Subjective evaluation of physical and mental workload interactions across different muscle groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Mehta, Ranjana K; Agnew, Michael J

2015-01-01

Both physical and mental demands, and their interactions, have been shown to increase biomechanical loading and physiological reactivity as well as impair task performance. Because these interactions have shown to be muscle-dependent, the aim of this study was to determine the sensitivity of the NASA Task Load Index (NASA TLX) and Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE) to evaluate physical and mental workload during muscle-specific tasks. Twenty-four participants performed upper extremity and low back exertions at three physical workload levels in the absence and presence of a mental stressor. Outcome measures included RPE and NASA TLX (six sub-scales) ratings. The findings indicate that while both RPEs and NASA TLX ratings were sensitive to muscle-specific changes in physical demand, only an additional mental stressor and its interaction with either physical demand or muscle groups influenced the effort sub-scale and overall workload scores of the NASA TLX. While additional investigations in actual work settings are warranted, the NASA TLX shows promise in evaluating perceived workload that is sensitive not only to physical and mental demands but also sensitive in determining workload for tasks that employ different muscle groups.

40 CFR 63.2354 - What performance tests, design evaluations, and performance evaluations must I conduct?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... evaluations, and performance evaluations must I conduct? 63.2354 Section 63.2354 Protection of Environment... tests, design evaluations, and performance evaluations must I conduct? (a)(1) For each performance test... procedures specified in subpart SS of this part. (3) For each performance evaluation of a continuous emission...

Performance Evaluation of Metallic Dispersion Fuel for Advanced Research Reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ryu, Ho Jin; Park, Jong Man; Kim, Chang Kyu; Chae, Hee Taek; Song, Kee Chan [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Yeon Soo [Argonne National Laboratory, New York (United States)

2007-07-01

Uranium alloys with a high uranium density has been developed for high power research reactor fuel using low-enriched uranium (LEU). U-Mo alloys have been developed as candidate fuel material because of excellent irradiation behavior. Irradiation behavior of U-Mo/Al dispersion fuel has been investigated to develop high performance research reactor fuel as RERTR international research program. While plate-type and rod-type dispersion fuel elements are used for research reactors, HANARO uses rod-type dispersion fuel elements. PLATE code is developed by Argonne National Laboratory for the performance evaluation of plate-type dispersion fuel, but there is no counterpart for rod-type dispersion fuel. Especially, thermal conductivity of fuel meat decreases during the irradiation mainly because of interaction layer formation at the interface between the U-Mo fuel particle and Al matrix. The thermal conductivity of the interaction layer is not as high as the Al matrix. The growth of interaction layer is interactively affected by the temperature of fuel because it is associated with a diffusion reaction which is a thermally activated process. It is difficult to estimate the temperature profile during irradiation test due to the interdependency of fuel temperature and thermal conductivity changed by interaction layer growth. In this study, fuel performance of rod-type U-Mo/Al dispersion fuels during irradiation tests were estimated by considering the effect of interaction layer growth on the thermal conductivity of fuel meat.

Performance Evaluation of Metallic Dispersion Fuel for Advanced Research Reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryu, Ho Jin; Park, Jong Man; Kim, Chang Kyu; Chae, Hee Taek; Song, Kee Chan; Kim, Yeon Soo

2007-01-01

Uranium alloys with a high uranium density has been developed for high power research reactor fuel using low-enriched uranium (LEU). U-Mo alloys have been developed as candidate fuel material because of excellent irradiation behavior. Irradiation behavior of U-Mo/Al dispersion fuel has been investigated to develop high performance research reactor fuel as RERTR international research program. While plate-type and rod-type dispersion fuel elements are used for research reactors, HANARO uses rod-type dispersion fuel elements. PLATE code is developed by Argonne National Laboratory for the performance evaluation of plate-type dispersion fuel, but there is no counterpart for rod-type dispersion fuel. Especially, thermal conductivity of fuel meat decreases during the irradiation mainly because of interaction layer formation at the interface between the U-Mo fuel particle and Al matrix. The thermal conductivity of the interaction layer is not as high as the Al matrix. The growth of interaction layer is interactively affected by the temperature of fuel because it is associated with a diffusion reaction which is a thermally activated process. It is difficult to estimate the temperature profile during irradiation test due to the interdependency of fuel temperature and thermal conductivity changed by interaction layer growth. In this study, fuel performance of rod-type U-Mo/Al dispersion fuels during irradiation tests were estimated by considering the effect of interaction layer growth on the thermal conductivity of fuel meat

Performance in physiology evaluation: possible improvement by active learning strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Montrezor, Luís H

2016-12-01

The evaluation process is complex and extremely important in the teaching/learning process. Evaluations are constantly employed in the classroom to assist students in the learning process and to help teachers improve the teaching process. The use of active methodologies encourages students to participate in the learning process, encourages interaction with their peers, and stimulates thinking about physiological mechanisms. This study examined the performance of medical students on physiology over four semesters with and without active engagement methodologies. Four activities were used: a puzzle, a board game, a debate, and a video. The results show that engaging in activities with active methodologies before a physiology cognitive monitoring test significantly improved student performance compared with not performing the activities. We integrate the use of these methodologies with classic lectures, and this integration appears to improve the teaching/learning process in the discipline of physiology and improves the integration of physiology with cardiology and neurology. In addition, students enjoy the activities and perform better on their evaluations when they use them. Copyright © 2016 The American Physiological Society.

Performance evaluation of large U-Mo particle dispersed fuel irradiated in HANARO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryu, Ho Jin; Park, Jong Man; Oh, Seok Jin; Jang, Se Jung; Yu, Byung Ok; Lee, Choong Seong; Seo, Chul Gyo; Chae, Hee Taek; Kim, Chang Kyu

2008-01-01

U-Mo/Al dispersion fuel is being developed as advanced fuel for research reactors. Irradiation behavior of U-Mo/Al dispersion fuel has been studied to evaluate its fuel performance. One of the performance limiting factors is a chemical interaction between the U-Mo particle and the Al matrix because the thermal conductivity of fuel meat is decreased with the interaction layer growth. In order to overcome the interaction problem, large-sized U-Mo particles were fabricated by controlling the centrifugal atomization conditions. The fuel performance behavior of U-Mo/Al dispersion fuel was estimated by using empirical models formulated based on the microstructural analyses of the post-irradiation examination (PIE) on U-Mo/Al dispersion fuel irradiated in HANARO reactor. Temperature histories of U-Mo/Al dispersion fuel during irradiation tests were estimated by considering the effect of an interaction layer growth on the thermal conductivity of the fuel meat. When the fuel performances of the dispersion fuel rods containing U-Mo particles with various sizes were compared, fuel temperature was decreased as the average U-Mo particle size was increases. It was found that the dispersion of a larger U-Mo particle was effective for mitigating the thermal degradation which is associated with an interaction layer growth. (author)

Aging evaluation of active components by using performance evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, S. K.; Jin, T. E.; Kim, J. S.; Jung, I. S.; Kim, T. R.

2003-01-01

Risk analysis and performance evaluation methodology were applied to the aging evaluation of active components in the periodic safety review of Wolsung unit 1. We conclude that evaluation of performance is more effective to discriminate the aging degradation of active component than the evaluation of aging mechanism. It is essential to analyze the common cause failures of low performance components to evaluate the properness of present maintenance system. Past 10 years failure history is used for establishing the performance criteria. Past 2 years failure history is used for the evaluating the recent performance condition. We analyze the failure mode of the components to improve the maintenance system. Performance evaluation methodology is useful for the quantitative evaluation of aging degradation of active components. Analysis on the repeated failures can be useful for the feedback to maintenance plan and interval

Evaluation of potential interactions between mycophenolic acid derivatives and proton pump inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Gabardi, Steven; Olyaei, Ali

2012-01-01

To evaluate the incidence of gastrointestinal (GI) complications in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients, impact of the complications on transplant outcomes, and the potential interactions between mycophenolic acid (MPA) derivatives and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). An unrestricted literature search (1980-January 2012) was performed with MEDLINE and EMBASE using the following key words: drug-drug interaction, enteric-coated mycophenolic acid, GI complications, mycophenolate mofetil, solid organ transplant, and proton pump inhibitor, including individual agents within the class. Abstracts from scientific meetings were also evaluated. Additionally, reference citations from identified publications were reviewed. Relevant English-language, original research articles and review articles were evaluated if they focused on any of the topics identified in the search or included substantial content addressing GI complications in SOT recipients or drug interactions. GI complications are frequent among SOT recipients, with some studies showing prevalence rates as high as 70%. Transplant outcomes among renal transplant recipients are significantly impacted by GI complications, especially in patients requiring immunosuppressant dosage reductions or premature discontinuation. To this end, PPI use among patients receiving transplants is common. Recent data demonstrate that PPIs significantly reduce the overall exposure to MPA after oral administration of mycophenolate mofetil. Similar studies show this interaction does not exist between PPIs and enteric-coated mycophenolic acid (EC-MPA). Unfortunately, most of the available data evaluating this interaction are pharmacokinetic analyses that do not investigate the clinical impact of this interaction. A significant interaction exists between PPIs and mycophenolate mofetil secondary to reduced dissolution of mycophenolate mofetil in higher pH environments. EC-MPA is not absorbed in the stomach; therefore, low intragastric acidity

48 CFR 436.604 - Performance evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Performance evaluation... Performance evaluation. Preparation of performance evaluation reports. (a) In addition to the requirements of FAR 36.604, performance evaluation reports shall be prepared for indefinite-delivery type contracts...

Evaluation of Subjective and Objective Performance Metrics for Haptically Controlled Robotic Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cong Dung Pham

2014-07-01

Full Text Available This paper studies in detail how different evaluation methods perform when it comes to describing the performance of haptically controlled mobile manipulators. Particularly, we investigate how well subjective metrics perform compared to objective metrics. To find the best metrics to describe the performance of a control scheme is challenging when human operators are involved; how the user perceives the performance of the controller does not necessarily correspond to the directly measurable metrics normally used in controller evaluation. It is therefore important to study whether there is any correspondence between how the user perceives the performance of a controller, and how it performs in terms of directly measurable metrics such as the time used to perform a task, number of errors, accuracy, and so on. To perform these tests we choose a system that consists of a mobile manipulator that is controlled by an operator through a haptic device. This is a good system for studying different performance metrics as the performance can be determined by subjective metrics based on feedback from the users, and also as objective and directly measurable metrics. The system consists of a robotic arm which provides for interaction and manipulation, which is mounted on a mobile base which extends the workspace of the arm. The operator thus needs to perform both interaction and locomotion using a single haptic device. While the position of the on-board camera is determined by the base motion, the principal control objective is the motion of the manipulator arm. This calls for intelligent control allocation between the base and the manipulator arm in order to obtain intuitive control of both the camera and the arm. We implement three different approaches to the control allocation problem, i.e., whether the vehicle or manipulator arm actuation is applied to generate the desired motion. The performance of the different control schemes is evaluated, and our

Changes in cerebro-cerebellar interaction during response inhibition after performance improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirose, Satoshi; Jimura, Koji; Kunimatsu, Akira; Abe, Osamu; Ohtomo, Kuni; Miyashita, Yasushi; Konishi, Seiki

2014-10-01

It has been demonstrated that motor learning is supported by the cerebellum and the cerebro-cerebellar interaction. Response inhibition involves motor responses and the higher-order inhibition that controls the motor responses. In this functional MRI study, we measured the cerebro-cerebellar interaction during response inhibition in two separate days of task performance, and detected the changes in the interaction following performance improvement. Behaviorally, performance improved in the second day, compared to the first day. The psycho-physiological interaction (PPI) analysis revealed the interaction decrease from the right inferior frontal cortex (rIFC) to the cerebellum (lobule VII or VI). It was also revealed that the interaction increased from the same cerebellar region to the primary motor area. These results suggest the involvement of the cerebellum in response inhibition, and raise the possibility that the performance improvement was supported by the changes in the cerebro-cerebellar interaction. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interaction of phosphorylcholine with fibronectin coatings: Surface characterization and biological performances

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Montaño-Machado, Vanessa, E-mail: vanessa.montano-machado.1@ulaval.ca [Laboratory for Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Dept. of Min-Met-Materials Eng., & University Hospital Research Center, Laval University, University Campus, PLT-1745G, Québec, Québec, G1 V 0A6 (Canada); ERRMECe, University of Cergy-Pontoise, Site Saint-Martin, 2 Avenue Adolphe Chauvin, 95302 Cergy-Pontoise Cedex (France); Noël, Céline, E-mail: celine.noel@unamur.be [Research Centre in Physics of Matter and Radiation (PMR), Université de Namur, 61 rue de Bruxelles, B-5000 Namur (Belgium); Chevallier, Pascale, E-mail: pascale.chevallier@crchudequebec.ulaval.ca [Laboratory for Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Dept. of Min-Met-Materials Eng., & University Hospital Research Center, Laval University, University Campus, PLT-1745G, Québec, Québec, G1 V 0A6 (Canada); Turgeon, Stéphane, E-mail: stephane.turgeon@crchudequebec.ulaval.ca [Laboratory for Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Dept. of Min-Met-Materials Eng., & University Hospital Research Center, Laval University, University Campus, PLT-1745G, Québec, Québec, G1 V 0A6 (Canada); Houssiau, Laurent, E-mail: laurent.houssiau@unamur.be [Research Centre in Physics of Matter and Radiation (PMR), Université de Namur, 61 rue de Bruxelles, B-5000 Namur (Belgium); Pauthe, Emmanuel, E-mail: emmanuel.pauthe@u-cergy.fr [ERRMECe, University of Cergy-Pontoise, Site Saint-Martin, 2 Avenue Adolphe Chauvin, 95302 Cergy-Pontoise Cedex (France); and others

2017-02-28

Highlights: • Fibronectin/phosphorylcholine coatings on plasma deposited fluorocarbon films were created. • The effect of several coating techniques on the surface biological performances was evaluated. • XPS, DWCA, immunostaining and ToF-SIMS (imaging and depth profiling) techniques were applied. • Potential for cardiovascular applications was showed by endothelial cell and blood interactions. - Abstract: Coating medical devices with several bioactive molecules is an interesting approach to achieve specific biological targets upon the interaction of the biomaterial with the living environment. In this work, a fluorocarbon polymer (CF{sub x}) was first deposited by plasma treatment on stainless steel (SS) substrate and thereafter, coatings containing fibronectin (FN) and phosphorylcholine (PRC) were created for cardiovascular applications. These two biomolecules were chosen to promote endothelialization and to avoid thrombus formation, respectively. Adsorption and grafting techniques were applied – and combined – to accomplish 4 different coatings containing both molecules. However, big challenge was found to characterize a small molecule (PRC: 184 g/mol) interacting with a protein (FN: 450 kD). For the first time XPS, dynamic water contact angle, immunostaining and ToF-SIMS (imaging and depth profiling) analyses were combined to accomplish the characterization of such a coating. The most encouraging biological performances were obtained for samples where FN was grafted to the CF{sub x} film followed by the adsorption of PRC: proliferation of endothelial cells and hemocompatibility properties were observed. Promising coatings for cardiovascular applications were developed. The relevance of characterizing the coatings with high sensitive techniques and the further correlation with their biological performances were evidenced.

Human Performance Evaluation System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hardwick, R.J. Jr.

1985-01-01

Operating nuclear power plants requires high standards of performance, extensive training and responsive management. Despite our best efforts inappropriate human actions do occur, but they can be managed. An extensive review of License Event Reports (LERs) was conducted which indicated continual inadequacy in human performance and in evaluation of root causes. Of some 31,000 LERs, about 5,000 or 16% were directly attributable to inappropriate actions. A recent analysis of 87 Significant Event Reports (issued by INPO in 1983) identified inappropriate actions as being the most frequent root cause (44% of the total). A more recent analysis of SERs issued in 1983 and 1984 indicate that 52% of the root causes were attributed to human performance. The Human Performance Evaluation System (HPES) is a comprehensive, coordinated utility/industry system for evaluating and reporting human performance situtations. HPES is a result of the realization that current reporting system provide limited treatment of human performance and rarely provide adequate information about root causes of inappropriate actions by individuals. The HPES was implemented to identify and eliminate root causes of inappropriate actions

48 CFR 2936.604 - Performance evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Performance evaluation... Performance evaluation. (a) The HCA must establish procedures to evaluate architect-engineer contractor... reports must be made using Standard Form 1421, Performance Evaluation (Architect-Engineer) as prescribed...

The user in interactive information retrieval evaluation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ingwersen, Peter

2011-01-01

) Request types, test persons, task-based simulations of search situations and relevance or performance measures in IIR; 2) Ultra-Light Interactive IR experiments; 3) Interactive-Light IR studies; and 4) Naturalistic field investigations of IIR. The chapter concludes with a summary section, a reference list...

ALCOHOL AND DISTRACTION INTERACT TO IMPAIR DRIVING PERFORMANCE

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, Emily L. R.; Fillmore, Mark T.

2011-01-01

Background Recognition of the risks associated with alcohol intoxication and driver distraction has led to a wealth of simulated driving research aimed at studying the adverse effects of each of these factors. Research on driving has moved beyond the individual, separate examination of these factors to the examination of potential interactions between alcohol intoxication and driver distraction. In many driving situations, distractions are commonplace and might have little or no disruptive influence on primary driving functions. Yet, such distractions might become disruptive to a driver who is intoxicated. Methods The present study examined the interactive impairing effects of alcohol intoxication and driver distraction on simulated driving performance in 40 young adult drivers using a divided attention task as a distracter activity. The interactive influence of alcohol and distraction was tested by having drivers perform the driving task under four different conditions: 0.65 g/kg alcohol; 0.65 g/kg alcohol + divided attention; placebo; and placebo + divided attention. Results As hypothesized, divided attention had no impairing effect on driving performance in sober drivers. However, under alcohol, divided attention exacerbated the impairing effects of alcohol on driving precision. Conclusions Alcohol and distraction continue to be appropriate targets for research into ways to reduce the rates of driving-related fatalities and injuries. Greater consideration of how alcohol and distraction interact to impair aspects of driving performance can further efforts to create prevention and intervention measures to protect drivers, particularly young adults. PMID:21277119

Alcohol and distraction interact to impair driving performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, Emily L R; Fillmore, Mark T

2011-08-01

Recognition of the risks associated with alcohol intoxication and driver distraction has led to a wealth of simulated driving research aimed at studying the adverse effects of each of these factors. Research on driving has moved beyond the individual, separate examination of these factors to the examination of potential interactions between alcohol intoxication and driver distraction. In many driving situations, distractions are commonplace and might have little or no disruptive influence on primary driving functions. Yet, such distractions might become disruptive to a driver who is intoxicated. The present study examined the interactive impairing effects of alcohol intoxication and driver distraction on simulated driving performance in 40 young adult drivers using a divided attention task as a distracter activity. The interactive influence of alcohol and distraction was tested by having drivers perform the driving task under four different conditions: 0.65 g/kg alcohol; 0.65 g/kg alcohol+divided attention; placebo; and placebo+divided attention. As hypothesized, divided attention had no impairing effect on driving performance in sober drivers. However, under alcohol, divided attention exacerbated the impairing effects of alcohol on driving precision. Alcohol and distraction continue to be appropriate targets for research into ways to reduce the rates of driving-related fatalities and injuries. Greater consideration of how alcohol and distraction interact to impair aspects of driving performance can further efforts to create prevention and intervention measures to protect drivers, particularly young adults. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

48 CFR 236.604 - Performance evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Performance evaluation... Architect-Engineer Services 236.604 Performance evaluation. (a) Preparation of performance reports. Use DD Form 2631, Performance Evaluation (Architect-Engineer), instead of SF 1421. (2) Prepare a separate...

13 CFR 304.4 - Performance evaluations.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Performance evaluations. 304.4... ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICTS § 304.4 Performance evaluations. (a) EDA shall evaluate the management... of at least one (1) other District Organization in the performance evaluation on a cost-reimbursement...

Drug interactions evaluation: An integrated part of risk assessment of therapeutics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Lei; Reynolds, Kellie S.; Zhao, Ping; Huang, Shiew-Mei

2010-01-01

Pharmacokinetic drug interactions can lead to serious adverse events or decreased drug efficacy. The evaluation of a new molecular entity's (NME's) drug-drug interaction potential is an integral part of risk assessment during drug development and regulatory review. Alteration of activities of enzymes or transporters involved in the absorption, distribution, metabolism, or excretion of a new molecular entity by concomitant drugs may alter drug exposure, which can impact response (safety or efficacy). The recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) draft drug interaction guidance ( (http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidances/ucm072101.pdf)) highlights the methodologies and criteria that may be used to guide drug interaction evaluation by industry and regulatory agencies and to construct informative labeling for health practitioner and patients. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration established a 'Drug Development and Drug Interactions' website to provide up-to-date information regarding evaluation of drug interactions ( (http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DevelopmentApprovalProcess/DevelopmentResources/DrugInteractionsLabeling/ucm080499.htm)). This review summarizes key elements in the FDA drug interaction guidance and new scientific developments that can guide the evaluation of drug-drug interactions during the drug development process.

In vitro evaluation of the interaction between methanol extract of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Antimicrobial interaction studies between methanol extract of lichen (Ramalina farinacea (I) ach. (Fam: Ramalinacea) and tetracycline, against clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus was evaluated. Preliminary antimicrobial properties of the extract were evaluated. Antimicrobial interaction studies between the methanol ...

Smart swarms of bacteria-inspired agents with performance adaptable interactions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adi Shklarsh

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Collective navigation and swarming have been studied in animal groups, such as fish schools, bird flocks, bacteria, and slime molds. Computer modeling has shown that collective behavior of simple agents can result from simple interactions between the agents, which include short range repulsion, intermediate range alignment, and long range attraction. Here we study collective navigation of bacteria-inspired smart agents in complex terrains, with adaptive interactions that depend on performance. More specifically, each agent adjusts its interactions with the other agents according to its local environment--by decreasing the peers' influence while navigating in a beneficial direction, and increasing it otherwise. We show that inclusion of such performance dependent adaptable interactions significantly improves the collective swarming performance, leading to highly efficient navigation, especially in complex terrains. Notably, to afford such adaptable interactions, each modeled agent requires only simple computational capabilities with short-term memory, which can easily be implemented in simple swarming robots.

Smart swarms of bacteria-inspired agents with performance adaptable interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Shklarsh, Adi; Ariel, Gil; Schneidman, Elad; Ben-Jacob, Eshel

2011-09-01

Collective navigation and swarming have been studied in animal groups, such as fish schools, bird flocks, bacteria, and slime molds. Computer modeling has shown that collective behavior of simple agents can result from simple interactions between the agents, which include short range repulsion, intermediate range alignment, and long range attraction. Here we study collective navigation of bacteria-inspired smart agents in complex terrains, with adaptive interactions that depend on performance. More specifically, each agent adjusts its interactions with the other agents according to its local environment--by decreasing the peers' influence while navigating in a beneficial direction, and increasing it otherwise. We show that inclusion of such performance dependent adaptable interactions significantly improves the collective swarming performance, leading to highly efficient navigation, especially in complex terrains. Notably, to afford such adaptable interactions, each modeled agent requires only simple computational capabilities with short-term memory, which can easily be implemented in simple swarming robots.

Robust ray-tracing algorithms for interactive dose rate evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perrotte, L.

2011-01-01

More than ever, it is essential today to develop simulation tools to rapidly evaluate the dose rate received by operators working on nuclear sites. In order to easily study numerous different scenarios of intervention, computation times of available softwares have to be all lowered. This mainly implies to accelerate the geometrical computations needed for the dose rate evaluation. These computations consist in finding and sorting the whole list of intersections between a big 3D scene and multiple groups of 'radiative' rays meeting at the point where the dose has to be measured. In order to perform all these computations in less than a second, we first propose a GPU algorithm that enables the efficient management of one big group of coherent rays. Then we present a modification of this algorithm that guarantees the robustness of the ray-triangle intersection tests through the elimination of the precision issues due to floating-point arithmetic. This modification does not require the definition of scene-dependent coefficients ('epsilon' style) and only implies a small loss of performance (less than 10%). Finally we propose an efficient strategy to handle multiple ray groups (corresponding to multiple radiative objects) which use the previous results.Thanks to these improvements, we are able to perform an interactive and robust dose rate evaluation on big 3D scenes: all of the intersections (more than 13 million) between 700 000 triangles and 12 groups of 100 000 rays each are found, sorted along each ray and transferred to the CPU in 470 milliseconds. (author) [fr

Age Differences in Voice Evaluation: From Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation to Social Interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Lortie, Catherine L.; Deschamps, Isabelle; Guitton, Matthieu J.; Tremblay, Pascale

2018-01-01

Purpose: The factors that influence the evaluation of voice in adulthood, as well as the consequences of such evaluation on social interactions, are not well understood. Here, we examined the effect of listeners' age and the effect of talker age, sex, and smoking status on the auditory-perceptual evaluation of voice, voice-related psychosocial…

Effects of Impeller-Diffuser Interaction on Centrifugal Compressor Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Choon S.

2003-01-01

This research program focuses on characterizing the effect of impeller-diffuser interactions in a centrifugal compressor stage on its performance using unsteady threedimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes simulations. The computed results show that the interaction between the downstream diffuser pressure field and the impeller tip clearance flow can account for performance changes in the impeller. The magnitude of performance change due to this interaction was examined for an impeller with varying tip clearance followed by a vaned or vaneless diffuser. The impact of unsteady impeller-diffuser interaction, primarily through the impeller tip clearance flow, is reflected through a time-averaged change in impeller loss, blockage and slip. The results show that there exists a tip clearance where the beneficial effect of the impeller-diffuser interaction on the impeller performance is at a maximum. A flow feature that consists of tip flow back leakage was shown to occur at design speed for the centrifugal compressor stage. This flow phenomenon is described as tip flow that originates in one passage, flows downstream of the impeller trailing edge and then returns to upstream of the impeller trailing edge of a neighboring passage. Such a flow feature is a source of loss in the impeller. A hypothesis is put forth to show that changing the diffuser vane count and changing impeller-diffuser gap has an analogous effect on the impeller performance. The centrifugal compressor stage was analyzed using diffusers of different vane counts, producing an impeller performance trend similar to that when the impeller-diffuser gap was varied, thus supporting the hypothesis made. This has the implication that the effect impeller performance associated with changing the impeller-diffuser gap and changing diffuser vane count can be described by the non-dimensional ratio of impeller-diffuser gap to diffuser vane pitch. A procedure is proposed and developed for isolating impeller passage

2nd Workshop on Evaluating Child Robot Interaction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zaga, Cristina; Lohse, M.; Charisi, Vasiliki; Evers, Vanessa; Neerincx, Marc; Kanda, Takayuki; Leite, Iolanda

Many researchers have started to explore natural interaction scenarios for children. No matter if these children are normally developing or have special needs, evaluating Child-Robot Interaction (CRI) is a challenge. To find methods that work well and provide reliable data is difficult, for example

48 CFR 36.604 - Performance evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Performance evaluation. 36.604 Section 36.604 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION SPECIAL... Performance evaluation. See 42.1502(f) for the requirements for preparing past performance evaluations for...

Performance evaluation and financial market runs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wagner, W.B.

2013-01-01

This paper develops a model in which performance evaluation causes runs by fund managers and results in asset fire sales. Performance evaluation nonetheless is efficient as it disciplines managers. Optimal performance evaluation combines absolute and relative components in order to make runs less

Performance Evaluations in Audit Firms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Riise Johansen, Thomas; Christoffersen, Jeppe

2017-01-01

Previous research has only minimally examined the association between the behaviour and performance evaluations of individual auditors beyond the use of efficiency-focused evaluations. We examine the association between dysfunctional auditor behaviour and three evaluation foci: an efficiency focus......, a client focus and a quality focus. Our results, which are based on questionnaire responses from 196 auditors, demonstrate that an efficiency focus is not associated with dysfunctional behaviour. A client focus is found to be associated with dysfunctional behaviour. Finally, and perhaps most importantly......, our results show that it seems possible to limit dysfunctional behaviours through a quality focus in performance evaluations. Our results provide insights of use to practitioners and regulators on how performance evaluations may not only induce but also reduce dysfunctional auditor behaviours....

Evaluation of self-interaction parameters from binary phase diagrams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ellison, T.L.

1977-10-01

The feasibility of calculating Wagner self-interaction parameters from binary phase diagrams was examined. The self-interaction parameters of 22 non-ferrous liquid solutions were calculated utilizing an equation based on the equality of the chemical potentials of a component in two equilibrium phases. Utilization of the equation requires the evaluation of the first and second derivatives of various liquidus and solidus data at infinite dilution of the solute component. Several numerical methods for evaluating the derivatives of tabular data were examined. A method involving power series curve fitting and subsequent differentiation of the power series was found to be the most suitable for the interaction parameter calculations. Comparison of the calculated self-interaction parameters with values obtained from thermodynamic measurements indicates that the Wagner self-interaction parameter can be successfully calculated from binary phase diagrams

Interactive Performance as a Means of Civic Dialogue

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rossitto, Chiara; Normark, Maria; Barkhuus, Louise

2017-01-01

This paper presents a case study of an interactive performance that was produced and designed to encourage civic engagement and reflection in relation to the social tensions in a low-income suburb, mostly inhabited by people with immigrant backgrounds. The technological setup in the performance...

PROVOCATIVE PERFORMANCE, PROVOCATIVE THEATER: AESTHETIC INTERACTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ROŞCA ANGELINA

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The author directs her attention to an yet-understudied area of theatre science, namely the aesthetic interaction between the provocative performance and the provocative theatre. The article sheds light on the conceptual coordinates of the performance placed among such artistic trends as Actionism, Conceptualism, Fluxus and Happening. Elements of performing arts infiltrated into the theatre long ago. And it is not just a co-occurrence within an artistic act, but an interference indeed. The provocative performance dispossesses the alternative arts of their distinct codes. First in the USA, then in Europe and eventually in the former Socialist Camp and the territory of the ex-USSR, the performance conquered the theatrical territory. This process has been accelerating since the dramatic theatre began to yield its positions to the post-dramatic one. Some of the overlapping points, which unite the performance with the spectacle in contemporary art, are followed in: the strategy of idiocy in provocative practices; the ready made; the corporeality; the pictorial.

Dry Process Fuel Performance Evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Myung Seung; Song, K. C.; Moon, J. S. and others

2005-04-15

The objective of the project is to establish the performance evaluation system of DUPIC fuel during the Phase II R and D. In order to fulfil this objectives, irradiation test of DUPIC fuel was carried out in HANARO using the non-instrumented and SPND-instrumented rig. Also, the analysis on the in-reactor behavior analysis of DUPIC fuel, out-pile test using simulated DUPIC fuel as well as performance and integrity assessment in a commercial reactor were performed during this Phase. The R and D results of the Phase II are summarized as follows : - Performance evaluation of DUPIC fuel via irradiation test in HANARO - Post irradiation examination of irradiated fuel and performance analysis - Development of DUPIC fuel performance code (modified ELESTRES) considering material properties of DUPIC fuel - Irradiation behavior and integrity assessment under the design power envelope of DUPIC fuel - Foundamental technology development of thermal/mechanical performance evaluation using ANSYS (FEM package)

Dry Process Fuel Performance Evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Myung Seung; Song, K. C.; Moon, J. S. and others

2005-04-01

The objective of the project is to establish the performance evaluation system of DUPIC fuel during the Phase II R and D. In order to fulfil this objectives, irradiation test of DUPIC fuel was carried out in HANARO using the non-instrumented and SPND-instrumented rig. Also, the analysis on the in-reactor behavior analysis of DUPIC fuel, out-pile test using simulated DUPIC fuel as well as performance and integrity assessment in a commercial reactor were performed during this Phase. The R and D results of the Phase II are summarized as follows : - Performance evaluation of DUPIC fuel via irradiation test in HANARO - Post irradiation examination of irradiated fuel and performance analysis - Development of DUPIC fuel performance code (modified ELESTRES) considering material properties of DUPIC fuel - Irradiation behavior and integrity assessment under the design power envelope of DUPIC fuel - Foundamental technology development of thermal/mechanical performance evaluation using ANSYS (FEM package)

Licensee Performance Evaluation: Phase II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chakoff, H.E.; Speaker, D.M.; Thompson, S.R.; Cohen, S.C.

1979-08-01

This report details work performed during the second phase of a two-phase contract to develop methodology for Licensee Performance Evaluation. The Phase I report, NUREG/CR-0110 details initial efforts on the contract. The model developed in Phase I was used to evaluate nine additional facilities for this report. Performance indicators from noncompliance data were also evaluated. Methodology was developed employing the noncompliance indicators and used for 12 case studies. It was found that licensee event report indicators could be more easily identified and utilized than noncompliance indicators based on presently available data systems. However, noncompliance data, appropriately related to cause, could provide real insight into why performance was what it was

The development and evaluation of an interactive videodisc system to train radiation therapy technology students on the use of the linear accelerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Russell, C.M.

1988-01-01

The purpose of this study was twofold. The first part was to describe the development and evaluation of an interactive videodisc system to train radiation therapy technology students how to treat malignancies using a Linear Accelerator. The second part of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the interactive videodisc system as a simulation. The Gagne-Briggs instructional model was adapted to develop the interactive videodisc system. A model emerged as part of the project to conduct the formative evaluation of the prototype. A quasiexperimental research design was used to conduct the summative evaluation with two groups of first-year Radiation Therapy Technology students who entered the program in consecutive years. All testing and evaluation instruments were developed for the study with the exception of the clinical evaluation form. This latter form was already being used at the clinical sites. T-tests were used to analyze all data. A significant difference in cognitive achievement was evidenced between students exposed to the interactive videodisc system and students who were not exposed to the system. There was no significant difference found in clinical performance achievement and in attitude toward the clinical experience between both sets of participants. Instructor time was reduced by 1 and 1/2 hours for students on the interactive videodisc system. In conclusion, the interactive videodisc system was found to be more effective as an instructional method for cognitive achievement and as equally an effective method preparing students for clinical performance

"Enheduanna-A Manifesto of Falling" Live Brain-Computer Cinema Performance: Performer and Audience Participation, Cognition and Emotional Engagement Using Multi-Brain BCI Interaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Zioga, Polina; Pollick, Frank; Ma, Minhua; Chapman, Paul; Stefanov, Kristian

2018-01-01

The fields of neural prosthetic technologies and Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) have witnessed in the past 15 years an unprecedented development, bringing together theories and methods from different scientific fields, digital media, and the arts. More in particular, artists have been amongst the pioneers of the design of relevant applications since their emergence in the 1960s, pushing the boundaries of applications in real-life contexts. With the new research, advancements, and since 2007, the new low-cost commercial-grade wireless devices, there is a new increasing number of computer games, interactive installations, and performances that involve the use of these interfaces, combining scientific, and creative methodologies. The vast majority of these works use the brain-activity of a single participant. However, earlier, as well as recent examples, involve the simultaneous interaction of more than one participants or performers with the use of Electroencephalography (EEG)-based multi-brain BCIs. In this frame, we discuss and evaluate "Enheduanna-A Manifesto of Falling," a live brain-computer cinema performance that enables for the first time the simultaneous real-time multi-brain interaction of more than two participants, including a performer and members of the audience, using a passive EEG-based BCI system in the context of a mixed-media performance. The performance was realised as a neuroscientific study conducted in a real-life setting. The raw EEG data of seven participants, one performer and two different members of the audience for each performance, were simultaneously recorded during three live events. The results reveal that the majority of the participants were able to successfully identify whether their brain-activity was interacting with the live video projections or not. A correlation has been found between their answers to the questionnaires, the elements of the performance that they identified as most special, and the audience's indicators of

Evaluation of an interactive, case-based review session in teaching medical microbiology.

Science.gov (United States)

Blewett, Earl L; Kisamore, Jennifer L

2009-08-27

Oklahoma State University-Center for Health Sciences (OSU-CHS) has replaced its microbiology wet laboratory with a variety of tutorials including a case-based interactive session called Microbial Jeopardy!. The question remains whether the time spent by students and faculty in the interactive case-based tutorial is worthwhile? This study was designed to address this question by analyzing both student performance data and assessing students' perceptions regarding the tutorial. Both quantitative and qualitative data were used in the current study. Part One of the study involved assessing student performance using archival records of seven case-based exam questions used in the 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 OSU-CHS Medical Microbiology course. Two sample t-tests for proportions were used to test for significant differences related to tutorial usage. Part Two used both quantitative and qualitative means to assess student's perceptions of the Microbial Jeopardy! session. First, a retrospective survey was administered to students who were enrolled in Medical Microbiology in 2006 or 2007. Second, responses to open-ended items from the 2008 course evaluations were reviewed for comments regarding the Microbial Jeopardy! session. Both student performance and student perception data support continued use of the tutorials. Quantitative and qualitative data converge to suggest that students like and learn from the interactive, case-based session. The case-based tutorial appears to improve student performance on case-based exam questions. Additionally, students perceived the tutorial as helpful in preparing for exam questions and reviewing the course material. The time commitment for use of the case-based tutorial appears to be justified.

Questionnaires for eliciting evaluation data from users of interactive question answering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kelly, Diane; Kantor, Paul B.; Morse, Emile; Scholtz, Jean; Sun, Y.

2009-01-01

Evaluating interactive question answering (QA) systems with real users can be challenging because traditional evaluation measures based on the relevance of items returned are difficult to employ since relevance judgments can be unstable in multi-user evaluations. The work reported in this paper evaluates, in distinguishing among a set of interactive QA systems, the effectiveness of three questionnaires: a Cognitive Workload Questionnaire (NASA TLX), and Task and System Questionnaires customized to a specific interactive QA application. These Questionnaires were evaluated with four systems, seven analysts, and eight scenarios during a 2-week workshop. Overall, results demonstrate that all three Questionnaires are effective at distinguishing among systems, with the Task Questionnaire being the most sensitive. Results also provide initial support for the validity and reliability of the Questionnaires.

Performance-based Reward Administration Enhancing Employees’ Feelings of Interactional Justice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Azman Ismail

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The transformation in international business landscape has changed organizational management especially reward administration. This is done in order to maintain the organization’s competitiveness in global market place. In the field of reward administration, an emerging trend can be observed whereby most organizations are moving toward the application of psychological elements in administering organizational reward system. The ultimate objective of this study is to investigate the association between performance-based reward administration and interactional justice. The proposed model was empirically tested using a sample of 113 employees from fire and rescue agency in Peninsular Malaysia. This study found an evidence that performance-based reward administration (i.e., communication, participation and performance appraisal is positively and significantly associated with interactional justice. This findings proves that the ability of administrators to appropriately implement communication openness, inspire participative decision-making and organize fairness performance appraisal in administering performance-based reward have significantly evoked the feeling of interactional justice when employees perceived that they are being fairly treated in the reward system.

Lessons from Philippines MPA Management: Social Ecological Interactions, Participation, and MPA Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Twichell, Julia; Pollnac, Richard; Christie, Patrick

2018-06-01

International interest in increasing marine protected area (MPA) coverage reflects broad recognition of the MPA as a key tool for marine ecosystems and fisheries management. Nevertheless, effective management remains a significant challenge. The present study contributes to enriching an understanding of best practices for MPA management through analysis of archived community survey data collected in the Philippines by the Learning Project (LP), a collaboration with United States Coral Triangle Initiative (USCTI), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and partners. We evaluate stakeholder participation and social ecological interactions among resource users in MPA programs in the Palawan, Occidental Mindoro, and Batangas provinces in the Philippines. Analysis indicates that a complex suite of social ecological factors, including demographics, conservation beliefs, and scientifically correct knowledge influence participation, which in turn is related to perceived MPA performance. Findings indicate positive feedbacks within the system that have potential to strengthen perceptions of MPA success. The results of this evaluation provide empirical reinforcement to current inquiries concerning the role of participation in influencing MPA performance.

Lessons from Philippines MPA Management: Social Ecological Interactions, Participation, and MPA Performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Twichell, Julia; Pollnac, Richard; Christie, Patrick

2018-06-01

International interest in increasing marine protected area (MPA) coverage reflects broad recognition of the MPA as a key tool for marine ecosystems and fisheries management. Nevertheless, effective management remains a significant challenge. The present study contributes to enriching an understanding of best practices for MPA management through analysis of archived community survey data collected in the Philippines by the Learning Project (LP), a collaboration with United States Coral Triangle Initiative (USCTI), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and partners. We evaluate stakeholder participation and social ecological interactions among resource users in MPA programs in the Palawan, Occidental Mindoro, and Batangas provinces in the Philippines. Analysis indicates that a complex suite of social ecological factors, including demographics, conservation beliefs, and scientifically correct knowledge influence participation, which in turn is related to perceived MPA performance. Findings indicate positive feedbacks within the system that have potential to strengthen perceptions of MPA success. The results of this evaluation provide empirical reinforcement to current inquiries concerning the role of participation in influencing MPA performance.

Evaluation of bentonite alteration due to interactions with iron. Sensitivity analyses to identify the important factors for the bentonite alteration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sasamoto, Hiroshi; Wilson, James; Sato, Tsutomu

2013-01-01

Performance assessment of geological disposal systems for high-level radioactive waste requires a consideration of long-term systems behaviour. It is possible that the alteration of swelling clay present in bentonite buffers might have an impact on buffer functions. In the present study, iron (as a candidate overpack material)-bentonite (I-B) interactions were evaluated as the main buffer alteration scenario. Existing knowledge on alteration of bentonite during I-B interactions was first reviewed, then the evaluation methodology was developed considering modeling techniques previously used overseas. A conceptual model for smectite alteration during I-B interactions was produced. The following reactions and processes were selected: 1) release of Fe 2+ due to overpack corrosion; 2) diffusion of Fe 2+ in compacted bentonite; 3) sorption of Fe 2+ on smectite edge and ion exchange in interlayers; 4) dissolution of primary phases and formation of alteration products. Sensitivity analyses were performed to identify the most important factors for the alteration of bentonite by I-B interactions. (author)

“Enheduanna—A Manifesto of Falling” Live Brain-Computer Cinema Performance: Performer and Audience Participation, Cognition and Emotional Engagement Using Multi-Brain BCI Interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Zioga, Polina; Pollick, Frank; Ma, Minhua; Chapman, Paul; Stefanov, Kristian

2018-01-01

The fields of neural prosthetic technologies and Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) have witnessed in the past 15 years an unprecedented development, bringing together theories and methods from different scientific fields, digital media, and the arts. More in particular, artists have been amongst the pioneers of the design of relevant applications since their emergence in the 1960s, pushing the boundaries of applications in real-life contexts. With the new research, advancements, and since 2007, the new low-cost commercial-grade wireless devices, there is a new increasing number of computer games, interactive installations, and performances that involve the use of these interfaces, combining scientific, and creative methodologies. The vast majority of these works use the brain-activity of a single participant. However, earlier, as well as recent examples, involve the simultaneous interaction of more than one participants or performers with the use of Electroencephalography (EEG)-based multi-brain BCIs. In this frame, we discuss and evaluate “Enheduanna—A Manifesto of Falling,” a live brain-computer cinema performance that enables for the first time the simultaneous real-time multi-brain interaction of more than two participants, including a performer and members of the audience, using a passive EEG-based BCI system in the context of a mixed-media performance. The performance was realised as a neuroscientific study conducted in a real-life setting. The raw EEG data of seven participants, one performer and two different members of the audience for each performance, were simultaneously recorded during three live events. The results reveal that the majority of the participants were able to successfully identify whether their brain-activity was interacting with the live video projections or not. A correlation has been found between their answers to the questionnaires, the elements of the performance that they identified as most special, and the audience's indicators

“Enheduanna—A Manifesto of Falling” Live Brain-Computer Cinema Performance: Performer and Audience Participation, Cognition and Emotional Engagement Using Multi-Brain BCI Interaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Polina Zioga

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The fields of neural prosthetic technologies and Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs have witnessed in the past 15 years an unprecedented development, bringing together theories and methods from different scientific fields, digital media, and the arts. More in particular, artists have been amongst the pioneers of the design of relevant applications since their emergence in the 1960s, pushing the boundaries of applications in real-life contexts. With the new research, advancements, and since 2007, the new low-cost commercial-grade wireless devices, there is a new increasing number of computer games, interactive installations, and performances that involve the use of these interfaces, combining scientific, and creative methodologies. The vast majority of these works use the brain-activity of a single participant. However, earlier, as well as recent examples, involve the simultaneous interaction of more than one participants or performers with the use of Electroencephalography (EEG-based multi-brain BCIs. In this frame, we discuss and evaluate “Enheduanna—A Manifesto of Falling,” a live brain-computer cinema performance that enables for the first time the simultaneous real-time multi-brain interaction of more than two participants, including a performer and members of the audience, using a passive EEG-based BCI system in the context of a mixed-media performance. The performance was realised as a neuroscientific study conducted in a real-life setting. The raw EEG data of seven participants, one performer and two different members of the audience for each performance, were simultaneously recorded during three live events. The results reveal that the majority of the participants were able to successfully identify whether their brain-activity was interacting with the live video projections or not. A correlation has been found between their answers to the questionnaires, the elements of the performance that they identified as most special, and the

Teaching Program Evaluation on Interactive Television.

Science.gov (United States)

McNeil, Keith; Steinhauser, Jim; Newman, Isadore

This paper describes a five-session course entitled "Program Evaluation," which was taught via interactive television in the summer of 2002 to 68 doctoral and master's students in 5 of 6 locations throughout New Mexico. Students received a 4-hour lecture and then participated in off-line activities directed by the instructor. Problems in distance…

The influence of intention and outcome on evaluations of social interaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Xiaoying; Hua, Rui; Yang, Zhangxiang; Yin, Jun

2018-01-01

Reading and making sense of social interactions between individuals is an important part of our daily social lives. Given that actions tend to be interpreted in terms of intent within the observed outcome, we investigated how intent and outcome interactively influence evaluations of social interactions. Through visual animations, intent was operationalized as an agent's (i.e., actor's) act intentionally or unintentionally having an influence on another agent (i.e., affectee). In Experiment 1, the act was helpful and the consequences brought small or great benefits to the affectee. In Experiment 2, the act was harmful and brought small or great losses to the affectee. We found that for both helpful and harmful contexts, social interaction evaluations were influenced by an interaction between the intent and outcome of the act. Specifically, great help/harm (i.e., the great-benefits or great-losses condition) was rated as a stronger social interaction than small help/harm, and the difference was larger in the intentional condition than in the unintentional condition. Furthermore, regardless of the interaction valence, the effect of the intent was larger than the effect of the outcome when evaluating social interaction. This result suggests that observers consider the intent and outcome jointly when evaluating a given social interaction, and the intent has a privileged role in this process. These findings are consistent with the idea that the intent is often deemed to be the cause driving the effect of outcome, and they help us to understand how social interactions are constructed within the action understanding system. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Performance evaluation of Maxwell and Cercignani-Lampis gas-wall interaction models in the modeling of thermally driven rarefied gas transport

KAUST Repository

Liang, Tengfei

2013-07-16

A systematic study on the performance of two empirical gas-wall interaction models, the Maxwell model and the Cercignani-Lampis (CL) model, in the entire Knudsen range is conducted. The models are evaluated by examining the accuracy of key macroscopic quantities such as temperature, density, and pressure, in three benchmark thermal problems, namely the Fourier thermal problem, the Knudsen force problem, and the thermal transpiration problem. The reference solutions are obtained from a validated hybrid DSMC-MD algorithm developed in-house. It has been found that while both models predict temperature and density reasonably well in the Fourier thermal problem, the pressure profile obtained from Maxwell model exhibits a trend that opposes that from the reference solution. As a consequence, the Maxwell model is unable to predict the orientation change of the Knudsen force acting on a cold cylinder embedded in a hot cylindrical enclosure at a certain Knudsen number. In the simulation of the thermal transpiration coefficient, although all three models overestimate the coefficient, the coefficient obtained from CL model is the closest to the reference solution. The Maxwell model performs the worst. The cause of the overestimated coefficient is investigated and its link to the overly constrained correlation between the tangential momentum accommodation coefficient and the tangential energy accommodation coefficient inherent in the models is pointed out. Directions for further improvement of models are suggested.

Development and Evaluation of an Interactive Pen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Froilan G. Destreza

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Technologies have reached the classroom. It is one of the means of teaching strategies nowadays. Multimedia projectors have become one of the teaching tools the teacher cannot bear without it. The concept of making this tool to be interactive and easier to use was far conceived by the researcher. The researcher’s objective was to develop such tool and evaluate it according to its portability, simplicity, robustness, user-friendliness, effectiveness and efficiency. The respondents of the project were both the students and teachers of Batangas State University ARASOF-Nasugbu. The researcher has developed different prototypes for the interactive pen and tested in different environment and demonstrated the “know-how” of the project. The project was built using a simple infrared light emitting diode (IR LED, infrared tracker, and software which computes, detects and interact with the application program. Evaluation of the project followed the demonstration. The project got a high acceptance according to its portability, simplicity, robustness, user-friendliness, effectiveness and efficiency. The researcher is recommending the full implementation of the project in the Batangas State University ARASOF- Nasugbu and for better enhancement of the project by eliminating the pen.

Radionuclide calibrators performance evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mora Ramirez, E.; Zeledon Fonseca, P.; Jimenez Cordero, M.

2008-01-01

Radionuclide calibrators are used to estimate accurately activity prior to administration to a patient, so it is very important that this equipment meets its performance requirements. The purpose of this paper is to compare the commercially available 'Calicheck' (Calcorp. Inc), used to assess linearity, versus the well-known source decay method, and also to show our results after performing several recommended quality control tests. The parameters that we wanted to evaluate were carried on using the Capintec CRC-15R and CRC-15 β radionuclide calibrators. The evaluated tests were: high voltage, display, zero adjust, background, reproducibility, source constancy, accuracy, precision and linearity. The first six tests were evaluated on the daily practice, here we analyzed the 2007 recorded data; and the last three were evaluated once a year. During the daily evaluation both calibrators performance were satisfactory comparing with the manufacture's requirements. The accuracy test show result within the ± 10% allowed for a field instrument. Precision performance is within the ± 1 % allowed. On the other hand, the linearity test shows that using the source decay method the relative coefficient is 0.9998, for both equipment and using the Calicheck the relative coefficient is 0.997. However, looking the percentage of error, during the 'Calicheck' test, its range goes from 0.0 % up to -25.35%, and using the source decay method, the range goes from 0.0 % up to -31.05 %, taking into account both instruments. Checking the 'Calicheck' results we can see that the results varying randomly, but using the source decay method the percentage of error increase as the source activity decrease. We conclude that both devices meet its manufactures requirements, in the case of the linearity using the decay method, decreasing the activity source, increasing the percentage of error, this may happen because of the equipment age. (author)

Evaluation of EIT system performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Yasin, Mamatjan; Böhm, Stephan; Gaggero, Pascal O; Adler, Andy

2011-07-01

An electrical impedance tomography (EIT) system images internal conductivity from surface electrical stimulation and measurement. Such systems necessarily comprise multiple design choices from cables and hardware design to calibration and image reconstruction. In order to compare EIT systems and study the consequences of changes in system performance, this paper describes a systematic approach to evaluate the performance of the EIT systems. The system to be tested is connected to a saline phantom in which calibrated contrasting test objects are systematically positioned using a position controller. A set of evaluation parameters are proposed which characterize (i) data and image noise, (ii) data accuracy, (iii) detectability of single contrasts and distinguishability of multiple contrasts, and (iv) accuracy of reconstructed image (amplitude, resolution, position and ringing). Using this approach, we evaluate three different EIT systems and illustrate the use of these tools to evaluate and compare performance. In order to facilitate the use of this approach, all details of the phantom, test objects and position controller design are made publicly available including the source code of the evaluation and reporting software.

Regression Trees Identify Relevant Interactions: Can This Improve the Predictive Performance of Risk Adjustment?

Science.gov (United States)

Buchner, Florian; Wasem, Jürgen; Schillo, Sonja

2017-01-01

Risk equalization formulas have been refined since their introduction about two decades ago. Because of the complexity and the abundance of possible interactions between the variables used, hardly any interactions are considered. A regression tree is used to systematically search for interactions, a methodologically new approach in risk equalization. Analyses are based on a data set of nearly 2.9 million individuals from a major German social health insurer. A two-step approach is applied: In the first step a regression tree is built on the basis of the learning data set. Terminal nodes characterized by more than one morbidity-group-split represent interaction effects of different morbidity groups. In the second step the 'traditional' weighted least squares regression equation is expanded by adding interaction terms for all interactions detected by the tree, and regression coefficients are recalculated. The resulting risk adjustment formula shows an improvement in the adjusted R 2 from 25.43% to 25.81% on the evaluation data set. Predictive ratios are calculated for subgroups affected by the interactions. The R 2 improvement detected is only marginal. According to the sample level performance measures used, not involving a considerable number of morbidity interactions forms no relevant loss in accuracy. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Evaluation of Lagrangian, Eulerian, and arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian methods for fluid-structure interaction problems in HCDA analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Y.W.; Chu, H.Y.; Gvildys, J.; Wang, C.Y.

1979-01-01

The analysis of fluid-structure interaction involves the calculation of both fluid transient and structure dynamics. In the structural analysis, Lagrangian meshes have been used exclusively, whereas for the fluid transient, Lagrangian, Eulerian, and arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (quasi-Eulerian) meshes have been used. This paper performs an evaluation on these three types of meshes. The emphasis is placed on the applicability of the method in analyzing fluid-structure interaction problems in HCDA analysis

Evaluation of an interactive, case-based review session in teaching medical microbiology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kisamore Jennifer L

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Oklahoma State University-Center for Health Sciences (OSU-CHS has replaced its microbiology wet laboratory with a variety of tutorials including a case-based interactive session called Microbial Jeopardy!. The question remains whether the time spent by students and faculty in the interactive case-based tutorial is worthwhile? This study was designed to address this question by analyzing both student performance data and assessing students' perceptions regarding the tutorial. Methods Both quantitative and qualitative data were used in the current study. Part One of the study involved assessing student performance using archival records of seven case-based exam questions used in the 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 OSU-CHS Medical Microbiology course. Two sample t-tests for proportions were used to test for significant differences related to tutorial usage. Part Two used both quantitative and qualitative means to assess student's perceptions of the Microbial Jeopardy! session. First, a retrospective survey was administered to students who were enrolled in Medical Microbiology in 2006 or 2007. Second, responses to open-ended items from the 2008 course evaluations were reviewed for comments regarding the Microbial Jeopardy! session. Results Both student performance and student perception data support continued use of the tutorials. Quantitative and qualitative data converge to suggest that students like and learn from the interactive, case-based session. Conclusion The case-based tutorial appears to improve student performance on case-based exam questions. Additionally, students perceived the tutorial as helpful in preparing for exam questions and reviewing the course material. The time commitment for use of the case-based tutorial appears to be justified.

Evaluation of an interactive, case-based review session in teaching medical microbiology

Science.gov (United States)

Blewett, Earl L; Kisamore, Jennifer L

2009-01-01

Background Oklahoma State University-Center for Health Sciences (OSU-CHS) has replaced its microbiology wet laboratory with a variety of tutorials including a case-based interactive session called Microbial Jeopardy!. The question remains whether the time spent by students and faculty in the interactive case-based tutorial is worthwhile? This study was designed to address this question by analyzing both student performance data and assessing students' perceptions regarding the tutorial. Methods Both quantitative and qualitative data were used in the current study. Part One of the study involved assessing student performance using archival records of seven case-based exam questions used in the 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 OSU-CHS Medical Microbiology course. Two sample t-tests for proportions were used to test for significant differences related to tutorial usage. Part Two used both quantitative and qualitative means to assess student's perceptions of the Microbial Jeopardy! session. First, a retrospective survey was administered to students who were enrolled in Medical Microbiology in 2006 or 2007. Second, responses to open-ended items from the 2008 course evaluations were reviewed for comments regarding the Microbial Jeopardy! session. Results Both student performance and student perception data support continued use of the tutorials. Quantitative and qualitative data converge to suggest that students like and learn from the interactive, case-based session. Conclusion The case-based tutorial appears to improve student performance on case-based exam questions. Additionally, students perceived the tutorial as helpful in preparing for exam questions and reviewing the course material. The time commitment for use of the case-based tutorial appears to be justified. PMID:19712473

Two is better than one: Physical interactions improve motor performance in humans

Science.gov (United States)

Ganesh, G.; Takagi, A.; Osu, R.; Yoshioka, T.; Kawato, M.; Burdet, E.

2014-01-01

How do physical interactions with others change our own motor behavior? Utilizing a novel motor learning paradigm in which the hands of two - individuals are physically connected without their conscious awareness, we investigated how the interaction forces from a partner adapt the motor behavior in physically interacting humans. We observed the motor adaptations during physical interactions to be mutually beneficial such that both the worse and better of the interacting partners improve motor performance during and after interactive practice. We show that these benefits cannot be explained by multi-sensory integration by an individual, but require physical interaction with a reactive partner. Furthermore, the benefits are determined by both the interacting partner's performance and similarity of the partner's behavior to one's own. Our results demonstrate the fundamental neural processes underlying human physical interactions and suggest advantages of interactive paradigms for sport-training and physical rehabilitation.

Performance Effects of Stakeholder Interaction in Emerging Economies: Evidence from Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodrigo Bandeira-de-Mello

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Firm survival in emerging economies is often related to having access to valuable resources that are in stakeholders‟ hands. However, the literature on strategy in emerging economies provides scant information on the efficiency of acquiring stakeholder resources and its effect on firm performance. We investigated the stakeholder interaction effects on performance of domestic firms competing in an emerging market (Wright, Filatotchev, Hoskisson, & Peng, 2005 from a contractual perspective (Williamson, 1985. We argue that interacting stakeholders in a contractual set yield synergistic governance structures that allow firms more efficient access to external resources. Using a sample of 267 firms in Brazil (secondary data, we explored different patterns in stakeholder contracting with community, government, top management, and employees. A three-stage analysis process was devised: cluster analysis, general linear model estimation and verification tests. Results suggest that stakeholder interaction has a positive impact on firm performance. The conjoint effect of government and community contracts was found to yield superior firm performance as they provide a basic structure for contracting with other interacting stakeholders.

Investigating conversational dynamics: Interactive alignment, Interpersonal synergy, and collective task performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fusaroli, Riccardo; Tylén, Kristian

2016-01-01

This study investigates interpersonal processes underlying dialog by comparing two approaches, interactive alignment and interpersonal synergy, and assesses how they predict collective performance in a joint task. While the interactive alignment approach highlights imitative patterns between...... and their impact on collective performance in a corpus of task-oriented conversations. The results show statistical presence of patterns relevant for both approaches. However, synergetic aspects of dialog provide the best statistical predictors of collective performance and adding aspects of the alignment approach...... does not improve the model. This suggests that structural organization at the level of the interaction plays a crucial role in task-oriented conversations, possibly constraining and integrating processes related to alignment....

Psychometric evaluation of the Social Interaction Phobia Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Reilly, Alison R; Carleton, R Nicholas; Weeks, Justin W

2012-01-01

The present study evaluated the psychometric properties of a novel measure of social anxiety symptoms, the Social Interaction Phobia Scale (SIPS), as a stand-alone item set, using an undergraduate sample (N=512). The 14-item SIPS has three subscales assessing Social Interaction Anxiety, Fear of Overt Evaluation, and Fear of Attracting Attention. Confirmatory factor analyses replicated the three-factor structure for the SIPS originally reported by Carleton et al. All SIPS scores demonstrated good internal consistency. The convergent validity of the SIPS was supported by strong and positive correlations between all SIPS scores and measures of social anxiety and fear of evaluation; the finding that the relationships between all SIPS scores and a social anxiety measure were stronger than relationships between all SIPS scores and measures of other constructs supported the discriminant validity of the SIPS. Results suggest that the SIPS possesses excellent psychometric properties.

Effects of reward and punishment on task performance, mood and autonomic nervous function, and the interaction with personality.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakuragi, Sokichi; Sugiyama, Yoshiki

2009-06-01

The effects of reward and punishment are different, and there are individual differences in sensitivity to reward and punishment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of reward and punishment on task performance, mood, and autonomic nervous function, along with the interaction with personality. Twenty-one healthy female subjects volunteered for the experiment. The task performance was evaluated by required time and total errors while performing a Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. We assessed their personalities using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) questionnaire, and mood states by a profile of mood states. Autonomic nervous function was estimated by a spectral analysis of heart rate variability, baroreflex sensitivity, and blood pressure. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant interaction of condition x time course on mood and autonomic nervous activity, which would indicate a less stressed state under the rewarding condition, but revealed no significant interaction of condition x time course on the task performance. The interactions with personality were further analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA applying the clinical scales of MMPI as independent variables, and significant interactions of condition x time course x Pt (psychasthenia) on task performance, mood, and blood pressure, were revealed. That is, the high Pt group, whose members tend to be sensitive and prone to worry, showed gradual improvement of task performance under the punishing situation with slight increase in systolic blood pressure, while showed no improvement under the rewarding situation with fatigue sense attenuation. In contrast, the low Pt group, whose members tend to be adaptive and self-confident, showed gradual improvement under the rewarding situation. Therefore, we should carefully choose the strategy of reward or punishment, considering the interaction with personality as well as the context in which it is given.

Performability Modelling Tools, Evaluation Techniques and Applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Haverkort, Boudewijn R.H.M.

1990-01-01

This thesis deals with three aspects of quantitative evaluation of fault-tolerant and distributed computer and communication systems: performability evaluation techniques, performability modelling tools, and performability modelling applications. Performability modelling is a relatively new

Impact of abbreviated lecture with interactive mini-cases vs traditional lecture on student performance in the large classroom.

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, Leisa L; Nykamp, Diane L; Momary, Kathryn M

2014-12-15

To compare the impact of 2 different teaching and learning methods on student mastery of learning objectives in a pharmacotherapy module in the large classroom setting. Two teaching and learning methods were implemented and compared in a required pharmacotherapy module for 2 years. The first year, multiple interactive mini-cases with inclass individual assessment and an abbreviated lecture were used to teach osteoarthritis; a traditional lecture with 1 inclass case discussion was used to teach gout. In the second year, the same topics were used but the methods were flipped. Student performance on pre/post individual readiness assessment tests (iRATs), case questions, and subsequent examinations were compared each year by the teaching and learning method and then between years by topic for each method. Students also voluntarily completed a 20-item evaluation of the teaching and learning methods. Postpresentation iRATs were significantly higher than prepresentation iRATs for each topic each year with the interactive mini-cases; there was no significant difference in iRATs before and after traditional lecture. For osteoarthritis, postpresentation iRATs after interactive mini-cases in year 1 were significantly higher than postpresentation iRATs after traditional lecture in year 2; the difference in iRATs for gout per learning method was not significant. The difference between examination performance for osteoarthritis and gout was not significant when the teaching and learning methods were compared. On the student evaluations, 2 items were significant both years when answers were compared by teaching and learning method. Each year, students ranked their class participation higher with interactive cases than with traditional lecture, but both years they reported enjoying the traditional lecture format more. Multiple interactive mini-cases with an abbreviated lecture improved immediate mastery of learning objectives compared to a traditional lecture format, regardless of

Intelligent control of a smart walker and its performance evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Grondin, Simon L; Li, Qingguo

2013-06-01

Recent technological advances have allowed the development of force-dependent, intelligently controlled smart walkers that are able to provide users with enhanced mobility, support and gait assistance. The purpose of this study was to develop an intelligent rule-based controller for a smart walker to achieve a smooth interaction between the user and the walker. This study developed a rule-based mapping between the interaction force, measured by a load cell attached to the walker handle, and the acceleration of the walker. Ten young, healthy subjects were used to evaluate the performance of the proposed controller compared to a well-known admittance-based control system. There were no significant differences between the two control systems concerning their user experience, velocity profiles or average cost of transportation. However, the admittance-based control system required a 1.2N lower average interaction force to maintain the 1m/s target speed (p = 0.002). Metabolic data also indicated that smart walker-assisted gait could considerably reduce the metabolic demand of walking with a four-legged walker.

Interactive model evaluation tool based on IPython notebook

Science.gov (United States)

Balemans, Sophie; Van Hoey, Stijn; Nopens, Ingmar; Seuntjes, Piet

2015-04-01

In hydrological modelling, some kind of parameter optimization is mostly performed. This can be the selection of a single best parameter set, a split in behavioural and non-behavioural parameter sets based on a selected threshold or a posterior parameter distribution derived with a formal Bayesian approach. The selection of the criterion to measure the goodness of fit (likelihood or any objective function) is an essential step in all of these methodologies and will affect the final selected parameter subset. Moreover, the discriminative power of the objective function is also dependent from the time period used. In practice, the optimization process is an iterative procedure. As such, in the course of the modelling process, an increasing amount of simulations is performed. However, the information carried by these simulation outputs is not always fully exploited. In this respect, we developed and present an interactive environment that enables the user to intuitively evaluate the model performance. The aim is to explore the parameter space graphically and to visualize the impact of the selected objective function on model behaviour. First, a set of model simulation results is loaded along with the corresponding parameter sets and a data set of the same variable as the model outcome (mostly discharge). The ranges of the loaded parameter sets define the parameter space. A selection of the two parameters visualised can be made by the user. Furthermore, an objective function and a time period of interest need to be selected. Based on this information, a two-dimensional parameter response surface is created, which actually just shows a scatter plot of the parameter combinations and assigns a color scale corresponding with the goodness of fit of each parameter combination. Finally, a slider is available to change the color mapping of the points. Actually, the slider provides a threshold to exclude non behaviour parameter sets and the color scale is only attributed to the

Evaluation of Interactive Website Design Indicators for e-Entrepreneurship

OpenAIRE

Chih-Chao Chung; Li-Chung Chao; Chin-Hui Chen; Shi-Jer Lou

2016-01-01

Using an analytic network process (ANP) as an analytical tool, this study aims to construct an ANP evaluation model of interactive website design indicators. Through a review of the literature, interactive website design of e-entrepreneurship is generalized to the following dimensions: (1) Design; (2) Checking; (3) Service; (4) Interactive; and (5) Promotion, including 19 design indicators. The research is conducted for a case company. According to the findings, the model helps the case compa...

Using Affinity Diagrams to Evaluate Interactive Prototypes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lucero, Andrés

2015-01-01

our particular use of affinity diagramming in prototype evaluations. We reflect on a decade’s experience using affinity diagramming across a number of projects, both in industry and academia. Our affinity diagramming process in interaction design has been tailored and consists of four stages: creating...

48 CFR 1252.216-72 - Performance evaluation plan.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Performance evaluation....216-72 Performance evaluation plan. As prescribed in (TAR) 48 CFR 1216.406(b), insert the following clause: Performance Evaluation Plan (OCT 1994) (a) A Performance Evaluation Plan shall be unilaterally...

NPP Krsko natural circulation performance evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Segon, Velimir; Bajs, Tomislav; Frogheri, Monica

1999-01-01

The present document deals with an evaluation of the natural circulation performance of the Krsko nuclear power plant. Two calculation have been performed using the NPP Krsko nodalization (both similar to the LOBI A2-77 natural circulation experiment) - the first with the present steam generators at NPP Krsko (Westinghouse, 18% plugged), the second with the future steam generators (Siemens, 0% plugged). The results were evaluated using the natural circulation flow map derived in /1/, and were compared to evaluate the influence of the new steam generators on the natural circulation performance. (author)

Performance-based evaluation of graphic displays for nuclear-power-plant control rooms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petersen, R.J.; Banks, W.W.; Gertman, D.I.

1982-01-01

This paper reports several methodologies for evaluating the perceptual and perceptual/decision making aspects of displays used in the control rooms of nuclear power plants. This NRC funded study focuses upon the Safety Parameter Display System (SPDS) and relates the utility of the display to objective performance and preference measures obtained in experimental conditions. The first condition is a traditional laboratory setting where classical experimental methodologies can be employed. The second condition is an interactive control room simulation where the operator's performance is assessed while he/she operates the simulator. The third condition is a rating scale designed to assess operator preferences and opinions regarding a variety of display formats. The goal of this study is the development of a cost-efficient display evaluation methodology which correlates highly with the operator's ability to control a plant

Conductor gestures influence evaluations of ensemble performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Morrison, Steven J; Price, Harry E; Smedley, Eric M; Meals, Cory D

2014-01-01

Previous research has found that listener evaluations of ensemble performances vary depending on the expressivity of the conductor's gestures, even when performances are otherwise identical. It was the purpose of the present study to test whether this effect of visual information was evident in the evaluation of specific aspects of ensemble performance: articulation and dynamics. We constructed a set of 32 music performances that combined auditory and visual information and were designed to feature a high degree of contrast along one of two target characteristics: articulation and dynamics. We paired each of four music excerpts recorded by a chamber ensemble in both a high- and low-contrast condition with video of four conductors demonstrating high- and low-contrast gesture specifically appropriate to either articulation or dynamics. Using one of two equivalent test forms, college music majors and non-majors (N = 285) viewed sixteen 30 s performances and evaluated the quality of the ensemble's articulation, dynamics, technique, and tempo along with overall expressivity. Results showed significantly higher evaluations for performances featuring high rather than low conducting expressivity regardless of the ensemble's performance quality. Evaluations for both articulation and dynamics were strongly and positively correlated with evaluations of overall ensemble expressivity.

Lack of interaction between a new antihistamine, mizolastine, and lorazepam on psychomotor performance and memory in healthy volunteers.

Science.gov (United States)

Patat, A; Perault, M C; Vandel, B; Ulliac, N; Zieleniuk, I; Rosenzweig, P

1995-01-01

1. The possible interaction between a new H1 antihistamine, mizolastine, and lorazepam was assessed in a randomised, double-blind, cross-over, placebo-controlled study involving 16 healthy young male volunteers who received mizolastine 10 mg or placebo once daily for 8 days with a 1 week wash-out interval. The interaction of mizolastine, at steady-state, with a single oral dose of lorazepam or placebo was assessed on days 6 or 8 of each treatment period. 2. Psychomotor performance and cognitive function were evaluated using objective tests (critical flicker fusion threshold, choice reaction time, tapping, arithmetic calculation, body sway) and self-ratings (visual analogue scale, ARCI) before and at 2, 4, 6 and 8 h after dosing. Short-term memory (Sternberg memory scanning immediate free recall of a word list) and long-term memory (delayed free recall and recognition of words and pictures) were assessed before and at 3 h after dosing. Pharmacodynamic interactions were evaluated by repeated measures ANOVA in a 2 x 2 factorial interaction model. 3. Mizolastine, 10 mg once daily, at steady-state, was devoid of sedation and detrimental effect on skilled performance and memory. 4. In contrast, a single 2 mg dose of lorazepam produced marked impairment of psychomotor performance, cognitive functions (significant reduction in flicker fusion threshold, tapping and arithmetic calculation and increase in reaction times and body sway) and subjective sedation from 2 to 8 h after dosing. In addition, lorazepam induced an anterograde amnesia, characterised by a decrease in delayed free recall and recognition, and a deficit in short term memory.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cockpit design and evaluation using interactive graphics

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, S. M.

1975-01-01

A general overview of the characteristics of an interactive graphics system which was developed to assist cockpit engineers design and evaluate work stations was presented. The manikin used in this COMputerized BIomechanical MAN-model (COMBIMAN) was described, as are provisions for generating work stations and assessing interactions between man and environment. The applications of the present system are explained, and critiques of COMBIMAN are presented. The limitations of the existing programs and the requirements of the designers necessitate future revisions and additions to the biomechanical and erogonomic properties of COMBIMAN. Some of these enhancements are discussed.

Interaction between BDNF Polymorphism and Physical Activity on Inhibitory Performance in the Elderly without Cognitive Impairment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anne Canivet

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Background: In the elderly, physical activity (PA enhances cognitive performances, increases brain plasticity and improves brain health. The neurotrophic hypothesis is that the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF, which is implicated in brain plasticity and cognition, is triggered by PA because motoneurons secrete BDNF into the bloodstream during exercise. Individual differences in cognitive performance may be explained by individual differences in genetic predisposition. A single nucleotide polymorphism on the BDNF gene, BDNFVal66Met, affects activity-dependent BDNF secretion. This study investigated the influence of the BDNFVal66Met polymorphism on the relationship between PA and controlled inhibition performance in older adults.Methods: A total of 114 healthy elderly volunteers (mean age = 71.53 years old were evaluated. Participants were genotyped for the BDNFVal66Met polymorphism. We evaluated inhibitory performance using choice reaction times (RT and error rates from a Simon-like task and estimated their PA using two self-reported questionnaires. We established four groups according to PA level (active vs. inactive and BDNFVal66Met genotype (Met carriers vs. Val-homozygous. The results were analyzed using ANOVA and ANCOVA, including age, gender and body mass index as covariates.Results: The BDNFVal66Met polymorphism interacted with PA on controlled inhibition performance. More specifically, inactive Val-homozygous participants exhibited a lower inhibition performance than active Val homozygotes and inactive Met carriers; the former had a higher error rate without differences in RT.Conclusion: Differences between individuals on inhibitory performance may be partially understood by the interaction between genetic influence in BDNF secretion and PA level. The results of this study clearly support the neurotrophic hypothesis that BDNF synthesis is an important mechanism underlying the influence of physical activity on brain

Simulator Evaluation of Drivers’ Performance on Rural Highways in relation to Drivers’ Visual Attention Demands

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yaqin Qin

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Aim of the study is to investigate, by means of a driving simulator experiment, drivers’ performance in terms of lateral position, speed, deceleration, steering angle, and breaking times on a divided two-lane rural highway in relation to drivers’ visual attention (VD. In the experiment, the virtual scene of twenty different geometric alignment sections without traffic and the VD testing were designed. Twenty-three experienced drivers with the calibration of attention capacity participated in a 30 km drive in an interactive fixed-base simulator. Each participant was required to drive with the controlled speed of 60 km/h along the central lane as repeating random number and was evaluated on VD and driving performances. Three different data analysis techniques were used: (a statistical tests and hypothesis test of curvature change rate (CCR of the geometric alignments, visual attention demands, and driving performance data, (b correlation analysis of VD, CCRs, and driving behaviors, and (c regression analysis of the VD and CCRs. Results have showed that the driving performance can be effectively influenced by the highway alignment and a prediction model built in this study can evaluate the drivers’ visual attention demands before the highway constructed. The interactions among VD, driving behavior, and CCRs were also found.

Influence of slag-seed interaction on MHD generator performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luongo, C.A.; Kruger, C.M.

1984-01-01

An overview of past work in the field of slag/seed interaction is presented. The ideal solution model for the slag and its failure to lead to accurate predictions are discussed. The non-ideal solution model is introduced. Data on potassium vapor pressure over slags taken at the National Bureau of Standards and Montana State University were compiled and compared. Large disagreement between these sources was observed. The shortcomings of the complete thermodynamic equilibrium models led to over predictions in the fraction of seed lost to the slag. A model including non-equilibrium effects is introduced. The heat/mass transfer analogy is invoked to calculate the mass transfer rate of potassium towards the slag. Using typical conditions for a large MHD generator, an integral method is used to evaluate the potassium concentration boundary layer thickness. The calculations are performed with the slag runoff (ash rejection) as a parameter. The increase in boundary layer resistance due to potassium depletion is calculated

Assessing the performance of dispersionless and dispersion-accounting methods: helium interaction with cluster models of the TiO2(110) surface.

Science.gov (United States)

de Lara-Castells, María Pilar; Stoll, Hermann; Mitrushchenkov, Alexander O

2014-08-21

As a prototypical dispersion-dominated physisorption problem, we analyze here the performance of dispersionless and dispersion-accounting methodologies on the helium interaction with cluster models of the TiO2(110) surface. A special focus has been given to the dispersionless density functional dlDF and the dlDF+Das construction for the total interaction energy (K. Pernal, R. Podeswa, K. Patkowski, and K. Szalewicz, Phys. Rev. Lett. 2009, 109, 263201), where Das is an effective interatomic pairwise functional form for the dispersion. Likewise, the performance of symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT) method is evaluated, where the interacting monomers are described by density functional theory (DFT) with the dlDF, PBE, and PBE0 functionals. Our benchmarks include CCSD(T)-F12b calculations and comparative analysis on the nuclear bound states supported by the He-cluster potentials. Moreover, intra- and intermonomer correlation contributions to the physisorption interaction are analyzed through the method of increments (H. Stoll, J. Chem. Phys. 1992, 97, 8449) at the CCSD(T) level of theory. This method is further applied in conjunction with a partitioning of the Hartree-Fock interaction energy to estimate individual interaction energy components, comparing them with those obtained using the different SAPT(DFT) approaches. The cluster size evolution of dispersionless and dispersion-accounting energy components is then discussed, revealing the reduced role of the dispersionless interaction and intramonomer correlation when the extended nature of the surface is better accounted for. On the contrary, both post-Hartree-Fock and SAPT(DFT) results clearly demonstrate the high-transferability character of the effective pairwise dispersion interaction whatever the cluster model is. Our contribution also illustrates how the method of increments can be used as a valuable tool not only to achieve the accuracy of CCSD(T) calculations using large cluster models but also to

Importance Performance Analysis as a Trade Show Performance Evaluation and Benchmarking Tool

OpenAIRE

Tafesse, Wondwesen; Skallerud, Kåre; Korneliussen, Tor

2010-01-01

Author's accepted version (post-print). The purpose of this study is to introduce importance performance analysis as a trade show performance evaluation and benchmarking tool. Importance performance analysis considers exhibitors’ performance expectation and perceived performance in unison to evaluate and benchmark trade show performance. The present study uses data obtained from exhibitors of an international trade show to demonstrate how importance performance analysis can be used to eval...

Conductor gestures influence evaluations of ensemble performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steven eMorrison

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Previous research has found that listener evaluations of ensemble performances vary depending on the expressivity of the conductor’s gestures, even when performances are otherwise identical. It was the purpose of the present study to test whether this effect of visual information was evident in the evaluation of specific aspects of ensemble performance, articulation and dynamics. We constructed a set of 32 music performances that combined auditory and visual information and were designed to feature a high degree of contrast along one of two target characteristics: articulation and dynamics. We paired each of four music excerpts recorded by a chamber ensemble in both a high- and low-contrast condition with video of four conductors demonstrating high- and low-contrast gesture specifically appropriate to either articulation or dynamics. Using one of two equivalent test forms, college music majors and nonmajors (N = 285 viewed sixteen 30-second performances and evaluated the quality of the ensemble’s articulation, dynamics, technique and tempo along with overall expressivity. Results showed significantly higher evaluations for performances featuring high rather than low conducting expressivity regardless of the ensemble’s performance quality. Evaluations for both articulation and dynamics were strongly and positively correlated with evaluations of overall ensemble expressivity.

Bacteria Hunt: Evaluating multi-paradigm BCI interaction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mühl, C.; Gürkök, Hayrettin; Plass - Oude Bos, D.; Thurlings, Marieke E.; Scherffig, Lasse; Duvinage, Matthieu; Elbakyan, Alexandra A.; Kang, SungWook; Poel, Mannes; Heylen, Dirk K.J.

The multimodal, multi-paradigm brain-computer interfacing (BCI) game Bacteria Hunt was used to evaluate two aspects of BCI interaction in a gaming context. One goal was to examine the effect of feedback on the ability of the user to manipulate his mental state of relaxation. This was done by having

Interactive benchmarking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lawson, Lartey; Nielsen, Kurt

2005-01-01

We discuss individual learning by interactive benchmarking using stochastic frontier models. The interactions allow the user to tailor the performance evaluation to preferences and explore alternative improvement strategies by selecting and searching the different frontiers using directional...... in the suggested benchmarking tool. The study investigates how different characteristics on dairy farms influences the technical efficiency....

48 CFR 3052.216-72 - Performance evaluation plan.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Performance evaluation... CONTRACT CLAUSES Text of Provisions and Clauses 3052.216-72 Performance evaluation plan. As prescribed in... Evaluation Plan (DEC 2003) (a) A Performance Evaluation Plan shall be unilaterally established by the...

Multi-criteria group decision making for evaluating the performance of e-waste recycling programs under uncertainty.

Science.gov (United States)

Wibowo, Santoso; Deng, Hepu

2015-06-01

This paper presents a multi-criteria group decision making approach for effectively evaluating the performance of e-waste recycling programs under uncertainty in an organization. Intuitionistic fuzzy numbers are used for adequately representing the subjective and imprecise assessments of the decision makers in evaluating the relative importance of evaluation criteria and the performance of individual e-waste recycling programs with respect to individual criteria in a given situation. An interactive fuzzy multi-criteria decision making algorithm is developed for facilitating consensus building in a group decision making environment to ensure that all the interest of individual decision makers have been appropriately considered in evaluating alternative e-waste recycling programs with respect to their corporate sustainability performance. The developed algorithm is then incorporated into a multi-criteria decision support system for making the overall performance evaluation process effectively and simple to use. Such a multi-criteria decision making system adequately provides organizations with a proactive mechanism for incorporating the concept of corporate sustainability into their regular planning decisions and business practices. An example is presented for demonstrating the applicability of the proposed approach in evaluating the performance of e-waste recycling programs in organizations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 35.515 - Evaluation of performance.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Evaluation of performance. 35.515 Section 35.515 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL....515 Evaluation of performance. (a) Joint evaluation process. The applicant and the Regional...

Evaluating interaction energies of weakly bonded systems using the Buckingham-Hirshfeld method

Science.gov (United States)

Krishtal, A.; Van Alsenoy, C.; Geerlings, P.

2014-05-01

We present the finalized Buckingham-Hirshfeld method (BHD-DFT) for the evaluation of interaction energies of non-bonded dimers with Density Functional Theory (DFT). In the method, dispersion energies are evaluated from static multipole polarizabilities, obtained on-the-fly from Coupled Perturbed Kohn-Sham calculations and partitioned into diatomic contributions using the iterative Hirshfeld partitioning method. The dispersion energy expression is distributed over four atoms and has therefore a higher delocalized character compared to the standard pairwise expressions. Additionally, full multipolar polarizability tensors are used as opposed to effective polarizabilities, allowing to retain the anisotropic character at no additional computational cost. A density dependent damping function for the BLYP, PBE, BP86, B3LYP, and PBE0 functionals has been implemented, containing two global parameters which were fitted to interaction energies and geometries of a selected number of dimers using a bi-variate RMS fit. The method is benchmarked against the S22 and S66 data sets for equilibrium geometries and the S22x5 and S66x8 data sets for interaction energies around the equilibrium geometry. Best results are achieved using the B3LYP functional with mean average deviation values of 0.30 and 0.24 kcal/mol for the S22 and S66 data sets, respectively. This situates the BHD-DFT method among the best performing dispersion inclusive DFT methods. Effect of counterpoise correction on DFT energies is discussed.

Evaluation of high-performance computing software

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Browne, S.; Dongarra, J. [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Rowan, T. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

1996-12-31

The absence of unbiased and up to date comparative evaluations of high-performance computing software complicates a user`s search for the appropriate software package. The National HPCC Software Exchange (NHSE) is attacking this problem using an approach that includes independent evaluations of software, incorporation of author and user feedback into the evaluations, and Web access to the evaluations. We are applying this approach to the Parallel Tools Library (PTLIB), a new software repository for parallel systems software and tools, and HPC-Netlib, a high performance branch of the Netlib mathematical software repository. Updating the evaluations with feed-back and making it available via the Web helps ensure accuracy and timeliness, and using independent reviewers produces unbiased comparative evaluations difficult to find elsewhere.

Using the reactive strength index modified to evaluate plyometric performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Ebben, William P; Petushek, Erich J

2010-08-01

The ability to develop force quickly is a requisite ability in most sports. The reactive strength index (RSI) has been developed as a measure of explosive strength and is derived by evaluating jump height divided by ground contact time during the depth jump (DJ). At present, the RSI is typically used to evaluate DJ performance, because it is the only plyometric exercise with an identifiable ground contact time. The purpose of this study was to introduce a modification of the RSI (RSImod) that can be used to evaluate the explosive power of any vertical plyometric exercise. This study will also assess the reliability of the RSImod, evaluate the RSImod of a variety of plyometric exercises, and examine gender differences. Twenty-six men and 23 women served as subjects. Subjects performed 3 repetitions for each of 5 plyometric exercises including the countermovement jump (CMJ), tuck jump, single-leg jump, squat jump, and dumbbell CMJ. Data were analyzed using a 2-way analysis of variance to evaluate differences in RSImod between the plyometric exercise and the interaction between plyometric exercise RSImod and gender. The analysis of RSImod revealed significant main effects for plyometric exercise type (p plyometric exercise type and gender (p > 0.05). Results of pairwise comparisons indicate that the RSImod is statistically different between all plyometric exercises studied. Intraclass correlation coefficients indicate that RSImod is highly reliable for all of the exercises studied. The RSImod offers a highly reliable method of assessing the explosiveness developed during a variety of plyometric exercises.

The lesson learnt during interact - I and INTERACT - II actris measurement campaigns

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosoldi Marco

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The INTERACT-II (INTERcomparison of Aerosol and Cloud Tracking campaign, performed at the CNR-IMAA Atmospheric Observatory (760 m a.s.l., 40.60° N, 15.72° E, aims to evaluate the performances of commercial automatic lidars and ceilometers for atmospheric aerosol profiling, through the comparison with Potenza EARLINET (European Aerosol Research Lidar NETwork lidars. The results of the campaign and the overall lesson learnt within INTERACT-I and INTERACT-II ACTRIS campaigns will be presented.

40 CFR 35.115 - Evaluation of performance.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Evaluation of performance. 35.115 Section 35.115 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL... Evaluation of performance. (a) Joint evaluation process. The applicant and the Regional Administrator will...

Investigating Conversational Dynamics: Interactive Alignment, Interpersonal Synergy, and Collective Task Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Fusaroli, Riccardo; Tylén, Kristian

2016-01-01

This study investigates interpersonal processes underlying dialog by comparing two approaches, "interactive alignment" and "interpersonal synergy", and assesses how they predict collective performance in a joint task. While the interactive alignment approach highlights imitative patterns between interlocutors, the synergy…

[Analysis and evaluation of acute injuries in musical performers].

Science.gov (United States)

Wanke, E M; Groneberg, D A; Quarcoo, D

2011-09-01

Specific requirements in the Musical field such as the versatility of abilities in dancing, singing and acting, the aspiration for perfection as well as the high number of performances, lead to a high amount of occupational accidents not yet evaluated. Aim of this study is, therefore, to analyze and evaluate occupational accidents in Musical performers and to suggest preventive concepts. The data of this evaluation comprise occupational accident reports of consultants, accident reports of various Berlin theatres as well as case records of all Berlin State Theatres (n = 89, m: 58, f: 31) of the Berlin State Accident Insurance covering a period 12-year period. A total of 60.3 % of the accidents happen during performances, 24.4 % during rehearsals, and 6.7 % during the training. Lower extremity injuries (m: 61.1 %, f: 58.2 %) are the most common for performers. The majority of injuries (m: 46.3 %, f: 50.0 %) happens during ordinary dance movements. Altogether 66.7 % of the injuries have a uniquely defined exogenous cause. The dance partner is with 17.9 % the most common exogenous cause, followed by props (15.4 %) and dance floor (11.6 %). 66.3 % of all accidents happen in the first three hours after starting work with an incidence in the evenings. There are gender specific differences. Parallels can be drawn (e. g. injured structures, type of injuries) to the professional dance and the dance theatre, however, there are also differences (e. g. age, injury location) Due to the results and the work specific requirements the Musical is to be considered as an autonomous field among the performing arts. Above all, the majority of injuries are - compared to other dance styles - caused by exogenous factors. Modifications may here reduce the incidence. At that, an early interaction in the planning progress of a production, an optimal selection of physical and psychic qualified performers as well as an improvement of training conditions are primary steps towards

48 CFR 2936.201 - Evaluation of contractor performance.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Evaluation of contractor... Construction 2936.201 Evaluation of contractor performance. The HCA must establish procedures to evaluate construction contractor performance and prepare performance reports as required by FAR 36.201. ...

Performance Evaluation of Community Health Workers: Case Study in the Amazon of Peru.

Science.gov (United States)

Westgard, Christopher; Naraine, Renuka; Paucar Villacorta, Diego Mauricio

2018-03-26

A shortage in human resources for health is a growing crisis that has led to an inability to provide adequate health services to impoverished populations. By "task-shifting", health systems can delegate certain activities, such as health promotion and referral, to trained community members to help fill the human resource gap. An effective community health agent program can improve maternal and child health and overall effectiveness of rural health systems. Such a program is most effective when the community health agents receive supervision and evaluation of their performance. There is a shortage of literature that provides instruction and example on how to conduct a performance evaluation in the developing world to improve maternal and child health outcomes. The current study provides a case study of a performance evaluation in the Amazon region of Peru and how the findings can be used to make program adjustments. A set of instruments to measure the performance of CHWs was adapted from the literature and then implemented in the field. The instruments were used to measure the quality of home visits by the CHWs, their knowledge of the health topics, and structural activities. Three communities with an active CHW program in Loreto, Peru were chosen to receive the evaluation. All CHWs in the communities were evaluated. The scores from the evaluation were compared internally to identify strengths and weaknesses of the program and within the population of CHWs. The evaluation was completed on 52 home visits and 27 CHWs in three communities. The CHWs were found to be most effective at creating good relationships with caregivers and delivering health messages, and least effective at interacting with the child during the home visit and using material to deliver health messages. The evaluation instruments were well suited for the CHW program that utilizes home visits to teach about child health and development.

Interaction and framing in the performance “Insideout” by Sasha Waltz

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thygesen, Mads

2010-01-01

This paper examines how Waltz’ performance "Insideout" (2003) on the one hand iterates some relatively stable contextual frames of “sameness” (its mise en scène), but on the other, more radically plays with different and alternating discursive framings or contexts, e.g. “this is theatre” or “this...... is a social or political situation”, in order to create a space of interaction between actors and spectators. This challenges a more traditional notion of the theatrical frame (Goffmann): given that the dividing line between performer and audience is blurred, the audience becomes involved in the production...... perspectives that can help shed new light on the aesthetics of performance art. The full scope of Waltz’s performance, however, is not grasped if we follow that aspect of Fischer-Lichte’s theory which reduces a performance to the question of co-presence, role-reversal or interaction. For her, a performance...

National diversity and team performance: the moderating role of interactional justice climate

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Buengeler, C.; den Hartog, D.N.

2015-01-01

In this team-level study, we present and test a model in which two aspects of interactional justice climate, its level and its strength, interact to moderate the effects of national diversity on team performance. Connecting the literatures on team diversity and (interactional) justice climate, we

10 CFR 1045.9 - RD classification performance evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false RD classification performance evaluation. 1045.9 Section... classification performance evaluation. (a) Heads of agencies shall ensure that RD management officials and those... RD or FRD documents shall have their personnel performance evaluated with respect to classification...

48 CFR 2452.216-73 - Performance evaluation plan.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 true Performance evaluation plan... 2452.216-73 Performance evaluation plan. As prescribed in 2416.406(e)(3), insert the following clause in all award fee contracts: Performance Evaluation Plan (AUG 1987) (a) The Government shall...

Protein structure modelling and evaluation based on a 4-distance description of side-chain interactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Inbar Yuval

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Accurate evaluation and modelling of residue-residue interactions within and between proteins is a key aspect of computational structure prediction including homology modelling, protein-protein docking, refinement of low-resolution structures, and computational protein design. Results Here we introduce a method for accurate protein structure modelling and evaluation based on a novel 4-distance description of residue-residue interaction geometry. Statistical 4-distance preferences were extracted from high-resolution protein structures and were used as a basis for a knowledge-based potential, called Hunter. We demonstrate that 4-distance description of side chain interactions can be used reliably to discriminate the native structure from a set of decoys. Hunter ranked the native structure as the top one in 217 out of 220 high-resolution decoy sets, in 25 out of 28 "Decoys 'R' Us" decoy sets and in 24 out of 27 high-resolution CASP7/8 decoy sets. The same concept was applied to side chain modelling in protein structures. On a set of very high-resolution protein structures the average RMSD was 1.47 Å for all residues and 0.73 Å for buried residues, which is in the range of attainable accuracy for a model. Finally, we show that Hunter performs as good or better than other top methods in homology modelling based on results from the CASP7 experiment. The supporting web site http://bioinfo.weizmann.ac.il/hunter/ was developed to enable the use of Hunter and for visualization and interactive exploration of 4-distance distributions. Conclusions Our results suggest that Hunter can be used as a tool for evaluation and for accurate modelling of residue-residue interactions in protein structures. The same methodology is applicable to other areas involving high-resolution modelling of biomolecules.

Performance Evaluation Model for Application Layer Firewalls.

Science.gov (United States)

Xuan, Shichang; Yang, Wu; Dong, Hui; Zhang, Jiangchuan

2016-01-01

Application layer firewalls protect the trusted area network against information security risks. However, firewall performance may affect user experience. Therefore, performance analysis plays a significant role in the evaluation of application layer firewalls. This paper presents an analytic model of the application layer firewall, based on a system analysis to evaluate the capability of the firewall. In order to enable users to improve the performance of the application layer firewall with limited resources, resource allocation was evaluated to obtain the optimal resource allocation scheme in terms of throughput, delay, and packet loss rate. The proposed model employs the Erlangian queuing model to analyze the performance parameters of the system with regard to the three layers (network, transport, and application layers). Then, the analysis results of all the layers are combined to obtain the overall system performance indicators. A discrete event simulation method was used to evaluate the proposed model. Finally, limited service desk resources were allocated to obtain the values of the performance indicators under different resource allocation scenarios in order to determine the optimal allocation scheme. Under limited resource allocation, this scheme enables users to maximize the performance of the application layer firewall.

Performance Evaluation Model for Application Layer Firewalls.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shichang Xuan

Full Text Available Application layer firewalls protect the trusted area network against information security risks. However, firewall performance may affect user experience. Therefore, performance analysis plays a significant role in the evaluation of application layer firewalls. This paper presents an analytic model of the application layer firewall, based on a system analysis to evaluate the capability of the firewall. In order to enable users to improve the performance of the application layer firewall with limited resources, resource allocation was evaluated to obtain the optimal resource allocation scheme in terms of throughput, delay, and packet loss rate. The proposed model employs the Erlangian queuing model to analyze the performance parameters of the system with regard to the three layers (network, transport, and application layers. Then, the analysis results of all the layers are combined to obtain the overall system performance indicators. A discrete event simulation method was used to evaluate the proposed model. Finally, limited service desk resources were allocated to obtain the values of the performance indicators under different resource allocation scenarios in order to determine the optimal allocation scheme. Under limited resource allocation, this scheme enables users to maximize the performance of the application layer firewall.

Laboratory performance evaluation reports for management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindahl, P.C.; Hensley, J.E.; Bass, D.A.; Johnson, P.L.; Marr, J.J.; Streets, W.E.; Warren, S.W.; Newberry, R.W.

1995-01-01

In support of the US DOE's environmental restoration efforts, the Integrated Performance Evaluation Program (IPEP) was developed to produce laboratory performance evaluation reports for management. These reports will provide information necessary to allow DOE headquarters and field offices to determine whether or not contracted analytical laboratories have the capability to produce environmental data of the quality necessary for the remediation program. This document describes the management report

A Spectral Evaluation of Models Performances in Mediterranean Oak Woodlands

Science.gov (United States)

Vargas, R.; Baldocchi, D. D.; Abramowitz, G.; Carrara, A.; Correia, A.; Kobayashi, H.; Papale, D.; Pearson, D.; Pereira, J.; Piao, S.; Rambal, S.; Sonnentag, O.

2009-12-01

Ecosystem processes are influenced by climatic trends at multiple temporal scales including diel patterns and other mid-term climatic modes, such as interannual and seasonal variability. Because interactions between biophysical components of ecosystem processes are complex, it is important to test how models perform in frequency (e.g. hours, days, weeks, months, years) and time (i.e. day of the year) domains in addition to traditional tests of annual or monthly sums. Here we present a spectral evaluation using wavelet time series analysis of model performance in seven Mediterranean Oak Woodlands that encompass three deciduous and four evergreen sites. We tested the performance of five models (CABLE, ORCHIDEE, BEPS, Biome-BGC, and JULES) on measured variables of gross primary production (GPP) and evapotranspiration (ET). In general, model performance fails at intermediate periods (e.g. weeks to months) likely because these models do not represent the water pulse dynamics that influence GPP and ET at these Mediterranean systems. To improve the performance of a model it is critical to identify first where and when the model fails. Only by identifying where a model fails we can improve the model performance and use them as prognostic tools and to generate further hypotheses that can be tested by new experiments and measurements.

Interactive Information Retrieval

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borlund, Pia

2013-01-01

The paper introduces the research area of interactive information retrieval (IIR) from a historical point of view. Further, the focus here is on evaluation, because much research in IR deals with IR evaluation methodology due to the core research interest in IR performance, system interaction...... and satisfaction with retrieved information. In order to position IIR evaluation, the Cranfield model and the series of tests that led to the Cranfield model are outlined. Three iconic user-oriented studies and projects that all have contributed to how IIR is perceived and understood today are presented......: The MEDLARS test, the Book House fiction retrieval system, and the OKAPI project. On this basis the call for alternative IIR evaluation approaches motivated by the three revolutions (the cognitive, the relevance, and the interactive revolutions) put forward by Robertson & Hancock-Beaulieu (1992) is presented...

Performance evaluation recommendations of nuclear power plants outdoor significant civil structures earthquake resistance. Performance evaluation examples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-06-01

The Japan Society of Civil Engineers has updated performance evaluation recommendations of nuclear power plants outdoor significant civil structures earthquake resistance in June 2005. Based on experimental and analytical considerations, analytical seismic models of soils for underground structures, effects of vertical motions on time-history dynamic analysis and shear fracture of reinforced concretes by cyclic loadings have been incorporated in new recommendations. This document shows outdoor civil structures earthquake resistance and endurance performance evaluation examples based on revised recommendations. (T. Tanaka)

Using GOMS and NASA-TLX to Evaluate Human-Computer Interaction Process in Interactive Segmentation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ramkumar, A.; Stappers, P.J.; Niessen, W.J.; Adebahr, S; Schimek-Jasch, T; Nestle, U; Song, Y.

2016-01-01

HCI plays an important role in interactive medical image segmentation. The Goals, Operators, Methods, and Selection rules (GOMS) model and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) questionnaire are different methods that are often used to evaluate the HCI

Performance evaluation of Central European companies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petr Fiala

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The paper presents a modelling approach for performance comparison of Central European companies on three levels: country, industry, and company. The approach is based on Data Envelopment Analysis and Analytic Hierarchy Process. The proposed model consists of two basic sections. The first section estimates the importance of selected industries in the countries, whereas the second section evaluates the performance of companies within industries. The results of both sections are synthesized and finally the country performance is estimated. The evaluation is based on the data set resulting from a survey of companies from selected industries.

Soil-structure interaction - an engineering evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hadjian, A.H.

1976-01-01

The two methods of analysis for structure interaction, the impedance and the finite element methods, are reviewed with regard to their present capabilities to address the significant factors of the problem. The objective of the paper is to evaluate if an adequate engineering solution to the problem is provided by either approach. Questions related to the reduction of seismic motions with depth scattering of incident waves, the three-dimensionality of the real problem, soil damping, strain dependency of soil properties and the uncertainties associated with all of the above are discussed in sufficient detail. All conclusions made are based on referenced material. It appears that both methods as presently practised have not yet completely solved the problem, the impedance approach has come closer to addressing the more significant issues. Because of this finding, in addition to its simplicity and low cost, the impedance approach is the perfect engineering method for soil-structure interaction. (Auth.)

Systems interaction and single failure criterion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-10-01

This study is a continued assessment of US research. All three of the systems interaction review methodologies which NRC's Systems Interaction Section (SIS) is studying are recommended. They are the Digraph-Matrix Analysis and Interactive Fault Tree/Failure Modes and Effects Analysis methodologies. A third methodology was developed for the Indian Point 3 system interaction review. It is recommended to developing the capability to perform and evaluate systems interaction reviews at Swedish nuclear plants. The Swedish demonstration studies should be performed on BWR's. (G.B.)

Evaluating Nonclinical Performance of the Academic Pathologist

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Austin Blackburn Wiles MD

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Academic pathologists perform clinical duties, as well as valuable nonclinical activities. Nonclinical activities may consist of research, teaching, and administrative management among many other important tasks. While clinical duties have many clear metrics to measure productivity, like the relative value units of Medicare reimbursement, nonclinical performance is often difficult to measure. Despite the difficulty of evaluating nonclinical activities, nonclinical productivity is used to determine promotion, funding, and inform professional evaluations of performance. In order to better evaluate the important nonclinical performance of academic pathologists, we present an evaluation system for leadership use. This system uses a Microsoft Excel workbook to provide academic pathologist respondents and reviewing leadership a transparent, easy-to-complete system that is both flexible and scalable. This system provides real-time feedback to academic pathologist respondents and a clear executive summary that allows for focused guidance of the respondent. This system may be adapted to fit practices of varying size, measure performance differently based on years of experience, and can work with many different institutional values.

Revisiting Mutual Fund Performance Evaluation

OpenAIRE

Angelidis, Timotheos; Giamouridis, Daniel; Tessaromatis, Nikolaos

2012-01-01

Mutual fund manager excess performance should be measured relative to their self-reported benchmark rather than the return of a passive portfolio with the same risk characteristics. Ignoring the self-reported benchmark introduces biases in the measurement of stock selection and timing components of excess performance. We revisit baseline empirical evidence in mutual fund performance evaluation utilizing stock selection and timing measures that address these biases. We introduce a new factor e...

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION: LITERATURE REVIEW AND TIME EVOLUTION.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pintea Mirela-Oana

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Performance evaluation of an economic entity requires approaching several criteria, such as industry and economic entity type, managerial and entrepreneurial strategy, competitive environment, human and material resources available, using a system of appropriate performance indicators for this purpose.The exigencies of communication occurred on the growing number of phenomena that marked the global economy in recent decades (internationalization and relocation of business crises and turmoil in financial markets, demand performance measurement to be made in a comprehensive way by financial and non-financial criteria. Indicators are measures of performance used by management to measure, report and improve performance of the economic entity. The relationship between indicators and management is ensured by the existence of performance measurement systems. Studies to date indicate that economic entities using balanced performance measurement systems as a key management tool registered superior performance compared to entities not using such systems. This study attempts to address the issue of performance evaluation by presenting opinions of different authors concerning the process of performance measurement and to present, after revising the literature, the evolution of the performance evaluation systems. We tried to do this literature review because sustainable development and, therefore, globalization require new standards of performance that exceeds the economic field, both for domestic companies as well as international ones. So, these standards should be integrated into corporate strategy development to ensure sustainability of activities undertaken by harmonizing the economic, social and environmental objectives. To assess the performance of economic entities it is required that performance evaluation to be done with a balanced multidimensional system, including both financial ratios and non-financial indicators in order to reduce the limits of

Performance Evaluation of the Naval Research Laboratory COAMPS on the Forecast of Typhoon Herb in the Western Pacific in 1996

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Peng, Melinda

1997-01-01

... Herb that hit Taiwan island and caused severe damage. Performance of the COAMPS on the track forecast, wind and precipitation forecast, and interaction of the typhoon with topography is evaluated and analyzed.

Performance Evaluation of Investment (Mutual Funds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Povilas Vyšniauskas

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The efficiency of an investment fund is one of the main components in evaluating the performance of the fund. This study seeks for introducing and comparing risk and performance evaluation ratios. The paper is aimed at testing the worked out ratios and at distinguishing between the best ones for the purpose of evaluating the performance of Lithuanian mutual funds. Scientific studies show that a standard deviation, alpha, beta, Sharpe and Treynor ratios are mostly employed for identifying the performance of mutual funds that are also compared with their benchmark index to establish if these funds are outperformed and if is it worth paying management fees to investment banks for managing mutual funds. Historical data were selected for the period from 2012-01-02 to 2013-10-15 analysing the prices of monthly funds. The paper points out the areas of a practical application of the proposed model for investment fund valuation, which may not only provide valuable outcomes for practitioners but also may inspire further research on this article.

Supercapacitors Performance Evaluation

OpenAIRE

Zhang, S; Pan, N

2015-01-01

The performance of a supercapacitor can be characterized by a series of key parameters, including the cell capacitance, operating voltage, equivalent series resistance, power density, energy density, and time constant. To accurately measure these parameters, a variety of methods have been proposed and are used in academia and industry. As a result, some confusion has been caused due to the inconsistencies between different evaluation methods and practices. Such confusion hinders effective com...

Performance evaluation of Louisiana superpave mixtures.

Science.gov (United States)

2008-12-01

This report documents the performance of Louisiana Superpave mixtures through laboratory mechanistic tests, mixture : volumetric properties, gradation analysis, and early field performance. Thirty Superpave mixtures were evaluated in this : study. Fo...

Warning Signals for Poor Performance Improve Human-Robot Interaction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van den Brule, Rik; Bijlstra, Gijsbert; Dotsch, Ron; Haselager, Pim; Wigboldus, Daniel HJ

2016-01-01

The present research was aimed at investigating whether human-robot interaction (HRI) can be improved by a robot’s nonverbal warning signals. Ideally, when a robot signals that it cannot guarantee good performance, people could take preventive actions to ensure the successful completion of the

The Neglected Situation: Assessment Performance and Interaction in Context

Science.gov (United States)

Maddox, Bryan

2015-01-01

Informed by Goffman's influential essay on "The neglected situation" this paper examines the contextual and interactive dimensions of performance in large-scale educational assessments. The paper applies Goffman's participation framework and associated theory in linguistic anthropology to examine how testing situations are framed and…

Towards a Generic Framework for the Performance Evaluation of Manufacturing Strategy: An Innovative Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tigist Fetene Adane

2018-03-01

Full Text Available To be competitive in a manufacturing environment by providing optimal performance in terms of cost-effectiveness and swiftness of system changes, there is a need for flexible production systems based on a well-defined strategy. Companies are steadily looking for methodology to evaluate, improve and update the performance of manufacturing systems for processing operations. Implementation of an adequate strategy for these systems’ flexibility requires a deep understanding of the intricate interactions between the machining process parameters and the manufacturing system’s operational parameters. This paper proposes a framework/generic model for one of the most common metal cutting operations—the boring process of an engine block machining system. A system dynamics modelling approach is presented for modelling the structure of machining system parameters of the boring process, key performance parameters and their intrinsic relationships. The model is based on a case study performed in a company manufacturing engine blocks for heavy vehicles. The approach could allow for performance evaluation of an engine block manufacturing system condition. The presented model enables a basis for other similar processes and industries producing discrete parts.

48 CFR 1552.209-76 - Contractor performance evaluations.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 true Contractor performance... 1552.209-76 Contractor performance evaluations. As prescribed in section 1509.170-1, insert the following clause in all applicable solicitations and contracts. Contractor Performance Evaluations (OCT 2002...

48 CFR 8.406-7 - Contractor Performance Evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Contractor Performance... ACQUISITION PLANNING REQUIRED SOURCES OF SUPPLIES AND SERVICES Federal Supply Schedules 8.406-7 Contractor Performance Evaluation. Ordering activities must prepare an evaluation of contractor performance for each...

48 CFR 1536.201 - Evaluation of contracting performance.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... performance. 1536.201 Section 1536.201 Federal Acquisition Regulations System ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Contracting for Construction 1536.201 Evaluation of contracting performance. (a) The Contracting Officer will... will file the form in the contractor performance evaluation files which it maintains. (e) The Quality...

Combinations of Methods for Collaborative Evaluation of the Usability of Interactive Software Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrés Solano

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Usability is a fundamental quality characteristic for the success of an interactive system. It is a concept that includes a set of metrics and methods in order to obtain easy-to-learn and easy-to-use systems. Usability Evaluation Methods, UEM, are quite diverse; their application depends on variables such as costs, time availability, and human resources. A large number of UEM can be employed to assess interactive software systems, but questions arise when deciding which method and/or combination of methods gives more (relevant information. We propose Collaborative Usability Evaluation Methods, CUEM, following the principles defined by the Collaboration Engineering. This paper analyzes a set of CUEM conducted on different interactive software systems. It proposes combinations of CUEM that provide more complete and comprehensive information about the usability of interactive software systems than those evaluation methods conducted independently.

Aging/Systems Interaction Study, Component Residual Lifetime Evaluation and Feasibility of Relicensing. Progress report, FY 1985

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Close, J.A.; Jacobs, P.T.; Korth, G.E.; Mudlin, J.M.; Server, W.L.; Spaletta, H.W.

1985-10-01

This report documents the work performed on four research tasks in Fiscal Year 1985 (FY-1985) which were part of the Aging/Systems Interaction Study, Component Residual Lifetime Evaluation and Feasibility of Relicensing Project. The technical and management/institutional objectives for the project are described, followed by a description of the results of each task. The work on Task 1 involved identifying and prioritizing new research activities for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program. A proposed methodology and plan for aging-system interaction studies was developed in Task 2. The description of Task 3 work comprises a summary of nuclear plant life extension activities in the US, the technical basis associated with the residual life of metallic materials and a proposed plan for research on residual life assessment. Task 4 describes the initial evaluation of selected Standard Review Plan (NUREG-0800) sections to investigate the feasibility of relicensing. 14 refs., 13 figs., 20 tabs

Mental practice with interactive 3D visual aids enhances surgical performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Yiasemidou, Marina; Glassman, Daniel; Mushtaq, Faisal; Athanasiou, Christos; Williams, Mark-Mon; Jayne, David; Miskovic, Danilo

2017-10-01

Evidence suggests that Mental Practice (MP) could be used to finesse surgical skills. However, MP is cognitively demanding and may be dependent on the ability of individuals to produce mental images. In this study, we hypothesised that the provision of interactive 3D visual aids during MP could facilitate surgical skill performance. 20 surgical trainees were case-matched to one of three different preparation methods prior to performing a simulated Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy (LC). Two intervention groups underwent a 25-minute MP session; one with interactive 3D visual aids depicting the relevant surgical anatomy (3D-MP group, n = 5) and one without (MP-Only, n = 5). A control group (n = 10) watched a didactic video of a real LC. Scores relating to technical performance and safety were recorded by a surgical simulator. The Control group took longer to complete the procedure relative to the 3D&MP condition (p = .002). The number of movements was also statistically different across groups (p = .001), with the 3D&MP group making fewer movements relative to controls (p = .001). Likewise, the control group moved further in comparison to the 3D&MP condition and the MP-Only condition (p = .004). No reliable differences were observed for safety metrics. These data provide evidence for the potential value of MP in improving performance. Furthermore, they suggest that 3D interactive visual aids during MP could potentially enhance performance, beyond the benefits of MP alone. These findings pave the way for future RCTs on surgical preparation and performance.

Performance evaluation on aquatic product cold-chain logistics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenbing Wu

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The requirements for high quality and diversification aquatic products are increasing with the improvement of Chinese living standard. However, the distribution between place of production and place of consumption are uneven, which results in large cold-chain logistics demand for aquatic products. At present, the low-level development of cold chain logistics has a bad impact on the circulation of aquatic products in China. So it is very urgent to develop cold-chain logistics in China. Design/methodology/approach: In order to do this, we apply performance evaluation, a well-known management tool, to study Chinese aquatic product cold-chain logistics. In this paper we first propose SISP(Subjects, Indexes, Standards, and Phases of performance evaluation model and ACSSN model(Aquatic product, Customer, Supply Chain, Society, and Node enterprises of supply chain for aquatic products cold-chain logistics performance evaluation. Then an ANP-Fuzzy method is proposed to evaluate the operational performance of Shandong Oriental Ocean Sci-Tech Co., Ltd. Furthermore, a system dynamic model is built to simulate the impact of temperature on the profits in aquatic products cold-chain sales section. Findings: We find out within a reasonable temperature range, lower temperature brings higher profit level. Also, performance improvement methods are proposed and the simulation of performance evaluation system is developed. Practical implications: Our findings can help to improve the level of aquatic product cold-chain logistics in China. Originality/value: The paper proposes the SISP (Subjects, Indexes, Standards, and Phases of performance evaluation model and ACSSN model (Aquatic product, Customer, Supply Chain, Society, and Node enterprises of supply chain for aquatic products cold-chain logistics performance evaluation.

Evaluation on Impact Interaction between Abutment and Steel Girder Subjected to Nonuniform Seismic Excitation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yue Zheng

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to evaluate the impact interaction between the abutment and the girder subjected to nonuniform seismic excitation. An impact model based on tests is presented by taking material properties of the backfill of the abutment into consideration. The conditional simulation is performed to investigate the spatial variation of earthquake ground motions. A two-span continuous steel box girder bridge is taken as the example to analyze and assess the pounding interaction between the abutment and the girder. The detailed nonlinear finite element (FE model is established and the steel girder and the reinforced concrete piers are modeled by nonlinear fiber elements. The pounding element of the abutment is simulated by using a trilinear compression gap element. The elastic-perfectly plastic element is used to model the nonlinear rubber bearings. The comparisons of the pounding forces, the shear forces of the nonlinear bearings, the moments of reinforced concrete piers, and the axial pounding stresses of the steel girder are studied. The made observations indicate that the nonuniform excitation for multisupport bridge is imperative in the analysis and evaluation of the pounding effects of the bridges.

Evaluating Tourist Destination Performance: Expanding the Sustainability Concept

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenbin Luo

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Performance evaluations are a critical tool in promoting the sustainability of tourist destinations. The literature shows a lack of consensus on basic terminology and definitions of destination performance. While research focuses on business efficiency, areas such as development effectiveness, social equality, and environmental integrity are still not well understood, even though these are salient elements of sustainable development. This paper provides a framework for evaluating destination performance under the 4E rubric of economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and environmental quality, which reflects a more holistic and effective destination performance. The information entropy weight method and a multi-factor comprehensive evaluation model are developed and applied to an international destination, Zhangjiajie, China, which was selected as a case study to test the framework developed. Results show that the economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and environmental quality aspects should be considered when evaluating tourism development performance. The empirical analysis shows that based on these criteria, Zhangjiajie’s destination performance improved measurably during the test period from 2005 to 2009. The results indicate that significant events, natural disasters, and financial crises influence performance most.

Studying Interaction in Undergraduate Tutorials: Results from a Small-Scale Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, Lorraine; Carey, Phil; Mair, Michael

2008-01-01

This article reports on an observation-based evaluation of student-tutor interaction in first-year undergraduate tutorials. Using a single case analysis, the paper looks at how tutors and students built and maintained relationships through two different though interlinked forms of interaction--storytelling and the use of classroom space for…

Analyzing complex wake-terrain interactions and its implications on wind-farm performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Tabib, Mandar; Rasheed, Adil; Fuchs, Franz

2016-09-01

Rotating wind turbine blades generate complex wakes involving vortices (helical tip-vortex, root-vortex etc.).These wakes are regions of high velocity deficits and high turbulence intensities and they tend to degrade the performance of down-stream turbines. Hence, a conservative inter-turbine distance of up-to 10 times turbine diameter (10D) is sometimes used in wind-farm layout (particularly in cases of flat terrain). This ensures that wake-effects will not reduce the overall wind-farm performance, but this leads to larger land footprint for establishing a wind-farm. In-case of complex-terrain, within a short distance (say 10D) itself, the nearby terrain can rise in altitude and be high enough to influence the wake dynamics. This wake-terrain interaction can happen either (a) indirectly, through an interaction of wake (both near tip vortex and far wake large-scale vortex) with terrain induced turbulence (especially, smaller eddies generated by small ridges within the terrain) or (b) directly, by obstructing the wake-region partially or fully in its flow-path. Hence, enhanced understanding of wake- development due to wake-terrain interaction will help in wind farm design. To this end the current study involves: (1) understanding the numerics for successful simulation of vortices, (2) understanding fundamental vortex-terrain interaction mechanism through studies devoted to interaction of a single vortex with different terrains, (3) relating influence of vortex-terrain interactions to performance of a wind-farm by studying a multi-turbine wind-farm layout under different terrains. The results on interaction of terrain and vortex has shown a much faster decay of vortex for complex terrain compared to a flatter-terrain. The potential reasons identified explaining the observation are (a) formation of secondary vortices in flow and its interaction with the primary vortex and (b) enhanced vorticity diffusion due to increased terrain-induced turbulence. The implications of

[Systematic evaluation of retention behavior of carbohydrates in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography].

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Qing; Wang, Jun; Liang, Tu; Xu, Xiaoyong; Jin, Yu

2013-11-01

A systematic evaluation of retention behavior of carbohydrates in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) was performed. The influences of mobile phase, stationary phase and buffer salt on the retention of carbohydrates were investigated. According to the results, the retention time of carbohydrates decreased as the proportion of acetonitrile in mobile phase decreased. Increased time of carbohydrates was observed as the concentration of buffer salt in mobile phase increased. The retention behavior of carbohydrates was also affected by organic solvent and HILIC stationary phase. Furthermore, an appropriate retention equation was used in HILIC mode. The retention equation lnk = a + blnC(B) + cC(B) could quantitatively describe the retention factors of carbohydrates of plant origin with good accuracy: the relative error of the predicted time to actual time was less than 0.3%. The evaluation results could provide guidance for carbohydrates to optimize the experimental conditions in HILIC method development especially for carbohydrate separation

Computed radiography systems performance evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xavier, Clarice C.; Nersissian, Denise Y.; Furquim, Tania A.C.

2009-01-01

The performance of a computed radiography system was evaluated, according to the AAPM Report No. 93. Evaluation tests proposed by the publication were performed, and the following nonconformities were found: imaging p/ate (lP) dark noise, which compromises the clinical image acquired using the IP; exposure indicator uncalibrated, which can cause underexposure to the IP; nonlinearity of the system response, which causes overexposure; resolution limit under the declared by the manufacturer and erasure thoroughness uncalibrated, impairing structures visualization; Moire pattern visualized at the grid response, and IP Throughput over the specified by the manufacturer. These non-conformities indicate that digital imaging systems' lack of calibration can cause an increase in dose in order that image prob/ems can be so/ved. (author)

Methodology for quantitative evaluation of diagnostic performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Metz, C.

1981-01-01

Of various approaches that might be taken to the diagnostic performance evaluation problem, Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis holds great promise. Further development of the methodology for a unified, objective, and meaningful approach to evaluating the usefulness of medical imaging procedures is done by consideration of statistical significance testing, optimal sequencing of correlated studies, and analysis of observer performance

Building Leadership Talent through Performance Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Clifford, Matthew

2015-01-01

Most states and districts scramble to provide professional development to support principals, but "principal evaluation" is often lost amid competing priorities. Evaluation is an important method for supporting principal growth, communicating performance expectations to principals, and improving leadership practice. It provides leaders…

Evaluation channel performance in multichannel environments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gensler, S.; Dekimpe, M.; Skiera, B.

2007-01-01

Evaluating channel performance is crucial for actively managing multiple sales channels, and requires understanding the customers' channel preferences. Two key components of channel performance are (i) the existing customers' intrinsic loyalty to a particular channel and (ii) the channel's ability

Interactional justice as a mediator of the relationship between pay for performance and job satisfaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Azman Ismail

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the effect of pay for performance and interactional justice on job satisfaction.Design/methodology/approach: A survey method was used to collect 107 usable questionnaires from employees who work in the US subsidiary manufacturing firm operating in a silicon valley in East Malaysia, Malaysia.Findings: The outcomes showed two important findings: first, relationship between interactional justice and adequacy of pay significantly correlated with job satisfaction. Second, relationship between interactional justice and participation in pay systems significantly correlated with job satisfaction. Statistically, this result confirms that interactional justice does act as a mediating variable in the pay for performance models of the studied organization.Originality/value: Most previous research tested a direct effect of pay for performance on job satisfaction. Unlike such research approach, this study discovers that interactional justice has strengthened the effect of pay for performance on job satisfaction in a compensation system framework.

Team interaction skills evaluation criteria for nuclear power plant control room operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Montgomery, J.C.; Toquam, J.; Gaddy, C.

1991-09-01

Previous research has shown the value of good team interaction skills to group performance, yet little progress has been made on in terms of how such skills can be measured. In this study rating scales developed previously (Montgomery, et al., 1990) were extensively revised and cast into a Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS) and a Behavioral Frequency format. Rating data were collected using 13 training instructors at the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant, who rated three videotapes of simulator scenario performance during a day-long training session and later evaluated control room crews during requalification training. High levels of interrater agreement on both rating scales were found. However, the factor structure of the ratings was generally inconsistent with that hypothesized. Analysis of training ratings using Cronbach's components of accuracy (Cronbach, 1955) indicated that BARS ratings generally exhibited less error than did the Behavioral Frequency ratings. The results are discussed in terms of both field and research implications

Supplier Performance Evaluation and Rating System (SPEARS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oged, M.; Warner, D.; Gurbuz, E.

1993-03-01

The SSCL Magnet Quality Assurance Department has implemented a Supplier Performance Evaluation and Rating System (SPEARS) to assess supplier performance throughout the development and production stages of the SSCL program. The main objectives of SPEARS are to promote teamwork and recognize performance. This paper examines the current implementation of SPEARS. MSD QA supports the development and production of SSCsuperconducting magnets while implementing the requirements of DOE Order 5700.6C. The MSD QA program is based on the concept of continuous improvement in quality and productivity. The QA program requires that procurement of items and services be controlled to assure conformance to specification. SPEARS has been implemented to meet DOE requirements and to enhance overall confidence in supplier performance. Key elements of SPEARS include supplier evaluation and selection as well as evaluation of furnished quality through source inspection, audit, and receipt inspection. These elements are described in this paper

Supplier Performance Evaluation and Rating System (SPEARS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oged, M.; Warner, D.G.; Gurbuz, E.

1994-01-01

The SSCL Magnet Quality Assurance Department has implemented a Supplier Performance Evaluation and Rating System (SPEARS) to assess supplier performance throughout the development and production stages of the SSCL program. The main objectives of SPEARS are to promote teamwork and recognize performance. This paper examines the current implementation of SPEARS. MSD QA supports the development and production of SSC superconducting magnets while implementing the requirements of DOE Order 5700.6C. The MSD QA program is based on the concept of continuous improvement in quality and productivity. The QA program requires that procurement of items and services be controlled to assure conformance to specification. SPEARS has been implemented to meet DOE requirements and to enhance overall confidence in supplier performance. Key elements of SPEARS include supplier evaluation and selection as well as evaluation of furnished quality through source inspection, audit, and receipt inspection. These elements are described in this paper

Interactive contour delineation of organs at risk in radiotherapy: Clinical evaluation on NSCLC patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dolz, J.; Kirişli, H. A.; Massoptier, L.; Fechter, T.; Karnitzki, S.; Oehlke, O.; Nestle, U.; Vermandel, M.

2016-01-01

Purpose: Accurate delineation of organs at risk (OARs) on computed tomography (CT) image is required for radiation treatment planning (RTP). Manual delineation of OARs being time consuming and prone to high interobserver variability, many (semi-) automatic methods have been proposed. However, most of them are specific to a particular OAR. Here, an interactive computer-assisted system able to segment various OARs required for thoracic radiation therapy is introduced. Methods: Segmentation information (foreground and background seeds) is interactively added by the user in any of the three main orthogonal views of the CT volume and is subsequently propagated within the whole volume. The proposed method is based on the combination of watershed transformation and graph-cuts algorithm, which is used as a powerful optimization technique to minimize the energy function. The OARs considered for thoracic radiation therapy are the lungs, spinal cord, trachea, proximal bronchus tree, heart, and esophagus. The method was evaluated on multivendor CT datasets of 30 patients. Two radiation oncologists participated in the study and manual delineations from the original RTP were used as ground truth for evaluation. Results: Delineation of the OARs obtained with the minimally interactive approach was approved to be usable for RTP in nearly 90% of the cases, excluding the esophagus, which segmentation was mostly rejected, thus leading to a gain of time ranging from 50% to 80% in RTP. Considering exclusively accepted cases, overall OARs, a Dice similarity coefficient higher than 0.7 and a Hausdorff distance below 10 mm with respect to the ground truth were achieved. In addition, the interobserver analysis did not highlight any statistically significant difference, at the exception of the segmentation of the heart, in terms of Hausdorff distance and volume difference. Conclusions: An interactive, accurate, fast, and easy-to-use computer-assisted system able to segment various OARs

Interactive contour delineation of organs at risk in radiotherapy: Clinical evaluation on NSCLC patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Dolz, J; Kirişli, H A; Fechter, T; Karnitzki, S; Oehlke, O; Nestle, U; Vermandel, M; Massoptier, L

2016-05-01

Accurate delineation of organs at risk (OARs) on computed tomography (CT) image is required for radiation treatment planning (RTP). Manual delineation of OARs being time consuming and prone to high interobserver variability, many (semi-) automatic methods have been proposed. However, most of them are specific to a particular OAR. Here, an interactive computer-assisted system able to segment various OARs required for thoracic radiation therapy is introduced. Segmentation information (foreground and background seeds) is interactively added by the user in any of the three main orthogonal views of the CT volume and is subsequently propagated within the whole volume. The proposed method is based on the combination of watershed transformation and graph-cuts algorithm, which is used as a powerful optimization technique to minimize the energy function. The OARs considered for thoracic radiation therapy are the lungs, spinal cord, trachea, proximal bronchus tree, heart, and esophagus. The method was evaluated on multivendor CT datasets of 30 patients. Two radiation oncologists participated in the study and manual delineations from the original RTP were used as ground truth for evaluation. Delineation of the OARs obtained with the minimally interactive approach was approved to be usable for RTP in nearly 90% of the cases, excluding the esophagus, which segmentation was mostly rejected, thus leading to a gain of time ranging from 50% to 80% in RTP. Considering exclusively accepted cases, overall OARs, a Dice similarity coefficient higher than 0.7 and a Hausdorff distance below 10 mm with respect to the ground truth were achieved. In addition, the interobserver analysis did not highlight any statistically significant difference, at the exception of the segmentation of the heart, in terms of Hausdorff distance and volume difference. An interactive, accurate, fast, and easy-to-use computer-assisted system able to segment various OARs required for thoracic radiation therapy has

Interactive contour delineation of organs at risk in radiotherapy: Clinical evaluation on NSCLC patients

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dolz, J., E-mail: jose.dolz.upv@gmail.com [AQUILAB, Loos-les-Lille 59120, France and University Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, U1189–ONCO-THAI–Image Assisted Laser Therapy for Oncology, Lille F-59000 (France); Kirişli, H. A.; Massoptier, L. [AQUILAB, Loos-les-Lille 59120 (France); Fechter, T.; Karnitzki, S.; Oehlke, O.; Nestle, U. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center, Freiburg 79106 (Germany); Vermandel, M. [Inserm Onco Thai U1189, Université Lille 2, CHRU Lille, Lille 59037 (France)

2016-05-15

Purpose: Accurate delineation of organs at risk (OARs) on computed tomography (CT) image is required for radiation treatment planning (RTP). Manual delineation of OARs being time consuming and prone to high interobserver variability, many (semi-) automatic methods have been proposed. However, most of them are specific to a particular OAR. Here, an interactive computer-assisted system able to segment various OARs required for thoracic radiation therapy is introduced. Methods: Segmentation information (foreground and background seeds) is interactively added by the user in any of the three main orthogonal views of the CT volume and is subsequently propagated within the whole volume. The proposed method is based on the combination of watershed transformation and graph-cuts algorithm, which is used as a powerful optimization technique to minimize the energy function. The OARs considered for thoracic radiation therapy are the lungs, spinal cord, trachea, proximal bronchus tree, heart, and esophagus. The method was evaluated on multivendor CT datasets of 30 patients. Two radiation oncologists participated in the study and manual delineations from the original RTP were used as ground truth for evaluation. Results: Delineation of the OARs obtained with the minimally interactive approach was approved to be usable for RTP in nearly 90% of the cases, excluding the esophagus, which segmentation was mostly rejected, thus leading to a gain of time ranging from 50% to 80% in RTP. Considering exclusively accepted cases, overall OARs, a Dice similarity coefficient higher than 0.7 and a Hausdorff distance below 10 mm with respect to the ground truth were achieved. In addition, the interobserver analysis did not highlight any statistically significant difference, at the exception of the segmentation of the heart, in terms of Hausdorff distance and volume difference. Conclusions: An interactive, accurate, fast, and easy-to-use computer-assisted system able to segment various OARs

Evaluating supplier quality performance using analytical hierarchy process

Science.gov (United States)

Kalimuthu Rajoo, Shanmugam Sundram; Kasim, Maznah Mat; Ahmad, Nazihah

2013-09-01

This paper elaborates the importance of evaluating supplier quality performance to an organization. Supplier quality performance evaluation reflects the actual performance of the supplier exhibited at customer's end. It is critical in enabling the organization to determine the area of improvement and thereafter works with supplier to close the gaps. Success of the customer partly depends on supplier's quality performance. Key criteria as quality, cost, delivery, technology support and customer service are categorized as main factors in contributing to supplier's quality performance. 18 suppliers' who were manufacturing automotive application parts evaluated in year 2010 using weight point system. There were few suppliers with common rating which led to common ranking observed by few suppliers'. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), a user friendly decision making tool for complex and multi criteria problems was used to evaluate the supplier's quality performance challenging the weight point system that was used for 18 suppliers'. The consistency ratio was checked for criteria and sub-criteria. Final results of AHP obtained with no overlap ratings, therefore yielded a better decision making methodology as compared to weight point rating system.

Evaluating Suit Fit Using Performance Degradation

Science.gov (United States)

Margerum, Sarah E.; Cowley, Matthew; Harvill, Lauren; Benson, Elizabeth; Rajulu, Sudhakar

2011-01-01

The Mark III suit has multiple sizes of suit components (arm, leg, and gloves) as well as sizing inserts to tailor the fit of the suit to an individual. This study sought to determine a way to identify the point an ideal suit fit transforms into a bad fit and how to quantify this breakdown using mobility-based physical performance data. This study examined the changes in human physical performance via degradation of the elbow and wrist range of motion of the planetary suit prototype (Mark III) with respect to changes in sizing and as well as how to apply that knowledge to suit sizing options and improvements in suit fit. The methods implemented in this study focused on changes in elbow and wrist mobility due to incremental suit sizing modifications. This incremental sizing was within a range that included both optimum and poor fit. Suited range of motion data was collected using a motion analysis system for nine isolated and functional tasks encompassing the elbow and wrist joints. A total of four subjects were tested with motions involving both arms simultaneously as well as the right arm only. The results were then compared across sizing configurations. The results of this study indicate that range of motion may be used as a viable parameter to quantify at what stage suit sizing causes a detriment in performance; however the human performance decrement appeared to be based on the interaction of multiple joints along a limb, not a single joint angle. The study was able to identify a preliminary method to quantify the impact of size on performance and to develop a means to gauge tolerances around optimal size. More work is needed to improve the assessment of optimal fit and to compensate for multiple joint interactions.

Research on Performance Evaluation by IDSS Based on AHP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tang Xuelian

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Talent resource is the primary resource. There are two sides as the starting point and foothold in this paper. One is how to evaluate the performance of science and technology talents flow by IDSS (Intelligence Decision Supporting System. Another is how to guide the innovation work of science and technology according to the evaluation results. The evaluation index on performance system has hierarchical structure. So AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process is applied to evaluate the performance. Evaluation model is established and illustrated by the cases in this paper. It can be seen that the flow of performance is influenced by the growth rate of important scientific and technological achievements. Furthermore, some constructive suggestions are given based on the results of evaluation.

High-volume image quality assessment systems: tuning performance with an interactive data visualization tool

Science.gov (United States)

Bresnahan, Patricia A.; Pukinskis, Madeleine; Wiggins, Michael

1999-03-01

evaluation. Lower-level pass-fail conditions and decision rules were coded into the system. Higher-level image quality states were defined by allowing the users to interactively adjust the system's sensitivity to various image attributes by manipulating graphical controls. Results were presented in easily interpreted bar graphs. These graphs were mouse- sensitive, allowing the user to more fully explore the subsets of data indicated by various color blocks. In order to simplify the performance evaluation and tuning process, users could choose to view the results of (1) the existing system parameter state, (2) the results of any arbitrary parameter values they chose, or (3) the results of a quasi-optimum parameter state, derived by applying a decision rule to a large set of possible parameter states. Giving managers easy- to-use tools for defining the more subjective aspects of quality resulted in a system that responded to contextual cues that are difficult to hard-code. It had the additional advantage of allowing the definition of quality to evolve over time, as users became more knowledgeable as to the strengths and limitations of an automated quality inspection system.

Pre-evaluation and interactive editing of B-spline and GERBS curves and surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Laksâ, Arne

2017-12-01

Interactive computer based geometry editing is very useful for designers and artists. Our goal has been to develop useful tools for geometry editing in a way that increases the ability for creative design. When we interactively editing geometry, we want to see the change happening gradually and smoothly on the screen. Pre-evaluation is a tool for increasing the speed of the graphics when doing interactive affine operation on control points and control surfaces. It is then possible to add details on surfaces, and change shape in a smooth and continuous way. We use pre-evaluation on basis functions, on blending functions and on local surfaces. Pre-evaluation can be made hierarchi-cally and is thus useful for local refinements. Sampling and plotting of curves, surfaces and volumes can today be handled by the GPU and it is therefore important to have a structured organization and updating system to be able to make interactive editing as smooth and user friendly as possible. In the following, we will show a structure for pre-evaluation and an optimal organisation of the computation and we will show the effect of implementing both of these techniques.

Messaging Performance of FIPA Interaction Protocols in Networked Embedded Controllers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

García JoséAPérez

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Agent-based technologies in production control systems could facilitate seamless reconfiguration and integration of mechatronic devices/modules into systems. Advances in embedded controllers which are continuously improving computational capabilities allow for software modularization and distribution of decisions. Agent platforms running on embedded controllers could hide the complexity of bootstrap and communication. Therefore, it is important to investigate the messaging performance of the agents whose main motivation is the resource allocation in manufacturing systems (i.e., conveyor system. The tests were implemented using the FIPA-compliant JADE-LEAP agent platform. Agent containers were distributed through networked embedded controllers, and agents were communicating using request and contract-net FIPA interaction protocols. The test scenarios are organized in intercontainer and intracontainer communications. The work shows the messaging performance for the different test scenarios using both interaction protocols.

Messaging Performance of FIPA Interaction Protocols in Networked Embedded Controllers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Omar Jehovani López Orozco

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Agent-based technologies in production control systems could facilitate seamless reconfiguration and integration of mechatronic devices/modules into systems. Advances in embedded controllers which are continuously improving computational capabilities allow for software modularization and distribution of decisions. Agent platforms running on embedded controllers could hide the complexity of bootstrap and communication. Therefore, it is important to investigate the messaging performance of the agents whose main motivation is the resource allocation in manufacturing systems (i.e., conveyor system. The tests were implemented using the FIPA-compliant JADE-LEAP agent platform. Agent containers were distributed through networked embedded controllers, and agents were communicating using request and contract-net FIPA interaction protocols. The test scenarios are organized in intercontainer and intracontainer communications. The work shows the messaging performance for the different test scenarios using both interaction protocols.

comparative performance evaluation of an existing and modified

African Journals Online (AJOL)

PROF. BARTH EKWEME

and fan speeds of 2800 rpm as against the existing cylinder and fan speeds of 934 rpm. The performance evaluation for ... KEYWORDS: Acha, fonio, dehuller, performance evaluation, ... centrifugal force as a result of the rotation of the cylinder.

Development and Evaluation of an Interactive WebQuest Environment: "Web Macerasi"

Science.gov (United States)

Gulbahar, Yasemin; Madran, R. Orcun; Kalelioglu, Filiz

2010-01-01

This study was conducted to develop a web-based interactive system, Web Macerasi, for teaching-learning and evaluation purposes, and to find out the possible effects of this system. The study has two stages. In the first stage, a WebQuest site was designed as an interactive system in which various Internet and web technologies were used for…

Evaluation Criteria for Interactive E-Books for Open and Distance Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Bozkurt, Aras; Bozkaya, Mujgan

2015-01-01

The aim of this mixed method study is to identify evaluation criteria for interactive e-books. To find answers for the research questions of the study, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through a four-round Delphi study with a panel consisting of 30 experts. After that, a total of 20 interactive e-books were examined with…

Computer technique for evaluating collimator performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rollo, F.D.

1975-01-01

A computer program has been developed to theoretically evaluate the overall performance of collimators used with radioisotope scanners and γ cameras. The first step of the program involves the determination of the line spread function (LSF) and geometrical efficiency from the fundamental parameters of the collimator being evaluated. The working equations can be applied to any plane of interest. The resulting LSF is applied to subroutine computer programs which compute corresponding modulation transfer function and contrast efficiency functions. The latter function is then combined with appropriate geometrical efficiency data to determine the performance index function. The overall computer program allows one to predict from the physical parameters of the collimator alone how well the collimator will reproduce various sized spherical voids of activity in the image plane. The collimator performance program can be used to compare the performance of various collimator types, to study the effects of source depth on collimator performance, and to assist in the design of collimators. The theory of the collimator performance equation is discussed, a comparison between the experimental and theoretical LSF values is made, and examples of the application of the technique are presented

Evaluating Robotic Surgical Skills Performance Under Distractive Environment Using Objective and Subjective Measures.

Science.gov (United States)

Suh, Irene H; LaGrange, Chad A; Oleynikov, Dmitry; Siu, Ka-Chun

2016-02-01

Distractions are recognized as a significant factor affecting performance in safety critical domains. Although operating rooms are generally full of distractions, the effect of distractions on robot-assisted surgical (RAS) performance is unclear. Our aim was to investigate the effect of distractions on RAS performance using both objective and subjective measures. Fifteen participants performed a knot-tying task using the da Vinci Surgical System and were exposed to 3 distractions: (1) passive distraction entailed listening to noise with a constant heart rate, (2) active distraction included listening to noise and acknowledging a change of random heart rate from 60 to 120 bpm, and (3) interactive distraction consisted of answering math questions. The objective kinematics of the surgical instrument tips were used to evaluate performance. Electromyography (EMG) of the forearm and hand muscles of the participants were collected. The median EMG frequency (EMG(fmed)) and the EMG envelope (EMG(env)) were analyzed. NASA Task Load Index and Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery score were used to evaluate the subjective performance. One-way repeated analysis of variance was applied to examine the effects of distraction on skills performance. Spearman's correlations were conducted to compare objective and subjective measures. Significant distraction effect was found for all objective kinematics measures (P < .05). There were significant distraction effects for EMG measures (EMG(env), P < .004; EMG(fmed), P = .031). Significant distraction effects were also found for subjective measurements. Distraction impairs surgical skills performance and increases muscle work. Understanding how the surgeons cope with distractions is important in developing surgical education. © The Author(s) 2015.

Age and gender interactions in short distance triathlon performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Etter, Franziska; Knechtle, Beat; Bukowski, Arkadiusz; Rüst, Christoph Alexander; Rosemann, Thomas; Lepers, Romuald

2013-01-01

This study investigated the participation and performance trends as well as the age and gender interaction at the Olympic distance 'Zürich Triathlon' (1.5 km swim, 40 km cycle and 10 km run) from 2000 to 2010 in 7,939 total finishers (1,666 females and 6,273 males). Female triathletes aged from 40 to 54 years significantly (P distance triathlon performance increased after the age of 35 years, which appeared earlier compared to long distance triathlon as suggested by previous studies. Future investigations should compare gender difference in performance for different endurance events across age to confirm a possible effect of exercise duration on gender difference with advancing age.

An hierarchical approach to performance evaluation of expert systems

Science.gov (United States)

Dominick, Wayne D. (Editor); Kavi, Srinu

1985-01-01

The number and size of expert systems is growing rapidly. Formal evaluation of these systems - which is not performed for many systems - increases the acceptability by the user community and hence their success. Hierarchical evaluation that had been conducted for computer systems is applied for expert system performance evaluation. Expert systems are also evaluated by treating them as software systems (or programs). This paper reports many of the basic concepts and ideas in the Performance Evaluation of Expert Systems Study being conducted at the University of Southwestern Louisiana.

Irradiation test and performance evaluation of DUPIC fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Myung Seung; Song, K. C.; Moon, J. S.

2002-05-01

The objective of the project is to establish the performance evaluation system of DUPIC fuel during the Phase II R and D. In order to fulfil this objectives, irradiation test of DUPIC fuel was carried out in HANARO using the non-instrumented and SPND-instrumented rig. Also, the analysis on the in-reactor behavior analysis of DUPIC fuel, out-pile test using simulated DUPIC fuel as well as performance and integrity assessment in a commercial reactor were performed during this Phase. The R and D results of the Phase II are summarized as follows : - Performance evaluation of DUPIC fuel via irradiation test in HANARO - Post irradiation examination of irradiated fuel and performance analysis - Development of DUPIC fuel performance code (modified ELESTRES) considering material properties of DUPIC fuel - Irradiation behavior and integrity assessment under the design power envelope of DUPIC fuel - Foundamental technology development of thermal/mechanical performance evaluation using ANSYS (FEM package)

Operator performance evaluation using multi criteria decision making methods

Science.gov (United States)

Rani, Ruzanita Mat; Ismail, Wan Rosmanira; Razali, Siti Fatihah

2014-06-01

Operator performance evaluation is a very important operation in labor-intensive manufacturing industry because the company's productivity depends on the performance of its operators. The aims of operator performance evaluation are to give feedback to operators on their performance, to increase company's productivity and to identify strengths and weaknesses of each operator. In this paper, six multi criteria decision making methods; Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), fuzzy AHP (FAHP), ELECTRE, PROMETHEE II, Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) are used to evaluate the operators' performance and to rank the operators. The performance evaluation is based on six main criteria; competency, experience and skill, teamwork and time punctuality, personal characteristics, capability and outcome. The study was conducted at one of the SME food manufacturing companies in Selangor. From the study, it is found that AHP and FAHP yielded the "outcome" criteria as the most important criteria. The results of operator performance evaluation showed that the same operator is ranked the first using all six methods.

Seismic Performance Evaluation of Concrete Gravity Dams with Penetrated Cracks Considering Fluid–Structure Interaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Behshad

2018-02-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a comprehensive study on the seismic behavior of fractured concrete gravity dams during ground shakings is carried out considering dam–reservoir interaction effects. To gain the seismic behavior of the whole system, finite and boundary elements are employed to model the liquid region and the cracked structure, respectively. Formulation and different computational aspects of the suggested staggered hybrid approach are thoroughly argued. A computer code was developed in order to discuss the presented hybrid BE–DE technique and comparisons are made between the obtained results and those reported in the literature. To gain this goal, several problems of seismic excitations in frequency- and time-domains are presented employing the proposed approach, showing that the present results agree well with the results from other numerical procedures. The cracked Koyna Dam is scrutinized, considering the dynamic interaction between dam and reservoir with focus on the nonlinear behavior due to its top profile crack. The developed numerical model is rigorously validated by extensive comparisons with available results in the literature in which the dam–reservoir interaction were simplified by added masses. It can be concluded that there is significant disparity between the overturning and sliding response schemes of the nonlinear analysis and those of added mass technique.

Performance of upstream interaction region detectors for the FIRST experiment at GSI

CERN Document Server

Abou-Haidar, Z; Alvarez, M A G; Anelli, M; Aumann, T; Battistoni, G; Bocci, A; Bohlen, T T; Boudard, A; Brunetti, A; Carpinelli, M; Cirrone, G A P; Cortes-Giraldo, M A; Cuttone, G; De Napoli, M; Durante, M; Fernandez-Garcia, J P; Finck, C; Gallardo, M I; Golosio, B; Iarocci, E; Iazzi, F; Ickert, G; Introzzi, R; Juliani, D; Krimmer, J; Kurz, N; Labalme, M; Leifels, Y; Le Fevre, A; Leray, S; Marchetto, F; Monaco, V; Morone, M C; Oliva, P; Paoloni, A; Patera, V; Piersanti, L; Pleskac, R; Quesada, J M; Randazzo, N; Romano, F; Rossi, D; Rosso, V; Rousseau, M; Sacchi, R; Sala, P; Sarti, A; Schuy, C; Sciubba, A; Sfienti, C; Simon, H; Sipala, V; Spiriti, E; Stuttge, L; Tropea, S; Younis, H

2012-01-01

The FIRST (Fragmentation of Ions Relevant for Space and Therapy) experiment at GSI has been designed to study carbon fragmentation, measuring (12)C double differential cross sections (- (2)I /- - E) for different beam energies between 100 and 1000 MeV/u. The experimental setup integrates newly designed detectors in the, so called, Interaction Region around the graphite target. The Interaction Region upstream detectors are a 250 mum thick scintillator and a drift chamber optimized for a precise measurement of the ions interaction time and position on the target. In this article we review the design of the upstream detectors along with the preliminary results of the data taking performed on August 2011 with 400 MeV/u fully stripped carbon ion beam at GSI. Detectors performances will be reviewed and compared to those obtained during preliminary tests, performed with 500 MeV electrons (at the BTF facility in the INFN Frascati Laboratories) and 80 MeV/u protons and carbon ions (at the INFN LNS Laboratories in Cata...

Port performance evaluation tool based on microsimulation model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tsavalista Burhani Jzolanda

2017-01-01

Full Text Available As port performance is becoming correlative to national competitiveness, the issue of port performance evaluation has significantly raised. Port performances can simply be indicated by port service levels to the ship (e.g., throughput, waiting for berthing etc., as well as the utilization level of equipment and facilities within a certain period. The performances evaluation then can be used as a tool to develop related policies for improving the port’s performance to be more effective and efficient. However, the evaluation is frequently conducted based on deterministic approach, which hardly captures the nature variations of port parameters. Therefore, this paper presents a stochastic microsimulation model for investigating the impacts of port parameter variations to the port performances. The variations are derived from actual data in order to provide more realistic results. The model is further developed using MATLAB and Simulink based on the queuing theory.

Exploring the Multi-Layered Affordances of Composing and Performing Interactive Music with Responsive Technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Einarsson

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The question motivating the work presented here, starting from a view of music as embodied and situated activity, is how can we account for the complexity of interactive music performance situations. These are situations in which human performers interact with responsive technologies, such as sensor-driven technology or sound synthesis affected by analysis of the performed sound signal. This requires investigating in detail the underlying mechanisms, but also providing a more holistic approach that does not lose track of the complex whole constituted by the interactions and relationships of composers, performers, audience, technologies, etc. The concept of affordances has frequently been invoked in musical research, which has seen a “bodily turn” in recent years, similar to the development of the embodied cognition approach in the cognitive sciences. We therefore begin by broadly delineating its usage in the cognitive sciences in general, and in music research in particular. We argue that what is still missing in the discourse on musical affordances is an encompassing theoretical framework incorporating the sociocultural dimensions that are fundamental to the situatedness and embodiment of interactive music performance and composition. We further argue that the cultural affordances framework, proposed by Rietveld and Kiverstein (2014 and recently articulated further by Ramstead et al. (2016 in this journal, although not previously applied to music, constitutes a promising starting point. It captures and elucidates this complex web of relationships in terms of shared landscapes and individual fields of affordances. We illustrate this with examples foremost from the first author's artistic work as composer and performer of interactive music. This sheds new light on musical composition as a process of construction—and embodied mental simulation—of situations, guiding the performers' and audience's attention in shifting fields of affordances

Exploring the Multi-Layered Affordances of Composing and Performing Interactive Music with Responsive Technologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Einarsson, Anna; Ziemke, Tom

2017-01-01

The question motivating the work presented here, starting from a view of music as embodied and situated activity, is how can we account for the complexity of interactive music performance situations. These are situations in which human performers interact with responsive technologies, such as sensor-driven technology or sound synthesis affected by analysis of the performed sound signal. This requires investigating in detail the underlying mechanisms, but also providing a more holistic approach that does not lose track of the complex whole constituted by the interactions and relationships of composers, performers, audience, technologies, etc. The concept of affordances has frequently been invoked in musical research, which has seen a " bodily turn " in recent years, similar to the development of the embodied cognition approach in the cognitive sciences. We therefore begin by broadly delineating its usage in the cognitive sciences in general, and in music research in particular. We argue that what is still missing in the discourse on musical affordances is an encompassing theoretical framework incorporating the sociocultural dimensions that are fundamental to the situatedness and embodiment of interactive music performance and composition. We further argue that the cultural affordances framework, proposed by Rietveld and Kiverstein (2014) and recently articulated further by Ramstead et al. (2016) in this journal, although not previously applied to music, constitutes a promising starting point. It captures and elucidates this complex web of relationships in terms of shared landscapes and individual fields of affordances. We illustrate this with examples foremost from the first author's artistic work as composer and performer of interactive music. This sheds new light on musical composition as a process of construction-and embodied mental simulation-of situations, guiding the performers' and audience's attention in shifting fields of affordances. More generally, we

Performance Evaluation Of Behavioral Biometric Systems

OpenAIRE

Cherifi , Fouad; Hemery , Baptiste; Giot , Romain; Pasquet , Marc; Rosenberger , Christophe

2009-01-01

We present in this chapter an overview of techniques for the performance evaluation of behavioral biometric systems. The BioAPI standard that defines the architecture of a biometric system is presented in the first part of the chapter... The general methodology for the evaluation of biometric systems is given including statistical metrics, definition of benchmark databases and subjective evaluation. These considerations rely with the ISO/IEC19795-1 standard describing the biometric performanc...

An urban energy performance evaluation system and its computer implementation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lei; Yuan, Guan; Long, Ruyin; Chen, Hong

2017-12-15

To improve the urban environment and effectively reflect and promote urban energy performance, an urban energy performance evaluation system was constructed, thereby strengthening urban environmental management capabilities. From the perspectives of internalization and externalization, a framework of evaluation indicators and key factors that determine urban energy performance and explore the reasons for differences in performance was proposed according to established theory and previous studies. Using the improved stochastic frontier analysis method, an urban energy performance evaluation and factor analysis model was built that brings performance evaluation and factor analysis into the same stage for study. According to data obtained for the Chinese provincial capitals from 2004 to 2013, the coefficients of the evaluation indicators and key factors were calculated by the urban energy performance evaluation and factor analysis model. These coefficients were then used to compile the program file. The urban energy performance evaluation system developed in this study was designed in three parts: a database, a distributed component server, and a human-machine interface. Its functions were designed as login, addition, edit, input, calculation, analysis, comparison, inquiry, and export. On the basis of these contents, an urban energy performance evaluation system was developed using Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2015. The system can effectively reflect the status of and any changes in urban energy performance. Beijing was considered as an example to conduct an empirical study, which further verified the applicability and convenience of this evaluation system. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of drug-drug interactions among patients with chronic ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Introduction: The risk of drug-drug interactions (DDIs) is high in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) necessitating dose adjustments or the avoidance of drug combinations. This study aimed to evaluate DDIs among patients with CKD in the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu, South-East Nigeria.

Evaluation of yeast cell wall on the performance of broiles fed diets with or without mycotoxins

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E Santin

2006-12-01

Full Text Available This experiment aimed at evaluating the effects of the interactions between aflatoxin (500 or 250 ppb and ochratoxin (500 or 250 ppb, and the possible benefits of adding yeast cell wall to prevent the effects of these mycotoxins in broiler chickens. Relative organ weight gain and live performance were evaluated at 21 and 42 days of age. Results indicated that at the levels of mycotoxins included in the experimental diets, ochratoxin reduced feed intake and body weight gain, and aflatoxin only affect feed intake of 21-day-old birds. No interaction was observed between aflatoxin and ochratoxin at the levels used in experimental study. Yeast cell wall did not significantly reduced the deleterious effects of ochratoxins. No significant differences were observed in relative organ weight gain. Yeast cell wall improved feed conversion ratio when birds were fed either contaminated or non-contaminated feeds.

Performance-Based Evaluation and School Librarians

Science.gov (United States)

Church, Audrey P.

2015-01-01

Evaluation of instructional personnel is standard procedure in our Pre-K-12 public schools, and its purpose is to document educator effectiveness. With Race to the Top and No Child Left Behind waivers, states are required to implement performance-based evaluations that demonstrate student academic progress. This three-year study describes the…

Performance Evaluation and Modelling of Container Terminals

Science.gov (United States)

Venkatasubbaiah, K.; Rao, K. Narayana; Rao, M. Malleswara; Challa, Suresh

2018-02-01

The present paper evaluates and analyzes the performance of 28 container terminals of south East Asia through data envelopment analysis (DEA), principal component analysis (PCA) and hybrid method of DEA-PCA. DEA technique is utilized to identify efficient decision making unit (DMU)s and to rank DMUs in a peer appraisal mode. PCA is a multivariate statistical method to evaluate the performance of container terminals. In hybrid method, DEA is integrated with PCA to arrive the ranking of container terminals. Based on the composite ranking, performance modelling and optimization of container terminals is carried out through response surface methodology (RSM).

48 CFR 36.201 - Evaluation of contractor performance.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Evaluation of contractor performance. 36.201 Section 36.201 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION... Contracting for Construction 36.201 Evaluation of contractor performance. See 42.1502(e) for the requirements...

Conceptual Designs for the Performance Improvement of APR1400 SIT and Preliminary Performance Evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chu, In-Cheol; Kwon, Tae-Soon; Song, Chul-Hwa

2008-01-01

Some evolutionary type PWRs such as APR1400 and APWR adopt advanced safety injection tank (SIT). The SIT of APR1400 has a fluidic device (FD) which passively controls ECC water injection flow rate into reactor coolant system during refill and reflood phases of LB-LOCA (i.e., a high injection flow rate during the refill phase and a low injection flow rate during the reflood phase). The benefit of the FD is the elimination of the function of low pressure safety injection pump from the safety injection system. The flow controlling performance of the APR1400 FD was evaluated using a prototypical full-scale test facility, called VAPER (Valve Performance Evaluation Rig). Even though the performance of the APR1400 FD satisfied major design and licensing requirements, further improvement of the performance is expected such as the extension of total injection period, the delay of nitrogen gas discharge. Several conceptual designs have been being drawn out in order to improve the performance of the APR1400 SIT. The performance of some designs was evaluated using a small scale SIT test rig. The present paper introduces some of the conceptual designs and shows the performance evaluation experimental results

OpenCL Performance Evaluation on Modern Multicore CPUs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joo Hwan Lee

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Utilizing heterogeneous platforms for computation has become a general trend, making the portability issue important. OpenCL (Open Computing Language serves this purpose by enabling portable execution on heterogeneous architectures. However, unpredictable performance variation on different platforms has become a burden for programmers who write OpenCL applications. This is especially true for conventional multicore CPUs, since the performance of general OpenCL applications on CPUs lags behind the performance of their counterparts written in the conventional parallel programming model for CPUs. In this paper, we evaluate the performance of OpenCL applications on out-of-order multicore CPUs from the architectural perspective. We evaluate OpenCL applications on various aspects, including API overhead, scheduling overhead, instruction-level parallelism, address space, data location, data locality, and vectorization, comparing OpenCL to conventional parallel programming models for CPUs. Our evaluation indicates unique performance characteristics of OpenCL applications and also provides insight into the optimization metrics for better performance on CPUs.

Interactivity And Mental Arithmetic: Coupling Mind And World Transforms And Enhances Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guthrie Lisa G.

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Interactivity has been linked to better performance in problem solving, due in part to a more efficient allocation of attentional resources, a better distribution of cognitive load, but perhaps more important by enabling the reasoner to shape and reshape the physical problem presentation to promote the development of the problem solution. Interactivity in solving quotidian arithmetic problems involves gestures, pointing, and the recruitment of artefacts to facilitate computation and augment efficiency. In the experiment reported here, different types of interactivity were examined with a series of mental arithmetic problems. Using a repeated-measures design, participants solved series of five 11-digit sums in four conditions that varied in the type of interactivity: (i no interactivity (participants solved the problems with their hands on the table top, (ii pointing (participants could point at the numbers, (iii pen and paper (participants could note interim totals with a pen, and (iv tokens (the sums were presented as 11 numbered tokens the arrangement of which participants were free to modify as they proceeded to the solution. Performance in the four conditions was measured in terms of accuracy, calculation error, and efficiency (a ratio composed of the proportion correct over the proportion of time invested in working on the sums. These quantitative analyses were supplemented by a detailed qualitative examination of a participant’s actions in the different conditions. The integration of artefacts, such as tokens or a pen, offered reasoners the opportunity to reconfigure the physical presentation of the problem, enacting different arithmetic strategies: the affordance landscape shifts as the problem trajectory is enacted through interactivity, and this generally produced better “mental” arithmetic performance. Participants also felt more positive about and better engaged with the task when they could reconfigure the problem presentation

NREL Evaluates Advanced Solar Inverter Performance for Hawaiian Electric

Science.gov (United States)

Companies | Energy Systems Integration Facility | NREL NREL Evaluates Advanced Solar Inverter Performance for Hawaiian Electric Companies NREL Evaluates Advanced Solar Inverter Performance for Hawaiian performance and impacts of today's advanced solar inverters, as well as proprietary feedback to the inverter

Object-Based Attention on Social Units: Visual Selection of Hands Performing a Social Interaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Jun; Xu, Haokui; Duan, Jipeng; Shen, Mowei

2018-05-01

Traditionally, objects of attention are characterized either as full-fledged entities or either as elements grouped by Gestalt principles. Because humans appear to use social groups as units to explain social activities, we proposed that a socially defined group, according to social interaction information, would also be a possible object of attentional selection. This hypothesis was examined using displays with and without handshaking interactions. Results demonstrated that object-based attention, which was measured by an object-specific attentional advantage (i.e., shorter response times to targets on a single object), was extended to two hands performing a handshake but not to hands that did not perform meaningful social interactions, even when they did perform handshake-like actions. This finding cannot be attributed to the familiarity of the frequent co-occurrence of two handshaking hands. Hence, object-based attention can select a grouped object whose parts are connected within a meaningful social interaction. This finding implies that object-based attention is constrained by top-down information.

Financial performance evaluation and bankruptcy prediction (failure1

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Talal A. Al-Kassar, Dr.

2014-10-01

The research also demonstrates the need to include measures of both financial and non-financial performance in the evaluation as they complement each other. Without both financial and non-financial, the evaluation process is incomplete and does not provide desired results or the correct image of the process. The research suggests including comprehensive measures of performance evaluation of projects by using indicators of adopted criteria. Thus, the application of both models leads to better results and assists users in maintaining greater objectivity while obtaining more accurate results than from analysis based on personal evaluation alone.

Model Performance Evaluation and Scenario Analysis (MPESA)

Science.gov (United States)

Model Performance Evaluation and Scenario Analysis (MPESA) assesses the performance with which models predict time series data. The tool was developed Hydrological Simulation Program-Fortran (HSPF) and the Stormwater Management Model (SWMM)

Simulated Evaluation of Drug-Impaired Psychomotor Performance

OpenAIRE

Richmond R

2014-01-01

The purpose of this placebo-controlled, randomized-crossover study was to evaluate a computer-based divided-attention task as a method for measure impaired human psychomotor performance. The ability of the divided-attention task to detect and differentiate was evaluated using single oral doses of placebo, caffeine and diphenhydramine. Ten healthy men were the subjects of the study. Subject performance on divided-attention was compared with tests of short-term memory and a set of visual analog...

Evaluation of Algorithms for Photon Depth of Interaction Estimation for the TRIMAGE PET Component

Science.gov (United States)

Camarlinghi, Niccolò; Belcari, Nicola; Cerello, Piergiorgio; Pennazio, Francesco; Sportelli, Giancarlo; Zaccaro, Emanuele; Del Guerra, Alberto

2016-02-01

The TRIMAGE consortium aims to develop a multimodal PET/MR/EEG brain scanner dedicated to the early diagnosis of schizophrenia and other mental health disorders. The TRIMAGE PET component features a full ring made of 18 detectors, each one consisting of twelve 8 ×8 Silicon PhotoMultipliers (SiPMs) tiles coupled to two segmented LYSO crystal matrices with staggered layers. The identification of the pixel where a photon interacted is performed on-line at the front-end level, thus allowing the FPGA board to emit fully digital event packets. This allows to increase the effective bandwidth, but imposes restrictions on the complexity of the algorithms to be implemented. In this work, two algorithms, whose implementation is feasible directly on an FPGA, are presented and evaluated. The first algorithm is driven by physical considerations, while the other consists in a two-class linear Support Vector Machine (SVM). The validation of the algorithm performance is carried out by using simulated data generated with the GAMOS Monte Carlo. The obtained results show that the achieved accuracy in layer identification is above 90% for both the proposed approaches. The feasibility of tagging and rejecting events that underwent multiple interactions within the detector is also discussed.

Performance evaluation methodology for historical document image binarization.

Science.gov (United States)

Ntirogiannis, Konstantinos; Gatos, Basilis; Pratikakis, Ioannis

2013-02-01

Document image binarization is of great importance in the document image analysis and recognition pipeline since it affects further stages of the recognition process. The evaluation of a binarization method aids in studying its algorithmic behavior, as well as verifying its effectiveness, by providing qualitative and quantitative indication of its performance. This paper addresses a pixel-based binarization evaluation methodology for historical handwritten/machine-printed document images. In the proposed evaluation scheme, the recall and precision evaluation measures are properly modified using a weighting scheme that diminishes any potential evaluation bias. Additional performance metrics of the proposed evaluation scheme consist of the percentage rates of broken and missed text, false alarms, background noise, character enlargement, and merging. Several experiments conducted in comparison with other pixel-based evaluation measures demonstrate the validity of the proposed evaluation scheme.

Content Interactivity: The Effect of Higher Levels of Interactivity on Learner Performance Outcomes and Satisfaction in Web-Based Military Training

Science.gov (United States)

Kenyon, Peggy L.

2012-01-01

The effect of content interactivity on performance outcomes and satisfaction has been studied by researchers who compared the results of Web-based and computer-based learning to classroom learning. Few scholars have compared the effects of the same content produced at different levels (low and high) of interactivity and the resulting effects. The…

Who Should Evaluate Teachers' Performance at Schools?

Science.gov (United States)

Tabancali, Erkan

2017-01-01

Correct determination of whether or not the objectives are achieved or of the level of achievement of the objectives is vital in educational organizations. In this context, one of the indicators of how teachers serve the organizational objectives is performance evaluation. In Turkish Educational System, the evaluation of the performance of…

Evaluating Models of Human Performance: Safety-Critical Systems Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Feary, Michael S.

2012-01-01

This presentation is part of panel discussion on Evaluating Models of Human Performance. The purpose of this panel is to discuss the increasing use of models in the world today and specifically focus on how to describe and evaluate models of human performance. My presentation will focus on discussions of generating distributions of performance, and the evaluation of different strategies for humans performing tasks with mixed initiative (Human-Automation) systems. I will also discuss issues with how to provide Human Performance modeling data to support decisions on acceptability and tradeoffs in the design of safety critical systems. I will conclude with challenges for the future.

How the Brain Converts Negative Evaluation into Performance Facilitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Prévost, Charlotte; Lau, Hakwan; Mobbs, Dean

2018-02-01

Surpassing negative evaluation is a recurrent theme of success stories. Yet, there is little evidence supporting the counterintuitive idea that negative evaluation might not only motivate people, but also enhance performance. To address this question, we designed a task that required participants to decide whether taking up a risky challenge after receiving positive or negative evaluations from independent judges. Participants believed that these evaluations were based on their prior performance on a related task. Results showed that negative evaluation caused a facilitation in performance. Concurrent functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed that the motivating effect of negative evaluation was represented in the insula and striatum, while the performance boost was associated with functional positive connectivity between the insula and a set of brain regions involved in goal-directed behavior and the orienting of attention. These findings provide new insight into the neural representation of negative evaluation-induced facilitation. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Evaluation of clustering algorithms for protein-protein interaction networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

van Helden Jacques

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Protein interactions are crucial components of all cellular processes. Recently, high-throughput methods have been developed to obtain a global description of the interactome (the whole network of protein interactions for a given organism. In 2002, the yeast interactome was estimated to contain up to 80,000 potential interactions. This estimate is based on the integration of data sets obtained by various methods (mass spectrometry, two-hybrid methods, genetic studies. High-throughput methods are known, however, to yield a non-negligible rate of false positives, and to miss a fraction of existing interactions. The interactome can be represented as a graph where nodes correspond with proteins and edges with pairwise interactions. In recent years clustering methods have been developed and applied in order to extract relevant modules from such graphs. These algorithms require the specification of parameters that may drastically affect the results. In this paper we present a comparative assessment of four algorithms: Markov Clustering (MCL, Restricted Neighborhood Search Clustering (RNSC, Super Paramagnetic Clustering (SPC, and Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE. Results A test graph was built on the basis of 220 complexes annotated in the MIPS database. To evaluate the robustness to false positives and false negatives, we derived 41 altered graphs by randomly removing edges from or adding edges to the test graph in various proportions. Each clustering algorithm was applied to these graphs with various parameter settings, and the clusters were compared with the annotated complexes. We analyzed the sensitivity of the algorithms to the parameters and determined their optimal parameter values. We also evaluated their robustness to alterations of the test graph. We then applied the four algorithms to six graphs obtained from high-throughput experiments and compared the resulting clusters with the annotated complexes. Conclusion This

Disruptive effect of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction on the magnetic memory cell performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sampaio, J.; Cubukcu, M.; Cros, V.; Reyren, N., E-mail: nicolas.reyren@thalesgroup.com [Unité Mixte de Physique, CNRS, Thales, Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 91767, Palaiseau (France); Khvalkovskiy, A. V. [Samsung Electronics, Semiconductor R& D Center (Grandis), San Jose, California 95134 (United States); Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, State University, Moscow 141700 (Russian Federation); Kuteifan, M.; Lomakin, V. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0407 (United States); Apalkov, D. [Samsung Electronics, Semiconductor R& D Center (Grandis), San Jose, California 95134 (United States)

2016-03-14

In order to increase the thermal stability of a magnetic random access memory cell, materials with high spin-orbit interaction are often introduced in the storage layer. As a side effect, a strong Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) may arise in such systems. Here, we investigate the impact of DMI on the magnetic cell performance, using micromagnetic simulations. We find that DMI strongly promotes non-uniform magnetization states and non-uniform switching modes of the magnetic layer. It appears to be detrimental for both the thermal stability of the cell and its switching current, leading to considerable deterioration of the cell performance even for a moderate DMI amplitude.

Behavioral patterns of environmental performance evaluation programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Wanxin; Mauerhofer, Volker

2016-11-01

During the past decades numerous environmental performance evaluation programs have been developed and implemented on different geographic scales. This paper develops a taxonomy of environmental management behavioral patterns in order to provide a practical comparison tool for environmental performance evaluation programs. Ten such programs purposively selected are mapped against the identified four behavioral patterns in the form of diagnosis, negotiation, learning, and socialization and learning. Overall, we found that schemes which serve to diagnose environmental abnormalities are mainly externally imposed and have been developed as a result of technical debates concerning data sources, methodology and ranking criteria. Learning oriented scheme is featured by processes through which free exchange of ideas, mutual and adaptive learning can occur. Scheme developed by higher authority for influencing behaviors of lower levels of government has been adopted by the evaluated to signal their excellent environmental performance. The socializing and learning classified evaluation schemes have incorporated dialogue, participation, and capacity building in program design. In conclusion we consider the 'fitness for purpose' of the various schemes, the merits of our analytical model and the future possibilities of fostering capacity building in the realm of wicked environmental challenges. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Virginia power's human performance evaluation system (HPES)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patterson, W.E.

1991-01-01

This paper reports on the Human Performance Evaluation System (HPES) which was initially developed by the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) using the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) as a guide. After a pilot program involving three utilities ended in 1983, the present day program was instituted. A methodology was developed, for specific application to nuclear power plant employees, to aid trained coordinators/evaluators in determining those factors that exert a negative influence on human behavior in the nuclear power plant environment. HPES is for anyone and everyone on site, from contractors to plant staff to plant management. No one is excluded from participation. Virginia Power's HPES program goal is to identify and correct the root causes of human performance problems. Evaluations are performed on reported real or perceived conditions that may have an adverse influence on members of the nuclear team. A report is provided to management identifying root cause and contributing factors along with recommended corrective actions

An interactive, all-payer, multidomain primary care performance dashboard.

Science.gov (United States)

Ward, Charlotte E; Morella, Lisa; Ashburner, Jeffrey M; Atlas, Steven J

2014-01-01

Engaging physicians and practice leaders through regular performance reporting is a key goal of patient-centered medical home improvement efforts. We developed and implemented an interactive, Web-based performance dashboard for primary care practices with input from provider focus groups. Adapting a business software application, individual physician and practice-level reports included information on visit-based and panel productivity, patient panel demographics, and outcome measures (quality of care, patient experience of care, and resource utilization). User training occurred prior to dissemination. Over 2 rounds of reporting, 69% to 77% of users viewed their report within 30 days and 79% of users found the report informative.

Autonomy and control in dyads: effects on interaction quality and joint creative performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Weinstein, Netta; Hodgins, Holley S; Ryan, Richard M

2010-12-01

Two studies examined interaction quality and joint performance on two creative tasks in unacquainted dyads primed for autonomy or control orientations. It was hypothesized that autonomy-primed dyads would interact more constructively, experience more positive mood, and engage the task more readily, and as a result these dyads would perform better. To test this, Study 1 primed orientation and explored verbal creative performance on the Remote Associates Task (RAT). In Study 2, dyads were primed with autonomy and control orientation and videotaped during two joint creative tasks, one verbal (RAT) and one nonverbal (charades). Videotapes were coded for behavioral indicators of closeness and task engagement. Results showed that autonomy-primed dyads felt closer, were more emotionally and cognitively attuned, provided empathy and encouragement to partners, and performed more effectively. The effects of primed autonomy on creative performance were mediated by interpersonal quality, mood, and joint engagement.

Subjective performance evaluations and employee careers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frederiksen, Anders; Lange, Fabian; Kriechell, Ben

Firms commonly use supervisor evaluations to assess the performance of employees who work in complex environments. Doubts persist whether their subjective nature invalidates using these performance measures to learn about careers of individuals and to inform theory in personnel economics. We...... examine personnel data from six large companies and establish how subjective ratings, interpreted as ordinal rankings of employee performances within narrowly defined peer-groups, correlate with objective career outcomes. We find many similarities across firms in how subjective ratings correlate with base...

Analytical Performance Evaluation of Different Switch Solutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisco Sans

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The virtualization of the network access layer has opened new doors in how we perceive networks. With this virtualization of the network, it is possible to transform a regular PC with several network interface cards into a switch. PC-based switches are becoming an alternative to off-the-shelf switches, since they are cheaper. For this reason, it is important to evaluate the performance of PC-based switches. In this paper, we present a performance evaluation of two PC-based switches, using Open vSwitch and LiSA, and compare their performance with an off-the-shelf Cisco switch. The RTT, throughput, and fairness for UDP are measured for both Ethernet and Fast Ethernet technologies. From this research, we can conclude that the Cisco switch presents the best performance, and both PC-based switches have similar performance. Between Open vSwitch and LiSA, Open vSwitch represents a better choice since it has more features and is currently actively developed.

Sustainability performance evaluation: Literature review and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Büyüközkan, Gülçin; Karabulut, Yağmur

2018-07-01

Current global economic activities are increasingly being perceived as unsustainable. Despite the high number of publications, sustainability science remains highly dispersed over diverse approaches and topics. This article aims to provide a structured overview of sustainability performance evaluation related publications and to document the current state of literature, categorize publications, analyze and link trends, as well as highlight gaps and provide research recommendations. 128 articles between 2007 and 2018 are identified. The results suggest that sustainability performance evaluation models shall be more balanced, suitable criteria and their interrelations shall be well defined and subjectivity of qualitative criteria inherent to sustainability indicators shall be considered. To address this subjectivity, group decision-making techniques and other analytical methods that can deal with uncertainty, conflicting indicators, and linguistic evaluations can be used in future works. By presenting research gaps, this review stimulates researchers to establish practically applicable sustainability performance evaluation frameworks to help assess and compare the degree of sustainability, leading to more sustainable business practices. The review is unique in defining corporate sustainability performance evaluation for the first time, exploring the gap between sustainability accounting and sustainability assessment, and coming up with a structured overview of innovative research recommendations about integrating analytical assessment methods into conceptual sustainability frameworks. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of Shielding Performance for Newly Developed Composite Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Beren Richard

This work details an investigation into the contributing factors behind the success of newly developed composite neutron shield materials. Monte Carlo simulation methods were utilized to assess the neutron shielding capabilities and secondary radiation production characteristics of aluminum boron carbide, tungsten boron carbide, bismuth borosilicate glass, and Metathene within various neutron energy spectra. Shielding performance and secondary radiation data suggested that tungsten boron carbide was the most effective composite material. An analysis of the macroscopic cross-section contributions from constituent materials and interaction mechanisms was then performed in an attempt to determine the reasons for tungsten boron carbide's success over the other investigated materials. This analysis determined that there was a positive correlation between a non-elastic interaction contribution towards a material's total cross-section and shielding performance within the thermal and epi-thermal energy regimes. This finding was assumed to be a result of the boron-10 absorption reaction. The analysis also determined that within the faster energy regions, materials featuring higher non-elastic interaction contributions were comparable to those exhibiting primarily elastic scattering via low Z elements. This allowed for the conclusion that composite shield success within higher energy neutron spectra does not necessitate the use elastic scattering via low Z elements. These findings suggest that the inclusion of materials featuring high thermal absorption properties is more critical to composite neutron shield performance than the presence of constituent materials more inclined to maximize elastic scattering energy loss.

Thermodynamic and kinetic approaches for evaluation of monoclonal antibody - Lipoprotein interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Multia, Evgen; Sirén, Heli; Andersson, Karl; Samuelsson, Jörgen; Forssén, Patrik; Fornstedt, Torgny; Öörni, Katariina; Jauhiainen, Matti; Riekkola, Marja-Liisa

2017-02-01

Two complementary instrumental techniques were used, and the data generated was processed with advanced numerical tools to investigate the interactions between anti-human apoB-100 monoclonal antibody (anti-apoB-100 Mab) and apoB-100 containing lipoproteins. Partial Filling Affinity Capillary Electrophoresis (PF-ACE) combined with Adsorption Energy Distribution (AED) calculations provided information on the heterogeneity of the interactions without any a priori model assumptions. The AED calculations evidenced a homogenous binding site distribution for the interactions. Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) studies were used to evaluate thermodynamics and kinetics of the Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) and anti-apoB-100 Mab interactions. High affinity and selectivity were observed, and the emerging data sets were analysed with so called Interaction Maps. In thermodynamic studies, the interaction between LDL and anti-apoB-100 Mab was found to be predominantly enthalpy driven. Both techniques were also used to study antibody interactions with Intermediate-Density (IDL) and Very Low-Density (VLDL) Lipoproteins. By screening affinity constants for IDL-VLDL sample in a single injection we were able to distinguish affinity constants for both subpopulations using the numerical Interaction Map tool. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A general method, a la Transport, for evaluation of the perturbing effects of solenoidal inserts in storage ring interaction regions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murray, J.J.

1976-07-01

It may be expected that solenoid magnets will be used in many storage ring experiments. Typically an insert would consist of a main solenoid at the interaction point with a symmetrical pair of compensating solenoids located somewhere between the main solenoid and the ends of the interaction region. The magnetic fields of such an insert may significantly affect storage ring performance. We suggest here a simple, systematic method for evaluation of the effects, which together with adequate design supervision and field measurements will help to prevent any serious operational problems that might result if significant perturbations went unnoticed. 5 refs

Simplified Human-Robot Interaction: Modeling and Evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Balazs Daniel

2013-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper a novel concept of human-robot interaction (HRI modeling is proposed. Including factors like trust in automation, situational awareness, expertise and expectations a new user experience framework is formed for industrial robots. Service Oriented Robot Operation, proposed in a previous paper, creates an abstract level in HRI and it is also included in the framework. This concept is evaluated with exhaustive tests. Results prove that significant improvement in task execution may be achieved and the new system is more usable for operators with less experience with robotics; personnel specific for small and medium enterprises (SMEs.

Individual performance and leader's laterality in interactive contests.

Science.gov (United States)

Mukherjee, Satyam

2017-05-01

Left-handedness is known to provide an intrinsic and tactical advantage at top level in many sports involving interactive contests. Again, most of the renowned leaders of the world are known to have been left-handed. Leadership plays an important role in politics, sports and mentorship. In this paper we show that Cricket captains who bat left-handed have a strategic advantage over the right-handed captains in One Day International (ODI) and Test matches. The present study involving 46 left-handed captains and 148 right-handed captains in ODI matches, reveal a strong relation between leader's laterality and team member performance, demonstrating the critical importance of left-handedness and successful leadership. The odds for superior batting performance in an ODI match under left-handed captains are 89% higher than the odds under right-handed captains. Our study shows that left-handed captains are more successful in extracting superior performance from the batsmen and bowlers in ODI and Test matches; perhaps indicating left-handed leaders are better motivators as leaders when compared to right-handed captains.

WIPP [Waste Isolation Pilot Plant] panel entryway seal: Numerical simulation of seal composite interaction for preliminary design evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Argueello, J.G.

1988-04-01

This report presents the results of a series of structural analyses performed to evaluate the structural interaction of the components of a potential two-component panel entryway seal configuration with each other and with the rock salt formation at the repository horizon of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. A two-dimensional axisymmetric geomechanical model is used to numerically simulate the interaction of the components of a 30.48 m (100 ft) long seal, consisting of concrete end caps and a crushed salt core, with each other and with the surrounding formation. Issues addressed in this report pertain to the consolidation of the crushed salt in terms of how much of the seal core reaches effective consolidation in the presence of the stiff concrete end caps since these could conceivably cause bridging (retardation of closure around the core) to occur. In addition, the stress field in the end caps is evaluated to determine if the concrete component maintains its integrity. The stresses induced in the surrounding formation are also evaluated to determine if the presence of the concrete component in the seal system results in a ''tightening'' of the formation around the seal. 20 refs., 43 figs., 2 tabs

Seismic evaluation of a cooling water reservoir facility including fluid-structure and soil-structure interaction effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kabir, A.F.; Maryak, M.E.

1991-01-01

Seismic analyses and structural evaluations were performed for a cooling water reservoir of a nuclear reactor facility. The horizontal input seismic motion was the NRC Reg. guide 1.60 spectrum shape anchored at 0.20g zero period acceleration. Vertical input was taken as two-thirds of the horizontal input. Soil structure interaction and hydrodynamic effects were addressed in the seismic analyses. Uncertainties in the soil properties were accounted for by considering three soil profiles. Two 2-dimensional SSI models and a 3-dimensional static model. Representing different areas of the reservoir structures were developed and analyzed to obtain seismic forces and moments, and accelerations at various locations. The results included in this paper indicated that both hydrodynamic and soil-structure interaction effects are significant contributors to the seismic responses of the water-retaining walls of the reservoir

SecondLife as an Evaluation Platform for Multiagent Systems Featuring Social Interactions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rehm, Matthias; Rosina, Peter

2008-01-01

In this paper we propose to use SecondLife as an evaluation environment for multiagent systems that model social group dynamics and social interactions. To this end we developed a control interface for NPCs in SecondLife that allows for running supervised or unsupervised long-term evaluations. Thus...

Evaluating Youtube Platform Usability by People with Intellectual Disabilities (A User Experience Case Study Performed in a Six-Month Period)

OpenAIRE

Tânia Rocha; José Martins; Frederico Branco; Ramiro Gonçalves

2017-01-01

A comparison study of the Web interaction evolution of a group of people with intellectual disabilities, when performing search tasks using the YouTube platform, is presented. For the effect, we compare results in two assessment moments (the second assessment moment was performed, within the 6 months after the first one). We aimed at evaluating the evolution of their digital skills by comparing two assessment moments through the following usability variables: effectiveness, we register the...

Interactive Role of Organizational Learning and Informal Norms in Accountability and Job Performance in 2014

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abolfazl Ghasemzadeh

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Although the contribution of organizational learning to employee organizational performance is well documented, the mechanisms that explain such relationship remain unclear. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the interactional role of organizational learning and informal norms in accountability and job performance of the staff in a medical department. Methods: The research method of the study is descriptive-correlational type. The statistical population of this study included all staff (N=315 of the Medical Department in Oshnavieh Hospital in 2014. For data gathering in this study, a sample comprising of 180 staff was selected using stratified random sampling. The data were collected through standard questionnaires of Neefe for organizational learning, informal norms of Hall, job performance of Paterson, and the questionnaire of individual accountability of Hochwarter. Pearson and moderated multiple regression analysis were used to test hypotheses. Results: Results showed that organizational learning has a positive and significant correlation with job performance and individual accountability. The results, also, showed a positive and significant correlation between informal norms, personal accountability, and job performance. Regression results showed the interactive role of learning structure dimensions, strategy, and shared vision with informal norms, predicting individual accountability of the staff. Also, interactive role of organizational learning and informal norms was confirmed in predicting job performance of the medical staff. Conclusion: The result of this study hold out that organizational learning directly and with interaction of informal norms improves staffs' performance and accountability. As a result of improved informal norms in a medical setting, we will have staff’s strong accountability and performance.

The Effects of Interactions between Management Control Systems and Strategy on Firm Performance: An Empirical Study

OpenAIRE

Melek Eker; Semih Eker

2016-01-01

In recent years, there has been growing interest in examining the relationships among management control systems, business strategy and firm performance. In this study, the interactions of management control systems and strategy with their impact on firm performance are examined with an empirical analysis, based on the data from 94 manufacturing firms from the top 500 in Turkey in 2014. The results support the postulate that high interaction between interactive control system (ICS) and differ...

Parallel implementation and performance optimization of the configuration-interaction method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shan, H; Williams, S; Johnson, C; McElvain, K; Ormand, WE

2015-11-20

The configuration-interaction (CI) method, long a popular approach to describe quantum many-body systems, is cast as a very large sparse matrix eigenpair problem with matrices whose dimension can exceed one billion. Such formulations place high demands on memory capacity and memory bandwidth - - two quantities at a premium today. In this paper, we describe an efficient, scalable implementation, BIGSTICK, which, by factorizing both the basis and the interaction into two levels, can reconstruct the nonzero matrix elements on the fly, reduce the memory requirements by one or two orders of magnitude, and enable researchers to trade reduced resources for increased computational time. We optimize BIGSTICK on two leading HPC platforms - - the Cray XC30 and the IBM Blue Gene/Q. Specifically, we not only develop an empirically-driven load balancing strategy that can evenly distribute the matrix-vector multiplication across 256K threads, we also developed techniques that improve the performance of the Lanczos reorthogonalization. Combined, these optimizations improved performance by 1.3-8× depending on platform and configuration.

Features principles and purposes of teacher performance evaluation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Esnares José Maussa Díaz

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Teacher evaluation represents a nodal aspect for improving of system education. Any evaluation has a previously predefined purpose and is essentially a valorative act, where the principles applied are indicators of the degree of responsibility which is performed and the visión that society gives to the education. This paper analyzes how the purposes are fulfilled, principles and characteristics of the performance evaluation of teachers in connection with the practice of respect for the guiding principles of assessment practice teaching; just like existing rating on indicators of professional and personal development achieved by teachers as a result of the evaluative practices in the context of the pursuit of improving of quality of education. 

Fiscal year 1999 Battelle performance evaluation and fee agreement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DAVIS, T.L.

1998-10-22

Fiscal Year 1999 represents the third fill year utilizing a results-oriented, performance-based evaluation for the Contractor's operations and management of the DOE Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (here after referred to as the Laboratory). However, this is the first year that the Contractor's fee is totally performance-based utilizing the same Critical Outcomes. This document describes the critical outcomes, objectives, performance indicators, expected levels of performance, and the basis for the evaluation of the Contractor's performance for the period October 1, 1998 through September 30, 1999, as required by Clauses entitled ''Use of Objective Standards of Performance, Self Assessment and Performance Evaluation'' and ''Performance Measures Review'' of the Contract DE-ACO6-76RL01830. Furthermore, it documents the distribution of the total available performance-based fee and the methodology set for determining the amount of fee earned by the Contractor as stipulated within the causes entitled ''Estimated Cost and Annual Fee,'' ''Total Available Fee'' and ''Allowable Costs and Fee.'' In partnership with the Contractor and other key customers, the Department of Energy (DOE) Headquarters (HQ) and Richland Operations Office (RL) has defined four critical outcomes that serve as the core for the Contractor's performance-based evaluation and fee determination. The Contractor also utilizes these outcomes as a basis for overall management of the Laboratory.

Performance evaluation methods and instrumentation for mine ventilation fans

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

LI Man; WANG Xue-rong

2009-01-01

Ventilation fans are one of the most important pieces of equipment in coal mines. Their performance plays an important role in the safety of staff and production. Given the actual requirements of coal mine production, we instituted a research project on the measurement methods of key performance parameters such as wind pressure, amount of ventilation and power. At the end a virtual instrument for mine ventilation fans performance evaluation was developed using a USB interface. The practical perform-ance and analytical results of our experiments show that it is feasible, reliable and effective to use the proposed instrumentation for mine ventilation performance evaluation.

Individual performance evaluation of the Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN): a meta-evaluative study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bezerra, Leonardo Ferreira

2017-01-01

The present study is a summative meta-evaluation that had as objective to evaluate the quality of the process of evaluation of individual performance of the servers of the National Commission of Nuclear Energy, being guided by the scientific curiosity to know to what extent the evaluation of performance the National Commission for Nuclear Energy meets the quality standards disseminated by the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation. The methodology chosen to be used was based on the management approach and had as a guiding principle of the study the elaboration of a framework of criteria considering the aforementioned standards. The criteria established in the criteria framework guided the preparation of the items of the questionnaire sent to the National Commission of Nuclear Energy servers. In addition to the questionnaire, the observation of this author was considered in the context where the phenomenon occurred, which allowed a better reflective analysis of the data collected by the questionnaire. Regarding the results, it can be inferred that the performance evaluation developed at the National Commission of Nuclear Energy can be considered of quality, highlighting the servers' trust for the data, the communication process of the program stages, the credibility of the evaluators, the process of negotiation of goals and adaptability of the instrument over the course of the cycle. However, there are some opportunities for improvement, considering the relevance of evaluation as a tool to improve the performance of the autarchy's servers. Among the points that need to be improved is that there is currently a lack of knowledge about the legal basis and justification of the process of evaluation process by the servers and the lack of clarity regarding the content of the final evaluation report. Among the recommendations of this study, one can consider as the most relevant the need to: disseminate the results of this meta-evaluation to the

Interactive affective sharing versus non-interactive affective sharing in work groups : Comparative effects of group affect on work group performance and dynamics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Klep, Annefloor; Wisse, Barbara; Van Der Flier, Henk

This study explores whether the dynamic path to group affect, which is characterized by interactive affective sharing processes, yields different effects on task performance and group dynamics than the static path to group affect, which arises from non-interactive affective sharing. The results of

Interactive affective sharing versus non-interactive affective sharing in work groups: Comparative effects of group affect on work group performance and dynamics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Klep, A.H.M.; Wisse, B.M.; van der Flier, H.

2011-01-01

This study explores whether the dynamic path to group affect, which is characterized by interactive affective sharing processes, yields different effects on task performance and group dynamics than the static path to group affect, which arises from non-interactive affective sharing. The results of

Performance Evaluation Methods for Assistive Robotic Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Tsui, Katherine M.; Feil-Seifer, David J.; Matarić, Maja J.; Yanco, Holly A.

Robots have been developed for several assistive technology domains, including intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorders, eldercare, and post-stroke rehabilitation. Assistive robots have also been used to promote independent living through the use of devices such as intelligent wheelchairs, assistive robotic arms, and external limb prostheses. Work in the broad field of assistive robotic technology can be divided into two major research phases: technology development, in which new devices, software, and interfaces are created; and clinical, in which assistive technology is applied to a given end-user population. Moving from technology development towards clinical applications is a significant challenge. Developing performance metrics for assistive robots poses a related set of challenges. In this paper, we survey several areas of assistive robotic technology in order to derive and demonstrate domain-specific means for evaluating the performance of such systems. We also present two case studies of applied performance measures and a discussion regarding the ubiquity of functional performance measures across the sampled domains. Finally, we present guidelines for incorporating human performance metrics into end-user evaluations of assistive robotic technologies.

Microarrays for the evaluation of cell-biomaterial surface interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Thissen, H.; Johnson, G.; McFarland, G.; Verbiest, B. C. H.; Gengenbach, T.; Voelcker, N. H.

2007-01-01

The evaluation of cell-material surface interactions is important for the design of novel biomaterials which are used in a variety of biomedical applications. While traditional in vitro test methods have routinely used samples of relatively large size, microarrays representing different biomaterials offer many advantages, including high throughput and reduced sample handling. Here, we describe the simultaneous cell-based testing of matrices of polymeric biomaterials, arrayed on glass slides with a low cell-attachment background coating. Arrays were constructed using a microarray robot at 6 fold redundancy with solid pins having a diameter of 375 μm. Printed solutions contained at least one monomer, an initiator and a bifunctional crosslinker. After subsequent UV polymerisation, the arrays were washed and characterised by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Cell culture experiments were carried out over 24 hours using HeLa cells. After labelling with CellTracker ® Green for the final hour of incubation and subsequent fixation, the arrays were scanned. In addition, individual spots were also viewed by fluorescence microscopy. The evaluation of cell-surface interactions in high-throughput assays as demonstrated here is a key enabling technology for the effective development of future biomaterials.

Comparing interactive videodisc training effectiveness to traditional training methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kenworthy, N.W.

1987-01-01

Videodisc skills training programs developed by Industrial Training Corporation are being used and evaluated by major industrial facilities. In one such study, interactive videodisc training programs were compared to videotape and instructor-based training to determine the effectiveness of videodisc in terms of performance, training time and trainee attitudes. Results showed that when initial training was done using the interactive videodisc system, trainee performance was superior to the performance of trainees using videotape, and approximately equal to the performance of those trained by an instructor. When each method was used in follow-up training, interactive videodisc was definitely the most effective. Results also indicate that training time can be reduced using interactive videodisc. Attitudes of both trainees and instructors toward the interactive videodisc training were positive

Hanford performance evaluation program for Hanford site analytical services

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Markel, L.P.

1995-09-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Order 5700.6C, Quality Assurance, and Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 830.120, Quality Assurance Requirements, states that it is the responsibility of DOE contractors to ensure that ''quality is achieved and maintained by those who have been assigned the responsibility for performing the work.'' Hanford Analytical Services Quality Assurance Plan (HASQAP) is designed to meet the needs of the Richland Operations Office (RL) for maintaining a consistent level of quality for the analytical chemistry services provided by contractor and commmercial analytical laboratory operations. Therefore, services supporting Hanford environmental monitoring, environmental restoration, and waste management analytical services shall meet appropriate quality standards. This performance evaluation program will monitor the quality standards of all analytical laboratories supporting the Hanforad Site including on-site and off-site laboratories. The monitoring and evaluation of laboratory performance can be completed by the use of several tools. This program will discuss the tools that will be utilized for laboratory performance evaluations. Revision 0 will primarily focus on presently available programs using readily available performance evaluation materials provided by DOE, EPA or commercial sources. Discussion of project specific PE materials and evaluations will be described in section 9.0 and Appendix A

Interactive Effect of Motivation, Job Satisfaction, and Job Performance Causal Circular Studies on Sharia Financial Institutions

OpenAIRE

Sinaulan; Noor; wildan

2017-01-01

Research aims to confirm and test the interactive effect of motivation, job satisfaction, and job performance. This study applied to employees of Sharia Financial Institutions in Jakarta. The number of respondents is 70 employees with randomly selected samples stratified. Research analysis data using multiple indicators within analyzed using structural equation model. The results showed that there was a positive interactive effect motivation on job performance and job performance on motivatio...

Market behavior and performance of different strategy evaluation schemes

OpenAIRE

Yongjoo Baek; Sang Hoon Lee; Hawoong Jeong

2010-01-01

Strategy evaluation schemes are a crucial factor in any agent-based market model, as they determine the agents' strategy preferences and consequently their behavioral pattern. This study investigates how the strategy evaluation schemes adopted by agents affect their performance in conjunction with the market circumstances. We observe the performance of three strategy evaluation schemes, the history-dependent wealth game, the trend-opposing minority game, and the trend-following majority game,...

Small Influence of Performing from Memory on Audience Evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reinhard Kopiez

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This study investigates the influence of an actual music stand on the evaluation of a videotaped audio-visual solo instrumental performance. Previous research has provided evidence that the presence of a score or music stand (obstructing the audience's view of the performer might negatively influence the evaluation of the performance. However, due to methodological ambiguities, results in previous studies cannot be regarded as definitive. Thus, we conducted a replication study of Williamon (1999 with better control over confounding variables (e.g., varying levels of technical proficiency in different conditions. A violoncello player performed two pieces for solo instrument: once with a music stand on stage (pretending to play from score and once without. The level of technical proficiency was kept constant in both performance presentations by the use of a pre-recorded, well-rehearsed performance from memory. Audio tracks were synchronized with the performance movements in a playback paradigm. Based on the performance evaluations from a web-based experiment (N = 471 participants, we found a significant but small effect size for the main effect of performance presentation (with vs. without music stand (d = 0.23. We conclude that the audience's appreciation of a particular performance from memory might be based on factors other than the objective performance quality.

Vertex Reconstruction at STAR: Overview and Performance Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Smirnov, D.; Lauret, J.; Perevoztchikov, V.; Van Buren, G.; Webb, J.

2017-10-01

The STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) has a rich physics program ranging from studies of the Quark Gluon Plasma to the exploration of the spin structure of the proton. Many measurements carried out by the STAR collaboration rely on the efficient reconstruction and precise knowledge of the position of the primary-interaction vertex. Throughout the years two main vertex finders have been predominantly utilized in event reconstruction by the experiment: MinutVF and PPV with their application domains focusing on heavy ion and proton-proton events respectively. In this work we give a brief overview and discuss recent improvements to the vertex finding algorithms implemented in the STAR software library. In our studies we focus on the finding efficiency and the quality of the reconstructed primary vertex. We examine the effect of an additional constraint, imposed by an independent measurement of the beam line position, when it is applied during the fit. We evaluate the significance of the improved primary vertex resolution on identification of the secondary decay vertices occurring inside the beam pipe. Finally, we present a method and its software implementation developed to measure the performance of the primary vertex reconstruction algorithms.

Reliability evaluation of containments including soil-structure interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pires, J.; Hwang, H.; Reich, M.

1985-12-01

Soil-structure interaction effects on the reliability assessment of containment structures are examined. The probability-based method for reliability evaluation of nuclear structures developed at Brookhaven National Laboratory is extended to include soil-structure interaction effects. In this method, reliability of structures is expressed in terms of limit state probabilities. Furthermore, random vibration theory is utilized to calculate limit state probabilities under random seismic loads. Earthquake ground motion is modeled by a segment of a zero-mean, stationary, filtered Gaussian white noise random process, represented by its power spectrum. All possible seismic hazards at a site, represented by a hazard curve, are also included in the analysis. The soil-foundation system is represented by a rigid surface foundation on an elastic halfspace. Random and other uncertainties in the strength properties of the structure, in the stiffness and internal damping of the soil, are also included in the analysis. Finally, a realistic reinforced concrete containment is analyzed to demonstrate the application of the method. For this containment, the soil-structure interaction effects on; (1) limit state probabilities, (2) structural fragility curves, (3) floor response spectra with probabilistic content, and (4) correlation coefficients for total acceleration response at specified structural locations, are examined in detail. 25 refs., 21 figs., 12 tabs

Virtual Reality Interaction Using Mobile Devices

KAUST Repository

Aseeri, Sahar A.

2013-07-01

With the use of an immersive display system such as CAVE system, the user is able to realize a 3D immersive virtual environment realistically. However, interacting with virtual worlds in CAVE systems using traditional input devices to perform easy operations such as manipulation, object selection, and navigation is often difficult. This difficulty could diminish the immersion and sense of presence when it comes to 3D virtual environment tasks. Our research aims to implement and evaluate alternative approaches of interaction with immersive virtual environments on mobile devices for manipulation and object selection tasks. As many researchers have noted, using a mobile device as an interaction device has a number of advantages, including built-in display, built-in control, and touch screen facility. These advantages facilitate simple tasks within immersive virtual environments. This research proposes new methods using mobile devices like Smart-phones to perform di↵erent kinds of interactions both as an input device, (e.g. performing selection and manipulation of objects) and as an output device (e.g. utilizing the screen as an extra view for a virtual camera or information display). Moreover, we developed a prototype system to demonstrate and informally evaluate these methods. The research conclusion suggests using mobile devices as a 3D-controller. This will be a more intuitive approach to interact within the virtual environment.

Cation-π interactions: computational analyses of the aromatic box motif and the fluorination strategy for experimental evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Matthew R; Dougherty, Dennis A

2015-11-21

Cation-π interactions are common in biological systems, and many structural studies have revealed the aromatic box as a common motif. With the aim of understanding the nature of the aromatic box, several computational methods were evaluated for their ability to reproduce experimental cation-π binding energies. We find the DFT method M06 with the 6-31G(d,p) basis set performs best of several methods tested. The binding of benzene to a number of different cations (sodium, potassium, ammonium, tetramethylammonium, and guanidinium) was studied. In addition, the binding of the organic cations NH4(+) and NMe4(+) to ab initio generated aromatic boxes as well as examples of aromatic boxes from protein crystal structures were investigated. These data, along with a study of the distance dependence of the cation-π interaction, indicate that multiple aromatic residues can meaningfully contribute to cation binding, even with displacements of more than an angstrom from the optimal cation-π interaction. Progressive fluorination of benzene and indole was studied as well, and binding energies obtained were used to reaffirm the validity of the "fluorination strategy" to study cation-π interactions in vivo.

NREL Evaluates Performance of Fast-Charge Electric Buses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2016-09-16

This real-world performance evaluation is designed to enhance understanding of the overall usage and effectiveness of electric buses in transit operation and to provide unbiased technical information to other agencies interested in adding such vehicles to their fleets. Initial results indicate that the electric buses under study offer significant fuel and emissions savings. The final results will help Foothill Transit optimize the energy-saving potential of its transit fleet. NREL's performance evaluations help vehicle manufacturers fine-tune their designs and help fleet managers select fuel-efficient, low-emission vehicles that meet their bottom line and operational goals. help Foothill Transit optimize the energy-saving potential of its transit fleet. NREL's performance evaluations help vehicle manufacturers fine-tune their designs and help fleet managers select fuel-efficient, low-emission vehicles that meet their bottom line and operational goals.

An approach for evaluating expert performance in emergency situations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ujita, Hiroshi; Kawano, Ryutaro; Yoshimura, Sandanori

1995-01-01

To understand expert behavior and define what constitutes good performance in emergency situations in huge and complex plants, human performance evaluation should be made from viewpoints of not only error, but also various cognitive, psychological, and behavioral characteristics. Quantitative and qualitative measures of human performance are proposed for both individual operators and crews, based on the operator performance analysis experiment, among which cognitive and behavioral aspects are the most important. Operator performance should be further analyzed experimentally from the cognitive and behavioral viewpoints, using an evaluation based on various gross indexes considering operator's tasks which should be done in response to plant situations

Interacting effects of pollination, water and nutrients on fruit tree performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Klein, A-M; Hendrix, S D; Clough, Y; Scofield, A; Kremen, C

2015-01-01

Pollination is critical to fruit production, but the interactions of pollination with plant resources on a plant's reproductive and vegetative features are largely overlooked. We examined the influences of pollination, irrigation and fertilisation on the performance of almond, Prunus dulcis, in northern California. We used a full-factorial design to test for the effects of pollination limitation on fruit production and foliage variables of whole trees experiencing four resource treatments: (i) normal water and nutrients, (ii) reduced water, (iii) no nutrients, and (iv) reduced water and no nutrients. In each of these combinations, we applied three pollination treatments: hand-cross pollination, open-pollination and pollinator exclusion. Pollination strongly affected yield even under reduced water and no nutrient applications. Hand-cross pollination resulted in over 50% fruit set with small kernels, while open-pollinated flowers showed over 30% fruit set with moderate-sized kernels. Pollinator-excluded flowers had a maximum fruit set of 5%, with big and heavy kernels. Reduced water interacted with the open- and hand-cross pollination treatments, reducing yield more than in the pollinator exclusion treatment. The number of kernels negatively influenced the number of leaves, and reduced water and no nutrient applications interacted with the pollination treatments. Overall, our results indicate that the influences of pollination on fruit tree yield interact with the plant availability of nutrients and water and that excess pollination can reduce fruit quality and the production of leaves for photosynthesis. Such information is critical to understand how pollination influences fruit tree performance. © 2014 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Performance Evaluation of Incremental K-means Clustering Algorithm

OpenAIRE

Chakraborty, Sanjay; Nagwani, N. K.

2014-01-01

The incremental K-means clustering algorithm has already been proposed and analysed in paper [Chakraborty and Nagwani, 2011]. It is a very innovative approach which is applicable in periodically incremental environment and dealing with a bulk of updates. In this paper the performance evaluation is done for this incremental K-means clustering algorithm using air pollution database. This paper also describes the comparison on the performance evaluations between existing K-means clustering and i...

48 CFR 3036.201 - Evaluation of contractor performance.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Evaluation of contractor performance. 3036.201 Section 3036.201 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY... contractor performance. (a)(2) Performance reports shall be prepared and entered into the Contractor...

Performance Evaluation of Security Protocols

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bodei, Chiara; Buchholtz, Mikael; Curti, Michele

2005-01-01

We use a special operational semantics which drives us in inferring quantitative measures on systems describing cryptographis cryptographic protocols. We assign rates to transitions by only looking at these labels. The rates reflect the distributed architecture running applications and the use...... of possibly different cryptosystems. We then map transition systems to Markov chains and evaluate performance of systems, using standard tools....

SEEPAGE/INVERT INTERACTIONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

P.S. Domski

2000-01-01

As directed by a written development plan (CRWMS M andO 1999a), a conceptual model for water entering the drift and reacting with the invert materials is to be developed. The purpose of this conceptual model is to assist Performance Assessment Operations (PAO) and its Engineered Barrier Performance Department in modeling the geochemical environment within a repository drift, thus allowing PAO to provide a more detailed and complete in-drift geochemical model abstraction, and to answer the key technical issues (KTI) raised in the NRC Issue Resolution Status Report (IRSR) for the Evolution of the Near-Field Environment (NFE), Revision 2 (NRC 1999). This AMR also seeks to: (1) Develop a logical conceptual model for physical/chemical interactions between seepage and the invert materials; (2) screen potential processes and reactions that may occur between seepage and invert to evaluate the potential consequences of the interactions; and (3) outline how seepage/invert processes may be quantified. This document provides the conceptual framework for screening out insignificant processes and for identifying and evaluating those seepage/invert interactions that have the potential to be important to subsequent PAO analyses including the Engineered Barrier System (EBS) physical and chemical model abstraction effort. This model has been developed to serve as a basis for the in-drift geochemical analyses performed by PAO. Additionally, the concepts discussed within this report may also apply to certain near and far-field geochemical processes and may have conceptual application within the unsaturated zone (UZ) and saturated zone (SZ) transport modeling efforts. The seepage/invert interactions will not directly affect any principal factors

Usage of performance measurement and evaluation systems : the impact of evaluator characteristics

OpenAIRE

Gelderman, Maarten

1998-01-01

This paper discusses the relation between characteristics of the evaluating manager and the way performance measurement and evaluation information is used. First a discussion is provided about the dependent variable. It is recognized that categorization into archetypes (e.g., evaluative styles) is unsatisfactory. Instead the information content/emphasis dimensions financial-non- financial, quantitative-qualitative, process-outcome, past-future and external-internal, along with the dimension f...

Touch versus In-Air Hand Gestures: Evaluating the Acceptance by Seniors of Human-Robot Interaction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Znagui Hassani, Anouar; van Dijk, Elisabeth M.A.G.; Ludden, Geke Dina Simone; Eertink, Henk

2011-01-01

Do elderly people have a preference between performing inair gestures or pressing screen buttons to interact with an assistive robot? This study attempts to provide answers to this question by measuring the level of acceptance, performance as well as knowledge of both interaction modalities during a

On-orbit evaluation of the control system/structural mode interactions on OSO-8

Science.gov (United States)

Slafer, L. I.

1980-01-01

The Orbiting Solar Observatory-8 experienced severe structural mode/control loop interaction problems during the spacecraft development. Extensive analytical studies, using the hybrid coordinate modeling approach, and comprehensive ground testing were carried out in order to achieve the system's precision pointing performance requirements. A recent series of flight tests were conducted with the spacecraft in which a wide bandwidth, high resolution telemetry system was utilized to evaluate the on-orbit flexible dynamics characteristics of the vehicle along with the control system performance. This paper describes the results of these tests, reviewing the basic design problem, analytical approach taken, ground test philosophy, and on-orbit testing. Data from the tests was used to determine the primary mode frequency, damping, and servo coupling dynamics for the on-orbit condition. Additionally, the test results have verified analytically predicted differences between the on-orbit and ground test environments. The test results have led to a validation of both the analytical modeling and servo design techniques used during the development of the control system, and also verified the approach taken to vehicle and servo ground testing.

Intermolecular interactions in the condensed phase: Evaluation of semi-empirical quantum mechanical methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Christensen, Anders S; Kromann, Jimmy C; Jensen, Jan H; Cui, Qiang

2017-10-28

To facilitate further development of approximate quantum mechanical methods for condensed phase applications, we present a new benchmark dataset of intermolecular interaction energies in the solution phase for a set of 15 dimers, each containing one charged monomer. The reference interaction energy in solution is computed via a thermodynamic cycle that integrates dimer binding energy in the gas phase at the coupled cluster level and solute-solvent interaction with density functional theory; the estimated uncertainty of such calculated interaction energy is ±1.5 kcal/mol. The dataset is used to benchmark the performance of a set of semi-empirical quantum mechanical (SQM) methods that include DFTB3-D3, DFTB3/CPE-D3, OM2-D3, PM6-D3, PM6-D3H+, and PM7 as well as the HF-3c method. We find that while all tested SQM methods tend to underestimate binding energies in the gas phase with a root-mean-squared error (RMSE) of 2-5 kcal/mol, they overestimate binding energies in the solution phase with an RMSE of 3-4 kcal/mol, with the exception of DFTB3/CPE-D3 and OM2-D3, for which the systematic deviation is less pronounced. In addition, we find that HF-3c systematically overestimates binding energies in both gas and solution phases. As most approximate QM methods are parametrized and evaluated using data measured or calculated in the gas phase, the dataset represents an important first step toward calibrating QM based methods for application in the condensed phase where polarization and exchange repulsion need to be treated in a balanced fashion.

Intermolecular interactions in the condensed phase: Evaluation of semi-empirical quantum mechanical methods

Science.gov (United States)

Christensen, Anders S.; Kromann, Jimmy C.; Jensen, Jan H.; Cui, Qiang

2017-10-01

To facilitate further development of approximate quantum mechanical methods for condensed phase applications, we present a new benchmark dataset of intermolecular interaction energies in the solution phase for a set of 15 dimers, each containing one charged monomer. The reference interaction energy in solution is computed via a thermodynamic cycle that integrates dimer binding energy in the gas phase at the coupled cluster level and solute-solvent interaction with density functional theory; the estimated uncertainty of such calculated interaction energy is ±1.5 kcal/mol. The dataset is used to benchmark the performance of a set of semi-empirical quantum mechanical (SQM) methods that include DFTB3-D3, DFTB3/CPE-D3, OM2-D3, PM6-D3, PM6-D3H+, and PM7 as well as the HF-3c method. We find that while all tested SQM methods tend to underestimate binding energies in the gas phase with a root-mean-squared error (RMSE) of 2-5 kcal/mol, they overestimate binding energies in the solution phase with an RMSE of 3-4 kcal/mol, with the exception of DFTB3/CPE-D3 and OM2-D3, for which the systematic deviation is less pronounced. In addition, we find that HF-3c systematically overestimates binding energies in both gas and solution phases. As most approximate QM methods are parametrized and evaluated using data measured or calculated in the gas phase, the dataset represents an important first step toward calibrating QM based methods for application in the condensed phase where polarization and exchange repulsion need to be treated in a balanced fashion.

Evaluation of the dynamic and kinematic performance of the THOR dummy : neck performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoofman, M.; van Ratingen, M.R.; Wismans, J.S.H.M.; Cesari, D.

1998-01-01

The objective of this study is to evaluate the frontal head-neck performance of the THOR neck with respect to the human frontal head-neck performance and the Hybrid-III frontal head-neck performance. For this purpose, tests were carried out with an isolated THOR and Hybrid-III head-neck system on a

Exploring Action Research as an Approach to Interactive (Participatory) Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Chaudary, Imran Anjum; Imran, Shahida

2012-01-01

This investigation seeks to understand "action research" as an approach to "interactive form of evaluation". The first half of the investigation illuminates the approach with the help of the selective body of literature and the second half draws attention to its application in the field with the help of an authentic evaluation…

Performance evaluation of an interactive teleradiology system for real-time teleconsultation in different network environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lian Ping; Gong Jun; Zhuang Jun; Sun Jianyong; Yang Yuanyuan; Zhang Jianguo; Meng Lili

2004-01-01

Objective: Measure the performance of self-developed Interoperable teleradiology system at various communication conditions. Methods: Through three different network media ( satellite network, Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Loop (ADSL), and Shanghai health system's private broadband WAN), Digital images in radiology were transmitted and experiments on teleradiology consultation were applied. Results such as transmission time were recorded, effects of real-time consultation were evaluated subjectively, and experimental data were analyzed. Results: In satellite network, time spent on the transmission of images is long and effects of consultation is normal; in broadband network, time spent is short and no delay is observed in interoperation. Conclusion: teleconsultation can be hold on image sets composed of small matrix size images and compressed large matrix size images in satellite narrowband network, optimum transmission bandwidth is 192 kbps; original large matrix size images such as CR can be transmitted through broadband network and be used in teleconsultation. Real-time interoperation of the system doesn't require very high bandwidth. It can be implemented at various communication conditions

Roles of biomarkers in evaluating interactions among mixtures of lead, cadmium and arsenic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Gensheng; Fowler, Bruce A.

2008-01-01

Human exposure to environmental chemicals is most correctly characterized as exposure to mixtures of these agents. The metals/metalloids, lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and arsenic (As), are among the leading toxic agents detected in the environment. Exposure to these elements, particularly at chronic low dose levels, is still a major public health concern. Concurrent exposure to Pb, Cd, or As may produce additive or synergistic interactions or even new effects that are not seen in single component exposures. Evaluating these interactions on a mechanistic basis is essential for risk assessment and management of metal/metalloid mixtures. This paper will review a number of individual studies that addressed interactions of these metals/metalloids in both experimental and human exposure studies with particular emphasis on biomarkers. In general, co-exposure to metal/metalloid mixtures produced more severe effects at both relatively high dose and low dose levels in a biomarker-specific manner. These effects were found to be mediated by dose, duration of exposure and genetic factors. While traditional endpoints, such as morphological changes and biochemical parameters for target organ toxicity, were effective measures for evaluating the toxicity of high dose metal/metalloid mixtures, biomarkers for oxidative stress, altered heme biosynthesis parameters, and stress proteins showed clear responses in evaluating toxicity of low dose metal/metalloid mixtures. Metallothionein, heat shock proteins, and glutathione are involved in regulating interactive effects of metal/metalloid mixtures at low dose levels. These findings suggest that further studies on interactions of these metal/metalloid mixtures utilizing biomarker endpoints are highly warranted

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF PENSION FUNDS WITH FUZZY EXPERT SYSTEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SERDAR KORUKOĞLU

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Financial rating and ranking firms often use linguistic instead of numerical values. When input data are mostly qualitative and are based on subjective knowledge of experts, the Fuzzy Set Theory provides a solid mathematical model to represent and handle these data. The aim of this study is developing a fuzzy expert model to evaluate the performance of the pension funds by using their risk and return values. The method is used for evaluating the performance of the randomly selected of twenty seven Turkish pension funds. The obtained results proved that the fuzzy expert system is appropriate and consistent for performance evaluation.

On the Role of Physical Interaction on Performance of Object Manipulation by Dyads

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keivan Mojtahedi

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Human physical interactions can be intrapersonal, e.g., manipulating an object bimanually, or interpersonal, e.g., transporting an object with another person. In both cases, one or two agents are required to coordinate their limbs to attain the task goal. We investigated the physical coordination of two hands during an object-balancing task performed either bimanually by one agent or jointly by two agents. The task consisted of a series of static (holding and dynamic (moving phases, initiated by auditory cues. We found that task performance of dyads was not affected by different pairings of dominant and non-dominant hands. However, the spatial configuration of the two agents (side-by-side vs. face-to-face appears to play an important role, such that dyads performed better side-by-side than face-to-face. Furthermore, we demonstrated that only individuals with worse solo performance can benefit from interpersonal coordination through physical couplings, whereas the better individuals do not. The present work extends ongoing investigations on human-human physical interactions by providing new insights about factors that influence dyadic performance. Our findings could potentially impact several areas, including robotic-assisted therapies, sensorimotor learning and human performance augmentation.

More Rhythmic Interactions in Two (or Three Aksak Performances

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando Benadon

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Goldberg (this issue presents evidence of interactions between percussive timing and song structure in two 3+2+2-meter Balkan performances. Using interonset measurements and checking carefully for statistical significance, he shows that formal and contextual characteristics of each performance coincide with timing changes at the level of the beat and bar, with durations becoming slightly shorter or longer at consistent locations. I review Goldberg’s main findings and contribute brief supporting analyses. For one of the songs, I provide additional context regarding verse meter, melodic structure, anacrustic drive, links between timing and breathing, and offsets between taps and syllabic onsets. For the other song, I attempt to tease out the difference between shortened non-isochronous beats (an altered aksak ratio and shortened bars (an accelerated tempo. I end with a brief analysis of a different song by the same performer as the first song, showing that the timing effects Goldberg observed in one are also present in the other.

Evaluation of new control rooms by operator performance analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mori, M; Tomizawa, T.; Tai, I.; Monta, K.; Yoshimura, S.; Hattori, Y.

1987-01-01

An advanced supervisory and control system called PODIA TM (Plant Operation by Displayed Information and Automation) was developed by Toshiba. Since this system utilizes computer driven CRTs as a main device for information transfer to operators, thorough system integration tests were performed at the factory and evaluations were made of operators' assessment from the initial experience of the system. The PODIA system is currently installed at two BWR power plants. Based on the experiences from the development of PODIA, a more advanced man-machine interface, Advanced-PODIA (A-PODIA), is developed. A-PODIA enhances the capabilities of PODIA in automation, diagnosis, operational guidance and information display. A-PODIA has been validated by carrying out systematic experiments with a full-scope simulator developed for the validation. The results of the experiments have been analyzed by the method of operator performance analysis and applied to further improvement of the A-PODIA system. As a feedback from actual operational experience, operator performance data in simulator training is an important source of information to evaluate human factors of a control room. To facilitate analysis of operator performance, a performance evaluation system has been developed by applying AI techniques. The knowledge contained in the performance evaluation system was elicited from operator training experts and represented as rules. The rules were implemented by employing an object-oriented paradigm to facilitate knowledge management. In conclusion, it is stated that the feedback from new control room operation can be obtained at an early stage by validation tests and also continuously by comprehensive evaluation (with the help of automated tools) of operator performance in simulator training. The results of operator performance analysis can be utilized for improvement of system design as well as operator training. (author)

Magnetic moments and the Skyrme interaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lipparini, E; Stringari, S; Traini, M [Trento Univ. (Italy). Dipartmento di Matematica e Fisica

1977-12-12

The magnetic properties of the Skyrme interaction have been studied by performing a restricted Hartree-Fock calculation in order to evaluate the magnetic polarizability and the corrections to the Schmidt moments in nuclei with closed jj shells plus or minus one nucleon. Different corrections to the Schmidt values have been evaluated and discussed: the M1 core polarization and the renormalization of the gyromagnetic factors due to exchange and spin-orbit forces. Several variants of the Skyrme interaction have been studied and discussed in detail.

Evaluation of the dynamic and kinematic performance of the THOR dummy: neck performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoofman, M.; Ratingen, M.R. van; Wismans, J.S.H.M.

1998-01-01

The objective of this study is to evaluate the frontal head-neck performance of the THOR neck with respect to the human frontal head-neck performance and the Hybrid-III frontal head-neck performance. For this purpose, tests were carried out with an isolated THOR and Hybrid-III-neck system on a HyGe

At-Risk Youth Appearance and Job Performance Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Freeburg, Beth Winfrey; Workman, Jane E.

2008-01-01

The goal of this study was to identify the relationship of at-risk youth workplace appearance to other job performance criteria. Employers (n = 30; each employing from 1 to 17 youths) evaluated 178 at-risk high school youths who completed a paid summer employment experience. Appearance evaluations were significantly correlated with evaluations of…

Are automated molecular dynamics simulations and binding free energy calculations realistic tools in lead optimization? An evaluation of the linear interaction energy (LIE) method

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stjernschantz, E.M.; Marelius, J.; Medina, C.; Jacobsson, M.; Vermeulen, N.P.E.; Oostenbrink, C.

2006-01-01

An extensive evaluation of the linear interaction energy (LIE) method for the prediction of binding affinity of docked compounds has been performed, with an emphasis on its applicability in lead optimization. An automated setup is presented, which allows for the use of the method in an industrial

Manipulator Performance Evaluation Using Fitts' Taping Task

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Draper, J.V.; Jared, B.C.; Noakes, M.W.

1999-04-25

Metaphorically, a teleoperator with master controllers projects the user's arms and hands into a re- mote area, Therefore, human users interact with teleoperators at a more fundamental level than they do with most human-machine systems. Instead of inputting decisions about how the system should func- tion, teleoperator users input the movements they might make if they were truly in the remote area and the remote machine must recreate their trajectories and impedance. This intense human-machine inter- action requires displays and controls more carefully attuned to human motor capabilities than is neces- sary with most systems. It is important for teleoperated manipulators to be able to recreate human trajectories and impedance in real time. One method for assessing manipulator performance is to observe how well a system be- haves while a human user completes human dexterity tasks with it. Fitts' tapping task has been, used many times in the past for this purpose. This report describes such a performance assessment. The International Submarine Engineering (ISE) Autonomous/Teleoperated Operations Manipulator (ATOM) servomanipulator system was evalu- ated using a generic positioning accuracy task. The task is a simple one but has the merits of (1) pro- ducing a performance function estimate rather than a point estimate and (2) being widely used in the past for human and servomanipulator dexterity tests. Results of testing using this task may, therefore, allow comparison with other manipulators, and is generically representative of a broad class of tasks. Results of the testing indicate that the ATOM manipulator is capable of performing the task. Force reflection had a negative impact on task efficiency in these data. This was most likely caused by the high resistance to movement the master controller exhibited with the force reflection engaged. Measurements of exerted forces were not made, so it is not possible to say whether the force reflection helped

LHCb: Performance evaluation and capacity planning for a scalable and highly available virtulization infrastructure for the LHCb experiment

CERN Multimedia

Sborzacchi, F; Neufeld, N

2013-01-01

The virtual computing is often run to satisfy different needs: reduce costs, reduce resources, simplify maintenance and the last but not the least add flexibility. The use of Virtualization in a complex system such as a farm of PCs that control the hardware of an experiment (PLC, power supplies ,gas, magnets..) put us in a condition where not only an High Performance requirements need to be carefully considered but also a deep analysis of strategies to achieve a certain level of High Availability. We conducted a performance evaluation on different and comparable storage/network/virtulization platforms. The performance is measured using a series of independent benchmarks , testing the speed an the stability of multiple VMs runnng heavy-load operations on the I/O of virtualized storage and the virtualized network. The result from the benchmark tests allowed us to study and evaluate how the different workloads of Vm interact with the Hardware/Software resource layers.

Standard guide for in-plant performance evaluation of automatic pedestrian SNM monitors

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

1997-01-01

1.1 This guide is affiliated with Guide C1112 on special nuclear material (SNM) monitors, Guide C1169 on laboratory performance evaluation, and Guide C1189 on calibrating pedestrian SNM monitors. This guide to in-plant performance evaluation is a comparatively rapid way to verify whether a pedestrian SNM monitor performs as expected for detecting SNM or SNM-like test sources. 1.1.1 In-plant performance evaluation should not be confused with the simple daily functional test recommended in Guide C1112. In-plant performance evaluation takes place less often than daily tests, usually at intervals ranging from weekly to once every three months. In-plant evaluations are also more extensive than daily tests and may examine both a monitor's nuisance alarm record and its detection sensitivity for a particular SNM or alternative test source. 1.1.2 In-plant performance evaluation also should not be confused with laboratory performance evaluation. In-plant evaluation is comparatively rapid, takes place in the monitor...

Metrics for Performance Evaluation of Patient Exercises during Physical Therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Vakanski, Aleksandar; Ferguson, Jake M; Lee, Stephen

2017-06-01

The article proposes a set of metrics for evaluation of patient performance in physical therapy exercises. Taxonomy is employed that classifies the metrics into quantitative and qualitative categories, based on the level of abstraction of the captured motion sequences. Further, the quantitative metrics are classified into model-less and model-based metrics, in reference to whether the evaluation employs the raw measurements of patient performed motions, or whether the evaluation is based on a mathematical model of the motions. The reviewed metrics include root-mean square distance, Kullback Leibler divergence, log-likelihood, heuristic consistency, Fugl-Meyer Assessment, and similar. The metrics are evaluated for a set of five human motions captured with a Kinect sensor. The metrics can potentially be integrated into a system that employs machine learning for modelling and assessment of the consistency of patient performance in home-based therapy setting. Automated performance evaluation can overcome the inherent subjectivity in human performed therapy assessment, and it can increase the adherence to prescribed therapy plans, and reduce healthcare costs.

The impact of resident- and self-evaluations on surgeon's subsequent teaching performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boerebach, Benjamin C. M.; Arah, Onyebuchi A.; Heineman, Maas Jan; Busch, Olivier R. C.; Lombarts, Kiki M. J. M. H.

2014-01-01

This study evaluates how residents' evaluations and self-evaluations of surgeon's teaching performance evolve after two cycles of evaluation, reporting, and feedback. Furthermore, the influence of over- and underestimating own performance on subsequent teaching performance was investigated. In a

The ambiguities of performance-based governance reforms in Italy: Reviving the fortunes of evaluation and performance measurement.

Science.gov (United States)

Marra, Mita

2018-08-01

Over the past two decades, Italy's administrative reforms have institutionalized evaluation to improve program effectiveness, staff productivity, and results-driven accountability against waste and corruption. Across ministries, regional governments, universities, schools and environmental protection agencies, seemingly unexpected consequences have emerged out of the implementation of performance measurement and evaluation regimes within public organizations. Formal compliance to legally binding evaluation procedures, judicially-sanctioned managerial accountability and lack of cross-agency coordination coupled with long-standing cultural separations among evaluators are some of the ambiguities associated with a performance-based governance system within Italian public administration. Building upon the 'new governane theory,' and qualitative fieldwork, I explore the political consequences of evaluation and performance measurement for possible improvements. From a normative perspective, greater integration between program evaluation and performance measurement can support organizational learning and democratic accountability both at the central and local level. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating building performance in healthcare facilities: an organizational perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Steinke, Claudia; Webster, Lynn; Fontaine, Marie

2010-01-01

Using the environment as a strategic tool is one of the most cost-effective and enduring approaches for improving public health; however, it is one that requires multiple perspectives. The purpose of this article is to highlight an innovative methodology that has been developed for conducting comprehensive performance evaluations in public sector health facilities in Canada. The building performance evaluation methodology described in this paper is a government initiative. The project team developed a comprehensive building evaluation process for all new capital health projects that would respond to the aforementioned need for stakeholders to be more accountable and to better integrate the larger organizational strategy of facilities. The Balanced Scorecard, which is a multiparadigmatic, performance-based business framework, serves as the underlying theoretical framework for this initiative. It was applied in the development of the conceptual model entitled the Building Performance Evaluation Scorecard, which provides the following benefits: (1) It illustrates a process to link facilities more effectively to the overall mission and goals of an organization; (2) It is both a measurement and a management system that has the ability to link regional facilities to measures of success and larger business goals; (3) It provides a standardized methodology that ensures consistency in assessing building performance; and (4) It is more comprehensive than traditional building evaluations. The methodology presented in this paper is both a measurement and management system that integrates the principles of evidence-based design with the practices of pre- and post-occupancy evaluation. It promotes accountability and continues throughout the life cycle of a project. The advantage of applying this framework is that it engages health organizations in clarifying a vision and strategy for their facilities and helps translate those strategies into action and measurable performance

Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program Operator Performance Metrics for Control Room Modernization: A Practical Guide for Early Design Evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ronald Boring; Roger Lew; Thomas Ulrich; Jeffrey Joe

2014-03-01

As control rooms are modernized with new digital systems at nuclear power plants, it is necessary to evaluate the operator performance using these systems as part of a verification and validation process. There are no standard, predefined metrics available for assessing what is satisfactory operator interaction with new systems, especially during the early design stages of a new system. This report identifies the process and metrics for evaluating human system interfaces as part of control room modernization. The report includes background information on design and evaluation, a thorough discussion of human performance measures, and a practical example of how the process and metrics have been used as part of a turbine control system upgrade during the formative stages of design. The process and metrics are geared toward generalizability to other applications and serve as a template for utilities undertaking their own control room modernization activities.

A Process For Performance Evaluation Of Real-Time Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew J. Kornecki

2003-12-01

Full Text Available Real-time developers and engineers must not only meet the system functional requirements, but also the stringent timing requirements. One of the critical decisions leading to meeting these timing requirements is the selection of an operating system under which the software will be developed and run. Although there is ample documentation on real-time systems performance and evaluation, little can be found that combines such information into an efficient process for use by developers. As the software industry moves towards clearly defined processes, creation of appropriate guidelines describing a process for performance evaluation of real-time system would greatly benefit real-time developers. This technology transition research focuses on developing such a process. PROPERT (PROcess for Performance Evaluation of Real Time systems - the process described in this paper - is based upon established techniques for evaluating real-time systems. It organizes already existing real-time performance criteria and assessment techniques in a manner consistent with a well-formed process, based on the Personal Software Process concepts.

Model of service-oriented catering supply chain performance evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juanqiong Gou

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The aim of this paper is constructing a performance evaluation model for service-oriented catering supply chain. Design/methodology/approach: With the research on the current situation of catering industry, this paper summarized the characters of the catering supply chain, and then presents the service-oriented catering supply chain model based on the platform of logistics and information. At last, the fuzzy AHP method is used to evaluate the performance of service-oriented catering supply chain. Findings: With the analysis of the characteristics of catering supply chain, we construct the performance evaluation model in order to guarantee the food safety, logistics efficiency, price stability and so on. Practical implications: In order to evolve an efficient and effective service supply chain, it can not only used to own enterprise improvement, but also can be used for selecting different customers, to choose a different model of development. Originality/value: This paper has a new definition of service-oriented catering supply chain. And it offers a model to evaluate the performance of this catering supply chain.

Evaluation of virtual environment as a form of interactive resuscitation exam

Science.gov (United States)

Leszczyński, Piotr; Charuta, Anna; Kołodziejczak, Barbara; Roszak, Magdalena

2017-10-01

There is scientific evidence confirming the effectiveness of e-learning within resuscitation, however, there is not enough research on modern examination techniques within the scope. The aim of the pilot research is to compare the exam results in the field of Advanced Life Support in a traditional (paper) and interactive (computer) form as well as to evaluate satisfaction of the participants. A survey was conducted which meant to evaluate satisfaction of exam participants. Statistical analysis of the collected data was conducted at a significance level of α = 0.05 using STATISTICS v. 12. Final results of the traditional exam (67.5% ± 15.8%) differed significantly (p test. Significant differences between the results of a traditional test and the one supported by Computer Based Learning system showed the possibility of achieving a more detailed competence verification in the field of resuscitation thanks to interactive solutions.

Interactive Information Retrieval: An Introduction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Borlund, Pia

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The paper introduces the research area of interactive information retrieval (IIR from a historical point of view. Further, the focus here is on evaluation, because much research in IR deals with IR evaluation methodology due to the core research interest in IR performance, system interaction and satisfaction with retrieved information. In order to position IIR evaluation, the Cranfield model and the series of tests that led to the Cranfield model are outlined. Three iconic user-oriented studies and projects that all have contributed to how IIR is perceived and understood today are presented: The MEDLARS test, the Book House fiction retrieval system, and the OKAPI project. On this basis the call for alternative IIR evaluation approaches motivated by the three revolutions (the cognitive, the relevance, and the interactive revolutions put forward by Robertson & Hancock-Beaulieu (1992 is presented. As a response to this call the 'IIR evaluation model' by Borlund (e.g., 2003a is introduced. The objective of the IIR evaluation model is to facilitate IIR evaluation as close as possible to actual information searching and IR processes, though still in a relatively controlled evaluation environment, in which the test instrument of a simulated work task situation plays a central part.

Order effect in interactive information retrieval evaluation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clemmensen, Melanie Landvad; Borlund, Pia

2016-01-01

, and the good-subject effect shed light on how and why order effect may affect test participants’ IR system interaction and search behaviour. Research limitations/implications – Insight about order effect has implications for test design of IIR studies and hence the knowledge base generated on the basis...... of such studies. Due to the limited sample of 20 test participants (Library and Information Science (LIS) students) inference statistics is not applicable; hence conclusions can be drawn from this sample of test participants only. Originality/value – Only few studies in LIS focus on order effect and none from...... the perspective of IIR. Keywords Evaluation, Research methods, Information retrieval, User studies, Searching, Information searches...

A new test procedure to evaluate the performance of substations for collective heating systems

Science.gov (United States)

Baetens, Robin; Verhaert, Ivan

2017-11-01

The overall heat demand of a single dwelling, existing out of space heating and domestic hot water production, decreases due to higher insulation rates. Because of this, investing in efficient and renewable heat generation becomes less interesting. Therefore, to incorporate renewables or residual heat on a larger scale, district heating or collective heating systems grow in importance. Within this set-up, the substation is responsible for the interaction between local demand for comfort and overall energy performance of the collective heating system. Many different configurations of substations exist, which influence both local comfort and central system performance. Next to that, also hybrids exist with additional local energy input. To evaluate performance of such substations, a new experimental-based test procedure is developed in order to evaluate these different aspects, characterized by the two roles a substation has, namely as heat generator and as heat consumer. The advantage of this approach is that an objective comparison between individual and central systems regarding performance on delivering local comfort can be executed experimentally. The lab set-up consists out of three different subsystems, namely the central system, the domestic hot water consumption and the local space heating. The central system can work with different temperature regimes and control strategies, as these aspects have proven to have the largest influence on actual performance. The domestic hot water system is able to generate similar tap profiles according to eco-design regulation for domestic hot water generation. The space heating system is able to demand a modular heat load.

A new test procedure to evaluate the performance of substations for collective heating systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Baetens Robin

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The overall heat demand of a single dwelling, existing out of space heating and domestic hot water production, decreases due to higher insulation rates. Because of this, investing in efficient and renewable heat generation becomes less interesting. Therefore, to incorporate renewables or residual heat on a larger scale, district heating or collective heating systems grow in importance. Within this set-up, the substation is responsible for the interaction between local demand for comfort and overall energy performance of the collective heating system. Many different configurations of substations exist, which influence both local comfort and central system performance. Next to that, also hybrids exist with additional local energy input. To evaluate performance of such substations, a new experimental-based test procedure is developed in order to evaluate these different aspects, characterized by the two roles a substation has, namely as heat generator and as heat consumer. The advantage of this approach is that an objective comparison between individual and central systems regarding performance on delivering local comfort can be executed experimentally. The lab set-up consists out of three different subsystems, namely the central system, the domestic hot water consumption and the local space heating. The central system can work with different temperature regimes and control strategies, as these aspects have proven to have the largest influence on actual performance. The domestic hot water system is able to generate similar tap profiles according to eco-design regulation for domestic hot water generation. The space heating system is able to demand a modular heat load.

Integrated model for supplier selection and performance evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Borges de Araújo, Maria Creuza

2015-08-01

Full Text Available This paper puts forward a model for selecting suppliers and evaluating the performance of those already working with a company. A simulation was conducted in a food industry. This sector has high significance in the economy of Brazil. The model enables the phases of selecting and evaluating suppliers to be integrated. This is important so that a company can have partnerships with suppliers who are able to meet their needs. Additionally, a group method is used to enable managers who will be affected by this decision to take part in the selection stage. Finally, the classes resulting from the performance evaluation are shown to support the contractor in choosing the most appropriate relationship with its suppliers.

Subjective performance evaluation and gender discrimination

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Maas, V.S.; Torres-Gonzalez, R.

2011-01-01

Gender discrimination continues to be a problem in organizations. It is therefore important that organizations use performance evaluation methods that ensure equal opportunities for men and women. This article reports the results of an experiment to investigate whether and, if so, how the gender of

A method to evaluate process performance by integrating time and resources

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yu; Wei, Qingjie; Jin, Shuang

2017-06-01

The purpose of process mining is to improve the existing process of the enterprise, so how to measure the performance of the process is particularly important. However, the current research on the performance evaluation method is still insufficient. The main methods of evaluation are mainly using time or resource. These basic statistics cannot evaluate process performance very well. In this paper, a method of evaluating the performance of the process based on time dimension and resource dimension is proposed. This method can be used to measure the utilization and redundancy of resources in the process. This paper will introduce the design principle and formula of the evaluation algorithm. Then, the design and the implementation of the evaluation method will be introduced. Finally, we will use the evaluating method to analyse the event log from a telephone maintenance process and propose an optimization plan.

Determinants of the use of value-based performance measures for managerial performance evaluation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dekker, H.C.; Groot, T.L.C.M.; Schoute, M.; Wiersma, E.

2012-01-01

As value-based (VB) performance measures include firms' cost of capital, they are considered more congruent than earnings measures. Prior studies, however, find that their use for managerial performance evaluation is less extensive than their presumed benefits would suggest. We examine how the

A Unified NET-MAC-PHY Cross-layer Framework for Performance Evaluation of Multi-hop Ad hoc WLANs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachid El-Azouzi

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Most of the existing works have been evaluated the performance of 802.11 multihop networks by considering the MAC layer or network layer separately. Knowing the nature of the multi-hop ad hoc networks, many factors in different layers are crucial for study the performance of MANET. In this paper we present a new analytic model for evaluating average end-to-end throughput in IEEE 802.11e multihop wireless networks. In particular, we investigate an intricate interaction among PHY, MAC and Network layers. For instance, we incorporate carrier sense threshold, transmission power, contention window size, retransmissions retry limit, multi rates, routing protocols and network topology together. We build a general cross-layered framework to represent multi-hop ad hoc networks with asymmetric topology and asymmetric traffic. We develop an analytical model to predict throughput of each connection as well as stability of forwarding queues at intermediate nodes in saturated networks. To the best of our knowledge, it seems that our work is the first wherein general topology and asymmetric parameters setup are considered in PHY/MAC/Network layers. Performance of such a system is also evaluated through simulation. We show that performance measures of the MAC layer are affected by the traffic intensity of flows to be forwarded. More precisely, attempt rate and collision probability are dependent on traffic flows, topology and routing.

Performance evaluation of seal coat materials and designs.

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

"This project presents an evaluation of seal coat materials and design method. The primary objectives of this research are 1) to evaluate seal coat performance : from various combinations of aggregates and emulsions in terms of aggregate loss; 2) to ...

Fiscal year 1999 Battelle performance evaluation and fee agreement; TOPICAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DAVIS, T.L.

1998-01-01

Fiscal Year 1999 represents the third fill year utilizing a results-oriented, performance-based evaluation for the Contractor's operations and management of the DOE Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (here after referred to as the Laboratory). However, this is the first year that the Contractor's fee is totally performance-based utilizing the same Critical Outcomes. This document describes the critical outcomes, objectives, performance indicators, expected levels of performance, and the basis for the evaluation of the Contractor's performance for the period October 1, 1998 through September 30, 1999, as required by Clauses entitled ''Use of Objective Standards of Performance, Self Assessment and Performance Evaluation'' and ''Performance Measures Review'' of the Contract DE-ACO6-76RL01830. Furthermore, it documents the distribution of the total available performance-based fee and the methodology set for determining the amount of fee earned by the Contractor as stipulated within the causes entitled ''Estimated Cost and Annual Fee,'' ''Total Available Fee'' and ''Allowable Costs and Fee.'' In partnership with the Contractor and other key customers, the Department of Energy (DOE) Headquarters (HQ) and Richland Operations Office (RL) has defined four critical outcomes that serve as the core for the Contractor's performance-based evaluation and fee determination. The Contractor also utilizes these outcomes as a basis for overall management of the Laboratory

EVALUATION OF THE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF PENSION FUNDS IN CROATIA

OpenAIRE

Dražen Novaković

2015-01-01

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the financial performance of pension funds in Croatia. Although there are other factors which are important in the pension funds overall performance, this paper focuses on investment accomplishments. The purpose of measuring portfolio performance is to determine whether portfolio managers add value compared to passive investment strategies. The traditional approach to pension funds’ performance evaluation underlines standard measures of financial performan...

Performance Evaluation of Air-Based Heat Rejection Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hannes Fugmann

2015-01-01

Full Text Available On the basis of the Number of Transfer Units (NTU method a functional relation between electric power for fans/pumps and effectiveness in dry coolers and wet cooling towers is developed. Based on this relation, a graphical presentation method of monitoring and simulation data of heat rejection units is introduced. The functional relation allows evaluating the thermodynamic performance of differently sized heat rejection units and comparing performance among them. The method is used to evaluate monitoring data of dry coolers of different solar cooling field projects. The novelty of this approach is that performance rating is not limited by a design point or standardized operating conditions of the heat exchanger, but is realizable under flexible conditions.

Software for evaluation of EPR-dosimetry performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shishkina, E.A.; Timofeev, Yu.S.; Ivanov, D.V.

2014-01-01

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) with tooth enamel is a method extensively used for retrospective external dosimetry. Different research groups apply different equipment, sample preparation procedures and spectrum processing algorithms for EPR dosimetry. A uniform algorithm for description and comparison of performances was designed and implemented in a new computer code. The aim of the paper is to introduce the new software 'EPR-dosimetry performance'. The computer code is a user-friendly tool for providing a full description of method-specific capabilities of EPR tooth dosimetry, from metrological characteristics to practical limitations in applications. The software designed for scientists and engineers has several applications, including support of method calibration by evaluation of calibration parameters, evaluation of critical value and detection limit for registration of radiation-induced signal amplitude, estimation of critical value and detection limit for dose evaluation, estimation of minimal detectable value for anthropogenic dose assessment and description of method uncertainty. (authors)

Proposed evaluation framework for assessing operator performance with multisensor displays

Science.gov (United States)

Foyle, David C.

1992-01-01

Despite aggressive work on the development of sensor fusion algorithms and techniques, no formal evaluation procedures have been proposed. Based on existing integration models in the literature, an evaluation framework is developed to assess an operator's ability to use multisensor, or sensor fusion, displays. The proposed evaluation framework for evaluating the operator's ability to use such systems is a normative approach: The operator's performance with the sensor fusion display can be compared to the models' predictions based on the operator's performance when viewing the original sensor displays prior to fusion. This allows for the determination as to when a sensor fusion system leads to: 1) poorer performance than one of the original sensor displays (clearly an undesirable system in which the fused sensor system causes some distortion or interference); 2) better performance than with either single sensor system alone, but at a sub-optimal (compared to the model predictions) level; 3) optimal performance (compared to model predictions); or, 4) super-optimal performance, which may occur if the operator were able to use some highly diagnostic 'emergent features' in the sensor fusion display, which were unavailable in the original sensor displays. An experiment demonstrating the usefulness of the proposed evaluation framework is discussed.

Comparative evaluation of maintenance performance using subsurvival functions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Paulsen, J.L.; Cooke, R.; Nyman, R.

1997-01-01

Subsurvival functions are applied to operational data for the control rod drive systems of Nordic nuclear reactors to evaluate maintenance performance. Competing failure modes are preventive and corrective maintenance. Maintenance indicators are defined and evaluated for 8 plants. (C) 1997 Elsevier...

The Interaction of Functional and Dysfunctional Emotions during Balance Beam Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Cottyn, Jorge; De Clercq, Dirk; Crombez, Geert; Lenoir, Matthieu

2012-01-01

The interaction between functional and dysfunctional emotions, as one of the major tenets of the Individual Zones of Optimal Functioning (IZOF) model (Hanin, 2000), was studied in a sport specific setting. Fourteen female gymnasts performed three attempts of a compulsory balance beam routine at three different heights. Heart rate and self-report…

Evaluation and analysis on the coupling performance of a high-speed turboexpander compressor

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Shuangtao; Fan, Yufeng; Yang, Shanju; Chen, Xingya; Hou, Yu

2017-12-01

A high-speed turboexpander compressor (TEC) for small reverse Brayton air refrigerator is tested and analyzed in the present work. A TEC consists of an expander and a compressor, which are coupled together and interact with each other directly. Meanwhile, the expander and compressor have different effects on the refrigerator. The TEC overall efficiency, which contains effects of the expander's expansion, the compressor's pre-compression, and the pressure drop between them, was proved. It unifies influences of both compression and expansion processes on the COP of refrigerator and could be used to evaluate the TEC overall performance. Then, the coupling parameters were analyzed, which shows that for a TEC, the expander efficiency should be fully utilized first, followed by the compressor pressure ratio. Experiments were carried out to test the TEC coupling performances. The results indicated that, the TEC overall efficiency could reach 67.2%, and meanwhile 22.3% of the energy output was recycled.

Effects of peer social interaction on performance during computerized cognitive remediation therapy in patients with early course schizophrenia: A pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Sandoval, Luis R; González, Betzamel López; Stone, William S; Guimond, Synthia; Rivas, Cristina Torres; Sheynberg, David; Kuo, Susan S; Eack, Shaun; Keshavan, Matcheri S

2017-09-04

Recent studies show that computer-based training enhances cognition in schizophrenia; furthermore, socialization has also been found to improve cognitive functions. It is generally believed that non-social cognitive remediation using computer exercises would be a pre-requisite for therapeutic benefits from social cognitive training. However, it is also possible that social interaction by itself enhances non-social cognitive functions; this possibility has scarcely been explored in schizophrenia patients. This pilot study examined the effects of computer-based neurocognitive training, along with social interaction either with a peer (PSI) or without one (N-PSI). We hypothesized that PSI will enhance cognitive performance during computerized exercises in schizophrenia, as compared with N-PSI. Sixteen adult participants diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder participating in an ongoing trial of Cognitive Enhancement Therapy completed several computerized neurocognitive remediation training sessions (the Orientation Remedial Module©, or ORM), either with a peer or without a peer. We observed a significant interaction between the effect of PSI and performance on the different cognitive exercises (p<0.05). More precisely, when patients performed the session with PSI, they demonstrated better cognitive performances than with N-PSI in the ORM exercise that provides training in processing speed, alertness, and reaction time (the standard Attention Reaction Conditioner, or ARC) (p<0.01, corrected). PSI did not significantly affect other cognitive domains such as target detection and spatial attention. Our findings suggest that PSI could improve cognitive performance, such as processing speed, during computerized cognitive training in schizophrenia. Additional studies investigating the effect of PSI during cognitive remediation are needed to further evaluate this hypothesis. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Drop performance test and evaluation for HANARO shutoff units

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, Y. H.; Cho, Y. K.; Lee, J. H.; Choi, Y. S.; Woo, J. S.

2004-01-01

The function of the shutoff units of the HANARO is to rapidly insert the shutoff rod into the reactor core for safe shutdown of reactor. This paper describes drop performance test and evaluation for a shutoff unit for the technical verification of lifetime extension and localization of the HANARO shutoff units. We have performed preliminary drop performance tests for a shutoff unit at 1/2-core test loop and analyzed through the comparison with the test results performed during design verification test and the results of the periodic performance test in HANARO. It shows that the results of the local fabrication, installation and alignment for the shutoff unit meet the basic performance requirements, Furthermore, the performance evaluation method of the periodic drop test of the HANARO shutoff units is a conservative method comparing with the real drop time

Evaluation of gait performance of knee osteoarthritis patients after total knee arthroplasty with different assistive devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Tereso

Full Text Available IntroductionNowadays Knee Osteoarthritis (KOA affects a large percentage of the elderly, and one solution is to perform a Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA. In this paper, one intends to study the gait and posture of these patients after the TKA, while walking with three assistive devices (ADs (crutches, standard walker (SW and rollator with forearm supports (RFS.MethodsEleven patients were evaluated in 2 phases: 5 days and 15 days after surgery. This evaluation was conducted with two inertial sensors, one attached to the operated leg ankle, to measure spatiotemporal parameters, and the other at the sacrum, to measure posture and fall risk-related parameters. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA with repeated measures was performed to detect group differences.ResultsThe MANOVA results show that all spatiotemporal parameters are significantly different (p0.05. The interaction between time and ADs only affects significantly the velocity (p<0.05. In terms of fall risk parameters, time only significantly affects the antero-posterior direction (p<0.05 and ADs affects significantly root mean square in medio-lateral direction (p<0.05. In terms of interaction between time and ADs, there are no statistical significant differences.ConclusionThis study concludes that depending on the state of recovery of the patient, different ADs should be prescribed. On the overall, standard walker is good to give stability to the patient and RFS allows the patient to present a gait pattern closer to a natural gait.

Performance evaluation of the insurance companies based on AHP

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Manhong; Zhu, Kunping

2018-04-01

With the entry of foreign capital, China's insurance industry is under increasing pressure of competition. The performance of a company is the external manifestation of its comprehensive strength. Therefore, the establishment of a scientific evaluation system is of practical significance for the insurance companies. In this paper, based on the financial and non-financial indicators of the companies, the performance evaluation system is constructed by means of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). In the system, the weights of the indicators which represent the impact on the performance of the companies will be calculated by the process. The evaluation system is beneficial for the companies to realize their own strengths and weaknesses, so as to take steps to enhance the core competitiveness of the companies.

Evaluating supplier quality performance using fuzzy analytical hierarchy process

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Nazihah; Kasim, Maznah Mat; Rajoo, Shanmugam Sundram Kalimuthu

2014-12-01

Evaluating supplier quality performance is vital in ensuring continuous supply chain improvement, reducing the operational costs and risks towards meeting customer's expectation. This paper aims to illustrate an application of Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process to prioritize the evaluation criteria in a context of automotive manufacturing in Malaysia. Five main criteria were identified which were quality, cost, delivery, customer serviceand technology support. These criteria had been arranged into hierarchical structure and evaluated by an expert. The relative importance of each criteria was determined by using linguistic variables which were represented as triangular fuzzy numbers. The Center of Gravity defuzzification method was used to convert the fuzzy evaluations into their corresponding crisps values. Such fuzzy evaluation can be used as a systematic tool to overcome the uncertainty evaluation of suppliers' performance which usually associated with human being subjective judgments.

Environmental performance evaluation of Beijing's energy use planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Lei; Xu Linyu; Song Huimin

2011-01-01

In line with rapid economic development, urban energy consumption is increasing rapidly, resulting in environmental problems. After considering several methods to evaluate the environmental performance of energy use, including: energy ecological footprint, input-output analysis, emergy-exergy analysis, and multi-criteria decision-making, an environmental performance evaluation model is proposed, which combines the analytical hierarchy process, fuzzy extent analysis, and membership degree analysis. In the model, 18 sub-indicators of environmental performance from energy use planning are classified into four categories: structure of energy use and industry, technology and efficiency of energy use, environmental impacts caused by energy use, and the socio-economic benefits of energy use. Membership degree analysis is applied to each indicator. Three energy use scenarios which are, respectively, environment-friendly, technology-led, and economic policy-led are evaluated. The results show that the technology-led energy use planning is best. The sustainable energy use policies are proposed from three aspects, including optimizing the energy use and industrial structure, encouraging development of energy-saving and air pollution control technologies, and enhancing legislation on energy use management. The policies are helpful to optimize the trade-offs between economic growth and environmental protection in Beijing. - Highlights: → Our paper establishes a system of indicators according to the structure of urban energy use planning. → We have created a comprehensive environmental performance evaluation model in the research. → The model and results can serve as an important basis for decision-making to guide local government.

The transport performance evaluation system building of logistics enterprises

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xueli Wang

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Purpose: modern logistics has a significant role in today’s society, logistics cost accounts for 35% to 50% of total logistics costs, so it’s great significance to improve the transport performance of logistics enterprises. Design/methodology/approach: the authors select the transportation performance evaluation index of logistics enterprise, with the aid of the fuzzy theory and analytic hierarchy process (AHP, adopt the combining method of quantitative and qualitative analysis, construct the transport performance evaluation system of logistics enterprises. Findings: the choice of transport performance evaluation indicator system for Logistics enterprise is in a state of "high", which indicates the indicator selection is reasonable. Research limitations/implications: the selected indicators with experts’ subjective factors can not accurately quantify. Practical implications: it has important practical significance to promote the development of modern logistics enterprises and save social cost. Originality/value: current research methods mainly include the PDCA cycle model, key performance indicators (KPI and benchmarking method, principal component analysis method, etc. The authors for the first time with the aid of fuzzy theory and analytic hierarchy process (AHP, adopt the combining method of quantitative and qualitative research on transport performance problems.

Evaluating the Effects of Immersive Embodied Interaction on Cognition in Virtual Reality

Science.gov (United States)

Parmar, Dhaval

Virtual reality is on its advent of becoming mainstream household technology, as technologies such as head-mounted displays, trackers, and interaction devices are becoming affordable and easily available. Virtual reality (VR) has immense potential in enhancing the fields of education and training, and its power can be used to spark interest and enthusiasm among learners. It is, therefore, imperative to evaluate the risks and benefits that immersive virtual reality poses to the field of education. Research suggests that learning is an embodied process. Learning depends on grounded aspects of the body including action, perception, and interactions with the environment. This research aims to study if immersive embodiment through the means of virtual reality facilitates embodied cognition. A pedagogical VR solution which takes advantage of embodied cognition can lead to enhanced learning benefits. Towards achieving this goal, this research presents a linear continuum for immersive embodied interaction within virtual reality. This research evaluates the effects of three levels of immersive embodied interactions on cognitive thinking, presence, usability, and satisfaction among users in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Results from the presented experiments show that immersive virtual reality is greatly effective in knowledge acquisition and retention, and highly enhances user satisfaction, interest and enthusiasm. Users experience high levels of presence and are profoundly engaged in the learning activities within the immersive virtual environments. The studies presented in this research evaluate pedagogical VR software to train and motivate students in STEM education, and provide an empirical analysis comparing desktop VR (DVR), immersive VR (IVR), and immersive embodied VR (IEVR) conditions for learning. This research also proposes a fully immersive embodied interaction metaphor (IEIVR) for learning of computational

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF TYPE I MARINE SANITATION DEVICES

Science.gov (United States)

This performance test was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of two Type I Marine Sanitation Devices (MSDs): the Electro Scan Model EST 12, manufactured by Raritan Engineering Company, Inc., and the Thermopure-2, manufactured by Gross Mechanical Laboratories, Inc. Performance...

Evaluation of Pseudo-Haptic Interactions with Soft Objects in Virtual Environments.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Min Li

Full Text Available This paper proposes a pseudo-haptic feedback method conveying simulated soft surface stiffness information through a visual interface. The method exploits a combination of two feedback techniques, namely visual feedback of soft surface deformation and control of the indenter avatar speed, to convey stiffness information of a simulated surface of a soft object in virtual environments. The proposed method was effective in distinguishing different sizes of virtual hard nodules integrated into the simulated soft bodies. To further improve the interactive experience, the approach was extended creating a multi-point pseudo-haptic feedback system. A comparison with regards to (a nodule detection sensitivity and (b elapsed time as performance indicators in hard nodule detection experiments to a tablet computer incorporating vibration feedback was conducted. The multi-point pseudo-haptic interaction is shown to be more time-efficient than the single-point pseudo-haptic interaction. It is noted that multi-point pseudo-haptic feedback performs similarly well when compared to a vibration-based feedback method based on both performance measures elapsed time and nodule detection sensitivity. This proves that the proposed method can be used to convey detailed haptic information for virtual environmental tasks, even subtle ones, using either a computer mouse or a pressure sensitive device as an input device. This pseudo-haptic feedback method provides an opportunity for low-cost simulation of objects with soft surfaces and hard inclusions, as, for example, occurring in ever more realistic video games with increasing emphasis on interaction with the physical environment and minimally invasive surgery in the form of soft tissue organs with embedded cancer nodules. Hence, the method can be used in many low-budget applications where haptic sensation is required, such as surgeon training or video games, either using desktop computers or portable devices, showing

Evaluation of kriging based surrogate models constructed from mesoscale computations of shock interaction with particles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sen, Oishik, E-mail: oishik-sen@uiowa.edu [Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 (United States); Gaul, Nicholas J., E-mail: nicholas-gaul@ramdosolutions.com [RAMDO Solutions, LLC, Iowa City, IA 52240 (United States); Choi, K.K., E-mail: kyung-choi@uiowa.edu [Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 (United States); Jacobs, Gustaaf, E-mail: gjacobs@sdsu.edu [Aerospace Engineering, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92115 (United States); Udaykumar, H.S., E-mail: hs-kumar@uiowa.edu [Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 (United States)

2017-05-01

Macro-scale computations of shocked particulate flows require closure laws that model the exchange of momentum/energy between the fluid and particle phases. Closure laws are constructed in this work in the form of surrogate models derived from highly resolved mesoscale computations of shock-particle interactions. The mesoscale computations are performed to calculate the drag force on a cluster of particles for different values of Mach Number and particle volume fraction. Two Kriging-based methods, viz. the Dynamic Kriging Method (DKG) and the Modified Bayesian Kriging Method (MBKG) are evaluated for their ability to construct surrogate models with sparse data; i.e. using the least number of mesoscale simulations. It is shown that if the input data is noise-free, the DKG method converges monotonically; convergence is less robust in the presence of noise. The MBKG method converges monotonically even with noisy input data and is therefore more suitable for surrogate model construction from numerical experiments. This work is the first step towards a full multiscale modeling of interaction of shocked particle laden flows.

Materials balance area Custodian Performance Evaluation Program at PNL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dickman, D.A.

1991-07-01

The material balance area (MBA) custodian has primary responsibility for control and accountability of nuclear material within an MBA. In this role, the custodian operates as an extension of the facility material control and accountability (MC ampersand A) organization. To effectively meet administrative requirements and protection needs, the custodian must be fully trained in all aspects of MC ampersand A related to the MBA, and custodian performance must be periodically evaluated. DOE Policy requires that each facility provide for a program which assures that each facility provide for a program which assures that personnel performing MC ampersand A functions are (1) trained and/or qualified to perform their duties and responsibilities and (2) knowledgeable of requirements and procedures related to their functions. The MBA Custodian Performance Evaluation Program at PNL uses a variety of assessment techniques to meet this goal, including internal and independent MBA audits, periodic custodian testing, conduct of limited scope performance tests, daily monitoring of MC ampersand A documentation, and reviewing custodian performance during physical inventories. The data collected from these sources is analyzed and incorporated into an annual custodian performance evaluation document, given to each custodian and line management. Development of this program has resulted in significantly improved custodian performance and a marked decrease in finding and observations identified during MBA audits

Probabilistic performance assessments for evaluations of the Yucca Mountain site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rickertsen, L.D.; Noronha, C.J.

1992-01-01

Site suitability evaluations are conducted to determine if a repository system at a particular site will be able to meet the performance objectives for that system. Early evaluations to determine if the Yucca Mountain site is suitable for repository development have been made in the face of large uncertainties in site features and conditions. Because of these large uncertainties, the evaluations of the site have been qualitative in nature, focusing on the presence or absence of particular features or conditions thought to be important to performance, rather than on results of quantitative performance assessments. Such a qualitative approach was used in the recently completed evaluation of the Yucca Mountain site, the Early Site-Suitability Evaluation (ESSE). In spite of the qualitative approach, the ESSE was able to conclude that no disqualifying conditions are likely to be present at the site and that all of the geologic conditions that would qualify the site are likely to be met. At the same time, because of the qualitative nature of the approach used in the ESSE, the precise importance of the identified issues relative to performance could not be determined. Likewise, the importance of the issues relative to one another could not be evaluated, and, other than broad recommendations, specific priorities for future testing could not be set. The authors have conducted quantitative performance assessments for the Yucca Mountain site to address these issues

Interactive segmentation: a scalable superpixel-based method

Science.gov (United States)

Mathieu, Bérengère; Crouzil, Alain; Puel, Jean-Baptiste

2017-11-01

This paper addresses the problem of interactive multiclass segmentation of images. We propose a fast and efficient new interactive segmentation method called superpixel α fusion (SαF). From a few strokes drawn by a user over an image, this method extracts relevant semantic objects. To get a fast calculation and an accurate segmentation, SαF uses superpixel oversegmentation and support vector machine classification. We compare SαF with competing algorithms by evaluating its performances on reference benchmarks. We also suggest four new datasets to evaluate the scalability of interactive segmentation methods, using images from some thousand to several million pixels. We conclude with two applications of SαF.

Performance Monitoring and Evaluation in Botswana’s Public Service: Achievements and Challenges

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dorothy Mpabanga

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The paper aims to explore the implementation of performance monitoring and evaluation tools used in Botswana’s public service. The paper also identifies achievements and challenges of implementing performance monitoring and evaluation system and suggests ways for improvement. This paper uses secondary data sources. The paper reveals lack of performance monitoring and evaluation skills, poor supervision, poor conditions of service and a poor work ethic as some of the factors contributing to ineffective use of performance monitoring and evaluation tools in the service. Leadership commitment and support, benchmarking reforms, training and education, developed administrative and governance structures as well as well-defined public policy and program formulation and implementation processes are some of the success factors to enhanced performance management and evaluation systems in Botswana. The paper argues for adoption of a developmental-led model in order to enhance existing performance monitoring and evaluation system that would improve implementation of government policies and programs. Botswana has been striving to excel in service delivery through performance monitoring and evaluation oriented reforms.

Effects of Mother-Infant Social Interactions on Infants' Subsequent Contingency Task Performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Dunham, Philip; Dunham, Frances

1990-01-01

Infants participated in a nonsocial contingency task immediately after a social interaction with their mothers. The amount of time mothers and infants spent in a state of vocal turn-taking predicted individual differences in infants' subsequent performance on the contingency task. (PCB)

Inter-varietal interactions among plants in genotypically diverse mixtures tend to decrease herbivore performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Grettenberger, Ian M; Tooker, John F

2016-09-01

Much research has explored the effects of plant species diversity on herbivore populations, but far less has considered effects of plant genotypic diversity, or how abiotic stressors, like drought, can modify effects. Mechanisms by which plant genotypic diversity affects herbivore populations remain largely unresolved. We used greenhouse studies with a model system of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and bird cherry-oat aphid (Rhopalosiphum padi L.) to determine whether the genotypic diversity of a plant's neighborhood influences performance and fitness of herbivores on a focal plant and if drought changes the influence of neighborhood diversity. Taken across all varieties we tested, plant-plant interactions in diverse neighborhoods reduced aphid performance and generated associational resistance, although effects on aphids depended on variety identity. In diverse mixtures, drought stress greatly diminished the genotypic diversity-driven reduction in aphid performance. Neighborhood diversity influenced mother aphid size, and appeared to partially explain how plant-plant interactions reduced the number of offspring produced in mixtures. Plant size did not mediate effects on aphid performance, although neighborhood diversity reduced plant mass across varieties and watering treatments. Our results suggest inter-varietal interactions in genotypic mixtures can affect herbivore performance in the absence of herbivore movement and that abiotic stress may diminish any effects. Accounting for how neighborhood diversity influences resistance of an individual plant to herbivores will help aid development of mixtures of varieties for managing insect pests and clarify the role of plant genotypic diversity in ecosystems.

Plant operator performance evaluation system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ujita, Hiroshi; Fukuda, Mitsuko; Kubota, Ryuji.

1989-01-01

A plant operator performance evaluation system to analyze plant operation records during accident training and to identify and classify operator errors has been developed for the purpose of supporting realization of a training and education system for plant operators. A knowledge engineering technique was applied to evaluation of operator behavior by both even-based and symptom-based procedures, in various situations including event transition due to multiple failures or operational errors. The system classifies the identified errors as to their single and double types based on Swain's error classification and the error levels reflecting Rasmussen's cognitive level, and it also evaluates the effect of errors on plant state and then classifies error influence, using 'knowledge for phenomena and operations', as represented by frames. It has additional functions for analysis of error statistics and knowledge acquisition support of 'knowledge for operations'. The system was applied to a training analysis for a scram event in a BWR plant, and its error analysis function was confirmed to be effective by operational experts. (author)

INDONESIA PUBLIC BANKS PERFORMANCE EVALUATION USING FUZZY LOGIC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sugiarto Sugiarto

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Return on Asset (ROA is a variable that has the greatest ability in predicting public banks stock prices in Indonesia. The coefficient of determination of ROA on public banks stock prices in Indonesia reached 54.8%. ROA has a significant positive influence on public bank stock prices in Indonesia. Fuzzy logic process on the performance of the 15 public banks in Indonesia have been carried out using the data of ROA for the period 2010 up to 2013. Bank reference performance according to ROA is based on Bank Indonesia Letter No. 6 / 23DPNP / 2011. The performance of each bank was analyzed by conventional methods and as a comparison used fuzzy logic. The evaluation with fuzzy logic method able to provide added value to the currently enforced performance evaluation method. There is significant difference in conclusion between the determination of fuzzy logic models and conventional method

In-orbit evaluation of the control system/structural mode interactions of the OSO-8 spacecraft

Science.gov (United States)

Slafer, L. I.

1979-01-01

The Orbiting Solar Observatory-8 experienced severe structural mode/control loop interaction problems during the spacecraft development. Extensive analytical studies, using the hybrid coordinate modeling approach, and comprehensive ground testing were carried out in order to achieve the system's precision pointing performance requirements. A recent series of flight tests were conducted with the spacecraft in which a wide bandwidth, high resolution telemetry system was utilized to evaluate the on-orbit flexible dynamics characteristics of the vehicle along with the control system performance. The paper describes the results of these tests, reviewing the basic design problem, analytical approach taken, ground test philosophy, and on-orbit testing. Data from the tests was used to determine the primary mode frequency, damping, and servo coupling dynamics for the on-orbit condition. Additionally, the test results have verified analytically predicted differences between the on-orbit and ground test environments, and have led to a validation of both the analytical modeling and servo design techniques used during the development of the control system.

Statistical evaluation of diagnostic performance topics in ROC analysis

CERN Document Server

Zou, Kelly H; Bandos, Andriy I; Ohno-Machado, Lucila; Rockette, Howard E

2016-01-01

Statistical evaluation of diagnostic performance in general and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis in particular are important for assessing the performance of medical tests and statistical classifiers, as well as for evaluating predictive models or algorithms. This book presents innovative approaches in ROC analysis, which are relevant to a wide variety of applications, including medical imaging, cancer research, epidemiology, and bioinformatics. Statistical Evaluation of Diagnostic Performance: Topics in ROC Analysis covers areas including monotone-transformation techniques in parametric ROC analysis, ROC methods for combined and pooled biomarkers, Bayesian hierarchical transformation models, sequential designs and inferences in the ROC setting, predictive modeling, multireader ROC analysis, and free-response ROC (FROC) methodology. The book is suitable for graduate-level students and researchers in statistics, biostatistics, epidemiology, public health, biomedical engineering, radiology, medi...

Performance evaluation of corrosion-affected reinforced concrete ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

M B Anoop

Abstract. A methodology for performance evaluation of reinforced concrete bridge girders in corrosive ... concrete (RC) members of infrastructural systems, espe- ... bility will be useful for making engineering decisions for ...... Water-cement ratio.

When sad groups expect to meet again : Interactive affective sharing and future interaction expectation as determinants of work groups' analytical and creative task performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Klep, Annefloor H. M.; Wisse, Barbara; van der Flier, Henk

2013-01-01

The present study examines the moderating role of future interaction expectation in the relationship between affective sharing and work groups' task performance. We argue that group affect, a group defining characteristic, becomes more salient to its members when it is interactively shared, and that

The Effect of Implied Performer Age and Group Membership on Evaluations of Music Performances

Science.gov (United States)

Harrington, Ann M.

2018-01-01

This study examined the effects of implied performer age and group membership on listeners' evaluations of music performances. Undergraduate music majors (n = 23), nonmusic majors (n = 17), and members of a New Horizons ensemble (n = 16) were presented with six 30-second excerpts of concert band performances. Excerpts were presented to all…

High performance APCS conceptual design and evaluation scoping study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soelberg, N.; Liekhus, K.; Chambers, A.; Anderson, G.

1998-02-01

This Air Pollution Control System (APCS) Conceptual Design and Evaluation study was conducted to evaluate a high-performance (APC) system for minimizing air emissions from mixed waste thermal treatment systems. Seven variations of high-performance APCS designs were conceptualized using several design objectives. One of the system designs was selected for detailed process simulation using ASPEN PLUS to determine material and energy balances and evaluate performance. Installed system capital costs were also estimated. Sensitivity studies were conducted to evaluate the incremental cost and benefit of added carbon adsorber beds for mercury control, specific catalytic reduction for NO x control, and offgas retention tanks for holding the offgas until sample analysis is conducted to verify that the offgas meets emission limits. Results show that the high-performance dry-wet APCS can easily meet all expected emission limits except for possibly mercury. The capability to achieve high levels of mercury control (potentially necessary for thermally treating some DOE mixed streams) could not be validated using current performance data for mercury control technologies. The engineering approach and ASPEN PLUS modeling tool developed and used in this study identified APC equipment and system performance, size, cost, and other issues that are not yet resolved. These issues need to be addressed in feasibility studies and conceptual designs for new facilities or for determining how to modify existing facilities to meet expected emission limits. The ASPEN PLUS process simulation with current and refined input assumptions and calculations can be used to provide system performance information for decision-making, identifying best options, estimating costs, reducing the potential for emission violations, providing information needed for waste flow analysis, incorporating new APCS technologies in existing designs, or performing facility design and permitting activities

Performance evaluation of communication systems via importance sampling

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Remondo Bueno, D.

2000-01-01

In the design and development of telecommunication systems, the preparation of experiments can be made more effective by predicting the system performance and its dependence on the different system parameters. This can be done by modeling the system and using performance evaluation methods. This

Evaluation of Earning Performance of Female Owned Leather ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The tools for data analyses were descriptive statistics, income statement and an econometric model involving Ordinary Least Square regression analyses. The earning performance evaluation indicated that the enterprises have performed creditably considering the value of the gross margin analysis which is high and gross ...

A framework for performance evaluation of model-based optical trackers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smit, F.A.; Liere, van R.

2008-01-01

We describe a software framework to evaluate the performance of model-based optical trackers in virtual environments. The framework can be used to evaluate and compare the performance of different trackers under various conditions, to study the effects of varying intrinsic and extrinsic camera

A new method to evaluate human-robot system performance

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez, G.; Weisbin, C. R.

2003-01-01

One of the key issues in space exploration is that of deciding what space tasks are best done with humans, with robots, or a suitable combination of each. In general, human and robot skills are complementary. Humans provide as yet unmatched capabilities to perceive, think, and act when faced with anomalies and unforeseen events, but there can be huge potential risks to human safety in getting these benefits. Robots provide complementary skills in being able to work in extremely risky environments, but their ability to perceive, think, and act by themselves is currently not error-free, although these capabilities are continually improving with the emergence of new technologies. Substantial past experience validates these generally qualitative notions. However, there is a need for more rigorously systematic evaluation of human and robot roles, in order to optimize the design and performance of human-robot system architectures using well-defined performance evaluation metrics. This article summarizes a new analytical method to conduct such quantitative evaluations. While the article focuses on evaluating human-robot systems, the method is generally applicable to a much broader class of systems whose performance needs to be evaluated.

Challenges and opportunities of modeling plasma–surface interactions in tungsten using high-performance computing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wirth, Brian D., E-mail: bdwirth@utk.edu [Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996 (United States); Nuclear Science and Engineering Directorate, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Hammond, K.D. [Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996 (United States); Krasheninnikov, S.I. [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States); Maroudas, D. [University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003 (United States)

2015-08-15

The performance of plasma facing components (PFCs) is critical for ITER and future magnetic fusion reactors. The ITER divertor will be tungsten, which is the primary candidate material for future reactors. Recent experiments involving tungsten exposure to low-energy helium plasmas reveal significant surface modification, including the growth of nanometer-scale tendrils of “fuzz” and formation of nanometer-sized bubbles in the near-surface region. The large span of spatial and temporal scales governing plasma surface interactions are among the challenges to modeling divertor performance. Fortunately, recent innovations in computational modeling, increasingly powerful high-performance computers, and improved experimental characterization tools provide a path toward self-consistent, experimentally validated models of PFC and divertor performance. Recent advances in understanding tungsten–helium interactions are reviewed, including such processes as helium clustering, which serve as nuclei for gas bubbles; and trap mutation, dislocation loop punching and bubble bursting; which together initiate surface morphological modification.

Challenges and opportunities of modeling plasma–surface interactions in tungsten using high-performance computing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wirth, Brian D.; Hammond, K.D.; Krasheninnikov, S.I.; Maroudas, D.

2015-01-01

The performance of plasma facing components (PFCs) is critical for ITER and future magnetic fusion reactors. The ITER divertor will be tungsten, which is the primary candidate material for future reactors. Recent experiments involving tungsten exposure to low-energy helium plasmas reveal significant surface modification, including the growth of nanometer-scale tendrils of “fuzz” and formation of nanometer-sized bubbles in the near-surface region. The large span of spatial and temporal scales governing plasma surface interactions are among the challenges to modeling divertor performance. Fortunately, recent innovations in computational modeling, increasingly powerful high-performance computers, and improved experimental characterization tools provide a path toward self-consistent, experimentally validated models of PFC and divertor performance. Recent advances in understanding tungsten–helium interactions are reviewed, including such processes as helium clustering, which serve as nuclei for gas bubbles; and trap mutation, dislocation loop punching and bubble bursting; which together initiate surface morphological modification

Performance-based financing as a health system reform: mapping the key dimensions for monitoring and evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background Performance-based financing is increasingly being applied in a variety of contexts, with the expectation that it can improve the performance of health systems. However, while there is a growing literature on implementation issues and effects on outputs, there has been relatively little focus on interactions between PBF and health systems and how these should be studied. This paper aims to contribute to filling that gap by developing a framework for assessing the interactions between PBF and health systems, focusing on low and middle income countries. In doing so, it elaborates a general framework for monitoring and evaluating health system reforms in general. Methods This paper is based on an exploratory literature review and on the work of a group of academics and PBF practitioners. The group developed ideas for the monitoring and evaluation framework through exchange of emails and working documents. Ideas were further refined through discussion at the Health Systems Research symposium in Beijing in October 2012, through comments from members of the online PBF Community of Practice and Beijing participants, and through discussion with PBF experts in Bergen in June 2013. Results The paper starts with a discussion of definitions, to clarify the core concept of PBF and how the different terms are used. It then develops a framework for monitoring its interactions with the health system, structured around five domains of context, the development process, design, implementation and effects. Some of the key questions for monitoring and evaluation are highlighted, and a systematic approach to monitoring effects proposed, structured according to the health system pillars, but also according to inputs, processes and outputs. Conclusions The paper lays out a broad framework within which indicators can be prioritised for monitoring and evaluation of PBF or other health system reforms. It highlights the dynamic linkages between the domains and the different pillars

Performance-based financing as a health system reform: mapping the key dimensions for monitoring and evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Witter, Sophie; Toonen, Jurrien; Meessen, Bruno; Kagubare, Jean; Fritsche, György; Vaughan, Kelsey

2013-09-29

Performance-based financing is increasingly being applied in a variety of contexts, with the expectation that it can improve the performance of health systems. However, while there is a growing literature on implementation issues and effects on outputs, there has been relatively little focus on interactions between PBF and health systems and how these should be studied. This paper aims to contribute to filling that gap by developing a framework for assessing the interactions between PBF and health systems, focusing on low and middle income countries. In doing so, it elaborates a general framework for monitoring and evaluating health system reforms in general. This paper is based on an exploratory literature review and on the work of a group of academics and PBF practitioners. The group developed ideas for the monitoring and evaluation framework through exchange of emails and working documents. Ideas were further refined through discussion at the Health Systems Research symposium in Beijing in October 2012, through comments from members of the online PBF Community of Practice and Beijing participants, and through discussion with PBF experts in Bergen in June 2013. The paper starts with a discussion of definitions, to clarify the core concept of PBF and how the different terms are used. It then develops a framework for monitoring its interactions with the health system, structured around five domains of context, the development process, design, implementation and effects. Some of the key questions for monitoring and evaluation are highlighted, and a systematic approach to monitoring effects proposed, structured according to the health system pillars, but also according to inputs, processes and outputs. The paper lays out a broad framework within which indicators can be prioritised for monitoring and evaluation of PBF or other health system reforms. It highlights the dynamic linkages between the domains and the different pillars. All of these are also framed within

A key performance measures for evaluating cold supply chain performance in farm industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shashi Shashi

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The main objective of this study was to develop a set of measures, evaluate their importance and effect in cold supply chain performance. This investigation reviewed previous research works on all the stages of the farm product supply chain. Based on farm product supply chain, 4 measures with 31 metrics were identified and developed to measure the cold supply chain performance. A survey was organized to establish the importance and the effect of identified measures. The 5 point Likert scale questionnaire was distributed among SC academics and practitioners. The observed finding infers that the measurement instrument was substantiating for evaluating cold supply chain performance in farm industry. The new developed metrics will help firms improve the visibility of supply among partners and in better decision making. The investigation was enfolded up through the plan of direction intended for future study.

Evaluation, Language, and Untranslatables

Science.gov (United States)

Dahler-Larsen, Peter; Abma, Tineke; Bustelo, María; Irimia, Roxana; Kosunen, Sonja; Kravchuk, Iryna; Minina, Elena; Segerholm, Christina; Shiroma, Eneida; Stame, Nicoletta; Tshali, Charlie Kabanga

2017-01-01

The issue of translatability is pressing in international evaluation, in global transfer of evaluative instruments, in comparative performance management, and in culturally responsive evaluation. Terms that are never fully understood, digested, or accepted may continue to influence issues, problems, and social interactions in and around and after…

Using Weibull Distribution Analysis to Evaluate ALARA Performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frome, E.L.; Watkins, J.P.; Hagemeyer, D.A.

2009-01-01

As Low as Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) is the underlying principle for protecting nuclear workers from potential health outcomes related to occupational radiation exposure. Radiation protection performance is currently evaluated by measures such as collective dose and average measurable dose, which do not indicate ALARA performance. The purpose of this work is to show how statistical modeling of individual doses using the Weibull distribution can provide objective supplemental performance indicators for comparing ALARA implementation among sites and for insights into ALARA practices within a site. Maximum likelihood methods were employed to estimate the Weibull shape and scale parameters used for performance indicators. The shape parameter reflects the effectiveness of maximizing the number of workers receiving lower doses and is represented as the slope of the fitted line on a Weibull probability plot. Additional performance indicators derived from the model parameters include the 99th percentile and the exceedance fraction. When grouping sites by collective total effective dose equivalent (TEDE) and ranking by 99th percentile with confidence intervals, differences in performance among sites can be readily identified. Applying this methodology will enable more efficient and complete evaluation of the effectiveness of ALARA implementation.

Evaluation model based on FAHP for nuclear power project contract performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Bohang; Cheng Jing

2012-01-01

Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation is a common tool to analyze comprehensive integration. Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process is an improvement for Analytic Hierarchy Process. Firstly the paper pointed out the concept of FAHP, and then used FAHP to setup an evaluation system model for nuclear power project contract performance. Based on this model, all the evaluation factors were assigned to different weightiness. By weighting the score of each factor, output would be the result which could evaluate the contract performance. On the basis of the research, the paper gave the principle of evaluating contract performance of nuclear power suppliers, which can assure the procurement process. (authors)

GIS-Based Evaluation of Spatial Interactions by Geographic Disproportionality of Industrial Diversity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jemyung Lee

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Diversity of regional industry is regarded as a key factor for regional development, as it has a positive relationship with economic stability, which attracts population. This paper focuses on how the spatial imbalance of industrial diversity contributes to the population change caused by inter-regional migration. This paper introduces a spatial interaction model for the Geographic Information System (GIS-based simulation of the spatial interactions to evaluate the demographic attraction force. The proposed model adopts the notions of gravity, entropy, and virtual work. An industrial classification by profit level is introduced and its diversity is quantified with the entropy of information theory. The introduced model is applied to the cases of 207 regions in South Korea. Spatial interactions are simulated with an optimized model and their resultant forces, the demographic attraction forces, are compared with observed net migration for verification. The results show that the evaluated attraction forces from industrial diversity have a very significant, positive, and moderate relationship with net migration, while other conventional factors of industry, population, economy, and the job market do not. This paper concludes that the geographical quality of industrial diversity has positive and significant effects on population change by migration.

An evaluation of touchscreen versus keyboard/mouse interaction for large screen process control displays.

Science.gov (United States)

Noah, Benjamin; Li, Jingwen; Rothrock, Ling

2017-10-01

The objectives of this study were to test the effect of interaction device on performance in a process control task (managing a tank farm). The study compared the following two conditions: a) 4K-resolution 55" screen with a 21" touchscreen versus b) 4K-resolution 55″ screen with keyboard/mouse. The touchscreen acted both as an interaction device for data entry and navigation and as an additional source of information. A within-subject experiment was conducted among 20 college engineering students. A primary task of preventing tanks from overfilling as well as a secondary task of manual logging with situation awareness questions were designed for the study. Primary Task performance (including tank level at discharge, number of tank discharged and performance score), Secondary Task Performance (including Tank log count, performance score), system interaction times, subjective workload, situation awareness questionnaire, user experience survey regarding usability and condition comparison were used as the measures. Parametric data resulted in two metrics statistically different means between the two conditions: The 4K-keyboard condition resulted in faster Detection + Navigation time compared to the 4K-touchscreen condition, by about 2 s, while participants within the 4K-touchscreen condition were about 2 s faster in data entry than in the 4K-keyboard condition. No significant results were found for: performance on the secondary task, situation awareness, and workload. Additionally, no clear significant differences were found in the non-parametric data analysis. However, participants showed a slight preference for the 4K-touchscreen condition compared to the 4K-keyboard condition in subjective responses in comparing the conditions. Introducing the touchscreen as an additional/alternative input device showed to have an effect in interaction times, which suggests that proper design considerations need to be made. While having values shown on the interaction device

Formal Implementation of a Performance Evaluation Model for the Face Recognition System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yong-Nyuo Shin

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Due to usability features, practical applications, and its lack of intrusiveness, face recognition technology, based on information, derived from individuals' facial features, has been attracting considerable attention recently. Reported recognition rates of commercialized face recognition systems cannot be admitted as official recognition rates, as they are based on assumptions that are beneficial to the specific system and face database. Therefore, performance evaluation methods and tools are necessary to objectively measure the accuracy and performance of any face recognition system. In this paper, we propose and formalize a performance evaluation model for the biometric recognition system, implementing an evaluation tool for face recognition systems based on the proposed model. Furthermore, we performed evaluations objectively by providing guidelines for the design and implementation of a performance evaluation system, formalizing the performance test process.

Experimental evaluation of the interaction effect between plastic and creep deformation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ikegami, K.; Niitsu, Y.

1985-01-01

An experimental study of plasticity-creep interaction effects is reported. The combined stress tests are performed on thin wall tubular specimens of SUS 304 stainless steel at room temperature and high temperature (600 0 C). The plastic behaviors subsequent to creep pre-strain and creep behaviors subsequent to plastic pre-strain are obtained for loading along straight stress paths with a corner. The inelastic behaviors including both plastic and creep deformations are experimentally investigated. The interaction effects between plastic and creep deformations are quantitatively estimated with the equi-plastic strain surface. (author)

Evaluating Innovations in Home Care for Performance Accountability.

Science.gov (United States)

Collister, Barbara; Gutscher, Abram; Ambrogiano, Jana

2016-01-01

Concerns about rising costs and the sustainability of our healthcare system have led to a drive for innovative solutions and accountability for performance. Integrated Home Care, Calgary Zone, Alberta Health Services went beyond traditional accountability measures to use evaluation methodology to measure the progress of complex innovations to its organization structure and service delivery model. This paper focuses on the first two phases of a three-phase evaluation. The results of the first two phases generated learning about innovation adoption and sustainability, and performance accountability at the program-level of a large publicly funded healthcare organization.

Performance Evaluation and Parameter Identification on DROID III

Science.gov (United States)

Plumb, Julianna J.

2011-01-01

The DROID III project consisted of two main parts. The former, performance evaluation, focused on the performance characteristics of the aircraft such as lift to drag ratio, thrust required for level flight, and rate of climb. The latter, parameter identification, focused on finding the aerodynamic coefficients for the aircraft using a system that creates a mathematical model to match the flight data of doublet maneuvers and the aircraft s response. Both portions of the project called for flight testing and that data is now available on account of this project. The conclusion of the project is that the performance evaluation data is well-within desired standards but could be improved with a thrust model, and that parameter identification is still in need of more data processing but seems to produce reasonable results thus far.

Subjective performance evaluations and reciprocity in principal-agent relations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sebald, Alexander Christopher; Walzl, Markus

2014-01-01

. In contrast to existing models of reciprocity, we find that agents tend to sanction whenever the feedback of principals is below their subjective self-evaluations even if agents' pay-offs are independent of it. In turn, principals provide more positive feedback (relative to their actual performance assessment......We conduct a laboratory experiment with agents working on, and principals benefiting from, a real effort task in which the agents' performance can only be evaluated subjectively. Principals give subjective performance feedback to agents, and agents have an opportunity to sanction principals...... of the agent) if this does not affect their pay-off....

A test to evaluation non-linear soil structure interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hagiwara, T.; Kitada, Y.

2005-01-01

JNES is planning a new project to study non-linear soil-structure interaction (SSI) effect under large earthquake ground motions equivalent to and/or over a design earthquake ground motion of S2. Concerning the SSI test, it is pointed out that handling of the scale effect of the specimen taking into account the surrounding soil on the earthquake response evaluation to the actual structure is essential issue for the scaled model test. Thus, for the test, the largest specimen possible and the biggest input motion possible are necessary. Taking into account the above issues, new test methodology, which utilizes artificial earthquake ground motion, is considered desirable if it can be performed at a realistic cost. With this motivation, we have studied the test methodology which applying blasting power as for a big earthquake ground motion. The information from a coalmine company in the U.S.A. indicates that the works performed in the surface coalmine to blast a rock covering a coal layer generates a big artificial ground motion, which is similar to earthquake ground motion. Application of this artificial earthquake ground motion for the SSI test is considered very promising because the blasting work is carried out periodically for mining coal so that we can apply artificial motions generated by the work if we construct a building model at a closed point to the blasting work area. The major purposes of the test are to understand (a) basic earthquake response characteristics of a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) reactor building when a large earthquake strikes the NPP site and (b) nonlinear characteristics of SSI phenomenon during a big earthquake. In the paper of ICONE-13, we will introduce the test method and basic characteristics of measured artificial ground motions generated by the blasting works on an actual site. (authors)

Interactive Data Exploration for High-Performance Fluid Flow Computations through Porous Media

KAUST Repository

Perovic, Nevena

2014-09-01

© 2014 IEEE. Huge data advent in high-performance computing (HPC) applications such as fluid flow simulations usually hinders the interactive processing and exploration of simulation results. Such an interactive data exploration not only allows scientiest to \\'play\\' with their data but also to visualise huge (distributed) data sets in both an efficient and easy way. Therefore, we propose an HPC data exploration service based on a sliding window concept, that enables researches to access remote data (available on a supercomputer or cluster) during simulation runtime without exceeding any bandwidth limitations between the HPC back-end and the user front-end.

Plasticity effect of rider-horse interaction on genetic evaluations for Show Jumping discipline in sport horses.

Science.gov (United States)

Bartolomé, E; Menéndez-Buxadera, A; Molina, A; Valera, M

2018-04-01

To obtain a sport horse that excels in the highest levels of competition, breeders must take into account certain genetic and environmental factors that could influence the sport horse's performance, such as the rider-horse interaction (RHI). The main aim of this study was to describe this interaction in a genetic model by modelling it in relation to the horse's age. A total of 31,129 sport results from Spanish Sport Horses were used from a total of 1,101 animals evaluated, and these were grouped in three age levels and had been ridden by 606 different riders. Only riders who had ridden more than one horse (and vice-versa) were considered for the analyses. Five linear models with different random effects were analysed according to the covariates, the homogeneity/heterogeneity of the RHI and the relevant residual random effects. The model of best fit was then selected for the genetic evaluation of the animal. In general, models including the RHI effect (M2, M4 and M5) fitted better than the other models, and the best fit was obtained for M4 (with heterogeneous residual variance). The genetic variance increased constantly with age, whereas heritability showed a response on three intervals. This study revealed the varied evolution of the RHI with age, showing the different "plastic abilities" of this relationship. © 2018 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Towards Reliable Evaluation of Anomaly-Based Intrusion Detection Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Viswanathan, Arun

2012-01-01

This report describes the results of research into the effects of environment-induced noise on the evaluation process for anomaly detectors in the cyber security domain. This research was conducted during a 10-week summer internship program from the 19th of August, 2012 to the 23rd of August, 2012 at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The research performed lies within the larger context of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) Smart Grid cyber security project, a Department of Energy (DoE) funded effort involving the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology and the University of Southern California/ Information Sciences Institute. The results of the present effort constitute an important contribution towards building more rigorous evaluation paradigms for anomaly-based intrusion detectors in complex cyber physical systems such as the Smart Grid. Anomaly detection is a key strategy for cyber intrusion detection and operates by identifying deviations from profiles of nominal behavior and are thus conceptually appealing for detecting "novel" attacks. Evaluating the performance of such a detector requires assessing: (a) how well it captures the model of nominal behavior, and (b) how well it detects attacks (deviations from normality). Current evaluation methods produce results that give insufficient insight into the operation of a detector, inevitably resulting in a significantly poor characterization of a detectors performance. In this work, we first describe a preliminary taxonomy of key evaluation constructs that are necessary for establishing rigor in the evaluation regime of an anomaly detector. We then focus on clarifying the impact of the operational environment on the manifestation of attacks in monitored data. We show how dynamic and evolving environments can introduce high variability into the data stream perturbing detector performance. Prior research has focused on understanding the impact of this

Evaluating Multiple Object Tracking Performance: The CLEAR MOT Metrics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bernardin Keni

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Simultaneous tracking of multiple persons in real-world environments is an active research field and several approaches have been proposed, based on a variety of features and algorithms. Recently, there has been a growing interest in organizing systematic evaluations to compare the various techniques. Unfortunately, the lack of common metrics for measuring the performance of multiple object trackers still makes it hard to compare their results. In this work, we introduce two intuitive and general metrics to allow for objective comparison of tracker characteristics, focusing on their precision in estimating object locations, their accuracy in recognizing object configurations and their ability to consistently label objects over time. These metrics have been extensively used in two large-scale international evaluations, the 2006 and 2007 CLEAR evaluations, to measure and compare the performance of multiple object trackers for a wide variety of tracking tasks. Selected performance results are presented and the advantages and drawbacks of the presented metrics are discussed based on the experience gained during the evaluations.

Model of service-oriented catering supply chain performance evaluation

OpenAIRE

Gou, Juanqiong; Shen, Guguan; Chai, Rui

2013-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this paper is constructing a performance evaluation model for service-oriented catering supply chain. Design/methodology/approach: With the research on the current situation of catering industry, this paper summarized the characters of the catering supply chain, and then presents the service-oriented catering supply chain model based on the platform of logistics and information. At last, the fuzzy AHP method is used to evaluate the performance of service-oriented catering ...

Reducing the Effects of Gender Stereotypes on Performance Evaluations.

Science.gov (United States)

Bauer, Cara C.; Baltes, Boris B.

2002-01-01

Examined whether a structured free recall intervention could decrease the influence of traditional gender stereotypes on the performance evaluations of women. College students provided performance ratings for vignettes describing the performance of male and female professors. Without the intervention, raters who had traditional stereotypes…

Performance Evaluation Of Mobile Cellular Networks In Nigeria

OpenAIRE

Shoewu, O.O

2018-01-01

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the performance of mobile networks such as MTN, GLO, and ETISALAT in Nigeria and suggest ways the performance of digital cellular networks can improve to minimize some of its present short comings or limitations. This paper discusses the performance improvement of digital cellular networks. A non- CDMA cellular network is use in an overall wireless environment for the purpose of this paper. This paper also discusses the performance assessment of three mobi...

Measurement-Based Performance Evaluation of Advanced MIMO Transceiver Designs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Schneider Christian

2005-01-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the methodology and the results of performance investigations on a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO transceiver scheme for frequency-selective radio channels. The method relies on offline simulations and employs real-time MIMO channel sounder measurement data to ensure a realistic channel modeling. Thus it can be classified in between the performance evaluation using some predefined channel models and the evaluation of a prototype hardware in field experiments. New aspects for the simulation setup are discussed, which are frequently ignored when using simpler model-based evaluations. Example simulations are provided for an iterative ("turbo" MIMO equalizer concept. The dependency of the achievable bit error rate performance on the propagation characteristics and on the variation in some system design parameters is shown, whereas the antenna constellation is of particular concern for MIMO systems. Although in many of the considered constellations turbo MIMO equalization appears feasible in real field scenarios, there exist cases with poor performance as well, indicating that in practical applications link adaptation of the transmitter and receiver processing to the environment is necessary.

A Proposed RTN Officer Performance Evaluation System

Science.gov (United States)

1989-12-01

Taa& No. WokI Unlit Acca ~def 11¶. TITLE (biclde Securiy ClassifiCation) A PROPOSED ROYAL THAI NAVY OFIICER PERFORM NCE EVALUATION SYSTEM 12. PERSONAL...all aspects of performance into account , the commanding officer uses his opinion to decide who is "the best." There are no standard guidelines for...ftequently used in orgunsadozn as a bais for adminiardstive decisions such as employee promotion., tuufer, and allocation of financial reward; employee

Evaluation of novel candidate variations and their interactions related to bipolar disorders: Analysis of GWAS data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Acikel C

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Cengizhan Acikel,1 Yesim Aydin Son,2 Cemil Celik,3 Husamettin Gul4 1Department of Biostatistics, Gulhane Military Medical Academy, 2Department of Health Informatics, Graduate School of Informatics, Middle East Technical University, 3Department of Medical Psychiatry, 4Department of Medical Informatics, Gulhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey Background: Multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR is a nonparametric approach that can be used to detect relevant interactions between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs. The aim of this study was to build the best genomic model based on SNP associations and to identify candidate polymorphisms that are the underlying molecular basis of the bipolar disorders. Methods: This study was performed on Whole-Genome Association Study of Bipolar Disorder (dbGaP [database of Genotypes and Phenotypes] study accession number: phs000017.v3.p1 data. After preprocessing of the genotyping data, three classification-based data mining methods (ie, random forest, naïve Bayes, and k-nearest neighbor were performed. Additionally, as a nonparametric, model-free approach, the MDR method was used to evaluate the SNP profiles. The validity of these methods was evaluated using true classification rate, recall (sensitivity, precision (positive predictive value, and F-measure. Results: Random forests, naïve Bayes, and k-nearest neighbors identified 16, 13, and ten candidate SNPs, respectively. Surprisingly, the top six SNPs were reported by all three methods. Random forests and k-nearest neighbors were more successful than naïve Bayes, with recall values >0.95. On the other hand, MDR generated a model with comparable predictive performance based on five SNPs. Although different SNP profiles were identified in MDR compared to the classification-based models, all models mapped SNPs to the DOCK10 gene. Conclusion: Three classification-based data mining approaches, random forests, naïve Bayes, and k-nearest neighbors

Does Digital Game Interactivity Always Promote Self-Efficacy?

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yu-Hao

2015-11-01

Interactive digital games can promote self-efficacy by engaging players in enactive and observational learning. However, interactivity does not always lead to greater self-efficacy. Important constructs in social cognitive theory, such as performance outcome and perceived similarity, are often not accounted for in studies that have tested the effect of digital game interactivity on self-efficacy. This study assessed the effects of interactive digital games compared with passive digital games based on video comparison, a common experimental design used to test the effect of digital game interactivity on self-efficacy. In addition, this study also evaluated player performance and measured perceived similarity to the observed player. Findings suggested that in general, digital game interactivity predicted higher self-efficacy compared with noninteractive passive games. However, in the noninteractive conditions, the effects of performance on self-efficacy were moderated by perceived similarity between the observer and the observed player. When the observed player was perceived to be similar to the observer, the effects of performance on self-efficacy were comparable to the interactive game, but when the observed player was perceived as dissimilar to the observer, observing the dissimilar player failed to increase observer self-efficacy. Implications for interactivity manipulations and game developers are discussed.

Interactions Between Channel Topography and Hydrokinetic Turbines: Sediment Transport, Turbine Performance, and Wake Characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, Craig Steven

Accelerating marine hydrokinetic (MHK) renewable energy development towards commercial viability requires investigating interactions between the engineered environment and its surrounding physical and biological environments. Complex and energetic hydrodynamic and morphodynamic environments desired for such energy conversion installations present difficulties for designing efficient yet robust sustainable devices, while permitting agency uncertainties regarding MHK device environmental interactions result in lengthy and costly processes prior to installing and demonstrating emerging technologies. A research program at St. Anthony Falls Laboratory (SAFL), University of Minnesota, utilized multi-scale physical experiments to study the interactions between axial-flow hydrokinetic turbines, turbulent open channel flow, sediment transport, turbulent turbine wakes, and complex hydro-morphodynamic processes in channels. Model axial-flow current-driven three-bladed turbines (rotor diameters, dT = 0.15m and 0.5m) were installed in open channel flumes with both erodible and non-erodible substrates. Device-induced local scour was monitored over several hydraulic conditions and material sizes. Synchronous velocity, bed elevation and turbine performance measurements provide an indication into the effect channel topography has on device performance. Complimentary experiments were performed in a realistic meandering outdoor research channel with active sediment transport to investigate device interactions with bedform migration and secondary turbulent flow patterns in asymmetric channel environments. The suite of experiments undertaken during this research program at SAFL in multiple channels with stationary and mobile substrates under a variety of turbine configurations provides an in-depth investigation into how axial-flow hydrokinetic devices respond to turbulent channel flow and topographic complexity, and how they impact local and far-field sediment transport characteristics

An ergonomic evaluation of a call center performed by disabled agents.

Science.gov (United States)

Chi, Chia-Fen; Lin, Yen-Hui

2008-08-01

Potential ergonomic hazards for 27 disabled call center agents engaged in computer-telephone interactive tasks were evaluated for possible associations between the task behaviors and work-related disorders. Data included task description, 300 samples of performance, a questionnaire on workstation design, body-part discomfort rating, perceived stress, potential job stressors, and direct measurement of environmental factors. Analysis indicated agents were frequently exposed to prolonged static sitting and repetitive movements, together with unsupported back and flexed neck, causing musculoskeletal discomforts. Visual fatigue (85.2% of agents), discomfort of ears (66.7%), and musculoskeletal discomforts (59.3%) were the most pronounced and prevalent complaints after prolonged working. 17 of 27 agents described job pressure as high or very high, and dealing with difficult customers and trying to fulfill the customers' needs within the time standard were main stressors. Further work on surrounding noise, earphone use, possible hearing loss of experienced agents, training programs, feasible solutions for visual fatigue, musculoskeletal symptoms, and psychosocial stress should be conducted.

The human performance evaluation system at Virginia Power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, R.G. III.

1989-01-01

The safe operation of nuclear power plants requires high standards of performance, extensive training, and responsive management. Despite a utility's best efforts, inappropriate human actions do occur. Although such inappropriate actions will occur, it is believed that such actions can be minimized and managed. The Federal Aviation Administration has a successful program administered by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This program is called the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS). Established in 1975, it is anonymous and nonpunitive. A trial program for several utilities was developed by the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations which used a concept similar to the ASRS reporting process. Based on valuable lessons learned by Virginia Power during the pilot program, an effort was made in 1986 to formalize the Human Performance Evaluation System (HPES) to establish an ongoing problem-solving system for evaluating human performance. Currently, 34 domestic utilities and 3 international utilities voluntarily participate in the implementation of the HPES. Each participating utility has selected and trained personnel to evaluate events involving human error and provide corrective action recommendations to prevent recurrence. It is believed that the use of the HPES can lead to improved safety and operation availability

Using hybrid method to evaluate the green performance in uncertainty.

Science.gov (United States)

Tseng, Ming-Lang; Lan, Lawrence W; Wang, Ray; Chiu, Anthony; Cheng, Hui-Ping

2011-04-01

Green performance measure is vital for enterprises in making continuous improvements to maintain sustainable competitive advantages. Evaluation of green performance, however, is a challenging task due to the dependence complexity of the aspects, criteria, and the linguistic vagueness of some qualitative information and quantitative data together. To deal with this issue, this study proposes a novel approach to evaluate the dependence aspects and criteria of firm's green performance. The rationale of the proposed approach, namely green network balanced scorecard, is using balanced scorecard to combine fuzzy set theory with analytical network process (ANP) and importance-performance analysis (IPA) methods, wherein fuzzy set theory accounts for the linguistic vagueness of qualitative criteria and ANP converts the relations among the dependence aspects and criteria into an intelligible structural modeling used IPA. For the empirical case study, four dependence aspects and 34 green performance criteria for PCB firms in Taiwan were evaluated. The managerial implications are discussed.

Criteria for performance evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David J. Weiss

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Using a cognitive task (mental calculation and a perceptual-motor task (stylized golf putting, we examined differential proficiency using the CWS index and several other quantitative measures of performance. The CWS index (Weiss and Shanteau, 2003 is a coherence criterion that looks only at internal properties of the data without incorporating an external standard. In Experiment 1, college students (n = 20 carried out 2- and 3-digit addition and multiplication problems under time pressure. In Experiment 2, experienced golfers (n = 12, also college students, putted toward a target from nine different locations. Within each experiment, we analyzed the same responses using different methods. For the arithmetic tasks, accuracy information (mean absolute deviation from the correct answer, MAD using a coherence criterion was available; for golf, accuracy information using a correspondence criterion (mean deviation from the target, also MAD was available. We ranked the performances of the participants according to each measure, then compared the orders using Spearman's rextsubscript{s}. For mental calculation, the CWS order correlated moderately (rextsubscript{s} =.46 with that of MAD. However, a different coherence criterion, degree of model fit, did not correlate with either CWS or accuracy. For putting, the ranking generated by CWS correlated .68 with that generated by MAD. Consensual answers were also available for both experiments, and the rankings they generated correlated highly with those of MAD. The coherence vs. correspondence distinction did not map well onto criteria for performance evaluation.

Evaluation of potential novel variations and their interactions related to bipolar disorders: analysis of genome-wide association study data.

Science.gov (United States)

Acikel, Cengizhan; Aydin Son, Yesim; Celik, Cemil; Gul, Husamettin

2016-01-01

Multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) is a nonparametric approach that can be used to detect relevant interactions between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The aim of this study was to build the best genomic model based on SNP associations and to identify candidate polymorphisms that are the underlying molecular basis of the bipolar disorders. This study was performed on Whole-Genome Association Study of Bipolar Disorder (dbGaP [database of Genotypes and Phenotypes] study accession number: phs000017.v3.p1) data. After preprocessing of the genotyping data, three classification-based data mining methods (ie, random forest, naïve Bayes, and k-nearest neighbor) were performed. Additionally, as a nonparametric, model-free approach, the MDR method was used to evaluate the SNP profiles. The validity of these methods was evaluated using true classification rate, recall (sensitivity), precision (positive predictive value), and F-measure. Random forests, naïve Bayes, and k-nearest neighbors identified 16, 13, and ten candidate SNPs, respectively. Surprisingly, the top six SNPs were reported by all three methods. Random forests and k-nearest neighbors were more successful than naïve Bayes, with recall values >0.95. On the other hand, MDR generated a model with comparable predictive performance based on five SNPs. Although different SNP profiles were identified in MDR compared to the classification-based models, all models mapped SNPs to the DOCK10 gene. Three classification-based data mining approaches, random forests, naïve Bayes, and k-nearest neighbors, have prioritized similar SNP profiles as predictors of bipolar disorders, in contrast to MDR, which has found different SNPs through analysis of two-way and three-way interactions. The reduced number of associated SNPs discovered by MDR, without loss in the classification performance, would facilitate validation studies and decision support models, and would reduce the cost to develop predictive and

Performance Evaluation and HaematologicalParameters of West ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Performance Evaluation and HaematologicalParameters of West African Dwarf Goats Fed Diet Containing Graded Level of Raw and Fermented Malted Sorghum ... influenced white blood cell count (WBC), lymphocytes, monocytes, basophil and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration across the dietary treatments.

Preparation and evaluation of surface-bonded tricationic ionic liquid silica as stationary phases for high-performance liquid chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Qiao, Lizhen; Shi, Xianzhe; Lu, Xin; Xu, Guowang

2015-05-29

Two tricationic ionic liquids were prepared and then bonded onto the surface of supporting silica materials through "thiol-ene" click chemistry as new stationary phases for high-performance liquid chromatography. The obtained columns of tricationic ionic liquids were evaluated respectively in the reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) mode and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) mode, and possess ideal column efficiency of 80,000 plates/m in the RPLC mode with naphthalene as the test solute. The tricationic ionic liquid stationary phases exhibit good hydrophobic and shape selectivity to hydrophobic compounds, and RPLC retention behavior with multiple interactions. In the HILIC mode, the retention and selectivity were evaluated through the efficient separation of nucleosides and bases as well as flavonoids, and the typical HILIC retention behavior was demonstrated by investigating retention changes of hydrophilic solutes with water volume fraction in mobile phase. The results show that the tricationic ionic liquid columns possess great prospect for applications in analysis of hydrophobic and hydrophilic samples. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

COMPARISON OF USER PERFORMANCE WITH INTERACTIVE AND STATIC 3D VISUALIZATION – PILOT STUDY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Herman

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Interactive 3D visualizations of spatial data are currently available and popular through various applications such as Google Earth, ArcScene, etc. Several scientific studies have focused on user performance with 3D visualization, but static perspective views are used as stimuli in most of the studies. The main objective of this paper is to try to identify potential differences in user performance with static perspective views and interactive visualizations. This research is an exploratory study. An experiment was designed as a between-subject study and a customized testing tool based on open web technologies was used for the experiment. The testing set consists of an initial questionnaire, a training task and four experimental tasks. Selection of the highest point and determination of visibility from the top of a mountain were used as the experimental tasks. Speed and accuracy of each task performance of participants were recorded. The movement and actions in the virtual environment were also recorded within the interactive variant. The results show that participants deal with the tasks faster when using static visualization. The average error rate was also higher in the static variant. The findings from this pilot study will be used for further testing, especially for formulating of hypotheses and designing of subsequent experiments.

Characterizing performance improvement in primary care systems in Mesoamerica: A realist evaluation protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Munar, Wolfgang; Wahid, Syed S; Curry, Leslie

2018-01-03

Background . Improving performance of primary care systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) may be a necessary condition for achievement of universal health coverage in the age of Sustainable Development Goals. The Salud Mesoamerica Initiative (SMI), a large-scale, multi-country program that uses supply-side financial incentives directed at the central-level of governments, and continuous, external evaluation of public, health sector performance to induce improvements in primary care performance in eight LMICs. This study protocol seeks to explain whether and how these interventions generate program effects in El Salvador and Honduras. Methods . This study presents the protocol for a study that uses a realist evaluation approach to develop a preliminary program theory that hypothesizes the interactions between context, interventions and the mechanisms that trigger outcomes. The program theory was completed through a scoping review of relevant empirical, peer-reviewed and grey literature; a sense-making workshop with program stakeholders; and content analysis of key SMI documents. The study will use a multiple case-study design with embedded units with contrasting cases. We define as a case the two primary care systems of Honduras and El Salvador, each with different context characteristics. Data will be collected through in-depth interviews with program actors and stakeholders, documentary review, and non-participatory observation. Data analysis will use inductive and deductive approaches to identify causal patterns organized as 'context, mechanism, outcome' configurations. The findings will be triangulated with existing secondary, qualitative and quantitative data sources, and contrasted against relevant theoretical literature. The study will end with a refined program theory. Findings will be published following the guidelines generated by the Realist and Meta-narrative Evidence Syntheses study (RAMESES II). This study will be performed

The Influence of Anxiety and Quality of Interaction on Collaborative Test Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Pandey, Carol; Kapitanoff, Susan

2011-01-01

This research investigated the relationships among test performance, anxiety, and the quality of interaction during collaborative testing of college students. It also explored which students are most likely to benefit from collaborative testing. It was randomly determined whether a student would take each of six examinations alone or with a…

Methods of Evaluating Performances for Marketing Strategies

OpenAIRE

Ioan Cucu

2005-01-01

There are specific methods for assessing and improving the effectiveness of a marketing strategy. A marketer should state in the marketing plan what a marketing strategy is supposed to accomplish. These statements should set forth performance standards, which usually are stated in terms of profits, sales, or costs. Actual performance must be measured in similar terms so that comparisons are possible. This paper describes sales analysis and cost analysis, two general ways of evaluating the act...

Integrating Fuzzy AHP and Fuzzy ARAS for evaluating financial performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdolhamid Safaei Ghadikolaei

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM is an advanced field of Operation Research; recently MCDM methods are efficient and common tools for performance evaluation in many areas such as finance and economy. The aim of this study is to show one of applications of mathematics in real word. This study with considering value based measures and accounting based measures simultaneously, provided a hybrid approach of MCDM methods in fuzzy environment for financial performance evaluation of automotive and parts manufacturing industry of Tehran stock exchange (TSE.for this purpose Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP is applied to determine the relative important of each criterion, then The companies are ranked according their financial performance by using fuzzy additive ratio assessment (Fuzzy ARAS method. The finding of this study showed effective of this approach in evaluating financial performance.

Evaluating Flight Crew Performance by a Bayesian Network Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Chen

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Flight crew performance is of great significance in keeping flights safe and sound. When evaluating the crew performance, quantitative detailed behavior information may not be available. The present paper introduces the Bayesian Network to perform flight crew performance evaluation, which permits the utilization of multidisciplinary sources of objective and subjective information, despite sparse behavioral data. In this paper, the causal factors are selected based on the analysis of 484 aviation accidents caused by human factors. Then, a network termed Flight Crew Performance Model is constructed. The Delphi technique helps to gather subjective data as a supplement to objective data from accident reports. The conditional probabilities are elicited by the leaky noisy MAX model. Two ways of inference for the BN—probability prediction and probabilistic diagnosis are used and some interesting conclusions are drawn, which could provide data support to make interventions for human error management in aviation safety.

Assessment of Social Competence in an Evaluation-Interaction Analogue

Science.gov (United States)

Steffen, John J.; Redden, Joan

1977-01-01

Discusses a study designed to explore behavior changes in subjects' performances as a function of evaluative feedback and examines the relations between judgements of physical attractiveness and social competence. (MH)

Evaluation of miniature tension specimen fabrication techniques and performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamilton, M.L.; Blotter, M.A.; Edwards, D.J.

1993-01-01

The confident application of miniature tensile specimens requires adequate control over their fabrication and is facilitated by automated test and analysis techniques. Three fabrication processes -- punching, chemical milling, and electrical discharge machining (EDM) -- were recently evaluated, leading to the replacement of the previously used punching technique with a wire EDM technique. The automated data acquisition system was upgraded, and an interactive data analysis program was developed

Evaluation of miniature tensile specimen fabrication techniques and performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamilton, M.L. (Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)); Blotter, M.A.; Edwards, D.J. (Missouri Univ., Rolla, MO (United States))

1992-01-01

The confident application of miniature tensile specimens requires adequate control over their fabrication and is facilitated by automated test and analysis techniques. Three fabrication processes -- punching, chemical, milling, and electrical discharge machining (EDM) -- were recently evaluated, leading to the replacement of the previously used punching technique with a wire EDM technique. The automated data acquisition system was upgraded, and an interactive data analysis program was developed.

Evaluation of miniature tensile specimen fabrication techniques and performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamilton, M.L.; Blotter, M.A.; Edwards, D.J.

1992-01-01

The confident application of miniature tensile specimens requires adequate control over their fabrication and is facilitated by automated test and analysis techniques. Three fabrication processes -- punching, chemical, milling, and electrical discharge machining (EDM) -- were recently evaluated, leading to the replacement of the previously used punching technique with a wire EDM technique. The automated data acquisition system was upgraded, and an interactive data analysis program was developed

Total system performance assessment - 1995: An evaluation of the potential Yucca Mountain repository

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atkins, J.E.; Lee, J.H.; Lingineni, S.; Mishra, S.; McNeish, J.A.; Sassani, D.C.; Sevougian, S.D.

1995-11-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is currently investigating the feasibility of permanently disposing the nation's commercial high-level radioactive wastes (in the form of spent fuel from the over 100 electric power-generating nuclear reactors across the U.S.) and a portion of the defense high-level radioactive wastes (currently stored at federal facilities around the country) in the unsaturated tuffaceous rocks at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Quantitative predictions based on the most current understanding of the processes and parameters potentially affecting the long-term behavior of the disposal system are used to assess the ability of the site and its associated engineered designs to meet regulatory objectives of the US NRC and the US EPA. The evaluation of the ability of the overall system to meet the performance objectives specified in the applicable regulatory standards has been termed total system performance assessment (TSPA). Total system performance assessments require the explicit quantification of the relevant processes and process interactions. In addition assessments are useful to help define the most significant processes, the information gaps and uncertainties and therefore the additional information required for more robust and defensible assessment of the overall performance. The aim of any total system performance assessment is to be as complete and reasonably conservative as possible and to assure that the descriptions of the predictive models and parameters are sufficient to ascertain their accuracy. Total system performance assessments evolve with time. Previous iterations of total system performance assessment of the Yucca Mountain site and associated engineered barriers have been conducted in 1991 and 1993

Total system performance assessment - 1995: An evaluation of the potential Yucca Mountain repository

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Atkins, J.E.; Lee, J.H.; Lingineni, S.; Mishra, S; McNeish, J.A.; Sassani, D.C.; Sevougian, S.D.

1995-11-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is currently investigating the feasibility of permanently disposing the nation`s commercial high-level radioactive wastes (in the form of spent fuel from the over 100 electric power-generating nuclear reactors across the U.S.) and a portion of the defense high-level radioactive wastes (currently stored at federal facilities around the country) in the unsaturated tuffaceous rocks at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Quantitative predictions based on the most current understanding of the processes and parameters potentially affecting the long-term behavior of the disposal system are used to assess the ability of the site and its associated engineered designs to meet regulatory objectives of the US NRC and the US EPA. The evaluation of the ability of the overall system to meet the performance objectives specified in the applicable regulatory standards has been termed total system performance assessment (TSPA). Total system performance assessments require the explicit quantification of the relevant processes and process interactions. In addition assessments are useful to help define the most significant processes, the information gaps and uncertainties and therefore the additional information required for more robust and defensible assessment of the overall performance. The aim of any total system performance assessment is to be as complete and reasonably conservative as possible and to assure that the descriptions of the predictive models and parameters are sufficient to ascertain their accuracy. Total system performance assessments evolve with time. Previous iterations of total system performance assessment of the Yucca Mountain site and associated engineered barriers have been conducted in 1991 and 1993.

Chemical oil-spill dispersants: evaluation of three laboratory procedures for estimating performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clayton, J.R.; Marsden, P.

1992-09-01

The report presents data from studies designed to evaluate characteristics of selected bench-scale test methods for estimating performance of chemical agents for dispersing oil from surface slicks into an underlying water column. In order to mitigate the effect of surface slicks with chemical dispersant agents, however, an on-scene coordinator must have information and an understanding of performance characteristics for available dispersant agents. Performance of candidate dispersant agents can be estimated on the basis of laboratory testing procedures that are designed to evaluate performance of different agents. Data presented in the report assist in the evaluation of candidate test methods for estimating performance of candidate dispersant agents. Three test methods were selected for evaluating performance: the currently accepted Revised Standard EPA test, Environmental Canada's Swirling Flask test, and the IFP-Dilution test

A High Performance Block Eigensolver for Nuclear Configuration Interaction Calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aktulga, Hasan Metin; Afibuzzaman, Md.; Williams, Samuel; Buluc, Aydin; Shao, Meiyue

2017-01-01

As on-node parallelism increases and the performance gap between the processor and the memory system widens, achieving high performance in large-scale scientific applications requires an architecture-aware design of algorithms and solvers. We focus on the eigenvalue problem arising in nuclear Configuration Interaction (CI) calculations, where a few extreme eigenpairs of a sparse symmetric matrix are needed. Here, we consider a block iterative eigensolver whose main computational kernels are the multiplication of a sparse matrix with multiple vectors (SpMM), and tall-skinny matrix operations. We then present techniques to significantly improve the SpMM and the transpose operation SpMM T by using the compressed sparse blocks (CSB) format. We achieve 3-4× speedup on the requisite operations over good implementations with the commonly used compressed sparse row (CSR) format. We develop a performance model that allows us to correctly estimate the performance of our SpMM kernel implementations, and we identify cache bandwidth as a potential performance bottleneck beyond DRAM. We also analyze and optimize the performance of LOBPCG kernels (inner product and linear combinations on multiple vectors) and show up to 15× speedup over using high performance BLAS libraries for these operations. The resulting high performance LOBPCG solver achieves 1.4× to 1.8× speedup over the existing Lanczos solver on a series of CI computations on high-end multicore architectures (Intel Xeons). We also analyze the performance of our techniques on an Intel Xeon Phi Knights Corner (KNC) processor.

Evaluation of teachers' performance of vision screening in primary

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Dr. Petronilla

Evaluation of Teachers' Performance of Vision Screening in Primary. School Children in Port ... teachers can effectively perform vision screening in school children using ..... may be due to variations in methodology and definitions used, as this ...

An Empirical Study on Low-Carbon: Human Resources Performance Evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Quan Chen

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Low-carbon logistics meets the requirements of a low-carbon economy and is the most effective operating model for logistic development to achieve sustainability by coping with severe energy consumption and global warming. Low-carbon logistics aims to reduce carbon intensity rather than simply reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. Human resources are an important part of the great competition in the logistics market and significantly affect the operations of enterprises. Performance evaluations of human resources are particularly important for low-carbon logistics enterprises with scarce talents. Such evaluations in these enterprises are of great significance for their strategic development. This study constructed a human resource performance evaluation system to assess non-managerial employees’ low-carbon job capacity, job performance, and job attitude in the low-carbon logistics sector. The case study results revealed that the investigated company enjoyed initial success after having promoted low-carbon concepts and values to its non-managerial employees, and the success was demonstrated by excellent performance in its employees’ job attitude and knowledge. This study adopts the AHP method to reasonably determine an indicator system of performance evaluation and its weight to avoid certain human-caused bias. This study not only fills the gap in the related literature, but can also be applied to industrial practice.

An Empirical Study on Low-Carbon: Human Resources Performance Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Quan; Tsai, Sang-Bing; Zhou, Jie; Yu, Jian; Chang, Li-Chung; Li, Guodong; Zheng, Yuxiang; Wang, Jiangtao

2018-01-01

Low-carbon logistics meets the requirements of a low-carbon economy and is the most effective operating model for logistic development to achieve sustainability by coping with severe energy consumption and global warming. Low-carbon logistics aims to reduce carbon intensity rather than simply reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. Human resources are an important part of the great competition in the logistics market and significantly affect the operations of enterprises. Performance evaluations of human resources are particularly important for low-carbon logistics enterprises with scarce talents. Such evaluations in these enterprises are of great significance for their strategic development. This study constructed a human resource performance evaluation system to assess non-managerial employees’ low-carbon job capacity, job performance, and job attitude in the low-carbon logistics sector. The case study results revealed that the investigated company enjoyed initial success after having promoted low-carbon concepts and values to its non-managerial employees, and the success was demonstrated by excellent performance in its employees’ job attitude and knowledge. This study adopts the AHP method to reasonably determine an indicator system of performance evaluation and its weight to avoid certain human-caused bias. This study not only fills the gap in the related literature, but can also be applied to industrial practice. PMID:29301375

An Empirical Study on Low-Carbon: Human Resources Performance Evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Quan; Tsai, Sang-Bing; Zhai, Yuming; Zhou, Jie; Yu, Jian; Chang, Li-Chung; Li, Guodong; Zheng, Yuxiang; Wang, Jiangtao

2018-01-03

Low-carbon logistics meets the requirements of a low-carbon economy and is the most effective operating model for logistic development to achieve sustainability by coping with severe energy consumption and global warming. Low-carbon logistics aims to reduce carbon intensity rather than simply reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. Human resources are an important part of the great competition in the logistics market and significantly affect the operations of enterprises. Performance evaluations of human resources are particularly important for low-carbon logistics enterprises with scarce talents. Such evaluations in these enterprises are of great significance for their strategic development. This study constructed a human resource performance evaluation system to assess non-managerial employees' low-carbon job capacity, job performance, and job attitude in the low-carbon logistics sector. The case study results revealed that the investigated company enjoyed initial success after having promoted low-carbon concepts and values to its non-managerial employees, and the success was demonstrated by excellent performance in its employees' job attitude and knowledge. This study adopts the AHP method to reasonably determine an indicator system of performance evaluation and its weight to avoid certain human-caused bias. This study not only fills the gap in the related literature, but can also be applied to industrial practice.

Strategic performance evaluation in cancer centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Delgado, Rigoberto I; Langabeer, James R

2009-01-01

Most research in healthcare strategy has focused on formulating or implementing organizational plans and strategies, and little attention has been dedicated to the post-implementation control and evaluation of strategy, which we contend is the most critical aspect of achieving organizational goals. The objective of this study was to identify strategic control approaches used by major cancer centers in the country and to relate these practices to financial performance. Our intent was to expand the theory and practice of healthcare strategy to focused services, such as oncology. We designed a 17-question survey to capture elements of strategy and performance from our study sample, which comprised major cancer hospitals in the United States and shared similar mandates and resource constraints. The results suggest that high-performing cancer centers use more sophisticated analytical approaches, invest greater financial resources in performance analysis, and conduct more frequent performance reviews than do low-performing organizations. Our conclusions point to the need for a more robust approach to strategic assessment. In this article, we offer a number of recommendations for management to achieve strategic plans and goals on the basis of our research. To our knowledge, this study is one of the first to concentrate on the area of strategic control.

Health-educator performance evaluation for quality teaching ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of health educator performance evaluation procedures using the Integrated Quality Management System. This quantitative study used questionnaires to collect data from three hundred and thirty eight respondents selected through a convenient sampling procedure.

performance evaluation of feature sets of minutiae quadruplets

African Journals Online (AJOL)

databases. This shows that the evaluation of algorithms on just one or two databases is not sufficient to confirm the performance of tech- niques as they may be database-dependent. Much work was done to find a feature-set that would have a good performance across three. FVC databases of the FVC 2000, 2002 and. 2004 ...

Evaluate Data Center Network Performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pilimon, Artur

through a data center network, which is usually built with layer 2 switches and layer 3 routers. The topology of the data center network is crucial for latency in the data communication to and from the data center and between servers in the data center. Tests can be conducted to measure latency and other...... Engineering, scientists evaluate data center network topologies with an SDN-based (Software-Defined Networking) control framework measuring network performance – primarily latency. This can be used to plan data center scaling by testing how a new topology will function before changes are made. Data center...... performance parameters for different data center network topologies. It is however important that tests can be repeated and reproduced to have comparable information from the tests. There are, of course, many topologies that can be used for data center networks. At DTU Fotonik, Department of Photonics...

A Facile Approach to Evaluate Thermal Insulation Performance of Paper Cups

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yudi Kuang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Paper cups are ubiquitous in daily life for serving water, soup, coffee, tea, and milk due to their convenience, biodegradability, recyclability, and sustainability. The thermal insulation performance of paper cups is of significance because they are used to supply hot food or drinks. Using an effective thermal conductivity to accurately evaluate the thermal insulation performance of paper cups is complex due to the inclusion of complicated components and a multilayer structure. Moreover, an effective thermal conductivity is unsuitable for evaluating thermal insulation performance of paper cups in the case of fluctuating temperature. In this work, we propose a facile approach to precisely analyze the thermal insulation performance of paper cups in a particular range of temperature by using an evaluation model based on the MISO (Multiple-Input Single-Output technical theory, which includes a characterization parameter (temperature factor and a measurement apparatus. A series of experiments was conducted according to this evaluation model, and the results show that this evaluation model enables accurate characterization of the thermal insulation performance of paper cups and provides an efficient theoretical basis for selecting paper materials for paper cups.

Performance evaluation soil samples utilizing encapsulation technology

Science.gov (United States)

Dahlgran, James R.

1999-01-01

Performance evaluation soil samples and method of their preparation using encapsulation technology to encapsulate analytes which are introduced into a soil matrix for analysis and evaluation by analytical laboratories. Target analytes are mixed in an appropriate solvent at predetermined concentrations. The mixture is emulsified in a solution of polymeric film forming material. The emulsified solution is polymerized to form microcapsules. The microcapsules are recovered, quantitated and introduced into a soil matrix in a predetermined ratio to form soil samples with the desired analyte concentration.

Optimal contracts based on subjective performance evaluations and reciprocity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sebald, Alexander Christopher; Walzl, Markus

2015-01-01

As demonstrated in a recent laboratory experiment (see Sebald & Walzl, 2014), individuals tend to sanction others who subjectively evaluate their performance whenever this assessment falls short of the individuals’ self-evaluation. Interestingly, this is the case even if the individuals’ earnings...

Comparative Human and Automatic Evaluation of Glass-Box and Black-Box Approaches to Interactive Translation Prediction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Torregrosa Daniel

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Interactive translation prediction (ITP is a modality of computer-aided translation that assists professional translators by offering context-based computer-generated continuation suggestions as they type. While most state-of-the-art ITP systems follow a glass-box approach, meaning that they are tightly coupled to an adapted machine translation system, a black-box approach which does not need access to the inner workings of the bilingual resources used to generate the suggestions has been recently proposed in the literature: this new approach allows new sources of bilingual information to be included almost seamlessly. In this paper, we compare for the first time the glass-box and the black-box approaches by means of an automatic evaluation of translation tasks between related languages such as English–Spanish and unrelated ones such as Arabic–English and English–Chinese, showing that, with our setup, 20%–50% of keystrokes could be saved using either method and that the black-box approach outperformed the glass-box one in five out of six scenarios operating under similar conditions. We also performed a preliminary human evaluation of English to Spanish translation for both approaches. On average, the evaluators saved 10% keystrokes and were 4% faster with the black-box approach, and saved 15% keystrokes and were 12% slower with the glass-box one; but they could have saved 51% and 69% keystrokes respectively if they had used all the compatible suggestions. Users felt the suggestions helped them to translate faster and easier. All the tools used to perform the evaluation are available as free/open–source software.

Material balance area custodian performance evaluation program at PNL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dickman, D.A.

1991-01-01

This paper reports that the material balance area (MBA) custodian has primary responsibility for control and accountability of nuclear material within an MBA. In this role, the custodian operates as an extension of the facility material control and accountability (MC and A) organization. To effectively meet administrative requirements and protection needs, the custodian must be fully trained in all aspects of MC and A related to the MBA, and custodian performance must be periodically evaluated. U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Policy requires that each facility provide for a program which ensures that personnel performing MC and A functions are trained and/or qualified to perform their duties and responsibilities and knowledgeable of requirements and procedures related to their functions. the MBA Custodian Performance Evaluation Program at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) uses a variety of assessment techniques to meet this goal, including internal and independent MBA audits, periodic custodian testing, limited scope performance tests, daily monitoring of MC and A documentation, and reviewing custodian performance during physical inventories

Irradiated fuel performance evaluation technology development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koo, Yang Hyun; Bang, J. G.; Kim, D. H.

2012-01-01

Alpha version performance code for dual-cooled annular fuel under steady state operation, so called 'DUOS', has been developed applying performance models and proposed methodology. Furthermore, nonlinear finite element module which could be integrated into transient/accident fuel performance code was also developed and evaluated using commercial FE code. The first/second irradiation and PIE test of annular pellet for dual-cooled annular fuel in the world have been completed. In-pile irradiation test DB of annular pellet up to burnup of 10,000 MWd/MTU through the 1st test was established and cracking behavior of annular pellet and swelling rate at low temperature were studied. To do irradiation test of dual-cooled annular fuel under PWR's simulating steady-state conditions, irradiation test rig/rod design/manufacture of mock-up/performance test have been completed through international collaboration program with Halden reactor project. The irradiation test of large grain pellets has been continued from 2002 to 2011 and completed successfully. Burnup of 70,000 MWd/MTU which is the highest burnup among irradiation test pellets in domestic was achieved

Stand, Harvest, and Equipment Interactions in Simulated Harvesting Prescriptions

Science.gov (United States)

Jingxin Wang; W. Dale Greene; Bryce J. Stokes

1998-01-01

We evaluated potential interactions of stand type, harvesting method, and equipment in an experiment using interactive simulation. We examined three felling methods (chain saw, feller-buncher, harvester) and two extraction methods (grapple skidder and forwarder) performing clearcuts, sheltenvood cuts, and single-tree selection cuts in both an uneven-aged natural stand...

Seating Arrangement, Group Composition and Competition-driven Interaction: Effects on Students' Performance in Physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roxas, R. M.; Monterola, C.; Carreon-Monterola, S. L.

2010-01-01

We probe the effect of seating arrangement, group composition and group-based competition on students' performance in Physics using a teaching technique adopted from Mazur's peer instruction method. Ninety eight lectures, involving 2339 students, were conducted across nine learning institutions from February 2006 to June 2009. All the lectures were interspersed with student interaction opportunities (SIO), in which students work in groups to discuss and answer concept tests. Two individual assessments were administered before and after the SIO. The ratio of the post-assessment score to the pre-assessment score and the Hake factor were calculated to establish the improvement in student performance. Using actual assessment results and neural network (NN) modeling, an optimal seating arrangement for a class was determined based on student seating location. The NN model also provided a quantifiable method for sectioning students. Lastly, the study revealed that competition-driven interactions increase within-group cooperation and lead to higher improvement on the students' performance.

Fuel performance evaluation for the CAFE experimental device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giovedi, Claudia; Hirota, Leandro T.

2011-01-01

Fuel rod cladding material is the second barrier to prevent the release of radioactive inventories in a PWR reactor. In this sense, an important safety aspect is to assess the fuel behavior under operational conditions. This can be made by means of fuel performance codes and confirmed by experimental measurements. In order to evaluate the fuel behavior of fuel rods in steady-state conditions, it was designed an experimental irradiation device, the Nuclear Fuel Irradiation Circuit (CAFE-Mod1). This device will allow controlling the surface rod temperature, to measure the power associated to the rod and the evolution of fission gas release for a typical PWR fuel pin. However, to support the experimental irradiation program, it is extremely important to simulate the experimental conditions using a fuel performance code. The aim of this paper is to evaluate some parameters and aspects related to the fuel rod behavior during the irradiation program. This evaluation was carried out by means of an adapted fuel performance code. Obtained results have shown that besides of the variation observed for parameters, such as, fuel temperature and fission gas release as a function of fuel enrichment level, the fuel rod integrity was preserved in all studied conditions. (author)

Relationship between kinesiophobia and performance in a functional capacity evaluation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Reneman, MF; Jorritsma, W; Dijkstra, SJ; Dijkstra, PU

2003-01-01

Fear of movement and (re) injury (kinesiophobia) has been postulated to play an important role in the performance in a Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE). This study was performed to analyze the relationship between kinesiophobia and performance in an FCE. Kinesiophobia and FCE performance of 54

Evaluation of performance of extension workers in Lesotho | Mokone ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Evaluation of performance of extension workers in Lesotho. ... role to play in ensuring that extension workers improve their work performance and as ... This cannot be true since most of the factors that affect efficiency were found to be negative.

Evaluating the Performance of Rijndael Encryption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bogdan CIOBANU

2012-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper we present a a comparative analysis of the performance of the Rijndael algorithm, developed with the help of two programming languages, namely C and Matlab. The main goal is to get a full, detailed picture about the functioning of this algorithm. In order to evaluate the performances of the Rijndael algorithm for the two different implementations, we took into account establishing the variable factors within each type of implementation so as to avoid the reasons that might lead to running differences (for instance, the comparison of the two implementations will be performed for the situation in which the encryption key length is the same. We chose to use the traditional algorithm for both types of implementation, in which the input is transformed into 4 blocks of 4 bytes, followed by the handling of each byte from each individual column

Seismic design and evaluation criteria based on target performance goals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murray, R.C.; Nelson, T.A.; Kennedy, R.P.; Short, S.A.

1994-04-01

The Department of Energy utilizes deterministic seismic design/evaluation criteria developed to achieve probabilistic performance goals. These seismic design and evaluation criteria are intended to apply equally to the design of new facilities and to the evaluation of existing facilities. In addition, the criteria are intended to cover design and evaluation of buildings, equipment, piping, and other structures. Four separate sets of seismic design/evaluation criteria have been presented each with a different performance goal. In all these criteria, earthquake loading is selected from seismic hazard curves on a probabilistic basis but seismic response evaluation methods and acceptable behavior limits are deterministic approaches with which design engineers are familiar. For analytical evaluations, conservatism has been introduced through the use of conservative inelastic demand-capacity ratios combined with ductile detailing requirements, through the use of minimum specified material strengths and conservative code capacity equations, and through the use of a seismic scale factor. For evaluation by testing or by experience data, conservatism has been introduced through the use of an increase scale factor which is applied to the prescribed design/evaluation input motion

Evaluating energy performance in non-domestic buildings : a review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Borgstein, E.H.; Lamberts, R.; Hensen, J.L.M.

2016-01-01

Evaluation methods can be used to determine what constitutes good energy performance in a building. With an increasing focus on energy use of buildings worldwide, this evaluation assumes a fundamental importance. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the available methods for analysing,

performance evaluation of sprinkler irrigation system at mambilla

African Journals Online (AJOL)

HOD

ratio (DPR), irrigation productivity (IP), labour requirements and water quality. Standard procedure was ... The exchangeable cations analysis of Kakara irrigation ... Keywords: Tea, irrigation System, Performance Evaluation. 1. INTRODUCTION.

Team interaction skills evaluation criteria for nuclear power plant control room operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Montgomery, J.; Gaddy, C.; Toquam, J.

1991-01-01

This paper reports on previous research which has shown the value of good team interaction skills to group performance, yet little progress has been made in measuring such skills. Dimensions of team interaction skills developed in an earlier study were extensively revised and cast into a Behaviorally anchored Rating scales (BARS) and a Behavioral Frequency scale format. Rating data were collected using training instructors at a nuclear plant, who rated videotape scenarios of control room performance and later rated control room crews during requalification training. High levels of interrater agreement on both rating scales was, although the hypothesized factor structure did not emerge. Analysis of ratings of the videotapes using Cronbach's components of accuracy indicted that BARS ratings generally exhibited less error than did the Behavioral Frequency ratings. This paper discusses results in terms of both field and research implications

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

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

1999-01-01

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

Regimes of seasonal air-sea interaction and implications for performance of forced simulations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Renguang [Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies, Calverton, MD (United States); Kirtman, Ben P. [Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies, Calverton, MD (United States); George Mason University, School of Computational Sciences, Fairfax, VA (United States)

2007-09-15

Sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies can induce anomalous convection through surface evaporation and low-level moisture convergence. This SST forcing of the atmosphere is indicated in a positive local rainfall-SST correlation. Anomalous convection can feedback on SST through cloud-radiation and wind-evaporation effects and wind-induced oceanic mixing and upwelling. These atmospheric feedbacks are reflected in a negative local rainfall-SST tendency correlation. As such, the simultaneous rainfall-SST and rainfall-SST tendency correlations can indicate the nature of local air-sea interactions. Based on the magnitude of simultaneous rainfall-SST and rainfall-SST tendency correlations, the present study identifies three distinct regimes of local air-sea interactions. The relative importance of SST forcing and atmospheric forcing differs in these regimes. In the equatorial central-eastern Pacific and, to a smaller degree, in the western equatorial Indian Ocean, SST forcing dominates throughout the year and the surface heat flux acts mainly as a damping term. In the tropical Indo-western Pacific Ocean regions, SST forcing and atmospheric forcing dominate alternatively in different seasons. Atmospheric forcing dominates in the local warm/rainy season. SST forcing dominates with a positive wind-evaporation feedback during the transition to the cold/dry season. SST forcing also dominates during the transition to the warm/rainy season but with a negative cloud-radiation feedback. The performance of atmospheric general circulation model simulations forced by observed SST is closely linked to the regime of air-sea interaction. The forced simulations have good performance when SST forcing dominates. The performance is low or poor when atmospheric forcing dominates. (orig.)

A Bone-Implant Interaction Mouse Model for Evaluating Molecular Mechanism of Biomaterials/Bone Interaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Wenlong; Dan, Xiuli; Wang, Ting; Lu, William W; Pan, Haobo

2016-11-01

The development of an optimal animal model that could provide fast assessments of the interaction between bone and orthopedic implants is essential for both preclinical and theoretical researches in the design of novel biomaterials. Compared with other animal models, mice have superiority in accessing the well-developed transgenic modification techniques (e.g., cell tracing, knockoff, knockin, and so on), which serve as powerful tools in studying molecular mechanisms. In this study, we introduced the establishment of a mouse model, which was specifically tailored for the assessment of bone-implant interaction in a load-bearing bone marrow microenvironment and could potentially allow the molecular mechanism study of biomaterials by using transgenic technologies. The detailed microsurgery procedures for developing a bone defect (Φ = 0.8 mm) at the metaphysis region of the mouse femur were recorded. According to our results, the osteoconductive and osseointegrative properties of a well-studied 45S5 bioactive glass were confirmed by utilizing our mouse model, verifying the reliability of this model. The feasibility and reliability of the present model were further checked by using other materials as objects of study. Furthermore, our results indicated that this animal model provided a more homogeneous tissue-implant interacting surface than the rat at the early stage of implantation and this is quite meaningful for conducting quantitative analysis. The availability of transgenic techniques to mechanism study of biomaterials was further testified by establishing our model on Nestin-GFP transgenic mice. Intriguingly, the distribution of Nestin + cells was demonstrated to be recruited to the surface of 45S5 glass as early as 3 days postsurgery, indicating that Nestin + lineage stem cells may participate in the subsequent regeneration process. In summary, the bone-implant interaction mouse model could serve as a potential candidate to evaluate the early stage tissue

Performance Evaluation of Hadoop-based Large-scale Network Traffic Analysis Cluster

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tao Ran

2016-01-01

Full Text Available As Hadoop has gained popularity in big data era, it is widely used in various fields. The self-design and self-developed large-scale network traffic analysis cluster works well based on Hadoop, with off-line applications running on it to analyze the massive network traffic data. On purpose of scientifically and reasonably evaluating the performance of analysis cluster, we propose a performance evaluation system. Firstly, we set the execution times of three benchmark applications as the benchmark of the performance, and pick 40 metrics of customized statistical resource data. Then we identify the relationship between the resource data and the execution times by a statistic modeling analysis approach, which is composed of principal component analysis and multiple linear regression. After training models by historical data, we can predict the execution times by current resource data. Finally, we evaluate the performance of analysis cluster by the validated predicting of execution times. Experimental results show that the predicted execution times by trained models are within acceptable error range, and the evaluation results of performance are accurate and reliable.

Evaluation of the productive performance characteristics of red ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Evaluation of the productive performance characteristics of red tilapia ( Oreochromis sp.) injected with shark DNA into skeletal muscles and maintained diets containing different levels of probiotic and amino yeast.

Poster: Virtual reality interaction using mobile devices

KAUST Repository

Aseeri, Sahar A.

2013-03-01

In this work we aim to implement and evaluate alternative approaches for interacting with virtual environments on mobile devices for navigation, object selection and manipulation. Interaction with objects in virtual worlds using traditional input such as current state-of-the-art devices is often difficult and could diminish the immersion and sense of presence when it comes to 3D virtual environment tasks. We have developed new methods to perform different kinds of interactions using a mobile device (e.g. a smartphone) both as input device, performing selection and manipulation of objects, and as output device, utilizing the screen as an extra view (virtual camera or information display). Our hypothesis is that interaction via mobile devices facilitates simple tasks like the ones described within immersive virtual reality systems. We present here our initial implementation and result. © 2013 IEEE.

Evaluation criteria for enhanced solar–coal hybrid power plant performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Yawen; Hong, Hui; Jin, Hongguang

2014-01-01

Attention has been directed toward hybridizing solar energy with fossil power plants since the 1990s to improve reliability and efficiency. Appropriate evaluation criteria were important in the design and optimization of solar–fossil hybrid systems. Two new criteria to evaluate the improved thermodynamic performances in a solar hybrid power plant were developed in this study. Correlations determined the main factors influencing the improved thermodynamic performances. The proposed criteria can be used to effectively integrate solar–coal hybridization systems. Typical 100 MW–1000 MW coal-fired power plants hybridized with solar heat at approximately 300 °C, which was used to preheat the feed water before entering the boiler, were evaluated using the criteria. The integration principle of solar–coal hybrid systems was also determined. The proposed evaluation criteria may be simple and reasonable for solar–coal hybrid systems with multi-energy input, thus directing system performance enhancement. - Highlights: • New criteria to evaluate the solar hybrid power plant were developed. • Typical solar–coal hybrid power plants were evaluated using the criteria. • The integration principle of solar–coal hybrid systems was determined. • The benefits of the solar–coal hybrid system are enhanced at lower solar radiation

Knowledge construction about port performance evaluation: An international literature analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karine Somensi

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Purpose: This study aims at identifying and analyzing the characteristics of international scientific research that address the literature fragment referring to the Port Performance Evaluation to identify the existence of theoretical alignment of Performance Evaluation notion, as an area of knowledge, with practical area stage, the Port Performance Evaluation. Design/Methodology/Approach: The approach the problem, this paper makes use of qualitative research, since it analyzes the Bibliographical Portfolio characteristics related to the Performance Evaluation Port. The strategy adopted was action research where the authors through their analysis and interpretation made the selection of the  Bibliographical Portfolio. Findings: From the analyzed literature fragment it was possible to identify some misalignment between what has been pointed out in the literature regarding the management practices in the port sector. This discrepancy refers to the management practices that are ignored by port managers, which implies the loss of opportunities and may even come to jeopardize the organization's performance. Research limitations/implications: The literature search was restricted to articles written in the English language, published in indexed scientific journals in the selected databases (ii the restriction by the time limit of articles published after the year 2000; (iii the generation of knowledge based on the characteristics selected by the researchers and (iv the analysis of BP articles regarding the  by the judgment and interpretation of this research authors. It is suggested for future work the expanding this research to other databases, other languages, other features, and continuity of this investigation with the development of "systemic analysis' and 'identifying research opportunities' stages through ProKnow-C. Originality/value: Although two similar works have been developed in the same area of research in 2015, the results achieved have

Citation ranking versus peer evaluation of senior faculty research performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meho, Lokman I.; Sonnenwald, Diane H.

2000-01-01

The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between citation ranking and peer evaluation in assessing senior faculty research performance. Other studies typically derive their peer evaluation data directly from referees, often in the form of ranking. This study uses two additional...... indicator of research performance of senior faculty members? Citation data, book reviews, and peer ranking were compiled and examined for faculty members specializing in Kurdish studies. Analysis shows that normalized citation ranking and citation content analysis data yield identical ranking results....... Analysis also shows that normalized citation ranking and citation content analysis, book reviews, and peer ranking perform similarly (i.e., are highly correlated) for high-ranked and low-ranked senior scholars. Additional evaluation methods and measures that take into account the context and content...

Blind Source Parameters for Performance Evaluation of Despeckling Filters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nagashettappa Biradar

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The speckle noise is inherent to transthoracic echocardiographic images. A standard noise-free reference echocardiographic image does not exist. The evaluation of filters based on the traditional parameters such as peak signal-to-noise ratio, mean square error, and structural similarity index may not reflect the true filter performance on echocardiographic images. Therefore, the performance of despeckling can be evaluated using blind assessment metrics like the speckle suppression index, speckle suppression and mean preservation index (SMPI, and beta metric. The need for noise-free reference image is overcome using these three parameters. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis and evaluation of eleven types of despeckling filters for echocardiographic images in terms of blind and traditional performance parameters along with clinical validation. The noise is effectively suppressed using the logarithmic neighborhood shrinkage (NeighShrink embedded with Stein’s unbiased risk estimation (SURE. The SMPI is three times more effective compared to the wavelet based generalized likelihood estimation approach. The quantitative evaluation and clinical validation reveal that the filters such as the nonlocal mean, posterior sampling based Bayesian estimation, hybrid median, and probabilistic patch based filters are acceptable whereas median, anisotropic diffusion, fuzzy, and Ripplet nonlinear approximation filters have limited applications for echocardiographic images.