Arts Colleges, we examine the relative weight of different individual and institutional characteristics on institutional type placement. We find that doctoral institutional prestige plays a significant role in matching individuals with their preferred institutional type, but that advisor involvement only has an impact on those

Take me where I want to go: Institutional prestige, advisor sponsorship, and academic career placement preferences.

Science.gov (United States)

Pinheiro, Diogo L; Melkers, Julia; Newton, Sunni

2017-01-01

Placement in prestigious research institutions for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) PhD recipients is generally considered to be optimal. Yet some doctoral recipients are not interested in intensive research careers and instead seek alternative careers, outside but also within academe (for example teaching positions in Liberal Arts Schools). Recent attention to non-academic pathways has expanded our understanding of alternative PhD careers. However, career preferences and placements are also nuanced along the academic pathway. Existing research on academic careers (mostly research-centric) has found that certain factors have a significant impact on the prestige of both the institutional placement and the salary of PhD recipients. We understand less, however, about the functioning of career preferences and related placements outside of the top academic research institutions. Our work builds on prior studies of academic career placement to explore the impact that prestige of PhD-granting institution, advisor involvement, and cultural capital have on the extent to which STEM PhDs are placed in their preferred academic institution types. What determines whether an individual with a preference for research oriented institutions works at a Research Extensive university? Or whether an individual with a preference for teaching works at a Liberal Arts college? Using survey data from a nationally representative sample of faculty in biology, biochemistry, civil engineering and mathematics at four different Carnegie Classified institution types (Research Extensive, Research Intensive, Master's I & II, and Liberal Arts Colleges), we examine the relative weight of different individual and institutional characteristics on institutional type placement. We find that doctoral institutional prestige plays a significant role in matching individuals with their preferred institutional type, but that advisor involvement only has an impact on those with a

Reference Value Advisor: a new freeware set of macroinstructions to calculate reference intervals with Microsoft Excel.

Science.gov (United States)

Geffré, Anne; Concordet, Didier; Braun, Jean-Pierre; Trumel, Catherine

2011-03-01

International recommendations for determination of reference intervals have been recently updated, especially for small reference sample groups, and use of the robust method and Box-Cox transformation is now recommended. Unfortunately, these methods are not included in most software programs used for data analysis by clinical laboratories. We have created a set of macroinstructions, named Reference Value Advisor, for use in Microsoft Excel to calculate reference limits applying different methods. For any series of data, Reference Value Advisor calculates reference limits (with 90% confidence intervals [CI]) using a nonparametric method when n≥40 and by parametric and robust methods from native and Box-Cox transformed values; tests normality of distributions using the Anderson-Darling test and outliers using Tukey and Dixon-Reed tests; displays the distribution of values in dot plots and histograms and constructs Q-Q plots for visual inspection of normality; and provides minimal guidelines in the form of comments based on international recommendations. The critical steps in determination of reference intervals are correct selection of as many reference individuals as possible and analysis of specimens in controlled preanalytical and analytical conditions. Computing tools cannot compensate for flaws in selection and size of the reference sample group and handling and analysis of samples. However, if those steps are performed properly, Reference Value Advisor, available as freeware at http://www.biostat.envt.fr/spip/spip.php?article63, permits rapid assessment and comparison of results calculated using different methods, including currently unavailable methods. This allows for selection of the most appropriate method, especially as the program provides the CI of limits. It should be useful in veterinary clinical pathology when only small reference sample groups are available. ©2011 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.

EXPERT SYSTEMS

OpenAIRE

Georgiana Marin; Mihai Catalin Andrei

2011-01-01

In recent decades IT and computer systems have evolved rapidly in economic informatics field. The goal is to create user friendly information systems that respond promptly and accurately to requests. Informatics systems evolved into decision assisted systems, and such systems are converted, based on gained experience, in expert systems for creative problem solving that an organization is facing. Expert systems are aimed at rebuilding human reasoning on the expertise obtained from experts, sto...

A Workflow-based Intelligent Network Data Movement Advisor with End-to-end Performance Optimization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu, Michelle M. [Southern Illinois Univ., Carbondale, IL (United States); Wu, Chase Q. [Univ. of Memphis, TN (United States)

2013-11-07

Next-generation eScience applications often generate large amounts of simulation, experimental, or observational data that must be shared and managed by collaborative organizations. Advanced networking technologies and services have been rapidly developed and deployed to facilitate such massive data transfer. However, these technologies and services have not been fully utilized mainly because their use typically requires significant domain knowledge and in many cases application users are even not aware of their existence. By leveraging the functionalities of an existing Network-Aware Data Movement Advisor (NADMA) utility, we propose a new Workflow-based Intelligent Network Data Movement Advisor (WINDMA) with end-to-end performance optimization for this DOE funded project. This WINDMA system integrates three major components: resource discovery, data movement, and status monitoring, and supports the sharing of common data movement workflows through account and database management. This system provides a web interface and interacts with existing data/space management and discovery services such as Storage Resource Management, transport methods such as GridFTP and GlobusOnline, and network resource provisioning brokers such as ION and OSCARS. We demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed transport-support workflow system in several use cases based on its implementation and deployment in DOE wide-area networks.

Evolution of Technical Writing in Senior Design--A Case History

Science.gov (United States)

Gnanapragasam, Nirmala

2010-01-01

Seattle University has an industrially sponsored, yearlong, senior design program that has been in existence for more than 20 years. Students work in teams of three or four under the guidance of a liaison from the sponsoring agency and a faculty advisor. The students prepare a proposal in the fall quarter detailing their plan and a design report…

Multidisciplinary convalescence recommendations after gynaecological surgery: a modified Delphi method among experts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vonk Noordegraaf, A.; Huirne, J.A.F.; Brölmann, H.A.M.; van Mechelen, W.; Anema, J.R.

2011-01-01

Objective: To generate structured detailed uniform convalescence recommendations after gynaecological surgery by a modified Delphi method amongst experts and a representative group of physicians. Design: Modified Delphi study. Setting: Expert physicians recruited by their respective medical boards

Recent Updates to the System Advisor Model (SAM)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DiOrio, Nicholas A [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2018-02-14

The System Advisor Model (SAM) is a mature suite of techno-economic models for many renewable energy technologies that can be downloaded for free as a desktop application or software development kit. SAM is used for system-level modeling, including generating performance pro the release of the code as an open source project on GitHub. Other additions that will be covered include the ability to download data directly into SAM from the National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB) and up- dates to a user-interface macro that assists with PV system sizing. A brief update on SAM's battery model and its integration with the detailed photovoltaic model will also be discussed. Finally, an outline of planned work for the next year will be presented, including the addition of a bifacial model, support for multiple MPPT inputs for detailed inverter modeling, and the addition of a model for inverter thermal behavior.

Resident Advisor General Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence, Personality Dimensions, and Internal Belief Characteristics as Predictors of Rated Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Max B.; Stemler, Steven

2008-01-01

Resident Advisors (RAs) have a significant hand in helping students adjust and thrive in college life. Given the importance of selecting high-performing RAs, this study sought to examine how well various measures of intelligence (e.g., general, emotional) in addition to personality and additional "internal belief" characteristics predict…

75 FR 13264 - Meeting of the Board of Advisors (BOA) to the President, Naval Postgraduate School (NPS)

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-19

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Navy Meeting of the Board of Advisors (BOA) to the President, Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD. ACTION: Notice of open... access, information, or to send written comments regarding the NPS BOA, contact Ms. Jaye Panza, Naval...

An expert system technology for work authorization information systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Munchausen, J.H.; Glazer, K.A.

1988-01-01

This paper describes the effort by Southern California Edison Company (SCE) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to develop an expert systems work station designed to support the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). The expert systems work station utilizes IntelliCorp KEE (Knowledge Engineering Environment) and EPRI-IntelliCorp PLEXSYS (PLant EXpert SYStem) technology, and SCE Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P and ID's) and host-based computer applications to assist plant operations and maintenance personnel in the development of safety tagout boundaries. Of significance in this venture is the merging of conventional computer applications technology with expert systems technology. The EPRI PLEXSYS work station will act as a front-end for the SONGS Tagout Administration and Generation System (TAGS), a conventional CICS/COBOL mainframe computer application

Expert and competent non-expert visual cues during simulated diagnosis in intensive care.

Science.gov (United States)

McCormack, Clare; Wiggins, Mark W; Loveday, Thomas; Festa, Marino

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine the information acquisition strategies of expert and competent non-expert intensive care physicians during two simulated diagnostic scenarios involving respiratory distress in an infant. Specifically, the information acquisition performance of six experts and 12 competent non-experts was examined using an eye-tracker during the initial 90 s of the assessment of the patient. The results indicated that, in comparison to competent non-experts, experts recorded longer mean fixations, irrespective of the scenario. When the dwell times were examined against specific areas of interest, the results revealed that competent non-experts recorded greater overall dwell times on the nurse, where experts recorded relatively greater dwell times on the head and face of the manikin. In the context of the scenarios, experts recorded differential dwell times, spending relatively more time on the head and face during the seizure scenario than during the coughing scenario. The differences evident between experts and competent non-experts were interpreted as evidence of the relative availability of task-specific cues or heuristics in memory that might direct the process of information acquisition amongst expert physicians. The implications are discussed for the training and assessment of diagnostic skills.

Design Provisions for Station Blackout at Nuclear Power Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duchac, Alexander

2015-01-01

A station blackout (SBO) is generally known as 'a plant condition with complete loss of all alternating current (AC) power from off-site sources, from the main generator and from standby AC power sources important to safety to the essential and nonessential switchgear buses. Direct current (DC) power supplies and un-interruptible AC power supplies may be available as long as batteries can supply the loads. Alternate AC power supplies are available'. A draft Safety Guide DS 430 'Design of Electrical Power Systems for Nuclear Power Plants' provides recommendations regarding the implementation of Specific Safety Requirements: Design: Requirement 68 for emergency power systems. The Safety Guide outlines several design measures which are possible as a means of increasing the capability of the electrical power systems to cope with a station blackout, without providing detailed implementation guidance. A committee of international experts and advisors from numerous countries is currently working on an IAEA Technical Document (TECDOC) whose objective is to provide a common international technical basis from which the various criteria for SBO events need to be established, to support operation under design basis and design extension conditions (DEC) at nuclear power plants, to document in a comprehensive manner, all relevant aspects of SBO events at NPPs, and to outline critical issues which reflect the lessons learned from the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident. This paper discusses the commonly encountered difficulties associated with establishing the SBO criteria, shares the best practices, and current strategies used in the design and implementation of SBO provisions and outline the structure of the IAEA's SBO TECDOC under development. (author)

75 FR 71701 - Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Request for Nominations of Experts for the Review of a Draft...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-24

... fluctuation in microbial populations. The EPA Office of the Science Advisor's Risk Assessment Forum has.... Kathryn Gallagher, Executive Director, Risk Assessment Forum, Office of the Science Advisor US EPA, Mail... person or organization may nominate qualified individuals in the areas of expertise described above for...

Knowledge Sharing Among Tourists via Social Media: A Comparison Between Facebook and TripAdvisor

OpenAIRE

Okazaki Ono, Shintaro; Andreu, Luisa; Campo, Sara

2016-01-01

This paper examines tourists’ knowledge sharing behavior in social media. Based on social capital theory, we aim to examine the effects of three dimensions of social capital—structural (social interaction ties), cognitive (shared vision), and relational (trust)—for two different types of social media: Facebook and TripAdvisor. We propose a structural model that connects an antecedent (homophily) and a consequence (knowledge sharing through posting) of these main dimensions of social capital. ...

An examination of expert systems activities within the nuclear industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernard, J.A.; Washio, Takashi.

1988-01-01

This paper provides an overview of a detailed evaluation that the authors recently completed on expert systems applications within the nuclear industry. That evaluation examined the motivation for utilizing expert systems, identified the areas to which they were being applied, and provided an assessment of their utility. Listed here are some of the salient findings of that report. (1) Utilities are developing their own artificial intelligence tools rather than using commercial products. (2) Few expert systems are being developed for the express purpose of capturing human expertise. (3) A number of successful expert systems have been developed to assist in plant design, management, and maintenance scheduling. (4) Interactive diagnostic systems are being developed for the analysis of physical processes that vary slowly. (5) Real-time diagnostic expert systems are currently at the cutting edge of the technology. (6) Operator adviser and emergency response expert systems constitute ∼25% of the total. (7) Research on the use of expert systems for reactor control is quite active. (8) Too few quantitative evaluations of the benefits of expert systems to reactor operators have been performed. The operator's need is for timely, factual information on plant status. Hence, the true challenge to expert systems is real-time diagnostics

Expert judgement in performance assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilmot, R.D.; Galson, D.A.

2000-01-01

This report is a pilot study that systematically describes the various types of expert judgement that are made throughout the development of a PA, and summarizes existing tools and practices for dealing with expert judgements. The report also includes recommendations for further work in the area of expert judgement. Expert judgements can be classified in a number of ways, including classification according to why the judgements are made and according to how the judgements are made. In terms of why judgements are made, there is a broad distinction between: Judgements concerning data that are made because alternatives are not feasible; and Judgements about the conduct of a PA that are made because there are no alternative approaches for making the decision. In the case of how judgements are made, the report distinguishes between non-elicited judgements made by individuals, non-elicited judgements made by groups, and elicited judgements made by individuals or groups. These types of judgement can generally be distinguished by the extent of the associated documentation, and hence their traceability. Tools for assessing judgements vary depending on the type of judgements being examined. Key tools are peer review, an appropriate QA regime, documentation, and elicitation. Dialogue with stake holders is also identified as important in establishing whether judgements are justified in the context in which they are used. The PA process comprises a number of stages, from establishing the assessment context, through site selection and repository design, to scenario and model development and parametrisation. The report discusses how judgements are used in each of these stages, and identifies which of the tools and procedures for assessing judgements are most appropriate at each stage. Recommendations for further work include the conduct of a trial expert elicitation to gain experience in the advantages and disadvantages of this technique, the development of guidance for peer

Expert judgement in performance assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wilmot, R.D.; Galson, D.A. [Galson Sciences Ltd, Oakham (United Kingdom)

2000-01-01

This report is a pilot study that systematically describes the various types of expert judgement that are made throughout the development of a PA, and summarizes existing tools and practices for dealing with expert judgements. The report also includes recommendations for further work in the area of expert judgement. Expert judgements can be classified in a number of ways, including classification according to why the judgements are made and according to how the judgements are made. In terms of why judgements are made, there is a broad distinction between: Judgements concerning data that are made because alternatives are not feasible; and Judgements about the conduct of a PA that are made because there are no alternative approaches for making the decision. In the case of how judgements are made, the report distinguishes between non-elicited judgements made by individuals, non-elicited judgements made by groups, and elicited judgements made by individuals or groups. These types of judgement can generally be distinguished by the extent of the associated documentation, and hence their traceability. Tools for assessing judgements vary depending on the type of judgements being examined. Key tools are peer review, an appropriate QA regime, documentation, and elicitation. Dialogue with stake holders is also identified as important in establishing whether judgements are justified in the context in which they are used. The PA process comprises a number of stages, from establishing the assessment context, through site selection and repository design, to scenario and model development and parametrisation. The report discusses how judgements are used in each of these stages, and identifies which of the tools and procedures for assessing judgements are most appropriate at each stage. Recommendations for further work include the conduct of a trial expert elicitation to gain experience in the advantages and disadvantages of this technique, the development of guidance for peer

The blackboard model - A framework for integrating multiple cooperating expert systems

Science.gov (United States)

Erickson, W. K.

1985-01-01

The use of an artificial intelligence (AI) architecture known as the blackboard model is examined as a framework for designing and building distributed systems requiring the integration of multiple cooperating expert systems (MCXS). Aerospace vehicles provide many examples of potential systems, ranging from commercial and military aircraft to spacecraft such as satellites, the Space Shuttle, and the Space Station. One such system, free-flying, spaceborne telerobots to be used in construction, servicing, inspection, and repair tasks around NASA's Space Station, is examined. The major difficulties found in designing and integrating the individual expert system components necessary to implement such a robot are outlined. The blackboard model, a general expert system architecture which seems to address many of the problems found in designing and building such a system, is discussed. A progress report on a prototype system under development called DBB (Distributed BlackBoard model) is given. The prototype will act as a testbed for investigating the feasibility, utility, and efficiency of MCXS-based designs developed under the blackboard model.

The Expert System Application For Inspection Of The Power Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Josowidagdo, L.

1997-01-01

This paper describes the application of expert system to evaluate and consider the problem encountered in this fields are complex and time consuming. As as example several factors affecting system voltage selections are load magnitude, distance from the main power supply, safety, standards, cost of utilization and service system equipment, and future load growth. The inspection deal with interactions between alternatives, uncertainties, and important non financial parameter. Several complex problems are multiple objective functions, multiple constraints, complex system interactions, the need for accuracy, the need for trade off, optimization, and coordination of the decision making process. ASDEP is one of the expert system for electric power plant design that describe the application of the artificial intelligence to design of a power plan's electrical auxiliary system. In this circumstance this paper will elaborate another aspect for using the expert system in the inspection

How to Design Tobacco Prevention and Control Games for Youth and Adolescents: A Qualitative Analysis of Expert Interviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Amanda K; Mercado, Rebeccah; Anderson-Lewis, Charkarra; Darville, Gabrielle; Bernhardt, Jay M

2015-12-01

Games for health, including digital videogames and gaming-based approaches, are increasingly being used in health promotion research and practice. Recently published research has shown that videogames have significant potential to promote healthy behaviors among youth and adolescents. Yet, there is a lack of available evidence-based resources to guide practitioners on the integration of games into tobacco prevention and smoking cessation interventions. To address this gap, expert researchers and game developers were interviewed to further define games for health, explore the current research, and provide recommendations for developing, evaluating, and promoting effective anti-tobacco games. Nationally recognized experts on game development, games for health, tobacco, and health behavior were asked to participate. A qualitative analysis of 25 in-depth individual interviews using a constant comparative approach for emerging themes was conducted. Main themes that emerged from the data analysis included the following: (1) the current state of games for health research to facilitate health behavior change, (2) strategies for how to develop and evaluate games for quality and impact, and (3) recommendations for how to effectively design tobacco prevention and smoking cessation educational videogames that engage youth and adolescents. The synthesized findings identified through these expert interviews offer stakeholders strategies for how to incorporate games for health within their current and future work. Specific recommendations are presented for developers and researchers to consider when developing and evaluating videogames for tobacco prevention and smoking cessation targeted at youth and adolescents.

Transfer Effects of Semantic Networks on Expert Systems: Mindtools at Work.

Science.gov (United States)

Marra, Rose M.; Jonassen, David H.

2002-01-01

Discussion of computers as mindtools focuses on semantic networks and expert systems that help learners build a representation of what they know by designing their own knowledge bases. Describes a study of undergraduates that examined the effects of building semantic networks on the construction of expert systems. (Author/LRW)

Academic involvement in shift technical advisor training for the utilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davidson, J.N.; Sain, L.H.

1981-01-01

One of the clearest conclusions reached of nearly every commission and panel formed in response to the Three Mile Island accident was the desirability of upgrading the educational background of those persons with direct operational responsibility in a nuclear power plant. The long term objective is for all shift supervisors to have engineering degrees as well as NRC senior operating licenses. In the interim, the utilities are required to provide in-depth engineering expertise on every shift in the person of a Shift Technical Advisor (STA). The training of STA's is complicated by the requirement to have college level instruction in plant specific topics which are not typically included in the curricula of degree-granting instructions. One possible response to this challenge is presented

Expert and Competent Non-Expert Visual Cues during Simulated Diagnosis in Intensive Care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clare eMcCormack

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to examine the information acquisition strategies of expert and competent non-expert intensive care physicians during two simulated diagnostic scenarios involving respiratory distress in an infant. Specifically, the information acquisition performance of six experts and 12 competent non-experts was examined using an eye tracker during the initial 90 seconds of the assessment of the patient. The results indicated that, in comparison to competent non-experts, experts recorded longer mean fixations, irrespective of the scenario. When the dwell times were examined against specific areas of interest, the results revealed that competent non-experts recorded greater overall dwell times on the nurse, where experts recorded relatively greater dwell times on the head and face of the manikin. In the context of the scenarios, experts recorded differential dwell times, spending relatively more time on the head and face during the seizure scenario than during the coughing scenario. The differences evident between experts and competent non-experts were interpreted as evidence of the relative availability of task-specific cues or heuristics in memory that might direct the process of information acquisition amongst expert physicians. The implications are discussed for the training and assessment of diagnostic skills.

Expert systems intelligent tutoring systems and the power industry: A future scenario

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bloom, C.P.; Bullemer, P.T.; Cochran, E.L.

1990-01-01

One use to which fielded expert systems have been put is the training of less experienced personnel. However, since expert systems are not developed for the purpose of training, their knowledge contains gaps, particularly in the areas of explanation and reasoning-essential components of expertise. The incidental learning that results from interacting with an expert system produces a memorization of the expert system's procedures without an understanding of the logic behind those procedures. Although learning without comprehension can provide adequate task performance, it affords inadequate transfer or generalization of knowledge, producing task-specific learning. In other words, the expert system user performs the task like an expert, but has not really become an expert. To become an expert, specialized training is required. This training could be provided by professional educators, or, in the future, by artificial intelligence programs, called intelligent tutoring systems, specifically designed for training

Development of an expert system for three-phase induction motors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sprangers, R.L.J.; Motoasca, T.E.; Lomonova, E.

2012-01-01

This work presents the design of an Expert System (Motor Design Software Tool - MDST) that will be used for design and analysis of three-phase induction motors. A suitable selection between numerous models and parameter calculation methods provided by literature is made and discussed. The models are

Comparison of Japanese and Chinese Clothing Evaluations by Experts Taking into Account Marketability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kim KyoungOk

2015-03-01

Full Text Available To better understand the reasons for the marketability of clothing now designed and sold in China and Japan, we asked Japanese and Chinese experts to evaluate Chinese and Japanese brands of clothing currently for sale in the Japanese market. The marketability of the Chinese apparel items in the Japanese market was evaluated by the Japanese experts. Five Japanese jackets were purchased from a department store in Tokyo, and ten items of Chinese clothing were purchased from a department store in Beijing. Five of the Chinese clothing samples were judged as impossible to sell in Japanese department stores primarily because the sewing quality was incompatible with Japanese requirements, the designs were outdated, and the materials were of low quality. However, the other five Chinese clothing samples received high evaluations of marketability in Japan. We found that Japanese experts focused on general design and sewing finish, while Chinese experts considered more general design points. Thus, our results indicate that clothing is evaluated differently in Japan and China. We conclude that it is necessary to consider the respective evaluation points used in each country as we pursue globalisation.

ROSIE: A Programming Environment for Expert Systems

Science.gov (United States)

1985-10-01

ence on Artificial Inteligence , Tbilisi, USSR, 1975. Fain, J., D. Gorlin, F. Hayes-Roth, S. Rosenschein, H. Sowizral, and D. Waterman, The ROSIE Language...gramming environment for artificial intelligence (AI) applications. It provides particular support for designing expert systems, systems that embody

Comparison of a new expert elicitation model with the Classical Model, equal weights and single experts, using a cross-validation technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flandoli, F. [Dip.to di Matematica Applicata, Universita di Pisa, Pisa (Italy); Giorgi, E. [Dip.to di Matematica Applicata, Universita di Pisa, Pisa (Italy); Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione di Pisa, via della Faggiola 32, 56126 Pisa (Italy); Aspinall, W.P. [Dept. of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, and Aspinall and Associates, Tisbury (United Kingdom); Neri, A., E-mail: neri@pi.ingv.it [Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione di Pisa, via della Faggiola 32, 56126 Pisa (Italy)

2011-10-15

The problem of ranking and weighting experts' performances when quantitative judgments are being elicited for decision support is considered. A new scoring model, the Expected Relative Frequency model, is presented, based on the closeness between central values provided by the expert and known values used for calibration. Using responses from experts in five different elicitation datasets, a cross-validation technique is used to compare this new approach with the Cooke Classical Model, the Equal Weights model, and individual experts. The analysis is performed using alternative reward schemes designed to capture proficiency either in quantifying uncertainty, or in estimating true central values. Results show that although there is only a limited probability that one approach is consistently better than another, the Cooke Classical Model is generally the most suitable for assessing uncertainties, whereas the new ERF model should be preferred if the goal is central value estimation accuracy. - Highlights: > A new expert elicitation model, named Expected Relative Frequency (ERF), is presented. > A cross-validation approach to evaluate the performance of different elicitation models is applied. > The new ERF model shows the best performance with respect to the point-wise estimates.

Plutonium - the ultrapoison? An expert's opinion about an expert opinion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stoll, W.; Becker, K.

1989-01-01

In an expert opinion written by Professor H. Kuni, Marburg, for the North Rhine-Westphalian state government, plutonium is called by far the most dangerous element in the Periodic Table. The Marburg medical expert holds that even improved legal instruments are unable to warrant effective protection of the workers handling this material, in the light of the present standards of industrial safety, because of radiological conditions and measuring problems with plutonium isotopes. In this article by an internationally renowned expert in the field, the ideas expressed in the expert opinion about the toxicity of plutonium, the cause-and-effect relationship in radiation damage by plutonium, and recent findings about the toxicity are subjected to a critical review. On the basis of results of radiation protection and of case studies, the statements in the expert opinion are contrasted with facts which make them appear in a very different light. (orig./RB) [de

Considerations in development of expert systems for real-time space applications

Science.gov (United States)

Murugesan, S.

1988-01-01

Over the years, demand on space systems has increased tremendously and this trend will continue for the near future. Enhanced capabilities of space systems, however, can only be met with increased complexity and sophistication of onboard and ground systems. Artificial Intelligence and expert system techniques have great potential in space applications. Expert systems could facilitate autonomous decision making, improve in-orbit fault diagnosis and repair, enhance performance and reduce reliance on ground support. However, real-time expert systems, unlike conventional off-line consultative systems, have to satisfy certain special stringent requirements before they could be used for onboard space applications. Challenging and interesting new environments are faced while developing expert system space applications. This paper discusses the special characteristics, requirements and typical life cycle issues for onboard expert systems. Further, it also describes considerations in design, development, and implementation which are particularly important to real-time expert systems for space applications.

Parabolic Trough Collector Cost Update for the System Advisor Model (SAM)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurup, Parthiv [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Turchi, Craig S. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2015-11-01

This report updates the baseline cost for parabolic trough solar fields in the United States within NREL's System Advisor Model (SAM). SAM, available at no cost at https://sam.nrel.gov/, is a performance and financial model designed to facilitate decision making for people involved in the renewable energy industry. SAM is the primary tool used by NREL and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for estimating the performance and cost of concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies and projects. The study performed a bottom-up build and cost estimate for two state-of-the-art parabolic trough designs -- the SkyTrough and the Ultimate Trough. The SkyTrough analysis estimated the potential installed cost for a solar field of 1500 SCAs as $170/m² +/- $6/m². The investigation found that SkyTrough installed costs were sensitive to factors such as raw aluminum alloy cost and production volume. For example, in the case of the SkyTrough, the installed cost would rise to nearly $210/m² if the aluminum alloy cost was $1.70/lb instead of $1.03/lb. Accordingly, one must be aware of fluctuations in the relevant commodities markets to track system cost over time. The estimated installed cost for the Ultimate Trough was only slightly higher at $178/m², which includes an assembly facility of $11.6 million amortized over the required production volume. Considering the size and overall cost of a 700 SCA Ultimate Trough solar field, two parallel production lines in a fully covered assembly facility, each with the specific torque box, module and mirror jigs, would be justified for a full CSP plant.

Expert status and performance.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark A Burgman

Full Text Available Expert judgements are essential when time and resources are stretched or we face novel dilemmas requiring fast solutions. Good advice can save lives and large sums of money. Typically, experts are defined by their qualifications, track record and experience. The social expectation hypothesis argues that more highly regarded and more experienced experts will give better advice. We asked experts to predict how they will perform, and how their peers will perform, on sets of questions. The results indicate that the way experts regard each other is consistent, but unfortunately, ranks are a poor guide to actual performance. Expert advice will be more accurate if technical decisions routinely use broadly-defined expert groups, structured question protocols and feedback.

An expert system design to diagnose cancer by using a new method reduced rule base.

Science.gov (United States)

Başçiftçi, Fatih; Avuçlu, Emre

2018-04-01

A Medical Expert System (MES) was developed which uses Reduced Rule Base to diagnose cancer risk according to the symptoms in an individual. A total of 13 symptoms were used. With the new MES, the reduced rules are controlled instead of all possibilities (2 13 = 8192 different possibilities occur). By controlling reduced rules, results are found more quickly. The method of two-level simplification of Boolean functions was used to obtain Reduced Rule Base. Thanks to the developed application with the number of dynamic inputs and outputs on different platforms, anyone can easily test their own cancer easily. More accurate results were obtained considering all the possibilities related to cancer. Thirteen different risk factors were determined to determine the type of cancer. The truth table produced in our study has 13 inputs and 4 outputs. The Boolean Function Minimization method is used to obtain less situations by simplifying logical functions. Diagnosis of cancer quickly thanks to control of the simplified 4 output functions. Diagnosis made with the 4 output values obtained using Reduced Rule Base was found to be quicker than diagnosis made by screening all 2 13 = 8192 possibilities. With the improved MES, more probabilities were added to the process and more accurate diagnostic results were obtained. As a result of the simplification process in breast and renal cancer diagnosis 100% diagnosis speed gain, in cervical cancer and lung cancer diagnosis rate gain of 99% was obtained. With Boolean function minimization, less number of rules is evaluated instead of evaluating a large number of rules. Reducing the number of rules allows the designed system to work more efficiently and to save time, and facilitates to transfer the rules to the designed Expert systems. Interfaces were developed in different software platforms to enable users to test the accuracy of the application. Any one is able to diagnose the cancer itself using determinative risk factors. Thereby

Medical Expert Systems Survey

OpenAIRE

Abu-Nasser, Bassem S.

2017-01-01

International audience; There is an increased interest in the area of Artificial Intelligence in general and expert systems in particular. Expert systems are rapidly growing technology. Expert systems are a branch of Artificial Intelligence which is having a great impact on many fields of human life. Expert systems use human expert knowledge to solve complex problems in many fields such as Health, science, engineering, business, and weather forecasting. Organizations employing the technology ...

Feed type based expert systems in mineral processing plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jamsa-Jounela, S.-L.; Laine, S.; Laurila, H.

1999-01-01

Artificial Intelligence includes excellent tools for the control and supervision of industrial processes. Several thousand industrial applications have been reported worldwide. Recently, the designers of the AI systems have begun to hybridize the intelligent techniques, expert systems, fuzzy logic and neural networks, to enhance the capability of the AI systems. Expert systems have proved to be ideal candidates especially for the control of mineral processes. As successful case projects, expert system based on on-line classification of the feed type is described in this paper. The essential feature of this expert system is the classification of different feed types and their distinct control strategies at the plant. In addition to the classification, the expert system has a database containing information about how to handle the determined feed type. This self-learning database scans historical process data to suggest the best treatment for the ore type under processing. The system has been tested in two concentrators, the Outokumpu Finnmines Oy, Hitura mine and Outokumpu Chrome Oy, Kemi mine. (author)

Multi-Center Traffic Management Advisor Operational Field Test Results

Science.gov (United States)

Farley, Todd; Landry, Steven J.; Hoang, Ty; Nickelson, Monicarol; Levin, Kerry M.; Rowe, Dennis W.

2005-01-01

The Multi-Center Traffic Management Advisor (McTMA) is a research prototype system which seeks to bring time-based metering into the mainstream of air traffic control (ATC) operations. Time-based metering is an efficient alternative to traditional air traffic management techniques such as distance-based spacing (miles-in-trail spacing) and managed arrival reservoirs (airborne holding). While time-based metering has demonstrated significant benefit in terms of arrival throughput and arrival delay, its use to date has been limited to arrival operations at just nine airports nationally. Wide-scale adoption of time-based metering has been hampered, in part, by the limited scalability of metering automation. In order to realize the full spectrum of efficiency benefits possible with time-based metering, a much more modular, scalable time-based metering capability is required. With its distributed metering architecture, multi-center TMA offers such a capability.

Expert Systems for Libraries at SCIL [Small Computers in Libraries]'88.

Science.gov (United States)

Kochtanek, Thomas R.; And Others

1988-01-01

Six brief papers on expert systems for libraries cover (1) a knowledge-based approach to database design; (2) getting started in expert systems; (3) using public domain software to develop a business reference system; (4) a music cataloging inquiry system; (5) linguistic analysis of reference transactions; and (6) a model of a reference librarian.…

Inter-expert and intra-expert reliability in sleep spindle scoring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wendt, Sabrina Lyngbye; Welinder, Peter; Sørensen, Helge Bjarup Dissing

2015-01-01

Objectives To measure the inter-expert and intra-expert agreement in sleep spindle scoring, and to quantify how many experts are needed to build a reliable dataset of sleep spindle scorings. Methods The EEG dataset was comprised of 400 randomly selected 115 s segments of stage 2 sleep from 110...... with higher reliability than the estimation of spindle duration. Reliability of sleep spindle scoring can be improved by using qualitative confidence scores, rather than a dichotomous yes/no scoring system. Conclusions We estimate that 2–3 experts are needed to build a spindle scoring dataset...... with ‘substantial’ reliability (κ: 0.61–0.8), and 4 or more experts are needed to build a dataset with ‘almost perfect’ reliability (κ: 0.81–1). Significance Spindle scoring is a critical part of sleep staging, and spindles are believed to play an important role in development, aging, and diseases of the nervous...

Developing a project-based computational physics course grounded in expert practice

Science.gov (United States)

Burke, Christopher J.; Atherton, Timothy J.

2017-04-01

We describe a project-based computational physics course developed using a backwards course design approach. From an initial competency-based model of problem solving in computational physics, we interviewed faculty who use these tools in their own research to determine indicators of expert practice. From these, a rubric was formulated that enabled us to design a course intended to allow students to learn these skills. We also report an initial implementation of the course and, by having the interviewees regrade student work, show that students acquired many of the expert practices identified.

Real time expert systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asami, Tohru; Hashimoto, Kazuo; Yamamoto, Seiichi

1992-01-01

Recently, aiming at the application to the plant control for nuclear reactors and traffic and communication control, the research and the practical use of the expert system suitable to real time processing have become conspicuous. In this report, the condition for the required function to control the object that dynamically changes within a limited time is presented, and the technical difference between the real time expert system developed so as to satisfy it and the expert system of conventional type is explained with the actual examples and from theoretical aspect. The expert system of conventional type has the technical base in the problem-solving equipment originating in STRIPS. The real time expert system is applied to the fields accompanied by surveillance and control, to which conventional expert system is hard to be applied. The requirement for the real time expert system, the example of the real time expert system, and as the techniques of realizing real time processing, the realization of interruption processing, dispersion processing, and the mechanism of maintaining the consistency of knowledge are explained. (K.I.)

Combining NDE and fracture mechanics by artifical intelligence expert systems techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mucciardi, A.N.; Riccardella, P.C.

1986-01-01

This paper reports on the development of a PC-based expert system for non-destructive evaluation. Software tools from the expert systems subfield of artificial intelligence are being used to combine both NDE and fracture mechanics algorithms into one, unified package. The system incorporates elements of computer-enhanced ultrasonic signal processing, featuring artificial intelligence learning capability, state-of-the-art fracture mechanics analytical tools, and all relevant metallurgical and design data necessary to emulate the decisions of the panel(s) of experts typically involved in generating and dispositioning NDE data

Perceptual uncertainty supports design reasoning

Science.gov (United States)

Tseng, Winger S. W.

2018-06-01

The unstructured, ambiguous figures used as design cues in the experiment were classified as being at high, moderate, and low ambiguity. Participants were required to use the ideas suggested by the visual cues to design a novel table. Results showed that different levels of ambiguity within the cues significantly influenced the quantity of idea development of expert designers, but not novice designers, whose idea generation remained relatively low across all levels of ambiguity. For experts, as the level of ambiguity in the cue increased so did the number of design ideas that were generated. Most design interpretations created by both experts and novices were affected by geometric contours within the figures. In addition, when viewing cues of high ambiguity, experts produced more interpretative transformations than when viewing cues of moderate or low ambiguity. Furthermore, experts produced significantly more new functions or meanings than novices. We claim that increased ambiguity within presented visual cues engenders uncertainty in designers that facilitates flexible transformations and interpretations that prevent premature commitment to uncreative solutions. Such results could be applied in design learning and education, focused on differences between experts and novices, to generalize the principles and strategies of interpretations by experts during concept sketching to train novices when face design problems, and the development of CACD tools to support designers.

Web 2.0 Sites for Collaborative Self-Access: The Learning Advisor vs. Google®

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Craig D. Howard

2011-09-01

Full Text Available While Web 2.0 technologies provide motivated, self-access learners with unprecedented opportunities for language learning, Web 2.0 designs are not of universally equal value for learning. This article reports on research carried out at Indiana University Bloomington using an empirical method to select websites for self-access language learning. Two questions related to Web 2.0 recommendations were asked: (1 How do recommended Web 2.0 sites rank in terms of interactivity features? (2 How likely is a learner to find highly interactive sites on their own? A list of 20 sites used for supplemental and self-access activities in language programs at five universities was compiled and provided the initial data set. Purposive sampling criteria revealed 10 sites truly represented Web 2.0 design. To address the first question, a feature analysis was applied (Herring, The international handbook of internet research. Berlin: Springer, 2008. An interactivity framework was developed from previous research to identify Web 2.0 design features, and sites were ranked according to feature quantity. The method used to address the second question was an interconnectivity analysis that measured direct and indirect interconnectivity within Google results. Highly interactive Web 2.0 sites were not prominent in Google search results, nor were they often linked via third party sites. It was determined that, using typical keywords or searching via blogs and recommendation sites, self-access learners were highly unlikely to find the most promising Web 2.0 sites for language learning. A discussion of the role of the learning advisor in guiding Web 2.0 collaborative self-access, as well as some strategic short cuts to quick analysis, conclude the article.

Remarks on the assessment, representation, aggregation and utilization of expert opinion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fine, T.L.

1980-04-01

This report considers the relevance of recent ideas in the foundations of probability to the rational use of expert opinion in the design of a nuclear waste repository, and the assessment of its performance. The main probability concepts introduce are those of modal (probably A), comparative (A is at least as probable as B) and interval-valued (the lower probability of A is P(A) and the upper probability of A is P(anti A)) probabilities. We then outline an approach first using comparative probability to model the resuls of binary elicitation of an expert's opinions concerning repository uncertainties and then employing interval-valued probability to represent comparative probability in a computationally convenient form. We further consider the issue of aggregating or amalgamating the responses of several experts, and we emphasize the need to preserve some measure of the disagreements among the experts. The resulting aggregated interval-valued representation of the responses concerning the uncertainties surrounding the performance of a nuclear waste repository design can then be used to numerically assess this performance in a manner parallel to that of utility theory. Utility theory is the basis for statistical decision theory. Our recommendations can only be tentative, and research is recommended to gain some working experience with the results of the proposed decision-making process in the repostory design context

The digital storytelling process: A comparative analysis from various experts

Science.gov (United States)

Hussain, Hashiroh; Shiratuddin, Norshuhada

2016-08-01

Digital Storytelling (DST) is a method of delivering information to the audience. It combines narrative and digital media content infused with the multimedia elements. In order for the educators (i.e the designers) to create a compelling digital story, there are sets of processes introduced by experts. Nevertheless, the experts suggest varieties of processes to guide them; of which some are redundant. The main aim of this study is to propose a single guide process for the creation of DST. A comparative analysis is employed where ten DST models from various experts are analysed. The process can also be implemented in other multimedia materials that used the concept of DST.

Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems Research and Their Possible Impact on Information Science.

Science.gov (United States)

Borko, Harold

1985-01-01

Defines artificial intelligence (AI) and expert systems; describes library applications utilizing AI to automate creation of document representations, request formulations, and design and modify search strategies for information retrieval systems; discusses expert system development for information services; and reviews impact of these…

Scientific writing: strategies and tools for students and advisors.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Vikash; Mayer, Philipp

2014-01-01

Scientific writing is a demanding task and many students need more time than expected to finish their research articles. To speed up the process, we highlight some tools, strategies as well as writing guides. We recommend starting early in the research process with writing and to prepare research articles, not after but in parallel to the lab or field work. We suggest considering scientific writing as a team enterprise, which needs proper organization and regular feedback. In addition, it is helpful to select potential target journals early and to consider not only scope and reputation, but also decision times and rejection rates. Before submission, instructions to authors and writing guides should be considered, and drafts should be extensively revised. Later in the process editor's and reviewer's comments should be followed. Our tips and tools help students and advisors to structure the writing and publishing process, thereby stimulating them to develop their own strategies to success. Copyright © 2014 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Developing a physics expert identity in a biophysics research group

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez, Idaykis; Goertzen, Renee Michelle; Brewe, Eric; Kramer, Laird H.

2015-06-01

We investigate the development of expert identities through the use of the sociocultural perspective of learning as participating in a community of practice. An ethnographic case study of biophysics graduate students focuses on the experiences the students have in their research group meetings. The analysis illustrates how the communities of practice-based identity constructs of competencies characterize student expert membership. A microanalysis of speech, sound, tones, and gestures in video data characterize students' social competencies in the physics community of practice. Results provide evidence that students at different stages of their individual projects have opportunities to develop social competencies such as mutual engagement, negotiability of the repertoire, and accountability to the enterprises as they interact with group members. The biophysics research group purposefully designed a learning trajectory including conducting research and writing it for publication in the larger community of practice as a pathway to expertise. The students of the research group learn to become socially competent as specific experts of their project topic and methodology, ensuring acceptance, agency, and membership in their community of practice. This work expands research on physics expertise beyond the cognitive realm and has implications for how to design graduate learning experiences to promote expert identity development.

Team of experts concludes review of safety issues at Temelin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

Full text: At the request of the Czech Government, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) assembled a team of national experts from Bulgaria, France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom, with an observer from Austria, to review safety issues at the Temelin power plant that were identified in 1996 as relevant to reactors of the generic Temelin design (WWER-1000/320 type). Following a detailed on-site review from 18 to 23 November 2001, the experts concluded that most identified issues had been addressed and resolved. Work is continuing on the few remaining issues. These issues, however, are not judged by them to be significant and would not from the experts' standpoint preclude the safe operation of the Temelin nuclear power plant. The final report of the team of experts will be available to the Czech Government in one month's time. (author)

Model-based expert systems for linac computer controls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, M.J.

1988-09-01

The use of machine modeling and beam simulation programs for the control of accelerator operation has become standard practice. The success of a model-based control operation depends on how the parameter to be controlled is measured, how the measured data is analyzed, how the result of the analysis is interpreted, and how a solution is implemented. There is considerable interest in applying expert systems technology that can automate all of these processes. The design of an expert system to control the beam trajectory in linear accelerators will be discussed as an illustration of this approach. 4 figs., 1 tab

Being an expert

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brechet, Y.; Musseau, O.; Bruna, G.; Sperandio, M.; Roulleaux-Dugage, M.; Andrieux, S.; Metteau, L.

2014-01-01

This series of short articles are dedicated to the role of the expert in the enterprise. There is an important difference between a scientific counsellor and an expert, the expert, recognized by his peers, can speak publicly in his field of expertise but has a duty of transparency while the job of a scientific counsellor requires confidentiality. The making and the use of an expert in an enterprise requires a dedicated organization. The organization of the expertise in 5 enterprises in nuclear industry are considered: CEA (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission), IRSN (Institute of Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety), AREVA, ANDRA (National Radioactive Waste Management Agency) and EDF (Electricity of France)

System Advisor Model: Flat Plate Photovoltaic Performance Modeling Validation Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freeman, Janine [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Whitmore, Jonathan [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Kaffine, Leah [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Blair, Nate [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Dobos, Aron P. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2013-12-01

The System Advisor Model (SAM) is a free software tool that performs detailed analysis of both system performance and system financing for a variety of renewable energy technologies. This report provides detailed validation of the SAM flat plate photovoltaic performance model by comparing SAM-modeled PV system generation data to actual measured production data for nine PV systems ranging from 75 kW to greater than 25 MW in size. The results show strong agreement between SAM predictions and field data, with annualized prediction error below 3% for all fixed tilt cases and below 8% for all one axis tracked cases. The analysis concludes that snow cover and system outages are the primary sources of disagreement, and other deviations resulting from seasonal biases in the irradiation models and one axis tracking issues are discussed in detail.

Approche conceptuelle pour un systeme expert distine a la ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In this article we present an approach of the design and realization of an expert system intended for the autonomous wind-solar systems design with batteries of storage. This approach uses the formalisms of representation of knowledge which is a hybridization of the rules of production and structured objects. To this end, a ...

Developing a HACCP-like system for improving animal health and welfare in organic egg production - based on an expert panel analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Hegelund, L; Sørensen, J T

2007-08-01

In the process of developing a generic Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)-like system for securing animal health and welfare in organic egg production, an expert panel analysis was used to perform the initial hazard analysis. Eighteen advisers and researchers in organic egg production were included in the expert panel. In a series of four questionnaires, the expert panel first scored 34 health and welfare problems seen in Danish organic egg production. Based on scorings of severity and occurrence, 10 problems were selected for further analysis. The experts subsequently suggested and scored risk factors for those problems and finally suggested control points, alarm values indicating the need for corrective actions in order to control the risk factors and monitoring frequencies of these. The 10 selected problems were hunger, thirst, piling, crop impaction, blackhead, pasteurellosis, bone fractures, cannibalism, predators and red mites. A total of 154 different risk factors were suggested for these problems. The 41 risk factors which rated highest in a combined scoring of importance and occurrence were selected for further analysis. There was a high degree of consensus between experts when scoring both problems and risk factors. The level of consensus, as defined by an interquartile range 1, was 79% to 100% when scoring the health and welfare problems (scale 1-5) and 77% to 95% when scoring the risk factors (scale 1-4). On average, 5.8 control points were suggested for every risk factor. Alarm values were often not detailed enough to be of practical significance and further analysis is needed in order to define these. The experts were highly diverse in their suggested monitoring frequencies and establishment of monitoring schemes should be part of developing the farm specific systems. An expert panel analysis based on questionnaires was a useful tool during the first steps of developing a HACCP plan, conducting a hazard analysis and suggesting control

An expert system for ranking companies and investments: wood industry case

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hliadis Lazaros

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Wood industry is a very important part of both the Greek Rural and industrial sector. The discovery of the differentiation in the level of growth and in the quality of financial management between the Greek wood companies can provide very important aid in the design of an effective rural development policy. The evaluation and ranking of Greek wood companies based on actual financial data is a very complicated task and it requires expertise knowledge and skills. On the other hand a computer expert system can perform validation and evaluation in an efficient way and can substitute human experts. An expert system was designed and developed towards this direction. It uses multicriteria analysis for each one of the wood companies based on actual financial data and it applies fundamental principles of fuzzy logic in order to calculate the expected intervals of flows for the following years. .

A Study on Satellite Diagnostic Expert Systems Using Case-Based Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Young-Tack Park

1997-06-01

Full Text Available Many research works are on going to monitor and diagnose diverse malfunctions of satellite systems as the complexity and number of satellites increase. Currently, many works on monitoring and diagnosis are carried out by human experts but there are needs to automate much of the routine works of them. Hence, it is necessary to study on using expert systems which can assist human experts routine work by doing automatically, thereby allow human experts devote their expertise more critical and important areas of monitoring and diagnosis. In this paper, we are employing artificial intelligence techniques to model human experts' knowledge and inference the constructed knowledge. Especially, case-based approaches are used to construct a knowledge base to model human expert capabilities which use previous typical exemplars. We have designed and implemented a prototype case-based system for diagnosing satellite malfunctions using cases. Our system remembers typical failure cases and diagnoses a current malfunction by indexing the case base. Diverse methods are used to build a more user friendly interface which allows human experts can build a knowledge base in as easy way.

CVFA: Coal vendor financial advisor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goote, W.G.; Andersen, S.

1992-01-01

An expert system for determining coal vendor financial viability in fuel purchasing contracts at an electric utility is described. The system blends rules, data objects, and financial knowledge to provide a rational basis for accepting or rejecting coal contracts given the financial capability of the coal vendor. The discussion concludes with a critique of managerial issues in the development of the system and its use in decision making. 3 refs., 1 fig

A Web-Based Rice Plant Expert System Using Rule-Based Reasoning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anton Setiawan Honggowibowo

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Rice plants can be attacked by various kinds of diseases which are possible to be determined from their symptoms. However, it is to recognize that to find out the exact type of disease, an agricultural expert’s opinion is needed, meanwhile the numbers of agricultural experts are limited and there are too many problems to be solved at the same time. This makes a system with a capability as an expert is required. This system must contain the knowledge of the diseases and symptom of rice plants as an agricultural expert has to have. This research designs a web-based expert system using rule-based reasoning. The rule are modified from the method of forward chaining inference and backward chaining in order to to help farmers in the rice plant disease diagnosis. The web-based rice plants disease diagnosis expert system has the advantages to access and use easily. With web-based features inside, it is expected that the farmer can accesse the expert system everywhere to overcome the problem to diagnose rice diseases.

The technical qualified expert on radiation protection in Spain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marco Arboli, M.; Rodriguez Suarez, M.

2002-01-01

Education and training is considered an important tool for promoting safety culture and improving the level of competence of workers. In the different disciplines involved in Radiation Protection (PR), training programmes are being revised to ensure effective protection of individuals. In the European Union framework, the new normative and its adaptation in the Member States, as well as the past actions in each country, make the community to conclude that harmonization of educational programmes and European recognition of the qualification must be reached. An important point of these actions is the definition of the European Qualified Expert. Article 38 of the EURATOM Basic Safety Standards imposes requirements on training and education of the qualified experts and their exchange within the European Union. Since then, there has been many initiatives to seek to harmonization of the qualified expert requirements. In the Spanish education system, there has been a standard training and competent authority recognition of the high level qualified experts on radiation protection since 1986, whose programme is continuously being updating and improving. Taking into account the European actions to define the qualified expert training requirements, it has been designed an educational course for the Technical Qualified Expert on Radiation Protection. This pilot course has being carried out during May, 2002. The results of this project is shown in this paper. (Author)

Estimating unknown parameters in haemophilia using expert judgement elicitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Fischer, K; Lewandowski, D; Janssen, M P

2013-09-01

The increasing attention to healthcare costs and treatment efficiency has led to an increasing demand for quantitative data concerning patient and treatment characteristics in haemophilia. However, most of these data are difficult to obtain. The aim of this study was to use expert judgement elicitation (EJE) to estimate currently unavailable key parameters for treatment models in severe haemophilia A. Using a formal expert elicitation procedure, 19 international experts provided information on (i) natural bleeding frequency according to age and onset of bleeding, (ii) treatment of bleeds, (iii) time needed to control bleeding after starting secondary prophylaxis, (iv) dose requirements for secondary prophylaxis according to onset of bleeding, and (v) life-expectancy. For each parameter experts provided their quantitative estimates (median, P10, P90), which were combined using a graphical method. In addition, information was obtained concerning key decision parameters of haemophilia treatment. There was most agreement between experts regarding bleeding frequencies for patients treated on demand with an average onset of joint bleeding (1.7 years): median 12 joint bleeds per year (95% confidence interval 0.9-36) for patients ≤ 18, and 11 (0.8-61) for adult patients. Less agreement was observed concerning estimated effective dose for secondary prophylaxis in adults: median 2000 IU every other day The majority (63%) of experts expected that a single minor joint bleed could cause irreversible damage, and would accept up to three minor joint bleeds or one trauma related joint bleed annually on prophylaxis. Expert judgement elicitation allowed structured capturing of quantitative expert estimates. It generated novel data to be used in computer modelling, clinical care, and trial design. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The vulcain N expert fire system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roche, A.

1989-03-01

The Institute for Nuclear Safety and Protection (IPSN) has begun work on an expert system to aid in the diagnosis of fire hazards in nuclear installations. This system is called Vulcain N and is designed as a support tool for the analyses carried out by the IPSN. Vulcain N, is based on the Vulcain expert system already developed by Bertin for its own needs and incorporates the specific rules and know-how of the IPSN experts. The development of Vulcain N began in October 1986 with the drawing up of the technical specifications, and should be completed by the end of 1988. Vulcain N brings together knowledge from a number of different domains: the locations of the combustible materials, the thermal characteristics of the combustible materials and of the walls of the room, the ventilation conditions and, finally, knowledge of fire experts concerning the development of fire. The latter covers four levels of expert knowledge: standards and their associated calculations, the simplified physics of the fire enabling more precise values to be obtained for the figures given by the standards, the rules and knowledge which enables a certain number of deductions to be made concerning the development of the fire, and a numerical simulation code which can be used to monitor the variation of certain characteristic parameters with time. For a given fire out-break scenario, Vulcain N performs diagnosis of different aspects: development of fire, effect of ventilation, emergency action possibilities, propagation hazards, etc. Owing to its flexibility, it can be used in the analysis of fire hazards to simulate a number of possible scenarios and to very rapidly deduce the essential, predominant factors. It will also be used to assist in drafting emergency procedures for application in facilities with nuclear hazards

Comparison performance of split plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and hybrid electric vehicle using ADVISOR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohd Rashid Muhammad Ikram

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Electric vehicle suffers from relatively short range and long charging times and consequently has not become an acceptable solution to the automotive consumer. The addition of an internal combustion engine to extend the range of the electric vehicle is one method of exploiting the high efficiency and lack of emissions of the electric vehicle while retaining the range and convenient refuelling times of a conventional gasoline powered vehicle. The term that describes this type of vehicle is a hybrid electric vehicle. Many configurations of hybrid electric vehicles have been designed and implemented, namely the series, parallel and power-split configurations. This paper discusses the comparison between Split Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle(SPHEV and Hybrid Electric Vehicle(HEV. Modelling methods such as physics-based Resistive Companion Form technique and Bond Graph method are presented with powertrain component and system modelling examples. The modelling and simulation capability of existing tools such as ADvanced VehIcle SimulatOR (ADVISOR is demonstrated through application examples. Since power electronics is indispensable in hybrid vehicles, the issue of numerical oscillations in dynamic simulations involving power electronics is briefly addressed.

Expert auditors’ services classification

OpenAIRE

Jolanta Wisniewska

2013-01-01

The profession of an expert auditor is a public trust occupation with a distinctive feature of taking responsibility for actions in the public interest. The main responsibility of expert auditors is performing financial auditing; however, expert auditors are prepared to carry out different tasks which encompass a wide plethora of financial and auditing services for different kinds of institutions and companies. The aim of the article is first of all the description of expert auditors’ service...

Expert system for assisting the diagnostic and localisation of breakdowns on the fuel elements loading machine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merlin, J.; Pradal, B.

1990-01-01

An expert system is developed in order to minimize the time lost through breakdowns of the fuel loading device. The expert system developed by FRAMATOME uses MAINTEX software. The expert systems MACHA and SEDMAC were designed respectively for use on 1300 MWe and 900 MWe loading machines [fr

Structure design and realization of advanced nuclear reactor expert evaluation system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Bin; Zhou Zhiwei; Gu Junyang

2007-01-01

Advanced nuclear reactor expert evaluation system is the initial practice of software on nuclear power plants evaluation system. The system was developed in C++ code under the Visual Studio Net environment, and it used Model-View-Control (MVC) pattern as its basic frame. The system was used to access the advanced nuclear reactor in China. Available results illustrate that the frame of the system is feasible and effective. (authors)

Experimental evaluation of an expert system for nuclear reactor operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, W.R.

1984-10-01

The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) is supporting a program for the experimental evaluation of an expert system for nuclear reactor operators. A prototype expert system, called the Response Tree System, has been developed and implemented at INEL. The Response Tree System is designed to assess the status of a reactor system following an accident and recommend corrective actions to reactor operators. The system is implemented using color graphic displays and is driven by a computer simulation of the reactor system. Control of the system is accomplished using a transparent touch panel. Controlled experiments are being conducted to measure performance differences between operators using the Response Tree System and those not using it to respond to simulated accident situations. This paper summarizes the methodology and results of the evaluation of the Response Tree System, including the quantitative results obtained in the experiments thus far. Design features of the Response Tree System are discussed, and general conclusions regarding the applicability of expert systems in reactor control rooms are presented

Eight meeting of the ITER diagnostic expert group

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costley, A.E.; Young, K.M.

1998-01-01

The 8. Meeting of the ITER Diagnostics Expert Group which was held in San Diego, February 1998 had two main technical goals: to discuss the status and plans for developing kinetic control, and to review the current status of the design of the magnetic system

Preliminary PANSAT ground station software design and use of an expert system to analyze telemetry

Science.gov (United States)

Lawrence, Gregory W.

1994-03-01

The Petite Amateur Navy Satellite (PANSAT) is a communications satellite designed to be used by civilian amateur radio operators. A master ground station is being built at the Naval Postgraduate School. This computer system performs satellite commands, displays telemetry, trouble-shoots problems, and passes messages. The system also controls an open loop tracking antenna. This paper concentrates on the telemetry display, decoding, and interpretation through artificial intelligence (AI). The telemetry is displayed in an easily interpretable format, so that any user can understand the current health of the satellite and be cued as to any problems and possible solutions. Only the master ground station has the ability to receive all telemetry and send commands to the spacecraft; civilian ham users do not have access to this information. The telemetry data is decommutated and analyzed before it is displayed to the user, so that the raw data will not have to be interpreted by ground users. The analysis will use CLIPS imbedded in the code, and derive its inputs from telemetry decommutation. The program is an expert system using a forward chaining set of rules based on the expected operation and parameters of the satellite. By building the rules during the construction and design of the satellite, the telemetry can be well understood and interpreted after the satellite is launched and the designers may no longer be available to provide input to the problem.

Building Rapport between International Graduate Students and Their Faculty Advisors: Cross- Cultural Mentoring Relationships at the University of Guelph

Science.gov (United States)

Omar, Faiza; Mahone, James P.; Ngobia, Jane; FitzSimons, John

2016-01-01

Mentoring graduate students is very challenging, even when both the student and faculty have similar cultural values. Many international students have a different culture from that of Canadian. Their challenge is adapting to their new environment, and for their faculty advisors to understand and work well with them. This research explored the…

Validation of PV-RPM Code in the System Advisor Model.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klise, Geoffrey Taylor [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Lavrova, Olga [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Freeman, Janine [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-04-01

This paper describes efforts made by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to validate the SNL developed PV Reliability Performance Model (PV - RPM) algorithm as implemented in the NREL System Advisor Model (SAM). The PV - RPM model is a library of functions that estimates component failure and repair in a photovoltaic system over a desired simulation period. The failure and repair distributions in this paper are probabilistic representations of component failure and repair based on data collected by SNL for a PV power plant operating in Arizona. The validation effort focuses on whether the failure and repair dist ributions used in the SAM implementation result in estimated failures that match the expected failures developed in the proof - of - concept implementation. Results indicate that the SAM implementation of PV - RPM provides the same results as the proof - of - concep t implementation, indicating the algorithms were reproduced successfully.

Experience with the use of building commissioning advisor - from design to operation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Forman, Marianne

2016-01-01

The increased focus on building energy performance has intensified the need to ensure consistency between energy requirements, design, construction processes and operation in construction projects. With the introduction of the new Danish DS 3090 standard, "The commissioning process in buildings...... on ethnographic methods and theories, this paper will analyse and discuss what the use of a commissioning adviser in the design stage means for the interaction between design and operation. It may seem that "technical solutions" are made before “ongoing learning processes” in which new themes are articulated...

An expert system framework for nondestructive waste assay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, G.K.

1996-01-01

Management and disposition of transuranic (RU) waste forms necessitates determining entrained RU and associated radioactive material quantities as per National RU Waste Characterization Program requirements. Technical justification and demonstration of a given NDA method used to determine RU mass and uncertainty in accordance with program quality assurance is difficult for many waste forms. Difficulties are typically founded in waste NDA methods that employ standards compensation and/or employment of simplifying assumptions on waste form configurations. Capability to determine and justify RU mass and mass uncertainty can be enhanced through integration of waste container data/information using expert system and empirical data-driven techniques with conventional data acquisition and analysis. Presented is a preliminary expert system framework that integrates the waste form data base, alogrithmic techniques, statistical analyses, expert domain knowledge bases, and empirical artificial intelligence modules into a cohesive system. The framework design and bases in addition to module development activities are discussed

An expert system for the quantification of fault rates in construction fall accidents.

Science.gov (United States)

Talat Birgonul, M; Dikmen, Irem; Budayan, Cenk; Demirel, Tuncay

2016-01-01

Expert witness reports, prepared with the aim of quantifying fault rates among parties, play an important role in a court's final decision. However, conflicting fault rates assigned by different expert witness boards lead to iterative objections raised by the related parties. This unfavorable situation mainly originates due to the subjectivity of expert judgments and unavailability of objective information about the causes of accidents. As a solution to this shortcoming, an expert system based on a rule-based system was developed for the quantification of fault rates in construction fall accidents. The aim of developing DsSafe is decreasing the subjectivity inherent in expert witness reports. Eighty-four inspection reports prepared by the official and authorized inspectors were examined and root causes of construction fall accidents in Turkey were identified. Using this information, an evaluation form was designed and submitted to the experts. Experts were asked to evaluate the importance level of the factors that govern fall accidents and determine the fault rates under different scenarios. Based on expert judgments, a rule-based expert system was developed. The accuracy and reliability of DsSafe were tested with real data as obtained from finalized court cases. DsSafe gives satisfactory results.

78 FR 21349 - Meeting of the Board of Advisors to the Presidents of the Naval Postgraduate School and Naval War...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-10

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Navy Meeting of the Board of Advisors to the Presidents of the Naval Postgraduate School and Naval War College, Naval Postgraduate School Subcommittee AGENCY... War College report on progress to the Secretary of the Navy. The Board will meet in closed executive...

75 FR 53958 - Meeting of the Board of Advisors to the Presidents of the Naval Postgraduate School and the Naval...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-02

... the Naval Postgraduate School and the Naval War College AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD. ACTION... of Advisors (BOA) to the Presidents of the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) and the Naval War College... elicit the advice of the Board on the Naval Service's Postgraduate Education Program and the...

Expert judgments about RD&D and the future of nuclear energy.

Science.gov (United States)

Anadón, Laura D; Bosetti, Valentina; Bunn, Matthew; Catenacci, Michela; Lee, Audrey

2012-11-06

Probabilistic estimates of the cost and performance of future nuclear energy systems under different scenarios of government research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) spending were obtained from 30 U.S. and 30 European nuclear technology experts. We used a novel elicitation approach which combined individual and group elicitation. With no change from current RD&D funding levels, experts on average expected current (Gen. III/III+) designs to be somewhat more expensive in 2030 than they were in 2010, and they expected the next generation of designs (Gen. IV) to be more expensive still as of 2030. Projected costs of proposed small modular reactors (SMRs) were similar to those of Gen. IV systems. The experts almost unanimously recommended large increases in government support for nuclear RD&D (generally 2-3 times current spending). The majority expected that such RD&D would have only a modest effect on cost, but would improve performance in other areas, such as safety, waste management, and uranium resource utilization. The U.S. and E.U. experts were in relative agreement regarding how government RD&D funds should be allocated, placing particular focus on very high temperature reactors, sodium-cooled fast reactors, fuels and materials, and fuel cycle technologies.

Advisor-advisee relationship: the multiplier knowledge Relação orientador-orientando: o conhecimento multiplicador

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lydia Masako Ferreira

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The article captures the essence of the advisor-advisee relationship as the fulcrum of the graduate program, and its influence and implications in the present formation process of new researchers.O artigo resgata a essência da relação orientador-orientado como núcleo de sustentação de um programa de pós-graduação senso estrito e suas influências e implicações no processo atual de formação dos pesquisadores.

MVP-CA Methodology for the Expert System Advocate's Advisor (ESAA)

Science.gov (United States)

1997-11-01

The Multi-Viewpoint Clustering Analysis (MVP-CA) tool is a semi-automated tool to provide a valuable aid for comprehension, verification, validation, maintenance, integration, and evolution of complex knowledge-based software systems. In this report,...

Development of the Expert System Domain Advisor and Analysis Tool

Science.gov (United States)

1991-09-01

analysis. Typical of the current methods in use at this time is the " tarot metric". This method defines a decision rule whose output is whether to go...B - TAROT METRIC B. ::TTRODUCTION The system chart of ESEM, Figure 1, shows the following three risk-based decision points: i. At prolect initiation...34 decisions. B-I 201 PRELIMINARY T" B-I. Evaluais Factan for ES Deyelopsineg FACTORS POSSIBLE VALUE RATINGS TAROT metric (overall suitability) Poor, Fair

Navy Chaplains as Religious Advisors: A Combatant Commander’s Strategic Asset in Conflict, Reconstruction and Peace

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-05

attempting to foster a climate of fairness, trust, and accountability .40 As the essential advisor, the chaplain operates as the moral conscience for the...local community. In doing so, the chaplain affords the widest possible free exercise of religion in the most cost effective manner. In addition...Operations, JP 1-05 (Washington, DC: Joint Forces Staff, November 2009), i. 13 SACNAVINST 1730.10, 1. 14 Clifford Drury , The History of the

A Career Exploration Program: An Effective Alternative to the Traditional Use of Faculty Advisors.

Science.gov (United States)

Olive, Kenneth E; Kwasigroch, Thomas E; Wooten, Daniel J; Lybrand, Cynthia; Peeples, Catherine R

2016-11-01

Providing medical students with resources to make effective career choices is challenging for medical schools as career options outnumber the formal clinical rotations students can experience during their undergraduate education. In 2009, the authors introduced the Career Exploration (CE) courses into the required curriculum at the Quillen College of Medicine. This three-course sequence includes large-group sessions addressing broad issues related to career choices, small-group specialty interest groups, individual student self-assessments, assignments through which students receive individualized feedback, and individual student advising sessions. The overall objective of the course sequence is to involve all students in career planning from the beginning of medical school so as to help them make more informed career decisions. The authors used improvement in student satisfaction with career planning activities as a surrogate measure for the outcome of helping students make more informed career choices. Students evaluated the CE courses positively, and overall satisfaction scores averaged 4 (1 = poor to 5 = excellent). Scores on Association of American Medical Colleges Graduation Questionnaire items related to career planning showed improved student satisfaction from 2010 to 2015. Succession planning for the first- and second-year career advisor is vital-as is faculty development for all clinical advisors to ensure that they have current information regarding both the curriculum and Match process, especially as residency selection becomes increasingly competitive. Enhancing the role of fourth-year students who serve as CE III mentors has the potential to prepare these students to be better teachers as residents.

An expert system for a local planning environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meester, G.J.; Meester, G.J.

1993-01-01

In this paper, we discuss the design of an Expert System (ES) that supports decision making in a Local Planning System (LPS) environment. The LPS provides the link between a high level factory planning system (rough cut capacity planning and material coordination) and the actual execution of jobs on

An Expert System for On-Site Instructional Advice.

Science.gov (United States)

Martindale, Elizabeth S.; Hofmeister, Alan M.

1988-01-01

Describes Written Language Consultant, an expert system designed to help teachers teach special education students how to write business letters. Three main components of the system are described, including entry of students' test scores; analysis of teachers' uses of classroom time and management techniques; and suggestions for improving test…

The implementation of tribological principles in an expert-system (``PRECEPT``) for the selection of metallic materials, surface treatments and coatings in engineering design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Franklin, S.E. [Philips Electronics N.V., Centre for Mfg. Technology, Eindhoven (Netherlands); Dijkman, J.A. [Philips Electronics N.V., Centre for Mfg. Technology, Eindhoven (Netherlands)

1995-02-01

Many of the component failures occurring in service can be avoided or delayed by better incorporation of tribological principles into engineering design. However, the concept of tribology has not yet penetrated successfully into industry in general and there remains an urgent need for the provision of practical tribology design criteria and the transference of tribology knowledge to engineering designers. Knowledge-based computer systems offer great potential for effecting tribology knowledge transfer and promoting improved design practice. Here we report the development and implementation of eight wear design rules in an expert system for assisting the selection of metallic materials, surface treatments and coatings during the initial stages of engineering design. These rules, which are intended principally for engineering designers involved with fine mechanical constructions operating at temperatures at or close to room temperature, allow the tribological reliability of a candidate design to be assessed on the basis of the most likely wear-related problems that can arise in service. (orig.)

THE EFFECT OF MODERATE AND HIGH-INTENSITY FATIGUE ON GROUNDSTROKE ACCURACY IN EXPERT AND NON-EXPERT TENNIS PLAYERS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark Lyons

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Exploring the effects of fatigue on skilled performance in tennis presents a significant challenge to the researcher with respect to ecological validity. This study examined the effects of moderate and high-intensity fatigue on groundstroke accuracy in expert and non-expert tennis players. The research also explored whether the effects of fatigue are the same regardless of gender and player's achievement motivation characteristics. 13 expert (7 male, 6 female and 17 non-expert (13 male, 4 female tennis players participated in the study. Groundstroke accuracy was assessed using the modified Loughborough Tennis Skills Test. Fatigue was induced using the Loughborough Intermittent Tennis Test with moderate (70% and high-intensities (90% set as a percentage of peak heart rate (attained during a tennis-specific maximal hitting sprint test. Ratings of perceived exertion were used as an adjunct to the monitoring of heart rate. Achievement goal indicators for each player were assessed using the 2 x 2 Achievement Goals Questionnaire for Sport in an effort to examine if this personality characteristic provides insight into how players perform under moderate and high-intensity fatigue conditions. A series of mixed ANOVA's revealed significant fatigue effects on groundstroke accuracy regardless of expertise. The expert players however, maintained better groundstroke accuracy across all conditions compared to the novice players. Nevertheless, in both groups, performance following high-intensity fatigue deteriorated compared to performance at rest and performance while moderately fatigued. Groundstroke accuracy under moderate levels of fatigue was equivalent to that at rest. Fatigue effects were also similar regardless of gender. No fatigue by expertise, or fatigue by gender interactions were found. Fatigue effects were also equivalent regardless of player's achievement goal indicators. Future research is required to explore the effects of fatigue on

Improving energy efficiency in agriculture - Proposal for the design of advisory systems; Energieffektivisering inom jordbruket - Foerslag till utformning av raadgivningssystem

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Einarson, Elin; Hagerberg, Anna; Linder, Camilla; Sten, Roland; Vannesjoe, Binella; Holmberg, Rurik

2011-07-01

This report describes the results of a study that the Board of Agriculture has carried out after consultation with the Energy Agency. The aim is to give proposals for the design of a counseling system for improving energy efficiency in the agricultural sector. Such an advisory system should be designed as group counseling combined with a single advisors' visit on the farm. Board of Agriculture suggests that counseling is done within existing environmental counseling in the project 'Greppa Naeringen'. It is estimated that the counseling can reach 800-1500 participants during the period 2011-2013. The number of farmers that can be reached is limited by the budget available to the project but also by the number of active advisors

Fuzzy expert systems using CLIPS

Science.gov (United States)

Le, Thach C.

1994-01-01

This paper describes a CLIPS-based fuzzy expert system development environment called FCLIPS and illustrates its application to the simulated cart-pole balancing problem. FCLIPS is a straightforward extension of CLIPS without any alteration to the CLIPS internal structures. It makes use of the object-oriented and module features in CLIPS version 6.0 for the implementation of fuzzy logic concepts. Systems of varying degrees of mixed Boolean and fuzzy rules can be implemented in CLIPS. Design and implementation issues of FCLIPS will also be discussed.

A formal expert judgment procedure for performance assessments of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trauth, K.M.; Guzowski, R.V.; Hora, S.C.

1994-09-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is an experimental facility located in southeastern New Mexico. It has been designed to determine the feasibility of the geologic disposal of defense-generated transuranic waste in a deep bedded-salt formation. The WIPP was also designed for disposal and will operate in that capacity if approved. The WIPP Performance Assessment Department at Sandia National Laboratories has been conducting analyses to assess the long-term performance of the WIPP. These analyses sometimes require the use of expert judgment. This Department has convened several expert-judgment panels and from that experience has developed an internal quality-assurance procedure to guide the formal elicitation of expert judgment. This protocol is based on the principles found in the decision-analysis literature

A formal expert judgment procedure for performance assessments of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Trauth, K.M. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States); Guzowski, R.V. [Science Applications International Corp., Albuquerque, NM (United States); Hora, S.C. [Univ. of Hawaii, Hilo, HI (United States). Business Administration & Economics Div.

1994-09-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is an experimental facility located in southeastern New Mexico. It has been designed to determine the feasibility of the geologic disposal of defense-generated transuranic waste in a deep bedded-salt formation. The WIPP was also designed for disposal and will operate in that capacity if approved. The WIPP Performance Assessment Department at Sandia National Laboratories has been conducting analyses to assess the long-term performance of the WIPP. These analyses sometimes require the use of expert judgment. This Department has convened several expert-judgment panels and from that experience has developed an internal quality-assurance procedure to guide the formal elicitation of expert judgment. This protocol is based on the principles found in the decision-analysis literature.

A formal expert judgment procedure for performance assessments of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trauth, K.M.; Guzowski, R.V.; Hora, S.C.

1993-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is an experimental facility located in southeastern New Mexico. It has been designed to determine the feasibility of the geologic disposal of defense-generated transuranic waste in a deep bedded-salt formation. The WIPP was also designed for disposal and will operate in that capacity if approved. The WIPP Performance Assessment Department at Sandia National Laboratories has been conducting analyses to assess the long-term performance of the WIPP. These analyses sometimes require the use of expert judgment. This Department has convened several expert-judgment panels and from that experience has developed an internal quality-assurance procedure to guide the formal elicitation of expert judgment. This protocol is based on the principles found in the decision-analysis literature

Delegating Decisions to Experts

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Hao; Suen, Wing

2004-01-01

We present a model of delegation with self-interested and privately informed experts. A team of experts with extreme but opposite biases is acceptable to a wide range of decision makers with diverse preferences, but the value of expertise from such a team is low. A decision maker wants to appoint experts who are less partisan than he is in order…

MODELING PARADOXES IN NOVICE AND EXPERT DESIGN

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dorst, Kees; Hansen, Claus Thorp

2011-01-01

In their ICED09 paper ‘Problem formulation as a discursive activity’, the authors have used an extensive educational case study to explore a framework for describing design as a discursive activity, centered around the paradoxical nature of the problem situation. The ‘working definition’ for para......In their ICED09 paper ‘Problem formulation as a discursive activity’, the authors have used an extensive educational case study to explore a framework for describing design as a discursive activity, centered around the paradoxical nature of the problem situation. The ‘working definition...... at play in a design situation, and extract themes that can lead to reformulation of the problem as well as the creation of innovative solutions. This behaviour is compared to the ways of working of novice designers (students) in the original case study....

Experts' perspectives on the implementation of traceability in Europe

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kher, S.V.; Frewer, L.J.; Jonge, J.de; Wentholt, M.; Davies, O.H.; Luijckx, N.B.L.; Cnossen, H.J.

2010-01-01

Purpose: The research presented in this paper aims at understanding the views of European food risk management experts on food traceability implementation, implementation of the general food law, and the advantages the system can offer for effective risk mitigation. Design/methodology/approach:

An Expert System for Diagnosing Eye Diseases using Forward Chaining Method

Science.gov (United States)

Munaiseche, C. P. C.; Kaparang, D. R.; Rompas, P. T. D.

2018-02-01

Expert System is a system that seeks to adopt human knowledge to the computer, so that the computer can solve problems which are usually done by experts. The purpose of medical expert system is to support the diagnosis process of physicians. It considers facts and symptoms to provide diagnosis. This implies that a medical expert system uses knowledge about diseases and facts about the patients to suggest diagnosis. The aim of this research is to design an expert system application for diagnosing eye diseases using forward chaining method and to figure out user acceptance to this application through usability testing. Eye is selected because it is one of the five senses which is very sensitive and important. The scope of the work is extended to 16 types of eye diseases with 41 symptoms of the disease, arranged in 16 rules. The computer programming language employed was the PHP programming language and MySQL as the Relational Database Management System (RDBMS). The results obtained showed that the expert system was able to successfully diagnose eye diseases corresponding to the selected symptoms entered as query and the system evaluation through usability testing showed the expert system for diagnosis eye diseases had very good rate of usability, which includes learnability, efficiency, memorability, errors, and satisfaction so that the system can be received in the operational environment.

Development of an expert system for transportation of hazardous and radioactive materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferrada, J.J.; Michelhaugh, R.D.; Rawl, R.R.

1994-01-01

Under the sponsorship of the US Department of Energy's (DOE's) Transportation Management Division (EM-261), the Transportation Technologies Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has designed and developed an expert system prototype application of the hazardous materials transportation regulations. The objective of this task was to provide a proof-of-concept for developing a computerized expert system that will ensure straightforward, consistent, and error-free application of the hazardous materials transportation regulations. The expert system prototype entailed the analysis of what an expert in hazardous materials shipping information could/should do. From the analysis of the different features required for the expert system prototype, it was concluded that the developmental efforts should be directed to a Windows trademark 3.1 hypermedia environment. Hypermedia technology usually works as an interactive software system that gives personal computer users the ability to organize, manage, and present information in a number of formats--text, graphics, sound, and full-motion video

An exploration study to find important factors influencing on expert systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naser Azad

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Knowledge management plays an important role in modern management systems since many existing systems move towards learning organizations. Expert systems, on the other hand, are considered as the most popular techniques for adapting recent developments on knowledge management. This paper presents an empirical investigation to find important factors influencing adaptation of expert systems. The proposed study designs a questionnaire in Likert scale consists of 25 questions, distributes it among 258 people who have recently graduated from computer science and they are familiar with implementation of expert systems. Cronbach alpha is calculated as 0.730 and Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy and Approx. Chi-Square are 0.748 and 1377.397, respectively. The study has implemented principal component analysis and the results have indicated that there were four factors influencing expert systems including systems management, intelligence systems, system analysis and specialized analysis.

Counselor Expert System | Debretsion | Zede Journal

African Journals Online (AJOL)

An expert system plays an important role on alleviating primarily shortage of experts in a specific area of interest. With the help of an expert system, personnel with little expertise can solve problems that require expert knowledge. In this paper all major aspects of an expert system development have been presented.

Expert Panel Elicitation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jensen, M. [Swedish Radiation Protection Authority, Stockholm (Sweden). Dept. of Waste Management and Environmental Protection; Hora, S.C. [Univ. of Hawaii, Hilo, HI (United States)

2005-09-15

Scientists are now frequently in a situation where data cannot be easily assessed, since they may have conflicting or uncertain sources. While expert judgment reflects private choices, it is possible both reduce the personal aspect as well as in crease confidence in the judgments by using formal protocols for choice and elicitation of experts. A full-scale elicitation made on seismicity following glaciation, now in its late phase and presented here in a preliminary form, illustrates the value of the technique and some essential issues in connection with the decision to launch such a project. The results show an unusual low variation between the experts.

PEDAGOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF EXPERT TRAINING SYSTEMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oleh Shevchuk

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The articles defines the system of pedagogical principles (centering on an individual, the priority of the pedagogical approach, educational appropriateness of the use of new information technologies; the freedom of choice of the cognitive trajectory; diversity; openness and development; professional orientation; "precedent", the emotional fulfillment of the environment; the distribution of educational material which has to lie on the basis of designingeducational techniques which are based on expert training systems. The gnosiological grounds for the mentioned system of principles are provided.

What is an expert? A systems perspective on expertise

Science.gov (United States)

Caley, Michael Julian; O'Leary, Rebecca A; Fisher, Rebecca; Low-Choy, Samantha; Johnson, Sandra; Mengersen, Kerrie

2014-01-01

Expert knowledge is a valuable source of information with a wide range of research applications. Despite the recent advances in defining expert knowledge, little attention has been given to how to view expertise as a system of interacting contributory factors for quantifying an individual's expertise. We present a systems approach to expertise that accounts for many contributing factors and their inter-relationships and allows quantification of an individual's expertise. A Bayesian network (BN) was chosen for this purpose. For illustration, we focused on taxonomic expertise. The model structure was developed in consultation with taxonomists. The relative importance of the factors within the network was determined by a second set of taxonomists (supra-experts) who also provided validation of the model structure. Model performance was assessed by applying the model to hypothetical career states of taxonomists designed to incorporate known differences in career states for model testing. The resulting BN model consisted of 18 primary nodes feeding through one to three higher-order nodes before converging on the target node (Taxonomic Expert). There was strong consistency among node weights provided by the supra-experts for some nodes, but not others. The higher-order nodes, “Quality of work” and “Total productivity”, had the greatest weights. Sensitivity analysis indicated that although some factors had stronger influence in the outer nodes of the network, there was relatively equal influence of the factors leading directly into the target node. Despite the differences in the node weights provided by our supra-experts, there was good agreement among assessments of our hypothetical experts that accurately reflected differences we had specified. This systems approach provides a way of assessing the overall level of expertise of individuals, accounting for multiple contributory factors, and their interactions. Our approach is adaptable to other situations where it

Parabolic Trough Reference Plant for Cost Modeling with the Solar Advisor Model (SAM)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Turchi, C.

2010-07-01

This report describes a component-based cost model developed for parabolic trough solar power plants. The cost model was developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), assisted by WorleyParsons Group Inc., for use with NREL's Solar Advisor Model (SAM). This report includes an overview and explanation of the model, two summary contract reports from WorleyParsons, and an Excel spreadsheet for use with SAM. The cost study uses a reference plant with a 100-MWe capacity and six hours of thermal energy storage. Wet-cooling and dry-cooling configurations are considered. The spreadsheet includes capital and operating cost by component to allow users to estimate the impact of changes in component costs.

Sleep-spindle detection: crowdsourcing and evaluating performance of experts, non-experts and automated methods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Warby, Simon C.; Wendt, Sabrina Lyngbye; Welinder, Peter

2014-01-01

to crowdsource spindle identification by human experts and non-experts, and we compared their performance with that of automated detection algorithms in data from middle- to older-aged subjects from the general population. We also refined methods for forming group consensus and evaluating the performance...... of event detectors in physiological data such as electroencephalographic recordings from polysomnography. Compared to the expert group consensus gold standard, the highest performance was by individual experts and the non-expert group consensus, followed by automated spindle detectors. This analysis showed...... that crowdsourcing the scoring of sleep data is an efficient method to collect large data sets, even for difficult tasks such as spindle identification. Further refinements to spindle detection algorithms are needed for middle- to older-aged subjects....

System control module diagnostic Expert Assistant

Science.gov (United States)

Flores, Luis M.; Hansen, Roger F.

1990-01-01

The Orbiter EXperiments (OEX) Program was established by NASA's Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST) to accomplish the precise data collection necessary to support a complete and accurate assessment of Space Transportation System (STS) Orbiter performance during all phases of a mission. During a mission, data generated by the various experiments are conveyed to the OEX System Control Module (SCM) which arranges for and monitors storage of the data on the OEX tape recorder. The SCM Diagnostic Expert Assistant (DEA) is an expert system which provides on demand advice to technicians performing repairs of a malfunctioning SCM. The DEA is a self-contained, data-driven knowledge-based system written in the 'C' Language Production System (CLIPS) for a portable micro-computer of the IBM PC/XT class. The DEA reasons about SCM hardware faults at multiple levels; the most detailed layer of encoded knowledge of the SCM is a representation of individual components and layouts of the custom-designed component boards.

Surgical experts: born or made?

Science.gov (United States)

Sadideen, Hazim; Alvand, Abtin; Saadeddin, Munir; Kneebone, Roger

2013-01-01

The concept of surgical expertise and the processes involved in its development are topical, and there is a constant drive to identify reliable measures of expert performance in surgery. This review explores the notion of whether surgical experts are "born" or "made", with reference to educational theory and pertinent literature. Peer-reviewed publications, books, and online resources on surgical education, expertise and training were reviewed. Important themes and aspects of expertise acquisition were identified in order to better understand the concept of a surgical expert. The definition of surgical expertise and several important aspects of its development are highlighted. Innate talent plays an important role, but is insufficient on its own to produce a surgical expert. Multiple theories that explore motor skill acquisition and memory are relevant, and Ericsson's theory of the development of competence followed by deliberate self-practice has been especially influential. Psychomotor and non-technical skills are necessary for progression in the current climate in light of our training curricula; surgical experts are adaptive experts who excel in these. The literature suggests that surgical expertise is reached through practice; surgical experts are made, not born. A deeper understanding of the nature of expert performance and its development will ensure that surgical education training programmes are of the highest possible quality. Surgical educators should aim to develop an expertise-based approach, with expert performance as the benchmark. Copyright © 2013 Surgical Associates Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Integral Manifold in System Design with Application to Flexible Link Robot Control

Science.gov (United States)

1988-06-01

environment. I am very grateful to my advisor . Professor Kokotovic. whose insight and guidance in my research work led me to the beginning of my...MANIFOLD IN SVSTEM DESIGN WITH RPLICATION TT 2Z2 FLEXIBLE LINK ROBO (U) ILLINOIS UNIV AT URBANA DECISION AND CONTROL LAB H C TSENG JUN 98

Law for nuclear experts only

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wagner, H [Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe G.m.b.H. (Germany, F.R.)

1980-02-01

The Federal Ministry of the Interior is preparing an ordinance on expert consultants under the Atomic Energy Act which, among other topics, is to include legal norms for the criteria to be met by experts in terms of non-partisanship, training, capabilities, technical equipment and cooperation in expert organizations of members of various scientific and technical disciplines. A summary of general criteria relating to the qualification, selection and status of experts called in by the legislative and executive branches and by courts of law, which could be organized as a series of guidelines without any original qualities of legal norms, could be recommended in view of the increasing quantitative and qualitative importance of experts. However, passing an ordinance merely fixing and putting into concrete terms the image of an 'expert under the Atomic Energy Act' is intolerable, because the status of scientific and technical experts by far extends beyond the field of nuclear law in our industrial society characterized by a far reaching division of labor. Weak points in the organization of expert services are not confined to technology or nuclear power. Separate rules establishing legal norms are not convincing also for reasons of technology policy and legal policy as well as for those of social psychology and practice.

Expert knowledge maps for knowledge management: a case study in Traditional Chinese Medicine research.

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Meng; Yang, Shuo; Yu, Tong; Yang, Ce; Gao, Yonghong; Zhu, Haiyan

2013-10-01

To design a model to capture information on the state and trends of knowledge creation, at both an individual and an organizational level, in order to enhance knowledge management. We designed a graph-theoretic knowledge model, the expert knowledge map (EKM), based on literature-based annotation. A case study in the domain of Traditional Chinese Medicine research was used to illustrate the usefulness of the model. The EKM successfully captured various aspects of knowledge and enhanced knowledge management within the case-study organization through the provision of knowledge graphs, expert graphs, and expert-knowledge biography. Our model could help to reveal the hot topics, trends, and products of the research done by an organization. It can potentially be used to facilitate knowledge learning, sharing and decision-making among researchers, academicians, students, and administrators of organizations.

Expert Systems for the Analytical Laboratory.

Science.gov (United States)

de Monchy, Allan R.; And Others

1988-01-01

Discusses two computer problem solving programs: rule-based expert systems and decision analysis expert systems. Explores the application of expert systems to automated chemical analyses. Presents six factors to consider before using expert systems. (MVL)

Integrating Evidence From Systematic Reviews, Qualitative Research, and Expert Knowledge Using Co-Design Techniques to Develop a Web-Based Intervention for People in the Retirement Transition.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Brien, Nicola; Heaven, Ben; Teal, Gemma; Evans, Elizabeth H; Cleland, Claire; Moffatt, Suzanne; Sniehotta, Falko F; White, Martin; Mathers, John C; Moynihan, Paula

2016-08-03

Integrating stakeholder involvement in complex health intervention design maximizes acceptability and potential effectiveness. However, there is little methodological guidance about how to integrate evidence systematically from various sources in this process. Scientific evidence derived from different approaches can be difficult to integrate and the problem is compounded when attempting to include diverse, subjective input from stakeholders. The intent of the study was to describe and appraise a systematic, sequential approach to integrate scientific evidence, expert knowledge and experience, and stakeholder involvement in the co-design and development of a complex health intervention. The development of a Web-based lifestyle intervention for people in retirement is used as an example. Evidence from three systematic reviews, qualitative research findings, and expert knowledge was compiled to produce evidence statements (stage 1). Face validity of these statements was assessed by key stakeholders in a co-design workshop resulting in a set of intervention principles (stage 2). These principles were assessed for face validity in a second workshop, resulting in core intervention concepts and hand-drawn prototypes (stage 3). The outputs from stages 1-3 were translated into a design brief and specification (stage 4), which guided the building of a functioning prototype, Web-based intervention (stage 5). This prototype was de-risked resulting in an optimized functioning prototype (stage 6), which was subject to iterative testing and optimization (stage 7), prior to formal pilot evaluation. The evidence statements (stage 1) highlighted the effectiveness of physical activity, dietary and social role interventions in retirement; the idiosyncratic nature of retirement and well-being; the value of using specific behavior change techniques including those derived from the Health Action Process Approach; and the need for signposting to local resources. The intervention

Multicriterial Methods used in Expert Systems for Business Decision Making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cornelia MUNTEAN

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Many organizations are in front of most competitive economic environments, where, in order to survive, they must reduce costs all the time and adopt the most intelligent business strategies. In most decision making activities the manager has to decide which variant is the most advantageous, taking into account a multitude of criterions. Expert systems use the expert's knowledge and problem solving skills in a particular subject area throughout an organization, and can propose the optimal variant to be chosen. In this paper we have outlined the role of multicriterial methods in programming expert systems to decide in favor of the most eligible variant between a multitude of possibilities. We also made a case study and designed the prototype of an expert system for choosing the most profitable offer among many, in the prenegotiation stage, for a company, in order to organize the negotiation processes accor-dingly. In this respect, we tried to highlight the usefulness of multicriterial mathematical me-thods in three negotiation processes of a Romanian negotiation team with foreign negotiation teams for the acquisition of an equipment.

Expert systems for the transportation of hazardous and radioactive materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luce, C.E.; Clover, J.C.; Ferrada, J.J.

1994-01-01

Under the supervision of the Transportation Technologies Group which is in the Chemical Technology Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, an expert system prototype for the transportation and packaging of hazardous and radioactive materials has been designed and developed. The development of the expert system prototype focused on using the combination of hypermedia elements and the Visual Basic trademark programming language. Hypermedia technology uses software that allows the user to interact with the computing environment through many formats: text, graphics, audio, and full-motion video. With the use of hypermedia, a user-friendly prototype has been developed to sort through numerous transportation regulations, thereby leading to the proper packaging for the materials. The expert system performs the analysis of regulations that an expert in shipping information would do; only the expert system performs the work more quickly. Currently, enhancements in a variety of categories are being made to the prototype. These include further expansion of non-radioactive materials, which includes any material that is hazardous but not radioactive; and the addition of full-motion video, which will depict regulations in terms that are easy to understand and which will show examples of how to handle the materials when packaging them

Advocates or cartographers? Scientific advisors and the narratives of German energy transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leipprand, Anna; Flachsland, Christian; Pahle, Michael

2017-01-01

Political debate on energy in Germany has been shaped by two historically opposed discourses, one pushing for a transition to renewables, the other holding on to the status quo. Scientific policy advice (SPA) has been involved in their evolution from the beginning. This paper draws on the Advocacy Coalition Framework and on discourse and narrative theory to study the role of SPA in recent German energy policy. We explore 1) whether scientific advisors have been members of advocacy coalitions, and 2) how their contributions may have interacted with the evolution of the discourses and major narratives. We perform a qualitative text analysis of 50 SPA reports published between 2000 and 2015. We find that the majority of studies clearly take sides in the debate, and that in most cases the reports’ positions are fully transparent. Despite the polarization, SPA provides differentiated information on key aspects of the discourses, and alternative design options for policy instruments. We conclude that SPA contributions have improved the conditions for political consensus and compromise. Collectively, SPA studies provide a basis for mapping different policy pathways and their consequences. In the future, SPA should address additional critical issues such as coal phase-out and international leadership. - Highlights: • We explore the role of scientific policy advice in Germany's energy transition. • There is widespread, mostly transparent advocacy in scientific advisory reports. • We conclude that scientific policy advice has facilitated dialogue and compromise. • We discuss implications for future advisory activity and further improvements.

A Formal Definition for Expert Systems used in Real-time Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vasile MAZILESCU

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The present paper is situated on the grounds of research in the field of symbolic Artificial Intelligence systems, applied to the new Knowledge Management Systems. The basic feature of these systems is represented by the processing of the fuzzy knowledge involved in the synthesis of some decisions. The work reported in this paper serves to promote an Intelligent System that can operate in dynamic and uncertain environments based on a formal definition of an expert system. We can develop and justify thus a series of modelling and design techniques for Intelligent Knowledge Management Systems (IKMS, as well as methods for the analysis of expert systems performance, and, of a fuzzy expert system in particular, between which there are strong similarities. We will also outline a number of differences between conventional problem solving systems and IKMS, the links between expert systems and those of structural and functional planning, the analogy between the model of the problem or business process and the problem domain.

Expert system for minimising the cost of logistic processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bohumil Hlavenka

2002-01-01

Full Text Available This paper demonstrates how to use the theory of causal position in practice for evaluation, systematic design, mechanization and automation in logistic processes namely in manipulation with material. For a broader usage of this complicated theory we started designing an expert system „KAUZA – X“, which will be easy to operate even for non expert. The theoretical bases of a system are: the systems approach (Logistic system is made up of a set of elements and relationships. and the theory of cauzal position (The cause of the motion of an object lies in the types of its position and in the relationships between them. The properties of the object and its utilization result in individual positions, which form a continual chain in space and are technically and organizationally interrelated. For each of many linkages, there is a process of searching for the rationality of technical – economic optimums.

Fuzzy expert systems models for operations research and management science

Science.gov (United States)

Turksen, I. B.

1993-12-01

Fuzzy expert systems can be developed for the effective use of management within the domains of concern associated with Operations Research and Management Science. These models are designed with: (1) expressive powers of representation embedded in linguistic variables and their linguistic values in natural language expressions, and (2) improved methods of interference based on fuzzy logic which is a generalization of multi-valued logic with fuzzy quantifiers. The results of these fuzzy expert system models are either (1) approximately good in comparison with their classical counterparts, or (2) much better than their counterparts. Moreover, for fuzzy expert systems models, it is only necessary to obtain ordinal scale data. Whereas for their classical counterparts, it is generally required that data be at least on ratio and absolute scale in order to guarantee the additivity and multiplicativity assumptions.

Experts in science and society

CERN Document Server

Gigerenzer, Gerd

2004-01-01

In today's complex world, we have come to rely increasingly on those who have expertise in specific areas and can bring their knowledge to bear on crucial social, political and scientific questions. Taking the viewpoint that experts are consulted when there is something important at stake for an individual, a group, or society at large, Experts in Science and Society explores expertise as a relational concept. How do experts balance their commitment to science with that to society? How does a society actually determine that a person has expertise? What personal traits are valued in an expert? From where does the expert derive authority? What makes new forms of expertise emerge? These and related questions are addressed from a wide range of areas in order to be inclusive, as well as to demonstrate similarities across areas. Likewise, in order to be culturally comparative, this volume includes examples and discussions of experts in different countries and even in different time periods. The topics include the r...

Expert system in PNC, 5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tobita, Yoshimasa; Yamaguchi, Takashi; Matsumoto, Mitsuo; Ono, Kiyoshi.

1990-01-01

The computer code system which can evaluate the mass balance and cycle cost in nuclear fuel cycle has been developing a PNC using an artificial intelligence technique. This system is composed of the expert system, data base and analysis codes. The expert system is the most important one in the system and the content of the expert system is explained in this paper. The expert system has the three functions. The first is the function of understanding the meaning of user's questions by natural language, the second is the function of selecting the best way to solve the problem given by the user using the knowledge which is already installed in the system, and the last is the function of answering the questions. The knowledge of the experts installed in the expert system is represented by the frame-type rules. Therefore, the knowledge will be simply added to the system, and consequently the system will be easily extended. (author)

Video modeling by experts with video feedback to enhance gymnastics skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Boyer, Eva; Miltenberger, Raymond G; Batsche, Catherine; Fogel, Victoria

2009-01-01

The effects of combining video modeling by experts with video feedback were analyzed with 4 female competitive gymnasts (7 to 10 years old) in a multiple baseline design across behaviors. During the intervention, after the gymnast performed a specific gymnastics skill, she viewed a video segment showing an expert gymnast performing the same skill and then viewed a video replay of her own performance of the skill. The results showed that all gymnasts demonstrated improved performance across three gymnastics skills following exposure to the intervention.

Experts on public trial

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blok, Anders

2007-01-01

a case study of the May 2003 Danish consensus conference on environmental economics as a policy tool, the article reflects on the politics of expert authority permeating practices of public participation. Adopting concepts from the sociology of scientific knowledge (SSK), the conference is seen......-than-successful defense in the citizen perspective. Further, consensus conferences are viewed alternatively as "expert dissent conferences," serving to disclose a multiplicity of expert commitments. From this perspective, some challenges for democratizing expertise through future exercises in public participation...

The life, times, and health care of Harry L Hopkins: Presidential advisor and perpetual patient.

Science.gov (United States)

Pappas, Theodore N; Swanson, Sven

2018-02-01

Harry Hopkins was the most important nontitled allied leader in World War II. He was the advisor to President Roosevelt who managed the diplomacy between Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin from 1941 to 1946. Throughout these times, Hopkins was ill and required transfusions, admissions to the hospital, and nutritional supplementation to keep him well enough to travel the world and manage the allied war diplomacy. There has been no unifying theory to account for all his symptoms and his reported pathologic and autopsy findings. In this paper, we will review his political and medical history and a differential diagnosis of his illness.

75 FR 63732 - Requirements for Derivatives Clearing Organizations, Designated Contract Markets, and Swap...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-18

...'Regan, Attorney-Advisor, DCIO, at 202-418-5984 or [email protected] ; Cody Alvarez, Attorney-Advisor, DMO... Alicia Lewis, Attorney-Advisor, DCIO, at 202-418-5862 or [email protected] ; in each case, also at the... nominating committee and one or more disciplinary panels. Each DCO must have a risk management committee and...

CLIPS/Ada: An Ada-based tool for building expert systems

Science.gov (United States)

White, W. A.

1990-01-01

Clips/Ada is a production system language and a development environment. It is functionally equivalent to the CLIPS tool. CLIPS/Ada was developed in order to provide a means of incorporating expert system technology into projects where the use of the Ada language had been mandated. A secondary purpose was to glean information about the Ada language and its compilers. Specifically, whether or not the language and compilers were mature enough to support AI applications. The CLIPS/Ada tool is coded entirely in Ada and is designed to be used by Ada systems that require expert reasoning.

YUCSA: A CLIPS expert database system to monitor academic performance

Science.gov (United States)

Toptsis, Anestis A.; Ho, Frankie; Leindekar, Milton; Foon, Debra Low; Carbonaro, Mike

1991-01-01

The York University CLIPS Student Administrator (YUCSA), an expert database system implemented in C Language Integrated Processing System (CLIPS), for monitoring the academic performance of undergraduate students at York University, is discussed. The expert system component in the system has already been implemented for two major departments, and it is under testing and enhancement for more departments. Also, more elaborate user interfaces are under development. We describe the design and implementation of the system, problems encountered, and immediate future plans. The system has excellent maintainability and it is very efficient, taking less than one minute to complete an assessment of one student.

Gifts to the Future: Design Reasoning, Design Research, and Critical Design Practitioners

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janet McDonnell

Full Text Available Set in the context of a particular orthodoxy about the history of design research over the last 50 years, this opinion piece selectively surveys some of the significant findings from research into what expert design reasoning entails. Using the conceit of a pool of knowledge—which has come about from many different design research agendas, using multiple methods, and with differing foci of attention—it indicates some of what we know about design reasoning as a phenomenon by taking three “scoops” from the pool. These scoops, respectively characterize design reasoning as navigating the swamp; having negative capability; and being concerned with framing. This material is then used to contrast expert design reasoning with salient features of some popular characterizations of design thinking. The contribution concludes with some comments on designer formation, centered on the necessity of proficiency in reflection implied by any goal to nurture critical design practitioners.

Reflection group on 'Expert Culture'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eggermont, G.

2000-01-01

As part of SCK-CEN's social sciences and humanities programme, a reflection group on 'Expert Culture' was established. The objectives of the reflection group are: (1) to clarify the role of SCK-CEN experts; (2) to clarify the new role of expertise in the evolving context of risk society; (3) to confront external views and internal SCK-CEN experiences on expert culture; (4) to improve trust building of experts and credibility of SCK-CEN as a nuclear actor in society; (5) to develop a draft for a deontological code; (6) to integrate the approach in training on assertivity and communication; (7) to create an output for a topical day on the subject of expert culture. The programme, achievements and perspectives of the refection group are summarised

PSG-EXPERT. An expert system for the diagnosis of sleep disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Fred, A; Filipe, J; Partinen, M; Paiva, T

2000-01-01

This paper describes PSG-EXPERT, an expert system in the domain of sleep disorders exploring polysomnographic data. The developed software tool is addressed from two points of view: (1)--as an integrated environment for the development of diagnosis-oriented expert systems; (2)--as an auxiliary diagnosis tool in the particular domain of sleep disorders. Developed over a Windows platform, this software tool extends one of the most popular shells--CLIPS (C Language Integrated Production System) with the following features: backward chaining engine; graph-based explanation facilities; knowledge editor including a fuzzy fact editor and a rules editor, with facts-rules integrity checking; belief revision mechanism; built-in case generator and validation module. It therefore provides graphical support for knowledge acquisition, edition, explanation and validation. From an application domain point of view, PSG-Expert is an auxiliary diagnosis system for sleep disorders based on polysomnographic data, that aims at assisting the medical expert in his diagnosis task by providing automatic analysis of polysomnographic data, summarising the results of this analysis in terms of a report of major findings and possible diagnosis consistent with the polysomnographic data. Sleep disorders classification follows the International Classification of Sleep Disorders. Major features of the system include: browsing on patients data records; structured navigation on Sleep Disorders descriptions according to ASDA definitions; internet links to related pages; diagnosis consistent with polysomnographic data; graphical user-interface including graph-based explanatory facilities; uncertainty modelling and belief revision; production of reports; connection to remote databases.

Expert Systems: An Overview for Teacher-Librarians.

Science.gov (United States)

Orwig, Gary; Barron, Ann

1992-01-01

Provides an overview of expert systems for teacher librarians. Highlights include artificial intelligence and expert systems; the development of the MYCIN medical expert system; rule-based expert systems; the use of expert system shells to develop a specific system; and how to select an appropriate application for an expert system. (11 references)…