Web-Based Spatial Training Using Handheld Touch Screen Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Martin-Dorta, Norena; Saorin, Jose Luis; Contero, Manuel

2011-01-01

This paper attempts to harness the opportunities for mobility and the new user interfaces that handheld touch screen devices offer, in a non-formal learning context, with a view to developing spatial ability. This research has addressed two objectives: first, analyzing the effects that training can have on spatial visualisation using the…

Touchfree medical interfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Rossol, Nathaniel; Cheng, Irene; Rui Shen; Basu, Anup

2014-01-01

Real-time control of visual display systems via mid-air hand gestures offers many advantages over traditional interaction modalities. In medicine, for example, it allows a practitioner to adjust display values, e.g. contrast or zoom, on a medical visualization interface without the need to re-sterilize the interface. However, when users are holding a small tool (such as a pen, surgical needle, or computer stylus) the need to constantly put the tool down in order to make hand gesture interactions is not ideal. This work presents a novel interface that automatically adjusts for gesturing with hands and hand-held tools to precisely control medical displays. The novelty of our interface is that it uses a single set of gestures designed to be equally effective for fingers and hand-held tools without using markers. This type of interface was previously not feasible with low-resolution depth sensors such as Kinect, but is now achieved by using the recently released Leap Motion controller. Our interface is validated through a user study on a group of people given the task of adjusting parameters on a medical image.

Attempt on construction of human friendly man-machine interface. Study and apply about human communication; Human friendly na man machine interface kochiku no kokoromi. Ningen no communication no kento to sono oyo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tatsuno, J. [Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo (Japan); Kokubo, Y.; Matsumura, I.; Kobayashi, H. [Hosei University, Tokyo (Japan)

1998-04-01

This paper describes an attempt on a construction way of human friendly man-machine interface. At first, we do a simple experiment to find out the characteristic of human verbal communication. From the experimental results, we get some rules in case in human verbal communication. We construct the man-machine interface which is based on these rules. Through teaching process, we examine our verbal communication interface comparing with conventional interfaces. From this comparison, we recognize that the verbal communication interface is valid to construct the user-friendly man-machine interface. 12 refs., 9 figs., 2 tabs.

A handheld support system to facilitate stereological measurements and mapping of branching structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gardi, J.E.; Wulfsohn, Dvora-Laiô; Nyengaard, J.R.

2007-01-01

specifications, software and Graphical User Interface (GUI) development, functionality and application of the handheld system using four examples: (1) sampling monkey lung bronchioles for estimation of diameter and wall thickness (2) sampling rat kidney for estimating number of arteries and arterioles......‘BranchSampler' is a system for computer-assisted manual stereology written for handheld devices running Windows CE. The system has been designed specifically to streamline data collection and optimize sampling of tree-like branching structures, with particular aims of reducing user errors, saving...

TMS communications software. Volume 1: Computer interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, J. S.; Lenker, M. D.

1979-01-01

A prototype bus communications system, which is being used to support the Trend Monitoring System (TMS) as well as for evaluation of the bus concept is considered. Hardware and software interfaces to the MODCOMP and NOVA minicomputers are included. The system software required to drive the interfaces in each TMS computer is described. Documentation of other software for bus statistics monitoring and for transferring files across the bus is also included.

Hand Motion-Based Remote Control Interface with Vibrotactile Feedback for Home Robots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Wu

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the design and implementation of a hand-held interface system for the locomotion control of home robots. A handheld controller is proposed to implement hand motion recognition and hand motion-based robot control. The handheld controller can provide a ‘connect-and-play’ service for the users to control the home robot with visual and vibrotactile feedback. Six natural hand gestures are defined for navigating the home robots. A three-axis accelerometer is used to detect the hand motions of the user. The recorded acceleration data are analysed and classified to corresponding control commands according to their characteristic curves. A vibration motor is used to provide vibrotactile feedback to the user when an improper operation is performed. The performances of the proposed hand motion-based interface and the traditional keyboard and mouse interface have been compared in robot navigation experiments. The experimental results of home robot navigation show that the success rate of the handheld controller is 13.33% higher than the PC based controller. The precision of the handheld controller is 15.4% more than that of the PC and the execution time is 24.7% less than the PC based controller. This means that the proposed hand motion-based interface is more efficient and flexible.

Handheld juggernaut.

Science.gov (United States)

Hagland, Mark

2010-08-01

Not only are hospital, health system, and medical group ClOs and clinical informaticists deploying handheld mobile devices across their enterprises as clinical computing tools; clinicians, especially physicians, are increasingly bringing their own BlackBerrys, iPhones, iPads, Android devices, and other handhelds, into patient care organizations for their personal clinical use. Not surprisingly, the challenges--as well as the opportunities--are multilayered and complex, and include the strategic planning, infrastructure, clinician preference, clinician workflow, and security issues involved in the emerging mobile handheld revolution. The diversity of approaches among ClOs and other healthcare IT leaders on such issues is striking, and underscores the need for flexibility and nimbleness going forward.

INMARSAT's personal communicator system

Science.gov (United States)

Hart, Nick; Haugli, Hans-C.; Poskett, Peter; Smith, K.

Inmarsat has been providing near global mobile satellite communications since 1982 and Inmarsat terminals are currently being used in more than 130 countries. The terminals have been reduced in size and cost over the years and new technology has enabled the recent introduction of briefcase sized personal telephony terminals (Inmarsat-M). This trend continues and we are likely to see Inmarsat handheld terminals by the end of the decade. These terminals are called Inmarsat-P and this paper focuses on the various elements required to support a high quality service to handheld terminals. The main system elements are: the handheld terminals; the space segment with the associated orbits; and the gateways to terrestrial networks. It is both likely and desirable that personal handheld satellite communications will be offered by more than one system provider and this competition will ensure strong emphasis on service quality and cost of ownership. The handheld terminals also have to be attractive to a large number of potential users, and this means that the terminals must be small enough to fit in a pocket. Battery lifetime is another important consideration, and this coupled with radiation safety requirements limits the maximum radiated EIRP. The terminal G/T is mainly constrained by the gain of the omnidirectional antenna and the noise figure of the RF front end (including input losses). Inmarsat has examined, with the support of industry, a number of Geosynchronous (GSO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite options for the provision of a handheld mobile satellite service. This paper describes the key satellite and orbit parameters and tradeoffs which affect the overall quality of service and the space segment costing. The paper also stresses not only the importance of using and sharing the available mobile frequency band allocations efficiently, but also the key considerations affecting the choice of feeder link bands. The design of the gateways

Communications interface for plant monitoring system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, K.L.; Morgan, F.A.

1988-01-01

This paper presents the communications interface for an intelligent color graphic system which PSE and G developed as part of a plant monitoring system. The intelligent graphic system is designed to off-load traditional host functions such as dynamic graphic updates, keyboard handling and alarm display. The distributed system's data and synchronization problems and their solutions are discussed

Electronic prescribing: criteria for evaluating handheld prescribing systems and an evaluation of a new, handheld, wireless wide area network (WWAN) prescribing system.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldblum, O M

2001-02-01

establish comprehensive criteria for evaluating handheld prescribing systems and to evaluate the performance and features of a handheld, electronic prescribing system. The results demonstrated that the evaluated system: 1) was simple to install; 2) successfully interfaced with a commonly used practice management system; 3) was user-friendly and easy to operate; 4) offered a robust variety of standard features; and, 5) resulted in a high rate of success for transmitting electronic prescriptions. The criteria established for the evaluation of features of an electronic prescribing system can be used to critically evaluate the performance and features of other handheld and personal computer-based electronic prescribing systems.

Visual communication interface for severe physically disabled patients

Science.gov (United States)

Savino, M. J.; Fernández, E. A.

2007-11-01

During the last years several interfaces have been developed to allow communication to those patients suffering serious physical disabilities. In this work, a computer based communication interface is presented. It was designed to allow communication to those patients that cannot use neither their hands nor their voice but they can do it through their eyes. The system monitors the eyes movements by means of a webcam. Then, by means of an Artificial Neural Network, the system allows the identification of specified position on the screen through the identification of the eyes positions. This way the user can control a virtual keyboard on a screen that allows him to write and browse the system and enables him to send e-mails, SMS, activate video/music programs and control environmental devices. A patient was simulated to evaluate the versatility of the system. Its operation was satisfactory and it allowed the evaluation of the system potential. The development of this system requires low cost elements that are easily found in the market.

Visual communication interface for severe physically disabled patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Savino, M J; Fernandez, E A

2007-01-01

During the last years several interfaces have been developed to allow communication to those patients suffering serious physical disabilities. In this work, a computer based communication interface is presented. It was designed to allow communication to those patients that cannot use neither their hands nor their voice but they can do it through their eyes. The system monitors the eyes movements by means of a webcam. Then, by means of an Artificial Neural Network, the system allows the identification of specified position on the screen through the identification of the eyes positions. This way the user can control a virtual keyboard on a screen that allows him to write and browse the system and enables him to send e-mails, SMS, activate video/music programs and control environmental devices. A patient was simulated to evaluate the versatility of the system. Its operation was satisfactory and it allowed the evaluation of the system potential. The development of this system requires low cost elements that are easily found in the market

Visual communication interface for severe physically disabled patients

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Savino, M J [Fac. de Ingenieria, Universidad Catolica de Cordoba, Camino a Alta Gracia km. 10 (5000) Cordoba, Cordoba (Argentina); Fernandez, E A [Fac. de Ingenieria, Universidad Catolica de Cordoba, Camino a Alta Gracia km. 10 (5000) Cordoba, Cordoba (Argentina)

2007-11-15

During the last years several interfaces have been developed to allow communication to those patients suffering serious physical disabilities. In this work, a computer based communication interface is presented. It was designed to allow communication to those patients that cannot use neither their hands nor their voice but they can do it through their eyes. The system monitors the eyes movements by means of a webcam. Then, by means of an Artificial Neural Network, the system allows the identification of specified position on the screen through the identification of the eyes positions. This way the user can control a virtual keyboard on a screen that allows him to write and browse the system and enables him to send e-mails, SMS, activate video/music programs and control environmental devices. A patient was simulated to evaluate the versatility of the system. Its operation was satisfactory and it allowed the evaluation of the system potential. The development of this system requires low cost elements that are easily found in the market.

Connections that Count: Brain-Computer Interface Enables the Profoundly Paralyzed to Communicate

Science.gov (United States)

... Home Current Issue Past Issues Connections that Count: Brain-Computer Interface Enables the Profoundly Paralyzed to Communicate Past Issues / ... of this page please turn Javascript on. A brain-computer interface (BCI) system This brain-computer interface (BCI) system ...

Development of dual sensor hand-held detector

Science.gov (United States)

Sezgin, Mehmet

2010-04-01

In this paper hand-held dual sensor detector development requirements are considered dedicated to buried object detection. Design characteristics of such a system are categorized and listed. Hardware and software structures, ergonomics, user interface, environmental and EMC/EMI tests to be applied and performance test issues are studied. Main properties of the developed system (SEZER) are presented, which contains Metal Detector (MD) and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). The realized system has ergonomic structure and can detect both metallic and non-metallic buried objects. Moreover classification of target is possible if it was defined to the signal processing software in learning phase.

EOG-sEMG Human Interface for Communication.

Science.gov (United States)

Tamura, Hiroki; Yan, Mingmin; Sakurai, Keiko; Tanno, Koichi

2016-01-01

The aim of this study is to present electrooculogram (EOG) and surface electromyogram (sEMG) signals that can be used as a human-computer interface. Establishing an efficient alternative channel for communication without overt speech and hand movements is important for increasing the quality of life for patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, or other illnesses. In this paper, we propose an EOG-sEMG human-computer interface system for communication using both cross-channels and parallel lines channels on the face with the same electrodes. This system could record EOG and sEMG signals as "dual-modality" for pattern recognition simultaneously. Although as much as 4 patterns could be recognized, dealing with the state of the patients, we only choose two classes (left and right motion) of EOG and two classes (left blink and right blink) of sEMG which are easily to be realized for simulation and monitoring task. From the simulation results, our system achieved four-pattern classification with an accuracy of 95.1%.

Enhanced operator interface for hand-held landmine detector

Science.gov (United States)

Herman, Herman; McMahill, Jeffrey D.; Kantor, George

2001-10-01

As landmines get harder to detect, the complexity of landmine detectors has also been increasing. To increase the probability of detection and decrease the false alarm rate of low metallic landmines, many detectors employ multiple sensing modalities, which include radar and metal detector. Unfortunately, the operator interface for these new detectors stays pretty much the same as for the older detectors. Although the amount of information that the new detectors acquire has increased significantly, the interface has been limited to a simple audio interface. We are currently developing a hybrid audiovisual interface for enhancing the overall performance of the detector. The hybrid audiovisual interface combines the simplicity of the audio output with the rich spatial content of the video display. It is designed to optimally present the output of the detector and also to give the proper feedback to the operator. Instead of presenting all the data to the operator simultaneously, the interface allows the operator to access the information as needed. This capability is critical to avoid information overload, which can significantly reduce the performance of the operator. The audio is used as the primary notification signal, while the video is used for further feedback, discrimination, localization and sensor fusion. The idea is to let the operator gets the feedback that he needs and enable him to look at the data in the most efficient way. We are also looking at a hybrid man-machine detection system which utilizes precise sweeping by the machine and powerful human cognitive ability. In such a hybrid system, the operator is free to concentrate on discriminant task, such as manually fusing the output of the different sensing modalities, instead of worrying about the proper sweep technique. In developing this concept, we have been using the virtual mien lane to validate some of these concepts. We obtained some very encouraging results form our preliminary test. It clearly

Interfacing external sensors with Android smartphones through near field communication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leikanger, Tore; Häkkinen, Juha; Schuss, Christian

2017-01-01

In this paper, we present and evaluate a new approach to communicate with inter-integrated circuit (I2C) enabled circuits such as sensors over near field communication (NFC). The NFC-to-I2C interface was designed using a non-standard NFC command to control the I2C bus directly from a smartphone, which was controlling both, the read and write operations on the I2C bus. The NFC-to-I2C interface was reporting back the data bytes on the bus to the smartphone when the transaction was completed successfully. The proposed system was tested experimentally, both, with write and read requests to a commercial microcontroller featuring a hardware I2C port, as well as reading a commercial I2C enabled humidity and temperature sensor. We present experimental results of the system which show that our approach enables an easy interface between smartphones and external sensors. Interfacing external sensors is useful and beneficial for smartphone users, especially, if certain types of sensors are not available on smartphones. (paper)

Energy management system for power distribution. Interfaces and data communication requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koponen, P.; Lemstroem, B.; Ikonen, J.

1995-01-01

The opening of the electricity market for competition in Finland creates new requirements for the information systems and data communication in distribution utilities. Energy management systems for distribution utilities are needed with interfaces that make it possible to separate the network business from the energy trade business. However, these interfaces should also support optimization of the whole energy supply system of the country. In this report the interfaces and data communication requirements of the energy management system of the electricity trade business are analyzed. To support this subfunctions of the energy management have been analyzed. It was realized that the amount of necessary data transfer and optimization of the national power system both depend strongly on the general rules of the energy markets. (author)

Chitosan to Connect Biology to Electronics: Fabricating the Bio-Device Interface and Communicating Across This Interface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eunkyoung Kim

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Individually, advances in microelectronics and biology transformed the way we live our lives. However, there remain few examples in which biology and electronics have been interfaced to create synergistic capabilities. We believe there are two major challenges to the integration of biological components into microelectronic systems: (i assembly of the biological components at an electrode address, and (ii communication between the assembled biological components and the underlying electrode. Chitosan possesses a unique combination of properties to meet these challenges and serve as an effective bio-device interface material. For assembly, chitosan’s pH-responsive film-forming properties allow it to “recognize” electrode-imposed signals and respond by self-assembling as a stable hydrogel film through a cathodic electrodeposition mechanism. A separate anodic electrodeposition mechanism was recently reported and this also allows chitosan hydrogel films to be assembled at an electrode address. Protein-based biofunctionality can be conferred to electrodeposited films through a variety of physical, chemical and biological methods. For communication, we are investigating redox-active catechol-modified chitosan films as an interface to bridge redox-based communication between biology and an electrode. Despite significant progress over the last decade, many questions still remain which warrants even deeper study of chitosan’s structure, properties, and functions.

Facilitating a generic communication interface to distributed energy resources

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Anders Bro; Hauksson, Einar Bragi; Andersen, Peter Bach

2010-01-01

As the power system evolves into a smarter and more flexible state, so must the communication technologies that support it. A key requirement for facilitating the distributed production of future grids is that communication and information are standardized to ensure interoperability. The IEC 61850...... a server using these technologies can be used to interface with DERs as diverse as Electric Vehicles (EVs) and micro Combined Heat and Power (μCHP) units....

Underground Test Area Activity Communication/Interface Plan, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farnham, Irene [Navarro, Las Vegas, NV (United States); Rehfeldt, Kenneth [Navarro, Las Vegas, NV (United States)

2016-10-01

The purpose of this plan is to provide guidelines for effective communication and interfacing between Underground Test Area (UGTA) Activity participants, including the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office (NNSA/NFO) and its contractors. This plan specifically establishes the following: • UGTA mission, vision, and core values • Roles and responsibilities for key personnel • Communication with stakeholders • Guidance in key interface areas • Communication matrix

Toward High-Performance Communications Interfaces for Science Problem Solving

Science.gov (United States)

Oviatt, Sharon L.; Cohen, Adrienne O.

2010-12-01

From a theoretical viewpoint, educational interfaces that facilitate communicative actions involving representations central to a domain can maximize students' effort associated with constructing new schemas. In addition, interfaces that minimize working memory demands due to the interface per se, for example by mimicking existing non-digital work practice, can preserve students' attentional focus on their learning task. In this research, we asked the question: What type of interface input capabilities provide best support for science problem solving in both low- and high- performing students? High school students' ability to solve a diverse range of biology problems was compared over longitudinal sessions while they used: (1) hardcopy paper and pencil (2) a digital paper and pen interface (3) pen tablet interface, and (4) graphical tablet interface. Post-test evaluations revealed that time to solve problems, meta-cognitive control, solution correctness, and memory all were significantly enhanced when using the digital pen and paper interface, compared with tablet interfaces. The tangible pen and paper interface also was the only alternative that significantly facilitated skill acquisition in low-performing students. Paradoxically, all students nonetheless believed that the tablet interfaces provided best support for their performance, revealing a lack of self-awareness about how to use computational tools to best advantage. Implications are discussed for how pen interfaces can be optimized for future educational purposes, and for establishing technology fluency curricula to improve students' awareness of the impact of digital tools on their performance.

A Classification of Human-to-Human Communication during the Use of Immersive Teleoperation Interfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kraus, Martin; Kibsgaard, Martin

2015-01-01

We propose a new classification of the human-to-human communication during the use of immersive teleoperation interfaces based on real-life examples. While a large body of research is concerned with communication in collaborative virtual environments (CVEs), less research focuses on cases where...... of the proposed classification to real environments can offer useful reference cases. Using this extended classification not only allows us to discuss and understand differences and similarities of various forms of communication in a more systematic way, but it also provides guidelines and reference cases...... for the design of immersive teleoperation interfaces that support human-to-human communication....

Hand-held medical robots.

Science.gov (United States)

Payne, Christopher J; Yang, Guang-Zhong

2014-08-01

Medical robots have evolved from autonomous systems to tele-operated platforms and mechanically-grounded, cooperatively-controlled robots. Whilst these approaches have seen both commercial and clinical success, uptake of these robots remains moderate because of their high cost, large physical footprint and long setup times. More recently, researchers have moved toward developing hand-held robots that are completely ungrounded and manipulated by surgeons in free space, in a similar manner to how conventional instruments are handled. These devices provide specific functions that assist the surgeon in accomplishing tasks that are otherwise challenging with manual manipulation. Hand-held robots have the advantages of being compact and easily integrated into the normal surgical workflow since there is typically little or no setup time. Hand-held devices can also have a significantly reduced cost to healthcare providers as they do not necessitate the complex, multi degree-of-freedom linkages that grounded robots require. However, the development of such devices is faced with many technical challenges, including miniaturization, cost and sterility, control stability, inertial and gravity compensation and robust instrument tracking. This review presents the emerging technical trends in hand-held medical robots and future development opportunities for promoting their wider clinical uptake.

An interdisciplinary space of scientific communication in Collective (Public) Health: the journal interface--Communication, Health, Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Cyrino, Antonio Pithon; Lima, Elizabeth Araújo; Garcia, Vera Lucia; Teixeira, Ricardo Rodrigues; Foresti, Miriam Celí Pimentel Porto; Schraiber, Lilia Blima

2015-07-01

This is a reflection upon 17 years of experience in the production of an interdisciplinary scientific journal, the publication "Interface: Communication, Health, Education," whose scope is in the fields of Collective (Public) Health, Education and Communication. It also examines retrospectively the themes published by the journal, seeking to identify them in different sections of this publication. Finally, the evolution of the journal is analyzed.

Rich internet application system for patient-centric healthcare data management using handheld devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Constantinescu, L; Pradana, R; Kim, J; Gong, P; Fulham, Michael; Feng, D

2009-01-01

Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) are an emerging software platform that blurs the line between web service and native application, and is a powerful tool for handheld device deployment. By democratizing health data management and widening its availability, this software platform has the potential to revolutionize telemedicine, clinical practice, medical education and information distribution, particularly in rural areas, and to make patient-centric medical computing a reality. In this paper, we propose a telemedicine application that leverages the ability of a mobile RIA platform to transcode, organise and present textual and multimedia data, which are sourced from medical database software. We adopted a web-based approach to communicate, in real-time, with an established hospital information system via a custom RIA. The proposed solution allows communication between handheld devices and a hospital information system for media streaming with support for real-time encryption, on any RIA enabled platform. We demonstrate our prototype's ability to securely and rapidly access, without installation requirements, medical data ranging from simple textual records to multi-slice PET-CT images and maximum intensity (MIP) projections.

A conceptual application for computer-based procedures for handheld devices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sofie, Lunde-Hanssen Linda [Industrial Psychology, Institute for Energy Technology, Halden (Norway)

2014-08-15

This paper describes the concepts and proposed design principles for an application for computer-based procedures (CBPs) for field operators in the nuclear domain (so-called handheld procedures). The concept is focused on the field operators' work with procedures and the communication and coordination between field operators and control room operators. The goal is to overcome challenges with shared situation awareness (SA) in a distributed team by providing effective and usable information design. An iterative design method and user-centred design is used for tailoring the concept to the context of field operations. The resulting concept supports the execution of procedures where close collaboration is needed between control room and field operations, e.g. where particular procedure steps are executed from remote control points and others from the control room. The resulting conceptual application for CBPs on handheld devices is developed for mitigating the SA challenges and designing for usability and ease of use.

A conceptual application for computer-based procedures for handheld devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sofie, Lunde-Hanssen Linda

2014-01-01

This paper describes the concepts and proposed design principles for an application for computer-based procedures (CBPs) for field operators in the nuclear domain (so-called handheld procedures). The concept is focused on the field operators' work with procedures and the communication and coordination between field operators and control room operators. The goal is to overcome challenges with shared situation awareness (SA) in a distributed team by providing effective and usable information design. An iterative design method and user-centred design is used for tailoring the concept to the context of field operations. The resulting concept supports the execution of procedures where close collaboration is needed between control room and field operations, e.g. where particular procedure steps are executed from remote control points and others from the control room. The resulting conceptual application for CBPs on handheld devices is developed for mitigating the SA challenges and designing for usability and ease of use

Latency Analysis of Systems with Multiple Interfaces for Ultra-Reliable M2M Communication

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Jimmy Jessen; Popovski, Petar

2016-01-01

One of the ways to satisfy the requirements of ultra-reliable low latency communication for mission critical Machine-type Communications (MTC) applications is to integrate multiple communication interfaces. In order to estimate the performance in terms of latency and reliability of such an integr...

30 CFR 56.12033 - Hand-held electric tools.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Hand-held electric tools. 56.12033 Section 56.12033 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR METAL AND NONMETAL....12033 Hand-held electric tools. Hand-held electric tools shall not be operated at high potential...

Controlling Kuka Industrial Robots : Flexible Communication Interface JOpenShowVar.

OpenAIRE

Sanfilippo, Filippo; Hatledal, Lars Ivar; Zhang, Houxiang; Fago, Massimiliano; Pettersen, Kristin Ytterstad

2015-01-01

JOpenShowVar is a Java open-source cross-platform communication interface to Kuka industrial robots. This novel interface allows for read-write use of the controlled manipulator variables and data structures. JOpenShowVar, which is compatible with all the Kuka industrial robots that use KUKA Robot Controller version 4 (KR C4) and KUKA Robot Controller version 2 (KR C2), runs as a client on a remote computer connected with the Kuka controller via TCP/IP. Even though only soft real-time applica...

30 CFR 57.12033 - Hand-held electric tools.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Hand-held electric tools. 57.12033 Section 57.12033 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR METAL AND NONMETAL... Surface and Underground § 57.12033 Hand-held electric tools. Hand-held electric tools shall not be...

Fast, cheap and in control: spectral imaging with handheld devices

Science.gov (United States)

Gooding, Edward A.; Deutsch, Erik R.; Huehnerhoff, Joseph; Hajian, Arsen R.

2017-05-01

Remote sensing has moved out of the laboratory and into the real world. Instruments using reflection or Raman imaging modalities become faster, cheaper and more powerful annually. Enabling technologies include virtual slit spectrometer design, high power multimode diode lasers, fast open-loop scanning systems, low-noise IR-sensitive array detectors and low-cost computers with touchscreen interfaces. High-volume manufacturing assembles these components into inexpensive portable or handheld devices that make possible sophisticated decision-making based on robust data analytics. Examples include threat, hazmat and narcotics detection; remote gas sensing; biophotonic screening; environmental remediation and a host of other applications.

Communication between filamentous pathogens and plants at the biotrophic interface.

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Mihwa; Valent, Barbara

2013-01-01

Fungi and oomycetes that colonize living plant tissue form extensive interfaces with plant cells in which the cytoplasm of the microorganism is closely aligned with the host cytoplasm for an extended distance. In all cases, specialized biotrophic hyphae function to hijack host cellular processes across an interfacial zone consisting of a hyphal plasma membrane, a specialized interfacial matrix, and a plant-derived membrane. The interface is the site of active secretion by both players. This cross talk at the interface determines the winner in adversarial relationships and establishes the partnership in mutualistic relationships. Fungi and oomycetes secrete many specialized effector proteins for controlling the host, and they can stimulate remarkable cellular reorganization even in distant plant cells. Breakthroughs in live-cell imaging of fungal and oomycete encounter sites, including live-cell imaging of pathogens secreting fluorescently labeled effector proteins, have led to recent progress in understanding communication across the interface.

Video Browsing on Handheld Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Hürst, Wolfgang

Recent improvements in processing power, storage space, and video codec development enable users now to playback video on their handheld devices in a reasonable quality. However, given the form factor restrictions of such a mobile device, screen size still remains a natural limit and - as the term "handheld" implies - always will be a critical resource. This is not only true for video but any data that is processed on such devices. For this reason, developers have come up with new and innovative ways to deal with large documents in such limited scenarios. For example, if you look at the iPhone, innovative techniques such as flicking have been introduced to skim large lists of text (e.g. hundreds of entries in your music collection). Automatically adapting the zoom level to, for example, the width of table cells when double tapping on the screen enables reasonable browsing of web pages that have originally been designed for large, desktop PC sized screens. A multi touch interface allows you to easily zoom in and out of large text documents and images using two fingers. In the next section, we will illustrate that advanced techniques to browse large video files have been developed in the past years, as well. However, if you look at state-of-the-art video players on mobile devices, normally just simple, VCR like controls are supported (at least at the time of this writing) that only allow users to just start, stop, and pause video playback. If supported at all, browsing and navigation functionality is often restricted to simple skipping of chapters via two single buttons for backward and forward navigation and a small and thus not very sensitive timeline slider.

Data communications in a parallel active messaging interface of a parallel computer

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Kristan D; Faraj, Daniel A

2013-07-09

Algorithm selection for data communications in a parallel active messaging interface (`PAMI`) of a parallel computer, the PAMI composed of data communications endpoints, each endpoint including specifications of a client, a context, and a task, endpoints coupled for data communications through the PAMI, including associating in the PAMI data communications algorithms and ranges of message sizes so that each algorithm is associated with a separate range of message sizes; receiving in an origin endpoint of the PAMI a data communications instruction, the instruction specifying transmission of a data communications message from the origin endpoint to a target endpoint, the data communications message characterized by a message size; selecting, from among the associated algorithms and ranges, a data communications algorithm in dependence upon the message size; and transmitting, according to the selected data communications algorithm from the origin endpoint to the target endpoint, the data communications message.

Data communications in a parallel active messaging interface of a parallel computer

Science.gov (United States)

Archer, Charles J; Blocksome, Michael A; Ratterman, Joseph D; Smith, Brian E

2013-11-12

Data communications in a parallel active messaging interface (`PAMI`) of a parallel computer composed of compute nodes that execute a parallel application, each compute node including application processors that execute the parallel application and at least one management processor dedicated to gathering information regarding data communications. The PAMI is composed of data communications endpoints, each endpoint composed of a specification of data communications parameters for a thread of execution on a compute node, including specifications of a client, a context, and a task, the compute nodes and the endpoints coupled for data communications through the PAMI and through data communications resources. Embodiments function by gathering call site statistics describing data communications resulting from execution of data communications instructions and identifying in dependence upon the call cite statistics a data communications algorithm for use in executing a data communications instruction at a call site in the parallel application.

Correcting for motion artifact in handheld laser speckle images

Science.gov (United States)

Lertsakdadet, Ben; Yang, Bruce Y.; Dunn, Cody E.; Ponticorvo, Adrien; Crouzet, Christian; Bernal, Nicole; Durkin, Anthony J.; Choi, Bernard

2018-03-01

Laser speckle imaging (LSI) is a wide-field optical technique that enables superficial blood flow quantification. LSI is normally performed in a mounted configuration to decrease the likelihood of motion artifact. However, mounted LSI systems are cumbersome and difficult to transport quickly in a clinical setting for which portability is essential in providing bedside patient care. To address this issue, we created a handheld LSI device using scientific grade components. To account for motion artifact of the LSI device used in a handheld setup, we incorporated a fiducial marker (FM) into our imaging protocol and determined the difference between highest and lowest speckle contrast values for the FM within each data set (Kbest and Kworst). The difference between Kbest and Kworst in mounted and handheld setups was 8% and 52%, respectively, thereby reinforcing the need for motion artifact quantification. When using a threshold FM speckle contrast value (KFM) to identify a subset of images with an acceptable level of motion artifact, mounted and handheld LSI measurements of speckle contrast of a flow region (KFLOW) in in vitro flow phantom experiments differed by 8%. Without the use of the FM, mounted and handheld KFLOW values differed by 20%. To further validate our handheld LSI device, we compared mounted and handheld data from an in vivo porcine burn model of superficial and full thickness burns. The speckle contrast within the burn region (KBURN) of the mounted and handheld LSI data differed by burns. Collectively, our results suggest the potential of handheld LSI with an FM as a suitable alternative to mounted LSI, especially in challenging clinical settings with space limitations such as the intensive care unit.

Orbiter Interface Unit and Early Communication System

Science.gov (United States)

Cobbs, Ronald M.; Cooke, Michael P.; Cox, Gary L.; Ellenberger, Richard; Fink, Patrick W.; Haynes, Dena S.; Hyams, Buddy; Ling, Robert Y.; Neighbors, Helen M.; Phan, Chau T.;

Image Quality Characteristics of Handheld Display Devices for Medical Imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Yamazaki, Asumi; Liu, Peter; Cheng, Wei-Chung; Badano, Aldo

2013-01-01

Handheld devices such as mobile phones and tablet computers have become widespread with thousands of available software applications. Recently, handhelds are being proposed as part of medical imaging solutions, especially in emergency medicine, where immediate consultation is required. However, handheld devices differ significantly from medical workstation displays in terms of display characteristics. Moreover, the characteristics vary significantly among device types. We investigate the image quality characteristics of various handheld devices with respect to luminance response, spatial resolution, spatial noise, and reflectance. We show that the luminance characteristics of the handheld displays are different from those of workstation displays complying with grayscale standard target response suggesting that luminance calibration might be needed. Our results also demonstrate that the spatial characteristics of handhelds can surpass those of medical workstation displays particularly for recent generation devices. While a 5 mega-pixel monochrome workstation display has horizontal and vertical modulation transfer factors of 0.52 and 0.47 at the Nyquist frequency, the handheld displays released after 2011 can have values higher than 0.63 at the respective Nyquist frequencies. The noise power spectra for workstation displays are higher than 1.2×10−5 mm2 at 1 mm−1, while handheld displays have values lower than 3.7×10−6 mm2. Reflectance measurements on some of the handheld displays are consistent with measurements for workstation displays with, in some cases, low specular and diffuse reflectance coefficients. The variability of the characterization results among devices due to the different technological features indicates that image quality varies greatly among handheld display devices. PMID:24236113

Wireless Handhelds to Support Clinical Nursing Practicum

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Cheng-Chih; Lai, Chin-Yuan

2009-01-01

This paper reports our implementation and evaluation of a wireless handheld learning environment used to support a clinical nursing practicum course. The learning environment was designed so that nursing students could use handhelds for recording information, organizing ideas, assessing patients, and also for interaction and collaboration with…

Data communications in a parallel active messaging interface of a parallel computer

Science.gov (United States)

Archer, Charles J; Blocksome, Michael A; Ratterman, Joseph D; Smith, Brian E

2013-10-29

Data communications in a parallel active messaging interface (`PAMI`) of a parallel computer, the parallel computer including a plurality of compute nodes that execute a parallel application, the PAMI composed of data communications endpoints, each endpoint including a specification of data communications parameters for a thread of execution on a compute node, including specifications of a client, a context, and a task, the compute nodes and the endpoints coupled for data communications through the PAMI and through data communications resources, including receiving in an origin endpoint of the PAMI a data communications instruction, the instruction characterized by an instruction type, the instruction specifying a transmission of transfer data from the origin endpoint to a target endpoint and transmitting, in accordance with the instruction type, the transfer data from the origin endpoint to the target endpoint.

Internal interface: I/O communication with FPGA circuits and hardware description standard for applications in HEP and FEL electronics ver. 1.0

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pozniak, K.T.

2005-01-01

The work describes hardware layer of the universal, parameterized communication interface for application in the FPGA chips. The interface is called in this work as the ''Internal Interface'' or in short the ''II''. The paper shows how to automatically create the address and data space, according to the user declarations. The methods to standardize the I/O communication with FPGA chips are described. The communication uses library functions and standardized, parametric components in VHDL. Theoretical background and technical description of the Internal Interface are illustrated with a few easy examples of simple interfaces. (orig.)

The Pixel Paradox and Transition-Metal Spectroscopy: One of Many Uses of the Handheld Digital Microscope in Chemical Demonstrations

Science.gov (United States)

Vitz, Ed

2010-01-01

A handheld digital microscope (HDM) interfaced to a computer with a presentation projector is used to project an out-of-focus yellow patch on the screen, then the patch is brought into focus to show that, paradoxically, there are red and green but no yellow pixels. Chromaticity diagrams are used to discuss this observation and spectroscopic…

Communication interface and graphic module for audiometry equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

Gutiérrez Martinez, Josefina; Barraza López, Fernando; Guadarrama Lara, Alberto; Núñez Gaona, Marco Antonio; Delgado Esquerra, Ruth; Gutiérrez Farfán, Ileana

2009-01-01

The National Rehabilitation Institute (INR) in Mexico City purchased 12 Madsen Orbiter 922 audiometers in 2006. While this audiometer is excellent for diagnosing the degree and type of hearing loss, it has presented problems in transfering, saving and printing the results of special tests and logoaudiometry from audiometer to workstation with the NOAH-3 system. The data are lost when the audiometer is turned off or a new patient is captured. There is no database storing and, shortly after the results have been printed on the thermal paper, the audiograms are erased. This problem was addressed by designing and implementing the InterAudio (AAMS) communication and graphical interface. The limitations and scope of the Automatic Audiometric Measurement System were analyzed, then a search of technical information was performed that included the resources for designing, developing and implementing the transfer interface, the user's graphical module requirements, and the tools for printing and saving the study.

Internal interface: I/O communication with FPGA circuits and hardware description standard for applications in HEP and FEL electronics ver. 1.0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pozniak, K.T. [Warsaw Univ. of Technology (Poland). Inst. of Electronic Systems ELHEP Laboratory

2005-07-01

The work describes hardware layer of the universal, parameterized communication interface for application in the FPGA chips. The interface is called in this work as the ''Internal Interface'' or in short the ''II''. The paper shows how to automatically create the address and data space, according to the user declarations. The methods to standardize the I/O communication with FPGA chips are described. The communication uses library functions and standardized, parametric components in VHDL. Theoretical background and technical description of the Internal Interface are illustrated with a few easy examples of simple interfaces. (orig.)

ITSY Handheld Software Radio

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Bose, Vanu

2001-01-01

.... A handheld software radio platform would enable the construction of devices that could inter-operate with multiple legacy systems, download new waveforms and be used to construct adhoc networks...

Visual and tactile interfaces for bi-directional human robot communication

Science.gov (United States)

Barber, Daniel; Lackey, Stephanie; Reinerman-Jones, Lauren; Hudson, Irwin

2013-05-01

Seamless integration of unmanned and systems and Soldiers in the operational environment requires robust communication capabilities. Multi-Modal Communication (MMC) facilitates achieving this goal due to redundancy and levels of communication superior to single mode interaction using auditory, visual, and tactile modalities. Visual signaling using arm and hand gestures is a natural method of communication between people. Visual signals standardized within the U.S. Army Field Manual and in use by Soldiers provide a foundation for developing gestures for human to robot communication. Emerging technologies using Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) enable classification of arm and hand gestures for communication with a robot without the requirement of line-of-sight needed by computer vision techniques. These devices improve the robustness of interpreting gestures in noisy environments and are capable of classifying signals relevant to operational tasks. Closing the communication loop between Soldiers and robots necessitates them having the ability to return equivalent messages. Existing visual signals from robots to humans typically require highly anthropomorphic features not present on military vehicles. Tactile displays tap into an unused modality for robot to human communication. Typically used for hands-free navigation and cueing, existing tactile display technologies are used to deliver equivalent visual signals from the U.S. Army Field Manual. This paper describes ongoing research to collaboratively develop tactile communication methods with Soldiers, measure classification accuracy of visual signal interfaces, and provides an integration example including two robotic platforms.

The application of microwave photonic detection in quantum communication

Science.gov (United States)

Diao, Wenting; Zhuang, Yongyong; Song, Xuerui; Wang, Liujun; Duan, Chongdi

2018-03-01

Quantum communication has attracted much attention in recent years, provides an ultimate level of security, and uniquely it is one of the most likely practical quantum technologies at present. In order to realize global coverage of quantum communication networks, not only need the help of satellite to realize wide area quantum communication, need implementation of optical fiber system to realize city to city quantum communication, but also, it is necessary to implement end-to-end quantum communications intercity and wireless quantum communications that can be received by handheld devices. Because of the limitation of application of light in buildings, it needs quantum communication with microwave band to achieve quantum reception of wireless handheld devices. The single microwave photon energy is very low, it is difficult to directly detect, which become a difficulty in microwave quantum detection. This paper summarizes the mode of single microwave photon detection methods and the possibility of application in microwave quantum communication, and promotes the development of quantum communication in microwave band and quantum radar.

Processing communications events in parallel active messaging interface by awakening thread from wait state

Science.gov (United States)

Archer, Charles J; Blocksome, Michael A; Ratterman, Joseph D; Smith, Brian E

2013-10-22

Processing data communications events in a parallel active messaging interface (`PAMI`) of a parallel computer that includes compute nodes that execute a parallel application, with the PAMI including data communications endpoints, and the endpoints are coupled for data communications through the PAMI and through other data communications resources, including determining by an advance function that there are no actionable data communications events pending for its context, placing by the advance function its thread of execution into a wait state, waiting for a subsequent data communications event for the context; responsive to occurrence of a subsequent data communications event for the context, awakening by the thread from the wait state; and processing by the advance function the subsequent data communications event now pending for the context.

Introducing Handheld Computing for Interactive Medical Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joseph Finkelstein

2005-04-01

Full Text Available The goals of this project were: (1 development of an interactive multimedia medical education tool (CO-ED utilizing modern features of handheld computing (PDA and major constructs of adult learning theories, and (2 pilot testing of the computer-assisted education in residents and clinicians. Comparison of the knowledge scores using paired t-test demonstrated statistically significant increase in subject knowledge (p<0.01 after using CO-ED. Attitudinal surveys were analyzed by total score (TS calculation represented as a percentage of a maximal possible score. The mean TS was 74.5±7.1%. None of the subjects (N=10 had TS less than 65% and in half of the subjects (N=5 TS was higher than 75%. Analysis of the semi-structured in-depth interviews showed strong support of the study subjects in using PDA as an educational tool, and high acceptance of CO-ED user interface. We concluded that PDA have a significant potential as a tool for clinician education.

Advanced sampling techniques for hand-held FT-IR instrumentation

Science.gov (United States)

Arnó, Josep; Frunzi, Michael; Weber, Chris; Levy, Dustin

2013-05-01

FT-IR spectroscopy is the technology of choice to identify solid and liquid phase unknown samples. The challenging ConOps in emergency response and military field applications require a significant redesign of the stationary FT-IR bench-top instruments typically used in laboratories. Specifically, field portable units require high levels of resistance against mechanical shock and chemical attack, ease of use in restrictive gear, extreme reliability, quick and easy interpretation of results, and reduced size. In the last 20 years, FT-IR instruments have been re-engineered to fit in small suitcases for field portable use and recently further miniaturized for handheld operation. This article introduces the HazMatID™ Elite, a FT-IR instrument designed to balance the portability advantages of a handheld device with the performance challenges associated with miniaturization. In this paper, special focus will be given to the HazMatID Elite's sampling interfaces optimized to collect and interrogate different types of samples: accumulated material using the on-board ATR press, dispersed powders using the ClearSampler™ tool, and the touch-to-sample sensor for direct liquid sampling. The application of the novel sample swipe accessory (ClearSampler) to collect material from surfaces will be discussed in some detail. The accessory was tested and evaluated for the detection of explosive residues before and after detonation. Experimental results derived from these investigations will be described in an effort to outline the advantages of this technology over existing sampling methods.

User Interfaces for Patient-Centered Communication of Health Status and Care Progress

Science.gov (United States)

Wilcox-Patterson, Lauren

2013-01-01

The recent trend toward patients participating in their own healthcare has opened up numerous opportunities for computing research. This dissertation focuses on how technology can foster this participation, through user interfaces to effectively communicate personal health status and care progress to hospital patients. I first characterize the…

Usage Patterns of Communication Interfaces for Social Support among At-Risk Adolescents

Science.gov (United States)

Passig, David

2014-01-01

Social and interpersonal support has mostly been carried out face-to-face. However, the internet was able, in the last couple of decades, to facilitate social interactions through a range of computer-mediated communication (CMC) interfaces--from email applications, chat-rooms, forums, instant messages (IM), short text messages (SMS), social…

Introduction of handheld computing to a family practice residency program.

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Goutham

2002-01-01

Handheld computers are valuable practice tools. It is important for residency programs to introduce their trainees and faculty to this technology. This article describes a formal strategy to introduce handheld computing to a family practice residency program. Objectives were selected for the handheld computer training program that reflected skills physicians would find useful in practice. TRGpro handheld computers preloaded with a suite of medical reference programs, a medical calculator, and a database program were supplied to participants. Training consisted of four 1-hour modules each with a written evaluation quiz. Participants completed a self-assessment questionnaire after the program to determine their ability to meet each objective. Sixty of the 62 participants successfully completed the training program. The mean composite score on quizzes was 36 of 40 (90%), with no significant differences by level of residency training. The mean self-ratings of participants across all objectives was 3.31 of 4.00. Third-year residents had higher mean self-ratings than others (mean of group, 3.62). Participants were very comfortable with practical skills, such as using drug reference software, and less comfortable with theory, such as knowing the different types of handheld computers available. Structured training is a successful strategy for introducing handheld computing to a residency program.

Using handheld devices for real-time wireless teleconsultation.

Science.gov (United States)

Banitsas, K A; Georgiadis, P; Tachakra, S; Cavouras, D

2004-01-01

Recent advances in the hardware of handheld devices, opened up the way for newer applications in the healthcare sector, and more specifically, in the teleconsultation field. Out of these devices, this paper focuses on the services that personal digital assistants and smartphones can provide to improve the speed, quality and ease of delivering a medical opinion from a distance and laying the ground for an all-wireless hospital. In that manner, PDAs were used to wirelessly support the viewing of digital imaging and communication in medicine (DICOM) images and to allow for mobile videoconferencing while within the hospital. Smartphones were also used to carry still images, multiframes and live video outside the hospital. Both of these applications aimed at increasing the mobility of the consultant while improving the healthcare service.

Navigating on handheld displays: Dynamic versus Static Keyhole Navigation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mehra, S.; Werkhoven, P.; Worring, M.

2006-01-01

Handheld displays leave little space for the visualization and navigation of spatial layouts representing rich information spaces. The most common navigation method for handheld displays is static peephole navigation: The peephole is static and we move the spatial layout behind it (scrolling). A

Contact lens assisted imaging with integrated flexible handheld probe for glaucoma diagnosis

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Xun Jie Jeesmond; V. K., Shinoj; Murukeshan, V. M.; Baskaran, M.; Aung, Tin

2017-06-01

Angle closure glaucoma accounts for majority of the bilateral blindness in Asian countries such as Singapore, China, and India. Abnormalities in the optic nerve and aqueous outflow system are the most indicative clinical hallmarks for glaucoma of this clinical subtype. Traditional photographic imaging techniques to assess the drainage angle are contact based, and may expose patients to risk of corneal abrasion and infections. In addition, these procedures require the use of viscous ophthalmic gels as coupling medium to overcome the phenomenon of total internal reflection at the tear-air interface. In this paper, we propose an integrated flexible handheld probe consisting of a micro color CCD video camera and white light LEDs. The handheld probe is able to capture images of the fundus and opposite iridocorneal angle when placed at the central cornea or limbus respectively. Here, we propose the use of hydrogel contact lens as an index matching medium and better protective barrier, as an alternative to conventional ophthalmic gels. The proposed imaging system and methodology has been successfully tested on porcine eye samples, ex vivo. With its high repeatability, reproducibility, and a good safety profile, it is believed that the proposed imaging system and methodology will complement existing imaging modalities in the diagnosis and management of glaucoma.

Study on user interface of pathology picture archiving and communication system.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Dasueran; Kang, Peter; Yun, Jungmin; Park, Sung-Hye; Seo, Jeong-Wook; Park, Peom

2014-01-01

It is necessary to improve the pathology workflow. A workflow task analysis was performed using a pathology picture archiving and communication system (pathology PACS) in order to propose a user interface for the Pathology PACS considering user experience. An interface analysis of the Pathology PACS in Seoul National University Hospital and a task analysis of the pathology workflow were performed by observing recorded video. Based on obtained results, a user interface for the Pathology PACS was proposed. Hierarchical task analysis of Pathology PACS was classified into 17 tasks including 1) pre-operation, 2) text, 3) images, 4) medical record viewer, 5) screen transition, 6) pathology identification number input, 7) admission date input, 8) diagnosis doctor, 9) diagnosis code, 10) diagnosis, 11) pathology identification number check box, 12) presence or absence of images, 13) search, 14) clear, 15) Excel save, 16) search results, and 17) re-search. And frequently used menu items were identified and schematized. A user interface for the Pathology PACS considering user experience could be proposed as a preliminary step, and this study may contribute to the development of medical information systems based on user experience and usability.

Doctors' experience with handheld computers in clinical practice: qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

McAlearney, Ann Scheck; Schweikhart, Sharon B; Medow, Mitchell A

2004-05-15

To examine doctors' perspectives about their experiences with handheld computers in clinical practice. Qualitative study of eight focus groups consisting of doctors with diverse training and practice patterns. Six practice settings across the United States and two additional focus group sessions held at a national meeting of general internists. 54 doctors who did or did not use handheld computers. Doctors who used handheld computers in clinical practice seemed generally satisfied with them and reported diverse patterns of use. Users perceived that the devices helped them increase productivity and improve patient care. Barriers to use concerned the device itself and personal and perceptual constraints, with perceptual factors such as comfort with technology, preference for paper, and the impression that the devices are not easy to use somewhat difficult to overcome. Participants suggested that organisations can help promote handheld computers by providing advice on purchase, usage, training, and user support. Participants expressed concern about reliability and security of the device but were particularly concerned about dependency on the device and over-reliance as a substitute for clinical thinking. Doctors expect handheld computers to become more useful, and most seem interested in leveraging (getting the most value from) their use. Key opportunities with handheld computers included their use as a stepping stone to build doctors' comfort with other information technology and ehealth initiatives and providing point of care support that helps improve patient care.

An Adaptive Geometry Game for Handheld Devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Harri Ketamo

2003-01-01

Full Text Available The development of adaptive learning systems is only in the very beginning. In fact, the concept of adaptive learning systems range from different user interfaces to behaviour adaptive systems as well as from the place and time independent systems to terminal independent systems. When approaching the concept of adaptive learning materials, we must first have conceptual models of the behaviour of different learners within digital environments.The aim of this study was to develop a geometry learning game that adapts to user’s behaviour. The learners in this study were six years old Finnish pre-school pupils. The adaptive system was very limited and the observed behaviour was defined as very simple. However, the software developed achieves good learning results among the tested pupils. The study shows that the learning effect is very promising with this kind of handheld platform and simple adaptation system. This study gives good visions of what can be achieved with more complex behaviour adaptive systems in the field of eLearning.

A Communication-Supported Comprehensive Protection Strategy for Converter-Interfaced Islanded Microgrids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dehua Zheng

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The deployment of distributed generators (DGs gives rise to several challenges for a microgrid or conventional distribution feeder, regarding control and protection issues. The major ones are: bi-directional flow of power, changes in fault current magnitude, and continuous changes in operational configuration due to both the plug-and-play of DGs and loads, and the intermittency of the renewable DGs. This issue is exacerbated when the microgrid contains several converter-interfaced DGs and operates in the islanded mode of operation. Hence, conventional protection strategies and relaying techniques will no longer be sufficient to protect islanded microgrids against network faults and disturbance conditions. This paper proposes a fast and reliable communication-supported protection strategy for ensuring the safe operation of converter-interfaced islanded microgrids. The strategy is implementable using commercially accessible microprocessor based digital relays, and is applicable for the protection of low voltage islanded microgrids. It provides backup protection to handle communication failures and malfunctions of protective devices. The paper also presents the detailed structural layout of the digital relay, which executes the proposed protection strategy. A number of improvements are proposed to find an alternative method for conventional overcurrent relays to reliably detect small-magnitude fault currents and high impedance faults, commonly encountered in converter-interfaced islanded microgrids. A simple and economical bus protection method is also proposed. Several simulations are conducted on a comprehensive model of a realistic operational industrial microgrid (Goldwind Smart Microgrid System using PSCAD/EMTDC software environment—for different case studies and fault scenarios—to verify the effectiveness of the present strategy and its digital relay.

Processing data communications events by awakening threads in parallel active messaging interface of a parallel computer

Science.gov (United States)

Archer, Charles J.; Blocksome, Michael A.; Ratterman, Joseph D.; Smith, Brian E.

2016-03-15

Processing data communications events in a parallel active messaging interface (`PAMI`) of a parallel computer that includes compute nodes that execute a parallel application, with the PAMI including data communications endpoints, and the endpoints are coupled for data communications through the PAMI and through other data communications resources, including determining by an advance function that there are no actionable data communications events pending for its context, placing by the advance function its thread of execution into a wait state, waiting for a subsequent data communications event for the context; responsive to occurrence of a subsequent data communications event for the context, awakening by the thread from the wait state; and processing by the advance function the subsequent data communications event now pending for the context.

Pyxis handheld polarimetric imager

Science.gov (United States)

Chenault, David B.; Pezzaniti, J. Larry; Vaden, Justin P.

2016-05-01

The instrumentation for measuring infrared polarization signatures has seen significant advancement over the last decade. Previous work has shown the value of polarimetric imagery for a variety of target detection scenarios including detection of manmade targets in clutter and detection of ground and maritime targets while recent work has shown improvements in contrast for aircraft detection and biometric markers. These data collection activities have generally used laboratory or prototype systems with limitations on the allowable amount of target motion or the sensor platform and usually require an attached computer for data acquisition and processing. Still, performance and sensitivity have been steadily getting better while size, weight, and power requirements have been getting smaller enabling polarimetric imaging for a greater or real world applications. In this paper, we describe Pyxis®, a microbolometer based imaging polarimeter that produces live polarimetric video of conventional, polarimetric, and fused image products. A polarization microgrid array integrated in the optical system captures all polarization states simultaneously and makes the system immune to motion artifacts of either the sensor or the scene. The system is battery operated, rugged, and weighs about a quarter pound, and can be helmet mounted or handheld. On board processing of polarization and fused image products enable the operator to see polarimetric signatures in real time. Both analog and digital outputs are possible with sensor control available through a tablet interface. A top level description of Pyxis® is given followed by performance characteristics and representative data.

Data for Users of Handheld Ion Mobility Spectrometers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keith A. Daum; Sandra L. Fox

2008-01-01

Chemical detection technology end-user surveys conducted by Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in 2005 and 2007 indicated that first responders believed manufacturers claims for instruments sometimes were not supported in field applications, and instruments sometimes did not meet their actual needs. Based on these findings, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) asked INL to conduct a similar survey for handheld ion mobility spectrometers (IMS), which are used by a broad community of first responders as well as for other applications. To better access this broad community, the INL used the Center for Technology Commercialization, Inc. (CTC), Public Safety Technology Center (PSTC) to set up an online framework to gather information from users of handheld IMS units. This framework (Survey Monkey) was then used to perform an online Internet survey, augmented by e-mail prompts, to get information from first responders and personnel from various agencies about their direct experience with handheld IMS units. Overall, 478 individuals responded to the survey. Of these, 174 respondents actually owned a handheld IMS. Performance and satisfaction data from these 174 respondents are captured in this report. The survey identified the following observations: (1) The most common IMS unit used by respondents was the Advanced Portable Detector (APD 2000), followed by ChemRae, Sabre 4000, Sabre 2000, Draeger Multi IMS, Chemical Agent Monitor-2, Chemical Agent Monitor, Vapor Tracer, and Vapor Tracer 2. (2) The primary owners were HazMat teams (20%), fire services (14%), local police (12%), and sheriffs departments (9%). (3) IMS units are seldom used as part of an integrated system for detecting and identifying chemicals but instead are used independently. (4) Respondents are generally confused about the capabilities of their IMS unit. This is probably a result of lack of training. (5) Respondents who had no training or fewer than 8 hours were not satisfied with the overall operation

Diffusion-controlled interface kinetics-inclusive system-theoretic propagation models for molecular communication systems

Science.gov (United States)

Chude-Okonkwo, Uche A. K.; Malekian, Reza; Maharaj, B. T.

2015-12-01

Inspired by biological systems, molecular communication has been proposed as a new communication paradigm that uses biochemical signals to transfer information from one nano device to another over a short distance. The biochemical nature of the information transfer process implies that for molecular communication purposes, the development of molecular channel models should take into consideration diffusion phenomenon as well as the physical/biochemical kinetic possibilities of the process. The physical and biochemical kinetics arise at the interfaces between the diffusion channel and the transmitter/receiver units. These interfaces are herein termed molecular antennas. In this paper, we present the deterministic propagation model of the molecular communication between an immobilized nanotransmitter and nanoreceiver, where the emission and reception kinetics are taken into consideration. Specifically, we derived closed-form system-theoretic models and expressions for configurations that represent different communication systems based on the type of molecular antennas used. The antennas considered are the nanopores at the transmitter and the surface receptor proteins/enzymes at the receiver. The developed models are simulated to show the influence of parameters such as the receiver radius, surface receptor protein/enzyme concentration, and various reaction rate constants. Results show that the effective receiver surface area and the rate constants are important to the system's output performance. Assuming high rate of catalysis, the analysis of the frequency behavior of the developed propagation channels in the form of transfer functions shows significant difference introduce by the inclusion of the molecular antennas into the diffusion-only model. It is also shown that for t > > 0 and with the information molecules' concentration greater than the Michaelis-Menten kinetic constant of the systems, the inclusion of surface receptors proteins and enzymes in the models

A Smartphone Interface for a Wireless EEG Headset with Real-Time 3D Reconstruction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stopczynski, Arkadiusz; Larsen, Jakob Eg; Stahlhut, Carsten

2011-01-01

We demonstrate a fully functional handheld brain scanner consisting of a low-cost 14-channel EEG headset with a wireless connec- tion to a smartphone, enabling minimally invasive EEG monitoring in naturalistic settings. The smartphone provides a touch-based interface with real-time brain state...

Handheld Microfluidic Blood Ananlyzer, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Nanohmics proposes to develop a handheld blood analyzer for micro- and hypo-gravity missions. The prototype instrument will combine impedance analysis with optical...

Utilizing Glove-Based Gestures and a Tactile Vest Display for Covert Communications and Robot Control

Science.gov (United States)

2014-06-01

wearing instrumented glove for hand and arm signals. .......................................9 Figure 4. TDS Nomad handheld computer...of a standard tactical glove with accelerometers embedded within each finger, and an accelerometer, gyroscope, and digital compass embedded in the...signal communication were performed by two TDS Nomad GPS-enabled ruggedized handheld computers (one carried by the individual generating hand signals and

Effects of checklist interface on non-verbal crew communications

Science.gov (United States)

Segal, Leon D.

1994-01-01

The investigation looked at the effects of the spatial layout and functionality of cockpit displays and controls on crew communication. Specifically, the study focused on the intra-cockpit crew interaction, and subsequent task performance, of airline pilots flying different configurations of a new electronic checklist, designed and tested in a high-fidelity simulator at NASA Ames Research Center. The first part of this proposal establishes the theoretical background for the assumptions underlying the research, suggesting that in the context of the interaction between a multi-operator crew and a machine, the design and configuration of the interface will affect interactions between individual operators and the machine, and subsequently, the interaction between operators. In view of the latest trends in cockpit interface design and flight-deck technology, in particular, the centralization of displays and controls, the introduction identifies certain problems associated with these modern designs and suggests specific design issues to which the expected results could be applied. A detailed research program and methodology is outlined and the results are described and discussed. Overall, differences in cockpit design were shown to impact the activity within the cockpit, including interactions between pilots and aircraft and the cooperative interactions between pilots.

Handheld CAT Video Game, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The proposed project is to design, develop and fabricate a handheld video game console for astronauts during long space flight. This portable hardware runs...

A Cognitive Style Perspective to Handheld Devices: Customization vs. Personalization

Science.gov (United States)

Hsieh, Chen-Wei; Chen, Sherry Y.

2016-01-01

Handheld devices are widely applied to support open and distributed learning, where students are diverse. On the other hand, customization and personalization can be applied to accommodate students' diversities. However, paucity of research compares the effects of customization and personalization in the context of handheld devices. To this end, a…

Data communications for a collective operation in a parallel active messaging interface of a parallel computer

Science.gov (United States)

Faraj, Daniel A

2013-07-16

Algorithm selection for data communications in a parallel active messaging interface (`PAMI`) of a parallel computer, the PAMI composed of data communications endpoints, each endpoint including specifications of a client, a context, and a task, endpoints coupled for data communications through the PAMI, including associating in the PAMI data communications algorithms and bit masks; receiving in an origin endpoint of the PAMI a collective instruction, the instruction specifying transmission of a data communications message from the origin endpoint to a target endpoint; constructing a bit mask for the received collective instruction; selecting, from among the associated algorithms and bit masks, a data communications algorithm in dependence upon the constructed bit mask; and executing the collective instruction, transmitting, according to the selected data communications algorithm from the origin endpoint to the target endpoint, the data communications message.

Characterizing the reflectivity of handheld display devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Peter; Badano, Aldo

2014-08-01

With increased use of handheld and tablet display devices for viewing medical images, methods for consistently measuring reflectivity of the devices are needed. In this note, the authors report on the characterization of diffuse reflections for handheld display devices including mobile phones and tablets using methods recommended by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine Task Group 18 (TG18). The authors modified the diffuse reflectance coefficient measurement method outlined in the TG18 report. The authors measured seven handheld display devices (two phones and five tablets) and three workstation displays. The device was attached to a black panel with Velcro. To study the effect of the back surface on the diffuse reflectance coefficient, the authors created Styrofoam masks with different size square openings and placed it in front of the device. Overall, for each display device, measurements of illuminance and reflected luminance on the display screen were taken. The authors measured with no mask, with masks of varying size, and with display-size masks, and calculated the corresponding diffuse reflectance coefficient. For all handhelds, the diffuse reflectance coefficient measured with no back panel were lower than measurements performed with a mask. The authors found an overall increase in reflectivity as the size of the mask decreases. For workstations displays, diffuse reflectance coefficients were higher when no back panel was used, and higher than with masks. In all cases, as luminance increased, illuminance increased, but not at the same rate. Since the size of handheld displays is smaller than that of workstation devices, the TG18 method suffers from a dependency on illumination condition. The authors show that the diffuse reflection coefficients can vary depending on the nature of the back surface of the illuminating box. The variability in the diffuse coefficient can be as large as 20% depending on the size of the mask. For all measurements

AAL Platform with a "De Facto" Standard Communication Interface (TICO): Training in Home Control in Special Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Guillomía San Bartolomé, Miguel A; Falcó Boudet, Jorge L; Artigas Maestre, José Ignacio; Sánchez Agustín, Ana

2017-10-12

Framed within a long-term cooperation between university and special education teachers, training in alternative communication skills and home control was realized using the "TICO" interface, a communication panel editor extensively used in special education schools. From a technological view we follow AAL technology trends by integrating a successful interface in a heterogeneous services AAL platform, focusing on a functional view. Educationally, a very flexible interface in line with communication training allows dynamic adjustment of complexity, enhanced by an accessible mindset and virtual elements significance already in use, offers specific interaction feedback, adapts to the evolving needs and capacities and improves the personal autonomy and self-confidence of children at school and home. TICO-home-control was installed during the last school year in the library of a special education school to study adaptations and training strategies to enhance the autonomy opportunities of its pupils. The methodology involved a case study and structured and semi-structured observations. Five children, considered unable to use commercial home control systems were trained obtaining good results in enabling them to use an open home control system. Moreover this AAL platform has proved efficient in training children in previous cognitive steps like virtual representation and cause-effect interaction.

Driver hand-held cellular phone use: a four-year analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Eby, David W; Vivoda, Jonathon M; St Louis, Renée M

2006-01-01

The use of hand-held cellular (mobile) phones while driving has stirred more debate, passion, and research than perhaps any other traffic safety issue in the past several years. There is ample research showing that the use of either hand-held or hands-free cellular phones can lead to unsafe driving patterns. Whether or not these performance deficits increase the risk of crash is difficult to establish, but recent studies are beginning to suggest that cellular phone use elevates crash risk. The purpose of this study was to assess changes in the rate of hand-held cellular phone use by motor-vehicle drivers on a statewide level in Michigan. This study presents the results of 13 statewide surveys of cellular phone use over a 4-year period. Hand-held cellular phone use data were collected through direct observation while vehicles were stopped at intersections and freeway exit ramps. Data were weighted to be representative of all drivers traveling during daylight hours in Michigan. The study found that driver hand-held cellular phone use has more than doubled between 2001 and 2005, from 2.7% to 5.8%. This change represents an average increase of 0.78 percentage points per year. The 5.8% use rate observed in 2005 means that at any given daylight hour, around 36,550 drivers were conversing on cellular phones while driving on Michigan roadways. The trend line fitted to these data predicts that by the year 2010, driver hand-held cellular phone use will be around 8.6%, or 55,000 drivers at any given daylight hour. These results make it clear that cellular phone use while driving will continue to be an important traffic safety issue, and highlight the importance of continued attempts to generate new ways of alleviating this potential hazard.

Robust free-space optical communication for indoor information environment

Science.gov (United States)

Nakada, Toyohisa; Itoh, Hideo; Kunifuji, Susumu; Nakashima, Hideyuki

2003-10-01

The purpose of our study is to establish a robust communication, while keeping security and privacy, between a handheld communicator and the surrounding information environment. From the viewpoint of low power consumption, we have been developing a reflectivity modulating communication module composed of a liquid crystal light modulator and a corner-reflecting mirror sheet. We installed a corner-reflecting sheet instead of light scattering sheet in a handheld videogame machine with a display screen with a reflection-type liquid crystal. Infrared (IR) LED illuminator attached next to the IR camera of a base station illuminates all the room, and the terminal send their data to the base station by switching ON and OFF of the reflected IR beam. Intensity of reflected light differs with the position and the direction of the terminal, and sometimes the intensity of OFF signal at a certain condition is brighter than that of ON signal at another condition. To improve the communication quality, use of machine learning technique is a possibility of the solution. In this paper, we compare various machine learning techniques for the purpose of free space optical communication, and propose a new algorithm that improves the robustness of the data link. Evaluation using an actual free-space communication system is also described.

75 FR 27504 - Substantial Product Hazard List: Hand-Held Hair Dryers

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-17

... immersion during their use. Section 15(a) of the CPSA defines ``substantial product hazard'' to include, a....'' Hand-held hair dryers routinely contain open-coil heating elements that are, in essence, uninsulated..., bathtub, or lavatory). The proposed rule would define ``hand-held hair dryer'' as ``an electrical...

Data management and communication networks for Man-Machine Interface System in Korea Advanced Liquid MEtal Reactor : its functionality and design requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cha, Kyung Ho; Park, Gun Ok; Suh, Sang Moon; Kim, Jang Yeol; Kwon, Kee Choon

1998-01-01

The DAta management and Communication NETworks(DACONET), which it is designed as a subsystem for Man-Machine Interface System of Korea Advanced LIquid MEtal Reactor(KALIMER MMIS) and advanced design concept is approached, is described. The DACONET has its roles of providing the real-time data transmission and communication paths between MMIS systems, providing the quality data for protection, monitoring and control of KALIMER and logging the static and dynamic behavioral data during KALIMER operation. The DACONET is characterized as the distributed real-time system architecture with high performance. Future direction, in which advanced technology is being continually applied to Man-Machine Interface System development and communication networks of KALIMER MMIS

Data management and communication networks for Man-Machine Interface System in Korea Advanced Liquid MEtal Reactor : its functionality and design requirements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cha, Kyung Ho; Park, Gun Ok; Suh, Sang Moon; Kim, Jang Yeol; Kwon, Kee Choon [KAERI, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1998-05-01

The DAta management and Communication NETworks(DACONET), which it is designed as a subsystem for Man-Machine Interface System of Korea Advanced LIquid MEtal Reactor(KALIMER MMIS) and advanced design concept is approached, is described. The DACONET has its roles of providing the real-time data transmission and communication paths between MMIS systems, providing the quality data for protection, monitoring and control of KALIMER and logging the static and dynamic behavioral data during KALIMER operation. The DACONET is characterized as the distributed real-time system architecture with high performance. Future direction, in which advanced technology is being continually applied to Man-Machine Interface System development and communication networks of KALIMER MMIS.

Prospective evaluation of an internet-linked handheld computer critical care knowledge access system.

Science.gov (United States)

Lapinsky, Stephen E; Wax, Randy; Showalter, Randy; Martinez-Motta, J Carlos; Hallett, David; Mehta, Sangeeta; Burry, Lisa; Stewart, Thomas E

2004-12-01

Critical care physicians may benefit from immediate access to medical reference material. We evaluated the feasibility and potential benefits of a handheld computer based knowledge access system linking a central academic intensive care unit (ICU) to multiple community-based ICUs. Four community hospital ICUs with 17 physicians participated in this prospective interventional study. Following training in the use of an internet-linked, updateable handheld computer knowledge access system, the physicians used the handheld devices in their clinical environment for a 12-month intervention period. Feasibility of the system was evaluated by tracking use of the handheld computer and by conducting surveys and focus group discussions. Before and after the intervention period, participants underwent simulated patient care scenarios designed to evaluate the information sources they accessed, as well as the speed and quality of their decision making. Participants generated admission orders during each scenario, which were scored by blinded evaluators. Ten physicians (59%) used the system regularly, predominantly for nonmedical applications (median 32.8/month, interquartile range [IQR] 28.3-126.8), with medical software accessed less often (median 9/month, IQR 3.7-13.7). Eight out of 13 physicians (62%) who completed the final scenarios chose to use the handheld computer for information access. The median time to access information on the handheld handheld computer was 19 s (IQR 15-40 s). This group exhibited a significant improvement in admission order score as compared with those who used other resources (P = 0.018). Benefits and barriers to use of this technology were identified. An updateable handheld computer system is feasible as a means of point-of-care access to medical reference material and may improve clinical decision making. However, during the study, acceptance of the system was variable. Improved training and new technology may overcome some of the barriers we

The Unlock Project: a Python-based framework for practical brain-computer interface communication "app" development.

Science.gov (United States)

Brumberg, Jonathan S; Lorenz, Sean D; Galbraith, Byron V; Guenther, Frank H

2012-01-01

In this paper we present a framework for reducing the development time needed for creating applications for use in non-invasive brain-computer interfaces (BCI). Our framework is primarily focused on facilitating rapid software "app" development akin to current efforts in consumer portable computing (e.g. smart phones and tablets). This is accomplished by handling intermodule communication without direct user or developer implementation, instead relying on a core subsystem for communication of standard, internal data formats. We also provide a library of hardware interfaces for common mobile EEG platforms for immediate use in BCI applications. A use-case example is described in which a user with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis participated in an electroencephalography-based BCI protocol developed using the proposed framework. We show that our software environment is capable of running in real-time with updates occurring 50-60 times per second with limited computational overhead (5 ms system lag) while providing accurate data acquisition and signal analysis.

An Investigation of Game-Embedded Handheld Devices to Enhance English Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Hung, Hui-Chun; Young, Shelley Shwu-Ching

2015-01-01

This study proposed and implemented a system combining the advantages of both educational games and wireless handheld technology to promote the interactive English learning in the classroom setting. An interactive English vocabulary acquisition board game was designed with the system being implemented on handheld devices. Thirty sixth-grade…

A High Density Electrophysiological Data Analysis System for a Peripheral Nerve Interface Communicating with Individual Neurons in the Brain

Science.gov (United States)

2016-11-14

of-the-art instrumentation to communicate with individual neurons in the brain and the peripheral nervous system. The major theme of the research is...Nerve Interface Communicating with Individual Neurons in the Brain The views, opinions and/or findings contained in this report are those of the author... Communicating with Individual Neurons in the Brain Report Title The high density electrophysiological data acquisition system obtained through this

Decisions at hand: a decision support system on handhelds.

Science.gov (United States)

Zupan, B; Porenta, A; Vidmar, G; Aoki, N; Bratko, I; Beck, J R

2001-01-01

One of the applications of clinical information systems is decision support. Although the advantages of utilizing such aids have never been theoretically disputed, they have been rarely used in practice. The factor that probably often limits the utility of clinical decision support systems is the need for computing power at the very site of decision making--at the place where the patient is interviewed, in discussion rooms, etc. The paper reports on a possible solution to this problem. A decision-support shell LogReg is presented, which runs on a handheld computer. A general schema for handheld-based decision support is also proposed, where decision models are developed on personal computers/workstations, encoded in XML and then transferred to handhelds, where the models are used within a decision support shell. A use case where LogReg has been applied to clinical outcome prediction in crush injury is presented.

Using medical knowledge sources on handheld computers--a qualitative study among junior doctors.

Science.gov (United States)

Axelson, Christian; Wårdh, Inger; Strender, Lars-Erik; Nilsson, Gunnar

2007-09-01

The emergence of mobile computing could have an impact on how junior doctors learn. To exploit this opportunity it is essential to understand their information seeking process. To explore junior doctors' experiences of using medical knowledge sources on handheld computers. Interviews with five Swedish junior doctors. A qualitative manifest content analysis of a focus group interview followed by a qualitative latent content analysis of two individual interviews. A focus group interview showed that users were satisfied with access to handheld medical knowledge sources, but there was concern about contents, reliability and device dependency. Four categories emerged from individual interviews: (1) A feeling of uncertainty about using handheld technology in medical care; (2) A sense of security that handhelds can provide; (3) A need for contents to be personalized; (4) A degree of adaptability to make the handheld a versatile information tool. A theme was established to link the four categories together, as expressed in the Conclusion section. Junior doctors' experiences of using medical knowledge sources on handheld computers shed light on the need to decrease uncertainty about clinical decisions during medical internship, and to find ways to influence the level of self-confidence in the junior doctor's process of decision-making.

User-friendly tools on handheld devices for observer performance study

Science.gov (United States)

Matsumoto, Takuya; Hara, Takeshi; Shiraishi, Junji; Fukuoka, Daisuke; Abe, Hiroyuki; Matsusako, Masaki; Yamada, Akira; Zhou, Xiangrong; Fujita, Hiroshi

2012-02-01

ROC studies require complex procedures to select cases from many data samples, and to set confidence levels in each selected case to generate ROC curves. In some observer performance studies, researchers have to develop software with specific graphical user interface (GUI) to obtain confidence levels from readers. Because ROC studies could be designed for various clinical situations, it is difficult task for preparing software corresponding to every ROC studies. In this work, we have developed software for recording confidence levels during observer studies on tiny personal handheld devices such as iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. To confirm the functions of our software, three radiologists performed observer studies to detect lung nodules by using public database of chest radiograms published by Japan Society of Radiological Technology. The output in text format conformed to the format for the famous ROC kit from the University of Chicago. Times required for the reading each case was recorded very precisely.

Augmented Reality Simulations on Handheld Computers

Science.gov (United States)

Squire, Kurt; Klopfer, Eric

2007-01-01

Advancements in handheld computing, particularly its portability, social interactivity, context sensitivity, connectivity, and individuality, open new opportunities for immersive learning environments. This article articulates the pedagogical potential of augmented reality simulations in environmental engineering education by immersing students in…

AAL Platform with a “De Facto” Standard Communication Interface (TICO): Training in Home Control in Special Education

Science.gov (United States)

Guillomía San Bartolomé, Miguel A.; Artigas Maestre, José Ignacio; Sánchez Agustín, Ana

2017-01-01

Framed within a long-term cooperation between university and special education teachers, training in alternative communication skills and home control was realized using the “TICO” interface, a communication panel editor extensively used in special education schools. From a technological view we follow AAL technology trends by integrating a successful interface in a heterogeneous services AAL platform, focusing on a functional view. Educationally, a very flexible interface in line with communication training allows dynamic adjustment of complexity, enhanced by an accessible mindset and virtual elements significance already in use, offers specific interaction feedback, adapts to the evolving needs and capacities and improves the personal autonomy and self-confidence of children at school and home. TICO-home-control was installed during the last school year in the library of a special education school to study adaptations and training strategies to enhance the autonomy opportunities of its pupils. The methodology involved a case study and structured and semi-structured observations. Five children, considered unable to use commercial home control systems were trained obtaining good results in enabling them to use an open home control system. Moreover this AAL platform has proved efficient in training children in previous cognitive steps like virtual representation and cause-effect interaction. PMID:29023383

AAL Platform with a “De Facto” Standard Communication Interface (TICO: Training in Home Control in Special Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miguel A. Guillomía San Bartolomé

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Framed within a long-term cooperation between university and special education teachers, training in alternative communication skills and home control was realized using the “TICO” interface, a communication panel editor extensively used in special education schools. From a technological view we follow AAL technology trends by integrating a successful interface in a heterogeneous services AAL platform, focusing on a functional view. Educationally, a very flexible interface in line with communication training allows dynamic adjustment of complexity, enhanced by an accessible mindset and virtual elements significance already in use, offers specific interaction feedback, adapts to the evolving needs and capacities and improves the personal autonomy and self-confidence of children at school and home. TICO-home-control was installed during the last school year in the library of a special education school to study adaptations and training strategies to enhance the autonomy opportunities of its pupils. The methodology involved a case study and structured and semi-structured observations. Five children, considered unable to use commercial home control systems were trained obtaining good results in enabling them to use an open home control system. Moreover this AAL platform has proved efficient in training children in previous cognitive steps like virtual representation and cause-effect interaction.

Development of Real-Time Dual-Display Handheld and Bench-Top Hybrid-Mode SD-OCTs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nam Hyun Cho

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Development of a dual-display handheld optical coherence tomography (OCT system for retina and optic-nerve-head diagnosis beyond the volunteer motion constraints is reported. The developed system is portable and easily movable, containing the compact portable OCT system that includes the handheld probe and computer. Eye posterior chambers were diagnosed using the handheld probe, and the probe could be fixed to the bench-top cradle depending on the volunteers’ physical condition. The images obtained using this handheld probe were displayed in real time on the computer monitor and on a small secondary built-in monitor; the displayed images were saved using the handheld probe’s built-in button. Large-scale signal-processing procedures such as k-domain linearization, fast Fourier transform (FFT, and log-scaling signal processing can be rapidly applied using graphics-processing-unit (GPU accelerated processing rather than central-processing-unit (CPU processing. The Labview-based system resolution is 1,024 × 512 pixels, and the frame rate is 56 frames/s, useful for real-time display. The 3D images of the posterior chambers including the retina, optic-nerve head, blood vessels, and optic nerve were composed using real-time displayed images with 500 × 500 × 500 pixel resolution. A handheld and bench-top hybrid mode with a dual-display handheld OCT was developed to overcome the drawbacks of the conventional method.

Practical speech user interface design

CERN Document Server

Lewis, James R

2010-01-01

Although speech is the most natural form of communication between humans, most people find using speech to communicate with machines anything but natural. Drawing from psychology, human-computer interaction, linguistics, and communication theory, Practical Speech User Interface Design provides a comprehensive yet concise survey of practical speech user interface (SUI) design. It offers practice-based and research-based guidance on how to design effective, efficient, and pleasant speech applications that people can really use. Focusing on the design of speech user interfaces for IVR application

Mobile health IT: the effect of user interface and form factor on doctor-patient communication.

Science.gov (United States)

Alsos, Ole Andreas; Das, Anita; Svanæs, Dag

2012-01-01

Introducing computers into primary care can have negative effects on the doctor-patient dialogue. Little is known about such effects of mobile health IT in point-of-care situations. To assess how different mobile information devices used by physicians in point-of-care situations support or hinder aspects of doctor-patient communication, such as face-to-face dialogue, nonverbal communication, and action transparency. The study draws on two different experimental simulation studies where 22 doctors, in 80 simulated ward rounds, accessed patient-related information from a paper chart, a PDA, and a laptop mounted on a trolley. Video recordings from the simulations were analyzed qualitatively. Interviews with clinicians and patients were used to triangulate the findings and to verify the realism and results of the simulations. The paper chart afforded smooth re-establishment of eye contact, better verbal and non-verbal contact, more gesturing, good visibility of actions, and quick information retrieval. The digital information devices lacked many of these affordances; physicians' actions were not visible for the patients, the user interfaces required much attention, gesturing was harder, and re-establishment of eye contact took more time. Physicians used the devices to display their actions to the patients. The analysis revealed that the findings were related to the user interface and form factor of the information devices, as well as the personal characteristics of the physician. When information is needed and has to be located at the point-of-care, the user interface and the physical form factor of the mobile information device are influential elements for successful collaboration between doctors and patients. Both elements need to be carefully designed so that physicians can use the devices to support face-to-face dialogue, nonverbal communication, and action visibility. The ability to facilitate and support the doctor-patient collaboration is a noteworthy usability

Interface models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ravn, Anders P.; Staunstrup, Jørgen

1994-01-01

This paper proposes a model for specifying interfaces between concurrently executing modules of a computing system. The model does not prescribe a particular type of communication protocol and is aimed at describing interfaces between both software and hardware modules or a combination of the two....... The model describes both functional and timing properties of an interface...

Email communication at the medical primary-secondary care interface: a qualitative exploration.

Science.gov (United States)

Sampson, Rod; Barbour, Rosaline; Wilson, Philip

2016-07-01

There is little published research into the influence of email communication between primary and secondary care clinicians on patient care. To explore the use of email communication between clinicians across the primary- secondary care interface, and how this may relate to patient care. A qualitative study involving primary and secondary care services in the NHS Highland Health Board area, Scotland. Ten GPs and 12 hospital consultants were purposively sampled to reflect diversity. Eligible clinicians were invited to take part in a semi-structured interview. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach. Key themes that emerged for clinicians included general perceptions of email; using email in practice (managing workload, impact on patient journeys, and 'quick answers'); system issues (variability and governance); relational aspects; and email skills. Email communication between primary and secondary care clinicians generally has a positive impact on patient access to specialist expertise. Governance issues around the use of clinical email need to be defined. There may currently be a two-tier health service for those patients (and their GPs) requiring 'quick answers'. © British Journal of General Practice 2016.

Improving car passengers' comfort and experience by supporting the use of handheld devices.

Science.gov (United States)

van Veen, S A T; Hiemstra-van Mastrigt, S; Kamp, I; Vink, P

2014-01-01

There is a demand for interiors to support other activities in a car than controlling the vehicle. Currently, this is the case for the car passengers and--in the future--autonomous driving cars will also facilitate drivers to perform other activities. One of these activities is working with handheld devices. Previous research shows that people experience problems when using handheld devices in a moving vehicle and the use of handheld devices generally causes unwanted neck flexion [Young et al. 2012; Sin and Zu 2011; Gold et al.2011]. In this study, armrests are designed to support the arms when using handheld devices in a driving car in order to decrease neck flexion. Neck flexion was measured by attaching markers on the C7 and tragus. Discomfort was indicated on a body map on a scale 1-10. User experience was evaluated in a semi-structured interview. Neck flexion is significantly decreased by the support of the armrests and approaches a neutral position. Furthermore, overall comfort and comfort in the neck region specifically are significantly increased. Subjects appreciate the body posture facilitated by the armrests and 9 out of 10 prefer using handheld devices with the armrests compared to using handheld devices without the armrests. More efforts are needed to develop the mock-up into an established product, but the angles and dimensions presented in this study could serve as guidelines.

Ultrasonography with a hand-held device for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kameda, Toru; Takahashi, Isao

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of ultrasonography (US) with a hand-held device for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in the emergency room. US with a hand-held device was performed by the first author in 33 patients suspected of having appendicitis in the emergency room. From these 33 patients, 24 who subsequently underwent computed tomography (CT) or surgery were included in this study. The accuracy of US with the hand-held device for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis was evaluated based on the findings of CT or surgery. CT and surgery were performed in 22 and 12 patients, respectively. Final diagnoses were acute appendicitis (n=18), terminal ileitis (n=2), pelvic inflammatory disease (n=2), diverticulitis (n=1), and ureterolithiasis (n=1). The US yielded a sensitivity of 78% and a positive predictive value of 100%. The shortest distance between the abdominal wall and the appendix measured on CT was less than 40 mm in 11 patients. In ten (91%) of the 11 patients US with the hand-held device showed the swollen appendix. US with a hand-held device is potentially useful in the positive identification of acute appendicitis, but further investigation is needed to prove its utility in the routine diagnosis of acute appendicitis. (author)

Introducing handheld computing into a residency program: preliminary results from qualitative and quantitative inquiry.

OpenAIRE

Manning, B.; Gadd, C. S.

2001-01-01

Although published reports describe specific handheld computer applications in medical training, we know very little yet about how, and how well, handheld computing fits into the spectrum of information resources available for patient care and physician training. This paper reports preliminary quantitative and qualitative results from an evaluation study designed to track changes in computer usage patterns and computer-related attitudes before and after introduction of handheld computing. Pre...

Data management and communication networks for man-machine interface system in Korea Advanced LIquid MEtal Reactor : Its functionality and design requirements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cha, Kyung Ho; Park, Gun Ok; Suh, Sang Moon; Kim, Jang Yeol; Kwon, Kee Choon [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1999-12-31

The DAta management and COmmunication NETworks(DACONET), which it is designed as a subsystem for Man-Machine Interface System of Korea Advanced LIquid MEtal Reactor (KALIMER MMIS) and advanced design concept is approached, is described. The DACONET has its roles of providing the real-time data transmission and communication paths between MMIS systems, providing the quality data for protection, monitoring and control of KALIMER and logging the static and dynamic behavioral data during KALIMER operation. The DACONET is characterized as the distributed real-time system architecture with high performance. Future direction, in which advanced technology is being continually applied to Man-Machine Interface System development of Nuclear Power Plants, will be considered for designing data management and communication networks of KALIMER MMIS. 9 refs., 1 fig. (Author)

Data management and communication networks for man-machine interface system in Korea Advanced LIquid MEtal Reactor : Its functionality and design requirements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cha, Kyung Ho; Park, Gun Ok; Suh, Sang Moon; Kim, Jang Yeol; Kwon, Kee Choon [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1998-12-31

The DAta management and COmmunication NETworks(DACONET), which it is designed as a subsystem for Man-Machine Interface System of Korea Advanced LIquid MEtal Reactor (KALIMER MMIS) and advanced design concept is approached, is described. The DACONET has its roles of providing the real-time data transmission and communication paths between MMIS systems, providing the quality data for protection, monitoring and control of KALIMER and logging the static and dynamic behavioral data during KALIMER operation. The DACONET is characterized as the distributed real-time system architecture with high performance. Future direction, in which advanced technology is being continually applied to Man-Machine Interface System development of Nuclear Power Plants, will be considered for designing data management and communication networks of KALIMER MMIS. 9 refs., 1 fig. (Author)

Font size and viewing distance of handheld smart phones.

Science.gov (United States)

Bababekova, Yuliya; Rosenfield, Mark; Hue, Jennifer E; Huang, Rae R

2011-07-01

The use of handheld smart phones for written communication is becoming ubiquitous in modern society. The relatively small screens found in these devices may necessitate close working distances and small text sizes, which can increase the demands placed on accommodation and vergence. Font size and viewing distance were measured while subjects used handheld electronic devices in two separate trials. In the first study (n=129), subjects were asked to show a typical text message on their own personal phone and to hold the device "as if they were about to read a text message." A second trial was conducted in a similar manner except subjects (n=100) were asked to view a specific web page from the internet. For text messages and internet viewing, the mean font size was 1.1 M (range, 0.7 to 2.1 M) and 0.8 M (range, 0.3 to 1.4 M), respectively. The mean working distance for text messages and internet viewing was 36.2 cm (range, 17.5 to 58.0 cm) and 32.2 cm (range, 19 to 60 cm), respectively. The mean font size for both conditions was comparable with newspaper print, although some subjects viewed text that was considerably smaller. However, the mean working distances were closer than the typical near working distance of 40 cm for adults when viewing hardcopy text. These close distances place increased demands on both accommodation and vergence, which could exacerbate symptoms. Practitioners need to consider the closer distances adopted while viewing material on smart phones when examining patients and prescribing refractive corrections for use at near, as well as when treating patients presenting with asthenopia associated with nearwork. Copyright © 2011 American Academy of Optometry

40 CFR 90.129 - Fuel tank permeation from handheld engines and equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Fuel tank permeation from handheld... KILOWATTS Emission Standards and Certification Provisions § 90.129 Fuel tank permeation from handheld... equipment with respect to fuel tanks. For the purposes of this section, fuel tanks do not include fuel caps...

Interpreting Mobile and Handheld Air Sensor Readings in Relation to Air Quality Standards and Health Effect Reference Values: Tackling the Challenges

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

George M. Woodall

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA and other federal agencies face a number of challenges in interpreting and reconciling short-duration (seconds to minutes readings from mobile and handheld air sensors with the longer duration averages (hours to days associated with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS for the criteria pollutants-particulate matter (PM, ozone, carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur oxides. Similar issues are equally relevant to the hazardous air pollutants (HAPs where chemical-specific health effect reference values are the best indicators of exposure limits; values which are often based on a lifetime of continuous exposure. A multi-agency, staff-level Air Sensors Health Group (ASHG was convened in 2013. ASHG represents a multi-institutional collaboration of Federal agencies devoted to discovery and discussion of sensor technologies, interpretation of sensor data, defining the state of sensor-related science across each institution, and provides consultation on how sensors might effectively be used to meet a wide range of research and decision support needs. ASHG focuses on several fronts: improving the understanding of what hand-held sensor technologies may be able to deliver; communicating what hand-held sensor readings can provide to a number of audiences; the challenges of how to integrate data generated by multiple entities using new and unproven technologies; and defining best practices in communicating health-related messages to various audiences. This review summarizes the challenges, successes, and promising tools of those initial ASHG efforts and Federal agency progress on crafting similar products for use with other NAAQS pollutants and the HAPs. NOTE: The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessary represent the opinions of their Federal Agencies or the US Government. Mention of product names does not constitute endorsement.

Fusing Open Source Intelligence and Handheld Situational Awareness - Benghazi Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

2014-10-01

1 DM-0001694 Fusing Open Source Intelligence and Handheld Situational Awareness Benghazi Case Study Jeff Boleng, PhD Marc Novakouski Gene...command and control element at the CIA compound that would have been monitoring OSINT and other sources of intelligence before the attack and... Source Intelligence and Handheld Situational Awareness - Benghazi Case Study 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6

Handheld computers in nursing education: PDA pilot project.

Science.gov (United States)

Koeniger-Donohue, Rebecca

2008-02-01

Interest in the use and application of handheld technology at undergraduate and graduate nursing programs across the country is growing rapidly. Personal digital assistants (PDAs) are often referred to as a "peripheral brain" because they can save time, decrease errors, and simplify information retrieval at the point of care. In addition, research results support the notion that PDAs enhance nursing clinical education and are an effective student learning resource. However, most nursing programs lack the full range of technological resources to implement and provide ongoing support for handheld technology use by faculty and students. This article describes a 9-month pilot project for the initial use of PDAs by novice faculty and students at Simmons College.

Recent Korean R&D in Satellite Communications

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Ho-Jin; Kim, Jae Moung; Lee, Byung-Seub; Lee, Han; Ryoo, Jang-Soo

The R&D in satellite communications in Korea has been driven mainly by KCC (Korea Communications Commission) but in a small scale compared to Korea space development program organized by MEST (Ministry of Education, Science and Technology). Public and civilian satcom sector R&D has been led mainly by ETRI with small/medium companies contrary to rare investment in private sector while military sector R&D has been orchestrated by ADD with defense industry. By the COMS (Communication, Ocean and Meteorological Satellite) experimental Ka-band payload, Korea pursues a space qualification of own technology for national infrastructure evolution as well as industrialization of space R&D results. Once COMS launched and space qualified in 2009, subsequent application experiments and new technology R&D like UHDTV will entail service and industry promotion. The payload technology is expected for the next Korean commercial satellites or for new OBP satellites. The COMS ground control system and GNSS ground station technologies are under development for COMS operation and enhanced GNSS services along with advent of Galileo respectively. Satellite broadband mobile VSAT based on DVB-S2/RCS (+M) and low profile tracking antennas have been developed for trains, ships, and planes. While APSI is developing GMR-1 based Thuraya handset functions, ETRI is designing IMT-Advanced satellite radio interface for satellite and terrestrial dual-mode handheld communication system like Japanese STICS, with universities' satellite OFDM researches. A 21GHz Ka-band higher-availability scalable HD broadcasting technology and SkyLife's hybrid satellite IPTV technology are being developed. In near term Korea will extend R&D programs to upgrade the space communication infrastructure for universal access to digital opportunity and safer daily life from disaster, and to promote space green IT industrialization, national security, and space resources sovereign. Japanese stakeholders are invited to establish

Email communication at the medical primary–secondary care interface: a qualitative exploration

Science.gov (United States)

Sampson, Rod; Barbour, Rosaline; Wilson, Philip

2016-01-01

Background There is little published research into the influence of email communication between primary and secondary care clinicians on patient care. Aim To explore the use of email communication between clinicians across the primary– secondary care interface, and how this may relate to patient care. Design and setting A qualitative study involving primary and secondary care services in the NHS Highland Health Board area, Scotland. Ten GPs and 12 hospital consultants were purposively sampled to reflect diversity. Method Eligible clinicians were invited to take part in a semi-structured interview. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach. Results Key themes that emerged for clinicians included general perceptions of email; using email in practice (managing workload, impact on patient journeys, and ‘quick answers’); system issues (variability and governance); relational aspects; and email skills. Conclusion Email communication between primary and secondary care clinicians generally has a positive impact on patient access to specialist expertise. Governance issues around the use of clinical email need to be defined. There may currently be a two-tier health service for those patients (and their GPs) requiring ‘quick answers’. PMID:27162209

Network device interface for digitally interfacing data channels to a controller via a network

Science.gov (United States)

Ellerbrock, Philip J. (Inventor); Grant, Robert L. (Inventor); Konz, Daniel W. (Inventor); Winkelmann, Joseph P. (Inventor)

2009-01-01

A communications system and method are provided for digitally connecting a plurality of data channels, such as sensors, actuators, and subsystems, to a controller using a network bus. The network device interface interprets commands and data received from the controller and polls the data channels in accordance with these commands. Specifically, the network device interface receives digital commands and data from the controller, and based on these commands and data, communicates with the data channels to either retrieve data in the case of a sensor or send data to activate an actuator. Data retrieved from the sensor is converted into digital signals and transmitted to the controller. Network device interfaces associated with different data channels can coordinate communications with the other interfaces based on either a transition in a command message sent by the bus controller or a synchronous clock signal.

Handheld Multi-Gas Meters Market Survey Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Williams, Gustavious [Brigham Young Univ., Provo, UT (United States); Wald-Hopkins, Mark David [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Obrey, Stephen J. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Akhadov, Valida Dushdurova [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-06-23

Handheld multi-gas meters (MGMs) are equipped with sensors to monitor oxygen (O2) levels and additional sensors to detect the presence of combustible or toxic gases in the environment. This report is limited to operational response-type MGMs that include at least four different sensors. These sensors can vary by type and by the chemical monitored. In real time, the sensors report the concentration of monitored gases in the atmosphere near the MGM. To provide emergency responders with information on handheld multi-gas meters, the System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) Program conducted a market survey. This market survey report is based on information gathered between November 2015 and February 2016 from vendors, Internet research, industry publications, an emergency responder focus group, and a government issued Request for Information (RFI) that was posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website.

Energy Cost of Active and Sedentary Music Video Games: Drum and Handheld Gaming vs. Walking and Sitting.

Science.gov (United States)

Miranda, Edwin; Overstreet, Brittany S; Fountain, William A; Gutierrez, Vincent; Kolankowski, Michael; Overstreet, Matthew L; Sapp, Ryan M; Wolff, Christopher A; Mazzetti, Scott A

2017-01-01

To compare energy expenditure during and after active and handheld video game drumming compared to walking and sitting. Ten experienced, college-aged men performed four protocols (one per week): no-exercise seated control (CTRL), virtual drumming on a handheld gaming device (HANDHELD), active drumming on drum pads (DRUM), and walking on a treadmill at ~30% of VO 2max (WALK). Protocols were performed after an overnight fast, and expired air was collected continuously during (30min) and after (30min) exercise. DRUM and HANDHELD song lists, day of the week, and time of day were identical for each participant. Significant differences (p DRUM > HANDHELD. No significant differences in the rates of energy expenditure among groups during recovery were observed. Total energy expenditure was significantly greater (p < 0.05) during WALK (149.5 ± 30.6 kcal) compared to DRUM (118.7 ± 18.8 kcal) and HANDHELD (44.9±11.6 kcal), and greater during DRUM compared to HANDHELD. Total energy expenditure was not significantly different between HANDHELD (44.9 ± 11.6 kcal) and CTRL (38.2 ± 6.0 kcal). Active video game drumming at expert-level significantly increased energy expenditure compared to handheld, but it hardly met moderate-intensity activity standards, and energy expenditure was greatest during walking. Energy expenditure with handheld video game drumming was not different from no-exercise control. Thus, traditional aerobic exercise remains at the forefront for achieving the minimum amount and intensity of physical activity for health, individuals desiring to use video games for achieving weekly physical activity recommendations should choose games that require significant involvement of lower-body musculature, and time spent playing sedentary games should be a limited part of an active lifestyle.

Active case finding strategy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with handheld spirometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Joo Kyung; Lee, Chang Min; Park, Ji Young; Kim, Joo Hee; Park, Sung-Hoon; Jang, Seung Hun; Jung, Ki-Suck; Yoo, Kwang Ha; Park, Yong Bum; Rhee, Chin Kook; Kim, Deog Kyeom; Hwang, Yong Il

2016-12-01

The early detection and diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is critical to providing appropriate and timely treatment. We explored a new active case-finding strategy for COPD using handheld spirometry.We recruited subjects over 40 years of age with a smoking history of more than 10 pack-years who visited a primary clinic complaining of respiratory symptoms. A total of 190 of subjects were enrolled. Medical information was obtained from historical records and physical examination by general practitioners. All subjects had their pulmonary function evaluated using handheld spirometry with a COPD-6 device. Because forced expiratory volume in 6 seconds (FEV6) has been suggested as an alternative to FVC, we measured forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/FEV6 for diagnosis of airflow limitation. All subjects were then referred to tertiary referral hospitals to complete a "Could it be COPD?" questionnaire, handheld spiromtery, and conventional spirometry. The results of each instrument were compared to evaluate the efficacy of both handheld spirometry and the questionnaire.COPD was newly diagnosed in 45 (23.7%) patients. According to our receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, sensitivity and specificity were maximal when the FEV1/FEV6 ratio was less than 77%. The area under the ROC curve was 0.759. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 72.7%, 77.1%, 50%, and 90%, respectively. The area under the ROC curve of respiratory symptoms listed on the questionnaire ranged from 0.5 to 0.65, which indicates that there is almost no difference compared with the results of handheld spirometry.The present study demonstrated the efficacy of handheld spirometry as an active case-finding tool for COPD in a primary clinical setting. This study suggested that physicians should recommend handheld spirometry for people over the age of 40, who have a smoking history of more than 10 pack

Handheld single photon emission computed tomography (handheld SPECT) navigated video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery of computer tomography-guided radioactively marked pulmonary lesions.

Science.gov (United States)

Müller, Joachim; Putora, Paul Martin; Schneider, Tino; Zeisel, Christoph; Brutsche, Martin; Baty, Florent; Markus, Alexander; Kick, Jochen

2016-09-01

Radioactive marking can be a valuable extension to minimally invasive surgery. The technique has been clinically applied in procedures involving sentinel lymph nodes, parathyroidectomy as well as interventions in thoracic surgery. Improvements in equipment and techniques allow one to improve the limits. Pulmonary nodules are frequently surgically removed for diagnostic or therapeutic reasons; here video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is the preferred technique. VATS might be impossible with nodules that are small or located deep in the lung. In this study, we examined the clinical application and safety of employing the newly developed handheld single photon emission tomography (handheld SPECT) device in combination with CT-guided radioactive marking of pulmonary nodules. In this pilot study, 10 subjects requiring surgical resection of a pulmonary nodule were included. The technique involved CT-guided marking of the target nodule with a 20-G needle, with subsequent injection of 25-30 MBq (effective: 7-14 MBq) Tc-99m MAA (Macro Albumin Aggregate). Quality control was made with conventional SPECT-CT to confirm the correct localization and exclude possible complications related to the puncture procedure. VATS was subsequently carried out using the handheld SPECT to localize the radioactivity intraoperatively and therefore the target nodule. A 3D virtual image was superimposed on the intraoperative visual image for surgical guidance. In 9 of the 10 subjects, the radioactive application was successfully placed directly in or in the immediate vicinity of the target nodule. The average size of the involved nodules was 9 mm (range 4-15). All successfully marked nodules were subsequently completely excised (R0) using VATS. The procedure was well tolerated. An asymptomatic clinically insignificant pneumothorax occurred in 5 subjects. Two subjects were found to have non-significant discrete haemorrhage in the infiltration canal of the needle. In a single subject, the

An integrated portable hand-held analyser for real-time isothermal nucleic acid amplification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, Matthew C.; Steimle, George; Ivanov, Stan; Holly, Mark; Fries, David P.

2007-01-01

A compact hand-held heated fluorometric instrument for performing real-time isothermal nucleic acid amplification and detection is described. The optoelectronic instrument combines a Printed Circuit Board/Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (PCB/MEMS) reaction detection/chamber containing an integrated resistive heater with attached miniature LED light source and photo-detector and a disposable glass waveguide capillary to enable a mini-fluorometer. The fluorometer is fabricated and assembled in planar geometry, rolled into a tubular format and packaged with custom control electronics to form the hand-held reactor. Positive or negative results for each reaction are displayed to the user using an LED interface. Reaction data is stored in FLASH memory for retrieval via an in-built USB connection. Operating on one disposable 3 V lithium battery >12, 60 min reactions can be performed. Maximum dimensions of the system are 150 mm (h) x 48 mm (d) x 40 mm (w), the total instrument weight (with battery) is 140 g. The system produces comparable results to laboratory instrumentation when performing a real-time nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) reaction, and also displayed comparable precision, accuracy and resolution to laboratory-based real-time nucleic acid amplification instrumentation. A good linear response (R 2 = 0.948) to fluorescein gradients ranging from 0.5 to 10 μM was also obtained from the instrument indicating that it may be utilized for other fluorometric assays. This instrument enables an inexpensive, compact approach to in-field genetic screening, providing results comparable to laboratory equipment with rapid user feedback as to the status of the reaction

An integrated portable hand-held analyser for real-time isothermal nucleic acid amplification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith, Matthew C. [College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St Petersburg, FL (United States)], E-mail: msmith@marine.usf.edu; Steimle, George; Ivanov, Stan; Holly, Mark; Fries, David P. [College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St Petersburg, FL (United States)

2007-08-29

A compact hand-held heated fluorometric instrument for performing real-time isothermal nucleic acid amplification and detection is described. The optoelectronic instrument combines a Printed Circuit Board/Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (PCB/MEMS) reaction detection/chamber containing an integrated resistive heater with attached miniature LED light source and photo-detector and a disposable glass waveguide capillary to enable a mini-fluorometer. The fluorometer is fabricated and assembled in planar geometry, rolled into a tubular format and packaged with custom control electronics to form the hand-held reactor. Positive or negative results for each reaction are displayed to the user using an LED interface. Reaction data is stored in FLASH memory for retrieval via an in-built USB connection. Operating on one disposable 3 V lithium battery >12, 60 min reactions can be performed. Maximum dimensions of the system are 150 mm (h) x 48 mm (d) x 40 mm (w), the total instrument weight (with battery) is 140 g. The system produces comparable results to laboratory instrumentation when performing a real-time nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) reaction, and also displayed comparable precision, accuracy and resolution to laboratory-based real-time nucleic acid amplification instrumentation. A good linear response (R{sup 2} = 0.948) to fluorescein gradients ranging from 0.5 to 10 {mu}M was also obtained from the instrument indicating that it may be utilized for other fluorometric assays. This instrument enables an inexpensive, compact approach to in-field genetic screening, providing results comparable to laboratory equipment with rapid user feedback as to the status of the reaction.

Position statement on use of hand-held portable dental X-ray equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-06-01

The position statement focuses on justification in the medical field, in particular on the use of hand-held portable dental x-ray equipment. It supplements another HERCA position paper, providing a general overview of the use of all hand-held portable X-ray equipment. Key Messages: - HERCA finds that the use of hand-held portable X-ray devices should be discouraged except in special circumstances. - As a general rule, these devices should only be used in scenarios where an intraoral radiograph is deemed necessary for a patient and the use of a fixed or semi-mobile x-ray unit is impractical, e.g.: - nursing homes, residential care facilities or homes for persons with disabilities; - forensic odontology, - military operations abroad without dental facilities

Carbonaceous species emitted from handheld two-stroke engines

Science.gov (United States)

Volckens, John; Olson, David A.; Hays, Michael D.

Small, handheld two-stroke engines used for lawn and garden work (e.g., string trimmers, leaf blowers, etc.) can emit a variety of potentially toxic carbonaceous air pollutants. Yet, the emissions effluents from these machines go largely uncharacterized, constraining the proper development of human exposure estimates, emissions inventories, and climate and air quality models. This study samples and evaluates chemical pollutant emissions from the dynamometer testing of six small, handheld spark-ignition engines—model years 1998-2002. Four oil-gas blends were tested in each engine in duplicate. Emissions of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and gas-phase hydrocarbons were predominant, and the PM emitted was organic matter primarily. An ANOVA model determined that engine type and control tier contributed significantly to emissions variations across all identified compound classes; whereas fuel blend was an insignificant variable accounting for engines were generally intermediate in magnitude compared with other gasoline-powered engines, numerous compounds traditionally viewed as motor vehicle markers are also present in small engine emissions in similar relative proportions. Given that small, handheld two-stroke engines used for lawn and garden work account for 5-10% of total US emissions of CO, CO 2, NO x, HC, and PM 2.5, source apportionment models and human exposure studies need to consider the effect of these small engines on ambient concentrations in air polluted environments.

A smartphone controlled handheld microfluidic liquid handling system.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Baichen; Li, Lin; Guan, Allan; Dong, Quan; Ruan, Kangcheng; Hu, Ronggui; Li, Zhenyu

2014-10-21

Microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip technologies have made it possible to manipulate small volume liquids with unprecedented resolution, automation and integration. However, most current microfluidic systems still rely on bulky off-chip infrastructures such as compressed pressure sources, syringe pumps and computers to achieve complex liquid manipulation functions. Here, we present a handheld automated microfluidic liquid handling system controlled by a smartphone, which is enabled by combining elastomeric on-chip valves and a compact pneumatic system. As a demonstration, we show that the system can automatically perform all the liquid handling steps of a bead-based HIV1 p24 sandwich immunoassay on a multi-layer PDMS chip without any human intervention. The footprint of the system is 6 × 10.5 × 16.5 cm, and the total weight is 829 g including battery. Powered by a 12.8 V 1500 mAh Li battery, the system consumed 2.2 W on average during the immunoassay and lasted for 8.7 h. This handheld microfluidic liquid handling platform is generally applicable to many biochemical and cell-based assays requiring complex liquid manipulation and sample preparation steps such as FISH, PCR, flow cytometry and nucleic acid sequencing. In particular, the integration of this technology with read-out biosensors may help enable the realization of the long-sought Tricorder-like handheld in vitro diagnostic (IVD) systems.

Mobile satellite service communications tests using a NASA satellite

Science.gov (United States)

Chambers, Katherine H.; Koschmeder, Louis A.; Hollansworth, James E.; ONeill, Jack; Jones, Robert E.; Gibbons, Richard C.

1995-01-01

Emerging applications of commercial mobile satellite communications include satellite delivery of compact disc (CD) quality radio to car drivers who can select their favorite programming as they drive any distance; transmission of current air traffic data to aircraft; and handheld communication of data and images from any remote corner of the world. Experiments with the enabling technologies and tests and demonstrations of these concepts are being conducted before the first satellite is launched by utilizing an existing NASA spacecraft.

A Proposed Pedagogical Mobile Application for Learning Sign Language

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samir Abou El-Seoud

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A handheld device system, such as cellular phone or a PDA, can be used in acquiring Sign Language (SL. The developed system uses graphic applications. The user uses the graphical system to view and to acquire knowledge about sign grammar and syntax based on the local vernacular particular to the country. This paper explores and exploits the possibility of the development of a mobile system to help the deaf and other people to communicate and learn using handheld devices. The pedagogical assessment of the prototype application that uses a recognition-based interface e.g., images and videos, gave evidence that the mobile application is memorable and learnable. Additionally, considering primary and recency effects in the interface design will improve memorability and learnability.

Hermetic electronic packaging of an implantable brain-machine-interface with transcutaneous optical data communication.

Science.gov (United States)

Schuettler, Martin; Kohler, Fabian; Ordonez, Juan S; Stieglitz, Thomas

2012-01-01

Future brain-computer-interfaces (BCIs) for severely impaired patients are implanted to electrically contact the brain tissue. Avoiding percutaneous cables requires amplifier and telemetry electronics to be implanted too. We developed a hermetic package that protects the electronic circuitry of a BCI from body moisture while permitting infrared communication through the package wall made from alumina ceramic. The ceramic package is casted in medical grade silicone adhesive, for which we identified MED2-4013 as a promising candidate.

New portable hand-held radiation instruments for measurements and monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fehlau, P.E.

1987-01-01

Hand-held radiation monitors are often used to search pedestrians and motor vehicles for special nuclear material (SNM) as part of a physical protection plan for nuclear materials. Recently, the Los Alamos Advanced Nuclear Technology group has commercialized an improved hand-held monitor that can be used for both physical-protection monitoring and verification measurements in nuclear material control and waste management. The new monitoring instruments are smaller and lighter; operate much longer on a battery charge; are available with NaI(Tl) or neutron and gamma-ray sensitive plastic scintillation detectors; and are less expensive than other comparable instruments. They also have a second operating mode for making precise measurements over counting times as long as 99 s. This mode permits making basic verification measurements that may be needed before transporting nuclear material or waste outside protected areas. Improved verification measurements can be made with a second new hand-held instrument that has a stabilized detector and three separate gamma-ray energy windows to obtain spectral information for SNM quantity, enrichment, or material-type verification

Handheld low-temperature plasma probe for portable "point-and-shoot" ambient ionization mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiley, Joshua S; Shelley, Jacob T; Cooks, R Graham

2013-07-16

We describe a handheld, wireless low-temperature plasma (LTP) ambient ionization source and its performance on a benchtop and a miniature mass spectrometer. The source, which is inexpensive to build and operate, is battery-powered and utilizes miniature helium cylinders or air as the discharge gas. Comparison of a conventional, large-scale LTP source against the handheld LTP source, which uses less helium and power than the large-scale version, revealed that the handheld source had similar or slightly better analytical performance. Another advantage of the handheld LTP source is the ability to quickly interrogate a gaseous, liquid, or solid sample without requiring any setup time. A small, 7.4-V Li-polymer battery is able to sustain plasma for 2 h continuously, while the miniature helium cylinder supplies gas flow for approximately 8 continuous hours. Long-distance ion transfer was achieved for distances up to 1 m.

Validity of maximal isometric knee extension strength measurements obtained via belt-stabilized hand-held dynamometry in healthy adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Ushiyama, Naoko; Kurobe, Yasushi; Momose, Kimito

2017-11-01

[Purpose] To determine the validity of knee extension muscle strength measurements using belt-stabilized hand-held dynamometry with and without body stabilization compared with the gold standard isokinetic dynamometry in healthy adults. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-nine healthy adults (mean age, 21.3 years) were included. Study parameters involved right side measurements of maximal isometric knee extension strength obtained using belt-stabilized hand-held dynamometry with and without body stabilization and the gold standard. Measurements were performed in all subjects. [Results] A moderate correlation and fixed bias were found between measurements obtained using belt-stabilized hand-held dynamometry with body stabilization and the gold standard. No significant correlation and proportional bias were found between measurements obtained using belt-stabilized hand-held dynamometry without body stabilization and the gold standard. The strength identified using belt-stabilized hand-held dynamometry with body stabilization may not be commensurate with the maximum strength individuals can generate; however, it reflects such strength. In contrast, the strength identified using belt-stabilized hand-held dynamometry without body stabilization does not reflect the maximum strength. Therefore, a chair should be used to stabilize the body when performing measurements of maximal isometric knee extension strength using belt-stabilized hand-held dynamometry in healthy adults. [Conclusion] Belt-stabilized hand-held dynamometry with body stabilization is more convenient than the gold standard in clinical settings.

Development and testing of a scale to assess physician attitudes about handheld computers with decision support.

Science.gov (United States)

Ray, Midge N; Houston, Thomas K; Yu, Feliciano B; Menachemi, Nir; Maisiak, Richard S; Allison, Jeroan J; Berner, Eta S

2006-01-01

The authors developed and evaluated a rating scale, the Attitudes toward Handheld Decision Support Software Scale (H-DSS), to assess physician attitudes about handheld decision support systems. The authors conducted a prospective assessment of psychometric characteristics of the H-DSS including reliability, validity, and responsiveness. Participants were 82 Internal Medicine residents. A higher score on each of the 14 five-point Likert scale items reflected a more positive attitude about handheld DSS. The H-DSS score is the mean across the fourteen items. Attitudes toward the use of the handheld DSS were assessed prior to and six months after receiving the handheld device. Cronbach's Alpha was used to assess internal consistency reliability. Pearson correlations were used to estimate and detect significant associations between scale scores and other measures (validity). Paired sample t-tests were used to test for changes in the mean attitude scale score (responsiveness) and for differences between groups. Internal consistency reliability for the scale was alpha = 0.73. In testing validity, moderate correlations were noted between the attitude scale scores and self-reported Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) usage in the hospital (correlation coefficient = 0.55) and clinic (0.48), p DSS scale was reliable, valid, and responsive. The scale can be used to guide future handheld DSS development and implementation.

Handheld Computers in Education: An Industry Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

van 't Hooft, Mark; Vahey, Philip

2007-01-01

Five representatives from the mobile computing industry provide their perspectives on handhelds in education. While some of their ideas differ, they all agree on the importance of staff development, appropriate curriculum development, and teacher support to create the kinds of personalized learning environments that mobile devices make possible.

Handheld FRET-Aptamer Sensor for Water Safety, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Operational Technologies Corporation (OpTech) proposes to expand its current NASA Phase 2 SBIR handheld fluorometer and bone marker fluorescence resonance energy...

SAFARI 2000 Atmospheric Aerosol Measurements, Hand-held Hazemeters, Zambia

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — ABSTRACT: In conjunction with the AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) participation in SAFARI 2000, the USDA Forest Service deployed handheld hazemeters in western...

Assessing the Usability of Six Data Entry Mobile Interfaces for Caregivers: A Randomized Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Ehrler, Frederic; Haller, Guy; Sarrey, Evelyne; Walesa, Magali; Wipfli, Rolf; Lovis, Christian

2015-12-15

There is an increased demand in hospitals for tools, such as dedicated mobile device apps, that enable the recording of clinical information in an electronic format at the patient's bedside. Although the human-machine interface design on mobile devices strongly influences the accuracy and effectiveness of data recording, there is still a lack of evidence as to which interface design offers the best guarantee for ease of use and quality of recording. Therefore, interfaces need to be assessed both for usability and reliability because recording errors can seriously impact the overall level of quality of the data and affect the care provided. In this randomized crossover trial, we formally compared 6 handheld device interfaces for both speed of data entry and accuracy of recorded information. Three types of numerical data commonly recorded at the patient's bedside were used to evaluate the interfaces. In total, 150 health care professionals from the University Hospitals of Geneva volunteered to record a series of randomly generated data on each of the 6 interfaces provided on a smartphone. The interfaces were presented in a randomized order as part of fully automated data entry scenarios. During the data entry process, accuracy and effectiveness were automatically recorded by the software. Various types of errors occurred, which ranged from 0.7% for the most reliable design to 18.5% for the least reliable one. The length of time needed for data recording ranged from 2.81 sec to 14.68 sec, depending on the interface. The numeric keyboard interface delivered the best performance for pulse data entry with a mean time of 3.08 sec (SD 0.06) and an accuracy of 99.3%. Our study highlights the critical impact the choice of an interface can have on the quality of recorded data. Selecting an interface should be driven less by the needs of specific end-user groups or the necessity to facilitate the developer's task (eg, by opting for default solutions provided by commercial

SAFARI 2000 Atmospheric Aerosol Measurements, Hand-held Hazemeters, Zambia

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — In conjunction with the AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) participation in SAFARI 2000, the USDA Forest Service deployed handheld hazemeters in western Zambia from...

An Intelligent Hand-Held Microsurgical Instrument for Improved Accuracy

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Ang, Wei

2001-01-01

This paper presents the development and initial experimental results of the first prototype of Micron, an active hand-held instrument to sense and compensate physiological tremor and other unwanted...

High-precision shape representation using a neuromorphic vision sensor with synchronous address-event communication interface

Science.gov (United States)

Belbachir, A. N.; Hofstätter, M.; Litzenberger, M.; Schön, P.

2009-10-01

A synchronous communication interface for neuromorphic temporal contrast vision sensors is described and evaluated in this paper. This interface has been designed for ultra high-speed synchronous arbitration of a temporal contrast image sensors pixels' data. Enabling high-precision timestamping, this system demonstrates its uniqueness for handling peak data rates and preserving the main advantage of the neuromorphic electronic systems, that is high and accurate temporal resolution. Based on a synchronous arbitration concept, the timestamping has a resolution of 100 ns. Both synchronous and (state-of-the-art) asynchronous arbiters have been implemented in a neuromorphic dual-line vision sensor chip in a standard 0.35 µm CMOS process. The performance analysis of both arbiters and the advantages of the synchronous arbitration over asynchronous arbitration in capturing high-speed objects are discussed in detail.

High-precision shape representation using a neuromorphic vision sensor with synchronous address-event communication interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belbachir, A N; Hofstätter, M; Litzenberger, M; Schön, P

2009-01-01

A synchronous communication interface for neuromorphic temporal contrast vision sensors is described and evaluated in this paper. This interface has been designed for ultra high-speed synchronous arbitration of a temporal contrast image sensors pixels' data. Enabling high-precision timestamping, this system demonstrates its uniqueness for handling peak data rates and preserving the main advantage of the neuromorphic electronic systems, that is high and accurate temporal resolution. Based on a synchronous arbitration concept, the timestamping has a resolution of 100 ns. Both synchronous and (state-of-the-art) asynchronous arbiters have been implemented in a neuromorphic dual-line vision sensor chip in a standard 0.35 µm CMOS process. The performance analysis of both arbiters and the advantages of the synchronous arbitration over asynchronous arbitration in capturing high-speed objects are discussed in detail

Interface of the transport systems research vehicle monochrome display system to the digital autonomous terminal access communication data bus

Science.gov (United States)

Easley, W. C.; Tanguy, J. S.

1986-01-01

An upgrade of the transport systems research vehicle (TSRV) experimental flight system retained the original monochrome display system. The original host computer was replaced with a Norden 11/70, a new digital autonomous terminal access communication (DATAC) data bus was installed for data transfer between display system and host, while a new data interface method was required. The new display data interface uses four split phase bipolar (SPBP) serial busses. The DATAC bus uses a shared interface ram (SIR) for intermediate storage of its data transfer. A display interface unit (DIU) was designed and configured to read from and write to the SIR to properly convert the data from parallel to SPBP serial and vice versa. It is found that separation of data for use by each SPBP bus and synchronization of data tranfer throughout the entire experimental flight system are major problems which require solution in DIU design. The techniques used to accomplish these new data interface requirements are described.

The impact of legislation in Ireland on handheld mobile phone use by drivers.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

O'Meara, M

2008-01-01

Under the Road Traffic Act, 2006 handheld mobile phone use whilst driving is an offence liable to a fine and penalty points. The aim of this study was to determine whether there has been a change in driver behaviour following the introduction of this legislation. This study found that 2.3% of drivers were still using a handheld mobile phone.

Telephone based speech interfaces in the developing world, from the perspective of human-human communication

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Naidoo, S

2005-07-01

Full Text Available recently, before computers systems were able to synthesize or recognize speech, speech was a capability unique to humans. The human brain has developed to differentiate between human speech and other audio occurrences. Therefore, the slowly- evolving... human brain reacts in certain ways to voice stimuli, and has certain expectations regarding communication by voice. Nass affirms that the human brain operates using the same mechanisms when interacting with speech interfaces as when conversing...

A Prototype User Interface for a Mobile Electronic Clinical Note Data Entry System

OpenAIRE

Zafar, Atif; Lehto, Mark; Kim, Jongseo

2005-01-01

Recent advances in mobile computing technologies have made electronic medical records (EMRs) on handheld devices an attractive possibility. However, data entry paradigms popular on desktop machines do not translate well to mobile devices1,2. Based on a review of the literature on mobile device usability1–4, we built a prototype user interface for mobile EMRs and held focus groups with clinician users whose feedback provided useful insight about design choices, functionality and...

Communication Interface for Mexican Spanish Dysarthric Speakers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gladys Bonilla-Enriquez

2012-03-01

Full Text Available La disartria es una discapacidad motora del habla caracterizada por debilidad o poca coordinación de los músculos del habla. Esta condición puede ser causada por un infarto, parálisis cerebral, o por una lesión severa en el cerebro. Para mexicanos con esta condición hay muy pocas, si es que hay alguna, tecnologías de asistencia para mejorar sus habilidades sociales de interacción. En este artículo presentamos nuestros avances hacia el desarrollo de una interfazde comunicación para hablantes con disartria cuya lengua materna sea el español mexicano. La metodología propuesta depende de (1 diseño especial de un corpus de entrenamiento con voz normal y recursos limitados, (2 adaptación de usuario estándar, y (3 control de la perplejidad del modelo de lenguaje para lograr alta precisión en el Reconocimiento Automático del Habla (RAH. La interfaz permite al usuario y terapéuta el realizar actividades como adaptación dinámica de usuario, adaptación de vocabulario, y síntesis de texto a voz. Pruebas en vivo fueron realizadas con un usuario con disartria leve, logrando precisiones de 93%-95% para habla espontánea.Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder due to weakness or poor coordination of the speechmuscles. This condition can be caused by a stroke, cerebral palsy, or by a traumatic braininjury. For Mexican people with this condition there are few, if any, assistive technologies to improve their social interaction skills. In this paper we present our advances towards the development of a communication interface for dysarthric speakers whose native language is Mexican Spanish. We propose a methodology that relies on (1 special design of a training normal-speech corpus with limited resources, (2 standard speaker adaptation, and (3 control of language model perplexity, to achieve high Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR accuracy. The interface allows the user and therapist to perform tasks such as dynamic speaker adaptation, vocabulary

75 FR 36678 - In the Matter of Certain Authentication Systems, Including Software and Handheld Electronic...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-28

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 337-TA-697] In the Matter of Certain Authentication Systems, Including Software and Handheld Electronic Devices; Notice of Commission Decision Not to... importation of certain authentication systems, including software and handheld electronic devices, by reason...

Criteria for a comparative assessment on handheld gamma-ray measurement tools

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feichtinger, J.; Schwaiger, M.; Schmitzer, C.; Kindl, P.

2001-01-01

Full text: The radionuclide laboratories at the Austrian Research Centres Seibersdorf are strongly involved in radiation protection of public and employees as well as in environmental monitoring with special concern to gamma spectrometric measurements. Hence, field measurements and therefore the subject of hand-held measurement devices is a topic of main interest. Taking into consideration, that these hand-held measurement tool are further used in critical and sensitive operations, as for example by the IAEA Safeguards or by CTBTO On-Site inspectors, a standard for characterising these gamma measurement tools seems to be sound as necessary. The poster presents a set of technical criteria as well as limiting values, which allows an objective comparison of hand-held measurement devices. The criteria can be divided into three individual parts: radiometric characteristics, ergonomics and usability in field operations. The main criteria for testing the radiometry performance of hand-held measurement devices are sensitivity, efficiency, energy response, energy resolution and nuclide identification or not identification (if necessary), detection probability, dose rate indication, uncertainty, etc. The ergonomic test contains as dominating parts handling and quality of the manual. To evaluate the applicability in field operations different environmental conditions (e.g. light conditions, temperature range, moisture...) as well as battery lifetime and weight should be taken into account. These criteria may vary in dependence of the requirements or limitations given by various external conditions, but still a standard to evaluate and will give the opportunity to provide an objective comparison. (author)

My-Mini-Pet: A Handheld Pet-Nurturing Game to Engage Students in Arithmetic Practices

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, C. C. Y.; Chen, Z-H.; Cheng, H. N. H.; Chen, F-C.; Chan, T-W.

2011-01-01

In the last decade, more and more games have been developed for handheld devices. Furthermore, the popularity of handheld devices and increase of wireless computing can be taken advantage of to provide students with more learning opportunities. Games also could bring promising benefits--specifically, motivating students to learn/play, sustaining…

Human-machine interface upgrade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kropik, M.; Matejka, K.; Sklenka, L.; Chab, V.

2002-01-01

The article describes a new human-machine interface that was installed at the VR-1 training reactor. The human-machine interface upgrade was completed in the summer 2001. The interface was designed with respect to functional, ergonomic and aesthetic requirements. The interface is based on a personal computer equipped with two displays. One display enables alphanumeric communication between the reactor operator and the nuclear reactor I and C. The second display is a graphical one. It presents the status of the reactor, principal parameters (as power, period), control rods positions, course of the reactor power. Furthermore, it is possible to set parameters, to show the active core configuration, to perform reactivity calculations, etc. The software for the new human-machine interface was produced with the InTouch developing tool of the Wonder-Ware Company. It is possible to switch the language of the interface between Czech and English because of many foreign students and visitors to the reactor. Microcomputer based communication units with proper software were developed to connect the new human-machine interface with the present reactor I and C. The new human-machine interface at the VR-1 training reactor improves the comfort and safety of the reactor utilisation, facilitates experiments and training, and provides better support for foreign visitors. (orig.)

Confessions of a Communications Junkie: Cliff Notes From the Science-Practice Interface

Science.gov (United States)

Moser, S. C.

2006-12-01

Graduate education in the sciences is - among other things - about learning a foreign language. Proficiency in disciplinary jargon and a strange sort of eloquence in speaking English without being understood by anyone outside one's small 'country of expertise' are among the requirements for entry into academe. Until very recently, the ability to translate one's quirky knowledge back into common language was not part of entraining scientists. Yet, increasingly, the interested public, policy-makers and resource managers, not to speak of science funders, demand that scientists illustrate that their science has societal relevance. Moreover, the urgency of several complex societal and environmental problems puts the onus on scientists to work with experts in other disciplines. This means that the ability to communicate effectively with those outside one's own disciplinary home is rapidly becoming an essential qualification of a 'good' scientist. My own journey from a disciplinary boundary crosser, to hobby communicator, to professional translator of science into English, to alumnae of various media trainings and Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow, to researcher of the science-practice interface and expert in communication for social change will form the basis of this talk. It weaves together personal experience with scientific insights on why scientists should, why many don't, and how they could interact more effectively with members of a 'different tribe.'

Hand-held cell phone use while driving legislation and observed driver behavior among population sub-groups in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Rudisill, Toni M; Zhu, Motao

2017-05-12

Cell phone use behaviors are known to vary across demographic sub-groups and geographic locations. This study examined whether universal hand-held calling while driving bans were associated with lower road-side observed hand-held cell phone conversations across drivers of different ages (16-24, 25-59, ≥60 years), sexes, races (White, African American, or other), ruralities (suburban, rural, or urban), and regions (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West). Data from the 2008-2013 National Occupant Protection Use Survey were merged with states' cell phone use while driving legislation. The exposure was presence of a universal hand-held cell phone ban at time of observation. Logistic regression was used to assess the odds of drivers having a hand-held cell phone conversation. Sub-groups differences were assessed using models with interaction terms. When universal hand-held cell phone bans were effective, hand-held cell phone conversations were lower across all driver demographic sub-groups and regions. Sub-group differences existed among the sexes (p-value, phone bans, the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of a driver hand-held phone conversation was 0.34 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.28, 0.41] for females versus 0.47 (CI 0.40, 0.55) for males and 0.31 (CI 0.25, 0.38) for drivers in Western states compared to 0.47 (CI 0.30, 0.72) in the Northeast and 0.50 (CI 0.38, 0.66) in the South. The presence of universal hand-held cell phone bans were associated lower hand-held cell phone conversations across all driver sub-groups and regions. Hand-held phone conversations were particularly lower among female drivers and those from Western states when these bans were in effect. Public health interventions concerning hand-held cell phone use while driving could reasonably target all drivers.

Accentuated Factors of Handheld Computing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersson, Bo; Henningsson, Stefan

The recent years of rapid development of mobile technologies creates opportunities for new user-groups in the mobile workforce to take advantage of in-formation systems (IS). However, to apprehend and harness these opportunities for mobile IS it is crucial to fully understand the user group and t......, these two steps develop the framework towards a theoretical contribution as theory for describing handheld computing from a designer’s perspective. Thirteen semi-structured interviews were made and the tentative framework was elaborated and confirmed....

Hand-held cell phone use while driving legislation and observed driver behavior among population sub-groups in the United States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toni M. Rudisill

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Cell phone use behaviors are known to vary across demographic sub-groups and geographic locations. This study examined whether universal hand-held calling while driving bans were associated with lower road-side observed hand-held cell phone conversations across drivers of different ages (16–24, 25–59, ≥60 years, sexes, races (White, African American, or other, ruralities (suburban, rural, or urban, and regions (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West. Methods Data from the 2008–2013 National Occupant Protection Use Survey were merged with states’ cell phone use while driving legislation. The exposure was presence of a universal hand-held cell phone ban at time of observation. Logistic regression was used to assess the odds of drivers having a hand-held cell phone conversation. Sub-groups differences were assessed using models with interaction terms. Results When universal hand-held cell phone bans were effective, hand-held cell phone conversations were lower across all driver demographic sub-groups and regions. Sub-group differences existed among the sexes (p-value, <0.0001 and regions (p-value, 0.0003. Compared to states without universal hand-held cell phone bans, the adjusted odds ratio (aOR of a driver hand-held phone conversation was 0.34 [95% confidence interval (CI: 0.28, 0.41] for females versus 0.47 (CI 0.40, 0.55 for males and 0.31 (CI 0.25, 0.38 for drivers in Western states compared to 0.47 (CI 0.30, 0.72 in the Northeast and 0.50 (CI 0.38, 0.66 in the South. Conclusions The presence of universal hand-held cell phone bans were associated lower hand-held cell phone conversations across all driver sub-groups and regions. Hand-held phone conversations were particularly lower among female drivers and those from Western states when these bans were in effect. Public health interventions concerning hand-held cell phone use while driving could reasonably target all drivers.

Acute pain management efficiency improves with point-of-care handheld electronic billing system.

Science.gov (United States)

Fahy, Brenda G

2009-02-01

Technology advances continue to impact patient care and physician workflow. To enable more efficient performance of billing activities, a point-of-care (POC) handheld computer technology replaced a paper-based system on an acute pain management service. Using a handheld personal digital assistant (PDA) and software from MDeverywhere (MDe, MDeverywhere, Long Island, NY), we performed a 1-yr prospective observational study of an anesthesiology acute pain management service billings and collections. Seventeen anesthesiologists providing billable acute pain services were trained and entered their charges on a PDA. Twelve months of data, just before electronic implementation (pre-elec), were compared to a 12-m period after implementation (post-elec). The total charges were 4883 for 890 patients pre-elec and 5368 for 1128 patients post-elec. With adoption of handheld billing, the charge lag days decreased from 29.3 to 7.0 (P billing using PDAs to replace a paper-based billing system improved the collection rate and decreased the number of charge lag days with a positive return on investment. The handheld PDA billing system provided POC support for physicians during their daily clinical (e.g., patient locations, rounding lists) and billing activities, improving workflow.

Epilepsy Forewarning Using A Hand-Held Device

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hively, LM

2005-02-21

Over the last decade, ORNL has developed and patented a novel approach for forewarning of a large variety of machine and biomedical events. The present implementation uses desktop computers to analyze archival data. This report describes the next logical step in this effort, namely use of a hand-held device for the analysis.

Bus.py: A GridLAB-D Communication Interface for Smart Distribution Grid Simulations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hansen, Timothy M.; Palmintier, Bryan; Suryanarayanan, Siddharth; Maciejewski, Anthony A.; Siegel, Howard Jay

2015-07-03

As more Smart Grid technologies (e.g., distributed photovoltaic, spatially distributed electric vehicle charging) are integrated into distribution grids, static distribution simulations are no longer sufficient for performing modeling and analysis. GridLAB-D is an agent-based distribution system simulation environment that allows fine-grained end-user models, including geospatial and network topology detail. A problem exists in that, without outside intervention, once the GridLAB-D simulation begins execution, it will run to completion without allowing the real-time interaction of Smart Grid controls, such as home energy management systems and aggregator control. We address this lack of runtime interaction by designing a flexible communication interface, Bus.py (pronounced bus-dot-pie), that uses Python to pass messages between one or more GridLAB-D instances and a Smart Grid simulator. This work describes the design and implementation of Bus.py, discusses its usefulness in terms of some Smart Grid scenarios, and provides an example of an aggregator-based residential demand response system interacting with GridLAB-D through Bus.py. The small scale example demonstrates the validity of the interface and shows that an aggregator using said interface is able to control residential loads in GridLAB-D during runtime to cause a reduction in the peak load on the distribution system in (a) peak reduction and (b) time-of-use pricing cases.

Advanced mobile satellite communications using COMETS satellite in MM-wave and Ka-band

Science.gov (United States)

Ohmori, Shingo; Isobe, Shunkichi; Takeuchi, Makoto; Naito, Hideyuki

1993-01-01

Early in the 21st century, the demand for personal communications using mobile, hand-held, and VSAT terminals will rapidly increase. In a future system, many different types of services should be provided with one-hop connection. The Communications Research Laboratory (CRL) has studied a future advanced mobile satellite communications system using millimeter wave and Ka band. In 1990, CRL started the Communications and Broadcasting Engineering Test Satellite (COMETS) project. The satellite has been developed in conjunction with NASDA and will be launched in 1997. This paper describes the COMETS payload configuration and the experimental system for the advanced mobile communications mission.

An Approach to Interface Synthesis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Jan; Hald, Bjarne

1995-01-01

Presents a novel interface synthesis approach based on a one-sided interface description. Whereas most other approaches consider interface synthesis as optimizing a channel to existing client/server modules, we consider the interface synthesis as part of the client/server module synthesis (which...... may contain the re-use of existing modules). The interface synthesis approach describes the basic transformations needed to transform the server interface description into an interface description on the client side of the communication medium. The synthesis approach is illustrated through a point...

Vibrational energy flow through the green fluorescent protein-water interface: communication maps and thermal boundary conductance.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Yao; Leitner, David M

2014-07-17

We calculate communication maps for green fluorescent protein (GFP) to elucidate energy transfer pathways between the chromophore and other parts of the protein in the ground and excited state. The approach locates energy transport channels from the chromophore to remote regions of the protein via residues and water molecules that hydrogen bond to the chromophore. We calculate the thermal boundary conductance between GFP and water over a wide range of temperature and find that the interface between the protein and the cluster of water molecules in the β-barrel poses negligible resistance to thermal flow, consistent with facile vibrational energy transfer from the chromophore to the β-barrel waters observed in the communication maps.

Clinical translation of handheld optical coherence tomography: practical considerations and recent advancements

Science.gov (United States)

Monroy, Guillermo L.; Won, Jungeun; Spillman, Darold R.; Dsouza, Roshan; Boppart, Stephen A.

2017-12-01

Since the inception of optical coherence tomography (OCT), advancements in imaging system design and handheld probes have allowed for numerous advancements in disease diagnostics and characterization of the structural and optical properties of tissue. OCT system developers continue to reduce form factor and cost, while improving imaging performance (speed, resolution, etc.) and flexibility for applicability in a broad range of fields, and nearly every clinical specialty. An extensive array of components to construct customized systems has also become available, with a range of commercial entities that produce high-quality products, from single components to full systems, for clinical and research use. Many advancements in the development of these miniaturized and portable systems can be linked back to a specific challenge in academic research, or a clinical need in medicine or surgery. Handheld OCT systems are discussed and explored for various applications. Handheld systems are discussed in terms of their relative level of portability and form factor, with mention of the supporting technologies and surrounding ecosystem that bolstered their development. Additional insight from our efforts to implement systems in several clinical environments is provided. The trend toward well-designed, efficient, and compact handheld systems paves the way for more widespread adoption of OCT into point-of-care or point-of-procedure applications in both clinical and commercial settings.

The Iridium (tm) system: Personal communications anytime, anyplace

Science.gov (United States)

Hatlelid, John E.; Casey, Larry

1993-01-01

The Iridium system is designed to provide handheld personal communications between diverse locations around the world at any time and without prior knowledge of the location of the personal units. This paper provides an overview of the system, the services it provides, its operation, and an overview of the commercial practices and relatively high volume satellite production techniques which will make the system cost effective. A constellation of 66 satellites will provide an orbiting, spherical-shell, infrastructure for this global calling capability. The satellites act as tall cellular towers and allow convenient operation for portable handheld telephones. The system will provide a full range of services including voice, paging, data, geolocation, and fax capabilities. Motorola is a world leader in the production of high volume, high quality, reliable telecommunications hardware. One of Iridium's goals is to apply these production techniques to high reliability space hardware. Concurrent engineering, high performance work teams, advanced manufacturing technologies, and improved assembly and test methods are some of the techniques that will keep the Iridium system cost effective. Mobile, global, flexible personal communications are coming that will allow anyone to call or receive a call from/to anyplace at anytime. The Iridium system will provide communications where none exist today. This connectivity will allow increased information transfer, open new markets for various business endeavors, and in general increase productivity and development.

Telemedicine and Alzheimer's Disease from Studio-Based Videoconferencing to Mobile Handheld Cell Phones

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pk (Poh-Kooi Loh

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The use of Telemedicine in the assessment of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's Disease is evolving with advances in Information and Communication Technology. This article outlines the course of evolution in Western Australia, a large state with a sparse population outside of the capital city. The starting point of the evolution, video-conferencing in Telehealth studios, is reviewed as well as the next stage, use of desktop technology, which enables the physician to consult from the office or clinic. A pilot study currently being undertaken to assess the validity of the latest stage in evolution of Telehealth—the use of handheld mobile cell phone video calling that allows the physician and patient to interact at locations convenient to both parties. The pitfalls and implications of the use of this stage, should it prove to be a valid approach, are discussed.

Evaluation of an enclosed ultraviolet-C radiation device for decontamination of mobile handheld devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Mathew, J Itty; Cadnum, Jennifer L; Sankar, Thriveen; Jencson, Annette L; Kundrapu, Sirisha; Donskey, Curtis J

2016-06-01

Mobile handheld devices used in health care settings may become contaminated with health care-associated pathogens. We demonstrated that an enclosed ultraviolet-C radiation device was effective in rapidly reducing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and with longer exposure times, Clostridium difficile spores, on glass slides and reducing contamination on in-use mobile handheld devices. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Agreement Between an Automated Volume Breast Scanner and Handheld Ultrasound for Diagnostic Breast Examinations.

Science.gov (United States)

Barr, Richard G; DeVita, Robert; Destounis, Stamatia; Manzoni, Federica; De Silvestri, Annalisa; Tinelli, Carmine

2017-10-01

To compare the agreement and interobserver variability of diagnostic handheld ultrasound (US) and a single volume on an automated breast volume scanner (ABVS) and to determine whether there was a significant difference if the ABVS was used by a sonographer or mammographic technologist. Ninety patients scheduled for diagnostic US examinations were randomized to either handheld US or the ABVS first. The AVBS was randomized between a sonographer and a mammographic technologist performing the study. The studies were blinded, randomized, and read by 2 radiologists. The lesion with the highest Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) score was used in the analysis. Final diagnoses were made by core biopsy or follow-up for 2 years. Lesions included 9 malignant and 81 benign. The 90 patients had a mean age ± SD of 53.1 ± 16.3 years. The κ value for agreement between the ABVS and handheld US was 0.831 (95% confidence interval, 0.744-0.925), whereas the global agreement for a 7-point BI-RADS score was 0.488 (0.372-0.560). The agreement between the ABVS and handheld US was nearly the same when the ABVS was used by a mammographic technologist (κ = 0.858 [0.723-0.963]) or sonographer (κ = 0.803 [0.596-1.000]; P = .47). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves for characterization by the ABVS were 0.91 (0.84-0.96) for reader 1 and 0.91 (0.83-0.96) for reader 2; those for handheld US were 0.91 (0.84-0.96) for reader 1 and 0.83 (0.74-0.90) for reader 2, with no statistical difference. The agreement based on pathologic images was κ = 0.831 (0.718-0.944); for handheld US, κ = 0.795 (0.623-0.967); and for the AVBS, κ = 0.869 (0.725-1.000). Performing a single-view diagnostic ABVS examination has good agreement with a handheld diagnostic US workup. There is no difference if the ABVS is used by a sonographer or mammographic technologist. © 2017 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.

McMPI – a managed-code message passing interface library for high performance communication in C#

OpenAIRE

Holmes, Daniel John

2012-01-01

This work endeavours to achieve technology transfer between established best-practice in academic high-performance computing and current techniques in commercial high-productivity computing. It shows that a credible high-performance message-passing communication library, with semantics and syntax following the Message-Passing Interface (MPI) Standard, can be built in pure C# (one of the .Net suite of computer languages). Message-passing has been the dominant paradigm in high-pe...

Leakage and scattered radiation from hand-held dental x-ray unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Eun Kyung

2007-01-01

To compare the leakage and scattered radiation from hand-held dental X-ray unit with radiation from fixed dental X-ray unit. For evaluation we used one hand-held dental X-ray unit and Oramatic 558 (Trophy Radiologie, France), a fixed dental X-ray unit. Doses were measured with Unfors Multi-O-Meter 512L at the right and left hand levels of X-ray tube head part for the scattered and leakage radiation when human skull DXTTR ΙΙΙ was exposed to both dental X-ray units. And for the leakage radiation only, doses were measured at the immediately right, left, superior and posterior side of the tube head part when air was exposed. Exposure parameters of hand-held dental X-ray unit were 70 kVp, 3 mA , 0.1 second, and of fixed X-ray unit 70 kVp, 8 mA, 0.45 second. The mean dose at the hand level when human skull DXTTR ΙΙΙ was exposed with portable X-ray unit 6.39 μGy, and the mean dose with fixed X-ray unit 3.03 μGy (p<0.001). The mean dose at the immediate side of the tube head part when air was exposed with portable X-ray unit was 2.97 μGy and with fixed X-ray unit the mean dose was 0.68 μGy (p<0.01). The leakage and scattered radiation from hand-held dental radiography was greater than from fixed dental radiography

Leakage and scattered radiation from hand-held dental x-ray unit

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Eun Kyung [Dankook Univ. School of Dentistry, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2007-06-15

To compare the leakage and scattered radiation from hand-held dental X-ray unit with radiation from fixed dental X-ray unit. For evaluation we used one hand-held dental X-ray unit and Oramatic 558 (Trophy Radiologie, France), a fixed dental X-ray unit. Doses were measured with Unfors Multi-O-Meter 512L at the right and left hand levels of X-ray tube head part for the scattered and leakage radiation when human skull DXTTR {iota}{iota}{iota} was exposed to both dental X-ray units. And for the leakage radiation only, doses were measured at the immediately right, left, superior and posterior side of the tube head part when air was exposed. Exposure parameters of hand-held dental X-ray unit were 70 kVp, 3 mA , 0.1 second, and of fixed X-ray unit 70 kVp, 8 mA, 0.45 second. The mean dose at the hand level when human skull DXTTR {iota}{iota}{iota} was exposed with portable X-ray unit 6.39 {mu}Gy, and the mean dose with fixed X-ray unit 3.03 {mu}Gy (p<0.001). The mean dose at the immediate side of the tube head part when air was exposed with portable X-ray unit was 2.97 {mu}Gy and with fixed X-ray unit the mean dose was 0.68 {mu}Gy (p<0.01). The leakage and scattered radiation from hand-held dental radiography was greater than from fixed dental radiography.

Step 1: Human System Integration (HSI) FY05 Pilot-Technology Interface Requirements for Command, Control, and Communications (C3)

Science.gov (United States)

2005-01-01

The document provides the Human System Integration(HSI) high-level functional C3 HSI requirements for the interface to the pilot. Description includes (1) the information required by the pilot to have knowledge C3 system status, and (2) the control capability needed by the pilot to obtain C3 information. Fundamentally, these requirements provide the candidate C3 technology concepts with the necessary human-related elements to make them compatible with human capabilities and limitations. The results of the analysis describe how C3 operations and functions should interface with the pilot to provide the necessary C3 functionality to the UA-pilot system. Requirements and guidelines for C3 are partitioned into three categories: (1) Pilot-Air Traffic Control (ATC) Voice Communications (2) Pilot-ATC Data Communications, and (3) command and control of the unmanned aircraft (UA). Each requirement is stated and is supported with a rationale and associated reference(s).

Handheld computers for self-administered sensitive data collection: A comparative study in Peru

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hughes James P

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Low-cost handheld computers (PDA potentially represent an efficient tool for collecting sensitive data in surveys. The goal of this study is to evaluate the quality of sexual behavior data collected with handheld computers in comparison with paper-based questionnaires. Methods A PDA-based program for data collection was developed using Open-Source tools. In two cross-sectional studies, we compared data concerning sexual behavior collected with paper forms to data collected with PDA-based forms in Ancon (Lima. Results The first study enrolled 200 participants (18–29 years. General agreement between data collected with paper format and handheld computers was 86%. Categorical variables agreement was between 70.5% and 98.5% (Kappa: 0.43–0.86 while numeric variables agreement was between 57.1% and 79.8% (Spearman: 0.76–0.95. Agreement and correlation were higher in those who had completed at least high school than those with less education. The second study enrolled 198 participants. Rates of responses to sensitive questions were similar between both kinds of questionnaires. However, the number of inconsistencies (p = 0.0001 and missing values (p = 0.001 were significantly higher in paper questionnaires. Conclusion This study showed the value of the use of handheld computers for collecting sensitive data, since a high level of agreement between paper and PDA responses was reached. In addition, a lower number of inconsistencies and missing values were found with the PDA-based system. This study has demonstrated that it is feasible to develop a low-cost application for handheld computers, and that PDAs are feasible alternatives for collecting field data in a developing country.

Monitoring of WEEE plastics in regards to brominated flame retardants using handheld XRF

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aldrian, Alexia, E-mail: alexia.aldrian@unileoben.ac.at [Chair of Waste Processing Technology and Waste Management, Montanuniversitaet Leoben, Franz-Josef-Straße 18, 8700 Leoben (Austria); Ledersteger, Alfred, E-mail: a.ledersteger@saubermacher.at [Saubermacher Dienstleistungs AG, Hans-Roth-Straße 1, 8073 Feldkirchen bei Graz (Austria); Pomberger, Roland, E-mail: roland.pomberger@unileoben.ac.at [Chair of Waste Processing Technology and Waste Management, Montanuniversitaet Leoben, Franz-Josef-Straße 18, 8700 Leoben (Austria)

2015-02-15

Highlights: • Specification of an empirical factor for conversion from bromine to PBB and PBDE. • The handheld XRF device was validated for this particular application. • A very large number of over 4600 pieces of monitor housings was analysed. • The recyclable fraction mounts up to 85% for TV but only 53% of PC waste plastics. • A high percentage of pieces with bromine contents of over 50,000 ppm was obtained. - Abstract: This contribution is focused on the on-site determination of the bromine content in waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), in particular waste plastics from television sets (TV) and personal computer monitors (PC) using a handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) device. The described approach allows the examination of samples in regards to the compliance with legal specifications for polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) directly after disassembling and facilitates the sorting out of plastics with high contents of brominated flame retardants (BFRs). In all, over 3000 pieces of black (TV) and 1600 pieces of grey (PC) plastic waste were analysed with handheld XRF technique for this study. Especially noticeable was the high percentage of pieces with a bromine content of over 50,000 ppm for TV (7%) and PC (39%) waste plastics. The applied method was validated by comparing the data of handheld XRF with results obtained by GC–MS. The results showed the expected and sufficiently accurate correlation between these two methods. It is shown that handheld XRF technique is an effective tool for fast monitoring of large volumes of WEEE plastics in regards to BFRs for on-site measurements.

Studies in RF power communication, SAR, and temperature elevation in wireless implantable neural interfaces.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yujuan Zhao

Full Text Available Implantable neural interfaces are designed to provide a high spatial and temporal precision control signal implementing high degree of freedom real-time prosthetic systems. The development of a Radio Frequency (RF wireless neural interface has the potential to expand the number of applications as well as extend the robustness and longevity compared to wired neural interfaces. However, it is well known that RF signal is absorbed by the body and can result in tissue heating. In this work, numerical studies with analytical validations are performed to provide an assessment of power, heating and specific absorption rate (SAR associated with the wireless RF transmitting within the human head. The receiving antenna on the neural interface is designed with different geometries and modeled at a range of implanted depths within the brain in order to estimate the maximum receiving power without violating SAR and tissue temperature elevation safety regulations. Based on the size of the designed antenna, sets of frequencies between 1 GHz to 4 GHz have been investigated. As expected the simulations demonstrate that longer receiving antennas (dipole and lower working frequencies result in greater power availability prior to violating SAR regulations. For a 15 mm dipole antenna operating at 1.24 GHz on the surface of the brain, 730 uW of power could be harvested at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC SAR violation limit. At approximately 5 cm inside the head, this same antenna would receive 190 uW of power prior to violating SAR regulations. Finally, the 3-D bio-heat simulation results show that for all evaluated antennas and frequency combinations we reach FCC SAR limits well before 1 °C. It is clear that powering neural interfaces via RF is possible, but ultra-low power circuit designs combined with advanced simulation will be required to develop a functional antenna that meets all system requirements.

The availability of relatively cheap hand-held Global Positioning ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

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conditions, so the approach failed to produce results ... Hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers provide opportunities for detailed and rapid mapping of features ..... TICKELL, W. L. N. 1968 — The biology of the great albatrosses,.

Hand-held electronic data collection and procedure environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kennedy, E.; Doniz, K.

1996-01-01

As part of a CANDU Owners Group project, AECL has developed a hand-held electronic data collection and procedure environment. Integral to this environment is the C omputerized Procedure Engine . The development of the CPE allows operators, maintainers, and technical support staff to execute virtually any type of station procedure on a general-purpose PC-compatible hand-held computer. There are several advantages to using the computerized procedures: less paper use and handling, reduction in human error, reduction in rework in the field, an increase in procedural compliance, and immediate availability of data to download to databases and plant information systems. The paper describes: the advantages of using computerized procedures, why early forms of computerized procedures were inadequate, the features that the C omputerized Procedure Engine o ffers to the user, the streamlined life cycle of a computerized procedure, and field experience. The paper concludes that computerized procedures are ready for pilot applications at stations. (author)

Measuring thyroid uptake with hand-held radiation monitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deschamps, M.

1987-04-01

With the use of Iodine 123, 125 and 131 and some compounds of Technetium-99 m, a fraction of the isotopes can be trapped in the thyroid of the technicians. We used the hand-held radiation contamination or survey meters of the nine (9) Nuclear medicine departments we visited to see if they were adequate for the evaluation of thyroid uptake of the users. Measurements on a neck-phanton helped us to determine a minimum detectable activity for each isotope. We were then able to check if the measurements of investigations and action levels were possible. None of the hand-held radiation monitors are completely satisfactory for the measure of thyroid uptake of the user. We discuss a class of equipment capable of measuring radiation emissions at the investigation level. Measurement at the action level is possible with meters having scintillation or proportional probes but none of them permits the discrimination in energy required for a quantitative evaluation of the radioisotopes used

Projection Mapping User Interface for Disabled People.

Science.gov (United States)

Gelšvartas, Julius; Simutis, Rimvydas; Maskeliūnas, Rytis

2018-01-01

Difficulty in communicating is one of the key challenges for people suffering from severe motor and speech disabilities. Often such person can communicate and interact with the environment only using assistive technologies. This paper presents a multifunctional user interface designed to improve communication efficiency and person independence. The main component of this interface is a projection mapping technique used to highlight objects in the environment. Projection mapping makes it possible to create a natural augmented reality information presentation method. The user interface combines a depth sensor and a projector to create camera-projector system. We provide a detailed description of camera-projector system calibration procedure. The described system performs tabletop object detection and automatic projection mapping. Multiple user input modalities have been integrated into the multifunctional user interface. Such system can be adapted to the needs of people with various disabilities.

Projection Mapping User Interface for Disabled People

Science.gov (United States)

Simutis, Rimvydas; Maskeliūnas, Rytis

2018-01-01

Difficulty in communicating is one of the key challenges for people suffering from severe motor and speech disabilities. Often such person can communicate and interact with the environment only using assistive technologies. This paper presents a multifunctional user interface designed to improve communication efficiency and person independence. The main component of this interface is a projection mapping technique used to highlight objects in the environment. Projection mapping makes it possible to create a natural augmented reality information presentation method. The user interface combines a depth sensor and a projector to create camera-projector system. We provide a detailed description of camera-projector system calibration procedure. The described system performs tabletop object detection and automatic projection mapping. Multiple user input modalities have been integrated into the multifunctional user interface. Such system can be adapted to the needs of people with various disabilities. PMID:29686827

Development and performance of a hand-held CZT detector for in-situ measurements at the emergency response

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ji, Young Yong; Chung, Kun Ho; Kim, Chang Jong; Lee, Wan No; Choi, Geun Sik; Kang, Mun Ja [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Yoon, Jin [SI Detection Co. Ltd, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-06-15

A hand-held detector for an emergency response was developed for nuclide identification and to estimate the information of the ambient dose rate in the scene of an accident as well as the radioactivity of the contaminants. To achieve this, the most suitable sensor was first selected as a cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) semiconductor and the signal processing unit from a sensor and the signal discrimination and storage unit were successfully manufactured on a printed circuit board. The performance of the developed signal processing unit was then evaluated to have an energy resolution of about 14 keV at 662 keV. The system control unit was also designed to operate the CZT detector, monitor the detector, battery, and interface status, and check and transmit the measured results of the ambient dose rate and radioactivity. In addition, a collimator, which can control the inner radius, and the airborne dust sampler, which consists of an air filter and charcoal filter, were developed and mounted to the developed CZT detector for the quick and efficient response of a nuclear accident. The hand-held CZT detector was developed to make the in-situ gamma-ray spectrometry and its performance was checked to have a good energy resolution. In addition, the collimator and the airborne dust sampler were developed and mounted to the developed CZT detector for a quick and efficient response to a nuclear accident.

Structures in the communication between lexicographer and programmer: Database and interface

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tarp, Sven

2015-01-01

This paper deals exclusively with e-lexicography. It intends to answer the question how much a lexicographer in charge of a new e-dictionary project should know about lexicographical structures, and how this knowledge could be communicated to the IT programmer designing the underlying database...... and the corresponding user interfaces. With this purpose, it first defines the concepts of lexicographical database, e-dictionary and e-lexicographical structure. Then it discusses some of the new ways in which lexicographical structures express themselves in the digital environment. It stresses, above all......, their dynamic character and great complexity which make it extremely difficult and time-consuming for the lexicographer to get an overview of all the structures in an e-lexicographical project. Finally, and based upon the experience from the planning and design of five e-dictionaries, it shows how...

Trends in mobile satellite communication

Science.gov (United States)

Johannsen, Klaus G.; Bowles, Mike W.; Milliken, Samuel; Cherrette, Alan R.; Busche, Gregory C.

1993-01-01

Ever since the U.S. Federal Communication Commission opened the discussion on spectrum usage for personal handheld communication, the community of satellite manufacturers has been searching for an economically viable and technically feasible satellite mobile communication system. Hughes Aircraft Company and others have joined in providing proposals for such systems, ranging from low to medium to geosynchronous orbits. These proposals make it clear that the trend in mobile satellite communication is toward more sophisticated satellites with a large number of spot beams and onboard processing, providing worldwide interconnectivity. Recent Hughes studies indicate that from a cost standpoint the geosynchronous satellite (GEOS) is most economical, followed by the medium earth orbit satellite (MEOS) and then by the low earth orbit satellite (LEOS). From a system performance standpoint, this evaluation may be in reverse order, depending on how the public will react to speech delay and collision. This paper discusses the trends and various mobile satellite constellations in satellite communication under investigation. It considers the effect of orbital altitude and modulation/multiple access on the link and spacecraft design.

Handheld Universal Diagnostic Sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Eugene

2012-01-01

The rHEALTH technology is designed to shrink an entire hospital testing laboratory onto a handheld device. A physician or healthcare provider performs the test by collecting a fingerstick of blood from a patient. The tiny volume of blood is inserted into the rHEALTH device. Inside the device is a microfluidic chip that contains small channels about the width of a human hair. These channels help move the blood and analyze the blood sample. The rHEALTH sensor uses proprietary reagents called nanostrips, which are nanoscale test strips that enable the clinical assays. The readout is performed by laser-induced fluorescence. Overall, the time from blood collection through analysis is less than a minute.

Application of Handheld Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) to Geochemical Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Connors, Brendan; Somers, Andrew; Day, David

2016-05-01

While laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been in use for decades, only within the last two years has technology progressed to the point of enabling true handheld, self-contained instruments. Several instruments are now commercially available with a range of capabilities and features. In this paper, the SciAps Z-500 handheld LIBS instrument functionality and sub-systems are reviewed. Several assayed geochemical sample sets, including igneous rocks and soils, are investigated. Calibration data are presented for multiple elements of interest along with examples of elemental mapping in heterogeneous samples. Sample preparation and the data collection method from multiple locations and data analysis are discussed. © The Author(s) 2016.

Examination of the communication interface between students with severe to profound and multiple intellectual disability and educational staff during structured teaching sessions.

Science.gov (United States)

Bunning, K; Smith, C; Kennedy, P; Greenham, C

2013-01-01

Individuals with severe to profound and multiple intellectual disability (S-PMID) tend to function at the earlier stages of communication development. Variable and highly individual means of communicating may present challenges to the adults providing support in everyday life. The current study aimed to examine the communication interface between students with S-PMID and educational staff. An in-depth, observational study of dyadic interaction in a class within the secondary part of a special school was conducted. The designated educational level was Key Stage 3 under the National Curriculum of England, which is typically for children from age 11 to 14 years attending a state school. There were four student-teacher dyads in the class. The students had multiple impairments with severely limited communication skills. Video capture of dyadic interaction was conducted during five English lessons and sampled to 2.5 min per dyad per lesson. The video footage was transcribed into standard orthography, detailing the vocal and non-vocal aspects. A coding framework guided by the principles of structural-functional linguistics was used to determine the nature of dyadic interaction, comprising linguistic moves, functions and communicative modalities. The relative contributions of student and teacher to the interaction were examined. Significant differences were found between the students and educational staff on the majority of the measures. The teachers dominated the interaction, occupying significantly more turns than the students. Teacher turns contained significantly more initiations and follow-up moves than the students, who used more response moves. Teacher communication mainly served the functions of requesting and information giving. Feedback and scripted functions were also significantly greater among teacher turns, with only limited occurrence among the students. Self- or shared-expression was greatest among the students. The modalities of speech, touch, singing and

Projection Mapping User Interface for Disabled People

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julius Gelšvartas

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Difficulty in communicating is one of the key challenges for people suffering from severe motor and speech disabilities. Often such person can communicate and interact with the environment only using assistive technologies. This paper presents a multifunctional user interface designed to improve communication efficiency and person independence. The main component of this interface is a projection mapping technique used to highlight objects in the environment. Projection mapping makes it possible to create a natural augmented reality information presentation method. The user interface combines a depth sensor and a projector to create camera-projector system. We provide a detailed description of camera-projector system calibration procedure. The described system performs tabletop object detection and automatic projection mapping. Multiple user input modalities have been integrated into the multifunctional user interface. Such system can be adapted to the needs of people with various disabilities.

Exploring streamwater mixing dynamics via handheld thermal infrared imagery

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Antonelli, Marta; Klaus, Julian; Smettem, Keith; Teuling, Ryan; Pfister, Laurent

2017-01-01

Stream confluences are important hotspots of aquatic ecological processes. Water mixing dynamics at stream confluences influence physio-chemical characteristics of the stream as well as sediment mobilisation and pollutant dispersal. In this study, we investigated the potential for handheld

Struggles and Successes Implementing Classroom Communication Technology in a College Pre-Calculus Course

Science.gov (United States)

Case, Erin; Pape, Stephen

2013-01-01

This case study documents the struggles and successes encountered by a pre-calculus teacher while using Classroom Connectivity Technology (CCT) daily in her community college mathematics course. CCT refers to a wireless communication system that connects a teacher's computer with an individual student's handheld calculator and has been associated…

Monitoring invasive plants using hand-held GIS technology

Science.gov (United States)

Theresa M. Mau-Crimmins; Barron J. Orr

2005-01-01

Successful control of invasive species requires a clear picture of the spatial extent of infestations. The latest mapping technology involves coupling global position systems and handheld computers running geographic information systems software in the field. A series of workshops applying this technology to mapping weeds was developed and presented to Weed Management...

The interface effect

CERN Document Server

Galloway, Alexander R

2013-01-01

Interfaces are back, or perhaps they never left. The familiar Socratic conceit from the Phaedrus, of communication as the process of writing directly on the soul of the other, has returned to center stage in today's discussions of culture and media. Indeed Western thought has long construed media as a grand choice between two kinds of interfaces. Following the optimistic path, media seamlessly interface self and other in a transparent and immediate connection. But, following the pessimistic path, media are the obstacles to direct communion, disintegrating self and other into misunderstanding

Accuracy of Handheld Blood Glucose Meters at High Altitude

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Mol, Pieter; Krabbe, Hans G.; de Vries, Suzanna T.; Fokkert, Marion J.; Dikkeschei, Bert D.; Rienks, Rienk; Bilo, Karin M.; Bilo, Henk J. G.

2010-01-01

Background: Due to increasing numbers of people with diabetes taking part in extreme sports (e. g., high-altitude trekking), reliable handheld blood glucose meters (BGMs) are necessary. Accurate blood glucose measurement under extreme conditions is paramount for safe recreation at altitude. Prior

Study on networking issues of medium earth orbit satellite communications systems

Science.gov (United States)

Araki, Noriyuki; Shinonaga, Hideyuki; Ito, Yasuhiko

1993-01-01

Two networking issues of communications systems with medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites, namely network architectures and location determination and registration methods for hand-held terminals, are investigated in this paper. For network architecture, five candidate architectures are considered and evaluated in terms of signaling traffic. For location determination and registration, two methods are discussed and evaluated.

A hand-held robotic device for peripheral intravenous catheterization.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Zhuoqi; Davies, Brian L; Caldwell, Darwin G; Barresi, Giacinto; Xu, Qinqi; Mattos, Leonardo S

2017-12-01

Intravenous catheterization is frequently required for numerous medical treatments. However, this process is characterized by a high failure rate, especially when performed on difficult patients such as newborns and infants. Very young patients have small veins, and that increases the chances of accidentally puncturing the catheterization needle directly through them. In this article, we present the design, development and experimental evaluation of a novel hand-held robotic device for improving the process of peripheral intravenous catheterization by facilitating the needle insertion procedure. To our knowledge, this design is the first hand-held robotic device for assisting in the catheterization insertion task. Compared to the other available technologies, it has several unique advantages such as being compact, low-cost and able to reliably detect venipuncture. The system is equipped with an electrical impedance sensor at the tip of the catheterization needle, which provides real-time measurements used to supervise and control the catheter insertion process. This allows the robotic system to precisely position the needle within the lumen of the target vein, leading to enhanced catheterization success rate. Experiments conducted to evaluate the device demonstrated that it is also effective to deskill the task. Naïve subjects achieved an average catheterization success rate of 88% on a 1.5 mm phantom vessel with the robotic device versus 12% with the traditional unassisted system. The results of this work prove the feasibility of a hand-held assistive robotic device for intravenous catheterization and show that such device has the potential to greatly improve the success rate of these difficult operations.

Neurosurgery contact handheld probe based on sapphire shaped crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Shikunova, I. A.; Stryukov, D. O.; Rossolenko, S. N.; Kiselev, A. M.; Kurlov, V. N.

2017-01-01

A handheld contact probe based on sapphire shaped crystal is developed for intraoperative spectrally-resolved optical diagnostics, laser coagulation and aspiration of malignant brain tissue. The technology was integrated into the neurosurgical workflow for intraoperative real-time identification and removing of invasive brain cancer.

Applying technology to visually support language and communication in individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Shane, Howard C; Laubscher, Emily H; Schlosser, Ralf W; Flynn, Suzanne; Sorce, James F; Abramson, Jennifer

2012-06-01

The burgeoning role of technology in society has provided opportunities for the development of new means of communication for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). This paper offers an organizational framework for describing traditional and emerging augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technology, and highlights how tools within this framework can support a visual approach to everyday communication and improve language instruction. The growing adoption of handheld media devices along with applications acquired via a consumer-oriented delivery model suggests a potential paradigm shift in AAC for people with ASD.

Universal quantum interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lloyd, Seth; Landahl, Andrew J.; Slotine, Jean-Jacques E.

2004-01-01

To observe or control a quantum system, one must interact with it via an interface. This article exhibits simple universal quantum interfaces--quantum input/output ports consisting of a single two-state system or quantum bit that interacts with the system to be observed or controlled. It is shown that under very general conditions the ability to observe and control the quantum bit on its own implies the ability to observe and control the system itself. The interface can also be used as a quantum communication channel, and multiple quantum systems can be connected by interfaces to become an efficient universal quantum computer. Experimental realizations are proposed, and implications for controllability, observability, and quantum information processing are explored

Imaging Emission Spectra with Handheld and Cellphone Cameras

Science.gov (United States)

Sitar, David

2012-01-01

As point-and-shoot digital camera technology advances it is becoming easier to image spectra in a laboratory setting on a shoestring budget and get immediate results. With this in mind, I wanted to test three cameras to see how their results would differ. Two undergraduate physics students and I used one handheld 7.1 megapixel (MP) digital Cannon…

Improving northbound interface communication in SDWSN

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Pritchard, SW

2017-10-01

Full Text Available that it may allow for a better degree of network programmability. In order to achieve network programmability and automation, there is a need for a metadata based Application Programming Interface (API). The work done in this paper seeks to improve...

Diagnostic efficacy of handheld devices for emergency radiologic consultation.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Toomey, Rachel J

2010-02-01

Orthopedic injury and intracranial hemorrhage are commonly encountered in emergency radiology, and accurate and timely diagnosis is important. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the diagnostic accuracy of handheld computing devices is comparable to that of monitors that might be used in emergency teleconsultation.

Octopus: embracing the energy efficiency of handheld multimedia computers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Havinga, Paul J.M.; Smit, Gerardus Johannes Maria

1999-01-01

In the MOBY DICK project we develop and define the architecture of a new generation of mobile hand-held computers called Mobile Digital Companions. The Companions must meet several major requirements: high performance, energy efficient, a notion of Quality of Service (QoS), small size, and low

Application of handheld devices to field research among underserved construction worker populations: a workplace health assessment pilot study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fleming Lora E

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Novel low-cost approaches for conducting rapid health assessments and health promotion interventions among underserved worker groups are needed. Recruitment and participation of construction workers is particularly challenging due to their often transient periods of work at any one construction site, and their limited time during work to participate in such studies. In the present methodology report, we discuss the experience, advantages and disadvantages of using touch screen handheld devices for the collection of field data from a largely underserved worker population. Methods In March 2010, a workplace-centered pilot study to examine the feasibility of using a handheld personal device for the rapid health assessment of construction workers in two South Florida Construction sites was undertaken. A 45-item survey instrument, including health-related questions on tobacco exposure, workplace safety practices, musculoskeletal disorders and health symptoms, was programmed onto Apple iPod Touch® devices. Language sensitive (English and Spanish recruitment scripts, verbal consent forms, and survey questions were all preloaded onto the handheld devices. The experience (time to survey administration and capital cost of the handheld administration method was recorded and compared to approaches available in the extant literature. Results Construction workers were very receptive to the recruitment, interview and assessment processes conducted through the handheld devices. Some workers even welcomed the opportunity to complete the questionnaire themselves using the touch screen handheld device. A list of advantages and disadvantages emerged from this experience that may be useful in the rapid health assessment of underserved populations working in a variety of environmental and occupational health settings. Conclusions Handheld devices, which are relatively inexpensive, minimize survey response error, and allow for easy storage of data

Application of handheld devices to field research among underserved construction worker populations: a workplace health assessment pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Caban-Martinez, Alberto J; Clarke, Tainya C; Davila, Evelyn P; Fleming, Lora E; Lee, David J

2011-04-01

Novel low-cost approaches for conducting rapid health assessments and health promotion interventions among underserved worker groups are needed. Recruitment and participation of construction workers is particularly challenging due to their often transient periods of work at any one construction site, and their limited time during work to participate in such studies. In the present methodology report, we discuss the experience, advantages and disadvantages of using touch screen handheld devices for the collection of field data from a largely underserved worker population. In March 2010, a workplace-centered pilot study to examine the feasibility of using a handheld personal device for the rapid health assessment of construction workers in two South Florida Construction sites was undertaken. A 45-item survey instrument, including health-related questions on tobacco exposure, workplace safety practices, musculoskeletal disorders and health symptoms, was programmed onto Apple iPod Touch® devices. Language sensitive (English and Spanish) recruitment scripts, verbal consent forms, and survey questions were all preloaded onto the handheld devices. The experience (time to survey administration and capital cost) of the handheld administration method was recorded and compared to approaches available in the extant literature. Construction workers were very receptive to the recruitment, interview and assessment processes conducted through the handheld devices. Some workers even welcomed the opportunity to complete the questionnaire themselves using the touch screen handheld device. A list of advantages and disadvantages emerged from this experience that may be useful in the rapid health assessment of underserved populations working in a variety of environmental and occupational health settings. Handheld devices, which are relatively inexpensive, minimize survey response error, and allow for easy storage of data. These technological research modalities are useful in the

Integrated optical detection of autonomous capillary microfluidic immunoassays:a hand-held point-of-care prototype.

Science.gov (United States)

Novo, P; Chu, V; Conde, J P

2014-07-15

The miniaturization of biosensors using microfluidics has potential in enabling the development of point-of-care devices, with the added advantages of reduced time and cost of analysis with limits-of-detection comparable to those obtained through traditional laboratory techniques. Interfacing microfluidic devices with the external world can be difficult especially in aspects involving fluid handling and the need for simple sample insertion that avoids special equipment or trained personnel. In this work we present a point-of-care prototype system by integrating capillary microfluidics with a microfabricated photodiode array and electronic instrumentation into a hand-held unit. The capillary microfluidic device is capable of autonomous and sequential fluid flow, including control of the average fluid velocity at any given point of the analysis. To demonstrate the functionality of the prototype, a model chemiluminescence ELISA was performed. The performance of the integrated optical detection in the point-of-care prototype is equal to that obtained with traditional bench-top instrumentation. The photodiode signals were acquired, displayed and processed by a simple graphical user interface using a computer connected to the microcontroller through USB. The prototype performed integrated chemiluminescence ELISA detection in about 15 min with a limit-of-detection of ≈2 nM with an antibody-antigen affinity constant of ≈2×10(7) M(-1). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Performance of a new hand-held device for exhaled nitric oxide measurement in adults and children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janson C

2006-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Exhaled nitric oxide (NO measurement has been shown to be a valuable tool in the management of patients with asthma. Up to now, most measurements have been done with stationary, chemiluminescence-based NO analysers, which are not suitable for the primary health care setting. A hand-held NO analyser which simplifies the measurement would be of value both in specialized and primary health care. In this study, the performance of a new electrochemical hand-held device for exhaled NO measurements (NIOX MINO was compared with a standard stationary chemiluminescence unit (NIOX. Methods A total of 71 subjects (6–60 years; 36 males, both healthy controls and atopic patients with and without asthma were included. The mean of three approved exhalations (50 ml/s in each device, and the first approved measurement in the hand-held device, were compared with regard to NO readings (Bland-Altman plots, measurement feasibility (success rate with 6 attempts and repeatability (intrasubject SD. Results Success rate was high (≥ 84% in both devices for both adults and children. The subjects represented a FENO range of 8–147 parts per billion (ppb. When comparing the mean of three measurements (n = 61, the median of the intrasubject difference in exhaled NO for the two devices was -1.2 ppb; thus generally the hand-held device gave slightly higher readings. The Bland-Altman plot shows that the 95% limits of agreement were -9.8 and 8.0 ppb. The intrasubject median difference between the NIOX and the first approved measurement in the NIOX MINO was -2.0 ppb, and limits of agreement were -13.2 and 10.2 ppb. The median repeatability for NIOX and NIOX MINO were 1.1 and 1.2 ppb, respectively. Conclusion The hand-held device (NIOX MINO and the stationary system (NIOX are in clinically acceptable agreement both when the mean of three measurements and the first approved measurement (NIOX MINO is used. The hand-held device shows good repeatability, and it

Performance of a new hand-held device for exhaled nitric oxide measurement in adults and children.

Science.gov (United States)

Alving, K; Janson, C; Nordvall, L

2006-04-20

Exhaled nitric oxide (NO) measurement has been shown to be a valuable tool in the management of patients with asthma. Up to now, most measurements have been done with stationary, chemiluminescence-based NO analysers, which are not suitable for the primary health care setting. A hand-held NO analyser which simplifies the measurement would be of value both in specialized and primary health care. In this study, the performance of a new electrochemical hand-held device for exhaled NO measurements (NIOX MINO) was compared with a standard stationary chemiluminescence unit (NIOX). A total of 71 subjects (6-60 years; 36 males), both healthy controls and atopic patients with and without asthma were included. The mean of three approved exhalations (50 ml/s) in each device, and the first approved measurement in the hand-held device, were compared with regard to NO readings (Bland-Altman plots), measurement feasibility (success rate with 6 attempts) and repeatability (intrasubject SD). Success rate was high (> or = 84%) in both devices for both adults and children. The subjects represented a FENO range of 8-147 parts per billion (ppb). When comparing the mean of three measurements (n = 61), the median of the intrasubject difference in exhaled NO for the two devices was -1.2 ppb; thus generally the hand-held device gave slightly higher readings. The Bland-Altman plot shows that the 95% limits of agreement were -9.8 and 8.0 ppb. The intrasubject median difference between the NIOX and the first approved measurement in the NIOX MINO was -2.0 ppb, and limits of agreement were -13.2 and 10.2 ppb. The median repeatability for NIOX and NIOX MINO were 1.1 and 1.2 ppb, respectively. The hand-held device (NIOX MINO) and the stationary system (NIOX) are in clinically acceptable agreement both when the mean of three measurements and the first approved measurement (NIOX MINO) is used. The hand-held device shows good repeatability, and it can be used successfully on adults and most children

Neurosurgical hand-held optical coherence tomography (OCT) forward-viewing probe

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Cuiru; Lee, Kenneth K. C.; Vuong, Barry; Cusimano, Michael; Brukson, Alexander; Mariampillai, Adrian; Standish, Beau A.; Yang, Victor X. D.

2012-02-01

A prototype neurosurgical hand-held optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging probe has been developed to provide micron resolution cross-sectional images of subsurface tissue during open surgery. This new ergonomic hand-held probe has been designed based on our group's previous work on electrostatically driven optical fibers. It has been packaged into a catheter probe in the familiar form factor of the clinically accepted Bayonet shaped neurosurgical non-imaging Doppler ultrasound probes. The optical design was optimized using ZEMAX simulation. Optical properties of the probe were tested to yield an ~20 um spot size, 5 mm working distance and a 3.5 mm field of view. The scan frequency can be increased or decreased by changing the applied voltage. Typically a scan frequency of less than 60Hz is chosen to keep the applied voltage to less than 2000V. The axial resolution of the probe was ~15 um (in air) as determined by the OCT system. A custom-triggering methodology has been developed to provide continuous stable imaging, which is crucial for clinical utility. Feasibility of this probe, in combination with a 1310 nm swept source OCT system was tested and images are presented to highlight the usefulness of such a forward viewing handheld OCT imaging probe. Knowledge gained from this research will lay the foundation for developing new OCT technologies for endovascular management of cerebral aneurysms and transsphenoidal neuroendoscopic treatment of pituitary tumors.

DIII-D Neutral Beam control system operator interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, J.J.; Campbell, G.L.

1993-10-01

A centralized graphical user interface has been added to the DIII-D Neutral Beam (NB) control systems for status monitoring and remote control applications. This user interface provides for automatic data acquisition, alarm detection and supervisory control of the four NB programmable logic controllers (PLC) as well as the Mode Control PLC. These PLCs are used for interlocking, control and status of the NB vacuum pumping, gas delivery, and water cooling systems as well as beam mode status and control. The system allows for both a friendly user interface as well as a safe and convenient method of communicating with remote hardware that formerly required interns to access. In the future, to enable high level of control of PLC subsystems, complete procedures is written and executed at the touch of a screen control panel button. The system consists of an IBM compatible 486 computer running the FIX DMACS trademark for Windows trademark data acquisition and control interface software, a Texas Instruments/Siemens communication card and Phoenix Digital optical communications modules. Communication is achieved via the TIWAY (Texas Instruments protocol link utilizing both fiber optic communications and a copper local area network (LAN). Hardware and software capabilities will be reviewed. Data and alarm reporting, extended monitoring and control capabilities will also be discussed

Interactive topology optimization on hand-held devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aage, Niels; Nobel-Jørgensen, Morten; Andreasen, Casper Schousboe

2013-01-01

This paper presents an interactive topology optimization application designed for hand-held devices running iOS or Android. The TopOpt app solves the 2D minimum compliance problem with interactive control of load and support positions as well as volume fraction. Thus, it is possible to change......OS devices from the Apple App Store, at Google Play for the Android platform, and a web-version can be run from www.topopt.dtu.dk....

Hand-held and automated breast ultrasound

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bassett, L.W.; Gold, R.H.; Kimme-Smith, C.

1985-01-01

The book is a guide for physicians and technologists who use US as an adjunct to mammography; it carefully outlines the pros and cons of US of the breast and its role in the diagnosis of benign and malignant diseases. After an introduction that discusses the philosophy of breast US, the chapters cover the physics of US and instrumentation (both hand-held transducers as well as automated water path scanners), then proceed to a discussion of the normal breast. Sections on benign disorders, malignant lesions, and pitfalls of diagnosis are followed by quiz cases

High performance communication by people with paralysis using an intracortical brain-computer interface

Science.gov (United States)

Pandarinath, Chethan; Nuyujukian, Paul; Blabe, Christine H; Sorice, Brittany L; Saab, Jad; Willett, Francis R; Hochberg, Leigh R

2017-01-01

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have the potential to restore communication for people with tetraplegia and anarthria by translating neural activity into control signals for assistive communication devices. While previous pre-clinical and clinical studies have demonstrated promising proofs-of-concept (Serruya et al., 2002; Simeral et al., 2011; Bacher et al., 2015; Nuyujukian et al., 2015; Aflalo et al., 2015; Gilja et al., 2015; Jarosiewicz et al., 2015; Wolpaw et al., 1998; Hwang et al., 2012; Spüler et al., 2012; Leuthardt et al., 2004; Taylor et al., 2002; Schalk et al., 2008; Moran, 2010; Brunner et al., 2011; Wang et al., 2013; Townsend and Platsko, 2016; Vansteensel et al., 2016; Nuyujukian et al., 2016; Carmena et al., 2003; Musallam et al., 2004; Santhanam et al., 2006; Hochberg et al., 2006; Ganguly et al., 2011; O’Doherty et al., 2011; Gilja et al., 2012), the performance of human clinical BCI systems is not yet high enough to support widespread adoption by people with physical limitations of speech. Here we report a high-performance intracortical BCI (iBCI) for communication, which was tested by three clinical trial participants with paralysis. The system leveraged advances in decoder design developed in prior pre-clinical and clinical studies (Gilja et al., 2015; Kao et al., 2016; Gilja et al., 2012). For all three participants, performance exceeded previous iBCIs (Bacher et al., 2015; Jarosiewicz et al., 2015) as measured by typing rate (by a factor of 1.4–4.2) and information throughput (by a factor of 2.2–4.0). This high level of performance demonstrates the potential utility of iBCIs as powerful assistive communication devices for people with limited motor function. Clinical Trial No: NCT00912041 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.18554.001 PMID:28220753

Technology-enabled division of labour: the use of handhelds

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Benders, J.G.J.M.; Schouteten, R.L.J.; Ruijsscher, C. de

2012-01-01

Using the task pool model and data from 15 establishments in the Dutch hospitality industry, this study shows how and why applying handhelds affects the division of labour. These devices allow to split the waiters' jobs into separate tasks which tend to be combined into two separate "sub jobs": the

Technology-enabled division of labour : The use of handhelds

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Benders, J.G.J.M.; Schouteten, R.; de Ruijsscher, C.

2012-01-01

Using the task pool model and data from 15 establishments in the Dutch hospitality industry, this study shows how and why applying handhelds affects the division of labour. These devices allow to split the waiters' jobs into separate tasks which tend to be combined into two separate "sub jobs": the

Exploring Constrained Creative Communication

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Jannick Kirk

2017-01-01

Creative collaboration via online tools offers a less ‘media rich’ exchange of information between participants than face-to-face collaboration. The participants’ freedom to communicate is restricted in means of communication, and rectified in terms of possibilities offered in the interface. How do...... these constrains influence the creative process and the outcome? In order to isolate the communication problem from the interface- and technology problem, we examine via a design game the creative communication on an open-ended task in a highly constrained setting, a design game. Via an experiment the relation...... between communicative constrains and participants’ perception of dialogue and creativity is examined. Four batches of students preparing for forming semester project groups were conducted and documented. Students were asked to create an unspecified object without any exchange of communication except...

Abdominoplasty and seroma: a prospective randomised study comparing scalpel and handheld electrocautery dissection.

Science.gov (United States)

Marsh, Dan J; Fox, Andreas; Grobbelaar, Adriaan O; Chana, Jagdeep S

2015-02-01

Seroma formation remains a significant problem in abdominoplasty procedures--the cause of which remains to be elucidated. It has been suggested that one of the causative factors for seroma formation is the use of handheld electrocautery as opposed to scalpel for abdominal flap dissection. Prospective trial in 102 consecutive abdominoplasty patients randomised to have abdominal flap dissection with either handheld electrocautery device on 'coagulation setting' or sharp dissection with scalpel and monopolar electrocautery forceps for haemostasis. In all other aspects the surgical technique was identical between the two groups. All drains were removed at 48 h, irrespective of drain volume. Primary outcome measure is postoperative seroma formation on clinical examination, secondary outcome measures are drain volume, weight of tissue removed, effect of liposuction and patient BMI. Both study groups were similar in demographics with no significant difference in weight of tissue excised, BMI, drain output or post operative complictions. There was no significant difference in seroma formation rates between the handheld electrocautery group (17.2%) and the sharp dissection group (20.1%). Overall, the seroma rate was 18.6%. Liposuction to the flanks at the time of abdominoplasty was found to significantly increase the incidence of seroma, compared to patients having abdominoplasty alone. Use of handheld electrocautery rather than scalpel for tissue dissection does not lead to increased seroma formation in abdominoplasty patients. Concomitant liposuction at the time of abdominoplasty increases the risk of seroma formation compared to patients having abdominoplasty alone. Copyright © 2014 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Communicating with wildland interface communities during wildfire

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Jonathan G.; Gillette, Shana C.; Hodgson, Ronald W.; Downing, Judith L.

2005-01-01

An inter-agency research team studied communications during the small Bridge Fire in southern California, as well the before-, during-, and post-fire communications of an extreme fire event (Old and Grand Prix Fires) in the same area in the fall of 2003. This “quick-response” research showed that pre-fire communication planning was particularly effective for small fire events, and parts of such planning - especially the inter-agency coordination through the establishment and work of the Mountain Area Safety Taskforce [MAST] – proved invaluable for the large fire event.

A hand-held beta imaging probe for FDG.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Bipin; Stack, Brendan C; Thacker, Samta; Gaysinskiy, Valeriy; Bartel, Twyla; Lowe, Val; Cool, Steven; Entine, Gerald; Nagarkar, Vivek

2013-04-01

Advances in radiopharmaceuticals and clinical understanding have escalated the use of intraoperative gamma probes in surgery. However, most probes on the market are non-imaging gamma probes that suffer from the lack of ancillary information of the surveyed tissue area. We have developed a novel, hand-held digital Imaging Beta Probe™ (IBP™) to be used in surgery in conjunction with beta-emitting radiopharmaceuticals such as (18)FDG, (131)I and (32)P for real-time imaging of a surveyed area with higher spatial resolution and sensitivity and greater convenience than existing instruments. We describe the design and validation of a hand-held beta probe intended to be used as a visual mapping device to locate and confirm excision of (18)FDG-avid primary tumors and metastases in an animal model. We have demonstrated a device which can generate beta images from (18)FDG avid lesions in an animal model. It is feasible to image beta irradiation in animal models of cancer given (18)FDG. This technology may be applied to clinical mapping of tumors and/or their metastases in the operating room. Visual image depiction of malignancy may aid the surgeon in localization and excision of lesions of interest.

Interface of data transmission for a transcutaneous communication system using the human body as transmission medium.

Science.gov (United States)

Okamoto, Eiji; Kato, Yoshikuni; Seino, Kazuyuki; Mitamura, Yoshinori

2012-03-01

We have been developing a new transcutaneous communication system (TCS) that uses the human body as an electrical conductive medium. We studied an interface circuit of the TCS in order to optimize the leading data current into the human body effectively. Two types of LC circuits were examined for the interface circuit, one was an LC series-parallel circuit, and the other was a parallel-connected LC circuit. The LC series-parallel circuit connected to the body could be tuned to a resonant frequency, and the frequency was determined by the values of an external inductor and an external capacitor. Permittivity of the body did not influence the electrical resonance. Connection of the LC series-parallel circuit to the body degraded the quality factor Q because of the conductivity of the body. However, the LC parallel-connected circuit when connected to the body did not indicate electrical resonance. The LC series-parallel circuit restricts a direct current and a low-frequency current to flow into the body; thus, it can prevent a patient from getting a shock. According to the above results, an LC series-parallel circuit is an optimum interface circuit between the TCS and the body for leading data current into the body effectively and safely.

Multimodal ophthalmic imaging using handheld spectrally encoded coherence tomography and reflectometry (SECTR)

Science.gov (United States)

Leeburg, Kelsey C.; El-Haddad, Mohamed T.; Malone, Joseph D.; Terrones, Benjamin D.; Tao, Yuankai K.

2018-02-01

Scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO) provides high-speed, noninvasive en face imaging of the retinal fundus. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is the current "gold-standard" for ophthalmic diagnostic imaging and enables depth-resolved visualization of ophthalmic structures and image-based surrogate biomarkers of disease. We present a compact optical and mechanical design for handheld spectrally encoded coherence tomography and reflectometry (SECTR) for multimodality en face spectrally encoded reflectometry (SER) and cross-sectional OCT imaging. We custom-designed a double-pass telecentric scan lens, which halves the size of 4-f optical relays and allowed us to reduce the footprint of our SECTR scan-head by a factor of >2.7x (volume) over our previous design. The double-pass scan lens was optimized for diffraction-limited performance over a +/-10° scan field. SECTR optics and optomechanics were combined in a compact rapid-prototyped enclosure with dimensions 87 x 141.8 x 137 mm (w x h x d). SECTR was implemented using a custom-built 400 kHz 1050 nm swept-source. OCT and SER were simultaneously digitized on dual input channels of a 4 GS/s digitizer at 1.4 GS/s per channel. In vivo human en face SER and cross-sectional OCT images were acquired at 350 fps. OCT volumes of 1000 B-scans were acquired in 2.86 s. We believe clinical translation of our compact handheld design will benefit point-of-care ophthalmic diagnostics in patients who are unable to be imaged on conventional slit-lamp based systems, such as infants and the bedridden. When combined with multi-volumetric registration methods, handheld SECTR will have advantages in motion-artifact free imaging over existing handheld technologies.

Jump Training in Youth Soccer Players: Effects of Haltere Type Handheld Loading.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosas, F; Ramirez-Campillo, R; Diaz, D; Abad-Colil, F; Martinez-Salazar, C; Caniuqueo, A; Cañas-Jamet, R; Loturco, I; Nakamura, F Y; McKenzie, C; Gonzalez-Rivera, J; Sanchez-Sanchez, J; Izquierdo, M

2016-12-01

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of a jump training program, with or without haltere type handheld loading, on maximal intensity exercise performance. Youth soccer players (12.1±2.2 y) were assigned to either a jump training group (JG, n=21), a jump training group plus haltere type handheld loading (LJG, n=21), or a control group following only soccer training (CG, n=21). Athletes were evaluated for maximal-intensity performance measures before and after 6 weeks of training, during an in-season training period. The CG achieved a significant change in maximal kicking velocity only (ES=0.11-0.20). Both jump training groups improved in right leg (ES=0.28-0.45) and left leg horizontal countermovement jump with arms (ES=0.32-0.47), horizontal countermovement jump with arms (ES=0.28-0.37), vertical countermovement jump with arms (ES=0.26), 20-cm drop jump reactive strength index (ES=0.20-0.37), and maximal kicking velocity (ES=0.27-0.34). Nevertheless, compared to the CG, only the LJG exhibited greater improvements in all performance tests. Therefore, haltere type handheld loading further enhances performance adaptations during jump training in youth soccer players. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Application of Handheld Tele-ECG for Health Care Delivery in Rural India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meenu Singh

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Telemonitoring is a medical practice that involves remotely monitoring patients who are not at the same location as the health care provider. The purpose of our study was to use handheld tele-electrocardiogram (ECG developed by Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC to identify heart conditions in the rural underserved population where the doctor-patient ratio is low and access to health care is difficult. The objective of our study was clinical validation of handheld tele-ECG as a screening tool for evaluation of cardiac diseases in the rural population. ECG was obtained in 450 individuals (mean age 31.49 ± 20.058 residing in the periphery of Chandigarh, India, from April 2011 to March 2013, using the handheld tele-ECG machine. The data were then transmitted to physicians in Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER, Chandigarh, for their expert opinion. ECG was interpreted as normal in 70% individuals. Left ventricular hypertrophy (9.3% was the commonest abnormality followed closely by old myocardial infarction (5.3%. Patient satisfaction was reported to be ~95%. Thus, it can be safely concluded that tele-ECG is a portable, cost-effective, and convenient tool for diagnosis and monitoring of heart diseases and thus improves quality and accessibility, especially in rural areas.

Eye-gaze independent EEG-based brain-computer interfaces for communication

Science.gov (United States)

Riccio, A.; Mattia, D.; Simione, L.; Olivetti, M.; Cincotti, F.

2012-08-01

The present review systematically examines the literature reporting gaze independent interaction modalities in non-invasive brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) for communication. BCIs measure signals related to specific brain activity and translate them into device control signals. This technology can be used to provide users with severe motor disability (e.g. late stage amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); acquired brain injury) with an assistive device that does not rely on muscular contraction. Most of the studies on BCIs explored mental tasks and paradigms using visual modality. Considering that in ALS patients the oculomotor control can deteriorate and also other potential users could have impaired visual function, tactile and auditory modalities have been investigated over the past years to seek alternative BCI systems which are independent from vision. In addition, various attentional mechanisms, such as covert attention and feature-directed attention, have been investigated to develop gaze independent visual-based BCI paradigms. Three areas of research were considered in the present review: (i) auditory BCIs, (ii) tactile BCIs and (iii) independent visual BCIs. Out of a total of 130 search results, 34 articles were selected on the basis of pre-defined exclusion criteria. Thirteen articles dealt with independent visual BCIs, 15 reported on auditory BCIs and the last six on tactile BCIs, respectively. From the review of the available literature, it can be concluded that a crucial point is represented by the trade-off between BCI systems/paradigms with high accuracy and speed, but highly demanding in terms of attention and memory load, and systems requiring lower cognitive effort but with a limited amount of communicable information. These issues should be considered as priorities to be explored in future studies to meet users’ requirements in a real-life scenario.

Towards Vision-Based Control of a Handheld Micromanipulator for Retinal Cannulation in an Eyeball Phantom

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, Brian C.; Yang, Sungwook; MacLachlan, Robert A.; Riviere, Cameron N.

2012-01-01

Injecting clot-busting drugs such as t-PA into tiny vessels thinner than a human hair in the eye is a challenging procedure, especially since the vessels lie directly on top of the delicate and easily damaged retina. Various robotic aids have been proposed with the goal of increasing safety by removing tremor and increasing precision with motion scaling. We have developed a fully handheld micromanipulator, Micron, that has demonstrated reduced tremor when cannulating porcine retinal veins in an “open sky” scenario. In this paper, we present work towards handheld robotic cannulation with the goal of vision-based virtual fixtures guiding the tip of the cannula to the vessel. Using a realistic eyeball phantom, we address sclerotomy constraints, eye movement, and non-planar retina. Preliminary results indicate a handheld micromanipulator aided by visual control is a promising solution to retinal vessel occlusion. PMID:24649479

Autonomous Spacecraft Communication Interface for Load Planning

Science.gov (United States)

Dever, Timothy P.; May, Ryan D.; Morris, Paul H.

2014-01-01

Ground-based controllers can remain in continuous communication with spacecraft in low Earth orbit (LEO) with near-instantaneous communication speeds. This permits near real-time control of all of the core spacecraft systems by ground personnel. However, as NASA missions move beyond LEO, light-time communication delay issues, such as time lag and low bandwidth, will prohibit this type of operation. As missions become more distant, autonomous control of manned spacecraft will be required. The focus of this paper is the power subsystem. For present missions, controllers on the ground develop a complete schedule of power usage for all spacecraft components. This paper presents work currently underway at NASA to develop an architecture for an autonomous spacecraft, and focuses on the development of communication between the Mission Manager and the Autonomous Power Controller. These two systems must work together in order to plan future load use and respond to unanticipated plan deviations. Using a nominal spacecraft architecture and prototype versions of these two key components, a number of simulations are run under a variety of operational conditions, enabling development of content and format of the messages necessary to achieve the desired goals. The goals include negotiation of a load schedule that meets the global requirements (contained in the Mission Manager) and local power system requirements (contained in the Autonomous Power Controller), and communication of off-plan disturbances that arise while executing a negotiated plan. The message content is developed in two steps: first, a set of rapid-prototyping "paper" simulations are preformed; then the resultant optimized messages are codified for computer communication for use in automated testing.

User interface and patient involvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Andreassen, Hege Kristin; Lundvoll Nilsen, Line

2013-01-01

Increased patient involvement is a goal in contemporary health care, and of importance to the development of patient oriented ICT. In this paper we discuss how the design of patient-user interfaces can affect patient involvement. Our discussion is based on 12 semi-structured interviews with patient users of a web-based solution for patient--doctor communication piloted in Norway. We argue ICT solutions offering a choice of user interfaces on the patient side are preferable to ensure individual accommodation and a high degree of patient involvement. When introducing web-based tools for patient--health professional communication a free-text option should be provided to the patient users.

MEMS-based handheld fourier domain Doppler optical coherence tomography for intraoperative microvascular anastomosis imaging.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yong Huang

Full Text Available To demonstrate the feasibility of a miniature handheld optical coherence tomography (OCT imager for real time intraoperative vascular patency evaluation in the setting of super-microsurgical vessel anastomosis.A novel handheld imager Fourier domain Doppler optical coherence tomography based on a 1.3-µm central wavelength swept source for extravascular imaging was developed. The imager was minimized through the adoption of a 2.4-mm diameter microelectromechanical systems (MEMS scanning mirror, additionally a 12.7-mm diameter lens system was designed and combined with the MEMS mirror to achieve a small form factor that optimize functionality as a handheld extravascular OCT imager. To evaluate in-vivo applicability, super-microsurgical vessel anastomosis was performed in a mouse femoral vessel cut and repair model employing conventional interrupted suture technique as well as a novel non-suture cuff technique. Vascular anastomosis patency after clinically successful repair was evaluated using the novel handheld OCT imager.With an adjustable lateral image field of view up to 1.5 mm by 1.5 mm, high-resolution simultaneous structural and flow imaging of the blood vessels were successfully acquired for BALB/C mouse after orthotopic hind limb transplantation using a non-suture cuff technique and BALB/C mouse after femoral artery anastomosis using a suture technique. We experimentally quantify the axial and lateral resolution of the OCT to be 12.6 µm in air and 17.5 µm respectively. The OCT has a sensitivity of 84 dB and sensitivity roll-off of 5.7 dB/mm over an imaging range of 5 mm. Imaging with a frame rate of 36 Hz for an image size of 1000(lateral×512(axial pixels using a 50,000 A-lines per second swept source was achieved. Quantitative vessel lumen patency, lumen narrowing and thrombosis analysis were performed based on acquired structure and Doppler images.A miniature handheld OCT imager that can be used for intraoperative evaluation of

Ultra-compact swept-source optical coherence tomography handheld probe with motorized focus adjustment (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

LaRocca, Francesco; Nankivil, Derek; Keller, Brenton; Farsiu, Sina; Izatt, Joseph A.

2017-02-01

Handheld optical coherence tomography (OCT) systems facilitate imaging of young children, bedridden subjects, and those with less stable fixation. Smaller and lighter OCT probes allow for more efficient imaging and reduced operator fatigue, which is critical for prolonged use in either the operating room or neonatal intensive care unit. In addition to size and weight, the imaging speed, image quality, field of view, resolution, and focus correction capability are critical parameters that determine the clinical utility of a handheld probe. Here, we describe an ultra-compact swept source (SS) OCT handheld probe weighing only 211 g (half the weight of the next lightest handheld SSOCT probe in the literature) with 20.1 µm lateral resolution, 7 µm axial resolution, 102 dB peak sensitivity, a 27° x 23° field of view, and motorized focus adjustment for refraction correction between -10 to +16 D. A 2D microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) scanner, a converging beam-at-scanner telescope configuration, and an optical design employing 6 different custom optics were used to minimize device size and weight while achieving diffraction limited performance throughout the system's field of view. Custom graphics processing unit (GPU)-accelerated software was used to provide real-time display of OCT B-scans and volumes. Retinal images were acquired from adult volunteers to demonstrate imaging performance.

Interfaces for a simple local network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nekhanevich, Eh.L.; Yasenev, M.V.

1988-01-01

A system of communication and interfaces for a simple local network of computers is described. The data on technical parameters, fields of application and operation features of the interfaces developed are presented. The data indispensable for the development of software are given. The experience in operation of the subsystem of software for remote terminal computers which makes use of the above interfaces is briefly presented. 7 refs.; 3 figs

Quality-Based Backlight Optimization for Video Playback on Handheld Devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liang Cheng

2007-01-01

Full Text Available For a typical handheld device, the backlight accounts for a significant percentage of the total energy consumption (e.g., around 30% for a Compaq iPAQ 3650. Substantial energy savings can be achieved by dynamically adapting backlight intensity levels on such low-power portable devices. In this paper, we analyze the characteristics of video streaming services and propose a cross-layer optimization scheme called quality adapted backlight scaling (QABS to achieve backlight energy savings for video playback applications on handheld devices. Specifically, we present a fast algorithm to optimize backlight dimming while keeping the degradation in image quality to a minimum so that the overall service quality is close to a specified threshold. Additionally, we propose two effective techniques to prevent frequent backlight switching, which negatively affects user perception of video. Our initial experimental results indicate that the energy used for backlight is significantly reduced, while the desired quality is satisfied. The proposed algorithms can be realized in real time.

Run Control Communication for the Upgrade of the ATLAS Muon-to-Central-Trigger-Processor Interface (MUCTPI)

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(INSPIRE)INSPIRE-00223859; The ATLAS collaboration; Armbruster, Aaron James; Carrillo-Montoya, German D.; Chelstowska, Magda Anna; Czodrowski, Patrick; Deviveiros, Pier-Olivier; Eifert, Till; Ellis, Nicolas; Galster, Gorm Aske Gram Krohn; Haas, Stefan; Helary, Louis; Lagkas Nikolos, Orestis; Marzin, Antoine; Pauly, Thilo; Ryjov, Vladimir; Schmieden, Kristof; Silva Oliveira, Marcos Vinicius; Stelzer, Harald Joerg; Vichoudis, Paschalis; Wengler, Thorsten; Farthouat, Philippe

2018-01-01

The Muon-to-Central Trigger Processor Interface (MUCTPI) of the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN will be upgraded to an ATCA blade system for Run 3. The new design requires development of new communication models for control, configuration and monitoring. A System-on-Chip (SoC) with a programmable logic part and a processor part will be used for communication to the run control system and to the MUCTPI processing FPGAs. Different approaches have been compared. First, we tried an available UDP-based implementation in firmware for the programmable logic. Although this approach works as expected, it does not provide any flexibility to extend the functionality to more complex operations, e.g. for serial protocols. Second, we used the SoC processor with an embedded Linux operating system and an application-specific software written in C++ using a TCP remote-procedure-call approach. The software is built and maintained using the Yocto/OpenEmbedded framework. This approach was successfully...

Run control communication for the upgrade of the ATLAS Muon-to-Central Trigger Processor Interface (MUCTPI)

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(INSPIRE)INSPIRE-00223859; The ATLAS collaboration; Armbruster, Aaron James; Carrillo-Montoya, German D.; Chelstowska, Magda Anna; Czodrowski, Patrick; Deviveiros, Pier-Olivier; Eifert, Till; Ellis, Nicolas; Farthouat, Philippe; Galster, Gorm Aske Gram Krohn; Haas, Stefan; Helary, Louis; Lagkas Nikolos, Orestis; Marzin, Antoine; Pauly, Thilo; Ryjov, Vladimir; Schmieden, Kristof; Silva Oliveira, Marcos Vinicius; Stelzer, Harald Joerg; Vichoudis, Paschalis; Wengler, Thorsten

The Muon-to-Central-Trigger-Processor Interface (MUCTPI) of the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN will be upgraded to an ATCA blade system for Run 3, starting in 2021. The new design requires development of new communication models for control, configuration and monitoring. A System-on-Chip (SoC) with a programmable logic part and a processor part will be used for communication to the run control system and to the MUCTPI processing FPGAs. Different approaches have been compared. First, we tried an available UDP-based implementation in firmware for the programmable logic. Although this approach works as expected, it does not provide any flexibility to extend the functionality to more complex operations, e.g. for serial protocols. Second, we used a SoC processor with an embedded Linux operating system and an application-specific software written in C++ using a TCP remote-procedure-call approach. The software is built and maintained using the framework of the Yocto Project. This approa...

Interface unit

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Keyson, D.V.; Freudenthal, A.; De Hoogh, M.P.A.; Dekoven, E.A.M.

2001-01-01

The invention relates to an interface unit comprising at least a display unit for communication with a user, which is designed for being coupled with a control unit for at least one or more parameters in a living or working environment, such as the temperature setting in a house, which control unit

Handheld Nonlinear Detection of Delamination and Intrusion Faults in Composites, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — In Phase I of the SBIR program, LEEOAT Company will develop a hand-held high-resolution ultrasonic nonlinear imager for non-destructive inspection (NDI) of...

Combining heterogenous features for 3D hand-held object recognition

Science.gov (United States)

Lv, Xiong; Wang, Shuang; Li, Xiangyang; Jiang, Shuqiang

2014-10-01

Object recognition has wide applications in the area of human-machine interaction and multimedia retrieval. However, due to the problem of visual polysemous and concept polymorphism, it is still a great challenge to obtain reliable recognition result for the 2D images. Recently, with the emergence and easy availability of RGB-D equipment such as Kinect, this challenge could be relieved because the depth channel could bring more information. A very special and important case of object recognition is hand-held object recognition, as hand is a straight and natural way for both human-human interaction and human-machine interaction. In this paper, we study the problem of 3D object recognition by combining heterogenous features with different modalities and extraction techniques. For hand-craft feature, although it reserves the low-level information such as shape and color, it has shown weakness in representing hiconvolutionalgh-level semantic information compared with the automatic learned feature, especially deep feature. Deep feature has shown its great advantages in large scale dataset recognition but is not always robust to rotation or scale variance compared with hand-craft feature. In this paper, we propose a method to combine hand-craft point cloud features and deep learned features in RGB and depth channle. First, hand-held object segmentation is implemented by using depth cues and human skeleton information. Second, we combine the extracted hetegerogenous 3D features in different stages using linear concatenation and multiple kernel learning (MKL). Then a training model is used to recognize 3D handheld objects. Experimental results validate the effectiveness and gerneralization ability of the proposed method.

78 FR 27441 - NIJ Evaluation of Hand-Held Cell Phone Detector Devices

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-10

...The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is soliciting interest in supplying hand-held cell phone detector devices for participation in an evaluation by the NIJ Corrections Technology Center of Excellence (CXCoE).

EEG-Based Brain–Computer Interfaces for Communication and Rehabilitation of People with Motor Impairment: A Novel Approach of the 21st Century

Science.gov (United States)

Lazarou, Ioulietta; Nikolopoulos, Spiros; Petrantonakis, Panagiotis C.; Kompatsiaris, Ioannis; Tsolaki, Magda

2018-01-01

People with severe neurological impairments face many challenges in sensorimotor functions and communication with the environment; therefore they have increased demand for advanced, adaptive and personalized rehabilitation. During the last several decades, numerous studies have developed brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) with the goals ranging from providing means of communication to functional rehabilitation. Here we review the research on non-invasive, electroencephalography (EEG)-based BCI systems for communication and rehabilitation. We focus on the approaches intended to help severely paralyzed and locked-in patients regain communication using three different BCI modalities: slow cortical potentials, sensorimotor rhythms and P300 potentials, as operational mechanisms. We also review BCI systems for restoration of motor function in patients with spinal cord injury and chronic stroke. We discuss the advantages and limitations of these approaches and the challenges that need to be addressed in the future. PMID:29472849

An Interfacing System for Radiation Surveillance Using a Radio Communication Network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arunsiri, T.; Punnachaiya, S.; Pattarasumun, A.

1998-01-01

The development of an interfacing system for environmental radiation surveillance using radio communication network is aimed to improve a way by which environmental radiation measurement is transmitted and reported from the regional area monitoring station network. This also includes an automatic warning of beacon status via the radio link network to the center of environmental radiation control when an abnormal radiation level is detected. The interfacing system was developed by simulating the EGAT radio link network, the NT 2612, and can be separated into two parts. The first part was for a mobile station which can manage the output data from the radiation measurement system in the standard form of RS-232, IEEE-488, BCD and analog signal. This was accomplished by modulating the signal in selected baud rates ranging from 150 to 9600 bps using an economical radio packet capable of identifying and recalling the station code number. The other part is the linking system between the output data and the microcomputer equipped with a software to manage and evaluate the data from 10 surveillance stations for convenient handing of data output, statistical analysis and transmitting warning signal. Data transmission was tested using a baud rate of 1200 bps and was found to contain no detectable error when digital signal was transmitted while analog signal transmission resulted in deviations of less than ± 0.003%. The development of this radio link system provides a future trend for the environmental radiation monitoring network for countries with nuclear power plants or neighboring countries needed to continuously monitor for any abnormal radiation level in the environment. In case that the radiation surveillance system detects a high level of radiation, a warning signal will be transmitted and appropriate actions may be immediately exercised to control impacts of radiation on environment and living things according to international guidelines

Communication of technical building systems. Interfaces, protocols and solutions; Kommunikation technischer Gebaeudesysteme. Schnittstellen, Protokolle und Loesungen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kranz, H.R. [Siemens AG, Karlsruhe (Germany)

1995-12-31

In chapter 18 of the anthology about building control the communication between and with technical building systems is described. After the basics have been explained in the previous chapter interfaces, protocols and solutions are presented in this part. The following aspects are discussed: homogeneous and heterogeneous building automation systems, communication in the field of building automation, demands and characteristic numbers, open communication between heterogeneous systems, announcement and award procedures, protocol selection, FND - firm neutral data transmission system, PROFIBUS, ISP (InterOperable Systems Project) and Fieldbus Foundation with ``profile``; EIB (European Installation Bus), the standard bus for building system technology, BACNet (Building Automation Control Network) and EcheLON, open systems for building automation. (BWI) [Deutsch] Kapitel 18 des Sammelbandes ueber Building Control geht auf das Thema der Kommunikation zwischen und mit technischen Gebaeudesystemen ein. Nachdem im vorherigen Kapitel die Grundlagen besprochen wurden, wird im vorliegenden Teil auf Schnittstellen, Protokolle und Loesungen eingegangen. In diesem Zusammenhang werden folgenden Themenbereiche angesprochen: Homogene und heterogene GA-Systeme; Kommunikation in der Gebaeudeautomation; Anforderungen und Kennwert; offene Kommunikation heterogener Systeme; Ausschreibungs- und Vergabeprozeduren; Protokollauswahl; FND, das firmenneutrale Datenuebertragungsprotokoll; PROFIBUS, ISP und Fieldbus Foundation mit `Profil`; EIB, der Standardbus fuer die Gebaeudesystemtechnik; BACNet und EcheLON; Offene Systeme fuer die Gebaeudeautomation. (BWI)

Audiovisual Presentations on a Handheld PC are Preferred As an Educational Tool by NICU Parents.

Science.gov (United States)

Alur, P; Cirelli, J; Goodstein, M; Bell, T; Liss, J

2010-01-01

Health literacy is critical for understanding complex medical problems and necessary for the well being of the patient. Printed educational materials (PM) have limitations in explaining the dynamics of a disease process. Multimedia formats may be useful for enhancing the educational process. To evaluate whether a printed format or animation with commentary on a handheld personal computer (PC) is preferred as an educational tool by parents of a baby in the NICU. PARENTS EVALUATED TWO FORMATS: A 1-page illustrated document from the American Heart Association explaining patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and animation with commentary on a handheld PC that explained the physiology of PDA in 1 minute. The reading grade level of the PM was 8.6 versus 18.6 for the audio portion of the animated presentation. Parents viewed each format and completed a four-item questionnaire. Parents rated both formats and indicated their preference as printed, animation, or both. Forty-six parents participated in the survey. Parents preferred animation over PM (50% vs. 17.4%. p = 0.02); 39.1% expressed that the animation was excellent; whereas 4.3% expressed that the PM was excellent (p0.05). Parents preferred animation on a small screen handheld PC despite a much higher language level. Because handheld PCs are portable and inexpensive, they can be used effectively at the bedside with low-cost animation to enhance understanding of complex disease conditions.

Epidemiology of Handheld Cell Phone Use While Driving: A Study from a South Indian City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sumanth Mallikarjuna Majgi

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Using cell phones while driving contribute to distractions which can potentially cause minor or major road traffic injuries and also stress among other drivers. With this background, the study was done to ascertain the proportion of handheld cell phone use while driving among road users in Mysore city and also patterns of the use by the day of week, type of road, and type of vehicle. Methods: The study was conducted in Mysore, Karnataka, India. Four stretches of roads were observed thrice daily for 1 week. The total number of vehicles passing through the stretch and the number and characteristics of drivers using hand-held cell was noted. Pearson's Chi-square test was used to ascertain the significance of the difference in proportions. Results: The overall proportion of cell phone users was calculated as 1.41/100 vehicles. The observed use of handheld cell phones was 1.78 times higher on nonbusy roads than busy roads (Χ2 = 25.79, P < 0.0001. More than 50% of the handheld phone users were driving a two wheeler, the proportion being 50.5% in busy roads, and 67% in nonbusy roads. There was no difference in the proportion of cell phone use by time of the day or across different days of the week. Conclusions: The proportion of drivers who use cell phones is found to be relatively lower, and use of cell phones was higher on nonbusy roads.

Performance Analysis of Nomadic Mobile Services on Multi-homed Handheld Devices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pawar, P.; van Beijnum, Bernhard J.F.; van Sinderen, Marten J.; Aggarwal, Akshai; De Clercq, Frederic

2007-01-01

Compared to their predecessors, the current generation handheld mobile devices possess higher processing power, increased memory and new multi-homing capabilities. These features combined with the widespread acceptance and use of these devices result in a situation where mobile devices are no longer

Virtual microscopy: merging of computer mediated communication and intuitive interfacing

Science.gov (United States)

de Ridder, Huib; de Ridder-Sluiter, Johanna G.; Kluin, Philip M.; Christiaans, Henri H. C. M.

2009-02-01

Ubiquitous computing (or Ambient Intelligence) is an upcoming technology that is usually associated with futuristic smart environments in which information is available anytime anywhere and with which humans can interact in a natural, multimodal way. However spectacular the corresponding scenarios may be, it is equally challenging to consider how this technology may enhance existing situations. This is illustrated by a case study from the Dutch medical field: central quality reviewing for pathology in child oncology. The main goal of the review is to assess the quality of the diagnosis based on patient material. The sharing of knowledge in social face-to-face interaction during such meeting is an important advantage. At the same time there is the disadvantage that the experts from the seven Dutch academic medical centers have to travel to the review meeting and that the required logistics to collect and bring patient material and data to the meeting is cumbersome and time-consuming. This paper focuses on how this time-consuming, nonefficient way of reviewing can be replaced by a virtual collaboration system by merging technology supporting Computer Mediated Collaboration and intuitive interfacing. This requires insight in the preferred way of communication and collaboration as well as knowledge about preferred interaction style with a virtual shared workspace.

How to use hand-held computers to evaluate wood drying.

Science.gov (United States)

Howard N. Rosen; Darrell S. Martin

1985-01-01

Techniques have been developed to evaluate end generate wood drying curves with hand-held computers (3-5K memory). Predictions of time to dry to a specific moisture content, drying rates, and other characteristics of wood drying curves can be made. The paper describes the development of programs and illustrates their use.

Fault-tolerant distributed measurement systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gater, C.

1987-01-01

A 100 kbit/s battery-powered fault-tolerant communications network was developed for use in industrial distributed measurement systems, where a loop controller supervises up to 64 addressable field devices with a network polling period of 250ms. Safety and reliability were optimized using fibre-optic data links and low-power circuitry throughout. Based on a highly redundant loop topology of two receiver/two transmitter communications nodes, the network can tolerate any double node or any quadruple linked failure. Each node circuit is designed to operate continuously for five years using a standard D-type lithium cell, and consists essentially of a CMOS single-chip microcomputer, a specially designed CMOS communications interface chip, some analogue circuity for the optical receivers and transmitters, and interfaces for a sensor/actuator and roving hand-held terminal. The communications interface was implement on a 2436-cell CMOS gate array and feature a self-test facility which provides over 86% fault coverage using only three test vectors. The chip can also be used in the loop controller. Control procedures developed to detect, locate, and reconfigure around faults that occur in the communications network.

Communications article

KAUST Repository

Fariborzi, Hossein

2017-07-20

Seamless, covert communications using a communications system integrated or incorporated within an article of clothing is described. In one embodiment, the communications system is integrated or incorporated into a shoe insole and includes a haptic feedback mechanism, a communications module, a flexible pressure sensor, and a battery. The communications module includes a wireless communications module for wireless communications, a wired interface for wired communications, a microcontroller, and a battery charge controller. The flexible pressure sensor can be actuated by an individual\\'s toe, for example, and communication between two communications nodes can be achieved using coded signals sent by individuals using a combination of long and short presses on the pressure sensor. In response to the presses, wireless communications modules can transmit and receive coded signals based on the presses.

A Brain–Computer Interface for Potential Nonverbal Facial Communication Based on EEG Signals Related to Specific Emotions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Koji eKashihara

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Unlike assistive technology for verbal communication, the brain–machine or brain–computer interface (BMI/BCI has not been established as a nonverbal communication tool for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS patients. Face-to-face communication enables access to rich emotional information, but individuals suffering from neurological disorders, such as ALS and autism, may not express their emotions or communicate their negative feelings. Although emotions may be inferred by looking at facial expressions, emotional prediction for neutral faces necessitates advanced judgment. The process that underlies brain neuronal responses to neutral faces and causes emotional changes remains unknown. To address this problem, therefore, this study attempted to decode conditioned emotional reactions to neutral face stimuli. This direction was motivated by the assumption that if electroencephalogram (EEG signals can be used to detect patients’ emotional responses to specific inexpressive faces, the results could be incorporated into the design and development of BMI/BCI-based nonverbal communication tools. To these ends, this study investigated how a neutral face associated with a negative emotion modulates rapid central responses in face processing and then identified cortical activities. The conditioned neutral face-triggered event-related potentials that originated from the posterior temporal lobe statistically significantly changed during late face processing (600–700 ms after stimulus, rather than in early face processing activities, such as P1 and N170 responses. Source localization revealed that the conditioned neutral faces increased activity in the right fusiform gyrus. This study also developed an efficient method for detecting implicit negative emotional responses to specific faces by using EEG signals.

Internal interface for RFC muon trigger electronics at CMS experiment

CERN Document Server

Pozniak, Krzysztof T; Pietrusinski, Michall

2004-01-01

The paper describes design and practical realization of an internal communication layer referred to as the Internal Interface (II). The system was realized for the RFC Muon Trigger of the CMS experiment. Fully automatic implementation of the communication layer is realized in the FPGA chips and in the control software. The methodology of implementation was presented in the description form of the interface structure from the sides of hardware and software. The examples of the communication layer realizations were given for the RFC Muon Trigger.

ENGAGING SCIENCE STUDENTS WITH HANDHELD TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS BY RE-VISITING THE THAYER METHOD OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julia Paredes

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Organic chemistry instructors integrate handheld technology and applications into course lecture and lab to engage students with tools and techniques students use in the modern world. This technology and applications enable instructors to re-visit the Thayer Method of teaching and learning to create an updated method that works with 21st century students. The Thayer Method is based on the premise that students are willing and capable of making substantial preparation before coming to class and lab in order to maximize efficiency of student-instructor contact time. During this student preparation phase, we engage students with handheld technology and content applications including smart phone viewable course administrative materials; “flashcards” containing basic organic chemistry nomenclature, molecular structures, and chemical reactions; mini-lectures prepared using the Smart Board Airliner Interactive Tablet for upcoming class periods and laboratory technique videos demonstrating tasks they will perform as part of laboratory experimentation. Coupled with a student friendly course text, these handheld applications enable substantial student preparation before class and lab. The method, in conjunction with handheld technology and applications, has been used with positive results in our organic chemistry courses.

Modeling Auditory-Haptic Interface Cues from an Analog Multi-line Telephone

Science.gov (United States)

Begault, Durand R.; Anderson, Mark R.; Bittner, Rachael M.

2012-01-01

The Western Electric Company produced a multi-line telephone during the 1940s-1970s using a six-button interface design that provided robust tactile, haptic and auditory cues regarding the "state" of the communication system. This multi-line telephone was used as a model for a trade study comparison of two interfaces: a touchscreen interface (iPad)) versus a pressure-sensitive strain gauge button interface (Phidget USB interface controllers). The experiment and its results are detailed in the authors' AES 133rd convention paper " Multimodal Information Management: Evaluation of Auditory and Haptic Cues for NextGen Communication Dispays". This Engineering Brief describes how the interface logic, visual indications, and auditory cues of the original telephone were synthesized using MAX/MSP, including the logic for line selection, line hold, and priority line activation.

The Weak Link HP-41C hand-held calculator program

Science.gov (United States)

Ross A. Phillips; Penn A. Peters; Gary D. Falk

1982-01-01

The Weak Link hand-held calculator program (HP-41C) quickly analyzes a system for logging production and costs. The production equations model conventional chain saw, skidder, loader, and tandemaxle truck operations in eastern mountain areas. Production of each function of the logging system may be determined so that the system may be balanced for minimum cost. The...

U-Net/SLE: A Java-Based User-Customizable Virtual Network Interface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matt Welsh

1999-01-01

Full Text Available We describe U‐Net/SLE (Safe Language Extensions, a user‐level network interface architecture which enables per‐application customization of communication semantics through downloading of user extension applets, implemented as Java classfiles, to the network interface. This architecture permits applications to safely specify code to be executed within the NI on message transmission and reception. By leveraging the existing U‐Net model, applications may implement protocol code at the user level, within the NI, or using some combination of the two. Our current implementation, using the Myricom Myrinet interface and a small Java Virtual Machine subset, allows host communication overhead to be reduced and improves the overlap of communication and computation during protocol processing.

Standardization from a benchtop to a handheld NIR spectrometer using mathematically mixed NIR spectra to determine fuel quality parameters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

da Silva, Neirivaldo Cavalcante; Cavalcanti, Claudia Jessica; Honorato, Fernanda Araujo

2017-01-01

spectral responses of fuel samples (gasoline and biodiesel blends) from a high-resolution benchtop Frontier FT-NIR (PerkinElmer) spectrometer and a handheld MicroNIR™1700 (JDSU). These virtual standards can be created by mathematically mixing spectra from the pure solvents present in gasoline or diesel...... to the handheld MicroNIR using virtual standards as transfer samples...

Minimal requirements of ACR-NEMA digital imaging and communication standards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Y.; Horrii, S.; Lehr, J.

1986-01-01

The American College of Radiology-National Electrical Manufacturers Association (ACR-NEMA) Digital Imaging and Communication Standards were formally adopted in December 1985. They are intended to facilitate management and communication of digital image information regardless of source, format, or device manufacturer; to promote the development and expansion of radiologic imaging and communication systems that can also interface with other systems of hospital information; and to allow the creation of diagnostic information databases that can be interrogated by a wide variety of devices distributed geographically. The Standards specify the hardware interface, a minimum set of software commands, and a consistent set of data formats for communication across the interface between an imaging device and a network interface unit or another imaging device

Artificial brains. A million spiking-neuron integrated circuit with a scalable communication network and interface.

Science.gov (United States)

Merolla, Paul A; Arthur, John V; Alvarez-Icaza, Rodrigo; Cassidy, Andrew S; Sawada, Jun; Akopyan, Filipp; Jackson, Bryan L; Imam, Nabil; Guo, Chen; Nakamura, Yutaka; Brezzo, Bernard; Vo, Ivan; Esser, Steven K; Appuswamy, Rathinakumar; Taba, Brian; Amir, Arnon; Flickner, Myron D; Risk, William P; Manohar, Rajit; Modha, Dharmendra S

2014-08-08

Inspired by the brain's structure, we have developed an efficient, scalable, and flexible non-von Neumann architecture that leverages contemporary silicon technology. To demonstrate, we built a 5.4-billion-transistor chip with 4096 neurosynaptic cores interconnected via an intrachip network that integrates 1 million programmable spiking neurons and 256 million configurable synapses. Chips can be tiled in two dimensions via an interchip communication interface, seamlessly scaling the architecture to a cortexlike sheet of arbitrary size. The architecture is well suited to many applications that use complex neural networks in real time, for example, multiobject detection and classification. With 400-pixel-by-240-pixel video input at 30 frames per second, the chip consumes 63 milliwatts. Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

INEX 5 - General information. INEX 5 Exercise on Notification, Communication and Interfaces Related to Catastrophic Events Involving Radiation or Radiological Materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okyar, Halil Burcin; Lazo, Ted

2014-01-01

The INEX series of international nuclear emergency exercises, organised under the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), has proven successful in testing, investigating and improving the arrangements for responding to nuclear accidents and radiological emergencies at the national and international level. Previous INEX exercises focussed largely on national and international aspects of early phase management of emergencies at nuclear power plants and more recently, in INEX 4, on issues in consequence management and transition to recovery in response to malicious acts involving the release of radioactive materials in an urban setting. Since the events at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, it has been recognised that notification, communication, and identifying and obtaining resources during catastrophic events can be difficult and the need for established protocols, policies, and procedures among and between country entities is critical for minimizing negative impacts. Therefore, the benefit and goal of INEX 5 is to provide a basis for enhancing national and international emergency management arrangements related to notification, communication and obtaining resources through the exchange of exercise outcomes and experiences from participating countries, in order to identify good practice and common issues to be addressed. INEX 5 will address emergency management aspects of notification, communication and interfaces between and among country and international organizations. INEX 5 is set up as a table top exercise with three levels of discussion for participants (prior to a release, recognizing/validating a release, and impacts to the radiological event from a catastrophic natural event). Countries can develop additional materials to expand this table top to a full field exercise if preferred. Prior to initiation of the table top, participants will be provided clear guidance about how the exercise will be conducted. Because this exercise may involve government agencies and

Reusable Handheld Electrolytes and Lab Technology for Humans (rHEALTH Sensor), Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The goal of rHEALTH sensor is a universal handheld sensor that can provide rapid, low-cost complete blood count (CBC) with differential, electrolyte analysis, and...

Reusable Handheld Electrolytes and Lab Technology for Humans (rHEALTH Sensor), Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The goal of the rHEALTH sensor is to provide rapid, low-cost, handheld complete blood count (CBC), cell differential counts, electrolyte measurements, and other lab...

User Interface Cultures of Mobile Knowledge Workers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petri Mannonen

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Information and communication tools (ICTs have become a major influencer of how modern work is carried out. Methods of user-centered design do not however take into account the full complexity of technology and the user interface context the users live in. User interface culture analysis aims providing to designers new ways and strategies to better take into account the current user interface environment when designing new products. This paper describes the reasons behind user interface culture analysis and shows examples of its usage when studying mobile and distributed knowledge workers.

PACS module image communication at UCLA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stewart, B.K.; Taira, R.K.; Cho, P.S.; Mankovich, N.J.

1987-01-01

The advent of the ACR-NEMA digital and communication standard for PACS implementation between imaging, storage and display devices may simplify the networking problems inherent to PACS in the future. However, since the ACR-NEMA interface has not been implemented in manufactured products, the components of a PACS at the present time use various network interface designs, requiring substantial effort in the area of hardware and software integration. Many communication systems are used for the PACS implementation in Pediatric Radiology at UCLA, including baseband, broadband, as well as various parallel-line interface protocols, e.g. GP-IB. A VAX 11/750 minicomputer serves as the host computer for the UCLA Pediatric Radiology PACS system. Communication between the many peripherals take place through the host computer, which acts as the central node. Several communication links have been established, primarily: host computer to other local computers, image processors, various peripherals (digitizers, storage media, etc.) and, of course, to the 512, 1024 and 2048 viewing stations

Towards a taxonomy of virtual reality user interfaces

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Coomans, M.K.D.; Timmermans, H.J.P.

1997-01-01

Virtual Reality-based user interfaces (VRUIs) are expected to bring about a revolution in computing. VR can potentially communicate large amounts of data in an easily understandable format. VR looks very promising, but it is still a very new interface technology for which very little

PROSPECTIVE EVALUATION OF VISUAL ACUITY AGREEMENT BETWEEN STANDARD EARLY TREATMENT DIABETIC RETINOPATHY STUDY CHART AND A HANDHELD EQUIVALENT IN EYES WITH RETINAL PATHOLOGY.

Science.gov (United States)

Rahimy, Ehsan; Reddy, Sahitya; DeCroos, Francis Char; Khan, M Ali; Boyer, David S; Gupta, Omesh P; Regillo, Carl D; Haller, Julia A

2015-08-01

To evaluate the visual acuity agreement between a standard back-illuminated Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) chart and a handheld internally illuminated ETDRS chart. Two-center prospective study. Seventy patients (134 eyes) with retinal pathology were enrolled between October 2012 and August 2013. Visual acuity was measured using both the ETDRS chart and the handheld device by masked independent examiners after best protocol refraction. Examination was performed in the same room under identical illumination and testing conditions. The mean number of letters seen was 63.0 (standard deviation: 19.8 letters) and 61.2 letters (standard deviation: 19.1 letters) for the ETDRS chart and handheld device, respectively. Mean difference per eye between the ETDRS and handheld device was 1.8 letters. A correlation coefficient (r) of 0.95 demonstrated a positive linear correlation between ETDRS chart and handheld device measured acuities. Intraclass correlation coefficient was performed to assess the reproducibility of the measurements made by different observers measuring the same quantity and was calculated to be 0.95 (95% confidence interval: 0.93-0.96). Agreement was independent of retinal disease. The strong correlation between measured visual acuity using the ETDRS and handheld equivalent suggests that they may be used interchangeably, with accurate measurements. Potential benefits of this device include convenience and portability, as well as the ability to assess ETDRS visual acuity without a dedicated testing lane.

CAMAC serial highway interface for the LSI-11

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lau, N.H.

1980-01-01

A CAMAC Serial Highway Interface has been designed for the Local Control and Instrumentation System of the Mirror Fusion Test Facility. There are over 50 distinguishable systems in the facility, each of which consists of the LSI-11 computer, fiber optic communication links, and the CAMAC system. The LSI-11 computer includes a 32k memory, serial modem interface and the CAMAC Serial Highway Interface

Inclusive Smartphone Interface Design in Context: Co(Re)designing the PIS.

Science.gov (United States)

Magee, Paul; Ward, Gillian; Moody, Louise; Roebuck, Annette

2017-01-01

User-context optimises smartphone interface-design. Neglect of user-context during development, delays or prevents marginalised-consumer benefit. Working with People with Learning Disability (PWLD) to develop interfaces refined by communication-need will improve User-Experience (UX). In research, a Participant Information Sheet (PIS) discloses planned study-activity. This paper explains co-creation of a PIS based on communication-need of PWLD.

Gen-2 Hand-Held Optical Imager towards Cancer Imaging: Reflectance and Transillumination Phantom Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anuradha Godavarty

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Hand-held near-infrared (NIR optical imagers are developed by various researchers towards non-invasive clinical breast imaging. Unlike these existing imagers that can perform only reflectance imaging, a generation-2 (Gen-2 hand-held optical imager has been recently developed to perform both reflectance and transillumination imaging. The unique forked design of the hand-held probe head(s allows for reflectance imaging (as in ultrasound and transillumination or compressed imaging (as in X-ray mammography. Phantom studies were performed to demonstrate two-dimensional (2D target detection via reflectance and transillumination imaging at various target depths (1–5 cm deep and using simultaneous multiple point illumination approach. It was observed that 0.45 cc targets were detected up to 5 cm deep during transillumination, but limited to 2.5 cm deep during reflectance imaging. Additionally, implementing appropriate data post-processing techniques along with a polynomial fitting approach, to plot 2D surface contours of the detected signal, yields distinct target detectability and localization. The ability of the gen-2 imager to perform both reflectance and transillumination imaging allows its direct comparison to ultrasound and X-ray mammography results, respectively, in future clinical breast imaging studies.

The reliability and validity of hand-held refractometry water content measures of hydrogel lenses.

Science.gov (United States)

Nichols, Jason J; Mitchell, G Lynn; Good, Gregory W

2003-06-01

To investigate within- and between-examiner reliability and validity of hand-held refractometry water content measures of hydrogel lenses. Nineteen lenses of various nominal water contents were examined by two examiners on two occasions separated by 1 hour. An Atago N2 hand-held refractometer was used for all water content measures. Lenses were presented in a random order to each examiner by a third party, and examiners were masked to any potential lens identifiers. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), 95% limits of agreement, and Wilcoxon signed rank test were used to characterize the within- and between-examiner reliability and validity of lens water content measures. Within-examiner reliability was excellent (ICC, 0.97; 95% limits of agreement, -3.6% to +5.7%), and the inter-visit mean difference of 1.1 +/- 2.4% was not biased (p = 0.08). Between-examiner reliability was also excellent (ICC, 0.98; 95% limits of agreement, -4.1% to +3.9%). The mean difference between examiners was -0.1 +/- 2.1% (p = 0.83). The mean difference between the nominally reported water content and our water content measures was -2.1 +/- 1.7% (p refractometry and is material dependent. Therefore, investigators may need to account for bias when measuring hydrogel lens water content via hand-held refractometry.

Hand-held transendoscopic robotic manipulators: A transurethral laser prostate surgery case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hendrick, Richard J; Mitchell, Christopher R; Herrell, S Duke; Webster, Robert J

2015-11-01

Natural orifice endoscopic surgery can enable incisionless approaches, but a major challenge is the lack of small and dexterous instrumentation. Surgical robots have the potential to meet this need yet often disrupt the clinical workflow. Hand-held robots that combine thin manipulators and endoscopes have the potential to address this by integrating seamlessly into the clinical workflow and enhancing dexterity. As a case study illustrating the potential of this approach, we describe a hand-held robotic system that passes two concentric tube manipulators through a 5 mm port in a rigid endoscope for transurethral laser prostate surgery. This system is intended to catalyze the use of a clinically superior, yet rarely attempted, procedure for benign prostatic hyperplasia. This paper describes system design and experiments to evaluate the surgeon's functional workspace and accuracy using the robot. Phantom and cadaver experiments demonstrate successful completion of the target procedure via prostate lobe resection.

Inspector-instrument interface in portable NDA instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halbig, J.K.; Klosterbuer, S.F.

1981-01-01

Recent electronics technology advances make it possible to design sophisticated instruments in small packages for convenient field implementation. This report describes an inspector-instrument interface design which allows communication of procedures, responses, and results between the instrument and user. The interface has been incorporated into new spent-fuel instrumentation and a battery-powered multichannel analyzer

Robust Brain-Computer Interfaces

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Reuderink, B.

2011-01-01

A brain-computer interface (BCI) enables direct communication from the brain to devices, bypassing the traditional pathway of peripheral nerves and muscles. Current BCIs aimed at patients require that the user invests weeks, or even months, to learn the skill to intentionally modify their brain

Maintaining radiation exposures as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) for dental personnel operating portable hand-held x-ray equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

McGiff, Thomas J; Danforth, Robert A; Herschaft, Edward E

2012-08-01

Clinical experience indicates that newly available portable hand-held x-ray units provide advantages compared to traditional fixed properly installed and operated x-ray units in dental radiography. However, concern that hand-held x-ray units produce higher operator doses than fixed x-ray units has caused regulatory agencies to mandate requirements for use of hand-held units that go beyond those recommended by the manufacturer and can discourage the use of this technology. To assess the need for additional requirements, a hand-held x-ray unit and a pair of manikins were used to measure the dose to a simulated operator under two conditions: exposures made according to the manufacturer's recommendations and exposures made according to manufacturer's recommendation except for the removal of the x-ray unit's protective backscatter shield. Dose to the simulated operator was determined using an array of personal dosimeters and a pair of pressurized ion chambers. The results indicate that the dose to an operator of this equipment will be less than 0.6 mSv y⁻¹ if the device is used according to the manufacturer's recommendations. This suggests that doses to properly trained operators of well-designed, hand-held dental x-ray units will be below 1.0 mSv y⁻¹ (2% of the annual occupational dose limit) even if additional no additional operational requirements are established by regulatory agencies. This level of annual dose is similar to those reported as typical dental personnel using fixed x-ray units and appears to satisfy the ALARA principal for this class of occupational exposures.

Application of Suresight handheld auto-refractometer in refraction screening for infants in Community Health Service Center

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li-Hua Guo

2014-08-01

Full Text Available AIM: To observe the application of Suresight handheld auto-refractometer in measuring diopter of infants in Community Health Service Center. METHODS:Totally 836 cases(1 672 eyesfrom June 2013 to December 2013 were examined diopter of infants by Suresight handheld auto-refractometer in Community Health Service Center. RESULTS: Within 1 672 eyes of 836 infants were examined, 202 eyes were diagnosed ametropia, 38 eyes were suspicious, 240 eyes were transferred to the department of ophthalmology, the referral rate was 14.35%; 172 eyes were diagnosed ametropia, and the diagnosis rate of the referral patients was 71.67%. Among 172 eyes, 46 eyes were provided with corrected glasses, accounting for 2.75% of the number of screening, and 126 eyes were given intensive monitoring, accounting for 7.54% of the number of screening.CONCLUSION: Application of Suresight handheld auto-refractometer in refraction screening for infants in Community Health Service Center is convenient and effective. With two-way referral between community health service center and department of ophthalmology can monitor and intervene vision development of infants much earlier.

Nuclear spectrum data acquisition intelligent interface based on MCS-51 single chip microcomputer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xia Songjiang; Su Qin

1991-01-01

The intelligent interface consists of multichannel buffer and communication interface. It can acquire 4096 channels nuclear spectrum data. By connecting to a main computer, the data acquisition system has high resolution and foreground, background operating functions. The system features simple structure, reliable communication, convenient operation and high cost performance

Development of a Portable Two-Way Communication and Information Device for Deafblind People.

Science.gov (United States)

Ozioko, Oliver; Hersh, Marion

2015-01-01

This paper presents research on the development of a wearable two-way communication and information device for deafblind people who use tactile communications methods, namely the British deafblind manual alphabet and/or Braille. The device has two components: a glove worn by the deafblind person and a handheld display with keypad to be used by their hearing and sighted communication partner. Users can send messages using pressure sensors embedded in the glove and receive them by means of vibration on the palm. The two components are linked by Bluetooth and the use of Bluetooth to communicate with computers, mobile phones and other Bluetooth enabled devices is being investigated. The design was informed by feedback obtained from a survey of deafblind people and interviews with staff in two organisations for deafblind people. Research and development of the device is still ongoing.

Classification and Visualization of Physical and Chemical Properties of Falsified Medicines with Handheld Raman Spectroscopy and X-Ray Computed Tomography.

Science.gov (United States)

Kakio, Tomoko; Yoshida, Naoko; Macha, Susan; Moriguchi, Kazunobu; Hiroshima, Takashi; Ikeda, Yukihiro; Tsuboi, Hirohito; Kimura, Kazuko

2017-09-01

Analytical methods for the detection of substandard and falsified medical products (SFs) are important for public health and patient safety. Research to understand how the physical and chemical properties of SFs can be most effectively applied to distinguish the SFs from authentic products has not yet been investigated enough. Here, we investigated the usefulness of two analytical methods, handheld Raman spectroscopy (handheld Raman) and X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT), for detecting SFs among oral solid antihypertensive pharmaceutical products containing candesartan cilexetil as an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). X-ray CT visualized at least two different types of falsified tablets, one containing many cracks and voids and the other containing aggregates with high electron density, such as from the presence of the heavy elements. Generic products that purported to contain equivalent amounts of API to the authentic products were discriminated from the authentic products by the handheld Raman and the different physical structure on X-ray CT. Approach to investigate both the chemical and physical properties with handheld Raman and X-ray CT, respectively, promise the accurate discrimination of the SFs, even if their visual appearance is similar with authentic products. We present a decision tree for investigating the authenticity of samples purporting to be authentic commercial tablets. Our results indicate that the combination approach of visual observation, handheld Raman and X-ray CT is a powerful strategy for nondestructive discrimination of suspect samples.

Adaptive RF front-ends for hand-held applications

CERN Document Server

van Bezooijen, Andre; van Roermund, Arthur

2010-01-01

The RF front-end - antenna combination is a vital part of a mobile phone because its performance is very relevant to the link quality between hand-set and cellular network base-stations. The RF front-end performance suffers from changes in operating environment, like hand-effects, that are often unpredictable. ""Adaptive RF Front-Ends for Hand-Held Applications"" presents an analysis on the impact of fluctuating environmental parameters. In order to overcome undesired behavior two different adaptive control methods are treated that make RF frond-ends more resilient: adaptive impedance control,

Handheld Longwave Infrared Camera Based on Highly-Sensitive Quantum Well Infrared Photodetectors, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — We propose to develop a compact handheld longwave infrared camera based on quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) focal plane array (FPA) technology. Based on...

A data-driven design evaluation tool for handheld device soft keyboards.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthieu B Trudeau

Full Text Available Thumb interaction is a primary technique used to operate small handheld devices such as smartphones. Despite the different techniques involved in operating a handheld device compared to a personal computer, the keyboard layouts for both devices are similar. A handheld device keyboard that considers the physical capabilities of the thumb may improve user experience. We developed and applied a design evaluation tool for different geometries of the QWERTY keyboard using a performance evaluation model. The model utilizes previously collected data on thumb motor performance and posture for different tap locations and thumb movement directions. We calculated a performance index (PITOT, 0 is worst and 2 is best for 663 designs consisting in different combinations of three variables: the keyboard's radius of curvature (R (mm, orientation (O (°, and vertical location on the screen (L. The current standard keyboard performed poorly (PITOT = 0.28 compared to other designs considered. Keyboard location (L contributed to the greatest variability in performance out of the three design variables, suggesting that designers should modify this variable first. Performance was greatest for designs in the middle keyboard location. In addition, having a slightly upward curve (R = -20 mm and orientated perpendicular to the thumb's long axis (O = -20° improved performance to PITOT = 1.97. Poorest performances were associated with placement of the keyboard's spacebar in the bottom right corner of the screen (e.g., the worst was for R = 20 mm, O = 40°, L =  Bottom (PITOT = 0.09. While this evaluation tool can be used in the design process as an ergonomic reference to promote user motor performance, other design variables such as visual access and usability still remain unexplored.

BAKNET - Communication network for radiation monitoring devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cohen, Y.; Wengrowicz, U.; Tirosh, D.; Barak, D.

1997-01-01

A system, based on a new concept of controlling and monitoring distributed radiation monitors, has been developed and approved at the NRCN. The system, named B AKNET Network , consists of a series of communication adapters connected to a main PC via an RS-485 communication network (see Fig. 1). The network's maximal length is 1200 meters and it enables connection of up to 128 adapters. The BAKNET adapters are designed to interface output signals of different types of stationary radiation monitors to a main PC. The BAKNET adapters' interface type includes: digital, analog, RS-232, and mixed output signals. This allows versatile interfacing of different stationary radiation monitors to the main computer. The connection to the main computer is via an RS-485 network, utilizing an identical communication protocol. The PC software, written in C ++ under MS-Windows, consists of two main programs. The first is the data collection program and the second is the Human Machine Interface (HMI). (authors)

Comparative Geometrical Accuracy Investigations of Hand-Held 3d Scanning Systems - AN Update

Science.gov (United States)

Kersten, T. P.; Lindstaedt, M.; Starosta, D.

2018-05-01

Hand-held 3D scanning systems are increasingly available on the market from several system manufacturers. These systems are deployed for 3D recording of objects with different size in diverse applications, such as industrial reverse engineering, and documentation of museum exhibits etc. Typical measurement distances range from 0.5 m to 4.5 m. Although they are often easy-to-use, the geometric performance of these systems, especially the precision and accuracy, are not well known to many users. First geometrical investigations of a variety of diverse hand-held 3D scanning systems were already carried out by the Photogrammetry & Laser Scanning Lab of the HafenCity University Hamburg (HCU Hamburg) in cooperation with two other universities in 2016. To obtain more information about the accuracy behaviour of the latest generation of hand-held 3D scanning systems, HCU Hamburg conducted further comparative geometrical investigations using structured light systems with speckle pattern (Artec Spider, Mantis Vision PocketScan 3D, Mantis Vision F5-SR, Mantis Vision F5-B, and Mantis Vision F6), and photogrammetric systems (Creaform HandySCAN 700 and Shining FreeScan X7). In the framework of these comparative investigations geometrically stable reference bodies were used. The appropriate reference data was acquired by measurements with two structured light projection systems (AICON smartSCAN and GOM ATOS I 2M). The comprehensive test results of the different test scenarios are presented and critically discussed in this contribution.

Design and Realization of Universal Data Interface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jong-Woo Kim

2005-03-01

Full Text Available KARI studied data interface of Space Applications for developing Space Experimental Instrument in International Space Station, designed, and manufactured the UDIS (International Sapce Station Universal Data Interface simulator according to requirements of the data interface. This paper explains the design and implementation of UDIS for space application. UDIS is the instrument which simulate to interface the data from ISS to experiment module, payload and habitation module and use the development of a experiment system in the space. This simulator will be used to the GSE (Ground Support Equipment for test of experiment system. By realization of the simulator, we ensure data interface skills for a manned-space data communication system.

A Fresh Look at the Crystal Violet Lab with Handheld Camera Colorimetry

Science.gov (United States)

Knutson, Theodore R.; Knutson, Cassandra M.; Mozzetti, Abbie R.; Campos, Antonio R.; Haynes, Christy L.; Penn, R. Lee

2015-01-01

Chemical kinetic experiments to determine rate laws are common in high school and college chemistry courses. For reactions involving a color change, rate laws can be determined experimentally using spectrophotometric or colorimetric equipment though this equipment can be cost prohibitive. Previous work demonstrated that inexpensive handheld camera…

Network Communication for Low Level RF Control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Weiqing; Yin Chengke; Zhang Tongxuan; Fu Zechuan; Liu Jianfei

2009-01-01

Low Level RF (LLRF) control system for storage ring of Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF) has been built by digital technology. The settings of parameters and the feedback loop status are carried out through the network communication interface, and the local oscillation and clock, which is the important component of the digital LLRF control system, are also configured through network communication. NIOS II processor was employed as a core to build the embedded system with a real-time operating system MicroC/OS-II, finally Lightweight TCP/IP (LwIP) was used to achieve the communication interface. The communication network is stable after a long-term operation. (authors)

High speed UNIBUS-VME interface; Interface de alta velocidad VME-UNIBUS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Olmos, P

1987-07-01

An interface between VME an the UNIBUS of PDP or VAX computer is presented. The system supports high speed parallel communication (up to 1MB/S) and is composed of two modules. One of these is a commercial DR11M board which performs DMA transfers between UNIBUS and the external word. The other is a VME module specifically developed for this application. The interface has been tested under VMS operating system in VAX and VALET-PLUS system for the VME Bus. We describe in detail the VME module and its connection with the DR11M. Software, both in WMS and VALET, is also described. (Author) 7 refs.

Torque Removal Evaluation of Screw in One-Piece and Two-Piece Abutments Tightened with a Handheld screwdriver

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jalil Ghanbarzadeh

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Some clinicians use a handheld screw driver instead of a torque wrench to definitively tighten abutment screws. The aim of this study was to compare the removal torque of one-piece and two-piece abutments tightened with a handheld driver and a torque control ratchet. Methods: 40 ITI implants were placed in acrylic blocks and divided into 4 groups. In groups one and two, 10 ITI one-piece abutments (Solid® and in groups three and four, 10 ITI two-piece abutments (Synocta® were placed on the implants. In groups one and three abutments were tightened by 5 experienced males and 5 experienced females using a handheld driver. In groups two and four abutments were tightened using a torque wrench with torque values of 10, 20 and 35 N.cm. Insertion torque and removal torque values of the abutments were measured with a digital torque meter. Results: The insertion torque values (ITVs of males in both abutments were significantly higher than those of females. ITVs in both Solid® and Synocta® abutments tightened with a handheld screwdriver were similar to the torque of 20 N.cm in the torque wrench. Removal torque values (RTVs of solid® abutments were higher than those of synocta® abutments. Conclusion: The one- piece abutments (solid® showed higher RTVs than the two-piece abutments (synocta®. Hand driver does not produce sufficient preload force for the final tightening of the abutment

Microcomputer Interfaces with U.S. Marine Corps Tactical Communications Systems,

Science.gov (United States)

1991-04-01

Schneider and Mrs. Kirkpatrick at the Communications officer School Quantico, Virginia This document has been approvedf or p,bic Yleaze cncd sae; its...communications systems; however, there is not a comprehensive USMC Command, Control, Communications, and Computers (C4) operational policy that documents these...5-6 COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS .... ............. 5-6 ADP SYSTEMS ....... .................. 5-6 OPERATIONAL POLICIES

Enhancing Social Communication Between Groups

NARCIS (Netherlands)

T. Stevens; P. Hughes (Peter); D. Williams; I. Craigie; I. Kegel; P.S. Cesar Garcia (Pablo Santiago); A.J. Jansen (Jack); M.F. Usrsu; M. Frantzis; N. Farber; M. Lutzky; S. Vogel

2010-01-01

htmlabstractThis paper describes a prototype software platform that supports advanced communications services, specifically services enabling effective group-to-group communications with a social purpose, between remote homes. The architecture, the individual components, their interfaces, and the

The interface at the skin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Lone Koefoed

2011-01-01

In the development of and discourses around interfaces there has always been a strong urge to bypass representation and ‘jack’ directly in to the human brain, consciousness, perceptions and feelings. In her article ”The interface at the skin” Lone Koefoed Hansen looks at how two contemporary...... experimental dresses made by Philips within the field of wearable computing subscribe to the concept of ‘ideal communication’. In her article, she explains how this particular type of communication is linked to the paranormal phenomena of mind reading and telepathy, and argues that sensor-based wearable...... computing is the newest example of a technological development implicitly or explicitly aiming at manifesting two utopian parameters of communication: immediacy and instantaneity. Though utopian, this manifestation has served as a way to brand Philips “as a highly innovative and remarkable company”....

Communication, Technology, Temporality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark A. Martinez

2012-08-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a media studies that foregrounds technological objects as communicative and historical agents. Specifically, I take the digital computer as a powerful catalyst of crises in communication theories and certain key features of modernity. Finally, the computer is the motor of “New Media” which is at once a set of technologies, a historical epoch, and a field of knowledge. As such the computer shapes “the new” and “the future” as History pushes its origins further in the past and its convergent quality pushes its future as a predominate medium. As treatment of information and interface suggest, communication theories observe computers, and technologies generally, for the mediated languages they either afford or foreclose to us. My project describes the figures information and interface for the different ways they can be thought of as aspects of communication. I treat information not as semantic meaning, formal or discursive language, but rather as a physical organism. Similarly an interface is not a relationship between a screen and a human visual intelligence, but is instead a reciprocal, affective and physical process of contact. I illustrate that historically there have been conceptions of information and interface complimentary to mine, fleeting as they have been in the face of a dominant temporality of mediation. I begin with a theoretically informed approach to media history, and extend it to a new theory of communication. In doing so I discuss a model of time common to popular, scientific, and critical conceptions of media technologies especially in theories of computer technology. This is a predominate model with particular rules of temporal change and causality for thinking about mediation, and limits the conditions of possibility for knowledge production about communication. I suggest a new model of time as integral to any event of observation and analysis, and that human mediation does not exhaust the

Interfaces and Communication Protocols in ATCA-Based LLRF Control Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Makowski, Dariusz; Koprek, Waldemar; Jezynski, Tomasz; Piotrowski, Adam; Jablonski, Grzegorz; Jalmuzna, Wojciech; Simrock, Stefan

2009-10-01

Linear accelerators driving Free Electron Lasers (FELs), such as the Free Electron Laser in Hamburg (FLASH) or the X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL), require sophisticated Low Level Radio Frequency (LLRF) control systems. The controller of the LLRF system should stabilize the phase and amplitude of the field in accelerating modules below 0.02% of the amplitude and 0.01 degree for phase tolerances to produce an ultra stable electron beam that meets the required conditions for Self-Amplified Spontaneous Emission (SASE). Since the LLRF system for the XFEL must be in operation for the next 20 years, it should be reliable, reproducible and upgradeable. Having in mind all requirements of the LLRF control system, the Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture (ATCA) has been chosen to build a prototype of the LLRF system for the FLASH accelerator that is able to supervise 32 cavities of one RF station. The LLRF controller takes advantage of features offered by the ATCA standard. The LLRF system consists of a few ATCA carrier blades, Rear Transition Modules (RTM) and several Advanced Mezzanine Cards (AMCs) that provide all necessary digital and analog hardware components. The distributed hardware of the LLRF system requires a number of communication links that should provide different latencies, bandwidths and protocols. The paper presents the general view of the ATC A-based LLRF system, discusses requirements and proposes an application for various interfaces and protocols in the distributed LLRF control system.

Microfluidic PMMA interfaces for rectangular glass capillaries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evander, Mikael; Tenje, Maria

2014-01-01

We present the design and fabrication of a polymeric capillary fluidic interface fabricated by micro-milling. The design enables the use of glass capillaries with any kind of cross-section in complex microfluidic setups. We demonstrate two different designs of the interface; a double-inlet interface for hydrodynamic focusing and a capillary interface with integrated pneumatic valves. Both capillary interfaces are presented together with examples of practical applications. This communication shows the design optimization and presents details of the fabrication process. The capillary interface opens up for the use of complex microfluidic systems in single-use glass capillaries. They also enable simple fabrication of glass/polymer hybrid devices that can be beneficial in many research fields where a pure polymer chip negatively affects the device's performance, e.g. acoustofluidics. (technical note)

INTERNET CONNECTIVITY FOR MASS PRODUCED UNITS WITHOUT USER INTERFACE

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2000-01-01

To the manufacturer of mass produced units without a user interface, typically field level units, connection of these units to a communications network for enabling servicing, control and trackability is of interest. To provide this connection, a solution is described in which an interface...

Design and Implementation of a Smart LED Lighting System Using a Self Adaptive Weighted Data Fusion Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wen-Tsai Sung

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This work aims to develop a smart LED lighting system, which is remotely controlled by Android apps via handheld devices, e.g., smartphones, tablets, and so forth. The status of energy use is reflected by readings displayed on a handheld device, and it is treated as a criterion in the lighting mode design of a system. A multimeter, a wireless light dimmer, an IR learning remote module, etc. are connected to a server by means of RS 232/485 and a human computer interface on a touch screen. The wireless data communication is designed to operate in compliance with the ZigBee standard, and signal processing on sensed data is made through a self adaptive weighted data fusion algorithm. A low variation in data fusion together with a high stability is experimentally demonstrated in this work. The wireless light dimmer as well as the IR learning remote module can be instructed directly by command given on the human computer interface, and the reading on a multimeter can be displayed thereon via the server. This proposed smart LED lighting system can be remotely controlled and self learning mode can be enabled by a single handheld device via WiFi transmission. Hence, this proposal is validated as an approach to power monitoring for home appliances, and is demonstrated as a digital home network in consideration of energy efficiency.

Design and Implementation of a Smart LED Lighting System Using a Self Adaptive Weighted Data Fusion Algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Sung, Wen-Tsai; Lin, Jia-Syun

2013-01-01

This work aims to develop a smart LED lighting system, which is remotely controlled by Android apps via handheld devices, e.g., smartphones, tablets, and so forth. The status of energy use is reflected by readings displayed on a handheld device, and it is treated as a criterion in the lighting mode design of a system. A multimeter, a wireless light dimmer, an IR learning remote module, etc. are connected to a server by means of RS 232/485 and a human computer interface on a touch screen. The wireless data communication is designed to operate in compliance with the ZigBee standard, and signal processing on sensed data is made through a self adaptive weighted data fusion algorithm. A low variation in data fusion together with a high stability is experimentally demonstrated in this work. The wireless light dimmer as well as the IR learning remote module can be instructed directly by command given on the human computer interface, and the reading on a multimeter can be displayed thereon via the server. This proposed smart LED lighting system can be remotely controlled and self learning mode can be enabled by a single handheld device via WiFi transmission. Hence, this proposal is validated as an approach to power monitoring for home appliances, and is demonstrated as a digital home network in consideration of energy efficiency.

Network Interface Specification for the T1 Microprocessor

Science.gov (United States)

1994-05-01

details of the data transfer functional units, interconnect structure, and network operation. Application Layer Communication Model Communication...use of the communication resources. 3.6 Network Virtualisation The CNS-1 is designed for single-user, batch-style processing; no timesharing or space...matches the count register (both the timer and count register are in the network interface and are user-accessible). Although this function is not strictly

Handheld Delivery System for Modified Boron-Type Fire Extinguishment Agent

Science.gov (United States)

1993-11-01

was to develop and test a handheld portable delivery system for use with the modified boron-type fire extinguishing agent for metal fires . B...BACKGROUND A need exists for an extinguishing agent and accompanying delivery system that are effective against complex geometry metal fires . A modified...agent and its delivery system have proven effective against complex geometry metal fires containing up to 200 pounds of magnesium metal. Further

Handheld microwave bomb-detecting imaging system

Science.gov (United States)

Gorwara, Ashok; Molchanov, Pavlo

2017-05-01

Proposed novel imaging technique will provide all weather high-resolution imaging and recognition capability for RF/Microwave signals with good penetration through highly scattered media: fog, snow, dust, smoke, even foliage, camouflage, walls and ground. Image resolution in proposed imaging system is not limited by diffraction and will be determined by processor and sampling frequency. Proposed imaging system can simultaneously cover wide field of view, detect multiple targets and can be multi-frequency, multi-function. Directional antennas in imaging system can be close positioned and installed in cell phone size handheld device, on small aircraft or distributed around protected border or object. Non-scanning monopulse system allows dramatically decrease in transmitting power and at the same time provides increased imaging range by integrating 2-3 orders more signals than regular scanning imaging systems.

Handheld Versus Wearable Interaction Design for Professionals - A Case Study of Hospital Service Work

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stisen, Allan; Blunck, Henrik; Kjærgaard, Mikkel Baun

2014-01-01

With the blooming of new available wrist worn devices there are potentials for these to support the work done in many professional domains. One such domain is hospital service work. This paper explores two wearable prototypes with regards to challenges and opportunities to support future hospital...... service work. This explorative study was conducted with 4 experienced hospital orderlies who interacted with an application across two wearable concepts, and one handheld smartphone in five scenarios in a hospital environment. The interaction was video recorded with a chest-mounted video afterwards semi...... structured interviews with each participant was conducted. This study shows that wearable computers can effectively support the maintenance work of the orderlies and has domain specific advantages over the handheld smartphone, e.g., the former support glancing at the task information. Furthermore, we outline...

The HEASARC graphical user interface

Science.gov (United States)

White, N.; Barrett, P.; Jacobs, P.; Oneel, B.

1992-01-01

An OSF/Motif-based graphical user interface has been developed to facilitate the use of the database and data analysis software packages available from the High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC). It can also be used as an interface to other, similar, routines. A small number of tables are constructed to specify the possible commands and command parameters for a given set of analysis routines. These tables can be modified by a designer to affect the appearance of the interface screens. They can also be dynamically changed in response to parameter adjustments made while the underlying program is running. Additionally, a communication protocol has been designed so that the interface can operate locally or across a network. It is intended that this software be able to run on a variety of workstations and X terminals.

[Evaluation of accuracy of measuring intraocular pressure by handheld non-contact applanation tonometer].

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, X; Peng, D; Zhou, W; Zhong, Y

1995-06-01

To evaluate the accuracy of measuring intraocular pressure by handheld non-contact applanation tonometer. 58 patients' (113 eyes) intraocular pressure were measured by Keeler, non-contact tonometer and R 900 Goldmann applanation tonometer and the results of measurement of intraocular pressure by the two kinds of tonometers were compared. The mean intraocular pressure measured by non-contact is 16.31 +/- 5.59 mmHg and 17.49 +/- 6.13 mmHg (1 mmHg = 0.1333 kPa) by Goldmann applanation tonometer, respectively. There was no statistical significance to be found (P > 0.05) between the two methods. By linear correlation and regression analysis, a positive correlation was found between the two methods (r = 0.8942, b = 0.8154). The handheld non-contact tonometer has the same accuracy and reliability of measurement of intraocular pressure comparing with Goldmann applanation tonometer, and it can be used in glaucoma clinic and screening.

Handheld pose tracking using vision-inertial sensors with occlusion handling

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Juan; Slembrouck, Maarten; Deboeverie, Francis; Bernardos, Ana M.; Besada, Juan A.; Veelaert, Peter; Aghajan, Hamid; Casar, José R.; Philips, Wilfried

2016-07-01

Tracking of a handheld device's three-dimensional (3-D) position and orientation is fundamental to various application domains, including augmented reality (AR), virtual reality, and interaction in smart spaces. Existing systems still offer limited performance in terms of accuracy, robustness, computational cost, and ease of deployment. We present a low-cost, accurate, and robust system for handheld pose tracking using fused vision and inertial data. The integration of measurements from embedded accelerometers reduces the number of unknown parameters in the six-degree-of-freedom pose calculation. The proposed system requires two light-emitting diode (LED) markers to be attached to the device, which are tracked by external cameras through a robust algorithm against illumination changes. Three data fusion methods have been proposed, including the triangulation-based stereo-vision system, constraint-based stereo-vision system with occlusion handling, and triangulation-based multivision system. Real-time demonstrations of the proposed system applied to AR and 3-D gaming are also included. The accuracy assessment of the proposed system is carried out by comparing with the data generated by the state-of-the-art commercial motion tracking system OptiTrack. Experimental results show that the proposed system has achieved high accuracy of few centimeters in position estimation and few degrees in orientation estimation.

Radiation safety evaluation of a hand-held, battery operated image intensifier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilson, O.J.; Young, B.F.

1987-01-01

A portable, hand-held, fluoroscopic unit intended for medical and industrial use was tested to verify the claim of the manufacturers that the radiation doses to the patient and user are low, and comparable to those received from standard radiographic procedures. The first claim was substantiated but not the second. A number of concerns arising from the use of this unit are discussed

A BODIPY-Based Fluorescent Probe to Visually Detect Phosgene: Toward the Development of a Handheld Phosgene Detector.

Science.gov (United States)

Sayar, Melike; Karakuş, Erman; Güner, Tuğrul; Yildiz, Busra; Yildiz, Umit Hakan; Emrullahoğlu, Mustafa

2018-03-02

A boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY)-based fluorescent probe with a phosgene-specific reactive motif shows remarkable selectivity toward phosgene, in the presence of which the nonfluorescent dye rapidly transforms into a new structure and induces a fluorescent response clearly observable to the naked eye under ultraviolet light. Given that dynamic, a prototypical handheld phosgene detector with a promising sensing capability that expedites the detection of gaseous phosgene without sophisticated instrumentation was developed. The proposed method using the handheld detector involves a rapid response period suitable for issuing early warnings during emergency situations. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Efficacy of Handheld Electronic Visual Supports to Enhance Vocabulary in Children with ASD

Science.gov (United States)

Ganz, Jennifer B.; Boles, Margot B.; Goodwyn, Fara D.; Flores, Margaret M.

2014-01-01

Although electronic tools such as handheld computers have become increasingly common throughout society, implementation of such tools to improve skills in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities has lagged in the professional literature. However, the use of visual scripts for individuals with disabilities, particularly those…

Feasibility of using a handheld electronic device for the collection of patient reported outcomes data from children.

Science.gov (United States)

Vinney, Lisa A; Grade, John D; Connor, Nadine P

2012-01-01

The manner in which a communication disorder affects health-related quality of life (QOL) in children is not known. Unfortunately, collection of quality of life data via traditional paper measures is labor intensive and has several other limitations, which hinder the investigation of pediatric quality of life in children. Currently, there is not sufficient research regarding the use of electronic devices to collect pediatric patient reported outcomes in order to address such limitations. Thus, we used a cross-over design to compare responses to a pediatric health quality of life instrument (PedsQL 4.0) delivered using a handheld electronic device to those from a traditional paper form. Respondents were children with (n=9) and without (n=10) a speech or voice disorder. For paper versus the electronic format, we examined time to completion, number of incomplete or inaccurate question responses, intra-rater reliability, ease of use, and child and parent preference. There were no significant differences between children's scores, time to complete the measure, or ratings related to ease of answering questions. The percentage of children who made answering errors or omissions with paper and pencil was significantly greater than the percentage of children who made such errors using the device. This preliminary study demonstrated that use of an electronic device to collect QOL or patient-reported outcomes (PRO) data from children is more efficient than and just as feasible, reliable, and acceptable as using paper forms. The development of hardware and software applications for the collection of QOL and/or PRO data in children with speech disorders is likely warranted. The reader will be able to understand: (1) The potential benefits of using electronic data capture via handheld devices for collecting pediatric patient reported outcomes; (2) The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 is a measure of the perception of general health quality that has distinguished between

A study of cladding technology on tube wall surface by a hand-held laser torch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Terada, Takaya; Nishimura, Akihiko; Oka, Kiyoshi; Moriyama, Taku; Matsuda, Hiroyasu

2015-01-01

New maintenance technique was proposed using a hand-held laser torch for aging chemical plants and power plants. The hand-held laser torch was specially designed to be able to access limited tubular space in various cases. A composite-type optical fiberscope was composed of a center fiber for beam delivery and surrounded fibers for visible image delivery. Laser irradiation on a work pieces with the best accuracy of filler wire was carried out. And, we found that the optimized wire-feed speed was 2 mm/s in laser cladding. We succeeded to make a line clad on the inner wall of 23 mm tube. This technique was discussed to be applied to the maintenance for cracks or corrosions of tubes in various harsh environments. (author)

Evolving Consumption Patterns of Various Information Media via Handheld Mobile Devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nitza Geri

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This study examines diverse information media in order to identify those formats that are most suitable for consumption via handheld mobile devices, namely, smartphones and tablets. The preferences of the users are measured objectively by analyzing actual data of their relative use of handheld mobile devices and personal computing (PC desktop devices, including laptops and notebooks, for consumption of information presented in various formats. Our findings are based on Google Analytics pageview data of five course Websites during a period of three semesters, by 11,557 undergraduate students. M-learning contexts were chosen, since in a learning environment the interests of information providers (i.e., the instructors are in accord with those of the information consumers (i.e., the students, whereas in commercial settings there may be conflicts of interests. Our findings demonstrate that although about 90% of the pageviews were via PC devices, the rate of smartphone use for consuming learning content in diverse information media is gradually increasing as time goes by, whereas the rate of tablet use for these purposes is stagnant. The most promising direction for smartphone development, emanating from the findings, is online video content.

Hand-held indirect calorimeter offers advantages compared with prediction equations, in a group of overweight women, to determine resting energy expenditures and estimated total energy expenditures during research screening.

Science.gov (United States)

Spears, Karen E; Kim, Hyunsook; Behall, Kay M; Conway, Joan M

2009-05-01

To compare standardized prediction equations to a hand-held indirect calorimeter in estimating resting energy and total energy requirements in overweight women. Resting energy expenditure (REE) was measured by hand-held indirect calorimeter and calculated by prediction equations Harris-Benedict, Mifflin-St Jeor, World Health Organization/Food and Agriculture Organization/United Nations University (WHO), and Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI). Physical activity level, assessed by questionnaire, was used to estimate total energy expenditure (TEE). Subjects (n=39) were female nonsmokers older than 25 years of age with body mass index more than 25. Repeated measures analysis of variance, Bland-Altman plot, and fitted regression line of difference. A difference within +/-10% of two methods indicated agreement. Significant proportional bias was present between hand-held indirect calorimeter and prediction equations for REE and TEE (Pvalues and underestimated at higher values. Mean differences (+/-standard error) for REE and TEE between hand-held indirect calorimeter and Harris-Benedict were -5.98+/-46.7 kcal/day (P=0.90) and 21.40+/-75.7 kcal/day (P=0.78); between hand-held indirect calorimeter and Mifflin-St Jeor were 69.93+/-46.7 kcal/day (P=0.14) and 116.44+/-75.9 kcal/day (P=0.13); between hand-held indirect calorimeter and WHO were -22.03+/-48.4 kcal/day (P=0.65) and -15.8+/-77.9 kcal/day (P=0.84); and between hand-held indirect calorimeter and DRI were 39.65+/-47.4 kcal/day (P=0.41) and 56.36+/-85.5 kcal/day (P=0.51). Less than 50% of predictive equation values were within +/-10% of hand-held indirect calorimeter values, indicating poor agreement. A significant discrepancy between predicted and measured energy expenditure was observed. Further evaluation of hand-held indirect calorimeter research screening is needed.

Cognitive Determinants of the Effectiveness of Technological Interfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paweł Piotr

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Interface plays an important function in the operational process of modern interactive information technologies. Its task is to enable communication, signal exchange, and cooperation with the human mind. Technological interface is understood as the place where technology and software operating a computer must enter into interaction with the mind. The response is provided by the mind, which communicates with the machine performing the tasks imposed by the mind. The technology with its complexities can be a problem for the operator, but on the other hand, the person can also be a problem for the technology by vague and unspecified tasks transferred for execution. I would like to view various aspects of the functioning of the interface by analyzing the four modalities: perceptual modality, associated with memory and experience, with the expectations of users, and conceptual modality related to understanding of the technology by the user.

Handheld Multi-Gas Meters Assessment Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Williams, Gustavious [Brigham Young Univ., Provo, UT (United States); Wald-Hopkins, Mark David [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Obrey, Stephen J. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Akhadov, Valida Dushdurova [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-06-27

Handheld multi-gas meters (MGMs) are equipped with sensors to monitor oxygen (O2) levels and additional sensors to detect the presence of combustible or toxic gases in the environment. This report is limited to operational response-type MGMs that include at least four different sensors. These sensors can vary by type and by the monitored chemical. In real time, the sensors report the concentration of monitored gases in the atmosphere near the MGM. In April 2016 the System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) Program conducted an operationally-oriented assessment of MGMs. Five MGMs were assessed by emergency responders. The criteria and scenarios used in this assessment were derived from the results of a focus group of emergency responders with experience in using MGMs. The assessment addressed 16 evaluation criteria in four SAVER categories: Usability, Capability, Maintainability, and Deployability.

Xsense: using nanotechnology to combine detection methods for high sensitivity handheld explosives detectors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schmidt, Michael Stenbæk; Kostesha, Natalie; Bosco, Filippo

2010-01-01

In an effort to produce a handheld explosives sensor the Xsense project has been initiated at the Technical University of Denmark in collaboration with a number of partners. Using micro- and nano technological approaches it will be attempted to integrate four detection principles into a single de...

Standard guide to In-Plant performance evaluation of Hand-Held SNM monitors

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

1999-01-01

1.1 This guide is one of a series on the application and evaluation of special nuclear material (SNM) monitors. Other guides in the series are listed in Section 2, and the relationship of in-plant performance evaluation to other procedures described in the series is illustrated in Fig. 1. Hand-held SNM monitors are described in of Guide C1112, and performance criteria illustrating their capabilities can be found in Appendix X1. 1.2 The purpose of this guide to in-plant performance evaluation is to provide a comparatively rapid procedure to verify that a hand-held SNM monitor performs as expected for detecting SNM or alternative test sources or to disclose the need for repair. The procedure can be used as a routine operational evaluation or it can be used to verify performance after a monitor is calibrated. 1.3 In-plant performance evaluations are more comprehensive than daily functional tests. They take place less often, at intervals ranging from weekly to once every three months, and derive their result fr...

Integration of the CAR Interface module for the RRS of Research Reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bae, Sang Hoon; Baang, Dane; Park, Gee Yong; Choi, Young San; Kim, Young Ki [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2011-10-15

In a research reactor, a CAR(Control Absorber Rod) interface module which receives the control information from the RRS(Reactor Regulating System) control computer and transfer control signal to a step motor in a CAR has been composed of an interface card, an indexer card and a driver card. Due to such separated interface components, the additional interface for each component was inevitable. That is, a CAR interface was more complicated and its corresponding communication ports, drivers and signal cables were unnecessarily required. To simplify this stuff, the interface card and indexer card are integrated to one module and integrated communication network including a step motor driver card can be established through backplane network. The CAR interface module has not been redundant because power operation excluding a CAR by a failure in CAR could be available thanks to remained CARs. But, actually in spite of one CAR failure, operation with remained CARs normally is likely impossible to keep track of rapid dynamics. To solve this problem, the modular redundant structure is introduced herein and this method will let us anticipate the high reliability

Integration of the CAR Interface module for the RRS of Research Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bae, Sang Hoon; Baang, Dane; Park, Gee Yong; Choi, Young San; Kim, Young Ki

2011-01-01

In a research reactor, a CAR(Control Absorber Rod) interface module which receives the control information from the RRS(Reactor Regulating System) control computer and transfer control signal to a step motor in a CAR has been composed of an interface card, an indexer card and a driver card. Due to such separated interface components, the additional interface for each component was inevitable. That is, a CAR interface was more complicated and its corresponding communication ports, drivers and signal cables were unnecessarily required. To simplify this stuff, the interface card and indexer card are integrated to one module and integrated communication network including a step motor driver card can be established through backplane network. The CAR interface module has not been redundant because power operation excluding a CAR by a failure in CAR could be available thanks to remained CARs. But, actually in spite of one CAR failure, operation with remained CARs normally is likely impossible to keep track of rapid dynamics. To solve this problem, the modular redundant structure is introduced herein and this method will let us anticipate the high reliability

Strength Measurements in Acute Hamstring Injuries: Intertester Reliability and Prognostic Value of Handheld Dynamometry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Reurink, Gustaaf; Goudswaard, Gert Jan; Moen, Maarten H.; Tol, Johannes L.; Verhaar, Jan A. N.; Weir, Adam

2016-01-01

Study Design Cohort study, repeated measures. Background Although hamstring strength measurements are used for assessing prognosis and monitoring recovery after hamstring injury, their actual clinical relevance has not been established. Handheld dynamometry (HHD) is a commonly used method of

Epidemiology of Handheld Cell Phone Use While Driving: A Study from a South Indian City.

Science.gov (United States)

Majgi, Sumanth Mallikarjuna; AiswaryaLakshmi, A S

2018-01-01

Using cell phones while driving contribute to distractions which can potentially cause minor or major road traffic injuries and also stress among other drivers. With this background, the study was done to ascertain the proportion of handheld cell phone use while driving among road users in Mysore city and also patterns of the use by the day of week, type of road, and type of vehicle. The study was conducted in Mysore, Karnataka, India. Four stretches of roads were observed thrice daily for 1 week. The total number of vehicles passing through the stretch and the number and characteristics of drivers using hand-held cell was noted. Pearson's Chi-square test was used to ascertain the significance of the difference in proportions. The overall proportion of cell phone users was calculated as 1.41/100 vehicles. The observed use of handheld cell phones was 1.78 times higher on nonbusy roads than busy roads ( Χ 2 = 25.79, P phone users were driving a two wheeler, the proportion being 50.5% in busy roads, and 67% in nonbusy roads. There was no difference in the proportion of cell phone use by time of the day or across different days of the week. The proportion of drivers who use cell phones is found to be relatively lower, and use of cell phones was higher on nonbusy roads.

Balancing fast-rotating parts of hand-held machine drive

Science.gov (United States)

Korotkov, V. S.; Sicora, E. A.; Nadeina, L. V.; Yongzheng, Wang

2018-03-01

The article considers the issues related to the balancing of fast rotating parts of the hand-held machine drive including a wave transmission with intermediate rolling elements, which is constructed on the basis of the single-phase collector motor with a useful power of 1 kW and a nominal rotation frequency of 15000 rpm. The forms of balancers and their location are chosen. The method of balancing is described. The scheme for determining of residual unbalance in two correction planes is presented. Measurement results are given in tables.

Smart Circuit Breaker Communication Infrastructure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Octavian Mihai MACHIDON

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The expansion of the Internet of Things has fostered the development of smart technologies in fields such as power transmission and distribution systems (as is the Smart Grid and also in regard to home automation (the Smart Home concept. This paper addresses the network communication infrastructure for a Smart Circuit Breaker system, a novel application at the edge of the two afore-mentioned systems (Smart Grid and Smart Home. Such a communication interface has high requirements from functionality, performance and security point of views, given the large amount of distributed connected elements and the real-time information transmission and system management. The paper describes the design and implementation of the data server, Web interface and the embedded networking capabilities of the smart circuit breakers, underlining the protocols and communication technologies used.

A brain-computer interface for potential non-verbal facial communication based on EEG signals related to specific emotions.

Science.gov (United States)

Kashihara, Koji

2014-01-01

Unlike assistive technology for verbal communication, the brain-machine or brain-computer interface (BMI/BCI) has not been established as a non-verbal communication tool for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. Face-to-face communication enables access to rich emotional information, but individuals suffering from neurological disorders, such as ALS and autism, may not express their emotions or communicate their negative feelings. Although emotions may be inferred by looking at facial expressions, emotional prediction for neutral faces necessitates advanced judgment. The process that underlies brain neuronal responses to neutral faces and causes emotional changes remains unknown. To address this problem, therefore, this study attempted to decode conditioned emotional reactions to neutral face stimuli. This direction was motivated by the assumption that if electroencephalogram (EEG) signals can be used to detect patients' emotional responses to specific inexpressive faces, the results could be incorporated into the design and development of BMI/BCI-based non-verbal communication tools. To these ends, this study investigated how a neutral face associated with a negative emotion modulates rapid central responses in face processing and then identified cortical activities. The conditioned neutral face-triggered event-related potentials that originated from the posterior temporal lobe statistically significantly changed during late face processing (600-700 ms) after stimulus, rather than in early face processing activities, such as P1 and N170 responses. Source localization revealed that the conditioned neutral faces increased activity in the right fusiform gyrus (FG). This study also developed an efficient method for detecting implicit negative emotional responses to specific faces by using EEG signals. A classification method based on a support vector machine enables the easy classification of neutral faces that trigger specific individual emotions. In

Service offerings and interfaces for the ACTS network of earth stations

Science.gov (United States)

Coney, T. A.; Dobyns, T. R.; Chitre, D. M.; Lindstrom, R.

1988-01-01

The NASA Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) will use a network of about 20 earth stations to operate as a Mode 1 network. This network will support two ACTS program objectives: to verify the technical performance of ACTS Mode 1 operation in GEO and to demonstrate the types and quality of services that can be provided by an ACTS Mode 1 communications system. The terrestrial interface design is a critical element in assuring that these network earth stations will meet the objectives. In this paper, the applicable terrestrial interface design requirements, the resulting interface specifications, and the associated terrestrial input/output hardware are discussed. A functional block diagram of a network earth station is shown.

Concept of software interface for BCI systems

Science.gov (United States)

Svejda, Jaromir; Zak, Roman; Jasek, Roman

2016-06-01

Brain Computer Interface (BCI) technology is intended to control external system by brain activity. One of main part of such system is software interface, which carries about clear communication between brain and either computer or additional devices connected to computer. This paper is organized as follows. Firstly, current knowledge about human brain is briefly summarized to points out its complexity. Secondly, there is described a concept of BCI system, which is then used to build an architecture of proposed software interface. Finally, there are mentioned disadvantages of sensing technology discovered during sensing part of our research.

RoboCon: Operator interface for robotic applications. Final report: RoboCon electrical interfacing -- system architecture, and Interfacing NDDS and LabView

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schempf, H.

1998-04-30

The first appendix contains detailed specifications of the electrical interfacing employed in Robocon. This includes all electrical signals and power requirement descriptions up to and including the interface entry points for external robots and systems. The reader is first presented with an overview of the overall Robocon electrical system, followed by sub-sections describing each module in detail. The appendices contain listings of power requirements and the electrical connectors and cables used, followed by an overall electrical system diagram. Custom electronics employed are also described. The Network Data Delivery Service (NDDS) is a real-time dissemination communications architecture which allows nodes on a network to publish data and subscribe to data published by other nodes while remaining anonymous. The second appendix explains how to facilitate a seamless interface between NDDS and LabView and provides sample source code used to implement an NDDS consumer which writes a string to a socket.

Communication: Probing the absolute configuration of chiral molecules at aqueous interfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lotze, Stephan, E-mail: lotze@amolf.nl; Versluis, Jan [FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics, Science Park 104, 1098 XG Amsterdam (Netherlands); Olijve, Luuk L. C.; Schijndel, Luuk van; Milroy, Lech G.; Voets, Ilja K. [Laboratory of Macromolecular and Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven (Netherlands); Bakker, Huib J., E-mail: bakker@amolf.nl [FOM Institute AMOLF, Science Park 104, 1098 XG Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2015-11-28

We demonstrate that the enantiomers of chiral macromolecules at an aqueous interface can be distinguished with monolayer sensitivity using heterodyne-detected vibrational sum-frequency generation (VSFG). We perform VSFG spectroscopy with a polarization combination that selectively probes chiral molecular structures. By using frequencies far detuned from electronic resonances, we probe the chiral macromolecular structures with high surface specificity. The phase of the sum-frequency light generated by the chiral molecules is determined using heterodyne detection. With this approach, we can distinguish right-handed and left-handed helical peptides at a water-air interface. We thus show that heterodyne-detected VSFG is sensitive to the absolute configuration of complex, interfacial macromolecules and has the potential to determine the absolute configuration of enantiomers at interfaces.

Comparison of Wearable Optical See-through and Handheld Devices as Platform for an Augmented Reality Museum Guide

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Serubugo, Sule; Skantarova, Denisa; Nielsen, Lasse Kjærsgård

2017-01-01

Self-service guides are a common way of providing information about artworks exhibited in museums. Modern advances in handheld mobile applications and wearable optical see-through devices that use augmented reality offer new ways of designing museum guides that are more engaging and interactive...... than traditional self-service guides such as written descriptions or audio guides. In this study we compare wearable (smart glasses) and handheld (smartphone) devices as a platform for an augmented reality museum guide. We have developed a museum guide for both a smartphone and smart glasses that can...... of potentials of these platforms as augmented reality museum guides and suggest promising future work....

Hand-held cell phone use while driving legislation and observed driver behavior among population sub-groups in the United States

OpenAIRE

Rudisill, Toni M.; Zhu, Motao

2017-01-01

Abstract Background Cell phone use behaviors are known to vary across demographic sub-groups and geographic locations. This study examined whether universal hand-held calling while driving bans were associated with lower road-side observed hand-held cell phone conversations across drivers of different ages (16–24, 25–59, ≥60 years), sexes, races (White, African American, or other), ruralities (suburban, rural, or urban), and regions (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West). Methods Data from the...

Effects of a Driver Cellphone Ban on Overall, Handheld, and Hands-Free Cellphone Use While Driving: New Evidence from Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Carpenter, Christopher S; Nguyen, Hai V

2015-11-01

We provide new evidence on the effects of increasingly common driver cellphone bans on self-reported overall, handheld, and hands-free cellphone use while driving by studying Ontario, Canada, which instituted a 3-month education campaign in November 2009 followed by a binding driver cellphone ban in February 2010. Using residents of Alberta as a control group in a difference-in-differences framework, we find visual and regression-based evidence that Ontario's cellphone ban significantly reduced overall and handheld cellphone use. We also find that the policies significantly increased hands-free cellphone use. The reductions in overall and handheld use are driven exclusively by women, whereas the increases in hands-free use are much larger for men. Our results provide the first direct evidence that cellphone bans have the unintended effect of inducing substitution to hands-free devices. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Rapid and automatic chemical identification of the medicinal flower buds of Lonicera plants by the benchtop and hand-held Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jianbo; Guo, Baolin; Yan, Rui; Sun, Suqin; Zhou, Qun

2017-07-01

With the utilization of the hand-held equipment, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy is a promising analytical technique to minimize the time cost for the chemical identification of herbal materials. This research examines the feasibility of the hand-held FT-IR spectrometer for the on-site testing of herbal materials, using Lonicerae Japonicae Flos (LJF) and Lonicerae Flos (LF) as examples. Correlation-based linear discriminant models for LJF and LF are established based on the benchtop and hand-held FT-IR instruments. The benchtop FT-IR models can exactly recognize all articles of LJF and LF. Although a few LF articles are misjudged at the sub-class level, the hand-held FT-IR models are able to exactly discriminate LJF and LF. As a direct and label-free analytical technique, FT-IR spectroscopy has great potential in the rapid and automatic chemical identification of herbal materials either in laboratories or in fields. This is helpful to prevent the spread and use of adulterated herbal materials in time.

Wireless Augmented Reality Communication System

Science.gov (United States)

Devereaux, Ann (Inventor); Jedrey, Thomas (Inventor); Agan, Martin (Inventor)

2017-01-01

A portable unit is for video communication to select a user name in a user name network. A transceiver wirelessly accesses a communication network through a wireless connection to a general purpose node coupled to the communication network. A user interface can receive user input to log on to a user name network through the communication network. The user name network has a plurality of user names, at least one of the plurality of user names is associated with a remote portable unit, logged on to the user name network and available for video communication.

Detection of fecal contamination on beef meat surfaces using handheld fluorescence imaging device (HFID)

Science.gov (United States)

Current meat inspection in slaughter plants, for food safety and quality attributes including potential fecal contamination, is conducted through by visual examination human inspectors. A handheld fluorescence-based imaging device (HFID) was developed to be an assistive tool for human inspectors by ...

Teambuilding, Innovation and the Engineering Communication Interface

Science.gov (United States)

Prescott, David; El-Sakran, Tharwat; Albasha, Lutfi; Aloul, Fadi; Al-Assaf, Yousef

2012-01-01

Recent engineering industry-based research has identified a number of skill deficiencies in graduating engineers. Emphasis on communication and teamwork informed by attributes of self management, problem solving and mutual accountability have been recognized as important needs by The Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET of the United…

A Model-Driven Approach to Graphical User Interface Runtime Adaptation

OpenAIRE

Criado, Javier; Vicente Chicote, Cristina; Iribarne, Luis; Padilla, Nicolás

2010-01-01

Graphical user interfaces play a key role in human-computer interaction, as they link the system with its end-users, allowing information exchange and improving communication. Nowadays, users increasingly demand applications with adaptive interfaces that dynamically evolve in response to their specific needs. Thus, providing graphical user interfaces with runtime adaptation capabilities is becoming more and more an important issue. To address this problem, this paper proposes a componen...

Evaluation of a focussed protocol for hand-held echocardiography and computer-assisted auscultation in detecting latent rheumatic heart disease in scholars.

Science.gov (United States)

Zühlke, Liesl J; Engel, Mark E; Nkepu, Simpiwe; Mayosi, Bongani M

2016-08-01

Introduction Echocardiography is the diagnostic test of choice for latent rheumatic heart disease. The utility of echocardiography for large-scale screening is limited by high cost, complex diagnostic protocols, and time to acquire multiple images. We evaluated the performance of a brief hand-held echocardiography protocol and computer-assisted auscultation in detecting latent rheumatic heart disease with or without pathological murmur. A total of 27 asymptomatic patients with latent rheumatic heart disease based on the World Heart Federation criteria and 66 healthy controls were examined by standard cardiac auscultation to detect pathological murmur. Hand-held echocardiography using a focussed protocol that utilises one view - that is, the parasternal long-axis view - and one measurement - that is, mitral regurgitant jet - and a computer-assisted auscultation utilising an automated decision tool were performed on all patients. The sensitivity and specificity of computer-assisted auscultation in latent rheumatic heart disease were 4% (95% CI 1.0-20.4%) and 93.7% (95% CI 84.5-98.3%), respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the focussed hand-held echocardiography protocol for definite rheumatic heart disease were 92.3% (95% CI 63.9-99.8%) and 100%, respectively. The test reliability of hand-held echocardiography was 98.7% for definite and 94.7% for borderline disease, and the adjusted diagnostic odds ratios were 1041 and 263.9 for definite and borderline disease, respectively. Computer-assisted auscultation has extremely low sensitivity but high specificity for pathological murmur in latent rheumatic heart disease. Focussed hand-held echocardiography has fair sensitivity but high specificity and diagnostic utility for definite or borderline rheumatic heart disease in asymptomatic patients.

Communicating Cooperative Robots with Bluetooth

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schiøler, Henrik; Son, L.T.; Madsen, Ole Brun

2001-01-01

A generic architecture for system of cooperating communicating mobile robots is presented. An overall structure is defined from a modularity viewpoint, where a number of generic modules are identified; low level communication interface, network layer services such as initial and adaptive network...... structuring, routing and capacity management, overall behaviour which includes commitment to overall strategies as well as local behaviour like trajectory planning and navigation. Focus is kept on communication aspects and an example application of establishing a reliable wireless real-time communication...

Hand-held tidal breathing nasal nitric oxide measurement--a promising targeted case-finding tool for the diagnosis of primary ciliary dyskinesia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Marthin, June Kehlet; Nielsen, Kim Gjerum

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND: Nasal nitric oxide (nNO) measurement is an established first line test in the work-up for primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). Tidal breathing nNO (TB-nNO) measurements require minimal cooperation and are potentially useful even in young children. Hand-held NO devices are becoming...... increasingly widespread for asthma management. Therefore, we chose to assess whether hand-held TB-nNO measurements reliably discriminate between PCD, and Healthy Subjects (HS) and included Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients as a disease control group known to have intermediate nNO levels. METHODS: In this cross...... sectional, single centre, single occasion, proof-of-concept study in children and adults with PCD and CF, and in HS we compared feasibility, success rates, discriminatory capacity, repeatability and agreement between a hand-held electrochemical device equipped with a nNO software application sampling...

"Involving interface": an extended mind theoretical approach to roboethics.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Miranda; Ishiguro, Hiroshi; Fukushi, Tamami

2010-11-01

In 2008 the authors held "Involving Interface," a lively interdisciplinary event focusing on issues of biological, sociocultural, and technological interfacing (see Acknowledgments). Inspired by discussions at this event, in this article, we further discuss the value of input from neuroscience for developing robots and machine interfaces, and the value of philosophy, the humanities, and the arts for identifying persistent links between human interfacing and broader ethical concerns. The importance of ongoing interdisciplinary debate and public communication on scientific and technical advances is also highlighted. Throughout, the authors explore the implications of the extended mind hypothesis for notions of moral accountability and robotics.

Credentialed Secure Communication "Switchboards"

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Freudenthal, Eric; Port, Lawrence; Keenan, Edward; Pesin, Tracy; Karamcheti, Vijay

2001-01-01

... with connection monitoring facilities. Switchboard extends the secure authenticated communication channel abstraction provided by standard interfaces such as SSL/TLS with mechanisms to support trust management, key sharing, service...

CHI: A General Agent Communication Framework

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goldsmith, S.Y.; Phillips, L.R.; Spires, S.V.

1998-12-17

We have completed and exercised a communication framework called CHI (CLOS to HTML Interface) by which agents can communicate with humans. CHI follows HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) and produces HTML (HyperText Markup Language) for use by WWW (World-Wide Web) browsers. CHI enables the rapid and dynamic construction of interface mechanisms. The essence of CHI is automatic registration of dynamically generated interface elements to named objects in the agent's internal environment. The agent can access information in these objects at will. State is preserved, so an agent can pursue branching interaction sequences, activate failure recovery behaviors, and otherwise act opportunistically to maintain a conversation. The CHI mechanism remains transparent in multi-agent, multi-user environments because of automatically generated unique identifiers built into the CHI mechanism. In this paper we discuss design, language, implementation, and extension issues, and, by way of illustration, examine the use of the general CHI/HCHI mechanism in a specific international electronic commerce system. We conclude that the CHI mechanism is an effective, efficient, and extensible means of the agent/human communication.

Survey reveals public open to ban on hand-held cell phone use and texting.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

A study performed by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reveals that the public is open to a ban on hand-held cell phone use while driving. The study is based on data from 2009s Omnibus Household Survey (OHS), which is administered by B...

Algorithms for a hand-held miniature x-ray fluorescence analytical instrument

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elam, W.T.; Newman, D.; Ziemba, F.

1998-01-01

The purpose of this joint program was to provide technical assistance with the development of a Miniature X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) Analytical Instrument. This new XRF instrument is designed to overcome the weaknesses of spectrometers commercially available at the present time. Currently available XRF spectrometers (for a complete list see reference 1) convert spectral information to sample composition using the influence coefficients technique or the fundamental parameters method. They require either a standard sample with composition relatively close to the unknown or a detailed knowledge of the sample matrix. They also require a highly-trained operator and the results often depend on the capabilities of the operator. In addition, almost all existing field-portable, hand-held instruments use radioactive sources for excitation. Regulatory limits on such sources restrict them such that they can only provide relatively weak excitation. This limits all current hand-held XRF instruments to poor detection limits and/or long data collection times, in addition to the licensing requirements and disposal problems for radioactive sources. The new XRF instrument was developed jointly by Quantrad Sensor, Inc., the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), and the Department of Energy (DOE). This report describes the analysis algorithms developed by NRL for the new instrument and the software which embodies them

Learning Motivation and Adaptive Video Caption Filtering for EFL Learners Using Handheld Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Ching-Kun

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to provide adaptive assistance to improve the listening comprehension of eleventh grade students. This study developed a video-based language learning system for handheld devices, using three levels of caption filtering adapted to student needs. Elementary level captioning excluded 220 English sight words (see Section 1…

Hand-held spectrophotometer design for textile fabrics

Science.gov (United States)

Böcekçi, Veysel Gökhan; Yıldız, Kazım

2017-09-01

In this study, a hand-held spectrophotometer was designed by taking advantage of the developments in modern optoelectronic technology. Spectrophotometer devices are used to determine the color information from the optic properties of the materials. As an alternative to a desktop spectrophotometer device we have implemented, it is the first prototype, low cost and portable. The prototype model designed for the textile industry can detect the color tone of any fabric. The prototype model consists of optic sensor, processor, display floors. According to the color applied on the optic sensor, it produces special frequency information on its output at that color value. In Arduino type processor, the frequency information is evaluated by the program we have written and the color tone information between 0-255 ton is decided and displayed on the screen.

Exploring field-of-view non-uniformities produced by a hand-held spectroradiometer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tamir Caras

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The shape of a spectroradiometer’s field of view (FOV affects the way spectral measurements are acquired. Knowing this property is a prerequisite for the correct use of the spectrometer. If the substrate is heterogeneous, the ability to accurately know what is being measured depends on knowing the FOV location, shape, spectral and spatial sensitivity. The GER1500 is a hand-held spectrometer with a fixed lens light entry slit and has a laser guide that allows control over the target by positioning the entire unit. In the current study, the FOV of the GER1500 was mapped and analysed. The spectral and spatial non-uniformities of the FOV were examined and were found to be spectrally independent. The relationship between the FOV and the built-in laser guide was tested and found to have a linear displacement dependent on the distance to the target. This allows an accurate prediction of the actual FOV position. A correction method to improve the agreement between the expected and measured reflectance over heterogeneous targets was developed and validated. The methods described are applicable and may be of use with other hand-held spectroradiometers.

A new man-machine-interface at BESSY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller, R.; Doll, H.D.; Donasch, I.J.; Marxen, H.; Pause, H.

1991-01-01

A UIMS (user interface management system) has been developed, that is completely based on non-proprietary software. Central part of the UIMS are processes (mapper) that act as universal X-clients for each specified X-server. Mapper (graphic server) and applications (graphic clients) exchange requests by an event driven interface. The communication protocol is free from any graphical information. The most powerful mapper client is a form interpreter, that can be programmed to act as an equipment access server. Mapper and form interpreter allow to compose control panels and synoptic views of the machine with statements in a simple and comprehensible UIDL (user interface definition language)

Project Interface Requirements Process Including Shuttle Lessons Learned

Science.gov (United States)

Bauch, Garland T.

2010-01-01

Most failures occur at interfaces between organizations and hardware. Processing interface requirements at the start of a project life cycle will reduce the likelihood of costly interface changes/failures later. This can be done by adding Interface Control Documents (ICDs) to the Project top level drawing tree, providing technical direction to the Projects for interface requirements, and by funding the interface requirements function directly from the Project Manager's office. The interface requirements function within the Project Systems Engineering and Integration (SE&I) Office would work in-line with the project element design engineers early in the life cycle to enhance communications and negotiate technical issues between the elements. This function would work as the technical arm of the Project Manager to help ensure that the Project cost, schedule, and risk objectives can be met during the Life Cycle. Some ICD Lessons Learned during the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) Life Cycle will include the use of hardware interface photos in the ICD, progressive life cycle design certification by analysis, test, & operations experience, assigning interface design engineers to Element Interface (EI) and Project technical panels, and linking interface design drawings with project build drawings

A multimodal interface for real-time soldier-robot teaming

Science.gov (United States)

Barber, Daniel J.; Howard, Thomas M.; Walter, Matthew R.

2016-05-01

Recent research and advances in robotics have led to the development of novel platforms leveraging new sensing capabilities for semantic navigation. As these systems becoming increasingly more robust, they support highly complex commands beyond direct teleoperation and waypoint finding facilitating a transition away from robots as tools to robots as teammates. Supporting future Soldier-Robot teaming requires communication capabilities on par with human-human teams for successful integration of robots. Therefore, as robots increase in functionality, it is equally important that the interface between the Soldier and robot advances as well. Multimodal communication (MMC) enables human-robot teaming through redundancy and levels of communications more robust than single mode interaction. Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies released in recent years for smart-phones and gaming provide tools for the creation of portable interfaces incorporating MMC through the use of speech, gestures, and visual displays. However, for multimodal interfaces to be successfully used in the military domain, they must be able to classify speech, gestures, and process natural language in real-time with high accuracy. For the present study, a prototype multimodal interface supporting real-time interactions with an autonomous robot was developed. This device integrated COTS Automated Speech Recognition (ASR), a custom gesture recognition glove, and natural language understanding on a tablet. This paper presents performance results (e.g. response times, accuracy) of the integrated device when commanding an autonomous robot to perform reconnaissance and surveillance activities in an unknown outdoor environment.

Applying Hand-Held 3D Printing Technology to the Teaching of VSEPR Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Dean, Natalie L.; Ewan, Corrina; McIndoe, J. Scott

2016-01-01

The use of hand-held 3D printing technology provides a unique and engaging approach to learning VSEPR theory by enabling students to draw three-dimensional depictions of different molecular geometries, giving them an appreciation of the shapes of the building blocks of complex molecular structures. Students are provided with 3D printing pens and…

Telepresence and remote communication through virtual reality

OpenAIRE

Rydenfors, Gabriella

2017-01-01

This Master Thesis concerns a telepresence implementation which utilizes state-of-the-art virtual reality combined with live 360 degree video. Navigation interfaces for telepresence with virtual reality headsets were developed and evaluated through a user study. An evaluation of telepresence as a communication media was performed, comparing it to video communication. The result showed that telepresence was a better communication media than video communication.

Discrimination of Pigments of Microalgae, Bacteria and Yeasts Using Lightweight Handheld Raman Spectrometers: Prospects for Astrobiology

Science.gov (United States)

Jehlicka, J.; Osterrothova, K.; Nedbalova, L.; Gunde-Cimerman, N.; Oren, A.

2014-06-01

Handheld Raman instrumentation with 532 nm lasers can be used to distinguish carotenoids of autotrophic microalgae, purple sulfur bacteria, halophilic Archaea and pigmented yeasts. Pigments are proposed as biomarkers for astrobiology of Mars.

Structure and properties of interfaces in ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonnell, D.; Ruehle, M.; Chowdhry, U.

1995-01-01

The motivation for the symposium was the observation that interfaces in crystallographically and compositionally complex systems often dictate the performance and reliability of devices that utilize functional ceramics. The current level of understanding of interface-property relations in silicon-based devices required over 30 years of intensive research. Similar issues influence the relationship between atomic bonding at interfaces and properties in functional ceramic systems. The current understanding of these complex interfaces does not allow correlation between atomic structure and interface properties, in spite of their importance to a number of emerging technologies (wireless communications, radar-based positioning systems, sensors, etc.). The objective of this symposium was to focus attention on these fundamental issues by featuring recent theoretical and experimental work from various disciplines that impact the understanding of interface chemistry, structure, and properties. The emphasis was on relating properties of surfaces and interfaces to structure through an understanding of atomic level phenomena. Interfaces of interest include metal/ceramic, ceramic/ceramic, ceramic/vapor, etc., in electronic, magnetic, optical, ferroelectric, piezoelectric, and dielectric applications. Sixty one papers have been processed separately for inclusion on the data base

Key-value store with internal key-value storage interface

Science.gov (United States)

Bent, John M.; Faibish, Sorin; Ting, Dennis P. J.; Tzelnic, Percy; Gupta, Uday; Grider, Gary; Bonnie, David J.

2018-01-16

A key-value store is provided having one or more key-value storage interfaces. A key-value store on at least one compute node comprises a memory for storing a plurality of key-value pairs; and an abstract storage interface comprising a software interface module that communicates with at least one persistent storage device providing a key-value interface for persistent storage of one or more of the plurality of key-value pairs, wherein the software interface module provides the one or more key-value pairs to the at least one persistent storage device in a key-value format. The abstract storage interface optionally processes one or more batch operations on the plurality of key-value pairs. A distributed embodiment for a partitioned key-value store is also provided.

A lightweight communication library for distributed computing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groen, D.; Rieder, S.; Grosso, P.; de Laat, C.; Portegies Zwart, S.

2010-01-01

We present MPWide, a platform-independent communication library for performing message passing between computers. Our library allows coupling of several local message passing interface (MPI) applications through a long-distance network and is specifically optimized for such communications. The

New human machine interface for VR-1 training reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kropik, M.; Matejka, K.; Sklenka, L.; Chab, V.

2002-01-01

The contribution describes a new human machine interface that was installed at the VR-1 training reactor. The human machine interface update was completed in the summer 2001. The human machine interface enables to operate the training reactor. The interface was designed with respect to functional, ergonomic and aesthetic requirements. The interface is based on a personal computer equipped with two displays. One display enables alphanumeric communication between a reactor operator and the control and safety system of the nuclear reactor. Messages appear from the control system, the operator can write commands and send them there. The second display is a graphical one. It is possible to represent there the status of the reactor, principle parameters (as power, period), control rods' positions, the course of the reactor power. Furthermore, it is possible to set parameters, to show the active core configuration, to perform reactivity calculations, etc. The software for the new human machine interface was produced in the InTouch developing environment of the WonderWare Company. It is possible to switch the language of the interface between Czech and English because of many foreign students and visitors at the reactor. The former operator's desk was completely removed and superseded with a new one. Besides of the computer and the two displays, there are control buttons, indicators and individual numerical displays of instrumentation there. Utilised components guarantee high quality of the new equipment. Microcomputer based communication units with proper software were developed to connect the contemporary control and safety system with the personal computer of the human machine interface and the individual displays. New human machine interface at the VR-1 training reactor improves the safety and comfort of the reactor utilisation, facilitates experiments and training, and provides better support of foreign visitors.(author)

Elbow joint position sense after neuromuscular training with handheld vibration.

Science.gov (United States)

Tripp, Brady L; Faust, Donald; Jacobs, Patrick

2009-01-01

Clinicians use neuromuscular control exercises to enhance joint position sense (JPS); however, because standardizing such exercises is difficult, validations of their use are limited. To evaluate the acute effects of a neuromuscular training exercise with a handheld vibrating dumbbell on elbow JPS acuity. Crossover study. University athletic training research laboratory. Thirty-one healthy, college-aged volunteers (16 men, 15 women, age = 23 + or - 3 years, height = 173 + or - 8 cm, mass = 76 + or - 14 kg). We measured and trained elbow JPS using an electromagnetic tracking device that provided auditory and visual biofeedback. For JPS testing, participants held a dumbbell and actively identified the target elbow flexion angle (90 degrees ) using the software-generated biofeedback, followed by 3 repositioning trials without feedback. Each neuromuscular training protocol included 3 exercises during which participants held a 2.55-kg dumbbell vibrating at 15, 5, or 0 Hz and used software-generated biofeedback to locate and maintain the target elbow flexion angle for 15 seconds. We calculated absolute (accuracy) and variable (variability) errors using the differences between target and reproduced angles. Training protocols using 15-Hz vibration enhanced accuracy and decreased variability of elbow JPS (P or = .200). Our results suggest these neuromuscular control exercises, which included low-magnitude, low-frequency handheld vibration, may enhance elbow JPS. Future researchers should examine vibration of various durations and frequencies, should include injured participants and functional multijoint and multiplanar measures, and should examine long-term effects of training protocols on JPS and injury.

Java interface for asserting interactive telerobotic control

Science.gov (United States)

DePasquale, Peter; Lewis, John; Stein, Matthew R.

1997-12-01

Many current web-based telerobotic interfaces use HyperText Markup Language (HTML) forms to assert user control on a robot. While acceptable for some tasks, a Java interface can provide better client-server interaction. The Puma Paint project is a joint effort between the Department of Computing Sciences at Villanova University and the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Wilkes University. THe project utilizes a Java applet to control a Unimation Puma 1760 robot during the task of painting on a canvas. The interface allows the user to control the paint strokes as well as the pressure of a brush on the canvas and how deep the brush is dipped into a paint jar. To provide immediate feedback, a virtual canvas models the effects of the controls as the artist paints. Live color video feedback is provided, allowing the user to view the actual results of the robot's motions. Unlike the step-at-a-time model of many web forms, the application permits the user to assert interactive control. The greater the complexity of the interaction between the robot and its environment, the greater the need for high quality information presentation to the user. The use of Java allows the sophistication of the user interface to be raised to the level required for satisfactory control. This paper describes the Puma Paint project, including the interface and communications model. It also examines the challenges of using the Internet as the medium of communications and the challenges of encoding free ranging motions for transmission from the client to the robot.

A Study of the Use of a Handheld Computer Algebra System in Discrete Mathematics

Science.gov (United States)

Powers, Robert A.; Allison, Dean E.; Grassl, Richard M.

2005-01-01

This study investigated the impact of the TI-92 handheld Computer Algebra System (CAS) on student achievement in a discrete mathematics course. Specifically, the researchers examined the differences between a CAS section and a control section of discrete mathematics on students' in-class examinations. Additionally, they analysed student approaches…

Comparing handheld and hands-free cell phone usage behaviors while driving.

Science.gov (United States)

Soccolich, Susan A; Fitch, Gregory M; Perez, Miguel A; Hanowski, Richard J

2014-01-01

The goal of this study was to compare cell phone usage behaviors while driving across 3 types of cell phones: handheld (HH) cell phones, portable hands-free (PHF) cell phones, and integrated hands-free (IHF) cell phones. Naturalistic driving data were used to observe HH, PHF, and IHF usage behaviors in participants' own vehicles without any instructions or manipulations by researchers. In addition to naturalistic driving data, drivers provided their personal cell phone call records. Calls during driving were sampled and observed in naturalistically collected video. Calls were reviewed to identify cell phone type used for, and duration of, cell phone subtasks, non-cell phone secondary tasks, and other use behaviors. Drivers in the study self-identified as HH, PHF, or IHF users if they reported using that cell phone type at least 50% of the time. However, each sampled call was classified as HH, PHF, or IHF if the talking/listening subtask was conducted using that cell phone type, without considering the driver's self-reported group. Drivers with PHF or IHF systems also used HH cell phones (IHF group used HH cell phone in 53.2% of the interactions, PHF group used HH cell phone for 55.5% of interactions). Talking/listening on a PHF phone or an IHF phone was significantly longer than talking/listening on an HH phone (P phone call task for HH phones was significantly longer in duration than the end phone call task for PHF and IHF phones. Of all the non-cell phone-related secondary tasks, eating or drinking was found to occur significantly more often during IHF subtasks (0.58%) than in HH subtasks (0.15%). Drivers observed to reach for their cell phone mostly kept their cell phone in the cup holder (36.3%) or in their seat or lap (29.0% of interactions); however, some observed locations may have required drivers to move out of position. Hands-free cell phone technologies reduce the duration of cell phone visual-manual tasks compared to handheld cell phones. However

Neural Point-and-Click Communication by a Person With Incomplete Locked-In Syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Bacher, Daniel; Jarosiewicz, Beata; Masse, Nicolas Y; Stavisky, Sergey D; Simeral, John D; Newell, Katherine; Oakley, Erin M; Cash, Sydney S; Friehs, Gerhard; Hochberg, Leigh R

2015-06-01

A goal of brain-computer interface research is to develop fast and reliable means of communication for individuals with paralysis and anarthria. We evaluated the ability of an individual with incomplete locked-in syndrome enrolled in the BrainGate Neural Interface System pilot clinical trial to communicate using neural point-and-click control. A general-purpose interface was developed to provide control of a computer cursor in tandem with one of two on-screen virtual keyboards. The novel BrainGate Radial Keyboard was compared to a standard QWERTY keyboard in a balanced copy-spelling task. The Radial Keyboard yielded a significant improvement in typing accuracy and speed-enabling typing rates over 10 correct characters per minute. The participant used this interface to communicate face-to-face with research staff by using text-to-speech conversion, and remotely using an internet chat application. This study demonstrates the first use of an intracortical brain-computer interface for neural point-and-click communication by an individual with incomplete locked-in syndrome. © The Author(s) 2014.

The dielectric properties of human pineal gland tissue and RF absorption due to wireless communication devices in the frequency range 400-1850 MHz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmid, Gernot; Ueberbacher, Richard; Samaras, Theodoros; Tschabitscher, Manfred; Mazal, Peter R

2007-01-01

In order to enable a detailed analysis of radio frequency (RF) absorption in the human pineal gland, the dielectric properties of a sample of 20 freshly removed pineal glands were measured less than 20 h after death. Furthermore, a corresponding high resolution numerical model of the brain region surrounding the pineal gland was developed, based on a real human tissue sample. After inserting this model into a commercially available numerical head model, FDTD-based computations for exposure scenarios with generic models of handheld devices operated close to the head in the frequency range 400-1850 MHz were carried out. For typical output power values of real handheld mobile communication devices, the obtained results showed only very small amounts of absorbed RF power in the pineal gland when compared to SAR limits according to international safety standards. The highest absorption was found for the 400 MHz irradiation. In this case the RF power absorbed inside the pineal gland (organ mass 96 mg) was as low as 11 μW, when considering a device of 500 mW output power operated close to the ear. For typical mobile phone frequencies (900 MHz and 1850 MHz) and output power values (250 mW and 125 mW) the corresponding values of absorbed RF power in the pineal gland were found to be lower by a factor of 4.2 and 36, respectively. These results indicate that temperature-related biologically relevant effects on the pineal gland induced by the RF emissions of typical handheld mobile communication devices are unlikely

Experimental entanglement of 25 individually accessible atomic quantum interfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Pu, Yunfei; Wu, Yukai; Jiang, Nan; Chang, Wei; Li, Chang; Zhang, Sheng; Duan, Luming

2018-04-01

A quantum interface links the stationary qubits in a quantum memory with flying photonic qubits in optical transmission channels and constitutes a critical element for the future quantum internet. Entanglement of quantum interfaces is an important step for the realization of quantum networks. Through heralded detection of photon interference, we generate multipartite entanglement between 25 (or 9) individually addressable quantum interfaces in a multiplexed atomic quantum memory array and confirm genuine 22-partite (or 9-partite) entanglement. This experimental entanglement of a record-high number of individually addressable quantum interfaces makes an important step toward the realization of quantum networks, long-distance quantum communication, and multipartite quantum information processing.

Touch Is Everywhere: Floor Surfaces as Ambient Haptic Interfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Visell, Y; Law, A; Cooperstock, J R

2009-01-01

Floor surfaces are notable for the diverse roles that they play in our negotiation of everyday environments. Haptic communication via floor surfaces could enhance or enable many computer-supported activities that involve movement on foot. In this paper, we discuss potential applications of such interfaces in everyday environments and present a haptically augmented floor component through which several interaction methods are being evaluated. We describe two approaches to the design of structured vibrotactile signals for this device. The first is centered on a musical phrase metaphor, as employed in prior work on tactile display. The second is based upon the synthesis of rhythmic patterns of virtual physical impact transients. We report on an experiment in which participants were able to identify communication units that were constructed from these signals and displayed via a floor interface at well above chance levels. The results support the feasibility of tactile information display via such interfaces and provide further indications as to how to effectively design vibrotactile signals for them.

High speed UNIBUS-VME interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olmos, P.

1987-01-01

An interface between VME an the UNIBUS of PDP or VAX computer is presented. The system supports high speed parallel communication (up to 1MB/S) and is composed of two modules. One of these is a commercial DR11M board which performs DMA transfers between UNIBUS and the external word. The other is a VME module specifically developed for this application. The interface has been tested under VMS operating system in VAX and VALET-PLUS system for the VME Bus. We describe in detail the VME module and its connection with the DR11M. Software, both in WMS and VALET, is also described. (Author) 7 refs

Technological characteristics of digital video broadcasting: Handheld standard DVB-H

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andreja B. Samčović

2011-07-01

Full Text Available This paper gives an overview of the Digital Video Broadcasting - Handheld standard DVB-H, as a part of the DVB Project. This standard is based on the previous standard DVB-T, which was developed for the terrestrial digital television. The ways of DVB-H signal transmission are also described. Development of advanced technology enabled the digital video broadcasting over wireless portable terminals. This paper discusses the key technological features of the DVB-H standard, such as: time slicing, forward error correction, 4K mode and in-depth interleavers.

Eye gaze in intelligent user interfaces gaze-based analyses, models and applications

CERN Document Server

Nakano, Yukiko I; Bader, Thomas

2013-01-01

Remarkable progress in eye-tracking technologies opened the way to design novel attention-based intelligent user interfaces, and highlighted the importance of better understanding of eye-gaze in human-computer interaction and human-human communication. For instance, a user's focus of attention is useful in interpreting the user's intentions, their understanding of the conversation, and their attitude towards the conversation. In human face-to-face communication, eye gaze plays an important role in floor management, grounding, and engagement in conversation.Eye Gaze in Intelligent User Interfac

Server Interface Descriptions for Automated Testing of JavaScript Web Applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Casper Svenning; Møller, Anders; Su, Zhendong

2013-01-01

Automated testing of JavaScript web applications is complicated by the communication with servers. Specifically, it is difficult to test the JavaScript code in isolation from the server code and database contents. We present a practical solution to this problem. First, we demonstrate that formal...... server interface descriptions are useful in automated testing of JavaScript web applications for separating the concerns of the client and the server. Second, to support the construction of server interface descriptions for existing applications, we introduce an effective inference technique that learns...... communication patterns from sample data. By incorporating interface descriptions into the testing tool Artemis, our experimental results show that we increase the level of automation for high-coverage testing on a collection of JavaScript web applications that exchange JSON data between the clients and servers...

Serial interprocessor communications system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Labiak, W.; Siemens, P.; Bailey, C.

1980-01-01

A serial communications system based on the EIA RS232-C standard with modem control lines has been developed. The DLV11-E interface is used for this purpose. All handshaking is done with the modem control lines. This allows totally independent full duplex communication. The message format consists of eight bit data with odd parity and a sixteen bit checksum on the whole message. All communications are fully interrupt driven. A program was written to load a program into a remote LSI-11 using the serial line without bootstrap ROM

A multi-purpose brain-computer interface output device.

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, David E; Huggins, Jane E

2011-10-01

While brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are a promising alternative access pathway for individuals with severe motor impairments, many BCI systems are designed as stand-alone communication and control systems, rather than as interfaces to existing systems built for these purposes. An individual communication and control system may be powerful or flexible, but no single system can compete with the variety of options available in the commercial assistive technology (AT) market. BCls could instead be used as an interface to these existing AT devices and products, which are designed for improving access and agency of people with disabilities and are highly configurable to individual user needs. However, interfacing with each AT device and program requires significant time and effort on the part of researchers and clinicians. This work presents the Multi-Purpose BCI Output Device (MBOD), a tool to help researchers and clinicians provide BCI control of many forms of AT in a plug-and-play fashion, i.e., without the installation of drivers or software on the AT device, and a proof-of-concept of the practicality of such an approach. The MBOD was designed to meet the goals of target device compatibility, BCI input device compatibility, convenience, and intuitive command structure. The MBOD was successfully used to interface a BCI with multiple AT devices (including two wheelchair seating systems), as well as computers running Windows (XP and 7), Mac and Ubuntu Linux operating systems.

A Multi-purpose Brain-Computer Interface Output Device

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, David E; Huggins, Jane E

2012-01-01

While brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are a promising alternative access pathway for individuals with severe motor impairments, many BCI systems are designed as standalone communication and control systems, rather than as interfaces to existing systems built for these purposes. While an individual communication and control system may be powerful or flexible, no single system can compete with the variety of options available in the commercial assistive technology (AT) market. BCIs could instead be used as an interface to these existing AT devices and products, which are designed for improving access and agency of people with disabilities and are highly configurable to individual user needs. However, interfacing with each AT device and program requires significant time and effort on the part of researchers and clinicians. This work presents the Multi-Purpose BCI Output Device (MBOD), a tool to help researchers and clinicians provide BCI control of many forms of AT in a plug-and-play fashion, i.e. without the installation of drivers or software on the AT device, and a proof-of-concept of the practicality of such an approach. The MBOD was designed to meet the goals of target device compatibility, BCI input device compatibility, convenience, and intuitive command structure. The MBOD was successfully used to interface a BCI with multiple AT devices (including two wheelchair seating systems), as well as computers running Windows (XP and 7), Mac and Ubuntu Linux operating systems. PMID:22208120

Distributed computing system with dual independent communications paths between computers and employing split tokens

Science.gov (United States)

Rasmussen, Robert D. (Inventor); Manning, Robert M. (Inventor); Lewis, Blair F. (Inventor); Bolotin, Gary S. (Inventor); Ward, Richard S. (Inventor)

1990-01-01

This is a distributed computing system providing flexible fault tolerance; ease of software design and concurrency specification; and dynamic balance of the loads. The system comprises a plurality of computers each having a first input/output interface and a second input/output interface for interfacing to communications networks each second input/output interface including a bypass for bypassing the associated computer. A global communications network interconnects the first input/output interfaces for providing each computer the ability to broadcast messages simultaneously to the remainder of the computers. A meshwork communications network interconnects the second input/output interfaces providing each computer with the ability to establish a communications link with another of the computers bypassing the remainder of computers. Each computer is controlled by a resident copy of a common operating system. Communications between respective ones of computers is by means of split tokens each having a moving first portion which is sent from computer to computer and a resident second portion which is disposed in the memory of at least one of computer and wherein the location of the second portion is part of the first portion. The split tokens represent both functions to be executed by the computers and data to be employed in the execution of the functions. The first input/output interfaces each include logic for detecting a collision between messages and for terminating the broadcasting of a message whereby collisions between messages are detected and avoided.

Safety Parameters Graphical Interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Canamero, B.

1998-01-01

Nuclear power plant data are received at the Operations Center of the Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear in emergency situations. In order to achieve the required interface and to prepare those data to perform simulation and forecasting with already existing computer codes a Safety Parameters Graphical Interface (IGPS) has been developed. The system runs in a UNIX environment and use the Xwindows capabilities. The received data are stored in such a way that it can be easily used for further analysis and training activities. The system consists of task-oriented modules (processes) which communicate each other using well known UNIX mechanisms (signals, sockets and shared memory segments). IGPS conceptually have two different parts: Data collection and preparation, and Data monitorization. (Author)

Potential role of a new hand-held miniature gamma camera in performing minimally invasive parathyroidectomy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ortega, Joaquin; Lledo, Salvador [University of Valencia, Clinic University Hospital, Department of Surgery, Valencia (Spain); Ferrer-Rebolleda, Jose [Clinic University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Valencia (Spain); Cassinello, Norberto [Clinic University Hospital, Unit of Endocrinologic and Bariatric Surgery, Valencia (Spain)

2007-02-15

Sestamibi scans have increased the use of minimally invasive parathyroidectomy (MIP) to treat primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) when caused by a parathyroid single adenoma. The greatest concern for surgeons remains the proper identification of pathological glands in a limited surgical field. We have studied the usefulness of a new hand-held miniature gamma camera (MGC) when used intraoperatively to locate parathyroid adenomas. To our knowledge this is the first report published on this subject in the scientific literature. Five patients with PHPT secondary to a single adenoma, positively diagnosed by preoperative sestamibi scans, underwent a MIP. A gamma probe for radioguided surgery and the new hand-held MGC were used consecutively to locate the pathological glands. This new MGC has a module composed of a high-resolution interchangeable collimator and a CsI(Na) scintillating crystal. It has dimensions of around 15 cm x 8 cm x 9 cm and weighs 1 kg. The intraoperative assay of PTH (ioPTH) was used to confirm the complete resection of pathological tissue. All cases were operated on successfully by a MIP. The ioPTH confirmed the excision of all pathological tissues. The MGC proved its usefulness in all patients, even in a difficult case in which the first attempt with the gamma probe failed. In all cases it offered real-time accurate intraoperative images. The hand-held MGC is a useful instrument in MIP for PHPT. It may be used to complement the standard tools used to date, or may even replace them, at least in selected cases of single adenomas. (orig.)

Potential role of a new hand-held miniature gamma camera in performing minimally invasive parathyroidectomy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ortega, Joaquin; Lledo, Salvador; Ferrer-Rebolleda, Jose; Cassinello, Norberto

2007-01-01

Sestamibi scans have increased the use of minimally invasive parathyroidectomy (MIP) to treat primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) when caused by a parathyroid single adenoma. The greatest concern for surgeons remains the proper identification of pathological glands in a limited surgical field. We have studied the usefulness of a new hand-held miniature gamma camera (MGC) when used intraoperatively to locate parathyroid adenomas. To our knowledge this is the first report published on this subject in the scientific literature. Five patients with PHPT secondary to a single adenoma, positively diagnosed by preoperative sestamibi scans, underwent a MIP. A gamma probe for radioguided surgery and the new hand-held MGC were used consecutively to locate the pathological glands. This new MGC has a module composed of a high-resolution interchangeable collimator and a CsI(Na) scintillating crystal. It has dimensions of around 15 cm x 8 cm x 9 cm and weighs 1 kg. The intraoperative assay of PTH (ioPTH) was used to confirm the complete resection of pathological tissue. All cases were operated on successfully by a MIP. The ioPTH confirmed the excision of all pathological tissues. The MGC proved its usefulness in all patients, even in a difficult case in which the first attempt with the gamma probe failed. In all cases it offered real-time accurate intraoperative images. The hand-held MGC is a useful instrument in MIP for PHPT. It may be used to complement the standard tools used to date, or may even replace them, at least in selected cases of single adenomas. (orig.)

Strength and Pain Threshold Handheld Dynamometry Test Reliability in Patellofemoral Pain.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Heijden, R A; Vollebregt, T; Bierma-Zeinstra, S M A; van Middelkoop, M

2015-12-01

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), characterized by peri- and retropatellar pain, is a common disorder in young, active people. The etiology is unclear; however, quadriceps strength seems to be a contributing factor, and sensitization might play a role. The study purpose is determining the inter-rater reliability of handheld dynamometry to test both quadriceps strength and pressure pain threshold (PPT), a measure for sensitization, in patients with PFPS. This cross-sectional case-control study comprises 3 quadriceps strength and one PPT measurements performed by 2 independent investigators in 22 PFPS patients and 16 matched controls. Inter-rater reliability was analyzed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland-Altman plots. Inter-rater reliability of quadriceps strength testing was fair to good in PFPS patients (ICC=0.72) and controls (ICC=0.63). Bland-Altman plots showed an increased difference between assessors when average quadriceps strength values exceeded 250 N. Inter-rater reliability of PPT was excellent in patients (ICC=0.79) and fair to good in controls (ICC=0.52). Handheld dynamometry seems to be a reliable method to test both quadriceps strength and PPT in PFPS patients. Inter-rater reliability was higher in PFPS patients compared to control subjects. With regard to quadriceps testing, a higher variance between assessors occurs when quadriceps strength increases. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

A handheld open-field infant keratometer (an american ophthalmological society thesis).

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Joseph M

2010-12-01

To design and evaluate a new infant keratometer that incorporates an unobstructed view of the infant with both eyes (open-field design). The design of the open-field infant keratometer is presented, and details of its construction are given. The design incorporates a single-ring keratoscope for measurement of corneal astigmatism over a 4-mm region of the cornea and includes a rectangular grid target concentric within the ring to allow for the study of higher-order aberrations of the eye. In order to calibrate the lens and imaging system, a novel telecentric test object was constructed and used. The system was bench calibrated against steel ball bearings of known dimensions and evaluated for accuracy while being used in handheld mode in a group of 16 adult cooperative subjects. It was then evaluated for testability in a group of 10 infants and toddlers. Results indicate that while the device achieved the goal of creating an open-field instrument containing a single-ring keratoscope with a concentric grid array for the study of higher-order aberrations, additional work is required to establish better control of the vertex distance. The handheld open-field infant keratometer demonstrates testability suitable for the study of infant corneal astigmatism. Use of collimated light sources in future iterations of the design must be incorporated in order to achieve the accuracy required for clinical investigation.

Absorption Related to Hand-Held Devices in Data Mode

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Jørgen Bach; Nielsen, Jesper Ødum; Pedersen, Gert F.

2016-01-01

The human body has an influence on the radiation from handheld devices like smartphones, tablets and laptops, part of the energy is absorbed and the spatial distribution of the radiated part is modified. Previous studies of whole body absorp- tion have mainly been numerical or related to talk mode....... In the present paper an experimental study involving four volunteers and three different devices is performed from 0.5 to 3 GHz. The devices are a laptop, a tablet, and a smartphone all held in the lap. The 3D distribution of radiation is measured. Comparing the integrated power in the case of a person present...

User interface for a tele-operated robotic hand system

Science.gov (United States)

Crawford, Anthony L

2015-03-24

Disclosed here is a user interface for a robotic hand. The user interface anchors a user's palm in a relatively stationary position and determines various angles of interest necessary for a user's finger to achieve a specific fingertip location. The user interface additionally conducts a calibration procedure to determine the user's applicable physiological dimensions. The user interface uses the applicable physiological dimensions and the specific fingertip location, and treats the user's finger as a two link three degree-of-freedom serial linkage in order to determine the angles of interest. The user interface communicates the angles of interest to a gripping-type end effector which closely mimics the range of motion and proportions of a human hand. The user interface requires minimal contact with the operator and provides distinct advantages in terms of available dexterity, work space flexibility, and adaptability to different users.

Visual design for the user interface, Part 1: Design fundamentals.

Science.gov (United States)

Lynch, P J

1994-01-01

Digital audiovisual media and computer-based documents will be the dominant forms of professional communication in both clinical medicine and the biomedical sciences. The design of highly interactive multimedia systems will shortly become a major activity for biocommunications professionals. The problems of human-computer interface design are intimately linked with graphic design for multimedia presentations and on-line document systems. This article outlines the history of graphic interface design and the theories that have influenced the development of today's major graphic user interfaces.

A sensitive, handheld vapor sensor based on microcantilevers

Science.gov (United States)

Pinnaduwage, L. A.; Hedden, D. L.; Gehl, A.; Boiadjiev, V. I.; Hawk, J. E.; Farahi, R. H.; Thundat, T.; Houser, E. J.; Stepnowski, S.; McGill, R. A.; Deel, L.; Lareau, R. T.

2004-11-01

We report the development of a handheld sensor based on piezoresistive microcantilevers that does not depend on optical detection, yet has high detection sensitivity. The sensor is able to detect vapors from the plastic explosives pentaerythritol tetranitrate and hexahydro-1,3,5-triazine at levels below 10 parts per trillion within few seconds of exposure under ambient conditions. A differential measurement technique has yielded a rugged sensor that is unaffected by vibration and is able to function as a "sniffer." The microelectromechanical system sensor design allows for the incorporation of hundreds of microcantilevers with suitable coatings in order to achieve sufficient selectivity in the future, and thus could provide an inexpensive, unique platform for the detection of chemical, biological, and explosive materials.

A handheld optical device for skin profile measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Jiuai; Liu, Xiaojin

2018-04-01

This paper describes a portable optical scanning device designed for skin surface measurement on both colour and 3D geometry through a relative easy and cost effective multiple light source photometric stereo method. The validation of colour recovered had been verified through its application on skin lesion segmentation in our early work. This paper focuses on the reconstructed topographic data which are subject to further evaluation and advancement. The evaluation work takes the skin in vitro as an application scenario and compares the experimental result to that obtained by using a commercial product. The experiments show that this handheld device can measure the skin profile significantly closer to that of the ground truth and have the additional function of skin colour recovery.

Advanced mobile satellite communications system using Ka and MM-wave bands in Japan's R and D satellite project

Science.gov (United States)

Isobe, Shunkichi; Ohmori, Shingo; Hamamoto, Naokazu; Yamamoto, Minoru

1991-01-01

Communications Research Laboratory (CRL) studied an advanced mobile satellite communications system using Ka and millimeter-wave bands in the R&D Satellite project. The project started in 1990 and the satellite will be launched in 1997. On-board multi-beam interconnecting is one of basic functions to realize one-hop connection among Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs), mobile, and hand-held terminals in future mobile satellite communications system. An Intermediate Frequency (IF) filter bank and regenerative transponder are suitable for this function. The transponder configuration of an advanced mobile communications mission of the R&D Satellite for experiment is shown. High power transmitters of Ka and millimeter-wave bands, a 3x3 IF filter band and Single Channel Per Carrier/Time Division Multiplexing (SCPC/TDM) regenerative MODEMS, which will be boarded on the R&D Satellite, are being developed for the purpose of studying the feasibility of advanced mobile communications system.

Usability Considerations in Developing a Graphic Interface for Intra Office Communications

Science.gov (United States)

Yammiyavar, Pradeep; Jain, Piyush

This paper outlines the basis of incorporating functional features in a new GUI based software under development for addressing comprehensive communication and interaction needs within an office environment. Bench marking of features in existing communication software products such as Microsoft Outlook, IBM Lotusnotes, Office Communicator, Mozilla Thunderbird etc. was done by asking a set of questions related to the usage of these existing softwares. Usability issues were identified through a user survey involving 30 subjects of varied profiles (domain, designation, age etc.) in a corporate office. It is posited that existing software products that have been developed for a universal market may be highly underutilized or have redundant features especially for use as an intra office (within the same office) communication medium. Simultaneously they may not cater to some very contextual requirements of intra office communications. Based on the findings of the survey of feature preferences & usability of existing products, a simple 'person to person' communicating medium for intra office situations was visualized with a new interactive GUI. Usability issues that need to be considered for a new intra-office product have been brought out.

Local intelligent electronic device (IED) rendering templates over limited bandwidth communication link to manage remote IED

Science.gov (United States)

Bradetich, Ryan; Dearien, Jason A; Grussling, Barry Jakob; Remaley, Gavin

2013-11-05

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for remote device management. According to various embodiments, a local intelligent electronic device (IED) may be in communication with a remote IED via a limited bandwidth communication link, such as a serial link. The limited bandwidth communication link may not support traditional remote management interfaces. According to one embodiment, a local IED may present an operator with a management interface for a remote IED by rendering locally stored templates. The local IED may render the locally stored templates using sparse data obtained from the remote IED. According to various embodiments, the management interface may be a web client interface and/or an HTML interface. The bandwidth required to present a remote management interface may be significantly reduced by rendering locally stored templates rather than requesting an entire management interface from the remote IED. According to various embodiments, an IED may comprise an encryption transceiver.

Digital interface for bi-directional communication between a computer and a peripheral device

Science.gov (United States)

Bond, H. H., Jr. (Inventor); Franklin, C. R.

1984-01-01

For transmission of data from the computer to the peripheral, the computer initially clears a flipflop which provides a select signal to a multiplexer. A data available signal or data strobe signal is produced while tht data is being provided to the interface. Setting of the flipflop causes a gate to provide to the peripherial a signal indicating that the interface has data available for transmission. The peripheral provides an acknowledge or strobe signal to transfer the data to the peripheral. For transmission of data from the peripheral to the computer, the computer presents the initially cleared flipflop. A data request signal from the peripheral indicates that the peripheral has data available for transmission to the computer. An acknowledge signal indicates that the interface is ready to receive data from the peripheral and to strobe that data into the interface.

Brain-Computer Interface application: auditory serial interface to control a two-class motor-imagery-based wheelchair.

Science.gov (United States)

Ron-Angevin, Ricardo; Velasco-Álvarez, Francisco; Fernández-Rodríguez, Álvaro; Díaz-Estrella, Antonio; Blanca-Mena, María José; Vizcaíno-Martín, Francisco Javier

2017-05-30

Certain diseases affect brain areas that control the movements of the patients' body, thereby limiting their autonomy and communication capacity. Research in the field of Brain-Computer Interfaces aims to provide patients with an alternative communication channel not based on muscular activity, but on the processing of brain signals. Through these systems, subjects can control external devices such as spellers to communicate, robotic prostheses to restore limb movements, or domotic systems. The present work focus on the non-muscular control of a robotic wheelchair. A proposal to control a wheelchair through a Brain-Computer Interface based on the discrimination of only two mental tasks is presented in this study. The wheelchair displacement is performed with discrete movements. The control signals used are sensorimotor rhythms modulated through a right-hand motor imagery task or mental idle state. The peculiarity of the control system is that it is based on a serial auditory interface that provides the user with four navigation commands. The use of two mental tasks to select commands may facilitate control and reduce error rates compared to other endogenous control systems for wheelchairs. Seventeen subjects initially participated in the study; nine of them completed the three sessions of the proposed protocol. After the first calibration session, seven subjects were discarded due to a low control of their electroencephalographic signals; nine out of ten subjects controlled a virtual wheelchair during the second session; these same nine subjects achieved a medium accuracy level above 0.83 on the real wheelchair control session. The results suggest that more extensive training with the proposed control system can be an effective and safe option that will allow the displacement of a wheelchair in a controlled environment for potential users suffering from some types of motor neuron diseases.

Communication interface of computerized automatic fire alarm system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Hongmei; Zhu Liqun; Fang Shaohong; Du Chengbao

1997-01-01

The problems of communication between multiple single-chip computers and microcomputer have been solved by the way of hardware and software. The automatic fire alarm system is realized by using the serial port both on single-chip computer and microcomputer

Design of Fault Tolerant Network Interfaces for NoCs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fiorin, Leandro; Micconi, Laura; Sami, Mariagiovanna

2011-01-01

Networks-on-Chip (NoCs) appeared as a strategy to deal with the communication requirements of complex IP-based System-on-Chips. As the complexity of designs increases and the technology scales down into the deep-submicron domain, the probability of malfunctions and failures in the NoC components...... increases. This paper focuses on the study and evaluation of techniques for increasing reliability and resilience of Network Interfaces (NIs). NIs act as interfaces between IP cores and the communication infrastructure; a faulty behavior in them could affect therefore the overall system. In this work, we...... of the NI, while saving up to 83% in area with respect to a standard Triple Modular Redundancy implementation, as well as a significant energy reduction....

Use of handheld X-ray fluorescence spectrometry units for identification of arsenic in treated wood

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Block, Colleen N. [University of Miami, Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, P.O. Box 248294, McArthur Building, Coral Gables, FL 33124-0630 (United States); Shibata, Tomoyuki [University of Miami, Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, P.O. Box 248294, McArthur Building, Coral Gables, FL 33124-0630 (United States); Solo-Gabriele, Helena M. [University of Miami, Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, P.O. Box 248294, McArthur Building, Coral Gables, FL 33124-0630 (United States)]. E-mail: hmsolo@miami.edu; Townsend, Timothy G. [University of Florida, Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, Gainesville, FL 32611-6450 (United States)

2007-07-15

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of handheld XRF analyzers on wood that has been treated with a preservative containing arsenic. Experiments were designed to evaluate precision, detection limit, effective depth of analysis, and accuracy of the XRF arsenic readings. Results showed that the precision of the XRF improved with increased sample concentration and longer analysis times. Reported detection limits decreased with longer analysis times to values of less than 1 mg/kg or 18 mg/kg, depending on the model used. The effective depth of analysis was within the top 1.2 cm and 2.0 cm of sample for wood containing natural gradients of chemical preservative and concentration extremes, respectively. XRF results were found to be 1.5-2.3 times higher than measurements from traditional laboratory analysis. Equations can be developed to convert XRF values to results which are consistent with traditional laboratory testing. - Handheld XRF analyzers provided quantitative results for the amount of arsenic within preservative-treated wood.

Handheld ultrahigh speed swept source optical coherence tomography instrument using a MEMS scanning mirror.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Chen D; Kraus, Martin F; Potsaid, Benjamin; Liu, Jonathan J; Choi, Woojhon; Jayaraman, Vijaysekhar; Cable, Alex E; Hornegger, Joachim; Duker, Jay S; Fujimoto, James G

2013-12-20

We developed an ultrahigh speed, handheld swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) ophthalmic instrument using a 2D MEMS mirror. A vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) operating at 1060 nm center wavelength yielded a 350 kHz axial scan rate and 10 µm axial resolution in tissue. The long coherence length of the VCSEL enabled a 3.08 mm imaging range with minimal sensitivity roll-off in tissue. Two different designs with identical optical components were tested to evaluate handheld OCT ergonomics. An iris camera aided in alignment of the OCT beam through the pupil and a manual fixation light selected the imaging region on the retina. Volumetric and high definition scans were obtained from 5 undilated normal subjects. Volumetric OCT data was acquired by scanning the 2.4 mm diameter 2D MEMS mirror sinusoidally in the fast direction and linearly in the orthogonal slow direction. A second volumetric sinusoidal scan was obtained in the orthogonal direction and the two volumes were processed with a software algorithm to generate a merged motion-corrected volume. Motion-corrected standard 6 x 6 mm(2) and wide field 10 x 10 mm(2) volumetric OCT data were generated using two volumetric scans, each obtained in 1.4 seconds. High definition 10 mm and 6 mm B-scans were obtained by averaging and registering 25 B-scans obtained over the same position in 0.57 seconds. One of the advantages of volumetric OCT data is the generation of en face OCT images with arbitrary cross sectional B-scans registered to fundus features. This technology should enable screening applications to identify early retinal disease, before irreversible vision impairment or loss occurs. Handheld OCT technology also promises to enable applications in a wide range of settings outside of the traditional ophthalmology or optometry clinics including pediatrics, intraoperative, primary care, developing countries, and military medicine.

Technology as a driver for changing customer-provider interfaces

OpenAIRE

Kowalkowski, Christian; Brehmer, Per-Olof

2008-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to explore how information and communication technology (ICT) is affecting and driving changes in the service processes and customer interfaces of capital goods manufacturers.   Original Publication:Christian Kowalkowski and Per-Olof Brehmer, Technology as a driver for changing customer-provider interfaces, 2008, Management research news, (31), 10, 746-757.http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/01409170810908507Copyright: Emerald Group Publishing Limitedhttp://www.emeraldi...

A Prototype Graphical User Interface for Co-op: A Group Decision Support System.

Science.gov (United States)

1992-03-01

achieve their potential to communicate. Information-oriented, systematic graphic design is the use of typography , symbols, color, and other static and...apphcuittin by reducig Uber ellurt anid enhuncizig Iliteracti. ’Iliis thesis designs and de% elupht Itrututylle Graphical User Interface iGUl i fui Cu f...ORGANIZATION.... .. .. ............ II. INTERFACE DESIGN PRINCIPLES. .............. 7 A. GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACES.............7 1. Design Principles

Communication Protocol for Advanced Prosthesis Components

OpenAIRE

Karnå, David

2007-01-01

It would be of great value for the prosthesis industry to achieve an open standard for communication in upper limb prostheses. Cooperation between NTNU and the University of New Brunswick has resulted in a functional requirements specification for such a standard, SCIP(Standardised Communication Interface in Prostheses). The special challenges for communication in a prosthesis system are possible noisy environments, high demands for light weight, safety for the user and the fact that devices ...

User interface for a tele-operated robotic hand system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Crawford, Anthony L

2015-03-24

Disclosed here is a user interface for a robotic hand. The user interface anchors a user's palm in a relatively stationary position and determines various angles of interest necessary for a user's finger to achieve a specific fingertip location. The user interface additionally conducts a calibration procedure to determine the user's applicable physiological dimensions. The user interface uses the applicable physiological dimensions and the specific fingertip location, and treats the user's finger as a two link three degree-of-freedom serial linkage in order to determine the angles of interest. The user interface communicates the angles of interest to a gripping-type end effector which closely mimics the range of motion and proportions of a human hand. The user interface requires minimal contact with the operator and provides distinct advantages in terms of available dexterity, work space flexibility, and adaptability to different users.

The computer-controlled GPIB-RS232 interface for data transmission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bai Xiaowei

1993-01-01

A kind of RS232-GPIB interface circuit is introduced, which provides communication between the serial system and the instrument with GPIB. Port P 1 of 8031 is used to select function mode as listener, talker or others. Under the control of a personal computer, the data communication is completed both in serial and the parallel modes

Spatial issues in user interface design from a graphic design perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Marcus, Aaron

1989-01-01

The user interface of a computer system is a visual display that provides information about the status of operations on data within the computer and control options to the user that enable adjustments to these operations. From the very beginning of computer technology the user interface was a spatial display, although its spatial features were not necessarily complex or explicitly recognized by the users. All text and nonverbal signs appeared in a virtual space generally thought of as a single flat plane of symbols. Current technology of high performance workstations permits any element of the display to appear as dynamic, multicolor, 3-D signs in a virtual 3-D space. The complexity of appearance and the user's interaction with the display provide significant challenges to the graphic designer of current and future user interfaces. In particular, spatial depiction provides many opportunities for effective communication of objects, structures, processes, navigation, selection, and manipulation. Issues are presented that are relevant to the graphic designer seeking to optimize the user interface's spatial attributes for effective visual communication.

The high level programmer and user interface of the NSLS control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang, Y.N.; Smith, J.D.; Sathe, S.

1993-01-01

This paper presents the major components of the high level software in the NSLS upgraded control system. Both programmer and user interfaces are discussed. The use of the high-speed work stations, fast network communications, UNIX system, X-window and Motif have greatly changed and improved these interfaces

Human machine interface for research reactor instrumentation and control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohd Sabri Minhat; Mohd Idris Taib; Izhar Abu Hussin; Zareen Khan Abdul Jalil Khan; Nurfarhana Ayuni Joha

2010-01-01

Most present design of Human Machine Interface for Research Reactor Instrumentation and Control System is modular-based, comprise of several cabinets such as Reactor Protection System, Control Console, Information Console as well as Communication Console. The safety, engineering and human factor will be concerned for the design. Redundancy and separation of signal and power supply are the main factor for safety consideration. The design of Operator Interface absolutely takes consideration of human and environmental factors. Physical parameters, experiences, trainability and long-established habit patterns are very important for user interface, instead of the Aesthetic and Operator-Interface Geometry. Physical design for New Instrumentation and Control System of RTP are proposed base on the state-of- the-art Human Machine Interface design. (author)

Gamma-ray detectors for intelligent, hand-held radiation monitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fehlau, P.E.

1983-01-01

Small radiation detectors based on HgI 2 , bismuth germanate (BGO), plastic, or NaI(Tl) detector materials were evaluated for use in small, lighweight radiation monitors. The two denser materials, HgI 2 and BGO, had poor resolution at low-energy and thus performed less well than NaI(Tl) in detecting low-energy gamma rays from bare, enriched uranium. The plastic scintillator, a Compton recoil detector, also performed less well at low gamma-ray energy. Two small NaI(Tl) detectors were suitable for detecting bare uranium and sheilded plutonium. One became part of a new lightweight hand-held monitor and the other found uses as a pole-mounted detector for monitoring hard-to-reach locations

Integrated multimodal human-computer interface and augmented reality for interactive display applications

Science.gov (United States)

Vassiliou, Marius S.; Sundareswaran, Venkataraman; Chen, S.; Behringer, Reinhold; Tam, Clement K.; Chan, M.; Bangayan, Phil T.; McGee, Joshua H.

2000-08-01

We describe new systems for improved integrated multimodal human-computer interaction and augmented reality for a diverse array of applications, including future advanced cockpits, tactical operations centers, and others. We have developed an integrated display system featuring: speech recognition of multiple concurrent users equipped with both standard air- coupled microphones and novel throat-coupled sensors (developed at Army Research Labs for increased noise immunity); lip reading for improving speech recognition accuracy in noisy environments, three-dimensional spatialized audio for improved display of warnings, alerts, and other information; wireless, coordinated handheld-PC control of a large display; real-time display of data and inferences from wireless integrated networked sensors with on-board signal processing and discrimination; gesture control with disambiguated point-and-speak capability; head- and eye- tracking coupled with speech recognition for 'look-and-speak' interaction; and integrated tetherless augmented reality on a wearable computer. The various interaction modalities (speech recognition, 3D audio, eyetracking, etc.) are implemented a 'modality servers' in an Internet-based client-server architecture. Each modality server encapsulates and exposes commercial and research software packages, presenting a socket network interface that is abstracted to a high-level interface, minimizing both vendor dependencies and required changes on the client side as the server's technology improves.

Optical Communications Channel Combiner

Science.gov (United States)

Quirk, Kevin J.; Quirk, Kevin J.; Nguyen, Danh H.; Nguyen, Huy

2012-01-01

NASA has identified deep-space optical communications links as an integral part of a unified space communication network in order to provide data rates in excess of 100 Mb/s. The distances and limited power inherent in a deep-space optical downlink necessitate the use of photon-counting detectors and a power-efficient modulation such as pulse position modulation (PPM). For the output of each photodetector, whether from a separate telescope or a portion of the detection area, a communication receiver estimates a log-likelihood ratio for each PPM slot. To realize the full effective aperture of these receivers, their outputs must be combined prior to information decoding. A channel combiner was developed to synchronize the log-likelihood ratio (LLR) sequences of multiple receivers, and then combines these into a single LLR sequence for information decoding. The channel combiner synchronizes the LLR sequences of up to three receivers and then combines these into a single LLR sequence for output. The channel combiner has three channel inputs, each of which takes as input a sequence of four-bit LLRs for each PPM slot in a codeword via a XAUI 10 Gb/s quad optical fiber interface. The cross-correlation between the channels LLR time series are calculated and used to synchronize the sequences prior to combining. The output of the channel combiner is a sequence of four-bit LLRs for each PPM slot in a codeword via a XAUI 10 Gb/s quad optical fiber interface. The unit is controlled through a 1 Gb/s Ethernet UDP/IP interface. A deep-space optical communication link has not yet been demonstrated. This ground-station channel combiner was developed to demonstrate this capability and is unique in its ability to process such a signal.

New control system: net communications on VAX; Nouveau systeme de controle: communications reseau sur VAX

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

David, L; Maugeais, C

1993-12-31

The control system is made of five different types of processors: a server (VAX 3800), stations (VS4000) as setting interfaces for operators, CAMAC VANTAGE controllers, VME controllers and industrial programmable automates. These automates are treated with the IMAGIN supervision software and with the OSI communication protocol. All the processors are of the VAX family and use DECNET communication protocol on ETHERNET net. (A.B.). 3 figs.

Spectral domain, common path OCT in a handheld PIC based system

Science.gov (United States)

Leinse, Arne; Wevers, Lennart; Marchenko, Denys; Dekker, Ronald; Heideman, René G.; Ruis, Roosje M.; Faber, Dirk J.; van Leeuwen, Ton G.; Kim, Keun Bae; Kim, Kyungmin

2018-02-01

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) has made it into the clinic in the last decade with systems based on bulk optical components. The next disruptive step will be the introduction of handheld OCT systems. Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) technology is the key enabler for this further miniaturization. PIC technology allows signal processing on a stable platform and the implementation of a common path interferometer in that same platform creates a robust fully integrated OCT system with a flexible fiber probe. In this work the first PIC based handheld and integrated common path based spectral domain OCT system is described and demonstrated. The spectrometer in the system is based on an Arrayed Waveguide Grating (AWG) and fully integrated with the CCD and a fiber probe into a system operating at 850 nm. The AWG on the PIC creates a 512 channel spectrometer with a resolution of 0.22 nm enabling a high speed analysis of the full A-scan. The silicon nitride based proprietary waveguide technology (TriPleXTM) enables low loss complex photonic structures from the visible (405 nm) to IR (2350 nm) range, making it a unique candidate for OCT applications. Broadband AWG operation from visible to 1700 nm has been shown in the platform and Photonic Design Kits (PDK) are available enabling custom made designs in a system level design environment. This allows a low threshold entry for designing new (OCT) designs for a broad wavelength range.

SURVEY OF COMMUNICATION LINKS FOR ATCA IN PHYSICS

CERN Document Server

Makowski, D; Piotrowski, A; Cichalewski, W; Jalmuzna, W; Koprek, W; Simrock, S

2009-01-01

Modern machines used in high energy physics require sophisticated and complex control systems. The complex systems are usually built as distributed systems. Therefore, the connectivity and communication links between distributed subsystems play a crucial role in the control system. The Advanced TelecommunicationComputingArchitecture (ATCA) and Advanced Mezzanine Card (AMC) standards have attracted the attention of physics community because they offer various types of data communication channels with high bandwidth, redundancy, high reliability and availability. The standards allow using different types of communication interfaces like PCIe, Gigabit Ethernet, RapidIO. In real-time systems the data transmission latency is also important. The acquisition of real-time data from hundreds of analogue channels is required for the Low Level Radio Frequency (LLRF) controller of XFEL (X-ray Free Electron Laser) accelerator. The paper presents survey of the communication interfaces of the LLRF controller for XFEL. The d...

Clock domain crossing modules for OCP-style read/write interfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Herlev, Mathias; Sparsø, Jens

The open core protocol (OCP) is an openly licensed, configurable, and scalable interface protocol for on-chip subsystem communications. The protocol defines read and write transactions from a master towards a slave across a point-to-point connection and the protocol assumes a single common clock....... This paper presents the design of two OCP clock domain crossing interface modules, that can be used to construct systems with multiple clock domains. One module (called OCPio) supports a single word read-write interface and the other module (called OCPburst) supports a four word burst read-write interface......-style read-write transaction interfaces. An OCP interface typically has control signals related to both the master issuing a read or write request and the slave producing a response. If all these control signals are passed across the clock domain boundary and synchronized it may add significant latency...

Fully Implanted Brain-Computer Interface in a Locked-In Patient with ALS.

Science.gov (United States)

Vansteensel, Mariska J; Pels, Elmar G M; Bleichner, Martin G; Branco, Mariana P; Denison, Timothy; Freudenburg, Zachary V; Gosselaar, Peter; Leinders, Sacha; Ottens, Thomas H; Van Den Boom, Max A; Van Rijen, Peter C; Aarnoutse, Erik J; Ramsey, Nick F

2016-11-24

Options for people with severe paralysis who have lost the ability to communicate orally are limited. We describe a method for communication in a patient with late-stage amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), involving a fully implanted brain-computer interface that consists of subdural electrodes placed over the motor cortex and a transmitter placed subcutaneously in the left side of the thorax. By attempting to move the hand on the side opposite the implanted electrodes, the patient accurately and independently controlled a computer typing program 28 weeks after electrode placement, at the equivalent of two letters per minute. The brain-computer interface offered autonomous communication that supplemented and at times supplanted the patient's eye-tracking device. (Funded by the Government of the Netherlands and the European Union; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02224469 .).

The Xsense project: The application of an intelligent sensor array for high sensitivity handheld explosives detectors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kostesha, Natalie; Schmidt, Michael Stenbæk; Bosco, Filippo

2011-01-01

Multiple independent sensors are used in security and military applications in order to increase sensitivity, selectivity and data reliability. The Xsense project has been initiated at the Technical University of Denmark in collaboration with a number of partners in an effort to produce a handheld...

RIS modality interfaces. From proprietary solutions to DICOM worklist management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaeger, D.; Kotter, E.; Langer, M.

1999-01-01

Radiologic information systems (RIS) and picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) are becoming increasingly widespread. This leads to new demands on the integration of the individual, formerly independent information systems (RIS, modalities, PACS). Possible ways of integrating individual systems are introduced. Besides the detailed description of different realizations of system communication, its role in the PACS at the university hospital in Freiburg is explained. The integration of different information systems still requires the use of proprietary interfaces. An appropriate integration generally has been realized in Freiburg. In the near future DICOM basic worklist management will standardize system integration and render an interdepartmental workflow concept possible. Even though an available communication standard exists, not all problems in the RIS-modality interface are solved. Different data models in the various RI systems and modalities demand certain degrees of freedom in the standard. Thus a satisfactory workflow cannot be guaranteed even when all involved systems conform with the standard. (orig.) [de

Integrated Human Factors Design Guidelines for Sound Interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jung Woon; Lee, Yong Hee; Oh, In Seok; Lee, Hyun Chul; Cha, Woo Chang

2004-05-01

Digital MMI, such as CRT, LCD etc., has been used increasingly in the design of main control room of the Korean standard nuclear power plants following the YGN units 3 and 4. The utilization of digital MMI may introduce various kind of sound interface into the control room design. In this project, for five top-level guideline items, including Sound Formats, Alarms, Sound Controls, Communications, and Environments, a total of 147 detail guidelines were developed and a database system for these guidelines was developed. The integrated human factors design guidelines for sound interface and the database system developed in this project will be useful for the design of sound interface of digital MMI in Korean NPPs

Integrated Human Factors Design Guidelines for Sound Interface

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jung Woon; Lee, Yong Hee; Oh, In Seok; Lee, Hyun Chul [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Cha, Woo Chang [Kumoh National Univ. of Technology, Gumi (Korea, Republic of)

2004-05-15

Digital MMI, such as CRT, LCD etc., has been used increasingly in the design of main control room of the Korean standard nuclear power plants following the YGN units 3 and 4. The utilization of digital MMI may introduce various kind of sound interface into the control room design. In this project, for five top-level guideline items, including Sound Formats, Alarms, Sound Controls, Communications, and Environments, a total of 147 detail guidelines were developed and a database system for these guidelines was developed. The integrated human factors design guidelines for sound interface and the database system developed in this project will be useful for the design of sound interface of digital MMI in Korean NPPs.

Handbook of serial communications interfaces a comprehensive compendium of serial digital input/output (I/O) standards

CERN Document Server

Frenzel, Louis

2015-01-01

This book catalogs the most popular and commonly used serial-port interfaces and provides details on the specifications and the latest standards, enabling you to select an interface for a new design or verify that an interface is working correctly. Each chapter is based on a different interface and is written in an easy to follow, standard format. With this book you will learn: The most widely used serial interfacesHow to select the best serial interface for a specific application or designThe trade-offs between data rate and distance (length or range)The operation and benefits of serial

Network and user interface for PAT DOME virtual motion environment system

Science.gov (United States)

Worthington, J. W.; Duncan, K. M.; Crosier, W. G.

1993-01-01

The Device for Orientation and Motion Environments Preflight Adaptation Trainer (DOME PAT) provides astronauts a virtual microgravity sensory environment designed to help alleviate tye symptoms of space motion sickness (SMS). The system consists of four microcomputers networked to provide real time control, and an image generator (IG) driving a wide angle video display inside a dome structure. The spherical display demands distortion correction. The system is currently being modified with a new graphical user interface (GUI) and a new Silicon Graphics IG. This paper will concentrate on the new GUI and the networking scheme. The new GUI eliminates proprietary graphics hardware and software, and instead makes use of standard and low cost PC video (CGA) and off the shelf software (Microsoft's Quick C). Mouse selection for user input is supported. The new Silicon Graphics IG requires an Ethernet interface. The microcomputer known as the Real Time Controller (RTC), which has overall control of the system and is written in Ada, was modified to use the free public domain NCSA Telnet software for Ethernet communications with the Silicon Graphics IG. The RTC also maintains the original ARCNET communications through Novell Netware IPX with the rest of the system. The Telnet TCP/IP protocol was first used for real-time communication, but because of buffering problems the Telnet datagram (UDP) protocol needed to be implemented. Since the Telnet modules are written in C, the Adap pragma 'Interface' was used to interface with the network calls.

Wireless Handheld Computers in the Preclinical Undergraduate Curriculum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matt Jackson

2003-02-01

Full Text Available This report presents the results of a pilot project using wireless PDAs as teaching tools in an undergraduate medical curriculum. This technology was used to foster a transition from a passive to an interactive learning environment in the classroom and provided a solution for the implementation of computer-based exams for a large class. Wayne State Medical School recently provided model e570 Toshiba PocketPCs® (personal digital assistants or PDAs, network interface cards, and application software developed by CampusMobility® to 20 sophomore medical students. The pilot group of preclinical students used the PDAs to access web-based course content, for communication, scheduling, to participate in interactive teaching sessions, and to complete course evaluations. Another part of this pilot has been to utilize the PDAs for computer-based exams in a wireless environment. Server authentication that restricted access during the exams and a proctoring console to monitor and record the PDA screens will be described in this report. Results of a student satisfaction survey will be presented.

Applying of USB interface technique in nuclear spectrum acquisition system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Jianbin; Huang Jinhua

2004-01-01

This paper introduces applying of USB technique and constructing nuclear spectrum acquisition system via PC's USB interface. The authors choose the USB component USB100 module and the W77E58μc to do the key work. It's easy to apply USB interface technique, when USB100 module is used. USB100 module can be treated as a common I/O component for the μc controller, and can be treated as a communication interface (COM) when connected to PC' USB interface. It's easy to modify the PC's program for the new system with USB100 module. The authors can smoothly change from ISA, RS232 bus to USB bus. (authors)

A new approach for the screening of carotid lesions: a 'fast-track' method with the use of new generation hand-held ultrasound devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Aboyans, V; Lacroix, P; Jeannicot, A; Guilloux, J; Bertin, F; Laskar, M

2004-09-01

We assessed the usefulness of fast-track neck sonography with a new-generation hand-held ultrasound scanner in the detection of > or =60% carotid stenosis. Patients with a past history of atherosclerotic disease or presence of risk factors were enrolled. All had fast-track carotid screening with a hand-held ultrasound scanner. Initial assessment was performed with our quick imaging protocol. A second examiner performed a conventional complete carotid duplex as gold-standard. We enrolled 197 consecutive patients with a mean age of 67 years (range 35-94). A carotid stenosis >60% was detected in 13 cases (6%). The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of fast-track sonography was 100%, 64%, 17% and 100%, respectively. Concomitant power Doppler imaging during the fast-track method did not improve accuracy. The use of a fast-track method with a hand-held ultrasound device can reduce the number of unnecessary carotid Duplex and enhance the screening efficiency without missing significant carotid stenoses.

Advent of broadband public-switched communications

Science.gov (United States)

Casey, John J.

1992-02-01

Advances in data communications infrastructure, display technology, and man-machine interfaces have changed business applications and the requirements of public network data transport. These changes have created opportunities for a new generation of public broadband services to more efficiently extend high speed communications capabilities beyond the customer premises. This paper provides a view of the technology and market evolution of these public broadband data communications services, and suggests early customer networked applications that justify the deployment of a public switched broadband network infrastructure.

Visual Information Communications International Conference

CERN Document Server

Nguyen, Quang Vinh; Zhang, Kang; VINCI'09

2010-01-01

Visual Information Communication is based on VINCI'09, The Visual Information Communications International Conference, September 2009 in Sydney, Australia. Topics covered include The Arts of Visual Layout, Presentation & Exploration, The Design of Visual Attributes, Symbols & Languages, Methods for Visual Analytics and Knowledge Discovery, Systems, Interfaces and Applications of Visualization, Methods for Multimedia Data Recognition & Processing. This cutting-edge book addresses the issues of knowledge discovery, end-user programming, modeling, rapid systems prototyping, education, and design activities. Visual Information Communications is an edited volume whose contributors include well-established researchers worldwide, from diverse disciplines including architects, artists, engineers, and scientists. Visual Information Communication is designed for a professional audience composed of practitioners and researchers working in the field of digital design and visual communications. This volume i...

Entangled photons and quantum communication

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yuan Zhensheng, E-mail: yuanzs@ustc.edu.c [Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale and Department of Modern Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Physikalisches Institut, Universitaet Heidelberg, Philosophenweg 12, 69120 Heidelberg (Germany); Bao Xiaohui [Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale and Department of Modern Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Physikalisches Institut, Universitaet Heidelberg, Philosophenweg 12, 69120 Heidelberg (Germany); Lu Chaoyang; Zhang Jun; Peng Chengzhi [Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale and Department of Modern Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Pan Jianwei, E-mail: pan@ustc.edu.c [Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale and Department of Modern Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Physikalisches Institut, Universitaet Heidelberg, Philosophenweg 12, 69120 Heidelberg (Germany)

2010-12-15

This article reviews the progress of quantum communication that utilizes photonic entanglement. We start with a survey of various methods for generating entangled photons, followed by an introduction of the theoretical principles and the experimental implementations of quantum key distribution. We then move on to a discussion of more involved quantum communication protocols including quantum dense coding, teleportation and quantum communication complexity. After that, we review the progress in free-space quantum communication, decoherence-free subspace, and quantum repeater protocols which are essential ingredients for long-distance quantum communication. Practical realizations of quantum repeaters, which require an interface between photons and quantum memories, are discussed briefly. Finally, we draw concluding remarks considering the technical challenges, and put forward an outlook on further developments of this field.

Entangled photons and quantum communication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan Zhensheng; Bao Xiaohui; Lu Chaoyang; Zhang Jun; Peng Chengzhi; Pan Jianwei

2010-01-01

This article reviews the progress of quantum communication that utilizes photonic entanglement. We start with a survey of various methods for generating entangled photons, followed by an introduction of the theoretical principles and the experimental implementations of quantum key distribution. We then move on to a discussion of more involved quantum communication protocols including quantum dense coding, teleportation and quantum communication complexity. After that, we review the progress in free-space quantum communication, decoherence-free subspace, and quantum repeater protocols which are essential ingredients for long-distance quantum communication. Practical realizations of quantum repeaters, which require an interface between photons and quantum memories, are discussed briefly. Finally, we draw concluding remarks considering the technical challenges, and put forward an outlook on further developments of this field.

What will this do to me and my brain? Ethical issues in brain-to-brain interfacing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elisabeth eHildt

2015-02-01

Full Text Available For several years now, brain-computer interfaces (BCIs in which brain signals are used to navigate a computer, a prostheses or a technical device, have been developed in various experimental contexts (Wolpaw & Wolpaw 2012; Grübler & Hildt 2014. Researchers have recently taken the next step and run experiments based on connections between two brains. These so-called brain-to-brain interfaces (abbreviation: BBIs or BTBIs involve not only a BCI component deriving information from a brain and sending it to a computer, but also a computer-brain interface (CBI component delivering information to another brain. What results is technology-mediated brain-to-brain communication (B2B communication, i.e. direct communication between two brains that does not involve any activity of the peripheral nervous system. In what follows, ethical issues that arise in neural interfacing will be discussed after a short introduction to recent BBI experiments. In this, the focus will be on the implications BBIs may have on the individual at the CBI side of the BBI, i.e. on the recipient.

The entire network topology display system of terminal communication access network

OpenAIRE

An Yi

2016-01-01

Now order terminal communication access network is network technology in Shanxi Province is diversiform, device type complex, lack of unified technical standard, the terminal communication access network management system of construction constitutes a great obstacle. Need to build a “unified communication interface and communication standard, unified communications network management” of the terminal communication access network cut in the integrated network management system, for the termina...

A Mobile Mixed-Reality Environment for Children's Storytelling Using a Handheld Projector and a Robot

Science.gov (United States)

Sugimoto, Masanori

2011-01-01

This paper describes a system called GENTORO that uses a robot and a handheld projector for supporting children's storytelling activities. GENTORO differs from many existing systems in that children can make a robot play their own story in a physical space augmented by mixed-reality technologies. Pilot studies have been conducted to clarify the…

Handheld Micromanipulator for Robot-Assisted Stapes Footplate Surgery

Science.gov (United States)

Grande, Gonzalo Montes; Knisely, Anna J.; Becker, Brian C.; Yang, Sungwook; Hirsch, Barry E.; Riviere, Cameron N.

2012-01-01

Stapes footplate surgery is complex and delicate. This surgery is carried out in the middle ear to improve hearing. High accuracy is required to avoid critical tissues and structures near the surgical worksite. By suppressing the surgeon’s tremor during the operation, accuracy can be improved. In this paper, a fully handheld active micromanipulator known as Micron is evaluated for its feasibility for this delicate operation. An ergonomic handle, a custom tip, and a brace attachment were designed for stapes footplate surgery and tested in a fenestration task through a fixed speculum. Accuracy was measured during simulated surgery in two different scenarios: Micron off (unaided) and Micron on (aided), both with image guidance. Preliminary results show that Micron significantly reduces the mean position error and the mean duration of time spent in specified dangerous zones. PMID:23366167

QoE-Aware Device-to-Device Multimedia Communications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liang ZHOU

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Multimedia services over mobile device-to-device (D2D networks has recently received considerable attention. In this scenario, each device is equipped with a cellular communication interface, as well as a D2D interface over a shared medium. In this work, we study the performance properties of the mobile D2D communications in the framework of user satisfaction, and develop a fully distributed QoE-aware multimedia communication scheme (QAMCS. Specifically, we translate the opportunistic multimedia communications issue into a stochastic optimization problem, which opens up a new degree of performance to exploit. Moreover, QAMCS is designed for a heterogeneous and dynamic environment, in which user demand, device mobility, and transmission fashion may vary across different devices and applications. Importantly, QAMCS is able to maximize the user satisfaction and only needs each device to implement its own scheme individually in the absence of a central controller.

Correlation and Agreement of Handheld Spirometry with Laboratory Spirometry in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Guang-Shing; Campbell, Angela P; Xie, Hu; Stednick, Zach; Callais, Cheryl; Leisenring, Wendy M; Englund, Janet A; Chien, Jason W; Boeckh, Michael

2016-05-01

Early detection of subclinical lung function decline may help identify allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients who are at increased risk for late noninfectious pulmonary complications, including bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome. We evaluated the use of handheld spirometry in this population. Allogeneic HCT recipients enrolled in a single-center observational trial performed weekly spirometry with a handheld spirometer for 1 year after transplantation. Participants performed pulmonary function tests in an outpatient laboratory setting at 3 time points: before transplantation, at day 80 after transplantation, and at 1 year after transplantation. Correlation between the 2 methods was assessed by Pearson and Spearman correlations; agreement was assessed using Bland-Altman plots. A total of 437 subjects had evaluable pulmonary function tests. Correlation for forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) was r = .954 (P spirometry correlated well with laboratory spirometry after allogeneic HCT and may be useful for self-monitoring of patients for early identification of airflow obstruction. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. All rights reserved.

IEPLC Framework, Automated Communication in a Heterogeneous Control System Environment

CERN Document Server

Locci, F

2014-01-01

In CERN accelerators control system several components are essential such as: Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), PCI Extensions for Instrumentation (PXI), and other micro-controller families. Together with their weaknesses and their strength points they typically present custom communication protocols and it is therefore difficult to federate them into the control system using a single communication strategy. Furthermore this dependency to the physical device interfaces and protocols makes most of the code not reusable and the replacement of old technology a difficult problem. The purpose of IEPLC ([1]) is to mitigate the communication issues given by this heterogeneity; it proposes a framework to define communication interfaces in a hardware independent manner. In addition it automatically generates all the resources needed on master side (typically represented by a FEC: Front-End Computer) and slave side (typically represented by the controller) to implement a common and generic Ethernet communication. Th...

Auditory interfaces: The human perceiver

Science.gov (United States)

Colburn, H. Steven

1991-01-01

A brief introduction to the basic auditory abilities of the human perceiver with particular attention toward issues that may be important for the design of auditory interfaces is presented. The importance of appropriate auditory inputs to observers with normal hearing is probably related to the role of hearing as an omnidirectional, early warning system and to its role as the primary vehicle for communication of strong personal feelings.

Graphical interface between the CIRSSE testbed and CimStation software with MCS/CTOS

Science.gov (United States)

Hron, Anna B.

1992-01-01

This research is concerned with developing a graphical simulation of the testbed at the Center for Intelligent Robotic Systems for Space Exploration (CIRSSE) and the interface which allows for communication between the two. Such an interface is useful in telerobotic operations, and as a functional interaction tool for testbed users. Creating a simulated model of a real world system, generates inevitable calibration discrepancies between them. This thesis gives a brief overview of the work done to date in the area of workcell representation and communication, describes the development of the CIRSSE interface, and gives a direction for future work in the area of system calibration. The CimStation software used for development of this interface, is a highly versatile robotic workcell simulation package which has been programmed for this application with a scale graphical model of the testbed, and supporting interface menu code. A need for this tool has been identified for the reasons of path previewing, as a window on teleoperation and for calibration of simulated vs. real world models. The interface allows information (i.e., joint angles) generated by CimStation to be sent as motion goal positions to the testbed robots. An option of the interface has been established such that joint angle information generated by supporting testbed algorithms (i.e., TG, collision avoidance) can be piped through CimStation as a visual preview of the path.

Guidelines for the integration of audio cues into computer user interfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sumikawa, D.A.

1985-06-01

Throughout the history of computers, vision has been the main channel through which information is conveyed to the computer user. As the complexities of man-machine interactions increase, more and more information must be transferred from the computer to the user and then successfully interpreted by the user. A logical next step in the evolution of the computer-user interface is the incorporation of sound and thereby using the sense of ''hearing'' in the computer experience. This allows our visual and auditory capabilities to work naturally together in unison leading to more effective and efficient interpretation of all information received by the user from the computer. This thesis presents an initial set of guidelines to assist interface developers in designing an effective sight and sound user interface. This study is a synthesis of various aspects of sound, human communication, computer-user interfaces, and psychoacoustics. We introduce the notion of an earcon. Earcons are audio cues used in the computer-user interface to provide information and feedback to the user about some computer object, operation, or interaction. A possible construction technique for earcons, the use of earcons in the interface, how earcons are learned and remembered, and the affects of earcons on their users are investigated. This study takes the point of view that earcons are a language and human/computer communication issue and are therefore analyzed according to the three dimensions of linguistics; syntactics, semantics, and pragmatics.

Real-time brain computer interface using imaginary movements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

El-Madani, Ahmad; Sørensen, Helge Bjarup Dissing; Kjær, Troels W.

2015-01-01

Background: Brain Computer Interface (BCI) is the method of transforming mental thoughts and imagination into actions. A real-time BCI system can improve the quality of life of patients with severe neuromuscular disorders by enabling them to communicate with the outside world. In this paper...

Using the safety/security interface to the security manager's advantage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stapleton, B.W.

1993-01-01

Two aspects of the safety/security interface are discussed: (1) the personal safety of nuclear security officers; and (2) how the security manager can effectively deal with the safety/security interface in solving today's requirements yet supporting the overall mission of the facility. The basis of this presentation is the result of interviews, document analyses, and observations. The conclusion is that proper planning and communication between the players involved in the security/safety interface can benefit the two programs and help achieve overall system integration, ultimately contributing to the bottom line. This is especially important in today's cost conscious environment

Integration of multi-interface conversion channel using FPGA for modular photonic network

Science.gov (United States)

Janicki, Tomasz; Pozniak, Krzysztof T.; Romaniuk, Ryszard S.

2010-09-01

The article discusses the integration of different types of interfaces with FPGA circuits using a reconfigurable communication platform. The solution has been implemented in practice in a single node of a distributed measurement system. Construction of communication platform has been presented with its selected hardware modules, described in VHDL and implemented in FPGA circuits. The graphical user interface (GUI) has been described that allows a user to control the operation of the system. In the final part of the article selected practical solutions have been introduced. The whole measurement system resides on multi-gigabit optical network. The optical network construction is highly modular, reconfigurable and scalable.

AXAF user interfaces for heterogeneous analysis environments

Science.gov (United States)

Mandel, Eric; Roll, John; Ackerman, Mark S.

1992-01-01

The AXAF Science Center (ASC) will develop software to support all facets of data center activities and user research for the AXAF X-ray Observatory, scheduled for launch in 1999. The goal is to provide astronomers with the ability to utilize heterogeneous data analysis packages, that is, to allow astronomers to pick the best packages for doing their scientific analysis. For example, ASC software will be based on IRAF, but non-IRAF programs will be incorporated into the data system where appropriate. Additionally, it is desired to allow AXAF users to mix ASC software with their own local software. The need to support heterogeneous analysis environments is not special to the AXAF project, and therefore finding mechanisms for coordinating heterogeneous programs is an important problem for astronomical software today. The approach to solving this problem has been to develop two interfaces that allow the scientific user to run heterogeneous programs together. The first is an IRAF-compatible parameter interface that provides non-IRAF programs with IRAF's parameter handling capabilities. Included in the interface is an application programming interface to manipulate parameters from within programs, and also a set of host programs to manipulate parameters at the command line or from within scripts. The parameter interface has been implemented to support parameter storage formats other than IRAF parameter files, allowing one, for example, to access parameters that are stored in data bases. An X Windows graphical user interface called 'agcl' has been developed, layered on top of the IRAF-compatible parameter interface, that provides a standard graphical mechanism for interacting with IRAF and non-IRAF programs. Users can edit parameters and run programs for both non-IRAF programs and IRAF tasks. The agcl interface allows one to communicate with any command line environment in a transparent manner and without any changes to the original environment. For example, the authors

Development of network communication function for digitalized neutron flux monitoring instrument

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Kai; Zhang Liangju; Chen Xiaojun; Li Baoxiang

2002-01-01

It is essential for a digitalized Neutron Flux Monitoring Instrument to communicate with other parts of Instrumentation and Control System in a network environment, and it is fairly different from the case of traditional analogue nuclear instrumentation. How to satisfy all the requirements of different network structure and communication protocol, which might be adopted in different target nuclear power plant, is a key issue in the design and development of a digitalized neutron flux monitoring instrument. The author describes the overall communication scheme, mainly discusses the design idea and the requirements of the communication interfaces and the implementation of the RS-485 interface as an example of the digitalized neutron flux monitoring instrument, which is under development in the institute

An RFID-Enabled Sensor Interface for the EV Modular Instrumentation System

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Development of a passive radio-frequency identification (RFID) communication module, compliant with the EPCglobal class1, generation 2 air-interface standard, that...

Performance of handheld electrocardiogram devices to detect atrial fibrillation in a cardiology and geriatric ward setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Desteghe, Lien; Raymaekers, Zina; Lutin, Mark; Vijgen, Johan; Dilling-Boer, Dagmara; Koopman, Pieter; Schurmans, Joris; Vanduynhoven, Philippe; Dendale, Paul; Heidbuchel, Hein

2017-01-01

To determine the usability, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness of two handheld single-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) devices for atrial fibrillation (AF) screening in a hospital population with an increased risk for AF. Hospitalized patients (n = 445) at cardiological or geriatric wards were screened for AF by two handheld ECG devices (MyDiagnostick and AliveCor). The performance of the automated algorithm of each device was evaluated against a full 12-lead or 6-lead ECG recording. All ECGs and monitor tracings were also independently reviewed in a blinded fashion by two electrophysiologists. Time investments by nurses and physicians were tracked and used to estimate cost-effectiveness of different screening strategies. Handheld recordings were not possible in 7 and 21.4% of cardiology and geriatric patients, respectively, because they were not able to hold the devices properly. Even after the exclusion of patients with an implanted device, sensitivity and specificity of the automated algorithms were suboptimal (Cardiology: 81.8 and 94.2%, respectively, for MyDiagnostick; 54.5 and 97.5%, respectively, for AliveCor; Geriatrics: 89.5 and 95.7%, respectively, for MyDiagnostick; 78.9 and 97.9%, respectively, for AliveCor). A scenario based on automated AliveCor evaluation in patients without AF history and without an implanted device proved to be the most cost-effective method, with a provider cost to identify one new AF patient of €193 and €82 at cardiology and geriatrics, respectively. The cost to detect one preventable stroke per year would be €7535 and €1916, respectively (based on average CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc of 3.9 ± 2.0 and 5.0 ± 1.5, respectively). Manual interpretation increases sensitivity, but decreases specificity, doubling the cost per detected patient, but remains cheaper than sole 12-lead ECG screening. Using AliveCor or MyDiagnostick handheld recorders requires a structured screening strategy to be effective and cost-effective in a hospital setting

A lightweight communication library for distributed computing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Groen, Derek; Rieder, Steven; Zwart, Simon Portegies; Grosso, Paola; Laat, Cees de

2010-01-01

We present MPWide, a platform-independent communication library for performing message passing between computers. Our library allows coupling of several local message passing interface (MPI) applications through a long-distance network and is specifically optimized for such communications. The implementation is deliberately kept lightweight and platform independent, and the library can be installed and used without administrative privileges. The only requirements are a C++ compiler and at least one open port to a wide-area network on each site. In this paper we present the library, describe the user interface, present performance tests and apply MPWide in a large-scale cosmological N-body simulation on a network of two computers, one in Amsterdam and the other in Tokyo.

Command Interface ASIC - Analog Interface ASIC Chip Set

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz, Baldes; Jaffe, Burton; Burke, Gary; Lung, Gerald; Pixler, Gregory; Plummer, Joe; Katanyoutanant,, Sunant; Whitaker, William

2003-01-01

A command interface application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and an analog interface ASIC have been developed as a chip set for remote actuation and monitoring of a collection of switches, which can be used to control generic loads, pyrotechnic devices, and valves in a high-radiation environment. The command interface ASIC (CIA) can be used alone or in combination with the analog interface ASIC (AIA). Designed primarily for incorporation into spacecraft control systems, they are also suitable for use in high-radiation terrestrial environments (e.g., in nuclear power plants and facilities that process radioactive materials). The primary role of the CIA within a spacecraft or other power system is to provide a reconfigurable means of regulating the power bus, actuating all valves, firing all pyrotechnic devices, and controlling the switching of power to all switchable loads. The CIA is a mixed-signal (analog and digital) ASIC that includes an embedded microcontroller with supporting fault-tolerant switch control and monitoring circuitry that is capable of connecting to a redundant set of interintegrated circuit (I(sup 2)C) buses. Commands and telemetry requests are communicated to the CIA. Adherence to the I(sup 2)C bus standard helps to reduce development costs by facilitating the use of previously developed, commercially available components. The AIA is a mixed-signal ASIC that includes the analog circuitry needed to connect the CIA to a custom higher powered version of the I(sup 2)C bus. The higher-powered version is designed to enable operation with bus cables longer than those contemplated in the I(sup 2)C standard. If there are multiple higher-power I(sup 2)C-like buses, then there must an AIA between the CIA and each such bus. The AIA includes two identical interface blocks: one for the side-A I(sup 2)C clock and data buses and the other for the side B buses. All the AIAs on each side are powered from a common power converter module (PCM). Sides A and B

The Scalable Coherent Interface and related standards projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gustavson, D.B.

1991-09-01

The Scalable Coherent Interface (SCI) project (IEEE P1596) found a way to avoid the limits that are inherent in bus technology. SCI provides bus-like services by transmitting packets on a collection of point-to-point unidirectional links. The SCI protocols support cache coherence in a distributed-shared-memory multiprocessor model, message passing, I/O, and local-area-network-like communication over fiber optic or wire links. VLSI circuits that operate parallel links at 1000 MByte/s and serial links at 1000 Mbit/s will be available early in 1992. Several ongoing SCI-related projects are applying the SCI technology to new areas or extending it to more difficult problems. P1596.1 defines the architecture of a bridge between SCI and VME; P1596.2 compatibly extends the cache coherence mechanism for efficient operation with kiloprocessor systems; P1596.3 defines new low-voltage (about 0.25 V) differential signals suitable for low power interfaces for CMOS or GaAs VLSI implementations of SCI; P1596.4 defines a high performance memory chip interface using these signals; P1596.5 defines data transfer formats for efficient interprocessor communication in heterogeneous multiprocessor systems. This paper reports the current status of SCI, related standards, and new projects. 16 refs

76 FR 22918 - In the Matter of Certain Handheld Electronic Computing Devices, Related Software, and Components...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-25

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Inv. No. 337-TA-769] In the Matter of Certain Handheld Electronic.... International Trade Commission. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that a complaint was filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission on March 21, 2011, under section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930...

MOBILTEL - Mobile Multimodal Telecommunications dialogue system based on VoIP telephony

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anton Čižmár

2009-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper the project MobilTel ispresented. The communication itself is becoming amultimodal interactive process. The MobilTel projectprovides research and development activities inmultimodal interfaces area. The result is a functionalarchitecture for mobile multimodal telecommunicationsystem running on handheld device. The MobilTelcommunicator is a multimodal Slovak speech andgraphical interface with integrated VoIP client. Theother possible modalities are pen – touch screeninteraction, keyboard, and display on which theinformation is more user friendly presented (icons,emoticons, etc., and provides hyperlink and scrollingmenu availability.We describe the method of interaction between mobileterminal (PDA and MobilTel multimodal PCcommunicator over a VoIP WLAN connection basedon SIP protocol. We also present the graphicalexamples of services that enable users to obtaininformation about weather or information about trainconnection between two train stations.

Inspector-instrument interface in portable NDA instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halbig, J.K.; Klosterbuer, S.F.

1981-01-01

Recent electronics technology advances make it possible to design sophisticated instruments in small packages for convenient field implementation. An inspector-instrument interface design that allows communication of procedures, responses, and results between the instrument and user is presented. This capability has been incorporated into new spent-fuel instrumentation and a battery-powered multichannel analyzer

Advances in the development of a cognitive user interface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jokisch Oliver

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In this contribution, we want to summarize recent development steps of the embedded cognitive user interface UCUI, which enables a user-adaptive scenario in human-machine or even human-robot interactions by considering sophisticated cognitive and semantic modelling. The interface prototype is developed by different German institutes and companies with their steering teams at Fraunhofer IKTS and Brandenburg University of Technology. The interface prototype is able to communicate with users via speech and gesture recognition, speech synthesis and a touch display. The device includes an autarkic semantic processing and beyond a cognitive behavior control, which supports an intuitive interaction to control different kinds of electronic devices, e. g. in a smart home environment or in interactive respectively collaborative robotics. Contrary to available speech assistance systems such as Amazon Echo or Google Home, the introduced cognitive user interface UCUI ensures the user privacy by processing all necessary information without any network access of the interface device.

Man-machine interface for the MFTF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Speckert, G.C.

1979-01-01

In any complex system, the interesting problems occur at the interface of dissimilar subsystems. Control of the Mirror Fusion Test Facility (MFTF) begins with the US Congress, which controls the dollars, which control the people, who control the nine top-level minicomputers, which control the 65 microprocessors, which control the hardware that controls the physics experiment. There are many interesting boundaries across which control must pass, and the one that this paper addresses is the man-machine one. For the MFTF, the man-machine interface consists of a system of seven control consoles, each allowing one operator to communicate with one minicomputer. These consoles are arranged in a hierarchical manner, and both hardware and software were designed in a top-down fashion. This paper describes the requirements and the design of the console system as a whole, as well as the design and operation of the hardware and software of each console, and examines the possible form of a future man-machine interface

Man-machine interface for the MFTF

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Speckert, G.C.

1979-11-09

In any complex system, the interesting problems occur at the interface of dissimilar subsystems. Control of the Mirror Fusion Test Facility (MFTF) begins with the US Congress, which controls the dollars, which control the people, who control the nine top-level minicomputers, which control the 65 microprocessors, which control the hardware that controls the physics experiment. There are many interesting boundaries across which control must pass, and the one that this paper addresses is the man-machine one. For the MFTF, the man-machine interface consists of a system of seven control consoles, each allowing one operator to communicate with one minicomputer. These consoles are arranged in a hierarchical manner, and both hardware and software were designed in a top-down fashion. This paper describes the requirements and the design of the console system as a whole, as well as the design and operation of the hardware and software of each console, and examines the possible form of a future man-machine interface.

Comparative Geometrical Investigations of Hand-Held Scanning Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Kersten, T. P.; Przybilla, H.-J.; Lindstaedt, M.; Tschirschwitz, F.; Misgaiski-Hass, M.

2016-06-01

An increasing number of hand-held scanning systems by different manufacturers are becoming available on the market. However, their geometrical performance is little-known to many users. Therefore the Laboratory for Photogrammetry & Laser Scanning of the HafenCity University Hamburg has carried out geometrical accuracy tests with the following systems in co-operation with the Bochum University of Applied Sciences (Laboratory for Photogrammetry) as well as the Humboldt University in Berlin (Institute for Computer Science): DOTProduct DPI-7, Artec Spider, Mantis Vision F5 SR, Kinect v1 + v2, Structure Sensor and Google's Project Tango. In the framework of these comparative investigations geometrically stable reference bodies were used. The appropriate reference data were acquired by measurement with two structured light projection systems (AICON smartSCAN and GOM ATOS I 2M). The comprehensive test results of the different test scenarios are presented and critically discussed in this contribution.

How NASA KSC Controls Interfaces with the use of Motion Skeletons and Product Structure

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Corey

2013-01-01

This presentation will show how NASA KSC controls interfaces for Modular Product Architecture (MPA) using Locator Skeletons, Interface Skeletons, and Product Structure, to be combined together within a Motion Skeleton. The user will learn how to utilize skeleton models to communicate interface data, as successfully done at NASA KSC in their use of Motion Skeletons to control interfaces for multi-launch systems. There will be discussion of the methodology used to control design requirements through WTParts, and how to utilize product structure for non-CAD documents.

Correlation analysis between team communication characteristics and frequency of inappropriate communications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Ar Ryum; Lee, Seung Woo; Park, Jinkyun; Kang, Hyun Gook; Seong, Poong Hyun

2013-01-01

Highlights: • We proposed a method to evaluate team communication characteristics based on social network analysis. • We compare team communication characteristics with the frequency of inappropriate communications. • Frequency of inappropriate communications were decreased when more operators perform the same types of role as others. • Frequency of inappropriate communications were decreased for teams who provide more number of acknowledgment. - Abstract: The characteristics of team communications are important since large process systems such as nuclear power plants, airline, and railways are operated by operating teams. In such situation, inappropriate communications can cause a lack of situational information and lead to serious consequences for the systems. As a result, the communication characteristics of operating teams should be understood in order to extract meaningful insights to address the nature of inappropriate communications. The purpose of this study was to develop a method to evaluate the characteristics of team communications based on social network analysis and compare them with the frequency of inappropriate communications. In order to perform the analysis, verbal protocol data, which were audio-visual recorded under training sessions by operating teams, were used and interfacing system loss of coolant accident scenarios were selected. As a result of the study, it was found that the frequency of inappropriate communications decreased when more operators perform the same types of role as other operators, since they can easily and effectively back up each other. Also, the frequency of inappropriate communication is decreased for teams which provide a relatively large communication content that acknowledge or confirm another communication content

PAMLX: a graphical user interface for PAML.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Bo; Yang, Ziheng

2013-12-01

This note announces pamlX, a graphical user interface/front end for the paml (for Phylogenetic Analysis by Maximum Likelihood) program package (Yang Z. 1997. PAML: a program package for phylogenetic analysis by maximum likelihood. Comput Appl Biosci. 13:555-556; Yang Z. 2007. PAML 4: Phylogenetic analysis by maximum likelihood. Mol Biol Evol. 24:1586-1591). pamlX is written in C++ using the Qt library and communicates with paml programs through files. It can be used to create, edit, and print control files for paml programs and to launch paml runs. The interface is available for free download at http://abacus.gene.ucl.ac.uk/software/paml.html.

Intra-operative ultrasound hand-held strain imaging for the visualization of ablations produced in the liver with a toroidal HIFU transducer: first in vivo results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chenot, J; Melodelima, D; N' Djin, W A; Souchon, Remi; Rivoire, M; Chapelon, J Y, E-mail: jeremy.chenot@inserm.f [Inserm, U556, Lyon, F-69003 (France)

2010-06-07

The use of hand-held ultrasound strain imaging for the intra-operative real-time visualization of HIFU (high-intensity focused ultrasound) ablations produced in the liver by a toroidal transducer was investigated. A linear 12 MHz ultrasound imaging probe was used to obtain radiofrequency signals. Using a fast cross-correlation algorithm, strain images were calculated and displayed at 60 frames s{sup -1}, allowing the use of hand-held strain imaging intra-operatively. Fourteen HIFU lesions were produced in four pigs. Intra-operative strain imaging of HIFU ablations in the liver was feasible owing to the high frame rate. The correlation between dimensions measured on gross pathology and dimensions measured on B-mode images and on strain images were R = 0.72 and R = 0.94 respectively. The contrast between ablated and non-ablated tissue was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the strain images (22 dB) than in the B-mode images (9 dB). Strain images allowed equivalent or improved definition of ablated regions when compared with B-mode images. Real-time intra-operative hand-held strain imaging seems to be a promising complement to conventional B-mode imaging for the guidance of HIFU ablations produced in the liver during an open procedure. These results support that hand-held strain imaging outperforms conventional B-mode ultrasound and could potentially be used for the assessment of thermal therapies.

Near field communications handbook

CERN Document Server

Ahson, Syed A; Furht, Borko

2011-01-01

Near Field Communication, or NFC, is a short-range high frequency wireless communication technology that enables the exchange of data between devices over about a decimeter. The technology is a simple extension of the ISO 14443 proximity-card standard (contact less card, RFID) that combines the interface of a smart card and a reader into a single device with practical implications. A complete reference for NFC, this handbook provides technical information about all aspects of NFC, as well as applications. It covers basic concepts as well as research grade material and includes a discussion of

Understanding the interface between clinical and laboratory staff

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ankie van den Broek

2014-07-01

Objectives: To propose a new conceptual model to gain insight and analyse factors that influence the laboratory–clinical staff interface. Methods: To develop the conceptual model, a literature study was performed, regulatory guidelines and standards for laboratories were analysed and discussions were held with experts on the topic. Result: A conceptual model and analytical framework provided good guidance in understanding and assessing the organisational and personal factors shaping the interface. The model was based on three elements: (1 the three phases of communication (pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical; (2 the organisational and personal factors of interaction; and (3 the socio-political, economic and cultural context in which clinicians and laboratory staff operate. Conclusion: Assessment of the interface between clinicians and laboratory workers can be performed in a systematic way. Applying this model will provide information to managers of health institutions and heads of laboratories and clinical departments about what happens when clinicians and laboratory staff interact, thus aiding them in designing strategies to improve this interface.

Extensional rheometry with a handheld mobile device

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, Kristin A.; Liedtke, Aleesha M.; Todt, Anika H.; Walker, Travis W.

2017-06-01

The on-site characterization of complex fluids is important for a number of academic and industrial applications. Consequently, a need exists to develop portable rheometers that can provide in the field diagnostics and serve as tools for rapid quality assurance. With the advancement of smartphone technology and the widespread global ownership of smart devices, mobile applications are attractive as platforms for rheological characterization. The present work investigates the use of a smartphone device for the extensional characterization of a series of Boger fluids composed of glycerol/water and poly(ethylene oxide), taking advantage of the increasing high-speed video capabilities (currently up to 240 Hz capture rate at 720p) of smartphone cameras. We report a noticeable difference in the characterization of samples with slight variations in polymer concentration and discuss current device limitations. Potential benefits of a handheld extensional rheometer include its use as a point-of-care diagnostic tool, especially in developing communities, as well as a simple and inexpensive tool for assessing product quality in industry.

Modelling of plug and play interface for energy router based on IEC61850

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Y. F.; Yang, F.; Gan, L.; He, H. L.

2017-11-01

Under the background of the “Internet Plus”, as the energy internet infrastructure equipment, energy router will be widely developed. The IEC61850 standard is the only universal standard in the field of power system automation which realizes the standardization of engineering operation of intelligent substation. To eliminate the lack of International unified standard for communication of energy router, this paper proposes to apply IEC61850 to plug and play interface and establishes the plug and play interface information model and information transfer services. This paper provides a research approach for the establishment of energy router communication standards, and promotes the development of energy router.

CA/CPS: A Communications ZEBRA implementation using CPS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roberts, L.A.

1991-05-01

CZ/CPS is an implementation of the Communications ZEBRA distributed computing environment utilizing the CPS communications protocol. CZ/CPS is intended for parallelization of high energy physics application programs using the CERN Program Library memory and data structure management features. CZ/CPS provides transparent communication of ZEBRA data structures among cooperative processes using standard interfaces for ZEBRA I/O. Examples of usage in a CPS HBOOK4 and GEANT3 application are provided

Variability in classroom social communication: performance of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and typically developing peers.

Science.gov (United States)

Kjellmer, Liselotte; Olswang, Lesley B

2013-06-01

In this study, the authors examined how variability in classroom social communication performance differed between children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and pair-matched, typically developing peers. Twelve pairs of children were observed in their classrooms, 40 min per day (20 min per child) for 4 days over a 2-week period. Coders documented classroom social communication during situations of Cooperation and following School Rules by recording performance on handheld computers using the Social Communication Coding System (SCCS). The SCCS consists of 6 behavioral dimensions (prosocial/engaged, passive/disengaged, irrelevant, hostile/coercive, assertive, and adult seeking). The frequency of occurrence and duration of each dimension were recorded. These measures were then used to examine variability in performance within and across days (changeability and stability, respectively). Independent of classroom situation, children with FASD were more variable than their typically developing peers in terms of changing behavioral dimensions more often (changeability) and varying their behavior more from day to day (stability). Documenting performance variability may provide a clearer understanding of the classroom social communication difficulties of the child with mild FASD.

Secure and Reliable Wireless Communications for Geological Repositories and Nuclear Facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Twogood, R.

2015-01-01

There is an important need to develop new generation robust RF communication systems to support wireless communications and instrumentation control in geological repositories and nuclear facilities, such as nuclear power plants. Often these facilities have large metallic structures with electromagnetic (EM) transients from plant equipment. The ambient EMI/RFI harsh environment is responsible for degrading radio link bandwidth. Current communication systems often employ physical cables that are not only expensive to install, but deteriorate over time and are vulnerable to failures. Furthermore, conventional high-power narrowband walkie-talkies sometimes upset other electronics. On the other hand, high-quality reliable wireless communications between operators and automated control systems are critical in these facilities, as wireless sensors become more and more prevalent in these operations. In an effort to develop novel wireless communications systems, Dirac Solutions Inc. (DSI) in collaboration with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), has developed high-quality ultra-wideband (UWB) hand-held communications systems that have proven to have excellent performance in ships and tunnels. The short pulse UWB RF technology, with bandwidths of many hundreds of MHz's, are non-interfering due to low average power. Furthermore, the UWB link has been shown to be highly reliable in the presence of other interfering signals. The DSI UWB communications systems can be adapted for applications in tunnels and nuclear power facilities for voice, data, and instrumentation control. In this paper we show examples of voice communication in ships with UWB walkie-talkies. We have developed novel modulation and demodulation techniques for short pulse UWB communications. The design is a low-power one and in a compact form. The communication units can be produced inexpensively in large quantities. A major application of these units might be their use by IAEA inspectors and

Group differences in physician responses to handheld presentation of clinical evidence: a verbal protocol analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavlovic Nada J

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background To identify individual differences in physicians' needs for the presentation of evidence resources and preferences for mobile devices. Methods Within-groups analysis of responses to semi-structured interviews. Interviews consisted of using prototypes in response to task-based scenarios. The prototypes were implemented on two different form factors: a tablet style PC and a pocketPC. Participants were from three user groups: general internists, family physicians and medicine residents, and from two different settings: urban and semi-urban. Verbal protocol analysis, which consists of coding utterances, was conducted on the transcripts of the testing sessions. Statistical relationships were investigated between staff physicians' and residents' background variables, self-reported experiences with the interfaces, and verbal code frequencies. Results 47 physicians were recruited from general internal medicine, family practice clinics and a residency training program. The mean age of participants was 42.6 years. Physician specialty had a greater effect on device and information-presentation preferences than gender, age, setting or previous technical experience. Family physicians preferred the screen size of the tablet computer and were less concerned about its portability. Residents liked the screen size of the tablet, but preferred the portability of the pocketPC. Internists liked the portability of the pocketPC, but saw less advantage to the large screen of the tablet computer (F[2,44] = 4.94, p = .012. Conclusion Different types of physicians have different needs and preferences for evidence-based resources and handheld devices. This study shows how user testing can be incorporated into the process of design to inform group-based customization.

Developing a compact multiple laser diode combiner with a single fiber stub output for handheld IoT devices

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Minseok; June, Seunghyeok; Kim, Sehwan

2018-01-01

Many biomedical applications require an efficient combination and localization of multiple discrete light sources ( e.g., fluorescence and absorbance imaging). We present a compact 6 channel combiner that couples the output of independent solid-state light sources into a single 400-μm-diameter fiber stub for handheld Internet of Things (IoT) devices. We demonstrate average coupling efficiencies > 80% for each of the 6 laser diodes installed into the prototype. The design supports the use of continuous wave and intensity-modulated laser diodes. This fiber-stub-type beam combiner could be used to construct custom multi-wavelength sources for tissue oximeters, microscopes and molecular imaging technologies. In order to validate its suitability, we applied the developed fiber-stub-type beam combiner to a multi-wavelength light source for a handheld IoT device and demonstrated its feasibility for smart healthcare through a tumor-mimicking silicon phantom.

Risk Communication, Values Clarification, and Vaccination Decisions.

Science.gov (United States)

Witteman, Holly O; Chipenda Dansokho, Selma; Exe, Nicole; Dupuis, Audrey; Provencher, Thierry; Zikmund-Fisher, Brian J

2015-10-01

Many health-related decisions require choosing between two options, each with risks and benefits. When presented with such tradeoffs, people often make choices that fail to align with scientific evidence or with their own values. This study tested whether risk communication and values clarification methods could help parents and guardians make evidence-based, values-congruent decisions about children's influenza vaccinations. In 2013-2014 we conducted an online 2×2 factorial experiment in which a diverse sample of U.S. parents and guardians (n = 407) were randomly assigned to view either standard information about influenza vaccines or risk communication using absolute and incremental risk formats. Participants were then either presented or not presented with an interactive values clarification interface with constrained sliders and dynamic visual feedback. Participants randomized to the risk communication condition combined with the values clarification interface were more likely to indicate intentions to vaccinate (β = 2.10, t(399) = 2.63, p communication and values clarification methods may contribute to increased vaccination intentions, which may, in turn, predict vaccination status if logistical barriers are also addressed. © 2015 Society for Risk Analysis.

Making sense of a crucial interface: corporate communication and the news media

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cornelissen, J.P.; Carroll, C.; Elving, W.J.L.; Chouliaraki, L.; Morsing, M.

2010-01-01

In this chapter, we provide an overview of how news organizations work and develop a theoretical account of communicative interactions between corporate communication professionals representing commercial companies and journalists working for news organizations. This account conceptualizes these

Precise intraoperative location of gastrointestinal bleeding with a hand-held counter. Work in progress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williamson, M.R.; Boyd, C.M.; McGuire, E.L.

1986-01-01

The nuclear medicine bleeding scan is frequently insufficient to locate sites of bleeding precisely, in spite of its great sensitivity. A small, hand-held Geiger-Mueller counter, placed directly on exposed intestine in the operating room, enables precise location of the probable bleeding site. In three patients, the technique allowed a minimal amount of intestine to be resected, distinguished between large- and small-intestinal hemorrhage, and eliminated other foci as sites of bleeding.A

Applicability of a Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform handheld spectrometer to perform in situ analyses on Cultural Heritage materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Arrizabalaga, Iker; Gómez-Laserna, Olivia; Aramendia, Julene; Arana, Gorka; Madariaga, Juan Manuel

2014-08-14

This work studies the applicability of a Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform handheld device to perform in situ analyses on Cultural Heritage assets. This portable diffuse reflectance spectrometer has been used to characterise and diagnose the conservation state of (a) building materials of the Guevara Palace (15th century, Segura, Basque Country, Spain) and (b) different 19th century wallpapers manufactured by the Santa Isabel factory (Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country, Spain) and by the well known Dufour and Leroy manufacturers (Paris, France), all of them belonging to the Torre de los Varona Castle (Villanañe, Basque Country, Spain). In all cases, in situ measurements were carried out and also a few samples were collected and measured in the laboratory by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRIFT) in order to validate the information obtained by the handheld instrument. In the analyses performed in situ, distortions in the diffuse reflectance spectra can be observed due to the presence of specular reflection, showing the inverted bands caused by the Reststrahlen effect, in particular on those IR bands with the highest absorption coefficients. This paper concludes that the results obtained in situ by a diffuse reflectance handheld device are comparable to those obtained with laboratory diffuse reflectance spectroscopy equipment and proposes a few guidelines to acquire good spectra in the field, minimising the influence caused by the specular reflection. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

COMPARATIVE GEOMETRICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF HAND-HELD SCANNING SYSTEMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. P. Kersten

2016-06-01

Full Text Available An increasing number of hand-held scanning systems by different manufacturers are becoming available on the market. However, their geometrical performance is little-known to many users. Therefore the Laboratory for Photogrammetry & Laser Scanning of the HafenCity University Hamburg has carried out geometrical accuracy tests with the following systems in co-operation with the Bochum University of Applied Sciences (Laboratory for Photogrammetry as well as the Humboldt University in Berlin (Institute for Computer Science: DOTProduct DPI-7, Artec Spider, Mantis Vision F5 SR, Kinect v1 + v2, Structure Sensor and Google’s Project Tango. In the framework of these comparative investigations geometrically stable reference bodies were used. The appropriate reference data were acquired by measurement with two structured light projection systems (AICON smartSCAN and GOM ATOS I 2M. The comprehensive test results of the different test scenarios are presented and critically discussed in this contribution.

Hand-held optical fuel pin scanner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirchner, T.L.; Powers, H.G.

1987-01-01

A portable, hand-held apparatus is described for optically scanning indicia imprinted about a planar end face of an article having an outer wall surface, the apparatus comprising: a supporting frame; light detector means fixed to the frame for digitizing light patterns directed thereto; indexing means on the frame for engaging the planar end face and locating the end face in a preselected focal plane on the frame. The indexing means has an inner wall surface complementary to the article wall surface for disposition thereabout and terminates in an end portion beyond the planar end face. The inner wall surface has a radially inwardly extending shoulder spaced from the end portion and engageable with the planar end face; light means directed onto the preselected focal plane; optical means mounted on the frame about a central axis, the optical means being optically interposed between the indexing means and the light detector means for directing reflected light from the preselected focal plane to the light detector means and including a dove prism centrally aligned along the central axis; and means for selectively rotating the dove prism relative to the frame about the central axis to thereby rotate the image from the focal plane as transmitted to the light detector means

Aeronautical Information Service–General Aviation Pilots interface in digital era

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roman Matyáš

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Modern technologies and portable devices are part of our everyday lives almost two decades. This article describes how Aeronautical Information Service providers in Central Europe utilize modern technologies in the communication interface with general aviation pilots.

A Visualized Message Interface (VMI) for intelligent messaging services

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Endo, T.; Kasahara, H.; Nakagawa, T.

1984-01-01

In CCITT, Message Handling Systems (MHS) have been studied from the viewpoint of communications protocol standardization. In addition to MHS services, Message Processing (MP) services, such as image processing, filing and retrieving services, will come into increasing demand in office automation field. These messaging services, including MHS services, can be thought of as Intelligent Messaging (IM) services. IM services include many basic services, optional user facilities and service parameters. Accordingly, it is necessary to deal with these parameters and MP procedures in as systematic and user-friendly a manner as possible. As one step towards realizing a user-friendly IM services interface, the characteristics of IM service parameters are studied and a Visualized Message Interface (VMI) which resembles a conventional letter exchange format is presented. The concept of VMI formation is discussed using the generic document structure concept as well as a Screen Interface and Protocol Interface conversion package

Study on the communication technology of instrument based on LabVIEW

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang Wei; Lai Qinggui; Zhang Xiaobo

2012-01-01

The hardware and software structure of communication of universal instrument is discussed based on LabVIEW, the several realization of remote communication is compared too. In the control and measure system of LIA, using LabVIEW, the communication is realized among the plenty of instruments which have the various interfaces, in this paper the frame of hardware and software about instrument communication is showed. (authors)

New control system: net communications on VAX

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

David, L.; Maugeais, C.

1992-01-01

The control system is made of five different types of processors: a server (VAX 3800), stations (VS4000) as setting interfaces for operators, CAMAC VANTAGE controllers, VME controllers and industrial programmable automates. These automates are treated with the IMAGIN supervision software and with the OSI communication protocol. All the processors are of the VAX family and use DECNET communication protocol on ETHERNET net. (A.B.). 3 figs

Hip- and knee-strength assessments using a hand-held dynamometer with external belt-fixation are inter-tester reliable

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thorborg, Kristian; Bandholm, Thomas; Hölmich, Per

2013-01-01

PURPOSE: In football, ice-hockey, and track and field, injuries have been predicted, and hip- and knee-strength deficits quantified using hand-held dynamometry (HHD). However, systematic bias exists when testers of different sex and strength perform the measurements. Belt-fixation of the dynamome...

Interfaces Visualize Data for Airline Safety, Efficiency

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

As the A-Train Constellation orbits Earth to gather data, NASA scientists and partners visualize, analyze, and communicate the information. To this end, Langley Research Center awarded SBIR funding to Fairfax, Virginia-based WxAnalyst Ltd. to refine the company's existing user interface for Google Earth to visualize data. Hawaiian Airlines is now using the technology to help manage its flights.

Image as Interface : Consequences for Users of Museum Knowledge

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Rijcke, Sarah; Beaulieu, Anne

2011-01-01

Photographs of objects are ubiquitous in the work and presentation of museums, whether in collection-management infrastructure or in Web-based communication. This article examines the use of images in these settings and traces how they function as interfaces and tools in the production of museum

Time-recovering PCI-AER interface for bio-inspired spiking systems

Science.gov (United States)

Paz-Vicente, R.; Linares-Barranco, A.; Cascado, D.; Vicente, S.; Jimenez, G.; Civit, A.

2005-06-01

Address Event Representation (AER) is an emergent neuromorphic interchip communication protocol that allows for real-time virtual massive connectivity between huge number neurons located on different chips. By exploiting high speed digital communication circuits (with nano-seconds timings), synaptic neural connections can be time multiplexed, while neural activity signals (with mili-seconds timings) are sampled at low frequencies. Also, neurons generate 'events' according to their activity levels. More active neurons generate more events per unit time, and access the interchip communication channel more frequently, while neurons with low activity consume less communication bandwidth. When building multi-chip muti-layered AER systems it is absolutely necessary to have a computer interface that allows (a) to read AER interchip traffic into the computer and visualize it on screen, and (b) inject a sequence of events at some point of the AER structure. This is necessary for testing and debugging complex AER systems. This paper presents a PCI to AER interface, that dispatches a sequence of events received from the PCI bus with embedded timing information to establish when each event will be delivered. A set of specialized states machines has been introduced to recovery the possible time delays introduced by the asynchronous AER bus. On the input channel, the interface capture events assigning a timestamp and delivers them through the PCI bus to MATLAB applications. It has been implemented in real time hardware using VHDL and it has been tested in a PCI-AER board, developed by authors, that includes a Spartan II 200 FPGA. The demonstration hardware is currently capable to send and receive events at a peak rate of 8,3 Mev/sec, and a typical rate of 1 Mev/sec.

Visual Search and Target Cueing: A Comparison of Head-Mounted Versus Hand-Held Displays on the Allocation of Visual Attention

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Yeh, Michelle; Wickens, Christopher D

1998-01-01

We conducted a study to examine the effects of target cueing and conformality with a hand-held or head-mounted display to determine their effects on visual search tasks requiring focused and divided attention...

Bias by default? A means for a priori interface measurement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cottam, Joseph A.; Blaha, Leslie M.

2017-10-03

Systems have biases. Their interfaces naturally guide a user toward specific patterns of action. For example, modern word-processors and spreadsheets are both capable of taking word wrapping, checking spelling, storing tables, and calculating formulas. You could write a paper in a spreadsheet or could do simple business modeling in a word-processor. However, their interfaces naturally communicate which function they are designed for. Visual analytic interfaces also have biases. In this paper, we outline why simple Markov models are a plausible tool for investigating that bias and how they might be applied. We also discuss some anticipated difficulties in such modeling and touch briefly on what some Markov model extensions might provide.

Handheld and automated ultrasonic spray deposition of conductive PEDOT:PSS films and their application in AC EL devices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ely, Fernando; Matsumoto, Agatha; Zoetebier, Bram; Peressinotto, Valdirene S.; Hirata, Marcelo Kioshi; de Sousa, Douglas A.; Maciel, Rubens

2014-01-01

In this contribution we explore the spray deposition technique to achieve smooth films based on the conductive polymer PEDOT:PSS. Two different spray systems were used and compared namely: (a) handheld airbrush and (b) automated ultrasonic spray system. For each system a number of parameters were

Performance Investigation of a Handheld 3d Scanner to Define Good Practices for Small Artefact 3d Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Lachat, E.; Landes, T.; Grussenmeyer, P.

2017-08-01

Handheld 3D scanners can be used to complete large scale models with the acquisition of occluded areas or small artefacts. This may be of interest for digitization projects in the field of Cultural Heritage, where detailed areas may require a specific treatment. Such sensors present the advantage of being easily portable in the field, and easily usable even without particular knowledge. In this paper, the Freestyle3D handheld scanner launched on the market in 2015 by FARO is investigated. Different experiments are described, covering various topics such as the influence of range or color on the measurements, but also the precision achieved for geometrical primitive digitization. These laboratory experiments are completed by acquisitions performed on engraved and sculpted stone blocks. This practical case study is useful to investigate which acquisition protocol seems to be the more adapted and leads to precise results. The produced point clouds will be compared to photogrammetric surveys for the purpose of their accuracy assessment.

A description of communication patterns during CPR in ICU.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Katherine L; Ferri, Susan; Yavorska, Tatyana; Everett, Tobias; Parshuram, Christopher

2014-10-01

Deficiencies in communication in health care are a common source of medical error. Preferred communication patterns are a component of resuscitation teaching. We audio-recorded resuscitations in a mixed paediatric medical and surgical ICU to describe communication. In the intensive care unit, resuscitation events were prospectively audio-recorded by two trained observers (using handheld recorders). Recordings were transcribed and anonymised within 24h. We grouped utterances regarding the same subject matter from beginning (irrespective of response) as a communication epoch. For each epoch, we describe the initiator, audience and content of message. Teamwork behaviours were described using Anesthesia Nontechnical Skills framework (ANTS), a behavioural marker system for crisis-resource management. Consent rates from staff were 139/140 (99%) and parents were 67/92 (73%). We analysed 36min 57s of audio dialogue from 4 cardiac arrest events in 363h of prospective screening. There were 180 communication epochs (1 every 12s): 100 (56%) from the team-leader and 80 (44%) from non-team-leader(s). Team-leader epochs were to give or confirm orders or assert authority (61%), clarify patient history (14%) and provide clinical updates (25%). Non-team-leader epochs were more often directed to the team (65%) than the team-leader (35%). Audio-recordings provided information for 80% of the ANTS component elements with scores of 2-4. Communication epochs were frequent, most from the team-leader. We identified an 'outer loop' of communication between team members not including the team-leader, responsible for 44% of all communication events. We discuss difficulties in this research methodology. Future work includes exploring the process of the 'outer loop' by resuscitation team members to evaluate the optimal balance between single leader and team suggestions, the content of the outer loop discussions and in-event communication strategies to improve outcomes. Crown Copyright © 2014

Study and design on USB wireless laser communication system

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Aihua; Zheng, Jiansheng; Ai, Yong

2004-04-01

We give the definition of USB wireless laser communication system (WLCS) and the brief introduction to the protocol of USB, the standard of hardware is also given. The paper analyses the hardware and software of USB WLCS. Wireless laser communication part and USB interface circuit part are discussed in detail. We also give the periphery design of the chip AN2131Q, the control circuit to realize the transformation from parallel port to serial bus, and the circuit of laser sending and receiving of laser communication part, which are simply, cheap and workable. And then the four part of software are analyzed as followed. We have consummated the ISR in the firmware frame to develop the periphery device of USB. We have debugged and consummated the 'ezload,' and the GPD of the drivers. Windows application performs functions and schedules the corresponding API functions to let the interface practical and beautiful. The system can realize USB wireless laser communication between computers, which distance is farther than 50 meters, and top speed can be bigger than 8 Mbps. The system is of great practical sense to resolve the issues of high-speed communication among increasing districts without fiber trunk network.

User Interface Program for secure electronic tags

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cai, Y.; Koehl, E.R.; Carlson, R.D.; Raptis, A.C.

1995-05-01

This report summarizes and documents the efforts of Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) in developing a secure tag communication user interface program comprising a tag monitor and a communication tool. This program can perform the same functions as the software that was developed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), but it is enhanced with a user-friendly screen. It represents the first step in updating the TRANSCOM Tracking System (TRANSCOM) by incorporating a tag communication screen menu into the main menu of the TRANSCOM user program. A working version of TRANSCOM, enhanced with ANL secure-tag graphics, will strongly support the Department of Energy Warhead Dismantlement/Special Nuclear Materials Control initiatives. It will allow commercial satellite tracking of the movements and operational activities of treaty-limited items and transportation vehicles throughout Europe and the former USSR, as well as the continental US

a mobile user interface for low-literacy users in rural south africa

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Information and Communication Technology services for socio-economic ... was conducted to design a mobile user interface to enable low-literacy users in Dwesa ..... common social and religious groups ... layout, buttons and menu.

Linear Text vs. Non-Linear Hypertext in Handheld Computers: Effects on Declarative and Structural Knowledge, and Learner Motivation

Science.gov (United States)

Son, Chanhee; Park, Sanghoon; Kim, Minjeong

2011-01-01

This study compared linear text-based and non-linear hypertext-based instruction in a handheld computer regarding effects on two different levels of knowledge (declarative and structural knowledge) and learner motivation. Forty four participants were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions: linear text, hierarchical hypertext,…

MaROS Strategic Relay Planning and Coordination Interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Allard, Daniel A.

2010-01-01

The Mars Relay Operations Service (MaROS) is designed to provide planning and analysis tools in support of ongoing Mars Network relay operations. Strategic relay planning requires coordination between lander and orbiter mission ground data system (GDS) teams to schedule and execute relay communications passes. MaROS centralizes this process, correlating all data relevant to relay coordination to provide a cohesive picture of the relay state. Service users interact with the system through thin-layer command line and web user interface client applications. Users provide and utilize data such as lander view periods of orbiters, Deep Space Network (DSN) antenna tracks, and reports of relay pass performance. Users upload and download relevant relay data via formally defined and documented file structures including some described in Extensible Markup Language (XML). Clients interface with the system via an http-based Representational State Transfer (ReST) pattern using Javascript Object Notation (JSON) formats. This paper will provide a general overview of the service architecture and detail the software interfaces and considerations for interface design.

Just blowing smoke? Residents’ social construction of communication about wildfire

Science.gov (United States)

Travis Paveglio; Matthew S. Carroll; James D. Absher; Todd. Norton

2009-01-01

This study uses social constructionism as a basis for understanding the effectiveness of communication about wildfire risk between agency officials and wildland-urban interface (WUI) residents. Risk communication literature demonstrates a welldocumented difference in the way land managers and stakeholders conceptualize risk. This is especially true of fire because...

Implementation of an Ethernet-Based Communication Channel for the Patmos Processor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pezzarossa, Luca; Kenn Toft, Jakob; Lønbæk, Jesper

The Patmos processor, which is used as the intellectual property of the T-CREST platform, is only equipped with a RS-232 serial port for communication with the outside world. The serial port is a minimal input/output device with a limited speed and without native networking features. An Ethernet 10....../100BASE-T IEEE 802.3 based communication channel is a reliable and high speed communication interface (10/100 Mbits/s) that also supports networking. This technical report presents an implementation of an Ethernet-based communication channel for the Patmos processor, targeting the Terasic DE2......-115 development board. We have designed the hardware to interface the EthMac Ethernet controller from OpenCores to Patmos and to the physical chip of the development board, and we have implemented a software library to drive the controller and to support some essential protocols. The design was implemented...

Advanced communication methods developed for nuclear data communication applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tiwari, Akash; Tiwari, Railesha; Tiwari, S.S.; Panday, Lokesh; Suri, Nitin; Takle, Tarun Rao; Jain, Sanjeev; Gupta, Rishi; Sharma, Dipeeka; Takle, Rahul Rao; Gautam, Rajeev; Bhargava, Vishal; Arora, Himanshu; Agarwal, Ankur; Rupesh; Chawla, Mohit; Sethi, Amardeep Singh; Gupta, Mukesh; Gupta, Ankit; Verma, Neha; Sood, Nitin; Singh, Sunil; Agarwal, Chandresh

2004-01-01

We conducted various experiments and tested data communications methods that may be useful for various applications in nuclear industries. We explored the following areas. I. Scientific data communication among scientists within the laboratory and inter-laboratory data exchange. 2.Data from sensors from remote and wired sensors. 3.Data from multiple sensors with small zone. 4.Data from single or multiple sensors from distances above 100 m and less than 10 km. No any single data communication method was found to be the best solution for nuclear applications and multiple modes of communication were found to be advantageous than any single mode of data communication. Network of computers in the control room and in between laboratories connected with optical fiber or an isolated Ethernet coaxial LAN was found to be optimum. Information from multiple analog process sensors in smaller zones like reactor building and laboratories on 12C LAN and short-range wireless LAN were found to be advantageous. Within the laboratory sensor data network of 12C was found to be cost effective and wireless LAN was comparatively expansive. Within a room infrared optical LAN and FSK wireless LAN were found to be highly useful in making the sensors free from wires. Direct sensor interface on FSK wireless link were found to be fast accurate, cost effective over large distance data communication. Such links are the only way to communicate from sea boy and balloons hardware. 1-wire communication network of Dallas Semiconductor USA for weather station data communication Computer to computer communication using optical LAN links has been tried, temperature pressure, humidity, ionizing radiation, generator RPM and voltage and various other analog signals were also transported o FSK optical and wireless links. Multiple sensors needed a dedicated data acquisition system and wireless LAN for data telemetry. (author)