Designing and Evaluation of Reliability and Validity of Visual Cue-Induced Craving Assessment Task for Methamphetamine Smokers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamed Ekhtiari

2010-08-01

Full Text Available A B S T R A C TIntroduction: Craving to methamphetamine is a significant health concern and exposure to methamphetamine cues in laboratory can induce craving. In this study, a task designing procedure for evaluating methamphetamine cue-induced craving in laboratory conditions is examined. Methods: First a series of visual cues which could induce craving was identified by 5 discussion sessions between expert clinicians and 10 methamphetamine smokers. Cues were categorized in 4 main clusters and photos were taken for each cue in studio, then 60 most evocative photos were selected and 10 neutral photos were added. In this phase, 50 subjects with methamphetamine dependence, had exposure to cues and rated craving intensity induced by the 72 cues (60 active evocative photos + 10 neutral photos on self report Visual Analogue Scale (ranging from 0-100. In this way, 50 photos with high levels of evocative potency (CICT 50 and 10 photos with the most evocative potency (CICT 10 were obtained and subsequently, the task was designed. Results: The task reliability (internal consistency was measured by Cronbach’s alpha which was 91% for (CICT 50 and 71% for (CICT 10. The most craving induced was reported for category Drug use procedure (66.27±30.32 and least report for category Cues associated with drug use (31.38±32.96. Difference in cue-induced craving in (CICT 50 and (CICT 10 were not associated with age, education, income, marital status, employment and sexual activity in the past 30 days prior to study entry. Family living condition was marginally correlated with higher scores in (CICT 50. Age of onset for (opioids, cocaine and methamphetamine was negatively correlated with (CICT 50 and (CICT 10 and age of first opiate use was negatively correlated with (CICT 50. Discussion: Cue-induced craving for methamphetamine may be reliably measured by tasks designed in laboratory and designed assessment tasks can be used in cue reactivity paradigm, and

Radiological design of hot laboratories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Unruh, C.M.

1976-04-01

The fundamental design objectives for a laboratory where work with highly radioactive and highly toxic materials, such as plutonium and transplutonium nuclides, is performed are (1) to accomplish the purpose of the laboratory; (2) to protect the environment, (3) to provide safe working conditions; and (4) to keep radiation exposure to staff as low as practicable. The major planning and design features of a well engineered plutonium or transplutonium laboratory are given

Radiological design of hot laboratories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Unruh, C.M.

1976-01-01

The fundamental design objectives for a laboratory where work with highly radioactive and highly toxic materials, such as plutonium and transplutonium nuclides, is performed, are (1) to accomplish the purpose of the laboratory, (2) to protect the environment, (3) to provide safe working conditions, and (4) to keep radiation exposure to staff as low as practicable. The major planning and design features of well-engineered plutonium or transplutonium laboratory are given. (author)

An analog integrated circuit design laboratory

OpenAIRE

Mondragon-Torres, A.F.; Mayhugh, Jr.; Pineda de Gyvez, J.; Silva-Martinez, J.; Sanchez-Sinencio, E.

2003-01-01

We present the structure of an analog integrated circuit design laboratory to instruct at both, senior undergraduate and entry graduate levels. The teaching material includes: a laboratory manual with analog circuit design theory, pre-laboratory exercises and circuit design specifications; a reference web page with step by step instructions and examples; the use of mathematical tools for automation and analysis; and state of the art CAD design tools in use by industry. Upon completion of the ...

Task-Based Method for Designing Underactuated Mechanisms

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Shoichiro Kamada

2012-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper we introduce a task-based method for designing underactuated multi-joint prosthetic hands for specific grasping tasks. The designed robotic hands or prosthetic hands contain fewer independent actuators than joints. We chose a few specific grasping tasks that are frequently repeated in everyday life and analysed joint motions of the hand during the completion of each task and the level of participation of each joint. The information was used for the synthesis of dedicated underactuated mechanisms that can operate in a low dimensional task coordinate space. We propose two methods for reducing the actuators' number. The kinematic parameters of the synthesized mechanism are determined by using a numerical approach. In this study the joint angles of the synthesized hand are considered as linearly dependent on the displacements of the actuators. We introduced a special error index that allowed us to compare the original trajectory and the trajectory performed by the synthesized mechanism, and to select the kinematic parameters of the new kinematic structure as a way to reduce the error. The approach allows the design of simple gripper mechanisms with good accuracy for the preliminary defined tasks.

LABORATORY DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR SAFETY.

Science.gov (United States)

National Safety Council, Chicago, IL. Campus Safety Association.

THIS SET OF CONSIDERATIONS HAS BEEN PREPARED TO PROVIDE PERSONS WORKING ON THE DESIGN OF NEW OR REMODELED LABORATORY FACILITIES WITH A SUITABLE REFERENCE GUIDE TO DESIGN SAFETY. THERE IS NO DISTINCTION BETWEEN TYPES OF LABORATORY AND THE EMPHASIS IS ON GIVING GUIDES AND ALTERNATIVES RATHER THAN DETAILED SPECIFICATIONS. AREAS COVERED INCLUDE--(1)…

Teaching Sustainable Process Design Using 12 Systematic Computer-Aided Tasks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Babi, Deenesh K.

2015-01-01

(tasks 4-7) and then sizing, costing and economic analysis of the designed process (tasks 8-9). This produces a base case design. In tasks 10-12, the student explores opportunities for heat and/or mass integration, followed by a sustainability analysis, in order to evaluate the base case design and set......In this paper a task-based approach for teaching (sustainable) process design to students pursuing a degree in chemical and biochemical engineering is presented. In tasks 1-3 the student makes design decisions for product and process selection followed by simple and rigorous model simulations...... targets for further improvement. Finally, a process optimization problem is formulated and solved to obtain the more sustainable process design. The 12 tasks are explained in terms of input and output of each task and examples of application of this approach in an MSclevel course are reported....

The design of hot laboratories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-01-01

The need for specialized laboratories to handle radioactive substances of high activity has increased greatly due to the expansion of the nuclear power industry and the widespread use of radioisotopes in scientific research and technology. Such laboratories, which are called hot laboratories, are specially designed and equipped to handle radioactive materials of high activity, including plutonium and transplutonium elements. The handling of plutonium and transplutonium elements presents special radiation-protection and safety problems because of their high specific activity and high radiotoxicity. Therefore, the planning, design, construction and operation of hot laboratories must meet the stringent safety, containment, ventilation, shielding, criticality control and fire-protection requirements. The IAEA has published two manuals in its Safety Series, one on the safety aspects of design and equipment of hot laboratories (SS No.30) and the other on the safe handling of plutonium (SS No.39). The purpose of the symposium in Otaniemi was to collect information on recent developments in the safety features of hot laboratories and to review the present state of knowledge. A number of new developments have taken place as the result of growing sophistication in the philosophy of radiation protection as given in the ICRP recommendations (Report No.22) and in the Agency's basic safety standards (No.9). The topics discussed were safety features of planning and design, air cleaning, transfer and transport systems, criticality control, fire protection, radiological protection, waste management, administrative arrangements and operating experience

Hydraulic manipulator design, analysis, and control at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kress, R.L.; Jansen, J.F. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States). Robotics and Process Systems Div.; Love, L.J. [Oak Ridge Inst. for Science and Education, TN (United States); Basher, A.M.H. [South Carolina State Univ., Orangeburg, SC (United States)

1996-09-01

To meet the increased payload capacities demanded by present-day tasks, manipulator designers have turned to hydraulics as a means of actuation. Hydraulics have always been the actuator of choice when designing heavy-life construction and mining equipment such as bulldozers, backhoes, and tunneling devices. In order to successfully design, build, and deploy a new hydraulic manipulator (or subsystem) sophisticated modeling, analysis, and control experiments are usually needed. To support the development and deployment of new hydraulic manipulators Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has outfitted a significant experimental laboratory and has developed the software capability for research into hydraulic manipulators, hydraulic actuators, hydraulic systems, modeling of hydraulic systems, and hydraulic controls. The hydraulics laboratory at ORNL has three different manipulators. First is a 6-Degree-of-Freedom (6-DoF), multi-planer, teleoperated, flexible controls test bed used for the development of waste tank clean-up manipulator controls, thermal studies, system characterization, and manipulator tracking. Finally, is a human amplifier test bed used for the development of an entire new class of teleoperated systems. To compliment the hardware in the hydraulics laboratory, ORNL has developed a hydraulics simulation capability including a custom package to model the hydraulic systems and manipulators for performance studies and control development. This paper outlines the history of hydraulic manipulator developments at ORNL, describes the hydraulics laboratory, discusses the use of the equipment within the laboratory, and presents some of the initial results from experiments and modeling associated with these hydraulic manipulators. Included are some of the results from the development of the human amplifier/de-amplifier concepts, the characterization of the thermal sensitivity of hydraulic systems, and end-point tracking accuracy studies. Experimental and analytical

Hydraulic manipulator design, analysis, and control at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kress, R.L.; Jansen, J.F.; Basher, A.M.H.

1996-09-01

To meet the increased payload capacities demanded by present-day tasks, manipulator designers have turned to hydraulics as a means of actuation. Hydraulics have always been the actuator of choice when designing heavy-life construction and mining equipment such as bulldozers, backhoes, and tunneling devices. In order to successfully design, build, and deploy a new hydraulic manipulator (or subsystem) sophisticated modeling, analysis, and control experiments are usually needed. To support the development and deployment of new hydraulic manipulators Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has outfitted a significant experimental laboratory and has developed the software capability for research into hydraulic manipulators, hydraulic actuators, hydraulic systems, modeling of hydraulic systems, and hydraulic controls. The hydraulics laboratory at ORNL has three different manipulators. First is a 6-Degree-of-Freedom (6-DoF), multi-planer, teleoperated, flexible controls test bed used for the development of waste tank clean-up manipulator controls, thermal studies, system characterization, and manipulator tracking. Finally, is a human amplifier test bed used for the development of an entire new class of teleoperated systems. To compliment the hardware in the hydraulics laboratory, ORNL has developed a hydraulics simulation capability including a custom package to model the hydraulic systems and manipulators for performance studies and control development. This paper outlines the history of hydraulic manipulator developments at ORNL, describes the hydraulics laboratory, discusses the use of the equipment within the laboratory, and presents some of the initial results from experiments and modeling associated with these hydraulic manipulators. Included are some of the results from the development of the human amplifier/de-amplifier concepts, the characterization of the thermal sensitivity of hydraulic systems, and end-point tracking accuracy studies. Experimental and analytical

Snapshots of mathematics teacher noticing during task design

Science.gov (United States)

Choy, Ban Heng

2016-09-01

Designing a mathematically worthwhile task is critical for promoting students' reasoning. To improve task design skills, teachers often engage in collaborative lesson planning activities such as lesson study. However, to learn from the process of lesson study, it is important for teachers to notice productively the concepts, students' confusion and the design of the task. But what researchers mean by productive noticing varies. In this article, I present the FOCUS Framework which highlights two characteristics of productive noticing: having an explicit focus for noticing and focusing noticing through pedagogical reasoning. Using these two characteristics, I develop snapshots of noticing as a representation of practice to present a fine-grained analysis of teacher noticing. Through vignettes of teachers discussing the design of a task to teach fractions, I illustrate how two teachers' noticing can be analysed and represented using snapshots of noticing. To conclude, I highlight what snapshots of noticing tell us about a teacher's noticing and suggest ways to use these snapshots in future studies of noticing.

Designing Task-Based Syllabus For Writing Class

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sundari Hanna

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Writing is viewed as the most complex skill to learn and to teach. Beside learner factors, teacher, materials and syllabus may also affect the process of learning language as foreign language. Syllabus, in general, can be defined as a set of what is taught (content and the way it is taught (procedure. This current research aims to design a task-based syllabus for writing class at university level. This study was conducted by qualitative descriptive design with 92 students and 4 lecturers as respondents. As part of research and development project in one private university in Jakarta, a developed task-based syllabus was based on need analysis and the principles of task-based language teaching. Students’ proficiency levels are fair with sentence patterns and grammar as the most difficult aspects. Academic writing is more preferable orientation with the small portions of creative writing. Then, the developed task-based syllabus has been proposed for writing class which covers the components of goal (learning outcome, course description and objectives, a set of writing tasks, features of content focus and language focus and course evaluation. The developed syllabus, then, can guide the lecturers in designing lesson plan and selecting materials for writing class.

Designing reading tasks to foster critical thinking Designing reading tasks to foster critical thinking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leda Maria Braga Tomitch

2008-04-01

Full Text Available What else is there besides multiple choice exercises, questions or true-false statements? What kind of readers do we EFL/ESL teachers, want to develop? Fortunately, there are alternative possibilities for designing reading activities which, besides being more interesting and fun for the students than the traditional tasks, can help develop more active and critical readers. A search in EFL/ESL reading textbooks has revealed that the most frequently encountered types of reading activities are comprehension questions, multiple-choice exercises, and true-false statements (Tomitch, in press a. These tasks have been used throughout the history of language teaching, and one must agree that they have their merits. However, there are reasons why they should not be used as the only source of activity in the classroom. What else is there besides multiple choice exercises, questions or true-false statements? What kind of readers do we EFL/ESL teachers, want to develop? Fortunately, there are alternative possibilities for designing reading activities which, besides being more interesting and fun for the students than the traditional tasks, can help develop more active and critical readers. A search in EFL/ESL reading textbooks has revealed that the most frequently encountered types of reading activities are comprehension questions, multiple-choice exercises, and true-false statements (Tomitch, in press a. These tasks have been used throughout the history of language teaching, and one must agree that they have their merits. However, there are reasons why they should not be used as the only source of activity in the classroom.

Designing Prediction Tasks in a Mathematics Software Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Brunström, Mats; Fahlgren, Maria

2015-01-01

There is a recognised need in mathematics teaching for new kinds of tasks which exploit the affordances provided by new technology. This paper focuses on the design of prediction tasks to foster student reasoning about exponential functions in a mathematics software environment. It draws on the first iteration of a design based research study…

Life sciences payload definition and integration study, task C and D. Volume 2: Payload definition, integration, and planning studies

Science.gov (United States)

1973-01-01

The Life Sciences Payload Definition and Integration Study was composed of four major tasks. Tasks A and B, the laboratory definition phase, were the subject of prior NASA study. The laboratory definition phase included the establishment of research functions, equipment definitions, and conceptual baseline laboratory designs. These baseline laboratories were designated as Maxi-Nom, Mini-30, and Mini-7. The outputs of Tasks A and B were used by the NASA Life Sciences Payload Integration Team to establish guidelines for Tasks C and D, the laboratory integration phase of the study. A brief review of Tasks A and B is presented provide background continuity. The tasks C and D effort is the subject of this report. The Task C effort stressed the integration of the NASA selected laboratory designs with the shuttle sortie module. The Task D effort updated and developed costs that could be used by NASA for preliminary program planning.

Chaos Generation Managed Through Design Thinking: a Task Model for the Design Professional

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knudsen, Christina; Møllenbach, Emilie

2016-01-01

The task model presented here is a working vision for the design professional redirecting focus from the application of predefined project structures to a process of complex evaluation. The task model is developed through a hermeneutic analysis of the discourse applied by design professionals...

Impact of task design on task performance and injury risk: case study of a simulated drilling task.

Science.gov (United States)

Alabdulkarim, Saad; Nussbaum, Maury A; Rashedi, Ehsan; Kim, Sunwook; Agnew, Michael; Gardner, Richard

2017-06-01

Existing evidence is limited regarding the influence of task design on performance and ergonomic risk, or the association between these two outcomes. In a controlled experiment, we constructed a mock fuselage to simulate a drilling task common in aircraft manufacturing, and examined the effect of three levels of workstation adjustability on performance as measured by productivity (e.g. fuselage completion time) and quality (e.g. fuselage defective holes), and ergonomic risk as quantified using two common methods (rapid upper limb assessment and the strain index). The primary finding was that both productivity and quality significantly improved with increased adjustability, yet this occurred only when that adjustability succeeded in reducing ergonomic risk. Supporting the inverse association between ergonomic risk and performance, the condition with highest adjustability created the lowest ergonomic risk and the best performance while there was not a substantial difference in ergonomic risk between the other two conditions, in which performance was also comparable. Practitioner Summary: Findings of this study supported a causal relationship between task design and both ergonomic risk and performance, and that ergonomic risk and performance are inversely associated. While future work is needed under more realistic conditions and a broader population, these results may be useful for task (re)design and to help cost-justify some ergonomic interventions.

Stressful task increases drive for thinness and bulimia: a laboratory study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandra eSassaroli

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The scientific literature has suggested that stress undergirds the development of eating disorders (ED. Therefore, this study explored whether laboratory induced stress increases self-reported drive for thinness and bulimic symptoms measured via self-report. The relationship between control, perfectionism, stress, and cognition related to ED was examined using correlational methodology. 86 participants completed an experimental task using a personal computer. All individuals completed a battery of tests before and after the stressful task. Analyses showed a significant statistical increase in average scores on the drive for thinness and bulimia measured before and after a stressful task, and path analysis revealed two different cognitive models for the mechanism leading to drive for thinness and bulimia. These findings suggest that stress is an important factor in the development of the drive for thinness and bulimia.

Design and management of hot-laboratories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-09-01

This document is a manual for the design and management of hot-laboratories. It is composed of three parts. The first part is devoted to the design of hot-laboratories. Items included here are; conceptual design; many regulations which must be considered at design stage; design of cave and its shielding; and the design of building, ventilation, and draining. Many examples of specific designs are presented by figures and photographs. The second part is concerned with the methods of operation management. Organizational structure, scheduling of operation, process management, and regulatory problems are discussed with some examples. Technological problems associated with the operation of a hot laboratory (e.g., manipulator, transfer machine, maintenance, and decontamination) are also discussed based on the authors' experiences. An example of the operation manual is presented for reference. The third part is devoted to the safety management and the training of personnel. The regulations by law are briefly explained. Most of this part is devoted to the problem of monitoring radio-activity. Monitoring of control areas, radio-active wastes, and personal dosage is discussed together with many other specific monitoring problems. As for training, the purpose and the present status are explained. (Aoki, K.)

Designing the Widget: A Group Decision and Negotiation Task

Science.gov (United States)

Delise, Lisa A.; Mello, Abby L.

2017-01-01

The Widget design task is an in-class, experiential exercise that affords students the opportunity to develop interpersonal skills in group negotiation. Students engage in new product design in committees of two dyads where one dyad represents Consumer Research and the other represents Strategic Management. Task information creates different…

Concurrent multidisciplinary mechanical design based on design task analysis and knowledge sharing; Sekkei task bunseki to joho kyoyu ni yoru mechatronics kyocho sekkei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kondo, K.; Ozawa, M.; Mori, T. [Toshiba Corp., Tokyo (Japan)

1999-09-01

We have developed a systematic design task planning method based on a design structure matrix(DSM) and a lumped model- based framework for knowledge sharing in a concurrent design environment as key techniques for developing higher quality products in a shorter design time. The DSM facilitates systematic analysis of dependencies among design tasks and optimization of the design process. The framework based on a lumped model description of mechanical systems enables concurrent and cooperative work among multidisciplinary designers at an early stage of the design process. In this paper, we also discuss the relationships between these techniques and the product development flow from product definition to detailed design. (author)

Using Students' Design Tasks to Develop Scientific Abilities

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Xueli

2007-11-01

To help students develop the scientific abilities desired in the 21st century workplace, four different types of student design tasks—observation, verification, application, and investigation experiments—have been developed and implemented in our calculus-based introductory courses. Students working in small groups are engaged in designing and conducting their own experiments to observe some physical phenomena, test a physical principle, build a real-life device, solve a complex problem, or conduct an open-inquiry investigation. A preliminary study has shown that, probed by a performance-based task, the identified scientific abilities are more explicitly demonstrated by design-lab students than non-design lab students. In this paper, detailed examples of the design tasks and assessment results will be reported.

Stressful task increases drive for thinness and bulimia: a laboratory study

OpenAIRE

Sassaroli, Sandra; Fiore, Francesca; Mezzaluna, Clarice; Ruggiero, Giovanni Maria

2015-01-01

The scientific literature has suggested that stress undergirds the development of eating disorders (ED). Therefore, this study explored whether laboratory induced stress increases self-reported drive for thinness and bulimic symptoms measured via self-report. The relationship between control, perfectionism, stress, and cognition related to ED was examined using correlational methodology. Eighty-six participants completed an experimental task using a personal computer (PC). All individuals com...

Elementary students' engagement in failure-prone engineering design tasks

Science.gov (United States)

Andrews, Chelsea Joy

Although engineering education has been practiced at the undergraduate level for over a century, only fairly recently has the field broadened to include the elementary level; the pre-college division of the American Society of Engineering Education was established in 2003. As a result, while recent education standards require engineering in elementary schools, current studies are still filling in basic research on how best to design and implement elementary engineering activities. One area in need of investigation is how students engage with physical failure in design tasks. In this dissertation, I explore how upper elementary students engage in failure-prone engineering design tasks in an out-of-school environment. In a series of three empirical case studies, I look closely at how students evaluate failed tests and decide on changes to their design constructions, how their reasoning evolves as they repeatedly encounter physical failure, and how students and facilitators co-construct testing norms where repetitive failure is manageable. I also briefly investigate how students' engagement differs in a task that features near-immediate success. By closely examining student groups' discourse and their interactions with their design constructions, I found that these students: are able to engage in iteration and see failure-as-feedback with minimal externally-imposed structure; seem to be designing in a more sophisticated manner, attending to multiple causal factors, after experiencing repetitive failure; and are able to manage the stress and frustration of repetitive failure, provided the co-constructed testing norms of the workshop environment are supportive of failure management. These results have both pedagogical implications, in terms of how to create and facilitate design tasks, and methodological implications--namely, I highlight the particular insights afforded by a case study approach for analyzing engagement in design tasks.

Research on Mathematics Teachers as Partners in Task Design

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Keith; Pepin, Birgit

2016-01-01

Mathematical tasks and tools, including tasks in the form of digital tools, are key resources in mathematics teaching and in mathematics teacher education. Even so, the "design" of mathematical tasks is perceived in different ways: sometimes seen as something distinct from the teaching and learning process, and sometimes as integral to…

Task-oriented structural design of manipulators based on operability evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kotosaka, Shin-ya; Asama, Hajime; Takata, Shozo; Hiraoka, Hiroyuki; Kohda, Takehisa; Matsumoto, Akihiro; Endo, Isao.

1995-01-01

In this paper, a new method for designing the structure of manipulators based on evaluation of their adaptability to tasks is proposed. In the method, task directions are classified into three kinds of direction; operational direction, constrained direction and free direction. On each direction, condition of constraints by task environment is represented. The tasks are represented by a set of direction and condition of constraints. A new criterion, operability, is defined to quantify adaptability of manipulator to tasks, taking account of mobility in operational directions and immobility in constrained directions. The mobility and immobility is calculated based on the Jacobian matrix of manipulator. The operability evaluation method is implemented, and applied to structural design of manipulators, in which link parameters are optimized by the genetic algorithm. This system can derive suitable structure of manipulator to various tasks. The effectiveness of the system is shown concerning examples of welding tasks. (author)

Using performance tasks employing IOM patient safety competencies to introduce quality improvement processes in medical laboratory science education.

Science.gov (United States)

Golemboski, Karen; Otto, Catherine N; Morris, Susan

2013-01-01

In order to contribute to improved healthcare quality through patient-centered care, laboratory professionals at all levels of practice must be able to recognize the connection between non-analytical factors and laboratory analysis, in the context of patient outcomes and quality improvement. These practices require qualities such as critical thinking (CT), teamwork skills, and familiarity with the quality improvement process, which will be essential for the development of evidence-based laboratory science practice. Performance tasks (PT) are an educational strategy which can be used to teach and assess CT and teamwork, while introducing Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) students at both baccalaureate and advanced-practice levels to the concepts of quality improvement processes and patient outcomes research. PT presents students with complex, realistic scenarios which require the incorporation of subject-specific knowledge with competencies such as effective team communication, patient-centered care, and successful use of information technology. A PT with assessment rubric was designed for use in a baccalaureate-level MLS program to teach and assess CT and teamwork competency. The results indicated that, even when students were able to integrate subject-specific knowledge in creative ways, their understanding of teamwork and quality improvement was limited. This indicates the need to intentionally teach skills such as collaboration and quality system design. PT represent one of many strategies that may be used in MLS education to develop essential professional competencies, encourage expert practice, and facilitate quality improvement.

Designing Spreadsheet-Based Tasks for Purposeful Algebra

Science.gov (United States)

Ainley, Janet; Bills, Liz; Wilson, Kirsty

2005-01-01

We describe the design of a sequence of spreadsheet-based pedagogic tasks for the introduction of algebra in the early years of secondary schooling within the Purposeful Algebraic Activity project. This design combines two relatively novel features to bring a different perspective to research in the use of spreadsheets for the learning and…

A Quasi-Experimental Design to Evaluate the Use of PythonTutor on Programming Laboratory Session

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oscar Karnalim

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract—Educational tool is one of the prominent solutions for aiding students to learn course material in Information Technology (IT domain. However, most of them are not used in practice since they do not properly fit student necessity. This paper evaluates the impact of an educational tool, namely PythonTutor, for completing programming laboratory task regarding data structure materials. Such evaluation will be conducted in one semester by implementing a quasi-experimental design. As a result, six findings can be deducted which are: 1 PythonTutor might positively affect student performance when the students have used such tool before; 2 Sometimes, student perspective regarding the impact of educational tool is not always in-sync with actual laboratory result; 3 the impact of PythonTutor might be improved when similar data representation is used consequently for several weeks; 4 the correlation between the use of PythonTutor and student performance might not be significant when the control and intervened group share completely different characteristics; 5 the students might experience some difficulties when they are asked to handle a big task for the first time; and 6 the students might be able to complete a particular weekly task with a promising result if the students have understood the material well.

Task design for improving students’ engagement in mathematics learning

Science.gov (United States)

Khairunnisa

2018-01-01

This article analysed the importance of task design as one of the instruments in the learning and its application in several studies. Through task design, students engage in learning caused them enthusiastically in expressing ideas, opinion or knowledge of them. Thus, the teacher was able to gain an idea of knowledge belonging to students. By using this information, teachers are able to develop the thinking ability of students.

How to Develop an Engineering Design Task

Science.gov (United States)

Dankenbring, Chelsey; Capobianco, Brenda M.; Eichinger, David

2014-01-01

In this article, the authors provide an overview of engineering and the engineering design process, and describe the steps they took to develop a fifth grade-level, standards-based engineering design task titled "Getting the Dirt on Decomposition." Their main goal was to focus more on modeling the discrete steps they took to create and…

Task based design of a digital work environment (DWE for an academic community

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Narayanan Meyyappan

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Task based design is considered one of the effective ways of designing functional software. It is generally accepted that tasks play an important role in system and user interface design. Identifying the user's tasks enables the designer to construct user interfaces reflecting the tasks' properties, including efficient usage patterns, easy-to-use interaction sequences, and powerful assistance features. In this paper, we present a prototype of a Digital Work Environment (DWE to support a task-oriented design to information access in a typical community of academic users. The resources in DWE are organized according to specific tasks performed by the research students and staff in the Division of Information Studies of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. The tasks and resources were elicited based on the needs of faculty and students through interviews and focus groups. Examples of these tasks include preparation of a new course outline, setting of examination papers, preparation of reading lists and assignments, conducting literature reviews and writing dissertations. This paper discusses the problems of digital library users in an academic environment, highlights task oriented projects and focuses on the task of preparing and writing a Master dissertation. It highlights the importance of task based design in assisting and helping students and instructors from the time of selecting the research project to the time of submitting the final bound copies of the dissertation.

Authentic tasks in higher education: Studying design principles for assessment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Keulen, H.; van den Berg, I.; Ramaekers, S.

2006-01-01

Students may benefit significantly from learning through authentic tasks. But how do we assess their learning outcomes, taking into account the specific characteristics of authentic tasks? In the second presentation of this symposium on design principles for authentic tasks we present and discuss

Integrated Task And Data Parallel Programming: Language Design

Science.gov (United States)

Grimshaw, Andrew S.; West, Emily A.

1998-01-01

his research investigates the combination of task and data parallel language constructs within a single programming language. There are an number of applications that exhibit properties which would be well served by such an integrated language. Examples include global climate models, aircraft design problems, and multidisciplinary design optimization problems. Our approach incorporates data parallel language constructs into an existing, object oriented, task parallel language. The language will support creation and manipulation of parallel classes and objects of both types (task parallel and data parallel). Ultimately, the language will allow data parallel and task parallel classes to be used either as building blocks or managers of parallel objects of either type, thus allowing the development of single and multi-paradigm parallel applications. 1995 Research Accomplishments In February I presented a paper at Frontiers '95 describing the design of the data parallel language subset. During the spring I wrote and defended my dissertation proposal. Since that time I have developed a runtime model for the language subset. I have begun implementing the model and hand-coding simple examples which demonstrate the language subset. I have identified an astrophysical fluid flow application which will validate the data parallel language subset. 1996 Research Agenda Milestones for the coming year include implementing a significant portion of the data parallel language subset over the Legion system. Using simple hand-coded methods, I plan to demonstrate (1) concurrent task and data parallel objects and (2) task parallel objects managing both task and data parallel objects. My next steps will focus on constructing a compiler and implementing the fluid flow application with the language. Concurrently, I will conduct a search for a real-world application exhibiting both task and data parallelism within the same program m. Additional 1995 Activities During the fall I collaborated

Exploring students' perceptions and performance on predict-observe-explain tasks in high school chemistry laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Vadapally, Praveen

This study sought to understand the impact of gender and reasoning level on students' perceptions and performances of Predict-Observe-Explain (POE) laboratory tasks in a high school chemistry laboratory. Several literature reviews have reported that students at all levels have not developed the specific knowledge and skills that were expected from their laboratory work. Studies conducted over the last several decades have found that boys tend to be more successful than girls in science and mathematics courses. However, some recent studies have suggested that girls may be reducing this gender gap. This gender difference is the focal point of this research study, which was conducted at a mid-western, rural high school. The participants were 24 boys and 25 girls enrolled in two physical science classes taught by the same teacher. In this mixed methods study, qualitative and quantitative methods were implemented simultaneously over the entire period of the study. MANOVA statistics revealed significant effects due to gender and level of reasoning on the outcome variables, which were POE performances and perceptions of the chemistry laboratory environment. There were no significant interactions between these effects. For the qualitative method, IRB-approved information was collected, coded, grouped, and analyzed. This method was used to derive themes from students' responses on questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Students with different levels of reasoning and gender were interviewed, and many of them expressed positive themes, which was a clear indication that they had enjoyed participating in the POE learning tasks and they had developed positive perceptions towards POE inquiry laboratory learning environment. When students are capable of formal reasoning, they can use an abstract scientific concept effectively and then relate it to the ideas they generate in their minds. Thus, instructors should factor the nature of students' thinking abilities into their

Using IMPRINT to Guide Experimental Design with Simulated Task Environments

Science.gov (United States)

2015-06-18

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

The Multiple Roles of the Task Design Mediator in Telecollaboration

Science.gov (United States)

Fuchs, Carolin; Snyder, Bill; Tung, Bruce; Jung Han, Yu

2017-01-01

This case study explores how a Chinese-American novice teacher acted as mediator in a telecollaboration with student teacher (ST) peers in the USA who designed tasks for his English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in China. The novice teacher was instrumental in mediating the student teachers' task design process by providing feedback…

Laboratory design for high-performance electron microscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

O' Keefe, Michael A.; Turner, John H.; Hetherington, Crispin J.D.; Cullis, A.G.; Carragher, Bridget; Jenkins, Ron; Milgrim, Julie; Milligan,Ronald A.; Potter, Clinton S.; Allard, Lawrence F.; Blom, Douglas A.; Degenhardt, Lynn; Sides, William H.

2004-04-23

Proliferation of electron microscopes with field emission guns, imaging filters and hardware spherical aberration correctors (giving higher spatial and energy resolution) has resulted in the need to construct special laboratories. As resolutions improve, transmission electron microscopes (TEMs) and scanning transmission electron microscopes (STEMs) become more sensitive to ambient conditions. State-of-the-art electron microscopes require state-of-the-art environments, and this means careful design and implementation of microscope sites, from the microscope room to the building that surrounds it. Laboratories have been constructed to house high-sensitive instruments with resolutions ranging down to sub-Angstrom levels; we present the various design philosophies used for some of these laboratories and our experiences with them. Four facilities are described: the National Center for Electron Microscopy OAM Laboratory at LBNL; the FEGTEM Facility at the University of Sheffield; the Center for Integrative Molecular Biosciences at TSRI; and the Advanced Microscopy Laboratory at ORNL.

SAFETY IN THE DESIGN OF SCIENCE LABORATORIES AND BUILDING CODES.

Science.gov (United States)

HOROWITZ, HAROLD

THE DESIGN OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY BUILDINGS USED FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND EDUCATION IS DISCUSSED IN TERMS OF LABORATORY SAFETY AND BUILDING CODES AND REGULATIONS. MAJOR TOPIC AREAS ARE--(1) SAFETY RELATED DESIGN FEATURES OF SCIENCE LABORATORIES, (2) LABORATORY SAFETY AND BUILDING CODES, AND (3) EVIDENCE OF UNSAFE DESIGN. EXAMPLES EMPHASIZE…

Designing Digital Problem Based Learning Tasks that Motivate Students

Science.gov (United States)

van Loon, Anne-Marieke; Ros, Anje; Martens, Rob

2013-01-01

This study examines whether teachers are able to apply the principles of autonomy support and structure support in designing digital problem based learning (PBL) tasks. We examine whether these tasks are more autonomy- and structure-supportive and whether primary and secondary school students experience greater autonomy, competence, and motivation…

Reference task-based design of crisis management games

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Link, Daniel; Meesters, Kenny; Hellingrath, Bernd; van de Walle, B.A.; Hiltz, S.R.; Pfaff, M.S.; Plotnick, L.; Shih, P.C.

Serious games are an effective tool for giving players a hands-on, immersive experience of crisis situations. To simplify the design of such games while ensuring their relevance, we propose a design method that is based on reference tasks. The feasibility of this approach is demonstrated by the

Task Analysis: A Systematic Approach to Designing New Careers Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Vivian C.

This guide presents the primary approaches, tools, and techniques utilized by the New Careers Training Laboratory (NCTL) staff to provide skills in training and to conduct agency task analyses. Much of the technical information has been taken from an earlier NCTL publication by Tita Beal, "A New Careers Guide for Career Development…

Automatic evaluation of task-focused parallel jaw gripper design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wolniakowski, Adam; Miatliuk, Konstantsin; Krüger, Norbert

2014-01-01

In this paper, we suggest gripper quality metrics that indicate the performance of a gripper given an object CAD model and a task description. Those, we argue, can be used in the design and selection of an appropriate gripper when the task is known. We present three different gripper metrics that...

Lessons in Financial Literacy Task Design: Authentic, Imaginable, Useful

Science.gov (United States)

Sawatzki, Carly

2017-01-01

As part of ongoing design-based research exploring financial literacy teaching and learning, 10 tasks termed "financial dilemmas" were trialled by 14 teachers and more than 300 year 5 and 6 students in four government primary schools in urban Darwin. Drawing on data related to three tasks--"Catching the bus," "Laser…

Uso de la simulación con SuperPro Designer en las prácticas de laboratorio de tratamiento de agua y residuales Using SuperPro Designer simulation in water and waste water treatment laboratory practices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah Isabel Barreto Torrella

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This article aims to describe results of introducing simulation practice, using Super Pro Designer program, in laboratory practices of Water and Waste Water Treatment in Chemical Engineering career of the “Ignacio Agramonte Loynaz” University and designed teaching strategy for that purpose. The subject was studied to set its system of contents, frontier and environment, the relation to other subjects and the system, subsystem and learning dynamics as a whole. A system of laboratory practices and a teaching strategy to use the simulator SuperPro Designer were design. Learning and skills development were assessed through self-preparation control, performance in doing tasks, findings registered in the corresponding reports and application in other homework tasks. The set of activities designed favored students’ independent work of students by presenting problematic situations in a nice graphical environment and under the teacher leadership continue varying operating conditions to evaluate results. The strategy fostered the horizontal and vertical connection of subjects of and the fulfillment of language, economy and ICT curricular strategies. Keywords: , , , .

A comparison of designer activity using core design situations in the laboratory and practice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cash, Philip; Hicks, Ben J.; Culley, Steve J.

2013-01-01

using a mixed methods approach. Based on this it is concluded that laboratory studies are important research tools and that clear and definable relationships do exist between design activity in practice and the laboratory. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved....... situations commonly studied by design researchers: information seeking, ideation and design review. This comparison is instantiated through three complementary studies: an observational study of practice and two experimental studies. These reveal a range of similarities and differences that are described......In 2011 one quarter of all articles published in Design Studies and the Journal of Engineering Design used experimental studies. However, there is little work exploring the relationship between laboratory and practice. This paper addresses this by detailing an analysis of designer activity in three...

Balancing Human-machine Interface (HMI) Design in Complex Supervisory Tasks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ha, Junsu; Kim, Arryum; Jang, Inseok; Seong, Poonghyun

2013-01-01

Human performance aspects such as plant performance, personnel task performance, situation awareness, cognitive workload, teamwork, and anthropomorphic/physiological factor are evaluated with the HUPESS. Even though the HUPESS provides evaluation results in each of the performance aspects for the integrated system validation (ISV), additional researches have been needed to develop methods on how to find out design deficiency leading to poor performance and give a solution for design improvement in HMI. The authors have developed a method of HMI design improvement for the monitoring and detection tasks which was named as 'DEMIS (Difficulty Evaluation Method in Information Searching)'. The DEMIS is a HMI evaluation method which bridge poor performance and design improvement. Lessons learned from the existing studies lead to a question about how to optimize the whole HMI design. Human factors principles provide the foundation for guidelines of various codes and standards in designing HMIs. Also in NPPs, a lot of guidelines directly from various codes and standard and derived from various research and development projects are available for designing MCR HMIs. In this study, a balancing principle and relevant two measures for HMI design optimization are proposed to be used in the HMI design of complex supervisory tasks in NPPs. The balancing principle is that a HMI element (e. g., an indicator or a push button) should be designed according to its importance

Balancing Human-machine Interface (HMI) Design in Complex Supervisory Tasks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ha, Junsu [Khalifa Univ. of Science, Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates); Kim, Arryum; Jang, Inseok; Seong, Poonghyun [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2013-05-15

Human performance aspects such as plant performance, personnel task performance, situation awareness, cognitive workload, teamwork, and anthropomorphic/physiological factor are evaluated with the HUPESS. Even though the HUPESS provides evaluation results in each of the performance aspects for the integrated system validation (ISV), additional researches have been needed to develop methods on how to find out design deficiency leading to poor performance and give a solution for design improvement in HMI. The authors have developed a method of HMI design improvement for the monitoring and detection tasks which was named as 'DEMIS (Difficulty Evaluation Method in Information Searching)'. The DEMIS is a HMI evaluation method which bridge poor performance and design improvement. Lessons learned from the existing studies lead to a question about how to optimize the whole HMI design. Human factors principles provide the foundation for guidelines of various codes and standards in designing HMIs. Also in NPPs, a lot of guidelines directly from various codes and standard and derived from various research and development projects are available for designing MCR HMIs. In this study, a balancing principle and relevant two measures for HMI design optimization are proposed to be used in the HMI design of complex supervisory tasks in NPPs. The balancing principle is that a HMI element (e. g., an indicator or a push button) should be designed according to its importance.

Application of peer instruction in the laboratory task of measuring the effective mass of a spring

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Chun-Ling; Hou, Zhen-Yu; Si, Yu-Chang; Wen, Xiao-Qing; Tang, Lei

2017-11-01

Peer instruction (PI) is an effective interactive approach to teaching and learning that has principally been used to modify the experience of learning in traditional physics lecture settings. This article further illustrates how the concept of PI can be effectively applied in the physics student laboratory setting. The setting used is a laboratory task that calls for the measurement of the effective mass of the spring of a Jolly balance. Through PI the students gain a better understanding of what is meant by the construct ‘effective mass of a spring’, and thereby competently work out how the mass, shape, wire diameter, and number of turns of the spring can all affect the effective mass of the spring. Furthermore, using stopwatches the students were also able to appreciate how recorded times at the equilibrium position had greater uncertainty than measurements made at the maximum displacement. This led to their calculations of the effective mass of the spring being impressively close to the theoretical value. Such laboratory tasks are extremely challenging to introductory level students and the success attained by the students in this study indicates that there is much potential in the application of PI in laboratory settings. PI should be used to teach in the laboratory and results should be reported in order for our community to build on these experiences. This article is a contribution to that effort.

Virtual Reality for Materials Design Laboratory

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The purpose is to research and develop materials through applied virtual reality to enable interactive "materials-by-design." Extensive theoretical and computational...

Pedagogical directions to design and support collaborative knowledge building on-line tasks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ingrid Noguera Fructuoso

2013-02-01

Full Text Available 0 0 1 187 1034 USAL 8 2 1219 14.0 Normal 0 21 false false false ES JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabla normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:ES; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} Research on Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL demonstrates that proposing that students work in groups does not improve their learning or increase their motivation. It is essential to design appropriate learning tasks and suitable pedagogical and technological support. The aim of this research is to identify pedagogical directions to design and support collaborative knowledge building tasks in on-line education. We conducted a case study at the Open University of Catalonia where we carried out two experiments: the first focusing on how teachers design and support collaborative on-line learning tasks and, the second, based on the control exerted over the tasks. As a result of the investigation we characterize the type of tasks that promote collaborative knowledge building, the teachers’ role and functions supporting these types of tasks, and we identify different stages in task regulation. Based on these results, we propose pedagogical directions to design and support collaborative on-line tasks divided into 4 stages: 1 Task design and individual preparation, 2 Task organization and group negotiation, 3 Task performance and collaborative knowledge building, and 4 Critical evaluation.

A meta-analytic review of the impact of intranasal oxytocin administration on cortisol concentrations during laboratory tasks: moderation by method and mental health.

Science.gov (United States)

Cardoso, Christopher; Kingdon, Danielle; Ellenbogen, Mark A

2014-11-01

A large body of research has examined the acute effects of intranasal oxytocin administration on social cognition and stress-regulation. While progress has been made with respect to understanding the effect of oxytocin administration on social cognition in clinical populations (e.g. autism, schizophrenia), less is known about its impact on the functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis among individuals with a mental disorder. We conducted a meta-analysis on the acute effect of intranasal oxytocin administration on the cortisol response to laboratory tasks. The search yielded eighteen studies employing a randomized, placebo-controlled design (k=18, N=675). Random-effects models and moderator analyses were performed using the metafor package for the statistical program R. The overall effect size estimate was modest and not statistically significant (Hedges g=-0.151, p=0.11) with moderate heterogeneity in this effect across studies (I(2)=31%). Controlling for baseline differences in cortisol concentrations, moderation analyses revealed that this effect was larger in response to challenging laboratory tasks that produced a robust stimulation of the HPA-axis (Hedges g=-0.433, 95% CI[-0.841, -0.025]), and in clinical populations relative to healthy controls (Hedges g=-0.742, 95% CI[-1.405, -0.078]). Overall, oxytocin administration showed greater attenuation of the cortisol response to laboratory tasks that strongly activated the HPA-axis, relative to tasks that did not. The effect was more robust among clinical populations, suggesting possible increased sensitivity to oxytocin among those with a clinical diagnosis and concomitant social difficulties. These data support the view that oxytocin may play an important role in HPA dysfunction associated with psychopathology. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design study of underground facility of the Underground Research Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hibiya, Keisuke; Akiyoshi, Kenji; Ishizuka, Mineo; Anezaki, Susumu

1998-03-01

Geoscientific research program to study deep geological environment has been performed by Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC). This research is supported by 'Long-Term Program for Research, Development and Utilization of Nuclear Energy'. An Underground Research Laboratory is planned to be constructed at Shoma-sama Hora in the research area belonging to PNC. A wide range of geoscientific research and development activities which have been previously studied at the Tono Area is planned in the laboratory. The Underground Research Laboratory is consisted of Surface Laboratory and Underground Research Facility located from the surface down to depth between several hundreds and 1,000 meters. Based on the results of design study in last year, the design study performed in this year is to investigate the followings in advance of studies for basic design and practical design: concept, design procedure, design flow and total layout. As a study for the concept of the underground facility, items required for the facility are investigated and factors to design the primary form of the underground facility are extracted. Continuously, design methods for the vault and the underground facility are summarized. Furthermore, design procedures of the extracted factors are summarized and total layout is studied considering the results to be obtained from the laboratory. (author)

A design guide for energy-efficient research laboratories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wishner, N.; Chen, A.; Cook, L. [eds.; Bell, G.C.; Mills, E.; Sartor, D.; Avery, D.; Siminovitch, M.; Piette, M.A.

1996-09-24

This document--A Design Guide for Energy-Efficient Research Laboratories--provides a detailed and holistic framework to assist designers and energy managers in identifying and applying advanced energy-efficiency features in laboratory-type environments. The Guide fills an important void in the general literature and compliments existing in-depth technical manuals. Considerable information is available pertaining to overall laboratory design issues, but no single document focuses comprehensively on energy issues in these highly specialized environments. Furthermore, practitioners may utilize many antiquated rules of thumb, which often inadvertently cause energy inefficiency. The Guide helps its user to: introduce energy decision-making into the earliest phases of the design process, access the literature of pertinent issues, and become aware of debates and issues on related topics. The Guide does focus on individual technologies, as well as control systems, and important operational factors such as building commissioning. However, most importantly, the Guide is intended to foster a systems perspective (e.g. right sizing) and to present current leading-edge, energy-efficient design practices and principles.

Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory - Preliminary Design Report

CERN Document Server

Lesko, Kevin T; Alonso, Jose; Bauer, Paul; Chan, Yuen-Dat; Chinowsky, William; Dangermond, Steve; Detwiler, Jason A; De Vries, Syd; DiGennaro, Richard; Exter, Elizabeth; Fernandez, Felix B; Freer, Elizabeth L; Gilchriese, Murdock G D; Goldschmidt, Azriel; Grammann, Ben; Griffing, William; Harlan, Bill; Haxton, Wick C; Headley, Michael; Heise, Jaret; Hladysz, Zbigniew; Jacobs, Dianna; Johnson, Michael; Kadel, Richard; Kaufman, Robert; King, Greg; Lanou, Robert; Lemut, Alberto; Ligeti, Zoltan; Marks, Steve; Martin, Ryan D; Matthesen, John; Matthew, Brendan; Matthews, Warren; McConnell, Randall; McElroy, William; Meyer, Deborah; Norris, Margaret; Plate, David; Robinson, Kem E; Roggenthen, William; Salve, Rohit; Sayler, Ben; Scheetz, John; Tarpinian, Jim; Taylor, David; Vardiman, David; Wheeler, Ron; Willhite, Joshua; Yeck, James

2011-01-01

The DUSEL Project has produced the Preliminary Design of the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) at the rehabilitated former Homestake mine in South Dakota. The Facility design calls for, on the surface, two new buildings - one a visitor and education center, the other an experiment assembly hall - and multiple repurposed existing buildings. To support underground research activities, the design includes two laboratory modules and additional spaces at a level 4,850 feet underground for physics, biology, engineering, and Earth science experiments. On the same level, the design includes a Department of Energy-shepherded Large Cavity supporting the Long Baseline Neutrino Experiment. At the 7,400-feet level, the design incorporates one laboratory module and additional spaces for physics and Earth science efforts. With input from some 25 science and engineering collaborations, the Project has designed critical experimental space and infrastructure needs, including space for a suite of multi...

Impact of the implementation of a well-designed electronic laboratory notebook on bioanalytical laboratory function.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Jianing; Hillman, Mark; Arnold, Mark

2011-07-01

This paper shares experiences of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company during the design, validation and implementation of an electronic laboratory notebook (ELN) into the GLP/regulated bioanalytical analysis area, as well as addresses the impact on bioanalytical laboratory functions with the implementation of the electronic notebook. Some of the key points covered are: knowledge management - the project-based electronic notebook takes full advantage of the available technology that focuses on data organization and sharing so that scientific data generated by individual scientists became department knowledge; bioanalytical workflows in the ELN - the custom-built workflows that include data entry templates, validated calculation processes, integration with laboratory information management systems/laboratory instruments, and reporting capability improve the data quality and overall workflow efficiency; regulatory compliance - carefully designed notebook reviewing processes, cross referencing of distributed information, audit trail and software validation reduce compliance risks. By taking into consideration both data generation and project documentation needs, a well-designed ELN can deliver significant improvements in laboratory efficiency, work productivity, and regulatory compliance.

A task based design procedure and modelling approached for industrial crystallization processes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Menon, A.R.

2006-01-01

A synthesis-based approach to the design of crystallizers and industrial crystallization processes is introduced in this thesis. An ontology for a task-based design procedure has been developed which breaks the crystallization process into a subset of basic functions (physical tasks) which transform

Design issues in the semantics and scheduling of asynchronous tasks.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Olivier, Stephen L.

2013-07-01

The asynchronous task model serves as a useful vehicle for shared memory parallel programming, particularly on multicore and manycore processors. As adoption of model among programmers has increased, support has emerged for the integration of task parallel language constructs into mainstream programming languages, e.g., C and C++. This paper examines some of the design decisions in Cilk and OpenMP concerning semantics and scheduling of asynchronous tasks with the aim of informing the efforts of committees considering language integration, as well as developers of new task parallel languages and libraries.

Ergonomic assessments of three Idaho National Engineering Laboratory cafeterias

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ostrom, L.T.; Romero, H.A.; Gilbert, B.G.; Wilhelmsen, C.A.

1993-01-01

The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory is a Department of Energy facility that performs a variety of engineering and research projects. EG G Idaho is the prime contractor for the laboratory and, as such, performs the support functions in addition to technical, research, and development functions. As a part of the EG G Idaho Industrial Hygiene Initiative, ergonomic assessments were conducted at three Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Cafeterias. The purposes of the assessments were to determine whether ergonomic problems existed in the work places and, if so, to make recommendations to improve the work place and task designs. The study showed there were ergonomic problems in all three cafeterias assessed. The primary ergonomic stresses observed included wrist and shoulder stress in the dish washing task, postural stress in the dish washing and food preparation tasks, and back stress in the food handling tasks.

Ergonomic assessments of three Idaho National Engineering Laboratory cafeterias

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ostrom, L.T.; Romero, H.A.; Gilbert, B.G.; Wilhelmsen, C.A.

1993-05-01

The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory is a Department of Energy facility that performs a variety of engineering and research projects. EG&G Idaho is the prime contractor for the laboratory and, as such, performs the support functions in addition to technical, research, and development functions. As a part of the EG&G Idaho Industrial Hygiene Initiative, ergonomic assessments were conducted at three Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Cafeterias. The purposes of the assessments were to determine whether ergonomic problems existed in the work places and, if so, to make recommendations to improve the work place and task designs. The study showed there were ergonomic problems in all three cafeterias assessed. The primary ergonomic stresses observed included wrist and shoulder stress in the dish washing task, postural stress in the dish washing and food preparation tasks, and back stress in the food handling tasks.

Devising Principles of Design for Numeracy Tasks

Science.gov (United States)

Geiger, Vince; Forgasz, Helen; Goos, Merrilyn; Bennison, Anne

2014-01-01

Numeracy is a fundamental component of the Australian National Curriculum as a General Capability identified in each F-10 subject. In this paper, we consider the principles of design necessary for the development of numeracy tasks specific to subjects other than mathematics--in this case, the subject of English. We explore the nature of potential…

Safety Design Requirements for The Interior Architecture of Scientific Research Laboratories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ElDib, A.A.

2014-01-01

The paper discusses one of the primary objectives of interior architecture design of research laboratories (specially those using radioactive materials) where it should provide a safe, accessible environment for laboratory personnel to conduct their work. A secondary objective is to allow for maximum flexibility for safe research. Therefore, health and safety hazards must be anticipated and carefully evaluated so that protective measures can be incorporated into the interior architectural design of these facilities wherever possible. The interior architecture requirements discussed in this paper illustrate some of the basic health and safety design features required for new and remodeled laboratories.The paper discusses one of the primary objectives of interior architecture design of research laboratories (specially those using radioactive materials) where it should provide a safe, accessible environment for laboratory personnel to conduct their work. A secondary objective is to allow for maximum flexibility for safe research. Therefore, health and safety hazards must be anticipated and carefully evaluated so that protective measures can be incorporated into the interior architectural design of these facilities wherever possible. The interior architecture requirements discussed in this paper illustrate some of the basic health and safety design features required for new and remodeled laboratories.

A Content Analysis of General Chemistry Laboratory Manuals for Evidence of Higher-Order Cognitive Tasks

Science.gov (United States)

Domin, Daniel S.

1999-01-01

The science laboratory instructional environment is ideal for fostering the development of problem-solving, manipulative, and higher-order thinking skills: the skills needed by today's learner to compete in an ever increasing technology-based society. This paper reports the results of a content analysis of ten general chemistry laboratory manuals. Three experiments from each manual were examined for evidence of higher-order cognitive activities. Analysis was based upon the six major cognitive categories of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. The results of this study show that the overwhelming majority of general chemistry laboratory manuals provide tasks that require the use of only the lower-order cognitive skills: knowledge, comprehension, and application. Two of the laboratory manuals were disparate in having activities that utilized higher-order cognition. I describe the instructional strategies used within these manuals to foster higher-order cognitive development.

Principles for designing mathematical tasks that enhance imitative and creative reasoning

OpenAIRE

Lithner, Johan

2017-01-01

The design research programme Learning by Imitative and Creative Reasoning (LICR) studies whether, how and why tasks and teaching that enhance creative reasoning lead to a more productive struggle and more efficient learning than the common but inefficient task designs based on imitating given solution procedures. The purpose of this paper is to synthesise the research outcomes determined to date by providing the following: a conceptual framework for key concepts and relationships among teach...

Kennedy's Biomedical Laboratory Makes Multi-Tasking Look Easy

Science.gov (United States)

Dunn, Carol Anne

2009-01-01

If it is one thing that Florida has in abundance, it is sunshine and with that sunshine heat and humidity. For workers at the Kennedy Space Center that have to work outside in the heat and humidity, heat exhaustion/stroke is a real possibility. It might help people to know that Kennedy's Biomedical Laboratory has been testing some new Koolvests(Trademark) that can be worn underneath SCAPE suits. They have also been working on how to block out high noise levels; in fact, Don Doerr, chief of the Biomedical Lab, says, "The most enjoyable aspect is knowing that the Biomedical Lab and the skills of its employees have been used to support safe space flight, not only for the astronaut flight crew, but just as important for the ground processing personnel as well." The NASA Biomedical Laboratory has existed in the John F. Kennedy's Operations and Checkout Building since the Apollo Program. The primary mission of this laboratory has been the biomedical support to major, manned space programs that have included Apollo, Apollo-Soyuz, Skylab, and Shuttle. In this mission, the laboratory has been responsible in accomplishing much of the technical design, planning, provision, fabrication, and maintenance of flight and ground biomedical monitoring instrumentation. This includes the electronics in the launch flight suit and similar instrumentation systems in the spacecraft. (Note: The Lab checked out the system for STS-128 at Pad A using Firing room 4 and ground support equipment in the lab.) During Apollo, there were six engineers and ten technicians in the facility. This has evolved today to two NASA engineers and two NASA technicians, a Life Science Support contract physiologist and part-time support from an LSSC nurse and physician. Over the years, the lab has enjoyed collaboration with outside agencies and investigators. These have included on-site support to the Ames Research Center bed rest studies (seven years) and the European Space Agency studies in Toulouse, France (two

Pacific Northwest Laboratory tasks supporting the Office of Technology Development national program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slate, S.C.

1993-01-01

The purpose of this document is to provide a concise summary of the Pacific Northwest Laboratory's (PNL) tasks being conducted for the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Technology Development (OTD). The summaries are useful to principal investigators who want to link their work to others doing similar work, to staff in DOE operating programs who are looking for better solutions to current problems, and to private industry which may be interested in teaming with PNL to commercialize the technology. The tasks are organized within Hanford's overall Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), which is a hierarchical organization of the Hanford mission into subordinate missions. The technology development tasks are all in WBS 3.2. The first subordinate steps under WBS 3.2 are general categories of technology development, such as Soils and Groundwater Cleanup. The next level is the Integrated Program (IP) and Integrated Demonstration (ID) level. An IP is a centrally managed series of projects which explore and develop a particular technology, such as characterization, for application to a wide spectrum of problems. An ID brings multiple technology systems to bear on an actual problem; for example, a carbon tetrachloride plume migrating through the soil is being remediated with biological agents, heating the soil, and destruction of the contamination in vapor removed from the soil. IDs and IPs are identified by an alphanumeric code: GSO2 is the second ID under Groundwater and Soils Cleanup. The final step in the breakout is the Technical Task Plan (TTP). These are individual tasks which support the ID/IP. They are identified by a six-digit number in the format 3211-01. The WBS structure for Technology Development down to the ID/IP level is shown

Task-related Functional Connectivity Dynamics in a Block-designed Visual Experiment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xin eDi

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Studying task modulations of brain connectivity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI is critical to understand brain functions that support cognitive and affective processes. Existing methods such as psychophysiological interaction (PPI and dynamic causal modelling (DCM usually implicitly assume that the connectivity patterns are stable over a block-designed task with identical stimuli. However, this assumption lacks empirical verification on high-temporal resolution fMRI data with reliable data-driven analysis methods. The present study performed a detailed examination of dynamic changes of functional connectivity (FC in a simple block-designed visual checkerboard experiment with a sub-second sampling rate (TR = 0.645 s by estimating time-varying correlation coefficient (TVCC between BOLD responses of different brain regions. We observed reliable task-related FC changes (i.e., FCs were transiently decreased after task onset and went back to the baseline afterward among several visual regions of the bilateral middle occipital gyrus (MOG and the bilateral fusiform gyrus (FuG. Importantly, only the FCs between higher visual regions (MOG and lower visual regions (FuG exhibited such dynamic patterns. The results suggested that simply assuming a sustained FC during a task block may be insufficient to capture distinct task-related FC changes. The investigation of FC dynamics in tasks could improve our understanding of condition shifts and the coordination between different activated brain regions.

Pre-Employment Laboratory Education. Clothing/Fashion Design Guidebook.

Science.gov (United States)

Texas Tech Univ., Lubbock. Home Economics Instructional Materials Center.

This guidebook is designed for use in teaching students enrolled in preemployment laboratory education (PELE) clothing/fashion design programs. The first of two major sections includes an overview for teachers on planning, conducting, and evaluating a PELE clothing/fashion design program. Specific topics discussed in section 1 include (1)…

Evaluating progressive-rendering algorithms in appearance design tasks.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiawei Ou; Karlik, Ondrej; Křivánek, Jaroslav; Pellacini, Fabio

2013-01-01

Progressive rendering is becoming a popular alternative to precomputational approaches to appearance design. However, progressive algorithms create images exhibiting visual artifacts at early stages. A user study investigated these artifacts' effects on user performance in appearance design tasks. Novice and expert subjects performed lighting and material editing tasks with four algorithms: random path tracing, quasirandom path tracing, progressive photon mapping, and virtual-point-light rendering. Both the novices and experts strongly preferred path tracing to progressive photon mapping and virtual-point-light rendering. None of the participants preferred random path tracing to quasirandom path tracing or vice versa; the same situation held between progressive photon mapping and virtual-point-light rendering. The user workflow didn’t differ significantly with the four algorithms. The Web Extras include a video showing how four progressive-rendering algorithms converged (at http://youtu.be/ck-Gevl1e9s), the source code used, and other supplementary materials.

Equipment Design and Cost Estimation for Small Modular Biomass Systems, Synthesis Gas Cleanup, and Oxygen Separation Equipment; Task 9: Mixed Alcohols From Syngas -- State of Technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nexant Inc.

2006-05-01

This deliverable is for Task 9, Mixed Alcohols from Syngas: State of Technology, as part of National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Award ACO-5-44027, ''Equipment Design and Cost Estimation for Small Modular Biomass Systems, Synthesis Gas Cleanup and Oxygen Separation Equipment''. Task 9 supplements the work previously done by NREL in the mixed alcohols section of the 2003 technical report Preliminary Screening--Technical and Economic Assessment of Synthesis Gas to Fuels and Chemicals with Emphasis on the Potential for Biomass-Derived Syngas.

In search of design principles for developing digital learning & performance support for a student design task

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bollen, Lars; Van der Meij, Hans; Leemkuil, Henny; McKenney, Susan

2016-01-01

A digital learning and performance support environment for university student design tasks was developed. This paper describes on the design rationale, process, and the usage results to arrive at a core set of design principles for the construction of such an environment. We present a collection of

In search of design principles for developing digital learning & performance support for a student design task

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bollen, Lars; van der Meij, Hans; Leemkuil, Hendrik H.; McKenney, Susan

2015-01-01

A digital learning and performance support environment for university student design tasks was developed. This paper describes on the design rationale, process, and the usage results to arrive at a core set of design principles for the construction of such an environment. We present a collection of

Manual on Safety Aspects of the Design and Equipment of Hot Laboratories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1969-01-01

With the development of atomic energy application and research, hot laboratories are now being constructed in a number of countries. The present publication describes and discusses experience in several countries in designing equipment for these laboratories. The safe handling of highly radioactive substances is the main purpose of hot laboratory design and equipment. The manual aims at helping those persons, particularly in the developing countries, who plan to design and construct a new hot laboratory or modify an existing one. It does not deal in great detail with the engineering design of protective and handling equipment; these matters can be found in the comprehensive list of references. The manual itself covers only basic ideas and different approaches in the design of laboratory building, hot cells, shielded and glove boxes, fume cupboards, and handling and viewing equipment. Systems for transferring materials and main services are also discussed.

Report of the Fermilab ILC Citizens' Task Force

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2008-06-01

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

Formulation of the task on ergonomic designing of NPP operator activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anokhin, A.N.

1996-01-01

One of the main causes of inefficiency of existing nuclear plant operator activity support means is the absence of common integrated system approach to ergonomic designing of operator activity. Some attempt to formalize the problem as a task of macro-ergonomic designing is made. The structure of anthropocentric functional model of human-operator-nuclear plant system operation is described. Operator activity is characterized by some resulting properties (such as reliability, etc.). These properties are influenced by human-operator internal properties and working environment external properties. The detailed classification of all these properties is offered. The main result of this work is the statement of tasks of operator activity macro-ergonomic designing based on the offered formalization

Design, implementation and security of a typical educational laboratory computer network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Pokorný

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Computer network used for laboratory training and for different types of network and security experiments represents a special environment where hazardous activities take place, which may not affect any production system or network. It is common that students need to have administrator privileges in this case which makes the overall security and maintenance of such a network a difficult task. We present our solution which has proved its usability for more than three years. First of all, four user requirements on the laboratory network are defined (access to educational network devices, to laboratory services, to the Internet, and administrator privileges of the end hosts, and four essential security rules are stipulated (enforceable end host security, controlled network access, level of network access according to the user privilege level, and rules for hazardous experiments, which protect the rest of the laboratory infrastructure as well as the outer university network and the Internet. The main part of the paper is dedicated to a design and implementation of these usability and security rules. We present a physical diagram of a typical laboratory network based on multiple circuits connecting end hosts to different networks, and a layout of rack devices. After that, a topological diagram of the network is described which is based on different VLANs and port-based access control using the IEEE 802.1x/EAP-TLS/RADIUS authentication to achieve defined level of network access. In the second part of the paper, the latest innovation of our network is presented that covers a transition to the system virtualization at the end host devices – inspiration came from a similar solution deployed at the Department of Telecommunications at Brno University of Technology. This improvement enables a greater flexibility in the end hosts maintenance and a simultaneous network access to the educational devices as well as to the Internet. In the end, a vision of a

Gamification of the Laboratory Experience to Encourage Student Engagement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kevin Drace

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The American Society for Microbiology (ASM Task Force on Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Microbiology Students published recommendations for introductory microbiology courses that suggest teaching specific skill sets in the laboratory beyond just fundamental knowledge and concepts of microbiology (6; however, students can sometimes view a skills-based laboratory experience as a task list of unrelated assignments to complete for a grade. Therefore, providing explicit connections throughout the lecture and laboratory exercises is critical for a truly integrated learning experience. Several pedagogical techniques can provide a coherent framework throughout a course. For example, case-based studies can connect lecture with laboratory skills and increase student engagement by applying newly developed knowledge and skills to tackle real-world simulations (2, 3. One reason that case-based studies succeed is that they can provide intrinsic motivations and an alternate purpose for students to engage with the material. A more recent trend in pedagogy involves using game design elements to increase student engagement and motivation. Gamification is the application of game design (accruing points or badges, reaching significant levels of accomplishment, or other reward elements in a non-game context to motivate or influence participation (1, 5. A natural extension of both of these methods is to gamify a case-based approach where a fictional scenario is presented for students to role-play as scientists using their developed skills to solve a complex problem. The typical microbiology laboratory, as described by the ASM Task Force, can easily incorporate game design elements without extensive modification of the exercises themselves. Instead, gamification involves structuring the lab in a way that gives the course a coherent and unified purpose. This ultimately allows the student to see how the principles and concepts of lecture and laboratory connect

Design of the Laboratory-Scale Plutonium Oxide Processing Unit in the Radiochemical Processing Laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lumetta, Gregg J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Meier, David E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Tingey, Joel M. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Casella, Amanda J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Delegard, Calvin H. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Edwards, Matthew K. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Orton, Robert D. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Rapko, Brian M. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Smart, John E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2015-05-01

This report describes a design for a laboratory-scale capability to produce plutonium oxide (PuO₂) for use in identifying and validating nuclear forensics signatures associated with plutonium production, as well as for use as exercise and reference materials. This capability will be located in the Radiochemical Processing Laboratory at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The key unit operations are described, including PuO₂ dissolution, purification of the Pu by ion exchange, precipitation, and re-conversion to PuO₂ by calcination.

Bridge-in-a-Backpack(TM) task 3.1: investigating soil - structure interaction - experimental design.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-07-01

This report includes fulfillment of Task 3.1 of a multi-task contract to further enhance concrete filled FRP tubes, or : the Bridge in a Backpack. Task 3 is an investigation of soil-structure interaction for the FRP tubes. Task 3.1 is the : design of...

Design of an electronic performance support system for food chemistry laboratory classes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kolk, van der J.

2013-01-01

The design oriented research described in this thesis aims at designing an realizing an electronic performance support system for food chemistry laboratory classes (labEPSS). Four design goals related to food chemistry laboratory classes were identified. Firstly, labEPSS should avoid extraneous

ITER Building Design (D230-B), Task No. 28. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-12-01

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Project requires a set of buildings, each with its own distinct function, to support ITER`s mission. The Joint Central Team (JCT) has identified all the buildings in the set and has placed them in an efficient arrangement on the site. The JCT has developed a conceptual layout of each individual building. The buildings have been categorized into two main groups: (1) {open_quotes}Level 1 Buildings{close_quotes} which are on the construction schedule critical path and (2) {open_quotes}Level 2 Buildings{close_quotes} which, while important, are not on the critical path. The buildings are further categorized according to construction material, that is, {open_quotes}reinforced concrete{close_quotes} or {open_quotes}steel-frame on concrete slab{close_quotes}. This Report responds to the Project`s request to perform the initial structural steel design for all the {open_quotes}steel-frame on concrete slab{close_quotes} buildings. Of the twelve (12) {open_quotes}steel-frame on concrete slab{close_quotes} buildings, four (4) are Level 1 and eight (8) are Level 2 Buildings. This Report is a deliverable for the ITER Task Assignment entitled {open_quotes}ITER Buildings Design (D230-B){close_quotes}, also designated as Task No. 28. ITER U.S. Home Team Industrial Consortium members, Raytheon Engineers & Constructors (RE&C) and Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation (SWEC), teamed to perform Task 28. This task commenced in May 1995. It was performed in accordance with the design criteria specified by the ITER-JCT, San Diego Joint Work Site.

ITER Building Design (D230-B), Task No. 28. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-12-01

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Project requires a set of buildings, each with its own distinct function, to support ITER's mission. The Joint Central Team (JCT) has identified all the buildings in the set and has placed them in an efficient arrangement on the site. The JCT has developed a conceptual layout of each individual building. The buildings have been categorized into two main groups: (1) open-quotes Level 1 Buildingsclose quotes which are on the construction schedule critical path and (2) open-quotes Level 2 Buildingsclose quotes which, while important, are not on the critical path. The buildings are further categorized according to construction material, that is, open-quotes reinforced concreteclose quotes or open-quotes steel-frame on concrete slabclose quotes. This Report responds to the Project's request to perform the initial structural steel design for all the open-quotes steel-frame on concrete slabclose quotes buildings. Of the twelve (12) open-quotes steel-frame on concrete slabclose quotes buildings, four (4) are Level 1 and eight (8) are Level 2 Buildings. This Report is a deliverable for the ITER Task Assignment entitled open-quotes ITER Buildings Design (D230-B)close quotes, also designated as Task No. 28. ITER U.S. Home Team Industrial Consortium members, Raytheon Engineers ampersand Constructors (RE ampersand C) and Stone ampersand Webster Engineering Corporation (SWEC), teamed to perform Task 28. This task commenced in May 1995. It was performed in accordance with the design criteria specified by the ITER-JCT, San Diego Joint Work Site

Medical Laboratory Assistant. Laboratory Occupations Cluster.

Science.gov (United States)

Michigan State Univ., East Lansing. Coll. of Agriculture and Natural Resources Education Inst.

This task-based curriculum guide for medical laboratory assistant is intended to help the teacher develop a classroom management system where students learn by doing. Introductory materials include a Dictionary of Occupational Titles job code and title sheet, a career ladder, a matrix relating duty/task numbers to job titles, and a task list. Each…

The Planning Task for Teams (PLATT): An environment for research on planning and decision making in teams

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kamphuis, W.; Houttuin, K.

2007-01-01

In this report, we introduce a newly developed task environment for experimental team research: the Planning Task for Teams (PLATT). PLATT is a scenario based, computerized, complex planning task for three-person teams. PLATT has been designed to be able to do experimental laboratory research on

The Virtual Product-Process Design Laboratory for Structured Chemical Product Design and Analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mattei, Michele; Yunus, Nor Alafiza Binti; Kalakul, Sawitree

2014-01-01

The objective of this paper is to present new methods for design of chemicals based formulated products and their implementation in the software, the Virtual Product-Process Design Laboratory. The new products are tailor-made blended liquid products and emulsion-based products. The new software...

A combined field and laboratory design for assessing the impact of night shift work on police officer operational performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Waggoner, Lauren B; Grant, Devon A; Van Dongen, Hans P A; Belenky, Gregory; Vila, Bryan

2012-11-01

This study assessed the utility of a combined field and laboratory research design for measuring the impact of consecutive night shift work on the sleepiness, vigilance, and driving performance of police patrol officers. For police patrol officers working their normal night shift duty cycles, simulated driving performance and psychomotor vigilance were measured in a laboratory on two separate occasions: in the morning after the last of five consecutive 10.7-h night shifts, and at the same time in the morning after three consecutive days off duty. Order of participation in conditions was randomized among subjects. Subjects experienced manipulation of sleep schedules due to working night shifts in a real operational environment, but performance testing was conducted under controlled laboratory conditions. N = 29 active-duty police patrol officers (27 male, 2 female; age 37.1 ± 6.3 years) working night shift schedules participated in this study. Simulated driving performance, psychomotor vigilance, and subjective sleepiness were significantly degraded following 5 consecutive night shifts as compared to 3 consecutive days off duty, indicating that active-duty police officers are susceptible to performance degradation as a consequence of working nights. This combined field and laboratory research design succeeded in bridging the gap between the realism of the operational environment and the control of laboratory performance testing, demonstrating that this is a useful approach for addressing the relationship between shift work induced fatigue and critical operational task performance.

Concrete laying laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bastlova, K.

1986-01-01

The task of the concrete laying laboratory established within a special department for quality control and assurance at the Dukovany nuclear power plant, is to check the composition of concrete mixes produced by the central concrete production plant on the site, and the shipment, laying and processing of concrete. The composition is given of special barite and serpentinite concretes designed for biological shields. The system of checks and of filing the results is briefly described. Esperience is summed up from the operation of the concrete laying laboratory, and conclusions are formulated which should be observed on similar large construction sites. They include the precise definition of the designer's requirements for the quality of concrete, the surface finish of concrete surfaces, the method of concreting specific structures around bushings, increased density reinforcements and various technological elements, and requirements for shipment to poorly accessible or remote places. As for the equipment of the laboratory, it should be completed with an instrument for the analysis of fresh concrete mixes, a large capacity drying kiln, etc. (Z.M.)

Unlocking the Laboratory: Autonomous Wireless Sensor Authentication in Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Huggard, Meriel; McGoldrick, Ciaran

2013-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate a practical laboratory task where final year undergraduate students design, implement and validate an inferred security wireless sensor access system. Design/methodology/approach: The quality of the learning and technical environment was evaluated from a number of perspectives using a mixed methods…

Pre-Employment Laboratory Education. Home Furnishings/Interior Design Guidebook.

Science.gov (United States)

Texas Tech Univ., Lubbock. Home Economics Instructional Materials Center.

This guidebook is designed for use in teaching students enrolled in pre-employment laboratory education (PELE) home furnishing/interior design programs. The first of two major sections includes an overview for teachers on planning, conducting, and evaluating a home furnishings/interior design program. Specific topics discussed in section 1 include…

A General Chemistry Laboratory Course Designed for Student Discussion

Science.gov (United States)

Obenland, Carrie A.; Kincaid, Kristi; Hutchinson, John S.

2014-01-01

We report a study of the general chemistry laboratory course at one university over four years. We found that when taught as a traditional laboratory course, lab experiences do not encourage students to deepen their understanding of chemical concepts. Although the lab instructor emphasized that the lab experiences were designed to enhance…

Influence of stereoscopic vision on task performance with an operating microscope

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nibourg, Lisanne M.; Wanders, Wouter; Cornelissen, Frans W.; Koopmans, Steven A.

PURPOSE: To determine the extent to which stereoscopic depth perception influences the performance of tasks executed under an operating microscope. SETTING: Laboratory of Experimental Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands. DESIGN: Experimental study. METHODS: Medical

Masters Thesis- Criticality Alarm System Design Guide with Accompanying Alarm System Development for the Radioisotope Production Laboratory in Richland, Washington

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Greenfield, Bryce A. [Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2009-12-01

A detailed instructional manual was created to guide criticality safety engineers through the process of designing a criticality alarm system (CAS) for Department of Energy (DOE) hazard class 1 and 2 facilities. Regulatory and technical requirements were both addressed. A list of design tasks and technical subtasks are thoroughly analyzed to provide concise direction for how to complete the analysis. An example of the application of the design methodology, the Criticality Alarm System developed for the Radioisotope Production Laboratory (RPL) of Richland, Washington is also included. The analysis for RPL utilizes the Monte Carlo code MCNP5 for establishing detector coverage in the facility. Significant improvements to the existing CAS were made that increase the reliability, transparency, and coverage of the system.

Distributed intelligence versus central laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halling, H.

1983-01-01

After a discussion of the main tasks in a nuclear laboratory like overall experiment planning, sample production and management, performance of experiments, data processing and report generation the essential disadvantages of centralised systems are shown and the proper measures for overcoming those by distribution are discussed. Finally possible shortcomings due to improper design and management of distributed architectures are shown. (author)

Designing Tasks to Examine Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching Statistics for Primary Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Siswono, T. Y. E.; Kohar, A. W.; Hartono, S.

2018-01-01

Mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) is viewed as fuel resources for conducting an orchestra in a teaching and learning process. By understanding MKT, especially for primary teachers, it can predict the success of a goal of an instruction and analyze the weaknesses and improvements of it. To explore what teachers think about subject matters, pedagogical terms, and appropriate curriculum, it needs a task which can be identified the teachers’ MKT including the subject matter knowledge (SMK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). This study aims to design an appropriate task for exploring primary teachers’ MKT for statistics in primary school. We designed six tasks to examine 40 primary teachers’ MKT, of which each respectively represents the categories of SMK (common content knowledge (CCK) and specialised content knowledge (SCK)) and PCK (knowledge of content and students (KCS), knowledge of content and teaching (KCT), and knowledge of content and curriculum (KCC)). While MKT has much attention of numbers of scholars, we consider knowledge of content and culture (KCCl) to be hypothesized in the domains of MKT. Thus, we added one more task examining how the primary teachers used their knowledge of content (KC) regarding to MKT in statistics. Some examples of the teachers’ responses on the tasks are discussed and some refinements of MKT task in statistics for primary teachers are suggested.

Cognitive task load analysis : Allocating tasks and designing support

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Neerincx, M.A.

2003-01-01

We present a method for Cognitive Task Analysis that guides the early stages of software development, aiming at an optimal cognitive load for operators of process control systems. The method is based on a practical theory of cognitive task load and support. In addition to the classical measure

Design of metrology laboratory and microfab center against vibration from shakers laboratory of the new Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Westwood K. W.; Boulter, Nicholas

1992-02-01

The design of vibration-sensitive laboratories normally requires the protection of these areas from incoming vibration generated by plant, road traffic and footfall impacts. The compact nature of the new HKUST campus requires a more exact design than one would find for a spacious campus with laboratory buildings nicely separated. The HKUST user required a centralized laboratory service with easy access to the major testing facilities. This resulted in the location of vibration sensitive areas (micro-fabrication center and metrology laboratory) close to a Structural Laboratory housing large shakers. These were to be used for seismic and modal testing of structural elements and prototypes. The design of the support structure for the shakers, known as the reaction floor, was critical to the success of the building. Particular attention was paid to the design and construction of the foundations for the reaction floor. For controlling the vibration generated by 10-ton-force rated shakers, a massive structure with caisson supports was designed for the reaction floor and reaction wall. Finite element models were employed to calculate the response of the laboratory floors located above the reaction floor in other parts of the building. The metrology laboratory structure and the foundation design of the reaction floor and a wafer fab built in the U.K. will be presented.

Measuring preschool learning engagement in the laboratory.

Science.gov (United States)

Halliday, Simone E; Calkins, Susan D; Leerkes, Esther M

2018-03-01

Learning engagement is a critical factor for academic achievement and successful school transitioning. However, current methods of assessing learning engagement in young children are limited to teacher report or classroom observation, which may limit the types of research questions one could assess about this construct. The current study investigated the validity of a novel assessment designed to measure behavioral learning engagement among young children in a standardized laboratory setting and examined how learning engagement in the laboratory relates to future classroom adjustment. Preschool-aged children (N = 278) participated in a learning-based Tangrams task and Story sequencing task and were observed based on seven behavioral indicators of engagement. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the construct validity for a behavioral engagement factor composed of six of the original behavioral indicators: attention to instructions, on-task behavior, enthusiasm/energy, persistence, monitoring progress/strategy use, and negative affect. Concurrent validity for this behavioral engagement factor was established through its associations with parent-reported mastery motivation and pre-academic skills in math and literacy measured in the laboratory, and predictive validity was demonstrated through its associations with teacher-reported classroom learning behaviors and performance in math and reading in kindergarten. These associations were found when behavioral engagement was observed during both the nonverbal task and the verbal story sequencing tasks and persisted even after controlling for child minority status, gender, and maternal education. Learning engagement in preschool appears to be successfully measurable in a laboratory setting. This finding has implications for future research on the mechanisms that support successful academic development. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hot laboratory design on the basis of standardized components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cadrot, J.

1976-01-01

The paper describes the principal effects on hot laboratory design brought about over the last 15 years by the use of standardized components developed jointly with the CEA and the industrial associates of AFINE. After a rapid survey of the various advantages of standardization, the author turns to the specific case of a laboratory producing mixed plutonium and uranium oxide fuels, giving a brief description of the glove-boxes and ancillary equipment. He then deals with the design of an isotope production laboratory. The basic component is the DR 200 standard cell, which permits the civil engineering work to be effected on modular principles. Use of a safety-flow pressure regulating valve makes possible pneumatic automation of the production-cell internals. A substantial gain in output is the result. In the next section the paper refers to a pilot facility for irradiated fuel studies, and describes the components used, which require taking into account the high activities and intense radiations encountered in studies of this type. The author then demonstrates the flexibility with which standardized components can be adapted to different uses, thus solving many distinct problems, an example of which is represented by a semi-hot box for handling up to 100g of americium-241. Finally, the paper offers a rapid summary of the effects of standardization at the various stages concerned, from initial design to the commissioning of a hot laboratory. (author)

Sandia Laboratories technical capabilities: design, definition, and fabrication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-12-01

This report characterizes the design definition and fabrication capabilities at Sandia Laboratories. Selected applications of these capabilities are presented to illustrate the extent to which they can be applied in research and development programs. 13 figures

Sandia Laboratories technical capabilities: design, definition, and fabrication

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1976-12-01

This report characterizes the design definition and fabrication capabilities at Sandia Laboratories. Selected applications of these capabilities are presented to illustrate the extent to which they can be applied in research and development programs. 13 figures.

Mechanical Design of a Performance Test Rig for the Turbine Air-Flow Task (TAFT)

Science.gov (United States)

Forbes, John C.; Xenofos, George D.; Farrow, John L.; Tyler, Tom; Williams, Robert; Sargent, Scott; Moharos, Jozsef

2004-01-01

To support development of the Boeing-Rocketdyne RS84 rocket engine, a full-flow, reaction turbine geometry was integrated into the NASA-MSFC turbine air-flow test facility. A mechanical design was generated which minimized the amount of new hardware while incorporating all test and instrumentation requirements. This paper provides details of the mechanical design for this Turbine Air-Flow Task (TAFT) test rig. The mechanical design process utilized for this task included the following basic stages: Conceptual Design. Preliminary Design. Detailed Design. Baseline of Design (including Configuration Control and Drawing Revision). Fabrication. Assembly. During the design process, many lessons were learned that should benefit future test rig design projects. Of primary importance are well-defined requirements early in the design process, a thorough detailed design package, and effective communication with both the customer and the fabrication contractors.

Life sciences payload definition and integration study. Volume 2: Requirements, design, and planning studies for the carry-on laboratories. [for Spacelab

Science.gov (United States)

1974-01-01

The task phase concerned with the requirements, design, and planning studies for the carry-on laboratory (COL) began with a definition of biomedical research areas and candidate research equipment, and then went on to develop conceptual layouts for COL which were each evaluated in order to arrive at a final conceptual design. Each step in this design/evaluation process concerned itself with man/systems integration research and hardware, and life support and protective systems research and equipment selection. COL integration studies were also conducted and include attention to electrical power and data management requirements, operational considerations, and shuttle/Spacelab interface specifications. A COL program schedule was compiled, and a cost analysis was finalized which takes into account work breakdown, annual funding, and cost reduction guidelines.

Gun Dynamics Laboratory

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The Gun Dynamics Laboratory is a research multi-task facility, which includes two firing bays, a high bay area and a second floor laboratory space. The high bay area...

Workplace for analysis of task performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bos, J; Mulder, LJM; van Ouwerkerk, RJ; Maarse, FJ; Akkerman, AE; Brand, AN; Mulder, LJM

2003-01-01

In current research on mental workload and task performance a large gap exists between laboratory based studies and research projects in real life working practice. Tasks conducted within a laboratory environment often lack a strong resemblance with real life working situations. This paper presents

Asking the Next Generation: The Implementation of Pre-University Students' Ideas about Physics Laboratory Preparation Exercises

Science.gov (United States)

Dunnett, K.; Bartlett, P. A.

2018-01-01

It was planned to introduce online pre-laboratory session activities to a first-year undergraduate physics laboratory course to encourage a minimum level of student preparation for experiments outside the laboratory environment. A group of 16 and 17 year old laboratory work-experience students were tasked to define and design a pre-laboratory…

Development of a standard methodology for optimizing remote visual display for nuclear maintenance tasks

Science.gov (United States)

Clarke, M. M.; Garin, J.; Prestonanderson, A.

A fuel recycle facility being designed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory involves the Remotex concept: advanced servo-controlled master/slave manipulators, with remote television viewing, will totally replace direct human contact with the radioactive environment. The design of optimal viewing conditions is a critical component of the overall man/machine system. A methodology was developed for optimizing remote visual displays for nuclear maintenance tasks. The usefulness of this approach was demonstrated by preliminary specification of optimal closed circuit TV systems for such tasks.

Laboratories for the 21st Century: An Introduction to Low-Energy Design (Revised)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2008-08-01

This booklet is an introduction to several new strategies for designing, developing, and retrofitting energy-efficient laboratories. It is the result of a collaboration among staff at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), several national laboratories, and their contractors. They are collaborating to meet the goals of a joint EPA-DOE initiative, 'Laboratories for the 21st Century,' which was established to help government and private-sector laboratory designers, engineers, owners, and operators work together to increase operating efficiency and reduce costs. This booklet describes many energy-efficient strategies that can be done during laboratory planning and programming; design; engineering; and commissioning, operation, and maintenance. There is also a discussion of on-site power generation and clean sources of electricity from renewable energy.

Designing for dynamic task allocation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dongen, van K.; Maanen, van P.P.

2005-01-01

Future platforms are envisioned in which human-machine teams are able to share and trade tasks as demands in situations change. It seems that human-machine coordination has not received the attention it deserves by past and present approaches to task allocation. In this paper a simple way to make

Designing an undergraduate laboratory course in general chemistry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vianna José F.

1999-01-01

Full Text Available From an analysis of a learning model based on the theory of information processing four hypothesis were developed for improving the design of laboratory courses. Three of these hypotheses concerned specific procedures to minimise the load on students' working memories (or working spaces and the fourth hypothesis was concerned with the value of mini-projects in enhancing meaningful learning of the knowledge and skills underpinning the set experiments. A three-year study of a first year undergraduate chemistry laboratory course at a Scottish university has been carried out to test these four hypotheses. This paper reports the results of the study relevant to the three hypotheses about the burden on students' working spaces. It was predicted from the learning model that the load on students working space should be reduced by appropriate changes to the written instructions and the laboratory organisation and by the introduction of prelab-work and prelab-training in laboratory techniques. It was concluded from research conducted over the three years period that all these hypothesised changes were effective both in reducing the load on students' working spaces and in improving their attitudes to the laboratory course.

Task Design Influences Prosociality in Captive Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

House, Bailey R; Silk, Joan B; Lambeth, Susan P

2014-01-01

Chimpanzees confer benefits on group members, both in the wild and in captive populations. Experimental studies of how animals allocate resources can provide useful insights about the motivations underlying prosocial behavior, and understanding the relationship between task design and prosocial...... and the methods used, and in most cases employ procedures that reduce critical features of naturalistic social interactions, such as partner choice. The focus of the current study is on understanding the link between experimental methodology and prosocial behavior in captive chimpanzees, rather than on describing...... these animals' social motivations themselves. We introduce a task design that avoids isolating subjects and allows them to freely decide whether to participate in the experiment. We explore key elements of the methods utilized in previous experiments in an effort to evaluate two possibilities that have been...

Structural Design of HRA Database using generic task for Quantitative Analysis of Human Performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Seung Hwan; Kim, Yo Chan; Choi, Sun Yeong; Park, Jin Kyun; Jung Won Dea [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

This paper describes a design of generic task based HRA database for quantitative analysis of human performance in order to estimate the number of task conductions. The estimation method to get the total task conduction number using direct counting is not easy to realize and maintain its data collection framework. To resolve this problem, this paper suggests an indirect method and a database structure using generic task that enables to estimate the total number of conduction based on instructions of operating procedures of nuclear power plants. In order to reduce human errors, therefore, all information on the human errors taken by operators in the power plant should be systematically collected and examined in its management. Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) is carrying out a research to develop a data collection framework to establish a Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) database that could be employed as technical bases to generate human error probabilities (HEPs) and performance shaping factors (PSFs)]. As a result of the study, the essential table schema was designed to the generic task database which stores generic tasks, procedure lists and task tree structures, and other supporting tables. The number of task conduction based on the operating procedures for HEP estimation was enabled through the generic task database and framework. To verify the framework applicability, case study for the simulated experiments was performed and analyzed using graphic user interfaces developed in this study.

Structural Design of HRA Database using generic task for Quantitative Analysis of Human Performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Seung Hwan; Kim, Yo Chan; Choi, Sun Yeong; Park, Jin Kyun; Jung Won Dea

2016-01-01

This paper describes a design of generic task based HRA database for quantitative analysis of human performance in order to estimate the number of task conductions. The estimation method to get the total task conduction number using direct counting is not easy to realize and maintain its data collection framework. To resolve this problem, this paper suggests an indirect method and a database structure using generic task that enables to estimate the total number of conduction based on instructions of operating procedures of nuclear power plants. In order to reduce human errors, therefore, all information on the human errors taken by operators in the power plant should be systematically collected and examined in its management. Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) is carrying out a research to develop a data collection framework to establish a Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) database that could be employed as technical bases to generate human error probabilities (HEPs) and performance shaping factors (PSFs)]. As a result of the study, the essential table schema was designed to the generic task database which stores generic tasks, procedure lists and task tree structures, and other supporting tables. The number of task conduction based on the operating procedures for HEP estimation was enabled through the generic task database and framework. To verify the framework applicability, case study for the simulated experiments was performed and analyzed using graphic user interfaces developed in this study.

Design and Implementation of Instructional Videos for Upper-Division Undergraduate Laboratory Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt-McCormack, Jennifer A.; Muniz, Marc N.; Keuter, Ellie C.; Shaw, Scott K.; Cole, Renée S.

2017-01-01

Well-designed laboratories can help students master content and science practices by successfully completing the laboratory experiments. Upper-division chemistry laboratory courses often present special challenges for instruction due to the instrument intensive nature of the experiments. To address these challenges, particularly those associated…

Insights from a Financial Literacy Task Designer: The Curious Case of Problem Context

Science.gov (United States)

Sawatzki, Carly

2016-01-01

As part of ongoing design-based research exploring financial literacy teaching and learning, ten tasks termed "financial dilemmas" were trialled by 14 teachers and more than 300 Year 5 and 6 students in 4 government primary schools in urban Darwin. Drawing on data related to two tasks--"Catching the bus" and "Buying…

Task analysis and support for problem solving tasks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bainbridge, L.

1987-01-01

This paper is concerned with Task Analysis as the basis for ergonomic design to reduce human error rates, rather than for predicting human error rates. Task Analysis techniques usually provide a set of categories for describing sub tasks, and a framework describing the relations between sub-tasks. Both the task type categories and their organisation have implications for optimum interface and training design. In this paper, the framework needed for considering the most complex tasks faced by operators in process industries is discussed such as fault management in unexpected situations, and what is likely to minimise human error in these circumstances. (author)

Supercollider: Design changes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1990-01-01

A major task faced by the new US Superconducting Supercollider (SSC) Laboratory as it began life early last year was to prepare a baseline design, cost and schedule for the site in Ellis County, Texas. The conceptual design developed by the SSC Central Design Group at Berkeley in 1986 was for a generic site, and served as the basis of the cost estimate submitted to Congress for fiscal year 1990. Under the terms of the contract between Universities Research Association (URA - the SSC parent organization) and the US Department of Energy to establish the SSC Laboratory, signed in January 1989, a report on the SiteSpecific Conceptual Design Report was complete by December

Supercollider: Design changes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

1990-04-15

A major task faced by the new US Superconducting Supercollider (SSC) Laboratory as it began life early last year was to prepare a baseline design, cost and schedule for the site in Ellis County, Texas. The conceptual design developed by the SSC Central Design Group at Berkeley in 1986 was for a generic site, and served as the basis of the cost estimate submitted to Congress for fiscal year 1990. Under the terms of the contract between Universities Research Association (URA - the SSC parent organization) and the US Department of Energy to establish the SSC Laboratory, signed in January 1989, a report on the SiteSpecific Conceptual Design Report was complete by December.

A novel task-oriented optimal design for P300-based brain-computer interfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Zongtan; Yin, Erwei; Liu, Yang; Jiang, Jun; Hu, Dewen

2014-10-01

Objective. The number of items of a P300-based brain-computer interface (BCI) should be adjustable in accordance with the requirements of the specific tasks. To address this issue, we propose a novel task-oriented optimal approach aimed at increasing the performance of general P300 BCIs with different numbers of items. Approach. First, we proposed a stimulus presentation with variable dimensions (VD) paradigm as a generalization of the conventional single-character (SC) and row-column (RC) stimulus paradigms. Furthermore, an embedding design approach was employed for any given number of items. Finally, based on the score-P model of each subject, the VD flash pattern was selected by a linear interpolation approach for a certain task. Main results. The results indicate that the optimal BCI design consistently outperforms the conventional approaches, i.e., the SC and RC paradigms. Specifically, there is significant improvement in the practical information transfer rate for a large number of items. Significance. The results suggest that the proposed optimal approach would provide useful guidance in the practical design of general P300-based BCIs.

Didactical design based on sharing and jumping tasks for senior high school chemistry learning

Science.gov (United States)

Fatimah, I.; Hendayana, S.; Supriatna, A.

2018-05-01

The purpose of this research is to develop the didactical design of senior high school chemistry learning based on sharing and jumping tasks in shift equilibrium chemistry. Sharing tasks used to facilitate students slow learners with help by other students of fast learners so they engage in learning. While jumping tasks used to challenge fast learners students so they didn’t feel bored in learning. In developing the didactic design, teacher activity is not only to focus on students and learning materials but also on the relationship between students and learning materials. The results of the analysis teaching plan of shift equilibrium chemistry in attached Senior High School to Indonesia University of Education showed that the learning activities more focus on how the teacher teaches instead of how the process of students’ learning. The use of research method is didactical design research (DDR). Didactical design consisted of three steps i.e. (a) analysing didactical condition before learning, (b) analyzing metapedadidactical, and (c) analyzing retrospective. Data were collected by test, observations, interviews, documentation and recordings (audio and video).The result showed that the didactical design on shift equilibrium chemistry was valid.

Design and management of hot-laboratories. [Manual]. Hottorabo no sekkei to kanri

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1976-09-01

This document is a manual for the design and management of hot-laboratories. It is composed of three parts. The first part is devoted to the design of hot-laboratories. Items included here are; conceptual design; many regulations which must be considered at design stage; design of cave and its shielding; and the design of building, ventilation, and draining. Many examples of specific designs are presented by figures and photographs. The second part is concerned with the methods of operation management. Organizational structure, scheduling of operation, process management, and regulatory problems are discussed with some examples. Technological problems associated with the operation of a hot laboratory (e.g., manipulator, transfer machine, maintenance, and decontamination) are also discussed based on the authors' experiences. An example of the operation manual is presented for reference. The third part is devoted to the safety management and the training of personnel. The regulations by law are briefly explained. Most of this part is devoted to the problem of monitoring radio-activity. Monitoring of control areas, radio-active wastes, and personal dosage is discussed together with many other specific monitoring problems. As for training, the purpose and the present status are explained.

Building Design Guidelines of Interior Architecture for Bio safety Levels of Biology Laboratories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ElDib, A.A.

2014-01-01

This paper discusses the pivotal role of the Interior Architecture As one of the scientific disciplines minute to complete the Architectural Sciences, which relied upon the achievement and development of facilities containing scientific research laboratories, in terms of planning and design, particularly those containing biological laboratories using radioactive materials, adding to that, the application of the materials or raw materials commensurate with each discipline of laboratory and its work nature, and by the discussion the processing of design techniques and requirements of interior architecture dealing with Research Laboratory for electronic circuits an their applications with the making of its prototypes

Examining Infants' Cortisol Responses to Laboratory Tasks among Children Varying in Attachment Disorganization: Stress Reactivity or Return to Baseline?

Science.gov (United States)

Bernard, Kristin; Dozier, Mary

2010-01-01

Cortisol is a hormone involved in mounting a stress response in humans. The evidence of stress reactivity among young children has been mixed, however. In the present study, the order of two laboratory tasks (i.e., Strange Situation and play) was counterbalanced, and home saliva samples were obtained. Saliva samples were also collected upon the…

Design and implementation of an interface supporting information navigation tasks using hyperbolic visualization technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, J. K.; Choi, I. K.; Jun, S. H.; Park, K. O.; Seo, Y. S.; Seo, S. M.; Koo, I. S.; Jang, M. H.

2001-01-01

Visualization techniques can be used to support operator's information navigation tasks on the system especially consisting of an enormous volume of information, such as operating information display system and computerized operating procedure system in advanced control room of nuclear power plants. By offering an easy understanding environment of hierarchially structured information, these techniques can reduce the operator's supplementary navigation task load. As a result of that, operators can pay more attention on the primary tasks and ultimately improve the cognitive task performance, in this thesis, an interface was designed and implemented using hyperbolic visualization technique, which is expected to be applied as a means of optimizing operator's information navigation tasks

Risky Decision Making in a Laboratory Driving Task Is Associated with Health Risk Behaviors during Late Adolescence but Not Adulthood

Science.gov (United States)

Kim-Spoon, Jungmeen; Kahn, Rachel; Deater-Deckard, Kirby; Chiu, Pearl; Steinberg, Laurence; King-Casas, Brooks

2016-01-01

Adolescence is characterized by increasing incidence of health risk behaviors, including experimentation with drugs and alcohol. To fill the gap in our understanding of the associations between risky decision-making and health risk behaviors, we investigated associations between laboratory-based risky decision-making using the Stoplight task and…

Optical Design Capabilities at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lawson, J.K.

2002-01-01

Optical design capabilities continue to play the same strong role at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) that they have played in the past. From defense applications to the solid-state laser programs to the Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation (AVLIS), members of the optical design group played critical roles in producing effective system designs and are actively continuing this tradition. This talk will explain the role optical design plays at LLNL, outline current capabilities and summarize a few activities in which the optical design team has been recently participating. Among the many optical engineers working at LLNL, a distinct group exists which specializes in optical design issues. The optical design group collectively has a wide range of fields of expertise as well as a diversity of background histories including LLNL, university, industry and aerospace experience. This unique resource has resulted many effective and productive designs for customers at LLNL and outside the lab.

Task Selection, Task Switching and Multitasking during Computer-Based Independent Study

Science.gov (United States)

Judd, Terry

2015-01-01

Detailed logs of students' computer use, during independent study sessions, were captured in an open-access computer laboratory. Each log consisted of a chronological sequence of tasks representing either the application or the Internet domain displayed in the workstation's active window. Each task was classified using a three-tier schema…

Energy efficiency in California laboratory-type facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mills, E.; Bell, G.; Sartor, D. [and others

1996-07-31

The central aim of this project is to provide knowledge and tools for increasing the energy efficiency and performance of new and existing laboratory-type facilities in California. We approach the task along three avenues: (1) identification of current energy use and savings potential, (2) development of a {ital Design guide for energy- Efficient Research Laboratories}, and (3) development of a research agenda for focused technology development and improving out understanding of the market. Laboratory-type facilities use a considerable amount of energy resources. They are also important to the local and state economy, and energy costs are a factor in the overall competitiveness of industries utilizing laboratory-type facilities. Although the potential for energy savings is considerable, improving energy efficiency in laboratory-type facilities is no easy task, and there are many formidable barriers to improving energy efficiency in these specialized facilities. Insufficient motivation for individual stake holders to invest in improving energy efficiency using existing technologies as well as conducting related R&D is indicative of the ``public goods`` nature of the opportunity to achieve energy savings in this sector. Due to demanding environmental control requirements and specialized processes, laboratory-type facilities epitomize the important intersection between energy demands in the buildings sector and the industrial sector. Moreover, given the high importance and value of the activities conducted in laboratory-type facilities, they represent one of the most powerful contexts in which energy efficiency improvements stand to yield abundant non-energy benefits if properly applied.

Designing laboratory activities in elementary school oriented to scientific approach for teachers SD-Kreatif Bojonegoro

Science.gov (United States)

Dwikoranto; Surasmi, W. A.; Suparto, A.; Tresnaningsih, S.; Sambada, D.; Setyowati, T.; Faqih, A.; Setiani, R.

2018-03-01

Important science lessons are introduced to elementary school students through inquiry. This training is important to do because one key determinant of succesful laboratory activities is teachers. This course aims to enable teachers to design an inquiry-based Laboratory Activity and be able to apply it in the classroom. The training was conducted at SD-Kreatif Bojonegoro by Modeling, Design Laboratory activities and Implementing. The results of Laboratory Activities designed to trace the seven aspects that can support the development of inquiry skills in either category. The teacher's response in this activity is positive. The conclusion of this training can improve the ability of teachers in designing and implementing laboratory activities of Science and then expected to positively affect the frequency of science laboratory activities. Usually teachers use learning by using this Laboratory Activity, it will be affected on the pattern of inquiry behavior to the students as well so that will achieve the expected goals. Teachers are expected to continue for other topics, even for other similarly characterized subjects. This habitation is important so that the teacher's skill in making Laboratory Activity continues to be well honed and useful for the students.

Remote Systems Design & Deployment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bailey, Sharon A.; Baker, Carl P.; Valdez, Patrick LJ

2009-08-28

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) was tasked by Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS) to provide information and lessons learned relating to the design, development and deployment of remote systems, particularly remote arm/manipulator systems. This report reflects PNNL’s experience with remote systems and lays out the most important activities that need to be completed to successfully design, build, deploy and operate remote systems in radioactive and chemically contaminated environments. It also contains lessons learned from PNNL’s work experiences, and the work of others in the national laboratory complex.

Immediate needs for MQA testing at state secondary calibration laboratories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cline, R. [Radiation Instrument Calibration Laboratory, Springfield, IL (United States)

1993-12-31

The Calibration Laboratory attempts to provide services that satisfy the needs and requests for a variety of customers. New needs and requests have resulted in calibration of instrumentation outside the original laboratory designs. These tasks require several changes at the laboratory and a need for new support services, especially measurement quality assurance (MQA). The MQA tests are gamma (Cs-137) below 0.5 mrem (5{mu}Sv) per hour and x-ray kVp. Modification to the current gamma (Cs-137) MQA test is recommended because lower intensity fields are commonly measured.

Immediate needs for MQA testing at state secondary calibration laboratories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cline, R.

1993-01-01

The Calibration Laboratory attempts to provide services that satisfy the needs and requests for a variety of customers. New needs and requests have resulted in calibration of instrumentation outside the original laboratory designs. These tasks require several changes at the laboratory and a need for new support services, especially measurement quality assurance (MQA). The MQA tests are gamma (Cs-137) below 0.5 mrem (5μSv) per hour and x-ray kVp. Modification to the current gamma (Cs-137) MQA test is recommended because lower intensity fields are commonly measured

Status of the new initiative task force work

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheffield, J.

1992-01-01

The proposal for a open-quotes New Initiatives Task Forceclose quotes emerged from discussions in the scientific community on how to proceed following the demise of the Burning Plasma Experiment (BPX). In particular, the action of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB), which made the following recommendation in 1991, prompted the initiative: open-quotes Concept exploration should begin to define a new experiment in the $500 million class for the purpose of scientific study of tokomak improvements (e.g., second stability, steady state, bootstrap current) that could suggest new operating modes for ITER and permit the design of more reactor-desirable follow-ons to ITER.close quotes A New Initiative Task force, was chartered by Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in October 1991 to provide oversight in the development of a new experimental initiative and to provide guidance to advocate groups in the following areas: programmatic mission and technical objectives, critical issues of physics, engineering, and technology, design criteria, costing, and modes of operation. The guidance was designed to be based on broad community involvement. In addition, the Task Force was asked to identify the preferred options which could proceed to the design stage. Three primary machine designs have emerged from the work of this group, and they are briefly described. 4 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs

Analysis of the operator's tasks: An aid to control room design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blanc, P.; Guesnier, G.P.; Heilbronn, B.; Monnier, B.

1983-01-01

The control room designer usually has no knowledge of the tasks performed by the operator in the control room since an overall picture of the situation only becomes available once the whole facility has been constructed. In order to study and design control rooms for its future PWR units, Electricite de France (EDF) felt it was essential to analyse these tasks: the work was facilitated by the existence of 900 MW PWR units which were already in operation and which are controlled in much the same manner as future units of the same type. Accordingly, by analysing the control procedures of these 900 MW PWR units, a data base describing the control and monitoring tasks performed by operators in normal, incident and accident situations has been built up. The data-base files, which were established from a study of 130 control procedures, record all the commands given and data available in the control room (about 7000), describe the tasks connected with these commands and data, and identify the times at which they are made use of by the operator. Using this data base, the principle of operator-system communication and of data processing in the control room of the future has been established: in such a control room, most controls and data will be accessible through computer communication systems to ensure that control and monitoring systems are closely integrated under normal operating conditions as well as in incident and post-accident situations and to enable the plant to be controlled by one or two operators in a seated position. (author)

Design criteria document, Fire Protection Task, K Basin Essential Systems Recovery, Project W-405

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, B.H.

1994-01-01

The K Basin were constructed in the early 1950's with a 20 year design life. The K Basins are currently in their third design life and are serving as a near term storage facility for irradiated N Reactor fuel until an interim fuel storage solution can be implemented. In April 1994, Project W-405, K Basin Essential Systems Recovery, was established to address (among other things) the immediate fire protection needs of the 100K Area. A Fire Barrier Evaluation was performed for the wall between the active and inactive areas of the 105KE and 105KW buildings. This evaluation concludes that the wall is capable of being upgraded to provide an equivalent level of fire resistance as a qualified barrier having a fire resistance rating of 2 hours. The Fire Protection Task is one of four separate Tasks included within the scope of Project W405, K Basin Essential systems Recovery. The other three Tasks are the Water Distribution System Task, the Electrical System Task, and the Maintenance Shop/Support Facility Task. The purpose of Project W-405's Fire Protection Task is to correct Life Safety Code (NFPA 101) non-compliances and to provide fire protection features in Buildings 105KE, 105KW and 190KE that are essential for assuring the safe operation and storage of spent nuclear fuel at the 100K Area Facilities' Irradiated Fuel Storage Basins (K Basins)

Elementary Students' Learning of Materials Science Practices Through Instruction Based on Engineering Design Tasks

Science.gov (United States)

Wendell, Kristen Bethke; Lee, Hee-Sun

2010-12-01

Materials science, which entails the practices of selecting, testing, and characterizing materials, is an important discipline within the study of matter. This paper examines how third grade students' materials science performance changes over the course of instruction based on an engineering design challenge. We conducted a case study of nine students who participated in engineering design-based science instruction with the goal of constructing a stable, quiet, thermally comfortable model house. The learning outcome of materials science practices was assessed by clinical interviews conducted before and after the instruction, and the learning process was assessed by students' workbooks completed during the instruction. The interviews included two materials selection tasks for designing a sturdy stepstool and an insulated pet habitat. Results indicate that: (1) students significantly improved on both materials selection tasks, (2) their gains were significantly positively associated with the degree of completion of their workbooks, and (3) students who were highly engaged with the workbook's reflective record-keeping tasks showed the greatest improvement on the interviews. These findings suggest the important role workbooks can play in facilitating elementary students' learning of science through authentic activity such as engineering design.

Development of a standard methodology for optimizing remote visual display for nuclear-maintenance tasks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clarke, M.M.; Garin, J.; Preston-Anderson, A.

1981-01-01

The aim of the present study is to develop a methodology for optimizing remote viewing systems for a fuel recycle facility (HEF) being designed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). An important feature of this design involves the Remotex concept: advanced servo-controlled master/slave manipulators, with remote television viewing, will totally replace direct human contact with the radioactive environment. Therefore, the design of optimal viewing conditions is a critical component of the overall man/machine system. A methodology has been developed for optimizing remote visual displays for nuclear maintenance tasks. The usefulness of this approach has been demonstrated by preliminary specification of optimal closed circuit TV systems for such tasks

Assessing Whether Students Seek Constructive Criticism: The Design of an Automated Feedback System for a Graphic Design Task

Science.gov (United States)

Cutumisu, Maria; Blair, Kristen P.; Chin, Doris B.; Schwartz, Daniel L.

2017-01-01

We introduce a choice-based assessment strategy that measures students' choices to seek constructive feedback and to revise their work. We present the feedback system of a game we designed to assess whether students choose positive or negative feedback and choose to revise their posters in the context of a poster design task, where they learn…

The Impact of Learning Task Design on Students' Situational Interest in Physical Education

Science.gov (United States)

Roure, Cédric; Pasco, Denis

2018-01-01

Purpose: Based on the framework of interest, studies have shown that teachers can enhance students' situational interest (SI) by manipulating the components of learning tasks. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of learning task design on students' SI in physical education (PE). Method: The participants were 167 secondary school…

TASK RELEVANCE IN THE DESIGN OF ONLINE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHERS OF ELLs: A Q Methodology Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Linda J. COLLINS

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Online professional development (oPD for teachers should focus on designing web-based learning opportunities that help practicing educators solve the tough problems of practice when working in their schools. Technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge can be integrated in the design of online professional development modules to enhance task relevance for maximum learning and transformation. The purpose of this study was to learn which tasks in an online professional development module were ranked by in-service educators as relevant to their work with English language learners (ELLs. Using Q methodology, the researcher asked participants to rank the relevancy of 36 online tasks from an online professional development module designed and developed at an American university. Participants used a -5 to 5 forced distribution to rank online activities from “Least relevant to my work with ELLs” to “Most relevant to my work with ELLs” followed by a semi-structured interview to explain their decisions. After data analysis, two factors emerged, indicating that participants’ perceptions on task relevance differed by professional roles and educational settings. The participants also favored didactic online tasks over interactive tasks. The findings from the oPD participants’ responses have the potential to serve as the basis for future online professional development design and for planning other relevant activities to be applied to the e-learning environment.

Design of a Clinical Information Management System to Support DNA Analysis Laboratory Operation

Science.gov (United States)

Dubay, Christopher J.; Zimmerman, David; Popovich, Bradley

1995-01-01

The LabDirector system has been developed at the Oregon Health Sciences University to support the operation of our clinical DNA analysis laboratory. Through an iterative design process which has spanned two years, we have produced a system that is both highly tailored to a clinical genetics production laboratory and flexible in its implementation, to support the rapid growth and change of protocols and methodologies in use in the field. The administrative aspects of the system are integrated with an enterprise schedule management system. The laboratory side of the system is driven by a protocol modeling and execution system. The close integration between these two aspects of the clinical laboratory facilitates smooth operations, and allows management to accurately measure costs and performance. The entire application has been designed and documented to provide utility to a wide range of clinical laboratory environments.

Developing Digital Courseware for a Virtual Nano-Biotechnology Laboratory: A Design-Based Research Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Yueh, Hsiu-Ping; Chen, Tzy-Ling; Lin, Weijane; Sheen, Horn-Jiunn

2014-01-01

This paper first reviews applications of multimedia in engineering education, especially in laboratory learning. It then illustrates a model and accreditation criteria adopted for developing a specific set of nanotechnology laboratory courseware and reports the design-based research approach used in designing and developing the e-learning…

Constructing experimental designs for discrete-choice experiments: report of the ISPOR Conjoint Analysis Experimental Design Good Research Practices Task Force.

Science.gov (United States)

Reed Johnson, F; Lancsar, Emily; Marshall, Deborah; Kilambi, Vikram; Mühlbacher, Axel; Regier, Dean A; Bresnahan, Brian W; Kanninen, Barbara; Bridges, John F P

2013-01-01

Stated-preference methods are a class of evaluation techniques for studying the preferences of patients and other stakeholders. While these methods span a variety of techniques, conjoint-analysis methods-and particularly discrete-choice experiments (DCEs)-have become the most frequently applied approach in health care in recent years. Experimental design is an important stage in the development of such methods, but establishing a consensus on standards is hampered by lack of understanding of available techniques and software. This report builds on the previous ISPOR Conjoint Analysis Task Force Report: Conjoint Analysis Applications in Health-A Checklist: A Report of the ISPOR Good Research Practices for Conjoint Analysis Task Force. This report aims to assist researchers specifically in evaluating alternative approaches to experimental design, a difficult and important element of successful DCEs. While this report does not endorse any specific approach, it does provide a guide for choosing an approach that is appropriate for a particular study. In particular, it provides an overview of the role of experimental designs for the successful implementation of the DCE approach in health care studies, and it provides researchers with an introduction to constructing experimental designs on the basis of study objectives and the statistical model researchers have selected for the study. The report outlines the theoretical requirements for designs that identify choice-model preference parameters and summarizes and compares a number of available approaches for constructing experimental designs. The task-force leadership group met via bimonthly teleconferences and in person at ISPOR meetings in the United States and Europe. An international group of experimental-design experts was consulted during this process to discuss existing approaches for experimental design and to review the task force's draft reports. In addition, ISPOR members contributed to developing a consensus

Conversational interfaces for task-oriented spoken dialogues: design aspects influencing interaction quality

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Niculescu, A.I.

2011-01-01

This dissertation focuses on the design and evaluation of speech-based conversational interfaces for task-oriented dialogues. Conversational interfaces are software programs enabling interaction with computer devices through natural language dialogue. Even though processing conversational speech is

Conceptual Design Report for the Irradiated Materials Characterization Laboratory (IMCL)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stephanie Austad

2010-06-01

This document describes the design at a conceptual level for the Irradiated Materials Characterization Laboratory (IMCL) to be located at the Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The IMCL is an 11,000-ft2, Hazard Category-2 nuclear facility that is designed for use as a state of the-art nuclear facility for the purpose of hands-on and remote handling, characterization, and examination of irradiated and nonirradiated nuclear material samples. The IMCL will accommodate a series of future, modular, and reconfigurable instrument enclosures or caves. To provide a bounding design basis envelope for the facility-provided space and infrastructure, an instrument enclosure or cave configuration was developed and is described in some detail. However, the future instrument enclosures may be modular, integral with the instrument, or reconfigurable to enable various characterization environments to be configured as changes in demand occur. They are not provided as part of the facility.

Design study of wind turbines 50 kW to 3000 kW for electric utility applications. Volume 3: Supplementary design and analysis tasks

Science.gov (United States)

1976-01-01

Additional design and analysis data are provided to supplement the results of the two parallel design study efforts. The key results of the three supplemental tasks investigated are: (1) The velocity duration profile has a significant effect in determining the optimum wind turbine design parameters and the energy generation cost. (2) Modest increases in capacity factor can be achieved with small increases in energy generation costs and capital costs. (3) Reinforced concrete towers that are esthetically attractive can be designed and built at a cost comparable to those for steel truss towers. The approach used, method of analysis, assumptions made, design requirements, and the results for each task are discussed in detail.

Life science payload definition and integration study, task C and D. Volume 3: Appendices

Science.gov (United States)

1973-01-01

Research equipment requirements were based on the Mini-7 and Mini-30 laboratory concepts defined in Tasks A and B of the intial LSPD contract. Modified versions of these laboratories and the research equipment within them were to be used in three missions of Shuttle/Sortie Module. These were designated (1) the shared 7-day laboratory (a mission with the life sciences laboratory sharing the sortie module with another scientific laboratory), (2) the dedicated 7-day laboratory (full use of the sortie module), and (3) the dedicated 30-day laboratory (full sortie module use with a 30-day mission duration). In defining the research equipment requirements of these laboratories, the equipment was grouped according to its function, and equipment unit data packages were prepared.

Dental laboratory communication regarding removable dental prosthesis design in the UAE.

Science.gov (United States)

Haj-Ali, Reem; Al Quran, Firas; Adel, Omar

2012-07-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the methods dental practitioners in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) use to communicate cast removable dental prosthesis (RDP) design to dental laboratories; identify common practices taken by dentists/dental technicians prior to fabrication of RDP framework; and seek out dental technicians' attitudes toward their role in RDP design decisions. All dental laboratories (n = 28) listed in a local telephone directory were invited to complete a questionnaire through a face-to-face interview. They were also requested to examine RDP cases fabricated in the past 2 months and identify steps taken by dentists/dental technicians prior to fabrication of the framework. Descriptive statistics were used to report frequencies and percentages. Twenty-one (75%) dental laboratories agreed to participate, out of which 19 had the facilities to fabricate chrome-cobalt RDPs. Cast RDPs comprised approximately 4.04% (±2.67) of services provided. A reported 84.2% of dentists frequently communicate through generic lab script, with 89.5% rarely/never giving details regarding RDP design. While 52.6% of labs agree/strongly agree that it is the dentist's responsibility to decide the final RDP design, 94.7% agree/strongly agree that dentists should depend on dental technicians for design-making decisions. A total of 19 RDP cases were reviewed. All 19 were surveyed and designed by dental technicians but received dentist approval of design prior to fabrication. Thirteen (68.4%) had rest-seat preparations done by dentists after approval, and new impressions sent to the lab. No other tooth modifications were noted. The responsibility of RDP design appeared to be largely delegated to dental technicians. Importance of tooth modifications seemed to be undervalued and not completed prior to framework fabrication. © 2012 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

Sample requirements and design of an inter-laboratory trial for radiocarbon laboratories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bryant, Charlotte; Carmi, Israel; Cook, Gordon; Gulliksen, Steinar; Harkness, Doug; Heinemeier, Jan; McGee, Edward; Naysmith, Philip; Possnert, Goran; Scott, Marian; Plicht, Hans van der; Strydonck, Mark van

2000-01-01

An on-going inter-comparison programme which is focused on assessing and establishing consensus protocols to be applied in the identification, selection and sub-sampling of materials for subsequent 14 C analysis is described. The outcome of the programme will provide a detailed quantification of the uncertainties associated with 14 C measurements including the issues of accuracy and precision. Such projects have become recognised as a fundamental aspect of continuing laboratory quality assurance schemes, providing a mechanism for the harmonisation of measurements and for demonstrating the traceability of results. The design of this study and its rationale are described. In summary, a suite of core samples has been defined which will be made available to both AMS and radiometric laboratories. These core materials are representative of routinely dated material and their ages span the full range of the applied 14 C time-scale. Two of the samples are of wood from the German and Irish dendrochronologies, thus providing a direct connection to the master dendrochronological calibration curve. Further samples link this new inter-comparison to past studies. Sample size and precision have been identified as being of paramount importance in defining dating confidence, and so several core samples have been identified for more in-depth study of these practical issues. In addition to the core samples, optional samples have been identified and prepared specifically for either AMS and/or radiometric laboratories. For AMS laboratories, these include bone, textile, leather and parchment samples. Participation in the study requires a commitment to a minimum of 10 core analyses, with results to be returned within a year

Dispatching the wandering mind? Toward a laboratory method for cuing "spontaneous" off-task thought

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer C. McVay

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Cognitive psychologists and neuroscientists study most phenomena of attention by measuring subjects’ overt responses to discrete environmental stimuli that can be manipulated to test competing theories. The mind-wandering experience, however, cannot be locally instigated by cleverly engineered stimuli. Investigators must therefore rely on correlational and observational methods to understand subjects’ flow of thought, which is only occasionally and indirectly monitored. In an effort toward changing this state of affairs, we present four experiments that develop a method for inducing mind-wandering episodes – on demand – in response to task-embedded cues. In an initial laboratory session, subjects described their personal goals and concerns across several life domains (amid some filler questionnaires. In a second session, 48 hours later, subjects completed a go/no-go task in which they responded to the perceptual features of words; unbeknownst to subjects, some stimulus words were presented in triplets to represent the personal concerns they had described in session 1. Thought probes appearing shortly after these personal-goal triplets indicated that, compared to control triplets, priming subjects’ concerns increased mind-wandering rate by about 3 – 4%. We argue that this small effect is, nonetheless, a promising development toward the pursuit of an experimentally informed, theory-driven science of mind wandering.

Acquisition and production of skilled behavior in dynamic decision-making tasks: Modeling strategic behavior in human-automation interaction: Why and aid can (and should) go unused

Science.gov (United States)

Kirlik, Alex

1991-01-01

Advances in computer and control technology offer the opportunity for task-offload aiding in human-machine systems. A task-offload aid (e.g., an autopilot, an intelligent assistant) can be selectively engaged by the human operator to dynamically delegate tasks to an automated system. Successful design and performance prediction in such systems requires knowledge of the factors influencing the strategy the operator develops and uses for managing interaction with the task-offload aid. A model is presented that shows how such strategies can be predicted as a function of three task context properties (frequency and duration of secondary tasks and costs of delaying secondary tasks) and three aid design properties (aid engagement and disengagement times, aid performance relative to human performance). Sensitivity analysis indicates how each of these contextual and design factors affect the optimal aid aid usage strategy and attainable system performance. The model is applied to understanding human-automation interaction in laboratory experiments on human supervisory control behavior. The laboratory task allowed subjects freedom to determine strategies for using an autopilot in a dynamic, multi-task environment. Modeling results suggested that many subjects may indeed have been acting appropriately by not using the autopilot in the way its designers intended. Although autopilot function was technically sound, this aid was not designed with due regard to the overall task context in which it was placed. These results demonstrate the need for additional research on how people may strategically manage their own resources, as well as those provided by automation, in an effort to keep workload and performance at acceptable levels.

Recent advances in the designing and the equipment of high activity laboratories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bazire, R.; Duhamel, F.

1960-01-01

The authors described the general principles governing the design of a laboratory for experimenting and handling radioactive substances. The difficulties encountered are of two types: 1) those due to the dangers of external irradiation; 2) those due to the dangers of internal contamination. As an example, the authors describe the French achievements in this field and in particular: - the high-activity laboratories at Saclay; - the laboratory for the examination of irradiated fuels at Saclay; - the 'hot' laboratory of the CEN-Grenoble; - the alpha, beta and gamma laboratories of the CEN-Fontenay-aux-Roses. Finally, the report describes the protective materials used for these installations. (author) [fr

Utilizing job/task analysis to establish content validity in the design of training programs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nay, W.E.

1988-01-01

The decade of the 1980's has been a turbulent time for the Department of Energy. With concern mounting about the terrorist threat, a wave of congressional inquiries and internal inspections crossed the nation and engulfed many of the nuclear laboratories and facilities operated by DOE contractors. A typical finding was the need to improve, and increase, the training of the protective force. The immediate reaction resulted in a wide variety of responses, with most contractors feeling safer with too much, rather than not enough training. As soon as the initial pressures to upgrade subsided, a task force was established to evaluate the overall training needs. Representatives from the contractor facilities worked together to conduct a job analysis of the protective force. A generic task inventory was established, and validated at the different sites. This list has been invaluable for determining the tasks, conditions, and standards needed to develop well stated learning objectives. The enhanced training programs are being refined to ensure job content validity based on the data collected.

Geospace Plasma Dynamics Laboratory Annual Task Report (FY11)

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-01

Site Contractors: Nagendra Singh, Ph.D., Physicist , 0.5 MY Neil Grossbard, M.S., Mathematician , 0.7 MY Visitors: Publications: Articles in...PhD Project Manager Division Chief, RVB This report is published in the interest of scientific and technical...Annual Task Report (FY11) 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 61102F 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 2311 Daniel Ober 5e. TASK NUMBER

Exploring Interaction Space as Abstraction Mechanism for Task-Based User Interface Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, C. M.; Overgaard, M.; Pedersen, M. B.

2007-01-01

Designing a user interface is often a complex undertaking. Model-based user interface design is an approach where models and mappings between them form the basis for creating and specifying the design of a user interface. Such models usually include descriptions of the tasks of the prospective user......, but there is considerable variation in the other models that are employed. This paper explores the extent to which the notion of interaction space is useful as an abstraction mechanism to reduce the complexity of creating and specifying a user interface design. We present how we designed a specific user interface through...... mechanism that can help user interface designers exploit object-oriented analysis results and reduce the complexity of designing a user interface....

Ideas in Practice (3): A Simulated Laboratory Experience in Digital Design.

Science.gov (United States)

Cleaver, Thomas G.

1988-01-01

Gives an example of the use of a simplified logic simulator in a logic design course. Discusses some problems in logic design classes, commercially available software, and software problems. Describes computer-aided engineering (CAE) software. Lists 14 experiments in the simulated laboratory and presents students' evaluation of the course. (YP)

Research study on the effects of illumination on performance of control room tasks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silverman, E.B.; Horst, R.L.; Parris, H.L.; O'Brien, J.

1990-01-01

The illumination in the control rooms of many operating nuclear plants falls below the levels specified in the NUREG-0700 guidelines. However, these guidelines are based on human perception and performance data which were acquired under laboratory conditions and with tasks very different from those typically found in control rooms. The objective of the present studies was to gather empirical data regarding the levels of illumination sufficient for performing tasks analogous to those performed in control rooms. Several tasks were designed to engage the perceptual and cognitive processes that are representative of actual control room performance. In a computerized laboratory test-bed, subjects scanned edgewise meters, examined hard-copy X-Y plots to discern the value of the displayed function at specific coordinates, and proofread hard-copy plant procedures. In a power plant control room simulator, data were likewise collected in a meter reading task and similar tasks representing elements of specific job-performance measures. For each task, response time and accuracy were measured under a range of illumination levels. Subjective comfort ratings were also obtained for each illumination level. The results from both settings indicated that with decreasing illumination, increased errors and/or longer response times occurred only for levels below ten footcandles, if at all. These data suggest that adequate performance in control room tasks can be achieved at illumination levels below those recommended in NUREG-0700

Design of the task-based display prototype and the first user-test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Svengren, Haakan; Strand, Stine

2005-09-01

This report provides a description of the Task-based displays prototype for BWRs, and documents the results of the first user-test. Three different kinds of Task-based displays were designed: 1) displays for performing first checks and obtaining overview in emergency situations, 2) displays for performing emergency procedures, and 3) displays that facilitate understanding of the process and logic. The procedures included an expert-help function to support the operators in performing the procedures. The design was only implemented on the reactor side of the plant. The user-test was conducted using the HAMBO simulator in HAMMLAB. 6 crews from Forsmark 3 and Oskarshamn 3 participated in the test. The crews participated in 4 scenarios, which all were considered as highly complex scenarios that included actuation of several reactor protection signals. The data collection techniques (questionnaires and interviews) intended to cover usability-related issues and mainly involved the reactor operators. The results demonstrated that the Task-based design approach was very well received by the operators, and that the work initiated by the design of this first prototype should be continued. The operators generally found the procedure-implementation and the displays useful and easy to understand. They considered the amount of information contained in the procedures and the displays as good, and associated with low levels of frustration. The expert-help provided in the current test was very premature. This resulted in somewhat poorer usability ratings compared to the procedures and the displays. However, the operators explicitly stated the usefulness of providing expert-help in the combination with computerized procedures. The operators rated the computer-based procedures as slightly easier, less time-consuming, and slightly less mentally demanding than paper-based procedures. All the operators considered navigation within and between the procedures as easy, although some

A pilot's opinion - VTOL control design requirements for the instrument approach task.

Science.gov (United States)

Patton, J. M., Jr.

1972-01-01

This paper presents pilot opinion supported by test data concerning flight control and display concepts and control system design requirements for VTOL aircraft in the instrument approach task. Material presented is drawn from research flights in the following aircraft: Dornier DO-31, Short SC-1, LTV XC-142A, and Boeing-Vertol CH-46. The control system concepts and mechanizations employed in the above aircraft are discussed, and the effect of control system augmentation is shown on performance. Operational procedures required in the instrument approach task are described, with comments on need for automation and combining of control functions.

Combining program visualization with programming workspace to assist students for completing programming laboratory task

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elvina Elvina

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Numerous Program Visualization tools (PVs have been developed for assisting novice students to understand their source code further. However, none of them are practical to be used in the context of completing programming laboratory task; students are required to keep switching between PV and programming workspace when they need to know how their code works. This paper combines PV with programming workspace to handle such issue. Resulted tool (which is named PITON has 13 features extracted from PythonTutor, PyCharm, and student’s feedbacks about PythonTutor. According to think-aloud and user study, PITON is more practical to be used than a combination of PythonTutor and PyCharm. Further, its features are considerably helpful; students rated these features as useful and frequently used.

A Project-Based Laboratory for Learning Embedded System Design with Industry Support

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Chyi-Shyong; Su, Juing-Huei; Lin, Kuo-En; Chang, Jia-Hao; Lin, Gu-Hong

2010-01-01

A project-based laboratory for learning embedded system design with support from industry is presented in this paper. The aim of this laboratory is to motivate students to learn the building blocks of embedded systems and practical control algorithms by constructing a line-following robot using the quadratic interpolation technique to predict the…

Structural Analysis and Seismic Design for Cold Neutron Laboratory Building

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Sangik; Kim, Y. K.; Kim, H. R.

2007-05-01

This report describes all the major results of the dynamic structural analysis and seismic design for the Cold Neutron Laboratory Building which is classified in seismic class II. The results are summarized of the ground response spectrum as seismic input loads, mechanical properties of subsoil, the buoyancy stability due to ground water, the maximum displacement of the main frame under the seismic load and the member design. This report will be used as a basic design report to maintenance its structural integrity in future

Task-Based EFL Language Teaching with Procedural Information Design in a Technical Writing Context

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, Debopriyo

2017-01-01

Task-based language learning (TBLL) has heavily influenced syllabus design, classroom teaching, and learner assessment in a foreign or second language teaching context. In this English as foreign language (EFL) learning environment, the paper discussed an innovative language learning pedagogy based on design education and technical writing. In…

Removal design report for the 108-F Biological Laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-09-01

Most of the 100-F facilities were deactivated with the reactor and have since been demolished. Of the dozen or so reactor-related structures, only the 105-F Reactor Building and the 108-F Biology Laboratory remain standing today. The 108-F Biology Laboratory was intended to be used as a facility for the mixing and addition of chemicals used in the treatment of the reactor cooling water. Shortly after F Reactor began operation, it was determined that the facility was not needed for this purpose. In 1949, the building was converted for use as a biological laboratory. In 1962, the lab was expanded by adding a three-story annex to the original four-story structure. The resulting lab had a floor area of approximately 2,883 m{sup 2} (main building and annex) that operated until 1973. The building contained 47 laboratories, a number of small offices, a conference room, administrative section, lunch and locker rooms, and a heavily shielded, high-energy exposure cell. The purpose of this removal design report is to establish the methods of decontamination and decommissioning and the supporting functions associated with facility removal and disposal.

Removal design report for the 108-F Biological Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-09-01

Most of the 100-F facilities were deactivated with the reactor and have since been demolished. Of the dozen or so reactor-related structures, only the 105-F Reactor Building and the 108-F Biology Laboratory remain standing today. The 108-F Biology Laboratory was intended to be used as a facility for the mixing and addition of chemicals used in the treatment of the reactor cooling water. Shortly after F Reactor began operation, it was determined that the facility was not needed for this purpose. In 1949, the building was converted for use as a biological laboratory. In 1962, the lab was expanded by adding a three-story annex to the original four-story structure. The resulting lab had a floor area of approximately 2,883 m 2 (main building and annex) that operated until 1973. The building contained 47 laboratories, a number of small offices, a conference room, administrative section, lunch and locker rooms, and a heavily shielded, high-energy exposure cell. The purpose of this removal design report is to establish the methods of decontamination and decommissioning and the supporting functions associated with facility removal and disposal

Learner Perspectives on Task Design for Oral-Visual eTandem Language Learning

Science.gov (United States)

El-Hariri, Yasmin

2016-01-01

Constituting a more specific form of online collaboration, eTandem Language Learning (eTLL) shows great potential for non-formal, self-directed language learning. Research in this field, particularly regarding task design, is still scarce. Focusing on their beliefs and attitudes, this article examines what learners think about how…

Laboratory Waste Management. A Guidebook.

Science.gov (United States)

American Chemical Society, Washington, DC.

A primary goal of the American Chemical Society Task Force on Laboratory Waste Management is to provide laboratories with the information necessary to develop effective strategies and training programs for managing laboratory wastes. This book is intended to present a fresh look at waste management from the laboratory perspective, considering both…

Fundamental Research in Engineering Education. Student Learning in Industrially Situated Virtual Laboratories

Science.gov (United States)

Koretsky, Milo D.; Kelly, Christine; Gummer, Edith

2011-01-01

The instructional design and the corresponding research on student learning of two virtual laboratories that provide an engineering task situated in an industrial context are described. In this problem-based learning environment, data are generated dynamically based on each student team's distinct choices of reactor parameters and measurements.…

Software protocol design: Communication and control in a multi-task robot machine for ITER vacuum vessel assembly and maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Ming; Wu, Huapeng; Handroos, Heikki; Yang, Guangyou; Wang, Yongbo

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A high-level protocol is proposed for the data inter-transmission. • The protocol design is task-oriented for the robot control in the software system. • The protocol functions as a role of middleware in the software. • The protocol running stand-alone as an independent process in the software provides greater security. • Providing a reference design protocol for the multi-task robot machine in the industry. - Abstract: A specific communication and control protocol for software design of a multi-task robot machine is proposed. In order to fulfill the requirements on the complicated multi machining functions and the high performance motion control, the software design of robot is divided into two main parts accordingly, which consists of the user-oriented HMI part and robot control-oriented real-time control system. The two parts of software are deployed in the different hardware for the consideration of run-time performance, which forms a client–server-control architecture. Therefore a high-level task-oriented protocol is designed for the data inter-communication between the HMI part and the control system part, in which all the transmitting data related to a machining task is divided into three categories: trajectory-oriented data, task control-oriented data and status monitoring-oriented data. The protocol consists of three sub-protocols accordingly – a trajectory protocol, task control protocol and status protocol – which are deployed over the Ethernet and run as independent processes in both the client and server computers. The protocols are able to manage the vast amounts of data streaming due to the multi machining functions in a more efficient way. Since the protocol is functioning in the software as a role of middleware, and providing the data interface standards for the developing groups of two parts of software, it also permits greater focus of both software parts developers on their own requirements-oriented design. By

Software protocol design: Communication and control in a multi-task robot machine for ITER vacuum vessel assembly and maintenance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Ming, E-mail: ming.li@lut.fi [Laboratory of Intelligent Machines, Lappeenranta University of Technology (Finland); Wu, Huapeng; Handroos, Heikki [Laboratory of Intelligent Machines, Lappeenranta University of Technology (Finland); Yang, Guangyou [School of Mechanical Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan (China); Wang, Yongbo [Laboratory of Intelligent Machines, Lappeenranta University of Technology (Finland)

2015-10-15

Highlights: • A high-level protocol is proposed for the data inter-transmission. • The protocol design is task-oriented for the robot control in the software system. • The protocol functions as a role of middleware in the software. • The protocol running stand-alone as an independent process in the software provides greater security. • Providing a reference design protocol for the multi-task robot machine in the industry. - Abstract: A specific communication and control protocol for software design of a multi-task robot machine is proposed. In order to fulfill the requirements on the complicated multi machining functions and the high performance motion control, the software design of robot is divided into two main parts accordingly, which consists of the user-oriented HMI part and robot control-oriented real-time control system. The two parts of software are deployed in the different hardware for the consideration of run-time performance, which forms a client–server-control architecture. Therefore a high-level task-oriented protocol is designed for the data inter-communication between the HMI part and the control system part, in which all the transmitting data related to a machining task is divided into three categories: trajectory-oriented data, task control-oriented data and status monitoring-oriented data. The protocol consists of three sub-protocols accordingly – a trajectory protocol, task control protocol and status protocol – which are deployed over the Ethernet and run as independent processes in both the client and server computers. The protocols are able to manage the vast amounts of data streaming due to the multi machining functions in a more efficient way. Since the protocol is functioning in the software as a role of middleware, and providing the data interface standards for the developing groups of two parts of software, it also permits greater focus of both software parts developers on their own requirements-oriented design. By

Fuzzy-TLX: using fuzzy integrals for evaluating human mental workload with NASA-Task Load indeX in laboratory and field studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Mouzé-Amady, Marc; Raufaste, Eric; Prade, Henri; Meyer, Jean-Pierre

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess mental workload in which various load sources must be integrated to derive reliable workload estimates. We report a new algorithm for computing weights from qualitative fuzzy integrals and apply it to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration -Task Load indeX (NASA-TLX) subscales in order to replace the standard pair-wise weighting technique (PWT). In this paper, two empirical studies were reported: (1) In a laboratory experiment, age- and task-related variables were investigated in 53 male volunteers and (2) In a field study, task- and job-related variables were studied on aircrews during 48 commercial flights. The results found in this study were as follows: (i) in the experimental setting, fuzzy estimates were highly correlated with classical (using PWT) estimates; (ii) in real work conditions, replacing PWT by automated fuzzy treatments simplified the NASA-TLX completion; (iii) the algorithm for computing fuzzy estimates provides a new classification procedure sensitive to various variables of work environments and (iv) subjective and objective measures can be used for the fuzzy aggregation of NASA-TLX subscales. NASA-TLX, a classical tool for mental workload assessment, is based on a weighted sum of ratings from six subscales. A new algorithm, which impacts on input data collection and computes weights and indexes from qualitative fuzzy integrals, is evaluated through laboratory and field studies. Pros and cons are discussed.

Analysing task design and students' responses to context-based problems through different analytical frameworks

Science.gov (United States)

Broman, Karolina; Bernholt, Sascha; Parchmann, Ilka

2015-05-01

Background:Context-based learning approaches are used to enhance students' interest in, and knowledge about, science. According to different empirical studies, students' interest is improved by applying these more non-conventional approaches, while effects on learning outcomes are less coherent. Hence, further insights are needed into the structure of context-based problems in comparison to traditional problems, and into students' problem-solving strategies. Therefore, a suitable framework is necessary, both for the analysis of tasks and strategies. Purpose:The aim of this paper is to explore traditional and context-based tasks as well as students' responses to exemplary tasks to identify a suitable framework for future design and analyses of context-based problems. The paper discusses different established frameworks and applies the Higher-Order Cognitive Skills/Lower-Order Cognitive Skills (HOCS/LOCS) taxonomy and the Model of Hierarchical Complexity in Chemistry (MHC-C) to analyse traditional tasks and students' responses. Sample:Upper secondary students (n=236) at the Natural Science Programme, i.e. possible future scientists, are investigated to explore learning outcomes when they solve chemistry tasks, both more conventional as well as context-based chemistry problems. Design and methods:A typical chemistry examination test has been analysed, first the test items in themselves (n=36), and thereafter 236 students' responses to one representative context-based problem. Content analysis using HOCS/LOCS and MHC-C frameworks has been applied to analyse both quantitative and qualitative data, allowing us to describe different problem-solving strategies. Results:The empirical results show that both frameworks are suitable to identify students' strategies, mainly focusing on recall of memorized facts when solving chemistry test items. Almost all test items were also assessing lower order thinking. The combination of frameworks with the chemistry syllabus has been

Evidence-based design and evaluation of a whole genome sequencing clinical report for the reference microbiology laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Crisan, Anamaria; McKee, Geoffrey; Munzner, Tamara

2018-01-01

Background Microbial genome sequencing is now being routinely used in many clinical and public health laboratories. Understanding how to report complex genomic test results to stakeholders who may have varying familiarity with genomics—including clinicians, laboratorians, epidemiologists, and researchers—is critical to the successful and sustainable implementation of this new technology; however, there are no evidence-based guidelines for designing such a report in the pathogen genomics domain. Here, we describe an iterative, human-centered approach to creating a report template for communicating tuberculosis (TB) genomic test results. Methods We used Design Study Methodology—a human centered approach drawn from the information visualization domain—to redesign an existing clinical report. We used expert consults and an online questionnaire to discover various stakeholders’ needs around the types of data and tasks related to TB that they encounter in their daily workflow. We also evaluated their perceptions of and familiarity with genomic data, as well as its utility at various clinical decision points. These data shaped the design of multiple prototype reports that were compared against the existing report through a second online survey, with the resulting qualitative and quantitative data informing the final, redesigned, report. Results We recruited 78 participants, 65 of whom were clinicians, nurses, laboratorians, researchers, and epidemiologists involved in TB diagnosis, treatment, and/or surveillance. Our first survey indicated that participants were largely enthusiastic about genomic data, with the majority agreeing on its utility for certain TB diagnosis and treatment tasks and many reporting some confidence in their ability to interpret this type of data (between 58.8% and 94.1%, depending on the specific data type). When we compared our four prototype reports against the existing design, we found that for the majority (86.7%) of design

Evidence-based design and evaluation of a whole genome sequencing clinical report for the reference microbiology laboratory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anamaria Crisan

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Background Microbial genome sequencing is now being routinely used in many clinical and public health laboratories. Understanding how to report complex genomic test results to stakeholders who may have varying familiarity with genomics—including clinicians, laboratorians, epidemiologists, and researchers—is critical to the successful and sustainable implementation of this new technology; however, there are no evidence-based guidelines for designing such a report in the pathogen genomics domain. Here, we describe an iterative, human-centered approach to creating a report template for communicating tuberculosis (TB genomic test results. Methods We used Design Study Methodology—a human centered approach drawn from the information visualization domain—to redesign an existing clinical report. We used expert consults and an online questionnaire to discover various stakeholders’ needs around the types of data and tasks related to TB that they encounter in their daily workflow. We also evaluated their perceptions of and familiarity with genomic data, as well as its utility at various clinical decision points. These data shaped the design of multiple prototype reports that were compared against the existing report through a second online survey, with the resulting qualitative and quantitative data informing the final, redesigned, report. Results We recruited 78 participants, 65 of whom were clinicians, nurses, laboratorians, researchers, and epidemiologists involved in TB diagnosis, treatment, and/or surveillance. Our first survey indicated that participants were largely enthusiastic about genomic data, with the majority agreeing on its utility for certain TB diagnosis and treatment tasks and many reporting some confidence in their ability to interpret this type of data (between 58.8% and 94.1%, depending on the specific data type. When we compared our four prototype reports against the existing design, we found that for the majority (86.7% of

Evidence-based design and evaluation of a whole genome sequencing clinical report for the reference microbiology laboratory.

Science.gov (United States)

Crisan, Anamaria; McKee, Geoffrey; Munzner, Tamara; Gardy, Jennifer L

2018-01-01

Microbial genome sequencing is now being routinely used in many clinical and public health laboratories. Understanding how to report complex genomic test results to stakeholders who may have varying familiarity with genomics-including clinicians, laboratorians, epidemiologists, and researchers-is critical to the successful and sustainable implementation of this new technology; however, there are no evidence-based guidelines for designing such a report in the pathogen genomics domain. Here, we describe an iterative, human-centered approach to creating a report template for communicating tuberculosis (TB) genomic test results. We used Design Study Methodology-a human centered approach drawn from the information visualization domain-to redesign an existing clinical report. We used expert consults and an online questionnaire to discover various stakeholders' needs around the types of data and tasks related to TB that they encounter in their daily workflow. We also evaluated their perceptions of and familiarity with genomic data, as well as its utility at various clinical decision points. These data shaped the design of multiple prototype reports that were compared against the existing report through a second online survey, with the resulting qualitative and quantitative data informing the final, redesigned, report. We recruited 78 participants, 65 of whom were clinicians, nurses, laboratorians, researchers, and epidemiologists involved in TB diagnosis, treatment, and/or surveillance. Our first survey indicated that participants were largely enthusiastic about genomic data, with the majority agreeing on its utility for certain TB diagnosis and treatment tasks and many reporting some confidence in their ability to interpret this type of data (between 58.8% and 94.1%, depending on the specific data type). When we compared our four prototype reports against the existing design, we found that for the majority (86.7%) of design comparisons, participants preferred the

Dispatching the wandering mind? Toward a laboratory method for cuing “spontaneous” off-task thought

Science.gov (United States)

McVay, Jennifer C.; Kane, Michael J.

2013-01-01

Cognitive psychologists and neuroscientists study most phenomena of attention by measuring subjects' overt responses to discrete environmental stimuli that can be manipulated to test competing theories. The mind wandering experience, however, cannot be locally instigated by cleverly engineered stimuli. Investigators must therefore rely on correlational and observational methods to understand subjects' flow of thought, which is only occasionally and indirectly monitored. In an effort toward changing this state of affairs, we present four experiments that develop a method for inducing mind wandering episodes—on demand—in response to task-embedded cues. In an initial laboratory session, subjects described their personal goals and concerns across several life domains (amid some filler questionnaires). In a second session, 48 h later, subjects completed a go/no-go task in which they responded to the perceptual features of words; unbeknownst to subjects, some stimulus words were presented in triplets to represent the personal concerns they had described in session 1. Thought probes appearing shortly after these personal-goal triplets indicated that, compared to control triplets, priming subjects' concerns increased mind wandering rate by about 3–4%. We argue that this small effect is, nonetheless, a promising development toward the pursuit of an experimentally informed, theory-driven science of mind wandering. PMID:24027542

Design Guidelines for the Development of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Training Systems for Maintenance and Assembly Tasks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tecchia Franco

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The current work describes design guidelines for the development of Virtual Reality (VR and Augmented Reality (AR platforms to train technicians on maintenance and assembly tasks of industrial machineries. The main skill involved in this kind of tasks is the procedural skill. Based on past literature and studies conducted within the SKILLS project, several main design guidelines were formulated. First, observational learning integrated properly within the training protocol increases training efficiency. Second, training protocols combining physical and cognitive fidelity enhances procedural skills acquisition. Third, guidance aids should be provided in a proper and controlled way. And last, enriched information about the task helps trainees to develop a useful mental model of the task. These recommendations were implemented in both VR and AR training platforms.

Design and implementation of an internet-based electrical engineering laboratory.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Zhenlei; Shen, Zhangbiao; Zhu, Shanan

2014-09-01

This paper describes an internet-based electrical engineering laboratory (IEE-Lab) with virtual and physical experiments at Zhejiang University. In order to synthesize the advantages of both experiment styles, the IEE-Lab is come up with Client/Server/Application framework and combines the virtual and physical experiments. The design and workflow of IEE-Lab are introduced. The analog electronic experiment is taken as an example to show Flex plug-in design, data communication based on XML (Extensible Markup Language), experiment simulation modeled by Modelica and control terminals' design. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Safety Precautions and Operating Procedures in an (A)BSL-4 Laboratory: 1. Biosafety Level 4 Suit Laboratory Suite Entry and Exit Procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

Janosko, Krisztina; Holbrook, Michael R; Adams, Ricky; Barr, Jason; Bollinger, Laura; Newton, Je T'aime; Ntiforo, Corrie; Coe, Linda; Wada, Jiro; Pusl, Daniela; Jahrling, Peter B; Kuhn, Jens H; Lackemeyer, Matthew G

2016-10-03

Biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) suit laboratories are specifically designed to study high-consequence pathogens for which neither infection prophylaxes nor treatment options exist. The hallmarks of these laboratories are: custom-designed airtight doors, dedicated supply and exhaust airflow systems, a negative-pressure environment, and mandatory use of positive-pressure ("space") suits. The risk for laboratory specialists working with highly pathogenic agents is minimized through rigorous training and adherence to stringent safety protocols and standard operating procedures. Researchers perform the majority of their work in BSL-2 laboratories and switch to BSL-4 suit laboratories when work with a high-consequence pathogen is required. Collaborators and scientists considering BSL-4 projects should be aware of the challenges associated with BSL-4 research both in terms of experimental technical limitations in BSL-4 laboratory space and the increased duration of such experiments. Tasks such as entering and exiting the BSL-4 suit laboratories are considerably more complex and time-consuming compared to BSL-2 and BSL-3 laboratories. The focus of this particular article is to address basic biosafety concerns and describe the entrance and exit procedures for the BSL-4 laboratory at the NIH/NIAID Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick. Such procedures include checking external systems that support the BSL-4 laboratory, and inspecting and donning positive-pressure suits, entering the laboratory, moving through air pressure-resistant doors, and connecting to air-supply hoses. We will also discuss moving within and exiting the BSL-4 suit laboratories, including using the chemical shower and removing and storing positive-pressure suits.

Storyboarding: A Method for Bootstrapping the Design of Computer-Based Educational Tasks

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Ian

2008-01-01

There has been a recent call for the use of more systematic thought experiments when investigating learning. This paper presents a storyboarding method for capturing and sharing initial ideas and their evolution in the design of a mathematics learning task. The storyboards produced can be considered as "virtual data" created by thought experiments…

The Relationship of Microorganism Classification by US Government Guidelines to the Design pof Laboratory Facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robinson, D.

2007-01-01

When the first edition of the Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories, (BMBL) series was published approximately 40 years ago its purpose was to provide a code of practice, guidelines and standards for the prevention of laboratory acquired infections to the laboratorian working in an infectious disease laboratory. The BMBL is based on the microorganism being worked on and is a set of recommendations, which are advisory. While this is true, many agencies in the US government have incorporated all or parts of the BMBL in their regulations. This has led to the BMBL being accepted as the de facto US standard for the design and operation of infectious disease laboratories. The concept of biosecurity has evolved as a result of concerns related o access to microorganisms by terrorists following the anthrax letters of October 2001. While related to biosafety the specific requirements vary from those related to biosafety and are based on laws passed by the US Congress. The Select Agent Program of the US Centres for Disease Control has been given the responsibility for codifying and enforcing these regulations. Both biosafety and biosecurity need to be considered in the design of a laboratory facility. The occasionally conflicting regulatory requirements can be best resolved by conducting a Risk Assessment, which takes into account the microorganisms and the manipulations planned for the laboratory. This is an essential step for both laboratory design and subsequent laboratory operation. (author)

Conceptual design of the liquid metal laboratory of the TECHNOFUSION facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abánades, A.; García, A.; Casal, N.; Perlado, J.M.; Ibarra, A.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Conceptual design of a liquid Li facility. ► Components and cost estimation. ► Liquid metal laboratory into TEHNOFUSION proposal. - Abstract: The application of liquid metal technology in fusion devices requires R and D related to many phenomena: interaction between liquid metals and structural material as corrosion, erosion and passivation techniques; magneto-hydrodynamics; free surface fluid-dynamics and any other physical aspect that will be needed for their safe reliable operation. In particular, there is a significant shortage of experimental facilities dedicated to the development of the lithium technology. In the framework of the TECHNOFUSION project, an experimental laboratory devoted to the lithium technology development is proposed, in order to shed some light in the path to IFMIF and the design of chamber's first wall and divertors. The conceptual design foresee a development in two stages, the first one consisting on a material testing loop. The second stage proposes the construction of a mock-up of the IFMIF target that will allow to assess the behaviour of a free-surface lithium target under vacuum conditions. In this paper, such conceptual design is addressed.

Experimental evaluation and design of unfilled and concrete-filled FRP composite piles : Task 7 : final report : thesis.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-05-01

The overall goal of this project is the experimental evaluation and design of unfilled and concrete-filled FRP composite piles for load-bearing in bridges. This report covers Task 7, Final Report - Thesis. : This final report covers Tasks 1, 2, 3, 5 ...

Developing a strategy for a regulated electronic bioanalytical laboratory.

Science.gov (United States)

McDowall, R D

2014-01-01

This perspective article considers the strategy, design and implementation of an electronic bioanalytical laboratory working to GLP and/or GCP regulations. There are a range of available automated systems and laboratory informatics that could be implemented and integrated to make an electronic laboratory. However, which are the appropriate ones to select and what is realistic and cost-effective for an individual laboratory? The answer is to develop an overall automation strategy that is updated periodically after each system or application has been implemented to assess if the strategy is still valid or needs to be changed. As many laboratory informatics applications have functional overlap or convergence, for example, Laboratory Information Management System, Electronic Laboratory Notebook, and Instrument and Chromatography Data Systems, the decision of which application performs a specific task needs to be carefully considered in the overall strategy. Ensuring data integrity and regulatory compliance, especially in light of a number of recent falsification cases, is a mandatory consideration for the overall strategy for an electronic bioanalytical laboratory submitting data to regulatory authorities.

The Effect of Predicted Vehicle Displacement on Ground Crew Task Performance and Hardware Design

Science.gov (United States)

Atencio, Laura Ashley; Reynolds, David W.

2011-01-01

NASA continues to explore new launch vehicle concepts that will carry astronauts to low- Earth orbit to replace the soon-to-be retired Space Transportation System (STS) shuttle. A tall vertically stacked launch vehicle (> or =300 ft) is exposed to the natural environment while positioned on the launch pad. Varying directional winds and vortex shedding cause the vehicle to sway in an oscillating motion. Ground crews working high on the tower and inside the vehicle during launch preparations will be subjected to this motion while conducting critical closeout tasks such as mating fluid and electrical connectors and carrying heavy objects. NASA has not experienced performing these tasks in such environments since the Saturn V, which was serviced from a movable (but rigid) service structure; commercial launchers are likewise attended by a service structure that moves away from the vehicle for launch. There is concern that vehicle displacement may hinder ground crew operations, impact the ground system designs, and ultimately affect launch availability. The vehicle sway assessment objective is to replicate predicted frequencies and displacements of these tall vehicles, examine typical ground crew tasks, and provide insight into potential vehicle design considerations and ground crew performance guidelines. This paper outlines the methodology, configurations, and motion testing performed while conducting the vehicle displacement assessment that will be used as a Technical Memorandum for future vertically stacked vehicle designs.

Designing easy DNA extraction: Teaching creativity through laboratory practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Susantini, Endang; Lisdiana, Lisa; Isnawati; Tanzih Al Haq, Aushia; Trimulyono, Guntur

2017-05-01

Subject material concerning Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid (DNA) structure in the format of creativity-driven laboratory practice offers meaningful learning experience to the students. Therefore, a laboratory practice in which utilizes simple procedures and easy-safe-affordable household materials should be promoted to students to develop their creativity. This study aimed to examine whether designing and conducting DNA extraction with household materials could foster students' creative thinking. We also described how this laboratory practice affected students' knowledge and views. A total of 47 students participated in this study. These students were grouped and asked to utilize available household materials and modify procedures using hands-on worksheet. Result showed that this approach encouraged creative thinking as well as improved subject-related knowledge. Students also demonstrated positive views about content knowledge, social skills, and creative thinking skills. This study implies that extracting DNA with household materials is able to develop content knowledge, social skills, and creative thinking of the students. © 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(3):216-225, 2017. © 2016 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Assessing the influence of a passive, upper extremity exoskeletal vest for tasks requiring arm elevation: Part I - "Expected" effects on discomfort, shoulder muscle activity, and work task performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sunwook; Nussbaum, Maury A; Mokhlespour Esfahani, Mohammad Iman; Alemi, Mohammad Mehdi; Alabdulkarim, Saad; Rashedi, Ehsan

2018-03-07

Use of exoskeletal vests (designed to support overhead work) can be an effective intervention approach for tasks involving arm elevation, yet little is known on the potential beneficial impacts of their use on physical demands and task performance. This laboratory study (n = 12) evaluated the effects of a prototype exoskeletal vest during simulated repetitive overhead drilling and light assembly tasks. Anticipated or expected benefits were assessed, in terms of perceived discomfort, shoulder muscle activity, and task performance. Using the exoskeletal vest did not substantially influence perceived discomfort, but did decrease normalized shoulder muscle activity levels (e.g., ≤ 45% reduction in peak activity). Drilling task completion time decreased by nearly 20% with the vest, but the number of errors increased. Overall, exoskeletal vest use has the potential to be a new intervention for work requiring arm elevation; however, additional investigations are needed regarding potential unexpected or adverse influences (see Part II). Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design of a decontamination section of the post-irradiation examination laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Homberger, Victor; Coronel, Ruben R.; Laumann, Victor; Perez, Jorge O.; Quinteros, Andrea N.; Ratner, Marcos

1999-01-01

The Post-Irradiation Examination Laboratory activities include the decontamination of expensive equipment of different sizes and weight, involving the complexity and extension of the necessary decontamination. A decontamination section has been designed for that purpose. (author)

A Research Module for the Organic Chemistry Laboratory: Multistep Synthesis of a Fluorous Dye Molecule.

Science.gov (United States)

Slade, Michael C; Raker, Jeffrey R; Kobilka, Brandon; Pohl, Nicola L B

2014-01-14

A multi-session research-like module has been developed for use in the undergraduate organic teaching laboratory curriculum. Students are tasked with planning and executing the synthesis of a novel fluorous dye molecule and using it to explore a fluorous affinity chromatography separation technique, which is the first implementation of this technique in a teaching laboratory. Key elements of the project include gradually introducing students to the use of the chemical literature to facilitate their searching, as well as deliberate constraints designed to force them to think critically about reaction design and optimization in organic chemistry. The project also introduces students to some advanced laboratory practices such as Schlenk techniques, degassing of reaction mixtures, affinity chromatography, and microwave-assisted chemistry. This provides students a teaching laboratory experience that closely mirrors authentic synthetic organic chemistry practice in laboratories throughout the world.

Algorithm Design of CPCI Backboard's Interrupts Management Based on VxWorks' Multi-Tasks

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Jingyuan; An, Qi; Yang, Junfeng

2006-09-01

This paper begins with a brief introduction of the embedded real-time operating system VxWorks and CompactPCI standard, then gives the programming interfaces of Peripheral Controller Interface (PCI) configuring, interrupts handling and multi-tasks programming interface under VxWorks, and then emphasis is placed on the software frameworks of CPCI interrupt management based on multi-tasks. This method is sound in design and easy to adapt, ensures that all possible interrupts are handled in time, which makes it suitable for data acquisition systems with multi-channels, a high data rate, and hard real-time high energy physics.

Thermoelectric materials evaluation program. Quarterly technical task report No. 46

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hampl, E.F. Jr.

1976-02-01

This forty-sixth Technical Task Report prepared under contract E(11-1)-2331 with the U.S. AEC and U.S. ERDA covers the performance period from October 1, 1975, to December 31, 1975. Highlights include the following tasks: N-type material development (material synthesis--gadolinium selenide compositions; material analyses; material processing; element contacting; ingradient compatibility and life testing; mechanical property characterization), TPM-217 P-type characterization (material preparation and analyses; element contacting; thermodynamic stability; isothermal chemical compatibility; ingradient compatibility and ingradient life testing; performance mapping of contacted and noncontacted elements; high-temperature partitioned P-legs), couple development (design and development of TPM-217/gadolinium selenide rare earth chalcogenide couple; design and development of TPM-217/3N-PbTe couples; advanced generator concepts), module development, liaison with Jet Propulsion Laboratory and material supply, liaison with GGA, and program management. 24 figures, 27 tables

Evaluation of ground freezing for environmental restoration at waste area grouping 5, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gates, D.D.

1995-09-01

A study to evaluate the feasibility of using ground freezing technology to immobilize tritium contaminants was performed as part of the Waste Area Grouping (WAG) 6 Technology Demonstrations initiated by the WAG 6 Record of Agreement. The study included a review of ground freezing technology, evaluation of this technology for environmental restoration, and identification of key technical issues. A proposed ground freezing demonstration for containment of tritium at a candidate Oak Ridge National Laboratory site was developed. The planning requirements for the demonstration were organized into seven tasks including site selection, site characterization, conceptual design, laboratory evaluation, demonstration design, field implementation, and monitoring design. A brief discussion of each of these tasks is provided. Additional effort beyond the scope of this study is currently being directed to the selection of a demonstration site and the identification of funding

Moving out of the laboratory: does nicotine improve everyday attention?

Science.gov (United States)

Rusted, J M; Caulfield, D; King, L; Goode, A

2000-11-01

The most robust demonstrations of the nicotine-related performance effects on human cognitive processes are seen in tasks that measure attention. If nicotine does have some potential for enhancing attention, the obvious question to ask is whether the effects demonstrated in the laboratory hold any significance for real-life performance. This paper describes three studies that compare the effects in smokers of a single own brand cigarette on laboratory tests of attention and on everyday analogues of these laboratory tasks. In the laboratory measures of sustained attention and in the everyday analogue, performance advantages were registered in the smoking condition. These benefits were observed in smokers who abstained for a self-determined period of not less than 2 h. The studies were unable to replicate previous research reporting positive effects of smoking on a laboratory task of selective attention, the Stroop task. Small but significant improvements in performance were registered in the everyday analogues, which involved sustaining attention in a dual task situation, a telephone directory search task and a map search task. In addition, smokers showed a significant colour-naming decrement for smoking-related stimuli in the Stroop task. This attentional bias towards smoking-related words occurred independent of whether they had abstained or recently smoked an own brand cigarette. The effect is discussed in terms of the two-component model of processing bias for emotionally valenced stimuli.

The impact of goal-oriented task design on neurofeedback learning for brain-computer interface control.

Science.gov (United States)

McWhinney, S R; Tremblay, A; Boe, S G; Bardouille, T

2018-02-01

Neurofeedback training teaches individuals to modulate brain activity by providing real-time feedback and can be used for brain-computer interface control. The present study aimed to optimize training by maximizing engagement through goal-oriented task design. Participants were shown either a visual display or a robot, where each was manipulated using motor imagery (MI)-related electroencephalography signals. Those with the robot were instructed to quickly navigate grid spaces, as the potential for goal-oriented design to strengthen learning was central to our investigation. Both groups were hypothesized to show increased magnitude of these signals across 10 sessions, with the greatest gains being seen in those navigating the robot due to increased engagement. Participants demonstrated the predicted increase in magnitude, with no differentiation between hemispheres. Participants navigating the robot showed stronger left-hand MI increases than those with the computer display. This is likely due to success being reliant on maintaining strong MI-related signals. While older participants showed stronger signals in early sessions, this trend later reversed, suggesting greater natural proficiency but reduced flexibility. These results demonstrate capacity for modulating neurofeedback using MI over a series of training sessions, using tasks of varied design. Importantly, the more goal-oriented robot control task resulted in greater improvements.

Nuclear electronics laboratory manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-05-01

The Nuclear Electronics Laboratory Manual is a joint product of several electronics experts who have been associated with IAEA activity in this field for many years. The manual does not include experiments of a basic nature, such as characteristics of different active electronics components. It starts by introducing small electronics blocks, employing one or more active components. The most demanding exercises instruct a student in the design and construction of complete circuits, as used in commercial nuclear instruments. It is expected that a student who completes all the experiments in the manual should be in a position to design nuclear electronics units and also to understand the functions of advanced commercial instruments which need to be repaired or maintained. The future tasks of nuclear electronics engineers will be increasingly oriented towards designing and building the interfaces between a nuclear experiment and a computer. The manual pays tribute to this development by introducing a number of experiments which illustrate the principles and the technology of interfacing

Design report: An off gas trapping system for a voloxidizer in INL of US

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, I. H.; Shin, J. M.; Park, J. J.; Park, G. I.; Lee, H. H.

2006-09-01

This reports on the 'Development of Voloxidation Process for Treatment of LWR Spent Fuel', and it is the second year since it has started from June 2004 as a tripartite cooperation project among KAERI(Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute), INL(Idaho National Laboratory) and ORNL(Oak Ridge National Laboratory). This report is described mainly for the Task B2 accomplished during the second project year. The Task B2 in proposal contains two sub-tasks. The first one is design of an off-gas treatment system for a voloxidizer to be used in HFEF of INL. For this, KAERI team developed the design of INL OTS (Off-gas Treatment System) for hot experiment in the HFEF. INL team modified and completed the design of the INL OTS. The second task is manufacturing and test operation of the INL OTS for a voloxidizer in the INL. Manufacturing of the OTS is accomplished by INL team with co-work of KAERI. KAERI provided four sets of trapping filters needed for conducting hot experiment in the INL HFEF

TH-CD-207B-09: Task-Driven Fluence Field Modulation Design for Model-Based Iterative Reconstruction in CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gang, G; Siewerdsen, J; Stayman, J

2016-01-01

Purpose: There has been increasing interest in integrating fluence field modulation (FFM) devices with diagnostic CT scanners for dose reduction purposes. Conventional FFM strategies, however, are often either based on heuristics or the analysis of filtered-backprojection (FBP) performance. This work investigates a prospective task-driven optimization of FFM for model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) in order to improve imaging performance at the same total dose as conventional strategies. Methods: The task-driven optimization framework utilizes an ultra-low dose 3D scout as a patient-specific anatomical model and a mathematical formation of the imaging task. The MBIR method investigated is quadratically penalized-likelihood reconstruction. The FFM objective function uses detectability index, d’, computed as a function of the predicted spatial resolution and noise in the image. To optimize performance throughout the object, a maxi-min objective was adopted where the minimum d’ over multiple locations is maximized. To reduce the dimensionality of the problem, FFM is parameterized as a linear combination of 2D Gaussian basis functions over horizontal detector pixels and projection angles. The coefficients of these bases are found using the covariance matrix adaptation evolution strategy (CMA-ES) algorithm. The task-driven design was compared with three other strategies proposed for FBP reconstruction for a calcification cluster discrimination task in an abdomen phantom. Results: The task-driven optimization yielded FFM that was significantly different from those designed for FBP. Comparing all four strategies, the task-based design achieved the highest minimum d’ with an 8–48% improvement, consistent with the maxi-min objective. In addition, d’ was improved to a greater extent over a larger area within the entire phantom. Conclusion: Results from this investigation suggests the need to re-evaluate conventional FFM strategies for MBIR. The task

TH-CD-207B-09: Task-Driven Fluence Field Modulation Design for Model-Based Iterative Reconstruction in CT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gang, G; Siewerdsen, J; Stayman, J [Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: There has been increasing interest in integrating fluence field modulation (FFM) devices with diagnostic CT scanners for dose reduction purposes. Conventional FFM strategies, however, are often either based on heuristics or the analysis of filtered-backprojection (FBP) performance. This work investigates a prospective task-driven optimization of FFM for model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) in order to improve imaging performance at the same total dose as conventional strategies. Methods: The task-driven optimization framework utilizes an ultra-low dose 3D scout as a patient-specific anatomical model and a mathematical formation of the imaging task. The MBIR method investigated is quadratically penalized-likelihood reconstruction. The FFM objective function uses detectability index, d’, computed as a function of the predicted spatial resolution and noise in the image. To optimize performance throughout the object, a maxi-min objective was adopted where the minimum d’ over multiple locations is maximized. To reduce the dimensionality of the problem, FFM is parameterized as a linear combination of 2D Gaussian basis functions over horizontal detector pixels and projection angles. The coefficients of these bases are found using the covariance matrix adaptation evolution strategy (CMA-ES) algorithm. The task-driven design was compared with three other strategies proposed for FBP reconstruction for a calcification cluster discrimination task in an abdomen phantom. Results: The task-driven optimization yielded FFM that was significantly different from those designed for FBP. Comparing all four strategies, the task-based design achieved the highest minimum d’ with an 8–48% improvement, consistent with the maxi-min objective. In addition, d’ was improved to a greater extent over a larger area within the entire phantom. Conclusion: Results from this investigation suggests the need to re-evaluate conventional FFM strategies for MBIR. The task

Shaft extension design at the Underground Research Laboratory, Pinawa, Manitoba

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuzyk, G.W.; Ball, A.E.

1991-01-01

AECL Research has constructed an underground laboratory for the research and development required for the Canadian Nuclear Fuel Waste Management Program. The experimental program in the laboratory will contribute to the assessment of the feasibility and safety of nuclear fuel waste disposal deep in stable plutonic rock. In 1988, AECL extended the shaft of the Underground Research Laboratory (URL) from the existing 255 m depth to a depth of 443 m in cooperation with the United States Department of Energy. The project, which involved carrying out research activities while excavation and construction work was in progress, required careful planning. To accommodate the research programs, full-face blasting with a burn cut was used to advance the shaft. Existing facilities at the URL had to be modified to accommodate an expanded underground facility at a new depth. This paper discusses the design criteria, shaft-sinking methods and approaches used to accommodate the research work during this shaft extension project. (11 refs., 11 figs.)

Implementing Inclusive Design for Learning in an introductory geology laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Robert, G.; Merriman, J. D.; Ceylan, G. M.

2013-12-01

As an expansion of universal design for learning, IDL provides a framework for opening up and adapting classroom interaction systems, minimizing barriers through promoting perception, engagement, expression, and accommodation for diverse learners. We implemented an introductory-level laboratory for communicating the concept of magma viscosity using the guidelines and principles of IDL. We developed the lab as a mini-implementation project for an IDL course offered by the University of Missouri (MU) Graduate School. The laboratory was subsequently taught during the summer session of Principles of Geology in our Department of Geological Sciences. Traditional geology laboratories rely heavily on visual aids, either physical (rocks and minerals) or representative (idealized cartoons of processes, videos), with very few alternative representations and descriptions made available to the students. Our main focus for this new lab was to diversify the means of representation available to the students (and instructor) to make the lab as equitable and flexible as possible. We considered potential barriers to learning arising from the physical lab environment, from the means of representation, engagement and expression, and tried to minimize them upfront. We centred the laboratory on the link between volcano shape and viscosity as an applied way to convey that viscosity is the resistance to flow. The learning goal was to have the students observe that more viscous eruptives resulted in steeper-sided volcanoes through experimentation. Students built their own volcanoes by erupting lava (foods of various viscosities) onto the Earth's surface (a piece of sturdy cardboard with a hole for the 'vent') through a conduit (pastry bag). Such a hands on lab exercise allows students to gain a tactile and visual, i.e., physical representation of an abstract concept. This specific exercise was supported by other, more traditional, means of representation (e.g., lecture, videos, cartoons, 3D

Optimizing laboratory animal stress paradigms: The H-H* experimental design.

Science.gov (United States)

McCarty, Richard

2017-01-01

Major advances in behavioral neuroscience have been facilitated by the development of consistent and highly reproducible experimental paradigms that have been widely adopted. In contrast, many different experimental approaches have been employed to expose laboratory mice and rats to acute versus chronic intermittent stress. An argument is advanced in this review that more consistent approaches to the design of chronic intermittent stress experiments would provide greater reproducibility of results across laboratories and greater reliability relating to various neural, endocrine, immune, genetic, and behavioral adaptations. As an example, the H-H* experimental design incorporates control, homotypic (H), and heterotypic (H*) groups and allows for comparisons across groups, where each animal is exposed to the same stressor, but that stressor has vastly different biological and behavioral effects depending upon each animal's prior stress history. Implementation of the H-H* experimental paradigm makes possible a delineation of transcriptional changes and neural, endocrine, and immune pathways that are activated in precisely defined stressor contexts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A person-task-context model for designing curriculum and in-training assessment in postgraduate education

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skaarup, Anne Marie; Ringsted, Charlotte Vibeke; Henriksen, Ann-Helen

2006-01-01

The aim of this study was to trial a person-task-context model in designing a curriculum and in-training assessment programme that embraces trainee level of professional development and the work-based context of postgraduate medical education. The model was applied to the design of a programme...... for Senior House Officers in internal medicine....

Design of simulated nuclear electronics laboratory experiments based on IAEA-TECDOC-530 on pcs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghousia, S.F.; Nadeem, M.; Khaleeq, M.T.

2002-05-01

In this IAEA project, PK-11089 (Design of Simulated Nuclear Electronics Laboratory Experiments based on IAEA-TECDOC-530 on PCs), a software package consisting of Computer-Simulated Laboratory Experiments on Nuclear Electronics compatible with the IAEA-TECDOC-530 (Nuclear Electronics Laboratory Manual) has been developed in OrCAD 9.0 (an electronic circuit simulation software environment) as a self-training aid. The software process model employed in this project is the Feedback Waterfall model with some Rapid Application Model. The project work is completed in the five phases of the SDLC, (all of them have been fully completed) which includes the Requirement Definition, Phase, System and Software Design, Implementation and Unit testing, Integration and System-testing phase and the Operation and Maintenance phase. A total of 125 circuits are designed in 39 experiments from Power Supplies, Analog circuits, Digital circuits and Multi-channel analyzer sections. There is another set of schematic designs present in the package, which contains faulty circuits. This set is designed for the learners to exercise the troubleshooting. The integration and system-testing phase was carried out simultaneously. The Operation and Maintenance phase has been implemented by accomplishing it through some trainees and some undergraduate engineering students by allowing them to play with the software independently. (author)

Physical barriers formed from gelling liquids: 1. numerical design of laboratory and field experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finsterle, S.; Moridis, G.J.; Pruess, K.; Persoff, P.

1994-01-01

The emplacement of liquids under controlled viscosity conditions is investigated by means of numerical simulations. Design calculations are performed for a laboratory experiment on a decimeter scale, and a field experiment on a meter scale. The purpose of the laboratory experiment is to study the behavior of multiple gout plumes when injected in a porous medium. The calculations for the field trial aim at designing a grout injection test from a vertical well in order to create a grout plume of a significant extent in the subsurface

Frequency modulation system test procedure shuttle task 501 approach and landing test configuration

Science.gov (United States)

Doland, G. D.

1976-01-01

Shuttle Task 501 is an in-line task to test the performance and compatibility of radiofrequency links between the SSO and ground, and relay via a satellite. Under Shuttle Task 501 approach and landing test (ALT) phase only a limited portion of the communication and tracking (C&T) equipment is to be tested. The principal item to be tested is a frequency modulated (FM) data link. To test this RF link, an ALT FM System was designed, constructed, and the console wiring verified. A step-by-step procedure to be used to perform the ALT FM system is presented. The ALT FM system test is to be performed prior to delivery of the equipment to the Electronic Systems Test Laboratory (ESTL).

Food Microbiology--Design and Testing of a Virtual Laboratory Exercise

Science.gov (United States)

Flint, Steve; Stewart, Terry

2010-01-01

A web-based virtual laboratory exercise in identifying an unknown microorganism was designed for use with a cohort of 3rd-year university food-technology students. They were presented with a food-contamination case, and then walked through a number of diagnostic steps to identify the microorganism. At each step, the students were asked to select 1…

Implementing a Student-Designed Green Chemistry Laboratory Project in Organic Chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, Kate J.; Jones, T. Nicholas; Schaller, Chris P.; McIntee, Edward J.

2014-01-01

A multiweek organic chemistry laboratory project is described that emphasizes sustainable practices in experimental design. An emphasis on student-driven development of the project is meant to mirror the independent nature of research. Students propose environmentally friendly modifications of several reactions. With instructor feedback, students…

RIPOSTE: a framework for improving the design and analysis of laboratory-based research.

Science.gov (United States)

Masca, Nicholas Gd; Hensor, Elizabeth Ma; Cornelius, Victoria R; Buffa, Francesca M; Marriott, Helen M; Eales, James M; Messenger, Michael P; Anderson, Amy E; Boot, Chris; Bunce, Catey; Goldin, Robert D; Harris, Jessica; Hinchliffe, Rod F; Junaid, Hiba; Kingston, Shaun; Martin-Ruiz, Carmen; Nelson, Christopher P; Peacock, Janet; Seed, Paul T; Shinkins, Bethany; Staples, Karl J; Toombs, Jamie; Wright, Adam Ka; Teare, M Dawn

2015-05-07

Lack of reproducibility is an ongoing problem in some areas of the biomedical sciences. Poor experimental design and a failure to engage with experienced statisticians at key stages in the design and analysis of experiments are two factors that contribute to this problem. The RIPOSTE (Reducing IrreProducibility in labOratory STudiEs) framework has been developed to support early and regular discussions between scientists and statisticians in order to improve the design, conduct and analysis of laboratory studies and, therefore, to reduce irreproducibility. This framework is intended for use during the early stages of a research project, when specific questions or hypotheses are proposed. The essential points within the framework are explained and illustrated using three examples (a medical equipment test, a macrophage study and a gene expression study). Sound study design minimises the possibility of bias being introduced into experiments and leads to higher quality research with more reproducible results.

RIPOSTE: a framework for improving the design and analysis of laboratory-based research

Science.gov (United States)

Masca, Nicholas GD; Hensor, Elizabeth MA; Cornelius, Victoria R; Buffa, Francesca M; Marriott, Helen M; Eales, James M; Messenger, Michael P; Anderson, Amy E; Boot, Chris; Bunce, Catey; Goldin, Robert D; Harris, Jessica; Hinchliffe, Rod F; Junaid, Hiba; Kingston, Shaun; Martin-Ruiz, Carmen; Nelson, Christopher P; Peacock, Janet; Seed, Paul T; Shinkins, Bethany; Staples, Karl J; Toombs, Jamie; Wright, Adam KA; Teare, M Dawn

2015-01-01

Lack of reproducibility is an ongoing problem in some areas of the biomedical sciences. Poor experimental design and a failure to engage with experienced statisticians at key stages in the design and analysis of experiments are two factors that contribute to this problem. The RIPOSTE (Reducing IrreProducibility in labOratory STudiEs) framework has been developed to support early and regular discussions between scientists and statisticians in order to improve the design, conduct and analysis of laboratory studies and, therefore, to reduce irreproducibility. This framework is intended for use during the early stages of a research project, when specific questions or hypotheses are proposed. The essential points within the framework are explained and illustrated using three examples (a medical equipment test, a macrophage study and a gene expression study). Sound study design minimises the possibility of bias being introduced into experiments and leads to higher quality research with more reproducible results. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05519.001 PMID:25951517

Study of advanced composite structural design concepts for an arrow wing supersonic cruise configuration, task 3

Science.gov (United States)

1978-01-01

A structural design study was conducted to assess the relative merits of structural concepts using advanced composite materials for an advanced supersonic aircraft cruising at Mach 2.7. The configuration and structural arrangement developed during Task I and II of the study, was used as the baseline configuration. Allowable stresses and strains were established for boron and advanced graphite fibers based on projected fiber properties available in the next decade. Structural concepts were designed and analyzed using graphite polyimide and boron polyimide, applied to stiffened panels and conventional sandwich panels. The conventional sandwich panels were selected as the structural concept to be used on the wing structure. The upper and lower surface panels of the Task I arrow wing were redesigned using high-strength graphite polyimide sandwich panels over the titanium spars and ribs. The ATLAS computer system was used as the basis for stress analysis and resizing the surface panels using the loads from the Task II study, without adjustment for change in aeroelastic deformation. The flutter analysis indicated a decrease in the flutter speed compared to the baseline titanium wing design. The flutter analysis indicated a decrease in the flutter speed compared to the baseline titanium wing design. The flutter speed was increased to that of the titanium wing, with a weight penalty less than that of the metallic airplane.

A Syllabus Design of College Integrated English Class in China----On the Integration of Task-based Teaching and Classroom-based Assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cui Zheng

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The national College English Curriculum Requirements in China focus on college students’ overall English ability, students’ self-learning ability and teachers’ objective assessment towards students as well. This paper thus designed a syllabus for college Integrated English class based on syllabus design standard by Nunan, task-based language teaching theory by Ellis and the classroom-based assessment theory by Gottlieb and Brown and Abeywickrama. Task-based teaching and classroom-based assessment both emphasize the importance of student-centered and student-involved tasks and the overall assessment of students’ performance. This syllabus thus combined these theories, designed tasks such as in-class quick shares, textbook lecturing, social interviews and reports, written reflections of each textbook article etc. and tries to assess students’ performance through both formative and summative ways such as peer and self assessment through the evaluating rubrics of these tasks, portfolios, and final examinations. The implementation will finally test the effectiveness and efficiency of this syllabus.

Design and implementation of a generalized laboratory data model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nhan Mike

2007-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Investigators in the biological sciences continue to exploit laboratory automation methods and have dramatically increased the rates at which they can generate data. In many environments, the methods themselves also evolve in a rapid and fluid manner. These observations point to the importance of robust information management systems in the modern laboratory. Designing and implementing such systems is non-trivial and it appears that in many cases a database project ultimately proves unserviceable. Results We describe a general modeling framework for laboratory data and its implementation as an information management system. The model utilizes several abstraction techniques, focusing especially on the concepts of inheritance and meta-data. Traditional approaches commingle event-oriented data with regular entity data in ad hoc ways. Instead, we define distinct regular entity and event schemas, but fully integrate these via a standardized interface. The design allows straightforward definition of a "processing pipeline" as a sequence of events, obviating the need for separate workflow management systems. A layer above the event-oriented schema integrates events into a workflow by defining "processing directives", which act as automated project managers of items in the system. Directives can be added or modified in an almost trivial fashion, i.e., without the need for schema modification or re-certification of applications. Association between regular entities and events is managed via simple "many-to-many" relationships. We describe the programming interface, as well as techniques for handling input/output, process control, and state transitions. Conclusion The implementation described here has served as the Washington University Genome Sequencing Center's primary information system for several years. It handles all transactions underlying a throughput rate of about 9 million sequencing reactions of various kinds per month and

Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory. Annual Report 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-04-01

The construction of the laboratory was completed during 1995 and the operating phase has now begun. During the construction data has been collected from the tunnel and boreholes drilled from the tunnel. Results from these investigations have been reported and a comprehensive evaluation is in progress. The results will be used to design the site characterization program for the deep repository. Ten organizations from nine countries participate in the work at the laboratory. An important part of the cooperative work is performed within the framework of the task force on groundwater flow and transport of solutes. An evaluation has been made of the long term pumping test which was performed at Aespoe some years ago. It showed that the modelling tools that exist today have the ability to give a three-dimensional description of groundwater flow at a site like Aespoe. The task force will perform predictive modelling of the tracer experiments performed within the TRUE project. Characterization of the experimental site for TRUE and preparations for the tracer tests were completed during 1995. Tests of the engineering barriers have been started with the test of technology for backfilling of deposition tunnels. 55 refs, 36 figs, 7 tabs.

Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory. Annual Report 1995

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-04-01

The construction of the laboratory was completed during 1995 and the operating phase has now begun. During the construction data has been collected from the tunnel and boreholes drilled from the tunnel. Results from these investigations have been reported and a comprehensive evaluation is in progress. The results will be used to design the site characterization program for the deep repository. Ten organizations from nine countries participate in the work at the laboratory. An important part of the cooperative work is performed within the framework of the task force on groundwater flow and transport of solutes. An evaluation has been made of the long term pumping test which was performed at Aespoe some years ago. It showed that the modelling tools that exist today have the ability to give a three-dimensional description of groundwater flow at a site like Aespoe. The task force will perform predictive modelling of the tracer experiments performed within the TRUE project. Characterization of the experimental site for TRUE and preparations for the tracer tests were completed during 1995. Tests of the engineering barriers have been started with the test of technology for backfilling of deposition tunnels. 55 refs, 36 figs, 7 tabs

Better decision making in complex, dynamic tasks training with human-facilitated interactive learning environments

CERN Document Server

Qudrat-Ullah, Hassan

2015-01-01

This book describes interactive learning environments (ILEs) and their underlying concepts. It explains how ILEs can be used to improve the decision-making process and how these improvements can be empirically verified. The objective of this book is to enhance our understanding of and to gain insights into the process by which human facilitated ILEs are effectively designed and used in improving users’ decision making in complex, dynamic tasks. This book is divided into four major parts. Part I serves as an introduction to the importance and complexity of decision making in dynamic tasks. Part II provides background material, drawing upon relevant literature, for the development of an integrated process model on the effectiveness of human facilitated ILEs in improving decision making in dynamic tasks. Part III focuses on the design, development, and application of FishBankILE in laboratory experiments to gather empirical evidence for the validity of the process model. Finally, part IV presents a comprehensi...

Design and synthesis of the next generation of crown ethers for waste separations: An inter-laboratory comprehensive proposal. 1998 annual progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexandratos, S.D.; Chiarizia, R.; Dietz, M.L.; Hay, B.P.; Moyer, B.A.; Sachleben, R.A.

1998-01-01

'The purpose of this task is to undertake the design, synthesis, and characterization of the next generation of crown ethers for metal-ion separations applicable to USDOE''s environmental needs. Target problems include: Li + ions leaching from burial sites at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant; fission products 90 Sr and 137 Cs contaminating high-level tank wastes at Hanford, INEEL, and Savannah River; and radium in wastes at the Niagara Falls Storage Site. Unfortunately, the technologies needed to address these problems either do not exist or exhibit substantial deficiencies. Separation techniques such as solvent extraction and ion exchange promise to play a strong role, especially as enhanced with highly selective crown ethers and calixarenes. This project is midway through year 2 of a 3-year effort. Below is given a summary of progress in the approximate period September, 1997, to May, 1998, for each of the four co-investigators at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and the University of Tennessee (UTK). The overall approach entails utilization of theory and molecular modeling (PNNL), organic synthesis of novel crown compounds (ORNL), solvent extraction studies (ORNL and ANL), and studies of polymer-immobilized crown ethers (UTK).'

Design and installation of a laboratory-scale system for radioactive waste treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berger, D.N.; Knox, C.A.; Siemens, D.H.

1980-05-01

Described are the mechanical design features and remote installation of a laboratory-scale radiochemical immobilization system which is to provide a means at Pacific Northwest Laboratory of studying effluents generated during solidification of high-level liquid radioactive waste. Detailed are the hot cell, instrumentation, two 4-in. and 12-in. service racks, the immobilization system modules - waste feed, spray calciner unit, and effluent - and a gamma emission monitor system for viewing calcine powder buildup in the spray calciner/in-can melter

Aespoe hard rock laboratory. Annual report 2010

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2011-02-15

The Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory (HRL) is an important part of SKB's work with the design and construction of a deep geological repository for the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel. Aespoe HRL is located in the Simpevarp area in the municipality of Oskarshamn. One of the fundamental reasons behind SKB's decision to construct an underground laboratory was to create opportunities for research, development and demonstration in a realistic and undisturbed rock environment down to repository depth. The underground part of the laboratory consists of a tunnel from the Simpevarp peninsula to the southern part of Aespoe where the tunnel continues in a spiral down to a depth of 460 m. Aespoe HRL has been in operation since 1995 and considerable international interest has been shown in its research, as well as in the development and demonstration tasks. A summary of the work performed at Aespoe HRL during 2010 is given below

Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory. Annual Report 2011

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-03-15

The Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory (HRL) is an important part of SKB's work with the design and construction of a deep geological repository for the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel. Aespoe HRL is located in the Simpevarp area in the municipality of Oskarshamn. One of the fundamental reasons behind SKB's decision to construct an underground laboratory was to create opportunities for research, development and demonstration in a realistic and undisturbed rock environment down to repository depth. The underground part of the laboratory consists of a tunnel from the Simpevarp peninsula to the southern part of Aespoe where the tunnel continues in a spiral down to a depth of 460 m. Aespoe HRL has been in operation since 1995 and considerable international interest has been shown in its research, as well as in the development and demonstration tasks. A summary of the work performed at Aespoe HRL during 2011 is given below.

Aespoe hard rock laboratory. Annual report 2010

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-02-01

The Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory (HRL) is an important part of SKB's work with the design and construction of a deep geological repository for the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel. Aespoe HRL is located in the Simpevarp area in the municipality of Oskarshamn. One of the fundamental reasons behind SKB's decision to construct an underground laboratory was to create opportunities for research, development and demonstration in a realistic and undisturbed rock environment down to repository depth. The underground part of the laboratory consists of a tunnel from the Simpevarp peninsula to the southern part of Aespoe where the tunnel continues in a spiral down to a depth of 460 m. Aespoe HRL has been in operation since 1995 and considerable international interest has been shown in its research, as well as in the development and demonstration tasks. A summary of the work performed at Aespoe HRL during 2010 is given below

Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory. Annual Report 2011

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-03-01

The Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory (HRL) is an important part of SKB's work with the design and construction of a deep geological repository for the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel. Aespoe HRL is located in the Simpevarp area in the municipality of Oskarshamn. One of the fundamental reasons behind SKB's decision to construct an underground laboratory was to create opportunities for research, development and demonstration in a realistic and undisturbed rock environment down to repository depth. The underground part of the laboratory consists of a tunnel from the Simpevarp peninsula to the southern part of Aespoe where the tunnel continues in a spiral down to a depth of 460 m. Aespoe HRL has been in operation since 1995 and considerable international interest has been shown in its research, as well as in the development and demonstration tasks. A summary of the work performed at Aespoe HRL during 2011 is given below

Aespoe hard rock laboratory. Annual report 2010

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2011-02-15

The Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory (HRL) is an important part of SKB's work with the design and construction of a deep geological repository for the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel. Aespoe HRL is located in the Simpevarp area in the municipality of Oskarshamn. One of the fundamental reasons behind SKB's decision to construct an underground laboratory was to create opportunities for research, development and demonstration in a realistic and undisturbed rock environment down to repository depth. The underground part of the laboratory consists of a tunnel from the Simpevarp peninsula to the southern part of Aespoe where the tunnel continues in a spiral down to a depth of 460 m. Aespoe HRL has been in operation since 1995 and considerable international interest has been shown in its research, as well as in the development and demonstration tasks. A summary of the work performed at Aespoe HRL during 2010 is given below

Constructing a modern cytology laboratory: A toolkit for planning and design.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberson, Janie; Wrenn, Allison; Poole, John; Jaeger, Andrew; Eltoum, Isam A

2013-01-01

Constructing or renovating a laboratory can be both challenging and rewarding. UAB Cytology (UAB CY) recently undertook a project to relocate from a building constructed in 1928 to new space. UAB CY is part of an academic center that provides service to a large set of patients, support training of one cytotechnology program and one cytopathology fellowship training program and involve actively in research and scholarly activity. Our objectives were to provide a safe, aesthetically pleasing space and gain efficiencies through lean processes. The phases of any laboratory design project are Planning, Schematic Design (SD), Design Development (DD), Construction Documents (CD) and Construction. Lab personnel are most critical in the Planning phase. During this time stakeholders, relationships, budget, square footage and equipment were identified. Equipment lists, including what would be relocated, purchased new and projected for future growth ensure that utilities were matched to expected need. A chemical inventory was prepared and adequate storage space was planned. Regulatory and safety requirements were discussed. Tours and high level process flow diagrams helped architects and engineers understand the laboratory daily work. Future needs were addressed through a questionnaire which identified potential areas of growth and technological change. Throughout the project, decisions were driven by data from the planning phase. During the SD phase, objective information from the first phase was used by architects and planners to create a general floor plan. This was the basis of a series of meetings to brainstorm and suggest modifications. DD brings more detail to the plans with engineering, casework, equipment specifics, finishes. Design changes should be completed at this phase. The next phase, CD took the project from the lab purview into purely technical mode. Construction documents were used by the contractor for the bidding process and ultimately the Construction

Designing Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Primer Multiplexes in the Forensic Laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Elkins, Kelly M.

2011-01-01

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a common experiment in upper-level undergraduate biochemistry, molecular biology, and forensic laboratory courses as reagents and thermocyclers have become more affordable for institutions. Typically, instructors design PCR primers to amplify the region of interest and the students prepare their samples for…

Mapping lexical-semantic networks and determining hemispheric language dominance: Do task design, sex, age, and language performance make a difference?

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Yu-Hsuan A; Javadi, Sogol S; Bahrami, Naeim; Uttarwar, Vedang S; Reyes, Anny; McDonald, Carrie R

2018-04-01

Blocked and event-related fMRI designs are both commonly used to localize language networks and determine hemispheric dominance in research and clinical settings. We compared activation profiles on a semantic monitoring task using one of the two designs in a total of 43 healthy individual to determine whether task design or subject-specific factors (i.e., age, sex, or language performance) influence activation patterns. We found high concordance between the two designs within core language regions, including the inferior frontal, posterior temporal, and basal temporal region. However, differences emerged within inferior parietal cortex. Subject-specific factors did not influence activation patterns, nor did they interact with task design. These results suggest that despite high concordance within perisylvian regions that are robust to subject-specific factors, methodological differences between blocked and event-related designs may contribute to parietal activations. These findings provide important information for researchers incorporating fMRI results into meta-analytic studies, as well as for clinicians using fMRI to guide pre-surgical planning. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Task analysis methods applicable to control room design review (CDR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moray, N.P.; Senders, J.W.; Rhodes, W.

1985-06-01

This report presents the results of a research study conducted in support of the human factors engineering program of the Atomic Energy Control Board in Canada. It contains five products which may be used by the Atomic Enegy Control Board in relation to Task Analysis of jobs in CANDU nuclear power plants: 1. a detailed method for preparing for a task analysis; 2. a Task Data Form for recording task analysis data; 3. a detailed method for carrying out task analyses; 4. a guide to assessing alternative methods for performing task analyses, if such are proposed by utilities or consultants; and 5. an annotated bibliography on task analysis. In addition, a short explanation of the origins, nature and uses of task analysis is provided, with some examples of its cost effectiveness. 35 refs

CLINIC-LABORATORY DESIGN BASED ON FUNCTION AND PHILOSOPHY AT PURDUE UNIVERSITY.

Science.gov (United States)

HANLEY, T.D.; STEER, M.D.

THIS REPORT DESCRIBES THE DESIGN OF A NEW CLINIC AND LABORATORY FOR SPEECH AND HEARING TO ACCOMMODATE THE THREE BASIC PROGRAMS OF--(1) CLINICAL TRAINING OF UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENT MAJORS, (2) SERVICES MADE AVAILABLE TO THE SPEECH AND HEARING HANDICAPPED, AND (3) RESEARCH IN SPEECH PATHOLOGY, AUDIOLOGY, PSYCHO-ACOUSTICS, AND…

Design issues for a laboratory high gain fusion facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hogan, W.J.

1987-01-01

In an inertial fusion laboratory high gain facility, experiments will be carried out with up to 1000 MJ of thermonuclear yield. The experiment area of such a facility will include many systems and structures that will have to operate successfully in the difficult environment created by the sudden large energy release. This paper estimates many of the nuclear effects that will occur, discusses the implied design issues and suggests possible solutions so that a useful experimental facility can be built. 4 figs

Designing testing service at baristand industri Medan’s liquid waste laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Kusumawaty, Dewi; Napitupulu, Humala L.; Sembiring, Meilita T.

2018-03-01

Baristand Industri Medan is a technical implementation unit under the Industrial and Research and Development Agency, the Ministry of Industry. One of the services often used in Baristand Industri Medan is liquid waste testing service. The company set the standard of service is nine working days for testing services. At 2015, 89.66% on testing services liquid waste does not meet the specified standard of services company because of many samples accumulated. The purpose of this research is designing online services to schedule the coming the liquid waste sample. The method used is designing an information system that consists of model design, output design, input design, database design and technology design. The results of designing information system of testing liquid waste online consist of three pages are pages to the customer, the recipient samples and laboratory. From the simulation results with scheduled samples, then the standard services a minimum of nine working days can be reached.

Design of laboratory and animal housing unit for radionuclide studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1975-01-01

The design of a combined analytical laboratory and animal housing facility is discussed. By having sample processing facilities in close proximity to the experimental animals, the necessity for transporting biological specimens long distances has been curtailed. In addition, complete radionuclide counting equipment has been installed so that samples need not leave the animal housing site for analysis, a feature based on radiological health requirements. (U.S.)

Silo Storage Preconceptual Design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stephanie L. Austad; Patrick W. Bragassa; Kevin M Croft; David S Ferguson; Scott C Gladson; Annette L Shafer; John H Weathersby

2012-09-01

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has a need to develop and field a low-cost option for the long-term storage of a variety of radiological material. The storage option’s primary requirement is to provide both environmental and physical protection of the materials. Design criteria for this effort require a low initial cost and minimum maintenance over a 50-year design life. In 1999, Argonne National Laboratory-West was tasked with developing a dry silo storage option for the BN-350 Spent Fuel in Aktau Kazakhstan. Argon’s design consisted of a carbon steel cylinder approximately 16 ft long, 18 in. outside diameter and 0.375 in. wall thickness. The carbon steel silo was protected from corrosion by a duplex coating system consisting of zinc and epoxy. Although the study indicated that the duplex coating design would provide a design life well in excess of the required 50 years, the review board was concerned because of the novelty of the design and the lack of historical use. In 2012, NNSA tasked Idaho National Laboratory (INL) with reinvestigating the silo storage concept and development of alternative corrosion protection strategies. The 2012 study, “Silo Storage Concepts, Cathodic Protection Options Study” (INL/EST-12-26627), concludes that the option which best fits the design criterion is a passive cathotic protection scheme, consisting of a carbon steel tube coated with zinc or a zinc-aluminum alloy encapsulated in either concrete or a cement grout. The hot dipped zinc coating option was considered most efficient, but the flame-sprayed option could be used if a thicker zinc coating was determined to be necessary.

Cognitive task analysis and the design of computerized operator aids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersson, H.

1985-01-01

The new technological possibilities have led to the initiation of many projects for the design and evaluation of computerized operator support systems to be implemented in nuclear power plant control rooms. A typical finding so far has been that operators often have a positive attitude towards such systems but still don't use them very much, mostly because they find almost the same information on the conventional control boards which they are accustomed to use. Still, however, there is a widely shared belief that conventional control rooms have short-comings that make the use of computerized aids necessary. One reason for the limited success so far is that the new systems often are poorly integrated with the existing conventional instrumentation and with the working procedures. The reluctance to use new computer based aids, despite their nice features, is therefore probably caused by an inadequate task analysis made prior to the design of these computerized operator support systems

Is a "Complex" Task Really Complex? Validating the Assumption of Cognitive Task Complexity

Science.gov (United States)

Sasayama, Shoko

2016-01-01

In research on task-based learning and teaching, it has traditionally been assumed that differing degrees of cognitive task complexity can be inferred through task design and/or observations of differing qualities in linguistic production elicited by second language (L2) communication tasks. Without validating this assumption, however, it is…

Design and Study of a Low-Cost Laboratory Model Digital Wind Power Meter

Science.gov (United States)

Radhakrishnan, Rugmini; Karthika, S.

2010-01-01

A vane-type low-cost laboratory model anemometer cum power meter is designed and constructed for measuring low wind energy created from accelerating fluids. The constructed anemometer is a device which records the electrical power obtained by the conversion of wind power using a wind sensor coupled to a DC motor. It is designed for its…

Task Design for Intercultural Telecollaboration in Secondary Schools: Insights from the EU project TILA

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffstaedter, Petra; Kohn, Kurt

2014-01-01

Our contribution focuses on synchronous oral telecollaboration in secondary schools. With reference to the EU project TILA, aspects of task design and implementation are discussed against the backdrop of issues of technological quality in connection with class organisation in computer labs. Case study evidence is provided in favour of the…

Decontamination laboratory design for iron pipes contaminated with uranium and thorium series

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sahyun, Adelia; Sordi, Gian M.; Ghobril, Carlos N.; Puga Sanches, Matias; Rodrigues, Demerval L.

2008-01-01

The Brazilian soil is very rich in the ore processing, after some time, the pipes are contaminated with trace levels of uranium and thorium. When the pipes are exchanged, to recovery the funds, the best is to sell them as scrap, however, because they are contaminated and present a considerable amount of dose can not be marketed until they are decontaminated. The question is that the tube is incrusted with the contaminated material, and is difficult to remove it. For the removal this material, that comes to be 2 inches thick, for the larger pipes diameter, requires special equipment as a motor-pump units with ultra high pressure water jetting, of the order of 40000 psi. The purpose of this paper is to suggest a design of one laboratory able to perform the decontamination avoiding large scale production of radioactive wastes. The solids and liquids wastes produced during the process of decontamination will be collected in different containers and classified according to their contamination level. The laboratory was designed to facilitate its decontamination with a minimum dose for their operators. The most difficult question to be solved during the project, was to perform the laboratory decontamination during the pipe decontamination in continuous operation since we can't stop the process for the reason of it expensive cost. The paper will show how will be made all the steps of the tubes decontamination and the laboratory decontamination. It will be shown how we collect the liquids and solids wastes, separate, for their classification. After the pipe, decontamination we show as will be measure the dose to release or to return for the laboratory to development a further decontamination. At last, it will show the temporary storage place for the decontaminated pipes that will be later collected as scrap. (author)

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

Science.gov (United States)

Crismond, David Paul

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

Leaf LIMS: A Flexible Laboratory Information Management System with a Synthetic Biology Focus.

Science.gov (United States)

Craig, Thomas; Holland, Richard; D'Amore, Rosalinda; Johnson, James R; McCue, Hannah V; West, Anthony; Zulkower, Valentin; Tekotte, Hille; Cai, Yizhi; Swan, Daniel; Davey, Robert P; Hertz-Fowler, Christiane; Hall, Anthony; Caddick, Mark

2017-12-15

This paper presents Leaf LIMS, a flexible laboratory information management system (LIMS) designed to address the complexity of synthetic biology workflows. At the project's inception there was a lack of a LIMS designed specifically to address synthetic biology processes, with most systems focused on either next generation sequencing or biobanks and clinical sample handling. Leaf LIMS implements integrated project, item, and laboratory stock tracking, offering complete sample and construct genealogy, materials and lot tracking, and modular assay data capture. Hence, it enables highly configurable task-based workflows and supports data capture from project inception to completion. As such, in addition to it supporting synthetic biology it is ideal for many laboratory environments with multiple projects and users. The system is deployed as a web application through Docker and is provided under a permissive MIT license. It is freely available for download at https://leaflims.github.io .

Design study of the underground facilities, the Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishizuka, Mineo; Noda, Masaru; Shiogama, Yukihiro; Adachi, Tetsuya

1999-02-01

Geoscientific research on the deep geological environment has been performed by Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC). This research is supported by the 'Long-Term Program for Research, Development and Utilization of Nuclear Energy'. The Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory (MIU) is planned to be constructed at the Shobasama-bora site belonging to JNC. A wide range of geoscientific research and development activities which have been previously performed in and around the Tono mine is planned to be expanded in the laboratory. The MIU consisted of surface and underground facilities excavated to a depth of about 1,000 meters. In this design study, the overall layout and basic design of the underground facility and the composition of the overall research program, includes the construction of the underground facility are studied. Based on the concept of the underground facility which have been developed in 1998, the research activities which will be performed in the MIU are selected and the overall research program is revised in this year. The basic construction method and the construction equipment are also estimated. (author)

Design study of underground facility of the Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishizuka, Mineo; Noda, Masaru; Shiogama, Yukihiro; Adachi, Tetsuya

1999-02-01

Geoscientific research on deep geological environment has been performed by Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC). This research is supported by the 'Long-Term Program for Research, Development and Utilization of Nuclear Energy'. The Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory (MIU) is planned to be constructed at Shobasama-bora site belonging to JNC. A wide range of geoscientific research and development activities which have been previously performed in and around the Tono mine is planned to be expanded in the laboratory. The MIU is consisted of surface and underground facilities down to the depth of about 1,000 meters. In this design study, the overall layout and basic design of the underground facility and the composition of the overall research program which includes the construction of the underground facility are studied. Based on the concept of the underground facility which have been developed last year, the research activities which will be performed in the MIU are selected and the overall research program is revised in this year. The basic construction method and the construction equipment are also estimated. (author)

Productive international collaboration in the large coil task

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haubenreich, P.N.; Komarek, P.; Shimamoto, S.; Vecsey, G.

1987-01-01

The Large Coil Task (LCT), initiated in 1977, has been very productive of useful technical information about superconducting toroidal field (TF) coil design and manufacture. Moreover, it has demonstrated close international collaboration in fusion technology development, including integration of large components built in four different countries. Each of six 40-t test coils was designed and produced by a major industrial team, with government laboratory guidance, to a common set of specifications. The six were assembled into a toroidal array for testing in the International Fusion Superconducting Magnet Test Facility (IFSMTF) at Oak Ridge. Testing was done by a team of representatives of EURATOM, Japan, Switzerland, and the United States, with each participant having full access to all data. Coils were thoroughly instrumented, enabling penetrating analysis of behavior

Wh-question intonation in Peninsular Spanish: Multiple contours and the effect of task type

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicholas C. Henriksen

2009-06-01

Full Text Available This paper reports on an experimental investigation of wh-question intonation in Peninsular Spanish. Speech data were collected from six León, Spain Peninsular Spanish speakers, and oral production data were elicited under two conditions: a computerized sentence reading task and an information gap task-oriented dialogue. The latter task was an adaptation of the HCRC Map Task method (cf. Anderson et al., 1991 and was designed to elicit multiple wh-question productions in an unscripted and more spontaneous speech style than the standard sentence reading task. Results indicate that four contours exist in the tonal inventory of the six speakers. The two most frequent contours were a final rise contour and a nuclear circumflex contour. Systematic task-based differences were found for four of the six speakers, indicating that sentence reading task data alone may not accurately reflect spontaneous speech tonal patterns (cf. Cruttenden, 2007; but see also Lickley, Schepman, & Ladd, 2005. The experimental findings serve to clarify a number of assumptions about the syntax-prosody interface underlying wh-question utterance signaling; they also have implications for research methods in intonation and task-based variation in laboratory phonology.

Design of a Clinical Information Management System to Support DNA Analysis Laboratory Operation

OpenAIRE

Dubay, Christopher J.; Zimmerman, David; Popovich, Bradley

1995-01-01

The LabDirector system has been developed at the Oregon Health Sciences University to support the operation of our clinical DNA analysis laboratory. Through an iterative design process which has spanned two years, we have produced a system that is both highly tailored to a clinical genetics production laboratory and flexible in its implementation, to support the rapid growth and change of protocols and methodologies in use in the field. The administrative aspects of the system are integrated ...

Constructing a modern cytology laboratory: A toolkit for planning and design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janie Roberson

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Constructing or renovating a laboratory can be both challenging and rewarding. UAB Cytology (UAB CY recently undertook a project to relocate from a building constructed in 1928 to new space. UAB CY is part of an academic center that provides service to a large set of patients, support training of one cytotechnology program and one cytopathology fellowship training program and involve actively in research and scholarly activity. Our objectives were to provide a safe, aesthetically pleasing space and gain efficiencies through lean processes. Methods: The phases of any laboratory design project are Planning, Schematic Design (SD, Design Development (DD, Construction Documents (CD and Construction. Lab personnel are most critical in the Planning phase. During this time stakeholders, relationships, budget, square footage and equipment were identified. Equipment lists, including what would be relocated, purchased new and projected for future growth ensure that utilities were matched to expected need. A chemical inventory was prepared and adequate storage space was planned. Regulatory and safety requirements were discussed. Tours and high level process flow diagrams helped architects and engineers understand the laboratory daily work. Future needs were addressed through a questionnaire which identified potential areas of growth and technological change. Throughout the project, decisions were driven by data from the planning phase. During the SD phase, objective information from the first phase was used by architects and planners to create a general floor plan. This was the basis of a series of meetings to brainstorm and suggest modifications. DD brings more detail to the plans with engineering, casework, equipment specifics, finishes. Design changes should be completed at this phase. The next phase, CD took the project from the lab purview into purely technical mode. Construction documents were used by the contractor for the bidding

Activation of the hip adductor muscles varies during a simulated weight-bearing task.

Science.gov (United States)

Hides, Julie A; Beall, Paula; Franettovich Smith, Melinda M; Stanton, Warren; Miokovic, Tanja; Richardson, Carolyn

2016-01-01

To investigate the pattern of muscle activation of the individual hip adductor muscles using a standardised simulated unilateral weight-bearing task. A repeated measures design. Laboratory. 20 healthy individuals (11 females, 9 males) participated in the study. Age ranged from 20 to 25 years. Surface electromyography recordings from adductor magnus and adductor longus muscles were taken at levels representing 10-50% of body weight during a simulated weight-bearing task. Electromyography (EMG) data were normalised to maximal voluntary isometric contraction. The adductor magnus was recruited at significantly higher levels than the adductor longus muscle during a simulated weight-bearing task performed across 10-50% of body weight (p bearing task. This information should be considered when selecting exercises for management and prevention of groin strains. Closed chain exercises with weight-bearing through the lower limb are more likely to recruit the adductor magnus muscle over the adductor longus muscle. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Framework for the Cognitive Task Analysis in Systems Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Jens

he present rapid development of advanced information technology and its use for support of operators of complex technical systems are changing the content of task analysis towards the analysis of mental activities in decision making. Automation removes the humans from routine tasks, and operators...... are left with disturbance control and critical diagnostic tasks, for which computers are suitable for support, if it is possible to match the computer strategies and interface formats dynamically to the requirements of the current task by means of an analysis of the cognitive task....

Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory Annual report 2003

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2004-09-01

The Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory (HRL) constitutes an important part of SKB's work to design and construct a deep geological repository for spent nuclear fuel and to develop and test methods for characterisation of a suitable site for a deep repository. One of the fundamental reasons behind SKB's decision to construct an underground laboratory was to create an opportunity for research, development and demonstration in a realistic and undisturbed rock environment down to repository depth. Aespoe HRL has been in operation since 1995 and the associated research, development, and demonstration tasks, have so far attracted considerable interest. A summary of work performed at Aespoe HRL during 2003 is given below. Seven organisations from six countries participated in the co-operation at Aespoe HRL during 2003 in addition to SKB. Most of the organisations are interested in groundwater flow, radionuclide transport and rock characterisation. Several of the organisations are participating in the experimental work as well as in the Aespoe Task Force on Modelling of Groundwater Flow and Transport of Solutes. SKB is through Repository Technology co-ordinating three EC contracts and takes part in several EC projects of which the representation in five projects is channelled through Repository Technology. SKB takes also part in work within the IAEA framework.

Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory Annual report 2003

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-09-01

The Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory (HRL) constitutes an important part of SKB's work to design and construct a deep geological repository for spent nuclear fuel and to develop and test methods for characterisation of a suitable site for a deep repository. One of the fundamental reasons behind SKB's decision to construct an underground laboratory was to create an opportunity for research, development and demonstration in a realistic and undisturbed rock environment down to repository depth. Aespoe HRL has been in operation since 1995 and the associated research, development, and demonstration tasks, have so far attracted considerable interest. A summary of work performed at Aespoe HRL during 2003 is given below. Seven organisations from six countries participated in the co-operation at Aespoe HRL during 2003 in addition to SKB. Most of the organisations are interested in groundwater flow, radionuclide transport and rock characterisation. Several of the organisations are participating in the experimental work as well as in the Aespoe Task Force on Modelling of Groundwater Flow and Transport of Solutes. SKB is through Repository Technology co-ordinating three EC contracts and takes part in several EC projects of which the representation in five projects is channelled through Repository Technology. SKB takes also part in work within the IAEA framework

Human engineering considerations in designing a computerized controlled access security system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, J.W.; Banks, W.W.

1988-01-01

This paper describes a human engineering effort in the design of a major security system upgrade at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This upgrade was to be accomplished by replacing obsolete and difficult-to-man (i.e., multiple operator task actions required) security equipment and systems with a new, automated, computer-based access control system. The initial task was to assist the electronic and mechanical engineering staff in designing a computerized security access system too functionally and ergonomically accommodate 100% of the Laboratory user population. The new computerized access system was intended to control entry into sensitive exclusion areas by requiring personnel to use an entry booth-based system and/or a remote access control panel system. The primary user interface with the system was through a control panel containing a magnetic card reader, function buttons, LCD display, and push-button keypad

Laboratory investigations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Handin, J.

1980-01-01

Our task is to design mined-repository systems that will adequately secure high-level nuclear waste for at least 10,000 yr and that will be mechanically stable for 50 to 100-yr periods of retrievability during which mistakes could be corrected and a valuable source of energy could be reclaimed, should national policy on the reprocessing of spent fuel ever change. The only credible path for the escape of radionuclides from the repository to the biosphere is through ground-water, and in hard rock, bulk permeability is largely governed by natural and artificial fracture systems. Catastrophic failure of an excavation in hard rock is likely to occur at the weakest links - the discontinuities in the rock mass that is perturbed first by mining and then by radiogenic heating. The laboratory can contribute precise measurements of the pertinent thermomechanical, hydrological and chemical properties and improve our understanding of the fundamental processes through careful experiments under well controlled conditions that simulate the prototype environment. Thus laboratory investigations are necessary, but they are not sufficient, for conventional sample sizes are small relative to natural defects like joints - i.e., the rock mass is not a continuum - and test durations are short compared to those that predictive modeling must take into account. Laboratory investigators can contribute substantially more useful data if they are provided facilities for testing large specimens(say one cubic meter) and for creep testing of all candidate host rocks. Even so, extrapolations of laboratory data to the field in neither space nor time are valid without the firm theoretical foundations yet to be built. Meanwhile in-situ measurements of structure-sensitive physical properties and access to direct observations of rock-mass character will be absolutely necessary

Laboratory information management system at the Hanford Site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leggett, W.; Barth, D.; Ibsen, T.; Newman, B.

1994-03-01

In January of 1994 an important new technology was brought on line to help in the monumental waste management and environmental restoration work at the Hanford Site. Cleanup at the Hanford Site depends on analytical chemistry information to identify contaminates, design and monitor cleanup processes, assure worker safety, evaluate progress, and prove completion. The new technology, a laboratory information management system (LIMS) called ``LABCORE,`` provides the latest systems to organize and communicate the analytical tasks: track work and samples; collect and process data, prepare reports, and store data in readily accessible electronic form.

Laboratory information management system at the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leggett, W.; Barth, D.; Ibsen, T.; Newman, B.

1994-03-01

In January of 1994 an important new technology was brought on line to help in the monumental waste management and environmental restoration work at the Hanford Site. Cleanup at the Hanford Site depends on analytical chemistry information to identify contaminates, design and monitor cleanup processes, assure worker safety, evaluate progress, and prove completion. The new technology, a laboratory information management system (LIMS) called ''LABCORE,'' provides the latest systems to organize and communicate the analytical tasks: track work and samples; collect and process data, prepare reports, and store data in readily accessible electronic form

MLNSC instrument design and simulation package, task order 57 (modified). Final report, September 30, 1997

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seeger, P.A.

1997-01-01

The objectives of this task as described in Statement of Work have been met and the documents required as Deliverables have been prepared and submitted to the requester. Specifically, a document titled ''The MCLIB Library: Monte Carlo Simulation of Neutron Scattering Instruments,'' revised September 23, 1997, includes documentation of new standards, code revisions and additions, and some improved efficiency due to improved optimization strategies. The procedures for user implementation of new optical devices, and information on using the package and reading and viewing the output have also been included. Second, a new document entitled ''MCLIB Element Definitions and Help'' was written and revised through the duration of the task, to supply the needed input to group CIC-15 for the purpose of integrating the MCLIB package with a web-based user interface. Finally, an application of the package was presented and a (successful) demonstration of the new user interface was given at a workshop at Argonne National Laboratory, August 24--26, 1997, as described in the modification to the Statement of Work

Design demonstrations for Category B tank systems at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-07-01

This document presents design demonstrations conducted of liquid low-level waste (LLLW) storage tank systems located at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). ORNL has conducted research in energy related fields since 1943. The facilities used to conduct the research include nuclear reactors, chemical pilot plants, research laboratories, radioisotope production laboratories, and support facilities. These facilities have produced a variety of radioactive and/or hazardous wastes. These wastes have been stored and transported through an extensive network of piping and tankage. Demonstration of the design of these tank systems has been stipulated by the Federal Facility Agreement (FFA) between the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - Region IV; the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC); and the DOE. The FFA establishes four categories of tanks. These are: Category A -- New or Replacement Tank Systems with Secondary Containment; Category B -- Existing Tank Systems with Secondary Containment; Category C -- Existing Tank Systems without Secondary Containment; and Category D -- Existing Tank Systems without Secondary Containment that are; Removed from Service. This document provides a design demonstration of the secondary containment and ancillary equipment of 11 tank systems listed in the FFA as Category ''B.'' The design demonstration for each tank is presented in Section 2. The design demonstrations were developed using information obtained from the design drawings (as-built when available), construction specifications, and interviews with facility operators. The assessments assume that each tank system was constructed in accordance with the design drawings and construction specifications for that system unless specified otherwise. Each design demonstration addresses system conformance to the requirements of the FFA (Appendix F, Subsection C)

Task oriented design of robot kinematics using grid method and its application to nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Pyung-Hun; Park, Joon-Young

2002-01-01

This paper presents a Task Oriented Design method for robot kinematics based on grid method, widely used in finite difference method and heat transfer/fluid flow analyses. This approach drastically reduces complexities and computational burden due to previous approaches. More specifically, the grid method with a new formulation simplifies the design to a problem of three-design-variable unit grid, which does not require to solve inverse/forward kinematics. The effectiveness of the grid method has been confirmed through a kinematics design of a robot for nuclear power plants. (author)

Examining pre-service science teachers' developing pedagogical design capacity for planning and supporting task-based classroom discussions

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, Danielle Kristina

Teachers face many challenges as we move forward into the age of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) (Achieve, Inc., 2013). The NGSS aim to develop a population of scientifically literate and talented students who can participate in the "innovation-driven economy" (p. 1). In order to meet these goals, teachers must provide students with opportunities to engage in science and engineering practices (SEPs) and learn core ideas of these disciplines. This study followed pre-service secondary science teachers as they participated in a secondary science teacher preparation program intended to support the development of their pedagogical design capacity (Brown, 2009) related to planning and supporting whole-class taskbased discussions. Teacher educators in this program designed an intervention that aimed in supporting this development. This study examined a particular dimension of PDC -- specifically, PSTs effective use of resources to plan science lessons in which students engage in a high demand task, participate in SEPs, and discuss their work in a whole-class setting. In order to examine the effectiveness of the intervention, I had to define PDC a priori. I measured PDC by documenting how/whether PSTs engaged in the following instructional planning practices: developing Learning Goals, selecting and/or designing challenging tasks, anticipating student thinking, planning for monitoring student thinking, imagining the discussion storyline, planning questions, and planning marking strategies. Analyses showed a significant difference between baseline lesson plan scores and Instructional Performance scores. These findings suggest these patterns and changes were directly linked to the teacher preparation program. The mean increase in Instructional Performance scores during the course of the teacher preparation year further supports the effect of the teacher preparation coursework. Pre-service teachers with high pedagogical design capacity continually integrated the

Design and Implementation of the Retinoblastoma Collaborative Laboratory.

Science.gov (United States)

Qaiser, Seemi; Limo, Alice; Gichana, Josiah; Kimani, Kahaki; Githanga, Jessie; Waweru, Wairimu; Dimba, Elizabeth A O; Dimaras, Helen

2017-01-01

The purpose of this work was to describe the design and implementation of a digital pathology laboratory, the Retinoblastoma Collaborative Laboratory (RbCoLab) in Kenya. The RbCoLab is a central lab in Nairobi that receives retinoblastoma specimens from all over Kenya. Specimens were processed using evidence-based standard operating procedures. Images were produced by a digital scanner, and pathology reports were disseminated online. The lab implemented standard operating procedures aimed at improving the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of pathology reports, enhancing the care of Kenyan retinoblastoma patients. Integration of digital technology to support pathology services supported knowledge transfer and skills transfer. A bidirectional educational network of local pathologists and other clinicians in the circle of care of the patients emerged and served to emphasize the clinical importance of cancer pathology at multiple levels of care. A 'Robin Hood' business model of health care service delivery was developed to support sustainability and scale-up of cancer pathology services. The application of evidence-based protocols, comprehensive training, and collaboration were essential to bring improvements to the care of retinoblastoma patients in Kenya. When embraced as an integrated component of retinoblastoma care, digital pathology offers the opportunity for frequent connection and consultation for development of expertise over time.

Design and construction of the SSCL magnet test laboratory cryogenic systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freeman, M.A.; Kobel, T.A.

1992-01-01

The intent of this document is to provide a brief summary of the execution, by Process Systems International, Inc. (PSI), of the Design and Construction of the SSCL Magnet Test Laboratory Cryogenic Systems. This $30 million project requires the expenditure of over 200,000 manhours and the procurement of $17 million in materials within a two year period. SSC magnets will be performance tested at the Magnet Test Laboratory (MTL) and the Accelerator System String Test (ASST) facility under conditions simulating the environment of the SSC main ring. The cryogenic system consists of test stands (five for MTL, one for ASST) and the associated equipment including cryogenic storage, purification, thermal conditioning, and helium refrigeration necessary to support the test program

Development of advanced MCR task analysis methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Na, J. C.; Park, J. H.; Lee, S. K.; Kim, J. K.; Kim, E. S.; Cho, S. B.; Kang, J. S.

2008-07-01

This report describes task analysis methodology for advanced HSI designs. Task analyses was performed by using procedure-based hierarchical task analysis and task decomposition methods. The results from the task analysis were recorded in a database. Using the TA results, we developed static prototype of advanced HSI and human factors engineering verification and validation methods for an evaluation of the prototype. In addition to the procedure-based task analysis methods, workload estimation based on the analysis of task performance time and analyses for the design of information structure and interaction structures will be necessary

A framework for cognitive task analysis in systems design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rasmussen, J.

1985-08-01

The present rapid development if advanced information technology and its use for support of operators of complex technical systems are changing the content of task analysis towards the analysis of mental activities in decision making. Automation removes the humans from routine tasks, and operators are left with disturbance control and critical diagnostic tasks, for which computers are suitable for support, if it is possible to match the computer strategies and interface formats dynamically to the requirements of the current task by means of an analysis of the cognitive task. Such a cognitive task analysis will not aim at a description of the information processes suited for particular control situations. It will rather aim at an analysis in order to identify the requirements to be considered along various dimensions of the decision tasks, in order to give the user - i.e. a decision maker - the freedom to adapt his performance to system requirements in a way which matches his process resources and subjective preferences. To serve this purpose, a number of analyses at various levels are needed to relate the control requirements of the system to the information processes and to the processing resources offered by computers and humans. The paper discusses the cognitive task analysis in terms of the following domains: The problem domain, which is a representation of the functional properties of the system giving a consistent framework for identification of the control requirements of the system; the decision sequences required for typical situations; the mental strategies and heuristics which are effective and acceptable for the different decision functions; and the cognitive control mechanisms used, depending upon the level of skill which can/will be applied. Finally, the end-users' criteria for choice of mental strategies in the actual situation are considered, and the need for development of criteria for judging the ultimate user acceptance of computer support is

76 FR 70456 - Decision To Evaluate a Petition To Designate a Class of Employees From Sandia National Laboratory...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-14

... Employees From Sandia National Laboratory, Albuquerque, NM, To Be Included in the Special Exposure Cohort... evaluate a petition to designate a class of employees from Sandia National Laboratory, Albuquerque, New... revision as warranted by the evaluation, is as follows: Facility: Sandia National Laboratory. Location...

The Laboratory Course Assessment Survey: A Tool to Measure Three Dimensions of Research-Course Design

Science.gov (United States)

Corwin, Lisa A.; Runyon, Christopher; Robinson, Aspen; Dolan, Erin L.

2015-01-01

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are increasingly being offered as scalable ways to involve undergraduates in research. Yet few if any design features that make CUREs effective have been identified. We developed a 17-item survey instrument, the Laboratory Course Assessment Survey (LCAS), that measures students’ perceptions of three design features of biology lab courses: 1) collaboration, 2) discovery and relevance, and 3) iteration. We assessed the psychometric properties of the LCAS using established methods for instrument design and validation. We also assessed the ability of the LCAS to differentiate between CUREs and traditional laboratory courses, and found that the discovery and relevance and iteration scales differentiated between these groups. Our results indicate that the LCAS is suited for characterizing and comparing undergraduate biology lab courses and should be useful for determining the relative importance of the three design features for achieving student outcomes. PMID:26466990

Peer Mentor Program for the General Chemistry Laboratory Designed to Improve Undergraduate STEM Retention

Science.gov (United States)

Damkaci, Fehmi; Braun, Timothy F.; Gublo, Kristin

2017-01-01

We describe the design and implementation of an undergraduate peer mentor program that can overlay an existing general chemistry laboratory and is designed to improve STEM student retention. For the first four freshman cohorts going through the program, year-to-year retention improved by a four-year average of 20% for students in peer-mentored…

Designing Mission Operations for the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory Mission

Science.gov (United States)

Havens, Glen G.; Beerer, Joseph G.

2012-01-01

NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission, to understand the internal structure and thermal evolution of the Moon, offered unique challenges to mission operations. From launch through end of mission, the twin GRAIL orbiters had to be operated in parallel. The journey to the Moon and into the low science orbit involved numerous maneuvers, planned on tight timelines, to ultimately place the orbiters into the required formation-flying configuration necessary. The baseline GRAIL mission is short, only 9 months in duration, but progressed quickly through seven very unique mission phases. Compressed into this short mission timeline, operations activities and maneuvers for both orbiters had to be planned and coordinated carefully. To prepare for these challenges, development of the GRAIL Mission Operations System began in 2008. Based on high heritage multi-mission operations developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Lockheed Martin, the GRAIL mission operations system was adapted to meet the unique challenges posed by the GRAIL mission design. This paper describes GRAIL's system engineering development process for defining GRAIL's operations scenarios and generating requirements, tracing the evolution from operations concept through final design, implementation, and validation.

Measurement Instruments and Software Used in Biotribology Research Laboratory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tyurin Andrei

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Precision measurements of friction processes have a key role in a variety of industrial processes. The emergence of fine electronic circuit techniques greatly expands capabilities of control. There are some difficulties for their full implementation today, especially when it regards the accuracy and frequency of measurements. The motion-measuring method in real-time system is considered in this article, paying special attention to increased accuracy. This method is based on rapid analog digital converter (ADC, transmission program and digital signal processor (DSP algorithms. Description of laboratory devices is included: Tribal-T and universal friction machine (MTU-01 designed for “Pin on disc” tests. Great emphasis is placed on the usability of accelerometers. The present study examined the collected data via laboratory system for data acquisition and control, and processing it in the laboratory of Biotribology. Laboratory supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA algorithms is described below. Task of regulation is not considered. This paper describes only methods of automatic control theory to analyze the frictional quality.

Remote handling needs of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smiltnieks, V.

1982-07-01

This report is the result of a Task Force study commissioned by the Canadian Fusion Fuels Technology Project (CFFTP) to investigate the remote handling requirements at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and identify specific areas where CFFTP could offer a contractual or collaborative participation, drawing on the Canadian industrial expertise in remote handling technology. The Task Force reviewed four areas related to remote handling requirements; the TFTR facility as a whole, the service equipment required for remote maintenance, the more complex in-vessel components, and the tritium systems. Remote maintenance requirements both inside the vacuum vessel and around the periphery of the machine were identified as the principal areas where Canadian resources could effectively provide an input, initially in requirement definition, concept evaluation and feasibility design, and subsequently in detailed design and manufacture. Support requirements were identified in such areas as the mock-up facility and a variety of planning studies relating to reliability, availability, and staff training. Specific tasks are described which provide an important data base to the facility's remote handling requirements. Canadian involvement in the areas is suggested where expertise exists and support for the remote handling work is warranted. Reliability, maintenance operations, inspection strategy and decommissioning are suggested for study. Several specific components are singled out as needing development

Managing laboratory automation

OpenAIRE

Saboe, Thomas J.

1995-01-01

This paper discusses the process of managing automated systems through their life cycles within the quality-control (QC) laboratory environment. The focus is on the process of directing and managing the evolving automation of a laboratory; system examples are given. The author shows how both task and data systems have evolved, and how they interrelate. A BIG picture, or continuum view, is presented and some of the reasons for success or failure of the various examples cited are explored. Fina...

Software designs of image processing tasks with incremental refinement of computation.

Science.gov (United States)

Anastasia, Davide; Andreopoulos, Yiannis

2010-08-01

Software realizations of computationally-demanding image processing tasks (e.g., image transforms and convolution) do not currently provide graceful degradation when their clock-cycles budgets are reduced, e.g., when delay deadlines are imposed in a multitasking environment to meet throughput requirements. This is an important obstacle in the quest for full utilization of modern programmable platforms' capabilities since worst-case considerations must be in place for reasonable quality of results. In this paper, we propose (and make available online) platform-independent software designs performing bitplane-based computation combined with an incremental packing framework in order to realize block transforms, 2-D convolution and frame-by-frame block matching. The proposed framework realizes incremental computation: progressive processing of input-source increments improves the output quality monotonically. Comparisons with the equivalent nonincremental software realization of each algorithm reveal that, for the same precision of the result, the proposed approach can lead to comparable or faster execution, while it can be arbitrarily terminated and provide the result up to the computed precision. Application examples with region-of-interest based incremental computation, task scheduling per frame, and energy-distortion scalability verify that our proposal provides significant performance scalability with graceful degradation.

The Multi-Feature Hypothesis: Connectionist Guidelines for L2 Task Design

Science.gov (United States)

Moonen, Machteld; de Graaff, Rick; Westhoff, Gerard; Brekelmans, Mieke

2014-01-01

This study focuses on the effects of task type on the retention and ease of activation of second language (L2) vocabulary, based on the multi-feature hypothesis (Moonen, De Graaff, & Westhoff, 2006). Two tasks were compared: a writing task and a list-learning task. It was hypothesized that performing the writing task would yield higher…

Design of Phase I Combination Trials: Recommendations of the Clinical Trial Design Task Force of the NCI Investigational Drug Steering Committee

Science.gov (United States)

Paller, Channing J.; Bradbury, Penelope A.; Ivy, S. Percy; Seymour, Lesley; LoRusso, Patricia M.; Baker, Laurence; Rubinstein, Larry; Huang, Erich; Collyar, Deborah; Groshen, Susan; Reeves, Steven; Ellis, Lee M.; Sargent, Daniel J.; Rosner, Gary L.; LeBlanc, Michael L.; Ratain, Mark J.

2014-01-01

Anticancer drugs are combined in an effort to treat a heterogeneous tumor or to maximize the pharmacodynamic effect. The development of combination regimens, while desirable, poses unique challenges. These include the selection of agents for combination therapy that may lead to improved efficacy while maintaining acceptable toxicity, the design of clinical trials that provide informative results for individual agents and combinations, and logistical and regulatory challenges. The phase 1 trial is often the initial step in the clinical evaluation of a combination regimen. In view of the importance of combination regimens and the challenges associated with developing them, the Clinical Trial Design (CTD) Task Force of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Investigational Drug Steering Committee developed a set of recommendations for the phase 1 development of a combination regimen. The first two recommendations focus on the scientific rationale and development plans for the combination regimen; subsequent recommendations encompass clinical design aspects. The CTD Task Force recommends that selection of the proposed regimens be based on a biological or pharmacological rationale supported by clinical and/or robust and validated preclinical evidence, and accompanied by a plan for subsequent development of the combination. The design of the phase 1 clinical trial should take into consideration the potential pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions as well as overlapping toxicity. Depending on the specific hypothesized interaction, the primary endpoint may be dose optimization, pharmacokinetics, and/or pharmacodynamic (i.e., biomarker). PMID:25125258

Real-time scheduling of software tasks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoff, L.T.

1995-01-01

When designing real-time systems, it is often desirable to schedule execution of software tasks based on the occurrence of events. The events may be clock ticks, interrupts from a hardware device, or software signals from other software tasks. If the nature of the events, is well understood, this scheduling is normally a static part of the system design. If the nature of the events is not completely understood, or is expected to change over time, it may be necessary to provide a mechanism for adjusting the scheduling of the software tasks. RHIC front-end computers (FECs) provide such a mechanism. The goals in designing this mechanism were to be as independent as possible of the underlying operating system, to allow for future expansion of the mechanism to handle new types of events, and to allow easy configuration. Some considerations which steered the design were programming paradigm (object oriented vs. procedural), programming language, and whether events are merely interesting moments in time, or whether they intrinsically have data associated with them. The design also needed to address performance and robustness tradeoffs involving shared task contexts, task priorities, and use of interrupt service routine (ISR) contexts vs. task contexts. This paper will explore these considerations and tradeoffs

Simulation-Based System Design Laboratory

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The research objective is to develop, test, and implement effective and efficient simulation techniques for modeling, evaluating, and optimizing systems in order to...

Hanford Cultural Resources Laboratory annual report for Fiscal Year 1991

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chatters, J.C.; Gard, H.A.

1992-08-01

The Hanford Cultural Resources Laboratory (HCRL) was established by the US Department of Energy, Richland Field Office (RL) in 1987 as part of Pacific Northwest Laboratory. The HCRL provides support for managing the archaeological, historical, and cultural resources of the Hanford Site, Washington, in a manner consistent with the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA), the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978. HCRL responsibilities have been set forth in the Hanford Cultural Resources Management Plan (HCRMP) as a prioritized list of tasks to be undertaken to keep the RL in compliance with federal statutes, regulations and guidelines. For fiscal year 1991 these tasks were to (1) ensure compliance with NHPA Section 106, (2) monitor the condition of known archaeological sites, (3) evaluate cultural resources for potential nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, (4) educate the public about cultural resources, (5) conduct a sample archaeological survey of Hanford lands, and (6) gather ethnohistorical data from Indian elders. Research conducted as a spinoff from these tasks is also reported. The archaeological site monitoring program is designed to determine whether the RL`s cultural resource management and protection policies are effective; results are used in planning for cultural resource site management and protection. Forty-one sites were monitored during this fiscal year.

Hanford Cultural Resources Laboratory annual report for Fiscal Year 1991

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chatters, J.C.; Gard, H.A.

1992-08-01

The Hanford Cultural Resources Laboratory (HCRL) was established by the US Department of Energy, Richland Field Office (RL) in 1987 as part of Pacific Northwest Laboratory. The HCRL provides support for managing the archaeological, historical, and cultural resources of the Hanford Site, Washington, in a manner consistent with the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA), the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978. HCRL responsibilities have been set forth in the Hanford Cultural Resources Management Plan (HCRMP) as a prioritized list of tasks to be undertaken to keep the RL in compliance with federal statutes, regulations and guidelines. For fiscal year 1991 these tasks were to (1) ensure compliance with NHPA Section 106, (2) monitor the condition of known archaeological sites, (3) evaluate cultural resources for potential nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, (4) educate the public about cultural resources, (5) conduct a sample archaeological survey of Hanford lands, and (6) gather ethnohistorical data from Indian elders. Research conducted as a spinoff from these tasks is also reported. The archaeological site monitoring program is designed to determine whether the RL's cultural resource management and protection policies are effective; results are used in planning for cultural resource site management and protection. Forty-one sites were monitored during this fiscal year.

Biotechnology by Design: An Introductory Level, Project-Based, Synthetic Biology Laboratory Program for Undergraduate Students†

OpenAIRE

Beach, Dale L.; Alvarez, Consuelo J.

2015-01-01

Synthetic biology offers an ideal opportunity to promote undergraduate laboratory courses with research-style projects, immersing students in an inquiry-based program that enhances the experience of the scientific process. We designed a semester-long, project-based laboratory curriculum using synthetic biology principles to develop a novel sensory device. Students develop subject matter knowledge of molecular genetics and practical skills relevant to molecular biology, recombinant DNA techniq...

Single-Task and Dual-Task Gait Among Collegiate Athletes of Different Sport Classifications: Implications for Concussion Management.

Science.gov (United States)

Howell, David R; Oldham, Jessie R; DiFabio, Melissa; Vallabhajosula, Srikant; Hall, Eric E; Ketcham, Caroline J; Meehan, William P; Buckley, Thomas A

2017-02-01

Gait impairments have been documented following sport-related concussion. Whether preexisting gait pattern differences exist among athletes who participate in different sport classifications, however, remains unclear. Dual-task gait examinations probe the simultaneous performance of everyday tasks (ie, walking and thinking), and can quantify gait performance using inertial sensors. The purpose of this study was to compare the single-task and dual-task gait performance of collision/contact and noncontact athletes. A group of collegiate athletes (n = 265) were tested before their season at 3 institutions (mean age= 19.1 ± 1.1 years). All participants stood still (single-task standing) and walked while simultaneously completing a cognitive test (dual-task gait), and completed walking trials without the cognitive test (single-task gait). Spatial-temporal gait parameters were compared between collision/contact and noncontact athletes using MANCOVAs; cognitive task performance was compared using ANCOVAs. No significant single-task or dual-task gait differences were found between collision/contact and noncontact athletes. Noncontact athletes demonstrated higher cognitive task accuracy during single-task standing (P = .001) and dual-task gait conditions (P = .02) than collision/contact athletes. These data demonstrate the utility of a dual-task gait assessment outside of a laboratory and suggest that preinjury cognitive task performance during dual-tasks may differ between athletes of different sport classifications.

How asymmetrical task dependence and task interdependence interact:an individual level study into the effects on affective reactions

OpenAIRE

Jong, Simon B. De; Bal, P. Matthijs

2014-01-01

Purpose – This study investigates whether research and practice on task design and work teams could benefit from a more nuanced perspective on task (inter)dependencies among team members. Prior research often overlooked that task interdependence captures the average exchange of resources, while asymmetrical task dependence captures the inequalities within an individual's work relationships. To date, no study on work teams has combined the two aspects. Design/methodology/approach – Data was ob...

Task-driven orbit design and implementation on a robotic C-arm system for cone-beam CT

Science.gov (United States)

Ouadah, S.; Jacobson, M.; Stayman, J. W.; Ehtiati, T.; Weiss, C.; Siewerdsen, J. H.

2017-03-01

Purpose: This work applies task-driven optimization to the design of non-circular orbits that maximize imaging performance for a particular imaging task. First implementation of task-driven imaging on a clinical robotic C-arm system is demonstrated, and a framework for orbit calculation is described and evaluated. Methods: We implemented a task-driven imaging framework to optimize orbit parameters that maximize detectability index d'. This framework utilizes a specified Fourier domain task function and an analytical model for system spatial resolution and noise. Two experiments were conducted to test the framework. First, a simple task was considered consisting of frequencies lying entirely on the fz-axis (e.g., discrimination of structures oriented parallel to the central axial plane), and a "circle + arc" orbit was incorporated into the framework as a means to improve sampling of these frequencies, and thereby increase task-based detectability. The orbit was implemented on a robotic C-arm (Artis Zeego, Siemens Healthcare). A second task considered visualization of a cochlear implant simulated within a head phantom, with spatial frequency response emphasizing high-frequency content in the (fy, fz) plane of the cochlea. An optimal orbit was computed using the task-driven framework, and the resulting image was compared to that for a circular orbit. Results: For the fz-axis task, the circle + arc orbit was shown to increase d' by a factor of 1.20, with an improvement of 0.71 mm in a 3D edge-spread measurement for edges located far from the central plane and a decrease in streak artifacts compared to a circular orbit. For the cochlear implant task, the resulting orbit favored complementary views of high tilt angles in a 360° orbit, and d' was increased by a factor of 1.83. Conclusions: This work shows that a prospective definition of imaging task can be used to optimize source-detector orbit and improve imaging performance. The method was implemented for execution of

Designing experiments on thermal interactions by secondary-school students in a simulated laboratory environment

Science.gov (United States)

Lefkos, Ioannis; Psillos, Dimitris; Hatzikraniotis, Euripides

2011-07-01

Background and purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the effect of investigative activities with manipulations in a virtual laboratory on students' ability to design experiments. Sample Fourteen students in a lower secondary school in Greece attended a teaching sequence on thermal phenomena based on the use of information and communication technology, and specifically of the simulated virtual laboratory 'ThermoLab'. Design and methods A pre-post comparison was applied. Students' design of experiments was rated in eight dimensions; namely, hypothesis forming and verification, selection of variables, initial conditions, device settings, materials and devices used, process and phenomena description. A three-level ranking scheme was employed for the evaluation of students' answers in each dimension. Results A Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed a statistically significant difference between the students' pre- and post-test scores. Additional analysis by comparing the pre- and post-test scores using the Hake gain showed high gains in all but one dimension, which suggests that this improvement was almost inclusive. Conclusions We consider that our findings support the statement that there was an improvement in students' ability to design experiments.

Life sciences payload definition and integration study. Volume 1: Executive summary. [carry-on laboratory for Spacelab

Science.gov (United States)

1974-01-01

The definition and integration tasks involved in the development of design concepts for a carry-on laboratory (COL), to be compatible with Spacelab operations, were divided into the following study areas: (1) identification of research and equipment requirements of the COL; (2) development of a number of conceptual layouts for COL based on the defined research of final conceptual designs; and (4) development of COL planning information for definition of COL/Spacelab interface data, cost data, and program cost schedules, including design drawings of a selected COL to permit fabrication of a functional breadboard.

Laboratory sensor design for fiber-optic detection of 85Kr

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geelhood, B.D.; Knopf, M.A.

1994-06-01

The goal of the fiber-optic detection of 85 Kr project is to produce a sensor to detect 85 Kr in real-time from either an airborne or ground-based platform. The 85 Kr gas is a fission product which is released in large quantities during fuel reprocessing and in minor quantities during nuclear reactor operations. Thus an airborne plume of 85 Kr is a radioactive signature of proliferation. Since 85 Kr has a 10.72 year half life, it is difficult for a proliferator to contain the gas for several half lives to avoid releasing the radioactive signature of proliferation. The long half life also results in a plume that can extend several kilometers from the source, which allows initial proliferation monitoring from large distances. The sensor can be used to make stand-alone, real-time measurements of 85 Kr that can be used as direct evidence for proliferation and/or as a screening sensor to determine when to collect air samples for further laboratory analysis. This report provides a summary of the 85 Kr beta sensor design that PNL will use in the laboratory to: (1) demonstrate the measurement technique, (2) establish minimum detection limits, and (3) optimize the sensor design for the final airborne sensor package. The goal of the final airborne sensor package will be to measure 85 Kr at activity levels as low as or as close to ambient background levels as possible with a reasonably sized sensor

Idaho National Engineering Laboratory decontamination and decommissioning robotics development program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKay, M.D.

1993-04-01

As part of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) Robotics Technology Development Program (RTDP) Decontamination ampersand Decommissioning (D ampersand D) robotics program, a task was designed to integrate the plasma arc cutting technology being developed under the Waste Facility Operations (WFO) robotics program into D ampersand D cutting applications. The plasma arc cutting technology is based upon the use of a high energy plasma torch to cut metallic objects. Traditionally, D ampersand D workers removing equipment and processes from a facility have used plasma arc cutting to accomplish this task. The worker is required to don a protective suit to shield from the high electromagnetic energy released from the cutting operation. Additionally, the worker is required to don protective clothing to shield against the radioactive materials and contamination. This protective clothing can become restrictive and cumbersome to work in. Because some of the work areas contain high levels of radiation, the worker is not allowed to dwell in the environment for sustained periods of time. To help alleviate some of the burdens required to accomplish this task, reduce or eliminate the safety hazardous to the worker, and reduce the overall cost of remediation, a program was established though the Office of Technology Development (OTD) to design and develop a robotic system capable of performing cutting operations using a plasma arc torch. Several D ampersand D tasks were identified having potential for use of the plasma arc cutting technology. The tasks listed below were chosen to represent common D ampersand D type activities where the plasma arc cutting technology can be applied

Subjective costs drive overly patient foraging strategies in rats on an intertemporal foraging task

OpenAIRE

Wikenheiser, Andrew M.; Stephens, David W.; Redish, A. David

2013-01-01

Laboratory studies of decision making often take the form of two-alternative, forced-choice paradigms. In natural settings, however, many decision problems arise as stay/go choices. We designed a foraging task to test intertemporal decision making in rats via stay/go decisions. Subjects did not follow the rate-maximizing strategy of choosing only food items associated with short delays. Instead, rats were often willing to wait for surprisingly long periods, and consequently earned a lower rat...

Managing laboratory automation.

Science.gov (United States)

Saboe, T J

1995-01-01

This paper discusses the process of managing automated systems through their life cycles within the quality-control (QC) laboratory environment. The focus is on the process of directing and managing the evolving automation of a laboratory; system examples are given. The author shows how both task and data systems have evolved, and how they interrelate. A BIG picture, or continuum view, is presented and some of the reasons for success or failure of the various examples cited are explored. Finally, some comments on future automation need are discussed.

Double-shell target designs for the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory eight-beam laser system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kindel, J.M.; Stroscio, M.A.

1978-03-01

We investigate two double-pusher laser fusion targets, one that incorporates an outer exploding pusher shell and another that uses velocity multiplication. Specific designs are presented for the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory Eight-Beam Laser System

Summarizing documentation of the laboratory automation system RADAR for the analytical services of a nuclear fuel reprocessing facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brandenburg, G.; Brocke, W.; Brodda, B.G.; Buerger, K.; Halling, H.; Heer, H.; Puetz, K.; Schaedlich, W.; Watzlawik, K.H.

1981-12-01

The essential tasks of the system are on-line open-loop process control based on in-line measurements and automation of the off-line analytical laboratory. The in-line measurements (at 55 tanks of the chemical process area) provide density-, liquid-, level-, and temperature values. The concentration value of a single component may easily be determined, if the solution consists of no more than two phases. The automation of the off-line analytical laboratory contains laboratory organization including sample management and data organization and computer-aided sample transportation control, data acquisition and data processing at chemical and nuclear analytical devices. The computer system consists of two computer-subsystems: a front end system for sample central registration and in-line process control and a central size system for the off-line analytical tasks. The organization of the application oriented system uses a centralized data base. Similar data processing functions concerning different analytical management tasks are structured into the following subsystem: man machine interface, interrupt- and data acquisition system, data base, protocol service and data processing. The procedures for the laboratory management (organization and experiment sequences) are defined by application data bases. Following the project phases, engineering requirements-, design-, assembly-, start up- and test run phase are described. In addition figures on expenditure and experiences are given and the system concept is discussed. (orig./HP) [de

The Synthesis Approach to Analysing Educational Design Dataset: Application of Three Scaffolds to a Learning by Design Task for Postgraduate Education Students

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Kate; Carvalho, Lucila; Aditomo, Anindito; Dimitriadis, Yannis; Dyke, Gregory; Evans, Michael A.; Khosronejad, Maryam; Martinez-Maldonado, Roberto; Reimann, Peter; Wardak, Dewa

2015-01-01

The aims of the Synthesis and Scaffolding Project were to understand: the role of specific scaffolds in relation to the activity of learners, and the activity of learners during a collaborative design task from multiple perspectives, through the collection and analysis of multiple streams of data and the adoption of a synthesis approach to the…

Using Explanatory Item Response Models to Evaluate Complex Scientific Tasks Designed for the Next Generation Science Standards

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, Tina

This dissertation includes three studies that analyze a new set of assessment tasks developed by the Learning Progressions in Middle School Science (LPS) Project. These assessment tasks were designed to measure science content knowledge on the structure of matter domain and scientific argumentation, while following the goals from the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The three studies focus on the evidence available for the success of this design and its implementation, generally labelled as "validity" evidence. I use explanatory item response models (EIRMs) as the overarching framework to investigate these assessment tasks. These models can be useful when gathering validity evidence for assessments as they can help explain student learning and group differences. In the first study, I explore the dimensionality of the LPS assessment by comparing the fit of unidimensional, between-item multidimensional, and Rasch testlet models to see which is most appropriate for this data. By applying multidimensional item response models, multiple relationships can be investigated, and in turn, allow for a more substantive look into the assessment tasks. The second study focuses on person predictors through latent regression and differential item functioning (DIF) models. Latent regression models show the influence of certain person characteristics on item responses, while DIF models test whether one group is differentially affected by specific assessment items, after conditioning on latent ability. Finally, the last study applies the linear logistic test model (LLTM) to investigate whether item features can help explain differences in item difficulties.

Proceedings of the IRI Task Force Activity 2001

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radicella, S.M.

2002-08-01

This ICTP Internal Report contains the list of papers presented, activity report and the write up of a number of presentations delivered during the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) Task Force Activity 2001 which took place at the Abdus Salam ICTP during May 2001, particularly centred in the week from 21-25 May. The 2001 Task Force Activity is the eighth successful encounter of specialists organized by the URSI-Cospar IRI Working Group and the Aeronomy and Radiopropagation Laboratory of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics of Trieste, Italy. This project continues the IRI Task Force Activities at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy. The primary focus of this activity was the development of a specification model for ionospheric variability. Such a model is high on the wish list of users of ionospheric models. Climatological models like IRI provide monthly mean values of ionospheric parameters. Understandably a satellite designer or operator needs to know not only the monthly average conditions but also the expected deviations from these mean values. The main discussions and presentations took place during the week 21-25 May. The format was similar to last year's activity with presentations and round-table discussions in the morning and follow-on work in small subgroups in front of computer terminals in the afternoon. This Proceedings contains also four papers of the previous IRI Task Force Activity which were omitted

Inflation Expectations and Monetary Policy Design : Evidence from the Laboratory (Replaces CentER DP 2009-007)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pfajfar, D.; Zakelj, B.

2011-01-01

Using laboratory experiments within a New Keynesian macro framework, we explore the formation of inflation expectations and its interaction with monetary policy design. The central question in this paper is how to design monetary policy in the environment characterized by heterogeneous expectations.

A compilation of minutes for the Stripa task force on fracture flow modelling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hodgkinson, D.

1992-01-01

This report is a compilation of minutes from the nine meetings of the Stripa task force on fracture flow modelling, held at various locations around the world from February 1988 to December 1991. The task force was set up as a peer review group with the specific objectives of 1. recommending criteria for the verification and validation of fracture flow models, 2. facilitating the dissemination of information to countries participating in the Stripa project, and 3. coordinating the work of the three modelling groups form AEA Harwell, Golder Associates and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. The report provides a detailed technical commentary of the interplay between the development and application of mathematical models, and the design, execution and interpretation of experiment, within a structured project management framework. In particular, the task force has pioneered the definition and implementation of a validation process and associated criteria based on the analysis of a wide range of experimental data. (au)

Prospective memory in young and older adults: the effects of task importance and ongoing task load.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Rebekah E; Hunt, R Reed

2014-01-01

Remembering to perform an action in the future, called prospective memory, often shows age-related differences in favor of young adults when tested in the laboratory. Recently Smith, Horn, and Bayen (2012; Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 19, 495) embedded a PM task in an ongoing color-matching task and manipulated the difficulty of the ongoing task by varying the number of colors on each trial of the task. Smith et al. found that age-related differences in PM performance (lower PM performance for older adults relative to young adults) persisted even when older adults could perform the ongoing task as well or better than the young adults. The current study investigates a possible explanation for the pattern of results reported by Smith et al. by including a manipulation of task emphasis: for half of the participants the prospective memory task was emphasize, while for the other half the ongoing color-matching task was emphasized. Older adults performed a 4-color version of the ongoing color-matching task, while young adults completed either the 4-color or a more difficult 6-color version of the ongoing task. Older adults failed to perform as well as the young adults on the prospective memory task regardless of task emphasis, even when older adults were performing as well or better than the young adults on the ongoing color-matching task. The current results indicate that the lack of an effect of ongoing task load on prospective memory task performance is not due to a perception that one or the other task is more important than the other.

Dynamics of the central bottleneck: dual-task and task uncertainty.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariano Sigman

2006-07-01

Full Text Available Why is the human brain fundamentally limited when attempting to execute two tasks at the same time or in close succession? Two classical paradigms, psychological refractory period (PRP and task switching, have independently approached this issue, making significant advances in our understanding of the architecture of cognition. Yet, there is an apparent contradiction between the conclusions derived from these two paradigms. The PRP paradigm, on the one hand, suggests that the simultaneous execution of two tasks is limited solely by a passive structural bottleneck in which the tasks are executed on a first-come, first-served basis. The task-switching paradigm, on the other hand, argues that switching back and forth between task configurations must be actively controlled by a central executive system (the system controlling voluntary, planned, and flexible action. Here we have explicitly designed an experiment mixing the essential ingredients of both paradigms: task uncertainty and task simultaneity. In addition to a central bottleneck, we obtain evidence for active processes of task setting (planning of the appropriate sequence of actions and task disengaging (suppression of the plan set for the first task in order to proceed with the next one. Our results clarify the chronometric relations between these central components of dual-task processing, and in particular whether they operate serially or in parallel. On this basis, we propose a hierarchical model of cognitive architecture that provides a synthesis of task-switching and PRP paradigms.

Advanced Chemistry Laboratory

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — Description/History: Chemistry laboratoryThe Advanced Chemistry Laboratory (ACL) is a unique facility designed for working with the most super toxic compounds known...

System and method for seamless task-directed autonomy for robots

Science.gov (United States)

Nielsen, Curtis; Bruemmer, David; Few, Douglas; Walton, Miles

2012-09-18

Systems, methods, and user interfaces are used for controlling a robot. An environment map and a robot designator are presented to a user. The user may place, move, and modify task designators on the environment map. The task designators indicate a position in the environment map and indicate a task for the robot to achieve. A control intermediary links task designators with robot instructions issued to the robot. The control intermediary analyzes a relative position between the task designators and the robot. The control intermediary uses the analysis to determine a task-oriented autonomy level for the robot and communicates target achievement information to the robot. The target achievement information may include instructions for directly guiding the robot if the task-oriented autonomy level indicates low robot initiative and may include instructions for directing the robot to determine a robot plan for achieving the task if the task-oriented autonomy level indicates high robot initiative.

Helping and hurting others: Person and situation effects on aggressive and prosocial behavior as assessed by the Tangram task.

Science.gov (United States)

Saleem, Muniba; Barlett, Christopher P; Anderson, Craig A; Hawkins, Ian

2017-04-01

The Tangram Help/Hurt Task is a laboratory-based measure designed to simultaneously assess helpful and hurtful behavior. Across five studies we provide evidence that further establishes the convergent and discriminant validity of the Tangram Help/Hurt Task. Cross-sectional and meta-analytic evidence finds consistently significant associations between helpful and hurtful scores on the Tangram Task and prosocial and aggressive personality traits. Experimental evidence reveals that situational primes known to induce aggressive and prosocial behavior significantly influence helpful and hurtful scores on the Tangram Help/Hurt Task. Additionally, motivation items in all studies indicate that tangram choices are indeed associated with intent of helping and hurting. We discuss the advantages and limitations of the Tangram Help/Hurt Task relative to established measures of helpful and hurtful behavior. Aggr. Behav. 43:133-146, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Task-Analytic Design of Graphic Presentations

Science.gov (United States)

1990-05-18

efficiency, and reliability of a set of available cars. (ConsumerReport (DOMAINSETS (VALUE (car NOMINAL 10) (make NOMINAL ( honda nissan toyota )) (model NOMINAL...important premise of Larkin and Simon’s work is that, when comparing alternative presentations, it is fruitful to characterize graphic-based problem solving...practical real-world tasks. Chapter 6 describes an experiment in which participants were asked to use a set of alternative presertations to compare

Energy Efficient Task Light

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Logadottir, Asta; Ardkapan, Siamak Rahimi; Johnsen, Kjeld

2014-01-01

The objectives of this work is to develop a task light for office lighting that fulfils the minimum requirements of the European standard EN12464 - 1 : Light and lighting – Lighting of work places, Part 1: Indoor workplaces and the Danish standard DS 700 : Lys og belysning I arbejdsrum , or more...... specifically the requirements that apply to the work area and the immediate surrounding area. By providing a task light that fulfils the requirements for task lighting and the immediate surrounding area, the general lighting only needs to provide the illuminance levels required for background lighting...... and thereby a reduction in installed power for general lighting of about 40 % compared to the way illuminance levels are designed in an office environment in Denmark today. This lighting strategy is useful when the placement of the task area is not defined in the space before the lighting is design ed...

MECHANISM FOR DESIGNING COMPETENCE-ORIENTED TASKS IN VARIOUS ACADEMIC SUBJECTS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN HIGHER EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalya M. Zhukova

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The research objective is to develop a mechanism for designing competence-oriented tasks in various academic subjects and requirements for its implementation in higher educational establishments. Methods. The authors conducted a theoretical analysis of philosophical, psychological and pedagogical literature sources on the research issues to implement the objectives of the study; Russian and foreign educational experience on the use of study tasks in the study process is studied and summarized; educational and syllabus documentation and training materials are analyzed (syllabi, textbooks, manuals, task and exercise books, etc.; normative documents are studied (State Educational Standards, Federal State Educational Standards, Main Syllabi, curricula, instructional acts, etc.. Empirical research methods involve observation, testing, questioning, modeling, peer review, pedagogical experiment and statistical interpretation of the study results. The study was carried out from 2007 to 2012 in the Engineering-Pedagogical Faculty of Moscow State Agroengineering Goryachkin University. 240 students were engaged in the pedagogical experiment. The following Moscow colleges provided facilities for the peer review of the list and solution frequency of vocational education tasks by secondary vocational school teachers: Colleges of Civil Engineering No 1 and No 12, Small Business College No 48, Polytechnic College No 13, Printing and Publishing College No 56, and Electromechanical College No 55. Results. The research findings demonstrate that the competence-oriented tasks are shown as an integrative didactic unit of professional competence development. Its functions, classification, and structural components are given. The mechanism of designing competence-oriented tasks in various academic subjects is developed and tested. The proposed mechanism is an invariant for academic and teaching staff of educational establishments at all levels of professional

E-learning, dual-task, and cognitive load: The anatomy of a failed experiment.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Nuland, Sonya E; Rogers, Kem A

2016-01-01

The rising popularity of commercial anatomy e-learning tools has been sustained, in part, due to increased annual enrollment and a reduction in laboratory hours across educational institutions. While e-learning tools continue to gain popularity, the research methodologies used to investigate their impact on learning remain imprecise. As new user interfaces are introduced, it is critical to understand how functionality can influence the load placed on a student's memory resources, also known as cognitive load. To study cognitive load, a dual-task paradigm wherein a learner performs two tasks simultaneously is often used, however, its application within educational research remains uncommon. Using previous paradigms as a guide, a dual-task methodology was developed to assess the cognitive load imposed by two commercial anatomical e-learning tools. Results indicate that the standard dual-task paradigm, as described in the literature, is insensitive to the cognitive load disparities across e-learning tool interfaces. Confounding variables included automation of responses, task performance tradeoff, and poor understanding of primary task cognitive load requirements, leading to unreliable quantitative results. By modifying the secondary task from a basic visual response to a more cognitively demanding task, such as a modified Stroop test, the automation of secondary task responses can be reduced. Furthermore, by recording baseline measures for the primary task as well as the secondary task, it is possible for task performance tradeoff to be detected. Lastly, it is imperative that the cognitive load of the primary task be designed such that it does not overwhelm the individual's ability to learn new material. © 2015 American Association of Anatomists.

Summary report for ITER Task -- D4: Activation calculations for the stainless steel ITER design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Attaya, H.

1995-02-01

Detailed activation analysis for ITER has been performed as a part of ITER Task D4. The calculations have been performed for the shielding blanket (SS/water) and for the breeding blanket (LiN) options. The activation code RACC-P, which has been modified under IFER Task-D-10 for pulsed operation, has been used in this analysis. The spatial distributions of the radioactive inventory, decay heat, biological hazard potential, and the contact dose were calculated for the two designs for different operation modes and targeted fluences. A one-dimensional toroidal geometrical model has been utilized to determine the neutron fluxes in the two designs. The results are normalized for an inboard and outboard neutron wall loadings of 0.91 and 1.2 MW/M 2 , respectively. The point-wise distributions of the decay gamma sources have been calculated everywhere in the reactor at several times after the shutdown of the two designs and are then used in the transport code ONEDANT to calculate the biological dose everywhere in the reactor. The point-wise distributions of all the responses have also been calculated. These calculations have been performed for neutron fluences of 3.0 MWa/M 2 , which corresponds to the target fluence of ITER, and 0.1 MWa/M 2 , which is anticipated to correspond to the beginning of an extended maintenance period

Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory. Annual Report 2002

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2006-06-15

The Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory (HRL), in the Simpevarp area in the municipality of Oskarshamn constitutes an important part of SKB's work with the design and construction of a deep geological repository for final disposal of spent nuclear fuel. One of the fundamental reasons behind SKB's decision to construct an underground laboratory was to create an opportunity for research, development and demonstration in a realistic and undisturbed rock environment down to repository depth. The underground part of the laboratory consists of a tunnel from the Simpevarp peninsula to the southern part of Aespoe where the tunnel continues in a spiral down to a depth of 460 m. Aespoe HRL has been in operation since 1995 and considerable international interest has been shown in its associated research, as well as in the development and demonstration tasks. Most of the research is focused on processes of importance for the long-term safety of a final repository for spent nuclear fuel. Demonstration addresses the performance of the engineered barriers and practical means of constructing and operating a repository for spent fuel. To meet the overall time schedule for SKB's RD and D work, the following stage goals were initially defined for the work at the Aespoe HRL: 1. Verify pre-investigation methods. Demonstrate that investigations on the ground surface and in boreholes provide sufficient data on essential safety-related properties of the rock at repository level. 2. Finalise detailed investigation methodology. Refine and verify the methods and the technology needed for characterisation of the rock in the detailed site investigations. 3. Test models for description of the barrier functions at natural conditions. Further develop, and at repository depth, test methods and models for description of groundwater flow, radionuclide migration and chemical conditions during operation of a repository and after closure. 4. Demonstrate technology for and function of important

Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory. Annual Report 2005

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-06-01

The Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory (HRL), in the Simpevarp area in the municipality of Oskarshamn constitutes an important part of SKB's work with the design and construction of a deep geological repository for final disposal of spent nuclear fuel. One of the fundamental reasons behind SKB's decision to construct an underground laboratory was to create an opportunity for research, development and demonstration in a realistic and undisturbed rock environment down to repository depth. The underground part of the laboratory consists of a tunnel from the Simpevarp peninsula to the southern part of Aespoe where the tunnel continues in a spiral down to a depth of 460 m. Aespoe HRL has been in operation since 1995 and considerable international interest has been shown in its associated research, as well as in the development and demonstration tasks. Most of the research is focused on processes of importance for the long-term safety of a final repository for spent nuclear fuel. Demonstration addresses the performance of the engineered barriers and practical means of constructing and operating a repository for spent fuel. To meet the overall time schedule for SKB's RD and D work, the following stage goals were initially defined for the work at the Aespoe HRL: 1. Verify pre-investigation methods. Demonstrate that investigations on the ground surface and in boreholes provide sufficient data on essential safety-related properties of the rock at repository level. 2. Finalise detailed investigation methodology. Refine and verify the methods and the technology needed for characterisation of the rock in the detailed site investigations. 3. Test models for description of the barrier functions at natural conditions. Further develop, and at repository depth, test methods and models for description of groundwater flow, radionuclide migration and chemical conditions during operation of a repository and after closure. 4. Demonstrate technology for and function of important parts of the

A Novel Design of 4-Class BCI Using Two Binary Classifiers and Parallel Mental Tasks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tao Geng

2008-01-01

Full Text Available A novel 4-class single-trial brain computer interface (BCI based on two (rather than four or more binary linear discriminant analysis (LDA classifiers is proposed, which is called a “parallel BCI.” Unlike other BCIs where mental tasks are executed and classified in a serial way one after another, the parallel BCI uses properly designed parallel mental tasks that are executed on both sides of the subject body simultaneously, which is the main novelty of the BCI paradigm used in our experiments. Each of the two binary classifiers only classifies the mental tasks executed on one side of the subject body, and the results of the two binary classifiers are combined to give the result of the 4-class BCI. Data was recorded in experiments with both real movement and motor imagery in 3 able-bodied subjects. Artifacts were not detected or removed. Offline analysis has shown that, in some subjects, the parallel BCI can generate a higher accuracy than a conventional 4-class BCI, although both of them have used the same feature selection and classification algorithms.

Brain-wave measures of workload in advanced cockpits: The transition of technology from laboratory to cockpit simulator, phase 2

Science.gov (United States)

Horst, Richard L.; Mahaffey, David L.; Munson, Robert C.

1989-01-01

The present Phase 2 small business innovation research study was designed to address issues related to scalp-recorded event-related potential (ERP) indices of mental workload and to transition this technology from the laboratory to cockpit simulator environments for use as a systems engineering tool. The project involved five main tasks: (1) Two laboratory studies confirmed the generality of the ERP indices of workload obtained in the Phase 1 study and revealed two additional ERP components related to workload. (2) A task analysis' of flight scenarios and pilot tasks in the Advanced Concepts Flight Simulator (ACFS) defined cockpit events (i.e., displays, messages, alarms) that would be expected to elicit ERPs related to workload. (3) Software was developed to support ERP data analysis. An existing ARD-proprietary package of ERP data analysis routines was upgraded, new graphics routines were developed to enhance interactive data analysis, and routines were developed to compare alternative single-trial analysis techniques using simulated ERP data. (4) Working in conjunction with NASA Langley research scientists and simulator engineers, preparations were made for an ACFS validation study of ERP measures of workload. (5) A design specification was developed for a general purpose, computerized, workload assessment system that can function in simulators such as the ACFS.

Task based synthesis of serial manipulators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarosh Patel

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Computing the optimal geometric structure of manipulators is one of the most intricate problems in contemporary robot kinematics. Robotic manipulators are designed and built to perform certain predetermined tasks. There is a very close relationship between the structure of the manipulator and its kinematic performance. It is therefore important to incorporate such task requirements during the design and synthesis of the robotic manipulators. Such task requirements and performance constraints can be specified in terms of the required end-effector positions, orientations and velocities along the task trajectory. In this work, we present a comprehensive method to develop the optimal geometric structure (DH parameters of a non-redundant six degree of freedom serial manipulator from task descriptions. In this work we define, develop and test a methodology to design optimal manipulator configurations based on task descriptions. This methodology is devised to investigate all possible manipulator configurations that can satisfy the task performance requirements under imposed joint constraints. Out of all the possible structures, the structures that can reach all the task points with the required orientations are selected. Next, these candidate structures are tested to see whether they can attain end-effector velocities in arbitrary directions within the user defined joint constraints, so that they can deliver the best kinematic performance. Additionally least power consuming configurations are also identified.

Behavioral Economic Laboratory Research in Tobacco Regulatory Science.

Science.gov (United States)

Tidey, Jennifer W; Cassidy, Rachel N; Miller, Mollie E; Smith, Tracy T

2016-10-01

Research that can provide a scientific foundation for the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tobacco policy decisions is needed to inform tobacco regulatory policy. One factor that affects the impact of a tobacco product on public health is its intensity of use, which is determined, in part, by its abuse liability or reinforcing efficacy. Behavioral economic tasks have considerable utility for assessing the reinforcing efficacy of current and emerging tobacco products. This paper provides a narrative review of several behavioral economic laboratory tasks and identifies important applications to tobacco regulatory science. Behavioral economic laboratory assessments, including operant self-administration, choice tasks and purchase tasks, can be used generate behavioral economic data on the effect of price and other constraints on tobacco product consumption. These tasks could provide an expedited simulation of the effects of various tobacco control policies across populations of interest to the FDA. Tobacco regulatory research questions that can be addressed with behavioral economic tasks include assessments of the impact of product characteristics on product demand, assessments of the abuse liability of novel and potential modified risk tobacco products (MRTPs), and assessments of the impact of conventional and novel products in vulnerable populations.

The Intersection of Task-Based Interaction, Task Complexity, and Working Memory: L2 Question Development through Recasts in a Laboratory Setting

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, YouJin; Payant, Caroline; Pearson, Pamela

2015-01-01

The extent to which individual differences in cognitive abilities affect the relationship among task complexity, attention to form, and second language development has been addressed only minimally in the cognition hypothesis literature. The present study explores how reasoning demands in tasks and working memory (WM) capacity predict learners'…

“Learning from real life and not books”: A gamified approach to Business English task design in transatlantic telecollaboration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Sevilla-Pavón

2017-05-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with task design in the context of a telecollaboration project which was carried out in a Business English course among students from Spain and the United States. The goal was to provide students with opportunities to develop linguistic, intercultural and digital competences by interacting and collaborating online with native speakers of the target language. A task-based approach was adopted and enriched by gamification, the different tasks being designed with a view towards engaging students intrinsically in the learning process. This was achieved by means of the adoption of gamification strategies and techniques such as the use of points, performance graphs, quests, avatars, a reward system, peer assessment and the use of social media. Via technological immersion, students from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean were required to work together online to complete different tasks while exchanging peer feedback and assessment. The paper analyses and discusses participants’ views and perceptions about the gamified telecollaboration exchange. The quantitative and qualitative data were gathered by means of a pre- and a post-treatment questionnaires. Results indicate that students found this way of learning beneficial in terms of the development of different skills and competences (namely linguistic, digital and intercultural and motivation.

Geometry Laboratory (GEOLAB) surface modeling and grid generation technology and services

Science.gov (United States)

Kerr, Patricia A.; Smith, Robert E.; Posenau, Mary-Anne K.

1995-01-01

The facilities and services of the GEOmetry LABoratory (GEOLAB) at the NASA Langley Research Center are described. Included in this description are the laboratory functions, the surface modeling and grid generation technologies used in the laboratory, and examples of the tasks performed in the laboratory.

Designing a Virtual laboratory for Simulating to Production of Nanocomposite NdFeB Magnets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Musa Faruk Çakir

2014-02-01

Full Text Available The talent figure for a permanent magnet is the multiplication of the maximum energy (BHmax. Less volume magnet is required for the production of magnet flux density if the BHmax value is higher. Mathematical functions are obtained from the data related to resiudal flux density, magnetic coercitivy, permanent magnet flux product capability, Curie temperature and density which were obtained as a result of the studies on different NdFeB alloys in the laboratory. Besides this, mathematical functions of NdFeB hard magnet’s resiudal flux density are obtained by adding elements. In this study, a virtual laboratory for producing nanocompositedNdFeB magnet has been designed. The virtual laboratory software has been used to simulate NdFeB hard magnets for industrial utilities.

An automation of design and modelling tasks in NX Siemens environment with original software - generator module

Science.gov (United States)

Zbiciak, M.; Grabowik, C.; Janik, W.

2015-11-01

Nowadays the design constructional process is almost exclusively aided with CAD/CAE/CAM systems. It is evaluated that nearly 80% of design activities have a routine nature. These design routine tasks are highly susceptible to automation. Design automation is usually made with API tools which allow building original software responsible for adding different engineering activities. In this paper the original software worked out in order to automate engineering tasks at the stage of a product geometrical shape design is presented. The elaborated software works exclusively in NX Siemens CAD/CAM/CAE environment and was prepared in Microsoft Visual Studio with application of the .NET technology and NX SNAP library. The software functionality allows designing and modelling of spur and helicoidal involute gears. Moreover, it is possible to estimate relative manufacturing costs. With the Generator module it is possible to design and model both standard and non-standard gear wheels. The main advantage of the model generated in such a way is its better representation of an involute curve in comparison to those which are drawn in specialized standard CAD systems tools. It comes from fact that usually in CAD systems an involute curve is drawn by 3 points that respond to points located on the addendum circle, the reference diameter of a gear and the base circle respectively. In the Generator module the involute curve is drawn by 11 involute points which are located on and upper the base and the addendum circles therefore 3D gear wheels models are highly accurate. Application of the Generator module makes the modelling process very rapid so that the gear wheel modelling time is reduced to several seconds. During the conducted research the analysis of differences between standard 3 points and 11 points involutes was made. The results and conclusions drawn upon analysis are shown in details.

Task complexity and task, goal, and reward interdependence in group performance : a prescriptive model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vijfeijken, van H.T.G.A.; Kleingeld, P.A.M.; Tuijl, van H.F.J.M.; Algera, J.A.; Thierry, H.

2002-01-01

A prescriptive model on how to design effective combinations of goal setting and contingent rewards for group performance management is presented. The model incorporates the constructs task complexity, task interdependence, goal interdependence, and reward interdependence and specifies optimal fit

The Application of the Human Engineering Modeling and Performance Laboratory for Space Vehicle Ground Processing Tasks at Kennedy Space Center

Science.gov (United States)

Woodbury, Sarah K.

2008-01-01

The introduction of United Space Alliance's Human Engineering Modeling and Performance Laboratory began in early 2007 in an attempt to address the problematic workspace design issues that the Space Shuttle has imposed on technicians performing maintenance and inspection operations. The Space Shuttle was not expected to require the extensive maintenance it undergoes between flights. As a result, extensive, costly resources have been expended on workarounds and modifications to accommodate ground processing personnel. Consideration of basic human factors principles for design of maintenance is essential during the design phase of future space vehicles, facilities, and equipment. Simulation will be needed to test and validate designs before implementation.

Task-Team-Process: The Development of Shared Representations in a Engineeing Design Team

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Badke-Schaub, Petra; Lauche, Kristina; Neumann, Andre

2009-01-01

In this article, an analysis of the development of team mental models in two engineering meetings is described. The authors present a two-stage model of the development of sharedness in teams, which formed the basis for a communication analysis of both meetings. The transcripts of the meetings were...... categorised referring to underlying cognitive acts and design strategies. The results are largely consistent with the assumptions of the model indicating a lack of sharedness. This was confirmed by changes of frequencies linked to task-, team-, and processrelated cognitive acts within and between the two...

Proceedings of the IRI task force activity 2000

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radicella, Sandro M.

2001-05-01

This internal report of the International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) contains presentations delivered during the International Reference Ionosphere Task Force Activity 2000 which took place at the Abdus Salam ICTP during July 2000. The 2000 Task Force Activity is the seventh successful encounter of specialists organized by the URSI-COSPAR IRI Working Group and the Aeronomy and Radiopropagation Laboratory of the ICTP of Trieste, Italy. The main topic of this task force activity was the modeling of the topside ionosphere and the development of strategies for modeling of ionospheric variability

Impaired behavior on real-world tasks following damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Tranel, Daniel; Hathaway-Nepple, Julie; Anderson, Steven W

2007-04-01

Patients with damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortices (VMPC) commonly manifest blatant behavioral navigation defects in the real world, but it has been difficult to measure these impairments in the clinic or laboratory. Using a set of "strategy application" tasks, which were designed by Shallice and Burgess (1991) to be ecologically valid for detecting executive dysfunction, we investigated the hypothesis that VMPC damage would be associated with defective performance on such tasks, whereas damage outside the VMPC region would not. A group of 9 patients with bilateral VMPC damage was contrasted with comparison groups of participants with (a) prefrontal brain damage outside the VMPC region (n = 8); (b) nonprefrontal brain damage (n = 17); and (c) no brain damage (n = 20). We found support for the hypothesis: VMPC patients had more impaired performances on the strategy application tasks, especially on a Multiple Errands Test that required patients to execute a series of unstructured tasks in a real-world setting (shopping mall). The results are consistent with the notion that efficacious behavioral navigation is dependent on the VMPC region. However, the strategy application tasks were relatively time consuming and effortful, and their diagnostic yield over and above conventional executive functioning tests may not be sufficient to warrant their inclusion in standard clinical assessment.

Task analysis in neurosciences programme design - neurological ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Defining educational objectives is the key to achieving the goal of professional competence in students. The technique of task analysis was selected to determine components of competence in clinical neurology appropriate to the needs of primary care. A survey of neurological problems in general practice revealed that ...

Asking the next generation: the implementation of pre-university students’ ideas about physics laboratory preparation exercises

Science.gov (United States)

Dunnett, K.; Bartlett, P. A.

2018-01-01

It was planned to introduce online pre-laboratory session activities to a first-year undergraduate physics laboratory course to encourage a minimum level of student preparation for experiments outside the laboratory environment. A group of 16 and 17 year old laboratory work-experience students were tasked to define and design a pre-laboratory activity based on experiments that they had been undertaking. This informed the structure, content and aims of the activities introduced to a first year physics undergraduate laboratory course, with the particular focus on practising the data handling. An implementation study showed how students could try to optimise high grades, rather than gain efficiency-enhancing experience if careful controls were not put in place by assessors. However, the work demonstrated that pre-university and first-year physics students can take an active role in developing scaffolding activities that can help to improve the performance of those that follow their footsteps.

Design and results of the radio frequency quadrupole RF system at the Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grippe, J.; Marsden, E.; Marrufo, O.; Regan, A.; Rees, D.; Ziomek, C.

1993-05-01

The Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory (SSCL) and the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) entered into a joint venture to design and develop a 600 kW amplifier and its low-level controls for use in the Radio-Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) accelerating cavity of the SSC. The design and development work has been completed. After being tested separately, the high power amplifier and low level RF control system were integrated and tested on a test cavity. Results of that tests are given. Tests were then carried out on the actual RFQ with and without the presence of the accelerated beam. Results of these tests are also given, along with the phase and amplitude information

Laboratory simulation of maintenance activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kantowitz, B.H.

1988-01-01

Laboratory research in highly controlled settings can augment, but not replace, studies in plant or training center locations. A laboratory simulation involves abstraction of the human information processing and social interactions required in prototypical maintenance tasks. A variety of independent variables can be studied quickly, efficiently, and at relatively low cost. Sources of human error can be identified in terms of models of human perception, cognition, action, attention, and social/organizational processes. This paper discusses research in progress at the Battelle Human Performance Laboratory. Both theoretical aspects and practical implications are considered. Directions for future human factors research are indicated

Design assessment for the Bethel Valley FFA Upgrades at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-09-01

This report describes the proposed upgrades to Building 3025 and the Evaporator Area at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Design assessments, specifications and drawings are provided. Building 3025 is a general purpose research facility utilized by the Materials and Ceramics Division to conduct research on irradiated materials. The Evaporator Area, building 2531, serves as the collection point for all low-level liquid wastes generated at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Designing a hands-on brain computer interface laboratory course.

Science.gov (United States)

Khalighinejad, Bahar; Long, Laura Kathleen; Mesgarani, Nima

2016-08-01

Devices and systems that interact with the brain have become a growing field of research and development in recent years. Engineering students are well positioned to contribute to both hardware development and signal analysis techniques in this field. However, this area has been left out of most engineering curricula. We developed an electroencephalography (EEG) based brain computer interface (BCI) laboratory course to educate students through hands-on experiments. The course is offered jointly by the Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Computer Science Departments of Columbia University in the City of New York and is open to senior undergraduate and graduate students. The course provides an effective introduction to the experimental design, neuroscience concepts, data analysis techniques, and technical skills required in the field of BCI.

Title I conceptual design for Pit 6 landfill closure at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Site 300

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacDonnell, B.A.; Obenauf, K.S.

1996-08-01

The objective of this design project is to evaluate and prepare design and construction documents for a closure cover cap for the Pit 6 Landfill located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Site 300. This submittal constitutes the Title I Design (Conceptual Design) for the closure cover of the Pit 6 Landfill. A Title I Design is generally 30 percent of the design effort. Title H Design takes the design to 100 percent complete. Comments and edits to this Title I Design will be addressed in the Title II design submittal. Contents of this report are as follows: project background; design issues and engineering approach; design drawings; calculation packages; construction specifications outline; and construction quality assurance plan outline

TWTF project criticality task force final review and assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKinley, K.B.; Cannon, J.W.; Wheeler, F.J.; Worle, H.A.

1980-11-01

The Transuranic Waste Treatment Facility (TWTF) is being developed to process transuranic waste, stored and buried at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, into a chemically inert, physically stable basalt-like residue acceptable at a federal repository. A task force was assembled by the TWTF Project Division to review and assess all aspects of criticality safety for the TWTF. This document presents the final review, assessments, and recommendations of this task force. The following conclusions were made: Additional criticality studies are needed for the entire envelope of feed compositions and temperature effects. Safe operating k/sub eff/'s need to be determined for process components. Criticality analyses validation experiments may also be required. SRP neutron interrogation should be replaced by DDT neutron interrogation. Accuracy studies need to be performed for the proposed assaying techniques. Time-correlated neutron monitoring needs to be mocked up for process components to prove feasibility and determine accuracy. The criticality control techniques developed for the TWTF conceptual design are in compliance with ERDAM 0530, including the Double Contingency Rule. Detailed procedures and controls need to be developed

Defining a roadmap for harmonizing quality indicators in Laboratory Medicine: a consensus statement on behalf of the IFCC Working Group "Laboratory Error and Patient Safety" and EFLM Task and Finish Group "Performance specifications for the extra-analytical phases".

Science.gov (United States)

Sciacovelli, Laura; Panteghini, Mauro; Lippi, Giuseppe; Sumarac, Zorica; Cadamuro, Janne; Galoro, César Alex De Olivera; Pino Castro, Isabel Garcia Del; Shcolnik, Wilson; Plebani, Mario

2017-08-28

The improving quality of laboratory testing requires a deep understanding of the many vulnerable steps involved in the total examination process (TEP), along with the identification of a hierarchy of risks and challenges that need to be addressed. From this perspective, the Working Group "Laboratory Errors and Patient Safety" (WG-LEPS) of International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) is focusing its activity on implementation of an efficient tool for obtaining meaningful information on the risk of errors developing throughout the TEP, and for establishing reliable information about error frequencies and their distribution. More recently, the European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) has created the Task and Finish Group "Performance specifications for the extra-analytical phases" (TFG-PSEP) for defining performance specifications for extra-analytical phases. Both the IFCC and EFLM groups are working to provide laboratories with a system to evaluate their performances and recognize the critical aspects where improvement actions are needed. A Consensus Conference was organized in Padova, Italy, in 2016 in order to bring together all the experts and interested parties to achieve a consensus for effective harmonization of quality indicators (QIs). A general agreement was achieved and the main outcomes have been the release of a new version of model of quality indicators (MQI), the approval of a criterion for establishing performance specifications and the definition of the type of information that should be provided within the report to the clinical laboratories participating to the QIs project.

Real-time multi-task operators support system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang He; Peng Minjun; Wang Hao; Cheng Shouyu

2005-01-01

The development in computer software and hardware technology and information processing as well as the accumulation in the design and feedback from Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) operation created a good opportunity to develop an integrated Operator Support System. The Real-time Multi-task Operator Support System (RMOSS) has been built to support the operator's decision making process during normal and abnormal operations. RMOSS consists of five system subtasks such as Data Collection and Validation Task (DCVT), Operation Monitoring Task (OMT), Fault Diagnostic Task (FDT), Operation Guideline Task (OGT) and Human Machine Interface Task (HMIT). RMOSS uses rule-based expert system and Artificial Neural Network (ANN). The rule-based expert system is used to identify the predefined events in static conditions and track the operation guideline through data processing. In dynamic status, Back-Propagation Neural Network is adopted for fault diagnosis, which is trained with the Genetic Algorithm. Embedded real-time operation system VxWorks and its integrated environment Tornado II are used as the RMOSS software cross-development. VxGUI is used to design HMI. All of the task programs are designed in C language. The task tests and function evaluation of RMOSS have been done in one real-time full scope simulator. Evaluation results show that each task of RMOSS is capable of accomplishing its functions. (authors)

A Validated Task Analysis of the Single Pilot Operations Concept

Science.gov (United States)

Wolter, Cynthia A.; Gore, Brian F.

2015-01-01

The current day flight deck operational environment consists of a two-person Captain/First Officer crew. A concept of operations (ConOps) to reduce the commercial cockpit to a single pilot from the current two pilot crew is termed Single Pilot Operations (SPO). This concept has been under study by researchers in the Flight Deck Display Research Laboratory (FDDRL) at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Ames (Johnson, Comerford, Lachter, Battiste, Feary, and Mogford, 2012) and researchers from Langley Research Centers (Schutte et al., 2007). Transitioning from a two pilot crew to a single pilot crew will undoubtedly require changes in operational procedures, crew coordination, use of automation, and in how the roles and responsibilities of the flight deck and ATC are conceptualized in order to maintain the high levels of safety expected of the US National Airspace System. These modifications will affect the roles and the subsequent tasks that are required of the various operators in the NextGen environment. The current report outlines the process taken to identify and document the tasks required by the crew according to a number of operational scenarios studied by the FDDRL between the years 2012-2014. A baseline task decomposition has been refined to represent the tasks consistent with a new set of entities, tasks, roles, and responsibilities being explored by the FDDRL as the move is made towards SPO. Information from Subject Matter Expert interviews, participation in FDDRL experimental design meetings, and study observation was used to populate and refine task sets that were developed as part of the SPO task analyses. The task analysis is based upon the proposed ConOps for the third FDDRL SPO study. This experiment possessed nine different entities operating in six scenarios using a variety of SPO-related automation and procedural activities required to guide safe and efficient aircraft operations. The task analysis presents the roles and

Multiuser remote access to distributed heterogeneous system of programmable logic based laboratory equipment for remote digital circuits design labs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mikhail N. Yokhin

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The paper contains an analysis of perspective structures of software and hardware equipment of universal digital design laboratories with the purpose of enabling laboratory classes of digital circuit design to be taken remotely. Implementation characteristics and usage experience of some of those structures applied to labs on several hardware related courses of « Computer science and computer engineering» program in NRNU MEPhI are presented. The paper also considers different aspects of usage of remote access enabled laboratory which should be taken into account to substantiate laboratory configuration from technical and economical standpoints. To increase equipment usage efficiency an approach to group several distinct projects to place them on a single FPGA chip is proposed. The paper shows advisability and gives an example of parametrizable virtual stand for remote debugging of FPGA projects.

Environmental hardening of robots for nuclear maintenance and surveillance tasks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hintenlang, D.E.; Tulenko, J.S.; Wheeler, R.; Roy, T.

1990-01-01

The University of Florida, in cooperation with the Universities of Texas, Tennessee, and Michigan and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is developing an advanced robotic system for the US Department of Energy under the University Program for Robotics for Advanced Reactors. As part of this program, the University of Florida has been pursuing the development of environmentally hardened components so that autonomous robotic systems can successfully carry out their tasks under the most extreme expected environmental conditions. This requirement means that the designed robotic system with its onboard computer-based intelligence must be able to successfully complete tasks in toxic, radioactive, wet, temperature extremes, and other physically impairing environments. As part of this program, a study was carried out to determine the environmental conditions that should be set as the design criteria for robotic systems to maintain reasonable operations for nuclear plants in the course of maintenance, testing, and surveillance under all conditions, including plant upset. It was decided that Florida would build a combined environmental testing facility to test specific devices in high-radiation/high-temperature combined environments. This environmental test chamber has been built and successfully tested to over 250 degree F. This facility will provide some of the first combined temperatures/radiation data for many large-scale integrated components

IEA HIA Task 37 - Hydrogen Safety

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Markert, Frank

The work plan and objectives of this task are designed to support the acceleration of safe implementation of hydrogen infrastructure through coordinated international collaborations and hydrogen safety knowledge dissemination.......The work plan and objectives of this task are designed to support the acceleration of safe implementation of hydrogen infrastructure through coordinated international collaborations and hydrogen safety knowledge dissemination....

Local and global processing in block design tasks in children with dyslexia or nonverbal learning disability.

Science.gov (United States)

Cardillo, Ramona; Mammarella, Irene C; Garcia, Ricardo Basso; Cornoldi, Cesare

2017-05-01

Visuo-constructive and perceptual abilities have been poorly investigated in children with learning disabilities. The present study focused on local or global visuospatial processing in children with nonverbal learning disability (NLD) and dyslexia compared with typically-developing (TD) controls. Participants were presented with a modified block design task (BDT), in both a typical visuo-constructive version that involves reconstructing figures from blocks, and a perceptual version in which respondents must rapidly match unfragmented figures with a corresponding fragmented target figure. The figures used in the tasks were devised by manipulating two variables: the perceptual cohesiveness and the task uncertainty, stimulating global or local processes. Our results confirmed that children with NLD had more problems with the visuo-constructive version of the task, whereas those with dyslexia showed only a slight difficulty with the visuo-constructive version, but were in greater difficulty with the perceptual version, especially in terms of response times. These findings are interpreted in relation to the slower visual processing speed of children with dyslexia, and to the visuo-constructive problems and difficulty in using flexibly-experienced global vs local processes of children with NLD. The clinical and educational implications of these findings are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory coupled-cavity linac mechanical design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Starling, W.J.; Cain, T.

1992-01-01

A collaboration between the Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory (SSCL) and the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) for the engineering and mechanical design of the SSCL Coupled-Cavity Linac (CCL) has yielded an innovative example of the well known side coupled-cavity type of linear accelerator. The SSCL CCL accelerates an H - beam from 70 MeV to 600 MeV with an rf cavity structure consisting of eight tanks in each of nine modules for a total length of about 112 meters. Magnetically-coupled bridge couplers transfer power from tank to tank within a module. A single rf power input is located at the center bridge coupler of each module. The bridge couplers permit placement along the beam line of combined function focusing/steering electromagnets and diagnostic pods for beam instrumentation. Each tank and bridge coupler is rf frequency stabilized, nominally to 1,283 MHz, by water pumped through integral water passages. Air isolation grooves surround the water passages at each braze joint so that water-to-vacuum interfaces are avoided. Each tank is supported by adjustable spherical bearing rod end struts to permit alignment and accommodate thermal expansion and contraction of the rf structure. Tank struts, electromagnet/diagnostic pod support frames, vacuum manifolds and utilities are all mounted to a girder-and-leg support stand running the full length of the CCL. (Author) tab., fig

Choice in multitasking: how delays in the primary task turn a rational into an irrational multitasker.

Science.gov (United States)

Katidioti, Ioanna; Taatgen, Niels A

2014-06-01

The objective was to establish the nature of choice in cognitive multitasking. Laboratory studies of multitasking suggest people are rational in their switch choices regarding multitasking, whereas observational studies suggest they are not. Threaded cognition theory predicts that switching is opportunistic and depends on availability of cognitive resources. A total of 21 participants answered e-mails by looking up information (similar to customer service employees) while being interrupted by chat messages. They were free to choose when to switch to the chat message. We analyzed the switching behavior and the time they needed to complete the primary mail task. When participants are faced with a delay in the e-mail task, they switch more often to the chat task at high-workload points. Choosing to switch to the secondary task instead of waiting makes them slower. It also makes them forget the information in the e-mail task half of the time, which slows them down even more. When many cognitive resources are available, the probability of switching from one task to another is high. This does not necessarily lead to optimal switching behavior. Potential applications of this research include the minimization of delays in task design and the inability or discouragement of switching in high-workload moments.

Clinical laboratory accreditation in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Handoo, Anil; Sood, Swaroop Krishan

2012-06-01

Test results from clinical laboratories must ensure accuracy, as these are crucial in several areas of health care. It is necessary that the laboratory implements quality assurance to achieve this goal. The implementation of quality should be audited by independent bodies,referred to as accreditation bodies. Accreditation is a third-party attestation by an authoritative body, which certifies that the applicant laboratory meets quality requirements of accreditation body and has demonstrated its competence to carry out specific tasks. Although in most of the countries,accreditation is mandatory, in India it is voluntary. The quality requirements are described in standards developed by many accreditation organizations. The internationally acceptable standard for clinical laboratories is ISO15189, which is based on ISO/IEC standard 17025. The accreditation body in India is the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories, which has signed Mutual Recognition Agreement with the regional cooperation the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation and with the apex cooperation the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation.

The methods and algorithms for designing complex three-dimensional robots

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Solovjev, A.E.; Naumov, V.B.

1996-01-01

For automation designing by the Robotics laboratory were executed some fundamental and applied researches. This researching allowed to create rational mathematical model for numeric modeling with real-time simulation. In the mathematical model used set of equations of rigid body's motion in Lagrange's form and set of Appel's equations taking into consideration holonomic and non-holonomic connections. In present article are considered methods and algorithms of dynamic modeling of a system of rigid bodies for robotics task and brief description of the package Computer Aided Engineering for Industrial Robots, based on considered algorithms. So far as, in researching of robots the dynamic tasks (direct and inverse) are more interesting than another tasks, authors pay attention just on these problems

A Novel Simulation Technician Laboratory Design: Results of a Survey-Based Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Rami; Hughes, Patrick G; Friedl, Ed; Ortiz Figueroa, Fabiana; Cepeda Brito, Jose R; Frey, Jennifer; Birmingham, Lauren E; Atkinson, Steven Scott

2016-03-16

OBJECTIVE : The purpose of this study was to elicit feedback from simulation technicians prior to developing the first simulation technician-specific simulation laboratory in Akron, OH. Simulation technicians serve a vital role in simulation centers within hospitals/health centers around the world. The first simulation technician degree program in the US has been approved in Akron, OH. To satisfy the requirements of this program and to meet the needs of this special audience of learners, a customized simulation lab is essential. A web-based survey was circulated to simulation technicians prior to completion of the lab for the new program. The survey consisted of questions aimed at identifying structural and functional design elements of a novel simulation center for the training of simulation technicians. Quantitative methods were utilized to analyze data. Over 90% of technicians (n=65) think that a lab designed explicitly for the training of technicians is novel and beneficial. Approximately 75% of respondents think that the space provided appropriate audiovisual (AV) infrastructure and space to evaluate the ability of technicians to be independent. The respondents think that the lab needed more storage space, visualization space for a large number of students, and more space in the technical/repair area. CONCLUSIONS : A space designed for the training of simulation technicians was considered to be beneficial. This laboratory requires distinct space for technical repair, adequate bench space for the maintenance and repair of simulators, an appropriate AV infrastructure, and space to evaluate the ability of technicians to be independent.

Tritium technology development in EEC laboratories contributions to design goals for NET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dinner, P.; Chazalon, M.; Leger, D.; Rohrig, H.D.; Penzhorn, R.D.

1988-01-01

An overview is given of the tritium technology activities carried out in the European national laboratories associated with the European Fusion Programme and in the European Joint Research Center. The relationship of these activities to the Next European Torus (NET) design priorities is discussed, and the current status of the research is summarised. Future developments, required for NET, which will be addressed in the definition of the next 5-year programme are also presented

The Effect of an Open-Ended Design Experience on Student Achievement in an Engineering Laboratory Course

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthew Cullin

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This study explores the effect of incorporating an Open-Ended Design Experience (OEDE into an undergraduate materials science laboratory taken by third-year mechanical engineering students. The focus of the OEDE was carbon fiber reinforced plastics and sandwich structures. The results indicate that the incorporation of OEDE’s in laboratory courses produces significant benefits in terms of student engagement, participation, and perception of competence. In addition, the OEDE was found to enhance students’ ability to apply related concepts as compared to non-OEDE lab activities. The authors conclude that the incorporation of OEDE’s can increase the effectiveness of engineering laboratory courses.

Survival Processing and the Stroop Task

OpenAIRE

Stephanie A. Kazanas; Kendra M. Van Valkenburg; Jeanette Altarriba

2015-01-01

This study was designed to investigate the impact of survival processing with a novel task for this paradigm: the Stroop color-naming task. As the literature is mixed with regard to task generalizability, with survival processing promoting better memory for words, but not better memory for faces or paired associates, these types of task investigations are important to a growing field of research. Using the Stroop task provides a unique contribution, as identifying items by color is an importa...

Prototype spent-fuel canister design, analysis, and test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leisher, W.B.; Eakes, R.G.; Duffey, T.A.

1982-03-01

Sandia National Laboratories was asked by the US Energy Research and Development Administration (now US Department of Energy) to design the spent fuel shipping cask system for the Clinch River Breeder Reactor Plant (CRBRP). As a part of this task, a canister which holds liquid sodium and the spent fuel assembly was designed, analyzed, and tested. The canister body survived the regulatory Type-B 9.1-m (30-ft) drop test with no apparent leakage. However, the commercially available metal seal used in this design leaked after the tests. This report describes the design approach, analysis, and prototype canister testing. Recommended work for completing the design, when funding is available, is included

Task complexity and task, goal, and reward interdependence in group performance management : A prescriptive model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Vijfeijken, H.; Kleingeld, A.; van Tuijl, H.; Algera, J.A.; Thierry, Hk.

2002-01-01

A prescriptive model on how to design effective combinations of goal setting and contingent rewards for group performance management is presented. The model incorporates the constructs task complexity, task interdependence, goal interdependence, and reward interdependence and specifies optimal fit

Contextual Influences on Concordance between Maternal Report and Laboratory Observation of Toddler Fear

Science.gov (United States)

Kiel, Elizabeth J.; Hummel, Alexandra C.

2016-01-01

Emotion and temperament researchers have faced an enduring issue of how to best measure children’s tendencies to express specific emotions. Inconsistencies between laboratory observation and parental report have made it challenging for researchers to determine the utility of these different forms of measurement. The current study examined the effect of laboratory episode characteristics (i.e., threat-level of the episode, maternal involvement) on concordance between maternal report and laboratory observation of toddler fear. The sample included 111 mother-toddler dyads who participated in a laboratory assessment when toddlers were approximately 24-months-old. Toddler fear was assessed both via maternal report and observation from a number of laboratory episodes that varied in their level of threat and whether mothers were free or constrained in their involvement in the task. Results indicated that maternal report related to the observed fear composites for low-threat, but not high-threat episodes. On the other hand, maternal involvement in the laboratory episodes did not moderate the relation between maternal report and laboratory observation of fear. These results suggest that the threat-level of laboratory episodes designed to elicit fear, but not maternal involvement in these episodes, may be important to take into consideration when assessing their relation to maternal report of fear and fearful temperament. PMID:27606826

Designing a clinical skills training laboratory with focus on video for better learning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauridsen, Henrik Hein; Toftgård, Rie Castella; Nørgaard, Cita

resources of varying quality on the internet if this is not made available during teaching. The objective of this project was to design a new clinical skills laboratory with IT and video facilities to support learning processes. Methods Teaching principles were described before decisions on the design......Objective The principles of apprenticeship in clinical skills training are increasingly being challenged. First, most students are proficient in learning from visual multimedia and will expect this to be part of a modern university education. Second, students will often find visual teaching...... on a priori described teaching and learning designs related to active learning principles. This was a complex process involving teachers, IT-experts, e-learning specialists and a variety of university employees....

Conceptual Design for the Pilot-Scale Plutonium Oxide Processing Unit in the Radiochemical Processing Laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lumetta, Gregg J.; Meier, David E.; Tingey, Joel M.; Casella, Amanda J.; Delegard, Calvin H.; Edwards, Matthew K.; Jones, Susan A.; Rapko, Brian M.

2014-08-05

This report describes a conceptual design for a pilot-scale capability to produce plutonium oxide for use as exercise and reference materials, and for use in identifying and validating nuclear forensics signatures associated with plutonium production. This capability is referred to as the Pilot-scale Plutonium oxide Processing Unit (P3U), and it will be located in the Radiochemical Processing Laboratory at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The key unit operations are described, including plutonium dioxide (PuO2) dissolution, purification of the Pu by ion exchange, precipitation, and conversion to oxide by calcination.

Heat pump concepts for nZEB Technology developments, design tools and testing of heat pump systems for nZEB in the USA: Country report IEA HPT Annex 40 Task 2, Task 3 and Task 4 of the USA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baxter, Van D. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Payne, W. Vance [National Inst. of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD (United States); Ling, Jiazhen [Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States); Radermacher, Reinhard [Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States)

2015-12-01

The IEA HPT Annex 40 "Heat pump concepts for Nearly Zero Energy Buildings" deals with the application of heat pumps as a core component of the HVAC system for Nearly or Net Zero energy buildings (nZEB). This report covers Task 2 on the system comparison and optimisation and Task 3 dedicated to the development of adapted technologies for nZEB and field monitoring results of heat pump systems in nZEB. In the US team three institutions are involved and have worked on the following projects: The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) will summarize development activities through the field demonstration stage for several integrated heat pump (IHP) systems electric ground-source (GS-IHP) and air-source (AS-IHP) versions and an engine driven AS-IHP version. The first commercial GS-IHP product was just introduced to the market in December 2012. This work is a contribution to Task 3 of the Annex. The University of Maryland will contribute a software development project to Task 2 of the Annex. The software ThermCom evaluates occupied space thermal comfort conditions accounting for all radiative and convective heat transfer effects as well as local air properties. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is working on a field study effort on the NIST Net Zero Energy Residential Test Facility (NZERTF). This residential building was constructed on the NIST campus and officially opened in summer 2013. During the first year, between July 2013 and June 2014, baseline performance of the NZERTF was monitored under a simulated occupancy protocol. The house was equipped with an air-to-air heat pump which included a dedicated dehumidification operating mode. Outdoor conditions, internal loads and modes of heat pump operation were monitored. Field study results with respect to heat pump operation will be reported and recommendations on heat pump optimization for a net zero energy building will be provided. This work is a contribution to Task 3 of the Annex.

Development of whole-building energy design targets for commercial buildings: Phase 1, Planning: Volume 2, Technical report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Crawley, D.B.; Briggs, R.S.; Jones, J.W.; Seaton, W.W.; Kaufman, J.E.; Deringer, J.J.; Kennett, E.W.

1987-08-01

This is the second volume of the Phase 1 report and discusses the 10 tasks performed in Phase 1. The objective of this research is to develop a methodology for setting energy design targets to provide voluntary guidelines for the buildings industry. The whole-building energy targets project is being conducted at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) for the US Department of Energy (DOE) to encourage the construction of energy-efficient buildings by informing designers and owners about cost-effective goals for energy use in new commercial buildings. The outcome of this research will be a flexible methodology for setting such targets. The tasks are listed and discussed in this report as follows: Task 1 - Develop Detailed Project Goals and Objectives; Task 2 - Establish Buildings-Industry Liaison; Task 3 - Develop Approaches to the Energy Targets Model, Building Operations, and Climate; Task 4 - Develop an Approach for Treating Economic Considerations; Task 5 - Develop an Approach for Treating Energy Sources; Task 6 - Collect Energy-Use Data; Task 7 - Survey Energy Expert Opinion; Task 8 - Evaluation Procedure Specification and Integration; Task 9 - Phase 1 Report Development; and Task 10 - Phase 1 Review Planning.

Task force on modelling of groundwater flow and transport of solutes. Task 5 Summary report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rhen, Ingvar; Smellie, John

2003-02-01

The Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory is located in the Simpevarp area, southeast Sweden, some 35 km north of Oskarshamn. Construction of the underground laboratory commenced in 1990 and was completed in 1995, consisting of a 3.6 km. long tunnel excavated in crystalline rock to a depth of approximately 460 m. Prior to, during and subsequent to completion, research concerning the deep geological disposal of nuclear waste in fractured crystalline rock has been carried out. Central to this research has been the characterisation of the groundwater flow system and the chemistry of the groundwaters at Aespoe prior to excavation (Pre-investigation Phase) and subsequently to monitor changes in these parameters during the evolution of laboratory construction (Construction Phase). The principle aim of the Aespoe Task 5 modelling exercise has been to compare and ultimately integrate hydrogeochemistry and hydrogeology using the input data from the pre-investigation and construction phases. The main objectives were: to assess the consistency of groundwater-flow models and hydrogeochemical mixing-reaction models through integration and comparison of hydraulic and hydrogeochemical data obtained before and during tunnel construction, and to develop a procedure for integration of hydrological and hydrogeochemical information which could be used for disposal site assessments. Task 5 commenced in 1998 and was finalised in 2002. Participating modelling teams in the project represented ANDRA (France; three modelling teams - ANTEA, ITASCA, CEA), BMWi/BGR (Germany), ENRESA (Spain), JNC (Japan), CRIEPI (Japan), Posiva (Finland) and SKB (Sweden; two modelling teams - CFE and Intera (now GeoPoint)). Experience from Task 5 has highlighted several important aspects for site investigations facilitating the possibilities for mathematically integrated modelling and consistency checks that should be taken into account for future repository performance assessments. Equally important is that Task 5 has

Task force on modelling of groundwater flow and transport of solutes. Task 5 Summary report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rhen, Ingvar [SWECO VIAK AB, Goeteborg (Sweden); Smellie, John [Conterra AB, Uppsala (Sweden)

2003-02-01

The Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory is located in the Simpevarp area, southeast Sweden, some 35 km north of Oskarshamn. Construction of the underground laboratory commenced in 1990 and was completed in 1995, consisting of a 3.6 km. long tunnel excavated in crystalline rock to a depth of approximately 460 m. Prior to, during and subsequent to completion, research concerning the deep geological disposal of nuclear waste in fractured crystalline rock has been carried out. Central to this research has been the characterisation of the groundwater flow system and the chemistry of the groundwaters at Aespoe prior to excavation (Pre-investigation Phase) and subsequently to monitor changes in these parameters during the evolution of laboratory construction (Construction Phase). The principle aim of the Aespoe Task 5 modelling exercise has been to compare and ultimately integrate hydrogeochemistry and hydrogeology using the input data from the pre-investigation and construction phases. The main objectives were: to assess the consistency of groundwater-flow models and hydrogeochemical mixing-reaction models through integration and comparison of hydraulic and hydrogeochemical data obtained before and during tunnel construction, and to develop a procedure for integration of hydrological and hydrogeochemical information which could be used for disposal site assessments. Task 5 commenced in 1998 and was finalised in 2002. Participating modelling teams in the project represented ANDRA (France; three modelling teams - ANTEA, ITASCA, CEA), BMWi/BGR (Germany), ENRESA (Spain), JNC (Japan), CRIEPI (Japan), Posiva (Finland) and SKB (Sweden; two modelling teams - CFE and Intera (now GeoPoint)). Experience from Task 5 has highlighted several important aspects for site investigations facilitating the possibilities for mathematically integrated modelling and consistency checks that should be taken into account for future repository performance assessments. Equally important is that Task 5 has

Design demonstrations for the remaining 19 Category B tank systems at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-06-01

This document presents design demonstrations conducted of liquid low-level waste (LLLW) storage tank systems located at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). ORNL has conducted research in energy related fields since 1943. The facilities used to conduct the research include nuclear reactors, chemical pilot plants, research laboratories, radioisotope production laboratories, and support facilities. These facilities have produced a variety of radioactive and/or hazardous wastes that have been transported and stored through an extensive network of piping and tankage. Demonstration of the design of these tank systems has been stipulated by the Federal Facility Agreement (FFA) between the EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency)-Region IV; the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC); and the DOE. The FFA establishes four categories of tank systems: Category A-New or Replacement Tank Systems with Secondary Containment; Category B-Existing Tank Systems with Secondary Containment; Category C-Existing Tank Systems Without Secondary Containment, and Category D-Existing Tank Systems Without Secondary Containment That are Removed from Service. This document provides a design demonstration of the secondary containment and ancillary equipment of 19 tank systems listed in the FFA as Category B. The design demonstration for each tank is presented in Section 2. The assessments assume that each tank system was constructed in accordance with the design drawings and construction specifications for that system unless specified otherwise. Each design demonstration addresses system conformance to the requirements of the FFA (Appendix F, Section C)

DECOVALEX II PROJECT. Technical report - Task 1A and 1B

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lanru Jing; Stephansson, Ove; Kautsky, F.

1998-08-01

DECOVALEX II project started in November 1995 as a continuation of the DECOVALEX I project, which was completed at the end of 1994. The project was initiated by recognizing the fact that a proper evaluation of the current capacities of numerical modelling of the coupled T-H-M processes in fractured media is needed not only for small scale, well controlled laboratory test cases such as those studied in DECOVALEX I, but also for less characterised, more complex and realistic in-situ experiments. This will contribute to validation and confidence building in the current mathematical models, numerical methods and computer codes. Four tasks were defined in the DECOVALEX II project: TASK 1 - numerical study of the RCF3 pumping test and shaft excavation at Sellafield by Nirex, UK; TASK 2 - numerical study of the in-situ T-H-M experiments at Kamaishi Mine by PNC, Japan; TASK 3 - review of current state-of-the-art of rock joint research and TASK 4 - report on the coupled T-H-M issues related to repository design and performance assessment. This report is one of the technical reports of the DECOVALEX II project, describing the work performed for TASK 1A and 1B - the predictions and model calibrations for the RCF 3 pumping test at Sellafield. Presented in this report are the descriptions of the project, tasks, approaches, methods and results of numerical modelling work carried out by the research teams. The report is a summary of the research reports written by the research teams and submitted to the project secretariat, and the discussions held during project workshops and task force group meetings. The opinions and conclusions in this report, however, reflect only ideas of the authors, not necessarily a collective representation of the funding organisations of the project

Recommended revisions to Nuclear Regulatory Commission seismic design criteria. Technical report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coats, D.W.

1980-05-01

This report recommends changes in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) criteria now used in the seismic design of nuclear power plants. Areas covered include ground motion, soil-structure interaction, structures, and equipment and components. Members of the Engineering Mechanics Section of the Nuclear Test Engineering Division at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (LLL) generally agreed upon the recommendations, which are based on (1) reports developed under the NRC's Task Action Plan A-40, (2) other available engineering literature, and (3) recommendations of nationally recognized experts retained by LLL specifically for this task

Considerations for Task Analysis Methods and Rapid E-Learning Development Techniques

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dr. Ismail Ipek

2014-02-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to provide basic dimensions for rapid training development in e-learning courses in education and business. Principally, it starts with defining task analysis and how to select tasks for analysis and task analysis methods for instructional design. To do this, first, learning and instructional technologies as visions of the future were discussed. Second, the importance of task analysis methods in rapid e-learning was considered, with learning technologies as asynchronous and synchronous e-learning development. Finally, rapid instructional design concepts and e-learning design strategies were defined and clarified with examples, that is, all steps for effective task analysis and rapid training development techniques based on learning and instructional design approaches were discussed, such as m-learning and other delivery systems. As a result, the concept of task analysis, rapid e-learning development strategies and the essentials of online course design were discussed, alongside learner interface design features for learners and designers.

Dual Arm Work Package performance estimates and telerobot task network simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Draper, J.V.

1997-01-01

This paper describes the methodology and results of a network simulation study of the Dual Arm Work Package (DAWP), to be employed for dismantling the Argonne National Laboratory CP-5 reactor. The development of the simulation model was based upon the results of a task analysis for the same system. This study was performed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), in the Robotics and Process Systems Division. Funding was provided the US Department of Energy's Office of Technology Development, Robotics Technology Development Program (RTDP). The RTDP is developing methods of computer simulation to estimate telerobotic system performance. Data were collected to provide point estimates to be used in a task network simulation model. Three skilled operators performed six repetitions of a pipe cutting task representative of typical teleoperation cutting operations

Laboratory and Self-Report Methods to Assess Reappraisal and Distraction in Youth.

Science.gov (United States)

Bettis, Alexandra H; Henry, Lauren; Prussien, Kemar V; Vreeland, Allison; Smith, Michele; Adery, Laura H; Compas, Bruce E

2018-06-07

Coping and emotion regulation are central features of risk and resilience in childhood and adolescence, but research on these constructs has relied on different methods of assessment. The current study aimed to bridge the gap between questionnaire and experimental methods of measuring secondary control coping strategies, specifically distraction and cognitive reappraisal, and examine associations with symptoms of anxiety and depression in youth. A community sample of 70 youth (ages 9-15) completed a novel experimental coping and emotion regulation paradigm and self-report measures of coping and emotion regulation and symptoms. Findings indicate that use of distraction and reappraisal during the laboratory paradigm was associated with lower levels of negative emotion during the task. Youth emotion ratings while implementing distraction, but not reappraisal, during the laboratory task were associated with youth self-reported use of secondary control coping in response to family stress. Youth symptoms of anxiety and depression were also significantly positively associated with negative emotion ratings during the laboratory task, and both laboratory task and self-reported coping and emotion regulation accounted for significant variance in symptoms in youth. Both questionnaire and laboratory methods to assess coping and emotion regulation in youth are important for understanding these processes as possible mechanisms of risk and resilience and continued integration of these methods is a priority for future research.

Embedded Processor Laboratory

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The Embedded Processor Laboratory provides the means to design, develop, fabricate, and test embedded computers for missile guidance electronics systems in support...

The IEA Large Coil Task

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beard, D.S.; Klose, W.; Shimamoto, S.; Vecsey, G.

1988-01-01

A multinational program of cooperative research, development, demonstrations, and exchanges of information on superconducting magnets for fusion was initiated in 1977 under an IEA agreement. The first major step in the development of TF magnets was called the Large Coil Task. Participants in LCT were the U.S. DOE, EURATOM, JAERI, and the Departement Federal de l'Interieur of Switzerland. The goals of LCT were to obtain experimental data, to demonstrate reliable operation of large superconducting coils, and to prove design principles and fabrication techniques being considered for the toroidal magnets of thermonuclear reactors. These goals were to be accomplished through coordinated but largely independent design, development, and construction of six test coils, followed by collaborative testing in a compact toroidal test array at fields of 8 T and higher. Under the terms of the IEA Agreement, the United States built and operated the test facility at Oak Ridge and provided three test coils. The other participants provided one coil each. Information on design and manufacturing and all test data were shared by all. The LCT team of each participant included a government laboratory and industrial partners or contractors. The last coil was completed in 1985, and the test assembly was completed in October of that year. Over the next 23 months, the six-coil array was cooled down and extensive testing was performed. Results were gratifying, as tests achieved design-point performance and well beyond. (Each coil reached a peak field of 9 T.) Experiments elucidated coil behavior, delineated limits of operability, and demonstrated coil safety. (orig./KP)

JV Task 120 - Coal Ash Resources Research Consortium Research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Debra Pflughoeft-Hassett; Loreal Heebink; David Hassett; Bruce Dockter; Kurt Eylands; Tera Buckley; Erick Zacher

2009-03-28

The Coal Ash Resources Research Consortium{reg_sign} (CARRC{reg_sign}, pronounced 'cars') is the core coal combustion product (CCP) research group at the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC). CARRC focuses on performing fundamental and applied scientific and engineering research emphasizing the environmentally safe, economical use of CCPs. CARRC member organizations, which include utilities and marketers, are key to developing industry-driven research in the area of CCP utilization and ensuring its successful application. The U.S. Department of Energy is a partner in CARRC through the EERC Jointly Sponsored Research Program, which provides matching funds for industrial member contributions and facilitates an increased level of effort in CARRC. CARRC tasks were designed to provide information on CCP performance, including environmental performance, engineering performance, favorable economics, and improved life cycle of products and projects. CARRC technical research tasks are developed based on member input and prioritization. CARRC special projects are developed with members and nonmembers to provide similar information and to support activities, including the assembly and interpretation of data, support for standards development and technology transfer, and facilitating product development and testing. CARRC activities from 2007 to 2009 included a range of research tasks, with primary work performed in laboratory tasks developed to answer specific questions or evaluate important fundamental properties of CCPs. The tasks were included in four categories: (1) Environmental Evaluations of CCPs; (2) Evaluation of Impacts on CCPs from Emission Controls; (3) Construction and Product-Related Activities; and (4) Technology Transfer and Maintenance Tasks. All tasks are designed to work toward achieving the CARRC overall goal and supporting objectives. The various tasks are coordinated in order to provide broad and useful technical data for CARRC members

Microevaluating Learners' Task-Specific Motivation in a Task-Based Business Spanish Course

Science.gov (United States)

Torres, Julio; Serafini, Ellen J.

2016-01-01

Scholars of task-based language teaching (TBLT) advocate for the identification of learners' communicative needs to inform syllabus design, particularly in language for specific purposes contexts (e.g., Long 2015). However, little research has applied TBLT principles in designing Spanish for specific purposes curricula. Moreover, despite the…

Stirling cycle engines inner workings and design

CERN Document Server

Organ, Allan J

2013-01-01

Some 200 years after the original invention, internal design of a Stirling engine has come to be considered a specialist task, calling for extensive experience and for access to sophisticated computer modelling. The low parts-count of the type is negated by the complexity of the gas processes by which heat is converted to work. Design is perceived as problematic largely because those interactions are neither intuitively evident, nor capable of being made visible by laboratory experiment. There can be little doubt that the situation stands in the way of wider application of this elegant concep

A locally designed mobile laboratory for radiation analysis and monitoring in qatar. Vol. 4

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abou-Leila, H; El-Samman, H; Mahmoud, H [Physics Department, University of qatar, Doha (Qatar)

1996-03-01

A description of a mobile laboratory for radiation analysis and monitoring, completely designed in qatar and equipped at qatar university, is given. It consists of a van equipped with three scintillation detectors mounted on the front bumper. The detectors can monitor gamma radiations along the path of the laboratory over an angle range 120 degree. One Eberline radiation monitoring station is mounted on the roof. The laboratory is also equipped with several, and neutron survey meters in addition to some sampling equipment. All equipment used are powered with solar panels. The characteristics and performance of solar power/stabilized A C conversion is given. Data acquisition from the three scintillation detectors is performed by adding the outputs of the three detectors and storing the total as a function of time in a computer based multi-channel analyzer (MCA) operated in the MSC mode. The acquisition can be switched easily to the PHA mode to analyze gamma spectra from any possible contamination source. The laboratory was used in several environmental and possible contamination missions. Some results obtained during some of these missions are given. 4 figs.

A locally designed mobile laboratory for radiation analysis and monitoring in qatar. Vol. 4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abou-Leila, H.; El-Samman, H.; Mahmoud, H.

1996-01-01

A description of a mobile laboratory for radiation analysis and monitoring, completely designed in qatar and equipped at qatar university, is given. It consists of a van equipped with three scintillation detectors mounted on the front bumper. The detectors can monitor gamma radiations along the path of the laboratory over an angle range 120 degree. One Eberline radiation monitoring station is mounted on the roof. The laboratory is also equipped with several, and neutron survey meters in addition to some sampling equipment. All equipment used are powered with solar panels. The characteristics and performance of solar power/stabilized A C conversion is given. Data acquisition from the three scintillation detectors is performed by adding the outputs of the three detectors and storing the total as a function of time in a computer based multi-channel analyzer (MCA) operated in the MSC mode. The acquisition can be switched easily to the PHA mode to analyze gamma spectra from any possible contamination source. The laboratory was used in several environmental and possible contamination missions. Some results obtained during some of these missions are given. 4 figs

Participation in a Year-Long CURE Embedded into Major Core Genetics and Cellular and Molecular Biology Laboratory Courses Results in Gains in Foundational Biological Concepts and Experimental Design Skills by Novice Undergraduate Researchers†

Science.gov (United States)

Peteroy-Kelly, Marcy A.; Marcello, Matthew R.; Crispo, Erika; Buraei, Zafir; Strahs, Daniel; Isaacson, Marisa; Jaworski, Leslie; Lopatto, David; Zuzga, David

2017-01-01

This two-year study describes the assessment of student learning gains arising from participation in a year-long curriculum consisting of a classroom undergraduate research experience (CURE) embedded into second-year, major core Genetics and Cellular and Molecular Biology (CMB) laboratory courses. For the first course in our CURE, students used micro-array or RNAseq analyses to identify genes important for environmental stress responses by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The students were tasked with creating overexpressing mutants of their genes and designing their own original experiments to investigate the functions of those genes using the overexpression and null mutants in the second CURE course. In order to evaluate student learning gains, we employed three validated concept inventories in a pretest/posttest format and compared gains on the posttest versus the pretest with student laboratory final grades. Our results demonstrated that there was a significant correlation between students earning lower grades in the Genetics laboratory for both years of this study and gains on the Genetics Concept Assessment (GCA). We also demonstrated a correlation between students earning lower grades in the Genetics laboratory and gains on the Introductory Molecular and Cell Biology Assessment (IMCA) for year 1 of the study. Students furthermore demonstrated significant gains in identifying the variable properties of experimental subjects when assessed using the Rubric for Experimental (RED) design tool. Results from the administration of the CURE survey support these findings. Our results suggest that a year-long CURE enables lower performing students to experience greater gains in their foundational skills for success in the STEM disciplines. PMID:28904646

Conceptual design report for the University of Rochester cryogenic target delivery system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fagaly, R.L.; Alexander, N.B.; Bourque, R.F.; Dahms, C.F.; Lindgren, J.R.; Miller, W.J.; Bittner, D.N.; Hendricks, C.D.

1993-05-01

The upgrade of the Omega laser at the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics (UR/LLE) will result in a need for large targets filled with D 2 or Dt and maintained at cryogenic temperatures. This mandates a cryogenic target delivery system capable of filling, layering, characterizing and delivering cryogenic targets to the Omega Upgrade target chamber. The program goal is to design, construct, and test the entire target delivery system by June 1996. When completed (including an operational demonstration), the system will be shipped to Rochester for reassembly and commissioning in time for the Omega Upgrade cryogenic campaign, scheduled to start in 1998. General Atomics has been assigned the task of developing the conceptual design for the cryogenic target delivery system. Design and fabrication activities will be closely coordinated with the University of Rochester, Lawrence Livermore National laboratory (LLNL) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), drawing upon their knowledge base in fuel layering and cryogenic characterization. The development of a target delivery system for Omega could also benefit experiments at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the other ICF Laboratories in that the same technologies could be applied to NOVA, the National Ignition Facility or the future Laboratory Microfusion Facility

Conceptual design report for the University of Rochester cryogenic target delivery system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fagaly, R.L.; Alexander, N.B.; Bourque, R.F.; Dahms, C.F.; Lindgren, J.R.; Miller, W.J. (General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States)); Bittner, D.N.; Hendricks, C.D. (W.J. Schafer Associates, Livermore, CA (United States))

1993-05-01

The upgrade of the Omega laser at the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics (UR/LLE) will result in a need for large targets filled with D[sub 2] or Dt and maintained at cryogenic temperatures. This mandates a cryogenic target delivery system capable of filling, layering, characterizing and delivering cryogenic targets to the Omega Upgrade target chamber. The program goal is to design, construct, and test the entire target delivery system by June 1996. When completed (including an operational demonstration), the system will be shipped to Rochester for reassembly and commissioning in time for the Omega Upgrade cryogenic campaign, scheduled to start in 1998. General Atomics has been assigned the task of developing the conceptual design for the cryogenic target delivery system. Design and fabrication activities will be closely coordinated with the University of Rochester, Lawrence Livermore National laboratory (LLNL) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), drawing upon their knowledge base in fuel layering and cryogenic characterization. The development of a target delivery system for Omega could also benefit experiments at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the other ICF Laboratories in that the same technologies could be applied to NOVA, the National Ignition Facility or the future Laboratory Microfusion Facility.

Conceptual design report for the University of Rochester cryogenic target delivery system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fagaly, R.L.; Alexander, N.B.; Bourque, R.F.; Dahms, C.F.; Lindgren, J.R.; Miller, W.J. [General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States); Bittner, D.N.; Hendricks, C.D. [W.J. Schafer Associates, Livermore, CA (US)

1993-05-01

The upgrade of the Omega laser at the University of Rochester`s Laboratory for Laser Energetics (UR/LLE) will result in a need for large targets filled with D{sub 2} or Dt and maintained at cryogenic temperatures. This mandates a cryogenic target delivery system capable of filling, layering, characterizing and delivering cryogenic targets to the Omega Upgrade target chamber. The program goal is to design, construct, and test the entire target delivery system by June 1996. When completed (including an operational demonstration), the system will be shipped to Rochester for reassembly and commissioning in time for the Omega Upgrade cryogenic campaign, scheduled to start in 1998. General Atomics has been assigned the task of developing the conceptual design for the cryogenic target delivery system. Design and fabrication activities will be closely coordinated with the University of Rochester, Lawrence Livermore National laboratory (LLNL) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), drawing upon their knowledge base in fuel layering and cryogenic characterization. The development of a target delivery system for Omega could also benefit experiments at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the other ICF Laboratories in that the same technologies could be applied to NOVA, the National Ignition Facility or the future Laboratory Microfusion Facility.

Design and laboratory calibration of the compact pushbroom hyperspectral imaging system

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Jiankang; Ji, Yiqun; Chen, Yuheng; Chen, Xinhua; Shen, Weimin

2009-11-01

The designed hyperspectral imaging system is composed of three main parts, that is, optical subsystem, electronic subsystem and capturing subsystem. And a three-dimensional "image cube" can be obtained through push-broom. The fore-optics is commercial-off-the-shelf with high speed and three continuous zoom ratios. Since the dispersive imaging part is based on Offner relay configuration with an aberration-corrected convex grating, high power of light collection and variable view field are obtained. The holographic recording parameters of the convex grating are optimized, and the aberration of the Offner configuration dispersive system is balanced. The electronic system adopts module design, which can minimize size, mass, and power consumption. Frame transfer area-array CCD is chosen as the image sensor and the spectral line can be binned to achieve better SNR and sensitivity without any deterioration in spatial resolution. The capturing system based on the computer can set the capturing parameters, calibrate the spectrometer, process and display spectral imaging data. Laboratory calibrations are prerequisite for using precise spectral data. The spatial and spectral calibration minimize smile and keystone distortion caused by optical system, assembly and so on and fix positions of spatial and spectral line on the frame area-array CCD. Gases excitation lamp is used in smile calibration and the keystone calculation is carried out by different viewing field point source created by a series of narrow slit. The laboratory and field imaging results show that this pushbroom hyperspectral imaging system can acquire high quality spectral images.

Strategic Adaptation to Task Characteristics, Incentives, and Individual Differences in Dual-Tasking.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian P Janssen

Full Text Available We investigate how good people are at multitasking by comparing behavior to a prediction of the optimal strategy for dividing attention between two concurrent tasks. In our experiment, 24 participants had to interleave entering digits on a keyboard with controlling a randomly moving cursor with a joystick. The difficulty of the tracking task was systematically varied as a within-subjects factor. Participants were also exposed to different explicit reward functions that varied the relative importance of the tracking task relative to the typing task (between-subjects. Results demonstrate that these changes in task characteristics and monetary incentives, together with individual differences in typing ability, influenced how participants choose to interleave tasks. This change in strategy then affected their performance on each task. A computational cognitive model was used to predict performance for a wide set of alternative strategies for how participants might have possibly interleaved tasks. This allowed for predictions of optimal performance to be derived, given the constraints placed on performance by the task and cognition. A comparison of human behavior with the predicted optimal strategy shows that participants behaved near optimally. Our findings have implications for the design and evaluation of technology for multitasking situations, as consideration should be given to the characteristics of the task, but also to how different users might use technology depending on their individual characteristics and their priorities.

A review of electronic laboratory notebooks available in the market today.

Science.gov (United States)

Rubacha, Michael; Rattan, Anil K; Hosselet, Stephen C

2011-02-01

Electronic laboratory notebooks are becoming an increasingly popular tool for research and routine laboratories as part of a way to optimize workflow and minimize cost while realizing time-saving benefits. The number and variety of available solutions are quickly increasing; making selection of the right notebook a cumbersome process. To allay some of the strain associated with an exhaustive search through notebook technologies, this paper details some key features from a pool of 35 electronic notebooks available today. This review effectively classifies these notebooks into five categories based on market audience as follows: notebooks suited for a Quality environment can be found within the Quality Assurance/Quality Control pool. Notebooks suited for specialized tasks in Biology or Chemistry can be found within the Biology or Chemistry pools, respectively. Notebooks that are suitable for general science functionalities can be found under either the Research and Development or the Multidiscipline pools. Lastly, notebooks that are designed and developed for the spectrum of stringent Quality laboratories to free-form research laboratories can be found within the Multidiscipline pool. The guidelines put forth in this paper eliminate the need to perform an exhaustive search for a suitable notebook. Copyright © 2011 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Design of laboratory radiotracer studies in marine radioecology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schulte, E.H.

1997-01-01

A condensed description of methods used in laboratory radiotracer studies in marine radioecology is presented showing also the difficulties which may be encountered in order to obtain realistic and comparable information on the general behaviour of radionuclides in marine organisms. Practical guidance on the choice of the biological material and how to setup laboratory experiments and to control properly important experimental conditions are given. Key parameters like concentration factors and biological half-lives are defined and the theoretical estimation and practical determination of input, uptake, accumulation and loss of radionuclides in marine biota are formulated by the aid of mathematical equations. Examples of uptake and loss curves obtained in the laboratory are shown. The importance of some environmental factors (temperature, food, growth) on uptake and loss of radionuclides are demonstrated. Comparison of experimental and field data of concentration factors is reported to show the difficulty in extrapolating from laboratory experiments to nature. (author)

The disruptive effects of pain on multitasking in a virtual errands task.

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, David J; Law, Anna S

2017-07-01

Pain is known to have a disruptive effect on cognitive performance, but prior studies have used highly constrained laboratory tasks that lack ecological validity. In everyday life people are required to complete more complex sets of tasks, prioritising task completion and recalling lists of tasks which need to be completed, and these tasks continue to be attempted during episodes or states of pain. The present study therefore examined the impact of thermal induced pain on a simulated errand task. Fifty-five healthy adults (36 female) performed the Edinburgh Virtual Errands Task (EVET) either during a painful thermal sensation or with no concurrent pain. Participants also completed the Experience of Cognitive Intrusion of Pain (ECIP) questionnaire to measure their self-reported cognitive impact of pain in general life. Participants who completed the EVET task in pain and who self-reported high intrusion of pain made significantly more errors than those who reported lower intrusion on the ECIP. Findings here support the growing literature that suggests that pain has a significant impact on cognitive performance. Furthermore, these findings support the developing literature suggesting that this relationship is complex when considering real world cognition, and that self-report on the ECIP relates well to performance on a task designed to reflect the complexities of everyday living. If extrapolated to chronic pain populations, these data suggest that pain during complex multitasking performance may have a significant impact on the number of errors made. For people highly vulnerable to cognitive intrusion by pain, this may result in errors such as selecting the wrong location or item to perform tasks, or forgetting to perform these tasks at the correct time. If these findings are shown to extend to chronic pain populations then occupational support to manage complex task performance, using for example diaries/electronic reminders, may help to improve everyday abilities

Centralized database for interconnection system design. [for spacecraft

Science.gov (United States)

Billitti, Joseph W.

1989-01-01

A database application called DFACS (Database, Forms and Applications for Cabling and Systems) is described. The objective of DFACS is to improve the speed and accuracy of interconnection system information flow during the design and fabrication stages of a project, while simultaneously supporting both the horizontal (end-to-end wiring) and the vertical (wiring by connector) design stratagems used by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) project engineering community. The DFACS architecture is centered around a centralized database and program methodology which emulates the manual design process hitherto used at JPL. DFACS has been tested and successfully applied to existing JPL hardware tasks with a resulting reduction in schedule time and costs.

How to Generate Understanding of the Scientific Process in Introductory Biology: A Student-Designed Laboratory Exercise on Yeast Fermentation

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, Linda T.; Bell, Rebekah P.

2004-01-01

Heavy faculty teaching loads and limited funds biology teachers designed certain objectives in order to increase the understandability of the subject matter of the laboratory exercises they write. In relation to these objectives an old "cookbook" laboratory exercise on yeast fermentation is introduced which involve students asking questions,…

BubbleZERO—Design, Construction and Operation of a Transportable Research Laboratory for Low Exergy Building System Evaluation in the Tropics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arno Schlueter

2013-09-01

Full Text Available We present the design, construction and operation of a novel building systems laboratory, the BubbleZERO—Zero Emission Research Operation. Our objective was to design a space to evaluate the performance of Swiss-developed low exergy building systems in the tropical climate of Singapore using an integrated design approach. The method we employed for evaluation in the tropics was to design and build a test bed out of the shipping containers that transported the prototype low exergy systems from Switzerland to Singapore. This approach resulted in a novel laboratory environment containing radiant cooling panels and decentralized air supply, along with a self-shading, inflated “bubble” skin, experimental low emissivity (LowE glazing, LED lighting, wireless sensors and distributed control. The laboratory evaluates and demonstrates for the first time in Singapore an integrated high-temperature cooling system with separate demand-controlled ventilation adapted for the tropics. It is a functional lab testing system in real tropical conditions. As such, the results showing the ability to mitigate the risk of condensation by maintaining a dew point below 18 °C by the separate decentralized ventilation are significant and necessary for potential future implementation in buildings. In addition, the control system provides new proof of concept for distributed wireless sensors and control for reliable automation of the systems. These key results are presented along with the integrated design process and real-life tropical operation of the laboratory.

Analysis and optimal design of an underactuated finger mechanism for LARM hand

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Shuangji; Ceccarelli, Marco; Carbone, Giuseppe; Zhan, Qiang; Lu, Zhen

2011-09-01

This paper aims to present general design considerations and optimality criteria for underactuated mechanisms in finger designs. Design issues related to grasping task of robotic fingers are discussed. Performance characteristics are outlined as referring to several aspects of finger mechanisms. Optimality criteria of the finger performances are formulated after careful analysis. A general design algorithm is summarized and formulated as a suitable multi-objective optimization problem. A numerical case of an underactuated robot finger design for Laboratory of Robotics and Mechatronics (LARM) hand is illustrated with the aim to show the practical feasibility of the proposed concepts and computations.

Automatic Generation of Safe Handlers for Multi-Task Systems

OpenAIRE

Rutten , Éric; Marchand , Hervé

2004-01-01

We are interested in the programming of real-time control systems, such as in robotic, automotive or avionic systems. They are designed with multiple tasks, each with multiple modes. It is complex to design task handlers that control the switching of activities in order to insure safety properties of the global system. We propose a model of tasks in terms of transition systems, designed especially with the purpose of applying existing discrete controller synthesis techniques. This provides us...

The task complexity experiment 2003/2004

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laumann, Karin; Braarud, Per Oeivind; Svengren, Haakan

2005-08-01

The purpose of this experiment was to explore how additional tasks added to base case scenarios affected the operators' performance of the main tasks. These additional tasks were in different scenario variants intended to cause high time pressure, high information load, and high masking. The experiment was run in Halden Man-Machine Laboratory's BWR simulator. Seven crews participated, each for one week. There were three operators in each crew. Five main types of scenarios and 20 scenario variants were run. The data from the experiment were analysed by completion time for important actions and by in-depth qualitative analyses of the crews' communications. The results showed that high time pressure decreased some of the crews' performance in the scenarios. When a crew had problems in solving a task for which the time pressure was high, they had even more problems in solving other important tasks. High information load did not affect the operators' performance much and in general the crews were very good at selecting the most important tasks in the scenarios. The scenarios that included both high time pressure and high information load resulted in more reduced performance for the crews compared to the scenarios that only included high time pressure. The total amount of tasks to do and information load to attend to seemed to affect the crews' performance. To solve the scenarios with high time pressure well, it was important to have good communication and good allocation of tasks within the crew. Furthermore, the results showed that scenarios with an added complex, masked task created problems for some crews when solving a relatively simple main task. Overall, the results confirmed that complicating, but secondary tasks, that are not normally taken into account when modelling the primary tasks in a PRA scenario can adversely affect the performance of the main tasks modelled in the PRA scenario. (Author)

Nonanalytic Laboratory Automation: A Quarter Century of Progress.

Science.gov (United States)

Hawker, Charles D

2017-06-01

Clinical laboratory automation has blossomed since the 1989 AACC meeting, at which Dr. Masahide Sasaki first showed a western audience what his laboratory had implemented. Many diagnostics and other vendors are now offering a variety of automated options for laboratories of all sizes. Replacing manual processing and handling procedures with automation was embraced by the laboratory community because of the obvious benefits of labor savings and improvement in turnaround time and quality. Automation was also embraced by the diagnostics vendors who saw automation as a means of incorporating the analyzers purchased by their customers into larger systems in which the benefits of automation were integrated to the analyzers.This report reviews the options that are available to laboratory customers. These options include so called task-targeted automation-modules that range from single function devices that automate single tasks (e.g., decapping or aliquoting) to multifunction workstations that incorporate several of the functions of a laboratory sample processing department. The options also include total laboratory automation systems that use conveyors to link sample processing functions to analyzers and often include postanalytical features such as refrigerated storage and sample retrieval.Most importantly, this report reviews a recommended process for evaluating the need for new automation and for identifying the specific requirements of a laboratory and developing solutions that can meet those requirements. The report also discusses some of the practical considerations facing a laboratory in a new implementation and reviews the concept of machine vision to replace human inspections. © 2017 American Association for Clinical Chemistry.

Human Factors Laboratory

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — Purpose: The purpose of the Human Factors Laboratory is to further the understanding of highway user needs so that those needs can be incorporated in roadway design,...

Rethinking Laboratory Notebooks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klokmose, Clemens Nylandsted; Zander, Pär-Ola

2010-01-01

We take digitalization of laboratory work practice as a challenging design domain to explore. There are obvious drawbacks with the use of paper instead of ICT in the collaborative writing that takes place in laboratory notebooks; yet paper persist in being the most common solution. The ultimate aim...... with our study is to produce design relevant knowledge that can envisage an ICT solution that keeps as many advantages of paper as possible, but with the strength of electronic laboratory notebooks as well. Rather than assuming that users are technophobic and unable to appropriate state of the art software...

EVA Development and Verification Testing at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Jairala, Juniper C.; Durkin, Robert; Marak, Ralph J.; Sipila, Stepahnie A.; Ney, Zane A.; Parazynski, Scott E.; Thomason, Arthur H.

2012-01-01

As an early step in the preparation for future Extravehicular Activities (EVAs), astronauts perform neutral buoyancy testing to develop and verify EVA hardware and operations. Neutral buoyancy demonstrations at NASA Johnson Space Center's Sonny Carter Training Facility to date have primarily evaluated assembly and maintenance tasks associated with several elements of the International Space Station (ISS). With the retirement of the Shuttle, completion of ISS assembly, and introduction of commercial players for human transportation to space, evaluations at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) will take on a new focus. Test objectives are selected for their criticality, lack of previous testing, or design changes that justify retesting. Assembly tasks investigated are performed using procedures developed by the flight hardware providers and the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD). Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU) maintenance tasks are performed using a more systematic set of procedures, EVA Concept of Operations for the International Space Station (JSC-33408), also developed by the MOD. This paper describes the requirements and process for performing a neutral buoyancy test, including typical hardware and support equipment requirements, personnel and administrative resource requirements, examples of ISS systems and operations that are evaluated, and typical operational objectives that are evaluated.

Designing Preclinical Instruction for Psychomotor Skills (II)--Instructional Engineering: Task Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Knight, G. William; And Others

1994-01-01

The first step in engineering the instruction of dental psychomotor skills, task analysis, is explained. A chart details the procedural, cognitive, desired-criteria, and desired-performance analysis of a single task, occlusal preparation for amalgam restoration with carious lesion. (MSE)

Studying different tasks of implicit learning across multiple test sessions conducted on the web

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Werner eSævland

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Implicit learning is usually studied through individual performance on a single task, with the most common tasks being Serial Reaction Time task (SRT; Nissen and Bullemer, 1987, Dynamic System Control task (DSC; (Berry and Broadbent, 1984 and artificial Grammar Learning task (AGL; (Reber, 1967. Few attempts have been made to compare performance across different implicit learning tasks within the same experiment. The current experiment was designed study the relationship between performance on the DSC Sugar factory task (Berry and Broadbent, 1984 and the Alternating Serial Reaction Time task (ASRT; (Howard and Howard, 1997. We also addressed another limitation to traditional implicit learning experiments, namely that implicit learning is usually studied in laboratory settings over a restricted time span lasting for less than an hour (Berry and Broadbent, 1984; Nissen and Bullemer, 1987; Reber, 1967. In everyday situations, implicit learning is assumed to involve a gradual accumulation of knowledge across several learning episodes over a larger time span (Norman and Price, 2012. One way to increase the ecological validity of implicit learning experiments could be to present the learning material repeatedly across shorter experimental sessions (Howard and Howard, 1997; Cleeremans and McClelland, 1991. This can most easily be done by using a web-based setup that participants can access from home. We therefore created an online web-based system for measuring implicit learning that could be administered in either single or multiple sessions. Participants (n = 66 were assigned to either a single-session or a multi-session condition. Learning and the degree of conscious awareness of the learned regularities was compared across condition (single vs. multiple sessions and tasks (DSC vs. ASRT. Results showed that learning on the two tasks was not related. However, participants in the multiple sessions condition did show greater improvements in reaction

An Inquiry-Based Laboratory Design for Microbial Ecology

Science.gov (United States)

Tessier, Jack T.; Penniman, Clayton A.

2006-01-01

There is a collective need to increase the use of inquiry-based instruction at the college level. This paper provides of an example of how inquiry was successfully used in the laboratory component of an undergraduate course in microbial ecology. Students were offered a collection of field and laboratory methods to choose from, and they developed a…

The performance of cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus, in a reversal learning task varies across experimental paradigms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Gingins

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Testing performance in controlled laboratory experiments is a powerful tool for understanding the extent and evolution of cognitive abilities in non-human animals. However, cognitive testing is prone to a number of potential biases, which, if unnoticed or unaccounted for, may affect the conclusions drawn. We examined whether slight modifications to the experimental procedure and apparatus used in a spatial task and reversal learning task affected performance outcomes in the bluestreak cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus (hereafter “cleaners”. Using two-alternative forced-choice tests, fish had to learn to associate a food reward with a side (left or right in their holding aquarium. Individuals were tested in one of four experimental treatments that differed slightly in procedure and/or physical set-up. Cleaners from all four treatment groups were equally able to solve the initial spatial task. However, groups differed in their ability to solve the reversal learning task: no individuals solved the reversal task when tested in small tanks with a transparent partition separating the two options, whereas over 50% of individuals solved the task when performed in a larger tank, or with an opaque partition. These results clearly show that seemingly insignificant details to the experimental set-up matter when testing performance in a spatial task and might significantly influence the outcome of experiments. These results echo previous calls for researchers to exercise caution when designing methodologies for cognition tasks to avoid misinterpretations.

The performance of cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus, in a reversal learning task varies across experimental paradigms.

Science.gov (United States)

Gingins, Simon; Marcadier, Fanny; Wismer, Sharon; Krattinger, Océane; Quattrini, Fausto; Bshary, Redouan; Binning, Sandra A

2018-01-01

Testing performance in controlled laboratory experiments is a powerful tool for understanding the extent and evolution of cognitive abilities in non-human animals. However, cognitive testing is prone to a number of potential biases, which, if unnoticed or unaccounted for, may affect the conclusions drawn. We examined whether slight modifications to the experimental procedure and apparatus used in a spatial task and reversal learning task affected performance outcomes in the bluestreak cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus (hereafter "cleaners"). Using two-alternative forced-choice tests, fish had to learn to associate a food reward with a side (left or right) in their holding aquarium. Individuals were tested in one of four experimental treatments that differed slightly in procedure and/or physical set-up. Cleaners from all four treatment groups were equally able to solve the initial spatial task. However, groups differed in their ability to solve the reversal learning task: no individuals solved the reversal task when tested in small tanks with a transparent partition separating the two options, whereas over 50% of individuals solved the task when performed in a larger tank, or with an opaque partition. These results clearly show that seemingly insignificant details to the experimental set-up matter when testing performance in a spatial task and might significantly influence the outcome of experiments. These results echo previous calls for researchers to exercise caution when designing methodologies for cognition tasks to avoid misinterpretations.

Siberian Chemical Combine laboratory project work plan, fiscal year 1999

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morgado, R.E.; Acobyan, R.; Shropsire, R.

1998-01-01

The Siberian Chemical Combine (SKhK), Laboratory Project Work Plan (Plan) is intended to assist the US Laboratory Project Team, and Department of Energy (DOE) staff with the management of the FY99 joint material protection control and accounting program (MPC and A) for enhancing nuclear material safeguards within the Siberian Chemical Combine. The DOE/Russian/Newly Independent States, Nuclear Material Task Force, uses a project work plan document for higher-level program management. The SKhK Plan is a component of the Russian Defense related Sites' input to that document. In addition, it contains task descriptions and a Gantt Chart covering the FY99 time-period. This FY99 window is part of a comprehensive, Project Status Gantt Chart for tasking and goal setting that extends to the year 2003. Secondary and tertiary levels of detail are incorporated therein and are for the use of laboratory project management. The SKhK Plan is a working document, and additions and modifications will be incorporated as the MPC and A project for SKhK evolves

A 3-year plan for beam science in the heavy-ion fusion virtual national laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Logan, B. Grant

2001-01-01

In December 1998, LBNL Director Charles Shank and LLNL Director Bruce Tarter signed a Memorandum of Agreement to create the Heavy-Ion Fusion Virtual National Laboratory (HIF-VNL) with the purpose of improving the efficiency and productivity of heavy ion research through coordination of the two laboratories' efforts under one technical director. In 1999, PPPL Director Robert Goldston signed the VNL MOA for PPPL's heavy-ion fusion group to join the VNL. LBNL and LLNL each contribute about 45% of the $10.6 M/yr trilab VNL effort, and PPPL contributes currently about 10% of the VNL effort. The three labs carry out collaborative experiments, theory and simulations of a variety of intense beam scientific issues described below. The tri-lab HIF VNL program is part of the DOE Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (OFES) fusion program. A short description of the four major tasks areas of HIF-VNL research is given in the next section. The task areas are: High Current Experiment, Final Focus/Chamber Transport, Source/Injector/Low Energy Beam Transport (LEBT), and Theory/Simulation. As a result of the internal review, more detailed reviews of the designs, costs and schedules for some of the tasks have been completed, which will provide more precision in the scheduled completion dates of tasks. The process for the ongoing engineering reviews and governance for the future management of tasks is described in section 3. A description of the major milestones and scientific deliverables for flat guidance budgets are given in section 4. Section 5 describes needs for enabling technology development for future experiments that require incremental funding

SHINE Tritium Nozzle Design: Activity 6, Task 1 Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Okhuysen, Brett S. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Pulliam, Elias Noel [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2015-11-05

In FY14, we studied the qualitative and quantitative behavior of a SHINE/PNL tritium nozzle under varying operating conditions. The result is an understanding of the nozzle’s performance in terms of important flow features that manifest themselves under different parametric profiles. In FY15, we will consider nozzle design with a focus on nozzle geometry and integration. From FY14 work, we will understand how the SHINE/PNL nozzle behaves under different operating scenarios. The first task for FY15 is to evaluate the FY14 model as a predictor of the actual flow. Considering different geometries is more time-intensive than parameter studies, therefore we recommend considering any relevant flow features that were not included in the FY14 model. In the absence of experimental data, it is particularly important to consider any sources of heat in the domain or boundary conditions that may affect the flow and incorporate these into the simulation if they are significant. Additionally, any geometric features of the beamline segment should be added to the model such as the orifice plate. The FY14 model works with hydrogen. An improvement that can be made for FY15 is to develop CFD properties for tritium and incorporate those properties into the new models.

Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory. Annual Report 2006

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2006-06-15

The Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory (HRL) is an important part of SKB's work with the design and construction of a deep geological repository for the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel. Aespoe HRL is located in the Simpevarp area in the municipality of Oskarshamn. One of the fundamental reasons behind SKB's decision to construct an underground laboratory was to create opportunities for research, development and demonstration in a realistic and undisturbed rock environment down to repository depth. The underground part of the laboratory consists of a tunnel from the Simpevarp peninsula to the southern part of Aespoe where the tunnel continues in a spiral down to a depth of 460 m. Aespoe HRL has been in operation since 1995 and considerable international interest has been shown in its research, as well as in the development and demonstration tasks. The work performed at Aespoe HRL during 2006 is in this report described in six chapters: Geo-science - experiments, analysis and modelling to increase the knowledge of the surrounding rock; Natural barriers - experiments, analysis and modelling to increase the knowledge of the repository barriers under natural conditions; Engineered barriers - demonstration of technology for and function of important engineered parts of the repository barrier system; Aespoe facility - operation, maintenance, data management, monitoring, public relations etc; Environmental research; and finally, International co-operation.

Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory. Annual Report 2006

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-06-01

The Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory (HRL) is an important part of SKB's work with the design and construction of a deep geological repository for the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel. Aespoe HRL is located in the Simpevarp area in the municipality of Oskarshamn. One of the fundamental reasons behind SKB's decision to construct an underground laboratory was to create opportunities for research, development and demonstration in a realistic and undisturbed rock environment down to repository depth. The underground part of the laboratory consists of a tunnel from the Simpevarp peninsula to the southern part of Aespoe where the tunnel continues in a spiral down to a depth of 460 m. Aespoe HRL has been in operation since 1995 and considerable international interest has been shown in its research, as well as in the development and demonstration tasks. The work performed at Aespoe HRL during 2006 is in this report described in six chapters: Geo-science - experiments, analysis and modelling to increase the knowledge of the surrounding rock; Natural barriers - experiments, analysis and modelling to increase the knowledge of the repository barriers under natural conditions; Engineered barriers - demonstration of technology for and function of important engineered parts of the repository barrier system; Aespoe facility - operation, maintenance, data management, monitoring, public relations etc; Environmental research; and finally, International co-operation

Decommissioning of surplus facilities at Los Alamos National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stout, D.S.

1995-01-01

Decommissioning Buildings 3 and 4 South at Technical Area 21, Los Alamos National Laboratory, involves the decontamination, dismantlement, and demolition of two enriched-uranium processing buildings containing process equipment and ductwork holdup. The Laboratory has adopted two successful management strategies to implement this project: Rather than characterize an entire site, upfront, investigators use the ''observational approach,'' in which they collect only enough data to begin decommissioning activities and then determine appropriate procedures for further characterization as the work progresses. Project leaders augment work packages with task hazard analyses to fully define specific tasks and inform workers of hazards; all daily work activities are governed by specific work procedures and hazard analyses

Argumentation in undergraduate chemistry laboratories

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Joi Phelps

To address the need for reform in undergraduate science education a new instructional model called Argument-Driven Inquiry (ADI) was developed and then implemented in a undergraduate chemistry course at a community college in the southeastern United States (Sampson, Walker, & Grooms, 2009; Walker, Sampson, & Zimmerman, in press). The ADI instructional model is designed to give a more central place to argumentation and the role of argument in the social construction of scientific knowledge. This research investigated the growth in the quality of the student generated arguments and the scientific argumentation that took place over the course of a semester. Students enrolled in two sections of General Chemistry I laboratory at the community college participated in this study. The students worked in collaborative groups of three or four. The students were given a variation of the same performance task three times during the semester in order to measure individual ability to use evidence and justify their choice of evidence with appropriate rationale. Five ADI investigations took place during the semester and the laboratory reports for each were collected from each student and the argument section of each report was scored. All the student groups were video recorded five times during the semester as they generated and evaluated arguments and the quality of the group argumentation was assessed using an instrument called the Assessment of Scientific Argumentation in the Classroom (ASAC) observation protocol. As time was the independent variable in this study a repeated measure ANOVA was used to evaluate the significance of student improvement in each area (argumentation, written argument and performance task) over the course of the semester (Trochim, 1999). In addition, a multiple regression analysis was conducted to evaluate how well the ASAC scores predicted individual scores on both the performance task and the written arguments (Green & Salkind, 2005). There was

Task management in the new ATLAS production system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De, K; Golubkov, D; Klimentov, A; Potekhin, M; Vaniachine, A

2014-01-01

This document describes the design of the new Production System of the ATLAS experiment at the LHC [1]. The Production System is the top level workflow manager which translates physicists' needs for production level processing and analysis into actual workflows executed across over a hundred Grid sites used globally by ATLAS. As the production workload increased in volume and complexity in recent years (the ATLAS production tasks count is above one million, with each task containing hundreds or thousands of jobs) there is a need to upgrade the Production System to meet the challenging requirements of the next LHC run while minimizing the operating costs. In the new design, the main subsystems are the Database Engine for Tasks (DEFT) and the Job Execution and Definition Interface (JEDI). Based on users' requests, DEFT manages inter-dependent groups of tasks (Meta-Tasks) and generates corresponding data processing workflows. The JEDI component then dynamically translates the task definitions from DEFT into actual workload jobs executed in the PanDA Workload Management System [2]. We present the requirements, design parameters, basics of the object model and concrete solutions utilized in building the new Production System and its components.

Distinct cut task strategy in Australian football players with a history of groin pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Suzi; Brooke, Hiram C; Cook, Jill L

2017-01-01

This study aimed to explore the differences in the magnitude of movement variability and strategies utilized during an unanticipated cut task between players with and without a history of groin pain. Cross-sectional design. Biomechanics laboratory. Male Australian football players with (HISTORY; n = 7) or without (CONTROL; n = 10) a history of groin pain. Three-dimensional ground reaction forces (GRF) and kinematics were recorded during 10 successful trials of an unanticipated cut task, and isokinetic hip adduction and abduction strength. Between-group differences were determined using independent-samples t-tests and the coefficient of variation (CV). Key substantial between-group differences identified were that the HISTORY group displayed decreased knee flexion and hip internal rotation, increased knee internal rotation and T12-L1 right rotation, and higher GRFs during the cut task. They also utilized three invariant systems (ankle, knee and T12-L1 joints), while being connected by a segment (hip and L5-S1 joints) that displayed increased lumbopelvic movement during the cut task, and decreased adductor muscle strength. This identifies the need for clinical management of the lower limb and thoracic segment to improve functional movement patterns in athletes with a history of a groin injury. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experimental evaluation and design of unfilled and concrete-filled FRP composite piles : Task 4B : material & construction specifications : final report.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-07-01

The overall goal of this project is the experimental evaluation and design of unfilled and concrete-filled FRP composite piles for load-bearing in bridges. This report covers Task 4B, Materials and Construction Specifications. : This technical report...

Work process and task-based design of intelligent assistance systems in German textile industry

Science.gov (United States)

Löhrer, M.; Ziesen, N.; Altepost, A.; Saggiomo, M.; Gloy, Y. S.

2017-10-01

The mid-sized embossed German textile industry must face social challenges e.g. demographic change or technical changing processes. Interaction with intelligent systems (on machines) and increasing automation changes processes, working structures and employees’ tasks on all levels. Work contents are getting more complex, resulting in the necessity for diversified and enhanced competencies. Mobile devices like tablets or smartphones are increasingly finding their way into the workplace. Employees who grew up with new forms of media have certain advantages regarding the usage of modern technologies compared to older employees. Therefore, it is necessary to design new systems which help to adapt the competencies of both younger and older employees to new automated production processes in the digital work environment. The key to successful integration of technical assistance systems is user-orientated design and development that includes concepts for competency development under consideration of, e.g., ethical and legal aspects.

Pre-task music improves swimming performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Smirmaul, B P; Dos Santos, R V; Da Silva Neto, L V

2015-12-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of pre-task music on swimming performance and other psychological variables. A randomized counterbalanced within-subjects (experimental and control condition) design was employed. Eighteen regional level male swimmers performed two 200-m freestyle swimming time trials. Participants were exposed to either 5 minutes of self-selected music (pre-task music condition) or 5 minutes of silence (control condition) and, after 1 minute, performed the swimming task. Swimming time was significantly shorter (-1.44%) in the pre-task music condition. Listening to pre-task music increased motivation to perform the swimming task, while arousal remained unchanged. While fatigue increased after the swimming task in both conditions, vigor, ratings of perceived exertion and affective valence were unaltered. It is concluded, for the first time, that pre-task music improves swimming performance.

Using Heuristic Task Analysis to Create Web-Based Instructional Design Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Fiester, Herbert R.

2010-01-01

The first purpose of this study was to identify procedural and heuristic knowledge used when creating web-based instruction. The second purpose of this study was to develop suggestions for improving the Heuristic Task Analysis process, a technique for eliciting, analyzing, and representing expertise in cognitively complex tasks. Three expert…

Design and Manufacture of the Conduction Cooled Torus Coils for The Jefferson Laboratory 12-GeV Upgrade

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiseman, M. [Jefferson Lab; Elementi, L. [Fermilab; Elouadhiri, L. [Jefferson Lab; Gabrielli, G. [Fermilab; Gardner, T. J. [Fermilab; Ghoshal, P. K. [Jefferson Lab; Kashy, D. [Jefferson Lab; Kiemschies, O. [Fermilab; Krave, S. [Fermilab; Makarov, A. [Fermilab; Robotham, B. [Fermilab; Szal, J. [Fermilab; Velev, G. [Fermilab

2015-01-01

The design of the 12-GeV torus required the construction of six superconducting coils with a unique geometry required for the experimental needs of Jefferson Laboratory Hall B. Each of these coils consists of 234 turns of copper-stabilized superconducting cable conduction cooled by 4.6 K helium gas. The finished coils are each roughly 2 × 4 × 0.05 m and supported in an aluminum coil case. Because of its geometry, new tooling and manufacturing methods had to be developed for each stage of construction. The tooling was designed and developed while producing a practice coil at Fermi National Laboratory. This paper describes the tooling and manufacturing techniques required to produce the six production coils and two spare coils required by the project. Project status and future plans are also presented.

Report on US-DOE/OHER Task Group on modelling and scaling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mewhinney, J.A.; Griffith, W.C.

1989-01-01

In early 1986, the DOE/OHER Task Group on Modeling and Scaling was formed. Membership on the Task Group is drawn from staff of several laboratories funded by the United States Department of Energy, Office of Health and Environmental Research. The primary goal of the Task Group is to promote cooperation among the laboratories in analysing mammalian radiobiology studies with emphasis on studies that used beagle dogs in linespan experiments. To assist in defining the status of modelling and scaling in animal data, the Task Group served as the programme committee for the 26th Hanford Life Sciences symposium entitled Modeling for Scaling to Man held in October 1987. This symposium had over 60 oral presentations describing current research in dosimetric, pharmacokinetic, and dose-response modelling and scaling of results from animal studies to humans. A summary of the highlights of this symposium is presented. The Task Group also is in the process of developing recommendations for analyses of results obtained from dog lifespan studies. The goal is to provide as many comparisons as possible between these studies and to scale the results to humans to strengthen limited epidemiological data on exposures of humans to radiation. Several methods are discussed. (author)