Cross-Surface: Workshop on Interacting with Multi-Device Ecologies in the Wild

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Houben, Steven; Vermeulen, Jo; Klokmose, Clemens Nylandsted

2015-01-01

In this workshop, we will review and discuss opportunities, technical challenges and problems with cross-device interactions in interactive multi-surface and multi-device ecologies. We aim to bring together researchers and practitioners currently working on novel techniques for cross......-surface interactions, identify application domains and enabling technologies for cross-surface interactions in the wild, and establish a research community to develop effective strategies for successful design of cross-device interactions....

Maternal mobile device use during a structured parent-child interaction task.

Science.gov (United States)

Radesky, Jenny; Miller, Alison L; Rosenblum, Katherine L; Appugliese, Danielle; Kaciroti, Niko; Lumeng, Julie C

2015-01-01

To examine associations of maternal mobile device use with the frequency of mother-child interactions during a structured laboratory task. Participants included 225 low-income mother-child pairs. When children were ∼6 years old, dyads were videotaped during a standardized protocol in order to characterize how mothers and children interacted when asked to try familiar and unfamiliar foods. From videotapes, we dichotomized mothers on the basis of whether or not they spontaneously used a mobile device, and we counted maternal verbal and nonverbal prompts toward the child. We used multivariate Poisson regression to study associations of device use with eating prompt frequency for different foods. Mothers were an average of 31.3 (SD 7.1) years old, and 28.0% were of Hispanic/nonwhite race/ethnicity. During the protocol, 23.1% of mothers spontaneously used a mobile device. Device use was not associated with any maternal characteristics, including age, race/ethnicity, education, depressive symptoms, or parenting style. Mothers with device use initiated fewer verbal (relative rate 0.80; 95% confidence interval 0.63, 1.03) and nonverbal (0.61; 0.39, 0.96) interactions with their children than mothers who did not use a device, when averaged across all foods. This association was strongest during introduction of halva, the most unfamiliar food (0.67; 0.48, 0.93 for verbal and 0.42; 0.20, 0.89 for nonverbal interactions). Mobile device use was common and associated with fewer interactions with children during a structured interaction task, particularly nonverbal interactions and during introduction of an unfamiliar food. More research is needed to understand how device use affects parent-child engagement in naturalistic contexts. Copyright © 2015 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Microfluidic Devices for Studying Biomolecular Interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Wilbur W.; Garcia, Carlos d.; Henry, Charles S.

2006-01-01

Microfluidic devices for monitoring biomolecular interactions have been invented. These devices are basically highly miniaturized liquid-chromatography columns. They are intended to be prototypes of miniature analytical devices of the laboratory on a chip type that could be fabricated rapidly and inexpensively and that, because of their small sizes, would yield analytical results from very small amounts of expensive analytes (typically, proteins). Other advantages to be gained by this scaling down of liquid-chromatography columns may include increases in resolution and speed, decreases in the consumption of reagents, and the possibility of performing multiple simultaneous and highly integrated analyses by use of multiple devices of this type, each possibly containing multiple parallel analytical microchannels. The principle of operation is the same as that of a macroscopic liquid-chromatography column: The column is a channel packed with particles, upon which are immobilized molecules of the protein of interest (or one of the proteins of interest if there are more than one). Starting at a known time, a solution or suspension containing molecules of the protein or other substance of interest is pumped into the channel at its inlet. The liquid emerging from the outlet of the channel is monitored to detect the molecules of the dissolved or suspended substance(s). The time that it takes these molecules to flow from the inlet to the outlet is a measure of the degree of interaction between the immobilized and the dissolved or suspended molecules. Depending on the precise natures of the molecules, this measure can be used for diverse purposes: examples include screening for solution conditions that favor crystallization of proteins, screening for interactions between drugs and proteins, and determining the functions of biomolecules.

Reprogammable universal logic device based on mems technology

KAUST Repository

Hafiz, Md Adbdullah Al

2017-06-15

Various examples of reprogrammable universal logic devices are provided. In one example, the device can include a tunable AC input (206) to an oscillator/resonator; a first logic input and a second logic input to the oscillator/resonator, the first and second logic inputs provided by separate DC voltage sources (VA, VB), each of the first and second logic inputs including an on/off switch (A, B); and the oscillator/resonator including an output terminal (215). The tunable oscillator/resonator can be a MEMS/NEMS resonator. Switching of one or both of the first or second logic inputs on or off in association with the tuning of the AC input (206) can provide logic gate operation. The device can easily be extended to a 3-bit or n-bit device by providing additional logic inputs. Binary comparators and encoders can be implemented using a plurality of oscillators/resonators.

Some progress towards ''universal'' effective interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomez, J.M.G.

1983-01-01

The approximation methods introduced to treat the nuclear many-body problem usually imply that the appropriate nuclear force is an effective interaction, different from the free nucleon-nucleon interaction. An effective interaction is thus intimately related to a given nuclear model and its scope is generally confined to the description of a limited number of nuclei or nuclear states. However, in recent years there has been some progress towards ''universal'' effective nucleon-nucleon interactions, in the sense that they may be reasonably suitable to describe bulk properties of nuclear ground states throughout the periodic table and also properties of excited states. The authors conclude that a finite-range density-dependent effective interaction of the Gogny's type is capable of describing a large number of static and dynamical nuclear properties throughout the periodic table, including open-shell nuclei. Hopefully it may provide clues for the definition of some ''universal'' effective force

Development of a new universal machine device for eccentric shafts processing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Михайло Володимирович Маргуліс

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The analysis of the existing lathe devices for machining of eccentric details and the reasons for the development of a new universal machine device– a shifting lathe center-have been described in the article. The device design, its operating principle, the main parts functions and elements of the case were described and illustrated One of the most complicated cases of eccentric shaft turning, that is turning design and scheme of the eccentric shaft of precessional harmonic drive with intermediate rolling bodies when the proposed device was used was described in the article. The shifting lathe center can reduce the complexity of the machine tool for turning eccentric shafts configuration. The ability to install the shifting center in the tailstock and headstock of the lathe, and the availability of the leash makes it possible to turn various eccentric parts, conical surfaces, to apply the device to compensate for the emerging taper in cylindrical shafts processing. All the above mentioned makes the device universal. The specific feature of this device is the use of a ball center and the connection of the centering element with the adjusting screw by a fine thread screw, this increasing the precision machining. The protective cover of the device makes it possible to reduce the chance of possible injury from protruding parts of the device, namely the leash and the centering element

UNIVERSAL AUTO-CALIBRATION FOR A RAPID BATTERY IMPEDANCE SPECTRUM MEASUREMENT DEVICE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jon P. Christophersen; John L. Morrison; William H. Morrison

2014-03-01

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy has been shown to be a valuable tool for diagnostics and prognostics of energy storage devices such as batteries and ultra-capacitors. Although measurements have been typically confined to laboratory environments, rapid impedance spectrum measurement techniques have been developed for on-line, embedded applications as well. The prototype hardware for the rapid technique has been validated using lithium-ion batteries, but issues with calibration had also been identified. A new, universal automatic calibration technique was developed to address the identified issues while also enabling a more simplified approach. A single, broad-frequency range is used to calibrate the system and then scaled to the actual range and conditions used when measuring a device under test. The range used for calibration must be broad relative to the expected measurement conditions for the scaling to be successful. Validation studies were performed by comparing the universal calibration approach with data acquired from targeted calibration ranges based on the expected range of performance for the device under test. First, a mid-level shunt range was used for calibration and used to measure devices with lower and higher impedance. Next, a high excitation current level was used for calibration, followed by measurements using lower currents. Finally, calibration was performed over a wide frequency range and used to measure test articles with a lower set of frequencies. In all cases, the universal calibration approach compared very well with results acquired following a targeted calibration. Additionally, the shunts used for the automated calibration technique were successfully characterized such that the rapid impedance measurements compare very well with laboratory-scale measurements. These data indicate that the universal approach can be successfully used for onboard rapid impedance spectra measurements for a broad set of test devices and range of

A point-based rendering approach for real-time interaction on mobile devices

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

LIANG XiaoHui; ZHAO QinPing; HE ZhiYing; XIE Ke; LIU YuBo

2009-01-01

Mobile device is an Important interactive platform. Due to the limitation of computation, memory, display area and energy, how to realize the efficient and real-time interaction of 3D models based on mobile devices is an important research topic. Considering features of mobile devices, this paper adopts remote rendering mode and point models, and then, proposes a transmission and rendering approach that could interact in real time. First, improved simplification algorithm based on MLS and display resolution of mobile devices is proposed. Then, a hierarchy selection of point models and a QoS transmission control strategy are given based on interest area of operator, interest degree of object in the virtual environment and rendering error. They can save the energy consumption. Finally, the rendering and interaction of point models are completed on mobile devices. The experiments show that our method is efficient.

Interactive lectures: Clickers or personal devices?

Science.gov (United States)

Morrell, Lesley J; Joyce, Domino A

2015-01-01

Audience response systems ('clickers') are frequently used to promote participation in large lecture classes, and evidence suggests that they convey a number of benefits to students, including improved academic performance and student satisfaction. The limitations of these systems (such as limited access and cost) can be overcome using students' personal electronic devices, such as mobile phones, tablets and laptops together with text message, web- or app-based polling systems. Using questionnaires, we compare student perceptions of clicker and smartphone based polling systems. We find that students prefer interactive lectures generally, but those that used their own device preferred those lectures over lectures using clickers. However, device users were more likely to report using their devices for other purposes (checking email, social media etc.) when they were available to answer polling questions. These students did not feel that this distracted them from the lecture, instead, concerns over the use of smartphones centred around increased battery usage and inclusivity for students without access to suitable technology. Our results suggest that students generally preferred to use their own devices over clickers, and that this may be a sensible way to overcome some of the limitations associated with clickers, although issues surrounding levels of distraction and the implications for retention and recall of information need further investigation.

Exploring the Utility and Application of Framing Devices in College/University President Speeches

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Ira George

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the utility and application of the framing devices identified by Fairhurst (1993) and Fairhurst and Sarr (1996) in the college/university setting as evidenced through college/university presidents' speeches. Fifty-seven college/university presidents' speeches were collected from institution…

Interracial interactions at racially diverse university campuses.

Science.gov (United States)

Cowan, Gloria

2005-02-01

The present research was an observational study of casual interracial and intraracial public-group interactions among African American, Asian American, Latino, and White students at 6 southern California State University campuses. Results indicated (a) that at these racially diverse public-university campuses, there was no difference between the percentages of interracial and intraracial groups; (b) specifically, that at the campus with the second largest percentage of non-White students, there were more interracial than intraracial interactions; and (c) that for each of the 4 ethnic groups, at the campuses with the largest percentages of the specific group, interactions were more likely to be intraracial than they were at campuses that had smaller percentages of the specific group. Despite reports of self-segregation, these findings suggest that when Whites are not the majority of students, interracial interactions are common.

Plasma surface interactions in controlled fusion devices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghendrih, Ph.; Becoulet, M.; Costanzo, L. [and others

2000-07-01

This report brings together all the contributions of EURATOM/CEA association to the 14. international conference on plasma surface interactions in controlled fusion devices. 24 papers are presented and they deal mainly with the ergodic divertor and the first wall of Tore-supra tokamak.

Plasma surface interactions in controlled fusion devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghendrih, Ph.; Becoulet, M.; Costanzo, L.

2000-07-01

This report brings together all the contributions of EURATOM/CEA association to the 14. international conference on plasma surface interactions in controlled fusion devices. 24 papers are presented and they deal mainly with the ergodic divertor and the first wall of Tore-supra tokamak

Investigating Cross-Device Interaction between a Handheld Device and a Large Display

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Paay, Jeni; Raptis, Dimitrios; Kjeldskov, Jesper

2017-01-01

and mid-air gestures, pinching, swiping, swinging and flicking. We look specifically at their relative efficiency, effectiveness and accuracy in bi-directional interaction between a smartphone and large display in a point-click context. We report findings from two user studies, which show that swiping...... is both most effective, fastest and most accurate, closely followed by swinging. What these two approaches have in common is the ability to keep the pointer steady on the large display, unaffected by concurrent gestures or body movements used to complete the interaction, suggesting...... that this is an important factor for designing effective cross-device interaction with large displays....

A Mobile Personal Informatics System with Interactive Visualizations of Mobility and Social Interactions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cuttone, Andrea; Jørgensen, Sune Lehmann; Larsen, Jakob Eg

2013-01-01

We describe a personal informatics system for Android smartphones that provides personal data on mobility and social interactions through interactive visualization interfaces. The mobile app has been made available to N=136 first year university students as part of a study of social network...... interactions in a university campus setting. The design of the interactive visualization interfaces enabling the participants to gain insights into own behaviors is described. We report initial findings based on device logging of participant interactions with the interactive visualization app on the smartphone...

A Universe without Weak Interactions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harnik, Roni; Kribs, Graham D.; Perez, Gilad

2006-04-07

A universe without weak interactions is constructed that undergoes big-bang nucleosynthesis, matter domination, structure formation, and star formation. The stars in this universe are able to burn for billions of years, synthesize elements up to iron, and undergo supernova explosions, dispersing heavy elements into the interstellar medium. These definitive claims are supported by a detailed analysis where this hypothetical ''Weakless Universe'' is matched to our Universe by simultaneously adjusting Standard Model and cosmological parameters. For instance, chemistry and nuclear physics are essentially unchanged. The apparent habitability of the Weakless Universe suggests that the anthropic principle does not determine the scale of electroweak breaking, or even require that it be smaller than the Planck scale, so long as technically natural parameters may be suitably adjusted. Whether the multi-parameter adjustment is realized or probable is dependent on the ultraviolet completion, such as the string landscape. Considering a similar analysis for the cosmological constant, however, we argue that no adjustments of other parameters are able to allow the cosmological constant to raise up even remotely close to the Planck scale while obtaining macroscopic structure. The fine-tuning problems associated with the electroweak breaking scale and the cosmological constant therefore appear to be qualitatively different from the perspective of obtaining a habitable universe.

A Universe without Weak Interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harnik, R

2006-01-01

A universe without weak interactions is constructed that undergoes big-bang nucleosynthesis, matter domination, structure formation, and star formation. The stars in this universe are able to burn for billions of years, synthesize elements up to iron, and undergo supernova explosions, dispersing heavy elements into the interstellar medium. These definitive claims are supported by a detailed analysis where this hypothetical ''Weakless Universe'' is matched to our Universe by simultaneously adjusting Standard Model and cosmological parameters. For instance, chemistry and nuclear physics are essentially unchanged. The apparent habitability of the Weakless Universe suggests that the anthropic principle does not determine the scale of electroweak breaking, or even require that it be smaller than the Planck scale, so long as technically natural parameters may be suitably adjusted. Whether the multi-parameter adjustment is realized or probable is dependent on the ultraviolet completion, such as the string landscape. Considering a similar analysis for the cosmological constant, however, we argue that no adjustments of other parameters are able to allow the cosmological constant to raise up even remotely close to the Planck scale while obtaining macroscopic structure. The fine-tuning problems associated with the electroweak breaking scale and the cosmological constant therefore appear to be qualitatively different from the perspective of obtaining a habitable universe

A universe without weak interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harnik, Roni; Kribs, Graham D.; Perez, Gilad

2006-01-01

A universe without weak interactions is constructed that undergoes big-bang nucleosynthesis, matter domination, structure formation, and star formation. The stars in this universe are able to burn for billions of years, synthesize elements up to iron, and undergo supernova explosions, dispersing heavy elements into the interstellar medium. These definitive claims are supported by a detailed analysis where this hypothetical ''weakless universe'' is matched to our Universe by simultaneously adjusting standard model and cosmological parameters. For instance, chemistry and nuclear physics are essentially unchanged. The apparent habitability of the weakless universe suggests that the anthropic principle does not determine the scale of electroweak breaking, or even require that it be smaller than the Planck scale, so long as technically natural parameters may be suitably adjusted. Whether the multiparameter adjustment is realized or probable is dependent on the ultraviolet completion, such as the string landscape. Considering a similar analysis for the cosmological constant, however, we argue that no adjustments of other parameters are able to allow the cosmological constant to raise up even remotely close to the Planck scale while obtaining macroscopic structure. The fine-tuning problems associated with the electroweak breaking scale and the cosmological constant therefore appear to be qualitatively different from the perspective of obtaining a habitable universe

[Projects to accelerate the practical use of innovative medical devices to collaborate with TWIns, Center for Advanced Biomedical Sciences, Waseda University and School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo].

Science.gov (United States)

Niimi, Shingo; Umezu, Mitsuo; Iseki, Hiroshi; Harada, Hiroshi Kasanuki Noboru; Mitsuishi, Mamoru; Kitamori, Takehiko; Tei, Yuichi; Nakaoka, Ryusuke; Haishima, Yuji

2014-01-01

Division of Medical Devices has been conducting the projects to accelerate the practical use of innovative medical devices to collaborate with TWIns, Center for Advanced Biomedical Sciences, Waseda University and School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo. The TWIns has been studying to aim at establishment of preclinical evaluation methods by "Engineering Based Medicine", and established Regulatory Science Institute for Medical Devices. School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo has been studying to aim at establishment of assessment methodology for innovative minimally invasive therapeutic devices, materials, and nanobio diagnostic devices. This report reviews the exchanges of personnel, the implement systems and the research progress of these projects.

The early period of the universal Fermi interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tiomno, J.

1984-01-01

A critical analysis of the contributions which lead, in the early period, to the discovery of the universality of Fermi-type weak interactions is made. In particular the current references to this universality as 'Puppi's triangle' are shown to be incorrect. (Author) [pt

Interactional competence in the institutional setting of the international university

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hazel, Spencer

organization as multimodally constituted social action in interaction. Leading on from this, the analyses sought to explore whether situated embodied practices serve to enact-into-being the institution of the international university. Research into these dynamically multilingual and culturally hybrid settings......This project has investigated social practices in co-present encounters between administrative staff and students at an internationalizing university. The project utilized audiovisual data of interactions, recorded at a number of sites at a Danish university. These concerned service encounters...... has often emphasized the linguistic component of such encounters. The current project adds to this by considering participants’ interactional competencies, denoting their situated methods and interactive practices through which they are able to co-construct in situ their social world. The thesis...

Live event experiences - Interactive UHDTV on mobile devices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Niamut, O.A.; Thomas, G.A.; Thomas, E.D.R.; Brandenburg, R. van; D'Acunto, L.; Gregory-Clarke, R.

2014-01-01

This paper reports on the latest developments in tiled streaming. As an extension of HTTP adaptive streaming, it retains all the benefits of this streaming technology, while adding the potential of interaction when UHDTV is consumed on mobile devices. In particular, we discuss the underlying

Universal structure of a strongly interacting Fermi gas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuhnle, Eva; Dyke, Paul; Hoinka, Sascha; Mark, Michael; Hu Hui; Liu Xiaji; Drummond, Peter; Hannaford, Peter; Vale, Chris, E-mail: cvale@swin.edu.au [ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Atom Optics, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn 3122 (Australia)

2011-01-10

This paper presents studies of the universal properties of strongly interacting Fermi gases using Bragg spectroscopy. We focus on pair-correlations, their relationship to the contact C introduced by Tan, and their dependence on both the momentum and temperature. We show that short-range pair correlations obey a universal law, first derived by Tan through measurements of the static structure factor, which displays a universal scaling with the ratio of the contact to the momentum C/q. Bragg spectroscopy of ultracold {sup 6}Li atoms is employed to measure the structure factor for a wide range of momenta and interaction strengths, providing broad confirmation of this universal law. We show that calibrating our Bragg spectra using the f-sum rule leads to a dramatic improvement in the accuracy of the structure factor measurement. We also measure the temperature dependence of the contact in a unitary gas and compare our results to calculations based on a virial expansion.

Device interactions in reducing the cost of tidal stream energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vazquez, A.; Iglesias, G.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Numerical modelling is used to estimate the levelised cost of tidal stream energy. • As a case study, a model of Lynmouth (UK) is implemented and successfully validated. • The resolution of the model allows the demarcation of individual devices on the model grid. • Device interactions reduce the available tidal resource and the cost increases significantly. - Abstract: The levelised cost of energy takes into account the lifetime generated energy and the costs associated with a project. The objective of this work is to investigate the effects of device interactions on the energy output and, therefore, on the levelised cost of energy of a tidal stream project, by means of numerical modelling. For this purpose, a case study is considered: Lynmouth (North Devon, UK), an area in the Bristol Channel in which the first tidal stream turbine was installed − a testimony of its potential as a tidal energy site. A state-of-the-art hydrodynamics model is implemented on a high-resolution computational grid, which allows the demarcation of the individual devices. The modification to the energy output resulting from interaction between turbines within the tidal farm is thus resolved for each individual turbine. The results indicate that significant changes in the levelised cost of energy values, of up to £0.221 kW h −1 , occur due to the aforementioned modifications, which should not be disregarded if the cost of tidal stream energy is to be minimised

Mobile devices and computing cloud resources allocation for interactive applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krawczyk Henryk

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Using mobile devices such as smartphones or iPads for various interactive applications is currently very common. In the case of complex applications, e.g. chess games, the capabilities of these devices are insufficient to run the application in real time. One of the solutions is to use cloud computing. However, there is an optimization problem of mobile device and cloud resources allocation. An iterative heuristic algorithm for application distribution is proposed. The algorithm minimizes the energy cost of application execution with constrained execution time.

UniDA: Uniform Device Access Framework for Human Interaction Environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Santiago Vazquez-Rodriguez

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Human interaction environments (HIE must be understood as any place where people carry out their daily life, including their work, family life, leisure and social life, interacting with technology to enhance or facilitate the experience. The integration of technology in these environments has been achieved in a disorderly and incompatible way, with devices operating in isolated islands with artificial edges delimited by the manufacturers. In this paper we are presenting the UniDA framework, an integral solution for the development of systems that require the integration and interoperation of devices and technologies in HIEs. It provides developers and installers with a uniform conceptual framework capable of modelling an HIE, together with a set of libraries, tools and devices to build distributed instrumentation networks with support for transparent integration of other technologies. A series of use case examples and a comparison to many of the existing technologies in the field has been included in order to show the benefits of using UniDA.

Multi-Axis Force Sensor for Human-Robot Interaction Sensing in a Rehabilitation Robotic Device.

Science.gov (United States)

Grosu, Victor; Grosu, Svetlana; Vanderborght, Bram; Lefeber, Dirk; Rodriguez-Guerrero, Carlos

2017-06-05

Human-robot interaction sensing is a compulsory feature in modern robotic systems where direct contact or close collaboration is desired. Rehabilitation and assistive robotics are fields where interaction forces are required for both safety and increased control performance of the device with a more comfortable experience for the user. In order to provide an efficient interaction feedback between the user and rehabilitation device, high performance sensing units are demanded. This work introduces a novel design of a multi-axis force sensor dedicated for measuring pelvis interaction forces in a rehabilitation exoskeleton device. The sensor is conceived such that it has different sensitivity characteristics for the three axes of interest having also movable parts in order to allow free rotations and limit crosstalk errors. Integrated sensor electronics make it easy to acquire and process data for a real-time distributed system architecture. Two of the developed sensors are integrated and tested in a complex gait rehabilitation device for safe and compliant control.

Haptics using a smart material for eyes-free interaction in personal devices

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Huihui; Lane, William Brian; Pappas, Devin; Duque, Bryam; Leong, John

2014-03-01

In this paper we present a prototype using a dry ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) in interactive personal devices such as bracelet, necklace, pocket key chain or mobile devices for haptic interaction when audio or visual feedback is not possible or practical. This prototype interface is an electro-mechanical system that realizes a shape-changing haptic display for information communication. A dry IPMC will change its dimensions due to the electrostatic effect when an electrical potential is provided to them. The IPMC can operate at a lower voltage (less than 2.5V) which is compatible with requirements for personal electrical devices or mobile devices. The prototype consists of the addressable arrays of the IPMCs with different dimensions which are deformable to different shapes with proper handling or customization. 3D printing technology will be used to form supporting parts. Microcontrollers (about 3cm square) from DigiKey will be imbedded into this personal device. An Android based mobile APP will be developed to talk with microcontrollers to control IPMCs. When personal devices receive information signals, the original shape of the prototype will change to another shape related to the specific sender or types of information sources. This interactive prototype can simultaneously realize multiple methods for conveying haptic information such as dimension, force, and texture due to the flexible array design. We conduct several studies of user experience to explore how users' respond to shape change information.

An Exploratory Study to Measure Excessive Involvement in Multitasking Interaction with Smart Devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yubo; Rau, Pei-Luen Patrick

2016-06-01

This study developed a scale measuring excessive involvement in multitasking interaction with smart devices. An online questionnaire was designed and surveyed in a sample of 380 respondents. The sample was split into two groups for exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, respectively. A four-factor structure was identified with an acceptable goodness of fit. The first two factors, "Obsession and neglect" and "Problematic control," described the obsessive feelings, neglect behaviors, and behavior control problems accompanied by excessive multitasking interaction with smart devices. The latter two factors, "Multitasking preference" and "Polychronic orientation," referred to multitaskers' preference of engaging in multiple media use or interaction tasks rather than a single task from the time orientation perspective. The four-factor structure indicates that excessive involvement in multitasking interaction with smart devices shares some similarities with other behavioral addiction types, but demonstrates uniqueness compared with excessive engagement in single media use.

Qudit-Basis Universal Quantum Computation Using χ^{(2)} Interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Niu, Murphy Yuezhen; Chuang, Isaac L; Shapiro, Jeffrey H

2018-04-20

We prove that universal quantum computation can be realized-using only linear optics and χ^{(2)} (three-wave mixing) interactions-in any (n+1)-dimensional qudit basis of the n-pump-photon subspace. First, we exhibit a strictly universal gate set for the qubit basis in the one-pump-photon subspace. Next, we demonstrate qutrit-basis universality by proving that χ^{(2)} Hamiltonians and photon-number operators generate the full u(3) Lie algebra in the two-pump-photon subspace, and showing how the qutrit controlled-Z gate can be implemented with only linear optics and χ^{(2)} interactions. We then use proof by induction to obtain our general qudit result. Our induction proof relies on coherent photon injection or subtraction, a technique enabled by χ^{(2)} interaction between the encoding modes and ancillary modes. Finally, we show that coherent photon injection is more than a conceptual tool, in that it offers a route to preparing high-photon-number Fock states from single-photon Fock states.

Immersive Live Event Experiences - Interactive UHDTV on Mobile Devices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Niamut, O.A.; Thomas, G.A.; Thomas, E.D.R.; Brandenburg, R. van; D’Acunto, L.; Gregory-Clarke, R.

2014-01-01

This paper reports on the latest developments around tiled streaming. As an extension of HTTP adaptive streaming, it retains all the benefits of this streaming technology, while adding the possibility of interaction when consuming UHDTV on mobile devices. In particular, we discuss the underlying

Evaluation of Tissue Interactions with Mechanical Elements of a Transscleral Drug Delivery Device

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeffrey T. Borenstein

2012-03-01

Full Text Available The goal of this work was to evaluate tissue-device interactions due to implantation of a mechanically operated drug delivery system onto the posterior sclera. Two test devices were designed and fabricated to model elements of the drug delivery device—one containing a free-spinning ball bearing and the other encasing two articulating gears. Openings in the base of test devices modeled ports for drug passage from device to sclera. Porous poly(tetrafluoroethylene (PTFE membranes were attached to half of the gear devices to minimize tissue ingrowth through these ports. Test devices were sutured onto rabbit eyes for 10 weeks. Tissue-device interactions were evaluated histologically and mechanically after removal to determine effects on device function and changes in surrounding tissue. Test devices were generally well-tolerated during residence in the animal. All devices encouraged fibrous tissue formation between the sclera and the device, fibrous tissue encapsulation and invasion around the device, and inflammation of the conjunctiva. Gear devices encouraged significantly greater inflammation in all cases and a larger rate of tissue ingrowth. PTFE membranes prevented tissue invasion through the covered drug ports, though tissue migrated in through other smaller openings. The torque required to turn the mechanical elements increased over 1000 times for gear devices, but only on the order of 100 times for membrane-covered gear devices and less than 100 times for ball bearing devices. Maintaining a lower device profile, minimizing microscale motion on the eye surface and covering drug ports with a porous membrane may minimize inflammation, decreasing the risk of damage to surrounding tissues and minimizing disruption of device operation.

Religiosity, Religious Acceptance, Social Interaction, and Satisfaction with University Experience

Science.gov (United States)

Mohebpour, Ida; Reysen, Stephen; Gibson, Shonda; Hendricks, LaVelle

2017-01-01

We tested a mediated moderation model with the interaction of students' degree of religiosity and perception of the university environment as accepting of one's religion predicting satisfaction with the university mediated by positive social relations. When the university was perceived as accepting of one's religion (vs less accepting), greater…

Interacting agegraphic dark energy models in non-flat universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheykhi, Ahmad

2009-01-01

A so-called 'agegraphic dark energy' was recently proposed to explain the dark energy-dominated universe. In this Letter, we generalize the agegraphic dark energy models to the universe with spatial curvature in the presence of interaction between dark matter and dark energy. We show that these models can accommodate w D =-1 crossing for the equation of state of dark energy. In the limiting case of a flat universe, i.e. k=0, all previous results of agegraphic dark energy in flat universe are restored.

Ownership versus on-campus use of mobile IT devices by university students

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kobus, M.B.W.; Rietveld, P.; van Ommeren, J.N.

2013-01-01

This study investigated ownership and on-campus use of laptops, tablets, and smartphones, using survey information on Dutch university students. We show that 96% of students own at least one of these mobile IT devices (i.e., a laptop, tablet, or smartphone). Using econometric modelling, we also show

Plasma Surface interaction in Controlled fusion devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-05-01

The subjects presented in the 9th conference on plasma surface interaction in controlled fusion devices were: the modifications of power scrape-off-length and power deposition during various configurations in Tore Supra plasmas; the effects observed in ergodic divertor experiments in Tore-Supra; the diffuse connexion induced by the ergodic divertor and the topology of the heat load patterns on the plasma facing components in Tore-Supra; the study of the influence of air exposure on graphite implanted by low energy high density deuterium plasma

75 FR 15439 - Food and Drug Administration/Xavier University Global Medical Device Conference

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-29

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2010-N-0001] Food and Drug Administration/Xavier University Global Medical Device Conference AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice of public conference. SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA...

78 FR 15957 - Food and Drug Administration/Xavier University Global Medical Device Conference

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-13

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2013-N-0001] Food and Drug Administration/Xavier University Global Medical Device Conference AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice of public conference. SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA...

77 FR 10537 - Food and Drug Administration/Xavier University Global Medical Device Conference

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-22

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2012-N-0001] Food and Drug Administration/Xavier University Global Medical Device Conference AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice of public conference. SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA...

Effects of field interactions upon particle creation in Robertson-Walker universes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Birrell, N.D.; Davies, P.C.W.; Ford, L.H.

1980-01-01

Particle creation due to field interactions in an expanding Robertson-Walker universe is investigated. A model in which pseudoscalar mesons and photons are created as a result of their mutual interaction is considered, and the energy density of created particles is calculated in model universes which undergo a bounce at some maximum curvature. The free-field creation of non-conformally coupled scalar particles and of gravitons is calculated in the same space-times. It is found that if the bounce occurs at a sufficiently early time the interacting particle creation will dominate. This result may be traced to the fact that the model interaction chosen introduces a length scale which is much larger than the Planck length. (author)

Wearable Vibrotactile Haptic Device for Stiffness Discrimination during Virtual Interactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andualem Tadesse Maereg

2017-09-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we discuss the development of cost effective, wireless, and wearable vibrotactile haptic device for stiffness perception during an interaction with virtual objects. Our experimental setup consists of haptic device with five vibrotactile actuators, virtual reality environment tailored in Unity 3D integrating the Oculus Rift Head Mounted Display (HMD and the Leap Motion controller. The virtual environment is able to capture touch inputs from users. Interaction forces are then rendered at 500 Hz and fed back to the wearable setup stimulating fingertips with ERM vibrotactile actuators. Amplitude and frequency of vibrations are modulated proportionally to the interaction force to simulate the stiffness of a virtual object. A quantitative and qualitative study is done to compare the discrimination of stiffness on virtual linear spring in three sensory modalities: visual only feedback, tactile only feedback, and their combination. A common psychophysics method called the Two Alternative Forced Choice (2AFC approach is used for quantitative analysis using Just Noticeable Difference (JND and Weber Fractions (WF. According to the psychometric experiment result, average Weber fraction values of 0.39 for visual only feedback was improved to 0.25 by adding the tactile feedback.

Composing Interactive Dance Pieces for the MotionComposer, a device for Persons with Disabilities

OpenAIRE

Bergsland, Andreas; Wechsler, Robert

2015-01-01

The authors have developed a new hardware/software device for persons with disabilities (the MotionComposer), and in the process created a number of interactive dance pieces for non- disabled professional dancers. The paper briefly describes the hardware and motion tracking software of the device before going into more detail concerning the mapping strategies and sound design applied to three interactive dance pieces. The paper concludes by discussing a particular philosophy championing trans...

Interactive Multimedia Learning: Innovating Classroom Education in a Malaysian University

Science.gov (United States)

Leow, Fui-Theng; Neo, Mai

2014-01-01

This research study was conducted at INTI International University, and aimed at enhancing the quality of classroom learning for University students with three important emphases: Gagne's instructional model, multimedia, and student-centred learning. An Interactive Learning Module (ILM) was developed as the core component in forming the…

Qudit-Basis Universal Quantum Computation Using χ(2 ) Interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Niu, Murphy Yuezhen; Chuang, Isaac L.; Shapiro, Jeffrey H.

2018-04-01

We prove that universal quantum computation can be realized—using only linear optics and χ(2 ) (three-wave mixing) interactions—in any (n +1 )-dimensional qudit basis of the n -pump-photon subspace. First, we exhibit a strictly universal gate set for the qubit basis in the one-pump-photon subspace. Next, we demonstrate qutrit-basis universality by proving that χ(2 ) Hamiltonians and photon-number operators generate the full u (3 ) Lie algebra in the two-pump-photon subspace, and showing how the qutrit controlled-Z gate can be implemented with only linear optics and χ(2 ) interactions. We then use proof by induction to obtain our general qudit result. Our induction proof relies on coherent photon injection or subtraction, a technique enabled by χ(2 ) interaction between the encoding modes and ancillary modes. Finally, we show that coherent photon injection is more than a conceptual tool, in that it offers a route to preparing high-photon-number Fock states from single-photon Fock states.

Universal Behavior of Pair Correlations in a Strongly Interacting Fermi Gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuhnle, E. D.; Hu, H.; Liu, X.-J.; Dyke, P.; Mark, M.; Drummond, P. D.; Hannaford, P.; Vale, C. J.

2010-01-01

We show that short-range pair correlations in a strongly interacting Fermi gas follow a simple universal law described by Tan's relations. This is achieved through measurements of the static structure factor which displays a universal scaling proportional to the ratio of Tan's contact to the momentum C/q. Bragg spectroscopy of ultracold 6 Li atoms from a periodic optical potential is used to measure the structure factor for a wide range of momenta and interaction strengths, providing broad confirmation of this universal law. We calibrate our Bragg spectra using the f-sum rule, which is found to improve the accuracy of the structure factor measurement.

Calibration of a measurement device as a result of efforts of interaction flow and turbo machines impeller; Calibracao de um dispositivo de medida de esforcos resultantes da interacao entre o escoamento e o rotor de turbomaquinas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brandao, Jose Geraldo Trani; Tomazini, Jose Elias [UNESP, Guaratingueta, SP (Brazil). Faculdade de Engenharia. Dept. de Mecanica]. E-mails: brandao@feg.unesp.br; tomazini@feg.unesp.br

2000-07-01

This work reports the static calibration of a device used for measurements of the hydraulic efforts resulting from the interaction between the flow and the turbomachinery rotor, simulating the various operation conditions. The device was developed by the Stuttgart University. A calibration process is described for allowing a real correspondence among real efforts acting on the rotor model and the the measured efforts. The used device consists of load three dimension piezoelectric sensors.

Nomad devices for interactions in immersive virtual environments

Science.gov (United States)

George, Paul; Kemeny, Andras; Merienne, Frédéric; Chardonnet, Jean-Rémy; Thouvenin, Indira Mouttapa; Posselt, Javier; Icart, Emmanuel

2013-03-01

Renault is currently setting up a new CAVE™, a 5 rear-projected wall virtual reality room with a combined 3D resolution of 100 Mpixels, distributed over sixteen 4k projectors and two 2k projector as well as an additional 3D HD collaborative powerwall. Renault's CAVE™ aims at answering needs of the various vehicle conception steps [1]. Starting from vehicle Design, through the subsequent Engineering steps, Ergonomic evaluation and perceived quality control, Renault has built up a list of use-cases and carried out an early software evaluation in the four sided CAVE™ of Institute Image, called MOVE. One goal of the project is to study interactions in a CAVE™, especially with nomad devices such as IPhone or IPad to manipulate virtual objects and to develop visualization possibilities. Inspired by nomad devices current uses (multi-touch gestures, IPhone UI look'n'feel and AR applications), we have implemented an early feature set taking advantage of these popular input devices. In this paper, we present its performance through measurement data collected in our test platform, a 4-sided homemade low-cost virtual reality room, powered by ultra-short-range and standard HD home projectors.

Network Interaction of Universities in Higher Education System of Ural Macro-Region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Garold Efimovich Zborovsky

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The subject-matter of the analysis are the characteristics and forms of cooperation between universities of Ural Federal District on the basis of their typology. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the necessity and possibility of network interaction between universities of the macro-region. We prove the importance and potential effectiveness of universities network interaction in the terms of socio-economic uncertainty of the development of Ural Federal District and its higher education. Networking interaction and multilateral cooperation are considered as a new type of inter-universities relations, which can be activated and intensified by strengthening the relations of universities with stakeholders. The authors examine certain concrete forms and formats of network interaction and cooperation between universities and discuss selected cases of new type of relations. In it, they see the real and potential innovation of higher school nonlinear development processes. The statements of the article allow to confirm the hypothesis about the reality of strengthening the network interaction in macro-region. It can transform higher education in the driver of socio-economic development of Ural Federal District; ensure the competitiveness of higher education of the macro-region in the Russian and global educational space; enhance its role in the society; become one of the most significant elements of nonlinear models of higher education development in the country. The authors’ research is based on the interdisciplinary methodology including the potential of theoretical sociology, sociology of higher education, economic sociology, management theory, regional economics. The results of the study can form the basis for the improvement of the Ural Federal District’s educational policy.

Self-Consistent Monte Carlo Study of the Coulomb Interaction under Nano-Scale Device Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Sano, Nobuyuki

2011-03-01

It has been pointed that the Coulomb interaction between the electrons is expected to be of crucial importance to predict reliable device characteristics. In particular, the device performance is greatly degraded due to the plasmon excitation represented by dynamical potential fluctuations in high-doped source and drain regions by the channel electrons. We employ the self-consistent 3D Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, which could reproduce both the correct mobility under various electron concentrations and the collective plasma waves, to study the physical impact of dynamical potential fluctuations on device performance under the Double-gate MOSFETs. The average force experienced by an electron due to the Coulomb interaction inside the device is evaluated by performing the self-consistent MC simulations and the fixed-potential MC simulations without the Coulomb interaction. Also, the band-tailing associated with the local potential fluctuations in high-doped source region is quantitatively evaluated and it is found that the band-tailing becomes strongly dependent of position in real space even inside the uniform source region. This work was partially supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research B (No. 2160160) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan.

Fostering learners' interaction with content: A learner-centered mobile device interface

Science.gov (United States)

Abdous, M.

2015-12-01

With the ever-increasing omnipresence of mobile devices in student life, leveraging smart devices to foster students' interaction with course content is critical. Following a learner-centered design iterative approach, we designed a mobile interface that may enable learners to access and interact with online course content efficiently and intuitively. Our design process leveraged recent technologies, such as bootstrap, Google's Material Design, HTML5, and JavaScript to design an intuitive, efficient, and portable mobile interface with a variety of built-in features, including context sensitive bookmarking, searching, progress tracking, captioning, and transcript display. The mobile interface also offers students the ability to ask context-related questions and to complete self-checks as they watch audio/video presentations. Our design process involved ongoing iterative feedback from learners, allowing us to refine and tweak the interface to provide learners with a unified experience across platforms and devices. The innovative combination of technologies built around well-structured and well-designed content seems to provide an effective learning experience to mobile learners. Early feedback indicates a high level of satisfaction with the interface's efficiency, intuitiveness, and robustness from both students and faculty.

Universal Shapes formed by Interacting Cracks

Science.gov (United States)

Fender, Melissa; Lechenault, Frederic; Daniels, Karen

2011-03-01

Brittle failure through multiple cracks occurs in a wide variety of contexts, from microscopic failures in dental enamel and cleaved silicon to geological faults and planetary ice crusts. In each of these situations, with complicated curvature and stress geometries, pairwise interactions between approaching cracks nonetheless produce characteristically curved fracture paths known in the geologic literature as en passant cracks. While the fragmentation of solids via many interacting cracks has seen wide investigation, less attention has been paid to the details of individual crack-crack interactions. We investigate the origins of this widely observed crack pattern using a rectangular elastic plate which is notched on each long side and then subjected to quasistatic uniaxial strain from the short side. The two cracks propagate along approximately straight paths until the pass each other, after which they curve and release a lenticular fragment. We find that, for materials with diverse mechanical properties, the shape of this fragment has an aspect ratio of 2:1, with the length scale set by the initial cracks offset s and the time scale set by the ratio of s to the pulling velocity. The cracks have a universal square root shape, which we understand by using a simple geometric model and the crack-crack interaction.

Guided-wave acousto-optics interactions, devices, and applications

CERN Document Server

1990-01-01

The field of integrated- or guided-wave optics has experienced significant and continuous growth since its inception in the late 1960s. There has been a considerable increase in research and development activity in this field worldwide and some significant advances in the realization of working in­ tegrated optic devices and modules have been made in recent years. In fact, there have already been some commercial manufacturing and technical ap­ plications of such devices and modules. The guided-wave-acoustooptics involving Bragg interactions between guided optical waves and surface acoustic waves is one of the areas of in­ tegrated-optics that has reached some degree of scientific and technological maturity. This topical volume is devoted to an in-depth treatment of this emerging branch of science and technology. Presented in this volume are concise treatments on bulk-wave acoustooptics, guided-wave optics, and surface acoustic waves, and detailed studies of guided-wave acoustooptic Bragg diffraction in thr...

University Students Use of Computers and Mobile Devices for Learning and Their Reading Speed on Different Platforms

Science.gov (United States)

Mpofu, Bongeka

2016-01-01

This research was aimed at the investigation of mobile device and computer use at a higher learning institution. The goal was to determine the current use of computers and mobile devices for learning and the students' reading speed on different platforms. The research was contextualised in a sample of students at the University of South Africa.…

Exploring the tutor-student interaction in a blended university course

OpenAIRE

Krasnova, Tatiana Ivanovna; Popova, Anna

2016-01-01

A meaningful tutor-student interaction requires a new insight into pedagogical principles and proper implementation of modern teaching strategies. This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of online tutoring in blended learning settings and the impact of the tutor-student interaction on the learning process. The article reports on the results of the study on students’ evaluation of the tutor’s role and the tutor-student interaction in a blended university course. The findings show th...

Universal contact of strongly interacting fermions at finite temperatures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu Hui; Liu Xiaji; Drummond, Peter D, E-mail: hhu@swin.edu.au, E-mail: xiajiliu@swin.edu.au, E-mail: pdrummond@swin.edu.au [ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum-Atom Optics, Centre for Atom Optics and Ultrafast Spectroscopy, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne 3122 (Australia)

2011-03-15

The recently discovered universal thermodynamic behavior of dilute, strongly interacting Fermi gases also implies a universal structure in the many-body pair-correlation function at short distances, as quantified by the contact I. Here, we theoretically calculate the temperature dependence of this universal contact for a Fermi gas in free space and in a harmonic trap. At high temperatures above the Fermi degeneracy temperature, T{approx}>T{sub F}, we obtain a reliable non-perturbative quantum virial expansion up to third order. At low temperatures, we compare different approximate strong-coupling theories. These make different predictions, which need to be tested either by future experiments or by advanced quantum Monte Carlo simulations. We conjecture that in the universal unitarity limit, the contact or correlation decreases monotonically with increasing temperature, unless the temperature is significantly lower than the critical temperature, T<universal contact in either homogeneous or harmonically trapped Fermi gases.

Is Industry-University Interaction Promoting Innovation in the Brazilian Pharmaceutical Industry?

Science.gov (United States)

Paranhos, Julia; Hasenclever, Lia

2011-01-01

This paper analyses industry-university interaction and its characteristics in the Brazilian pharmaceutical system of innovation, taking account of the relevance of company strategies, the approach of the universities and the actions of government. By analysing primary and secondary data the authors show that, for as long as corporate investment…

Torsion based universal MEMS logic device

KAUST Repository

Ilyas, Saad; Carreno, Armando Arpys Arevalo; Bayes, Ernesto; Foulds, Ian G.; Younis, Mohammad I.

2015-01-01

In this work we demonstrate torsion based complementary MEMS logic device, which is capable, of performing INVERTER, AND, NAND, NOR, and OR gates using one physical structure within an operating range of 0-10 volts. It can also perform XOR and XNOR with one access inverter using the same structure with different electrical interconnects. The paper presents modeling, fabrication and experimental calculations of various performance features of the device including lifetime, power consumption and resonance frequency. The fabricated device is 535 μm by 150 μm with a gap of 1.92 μm and a resonant frequency of 6.51 kHz. The device is capable of performing the switching operation with a frequency of 1 kHz.

Torsion based universal MEMS logic device

KAUST Repository

Ilyas, Saad

2015-10-28

In this work we demonstrate torsion based complementary MEMS logic device, which is capable, of performing INVERTER, AND, NAND, NOR, and OR gates using one physical structure within an operating range of 0-10 volts. It can also perform XOR and XNOR with one access inverter using the same structure with different electrical interconnects. The paper presents modeling, fabrication and experimental calculations of various performance features of the device including lifetime, power consumption and resonance frequency. The fabricated device is 535 μm by 150 μm with a gap of 1.92 μm and a resonant frequency of 6.51 kHz. The device is capable of performing the switching operation with a frequency of 1 kHz.

l=1 helical axis heliotron device in Kyoto university

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagasaki, K.; Sano, F.; Mizuuchi, T.; Hanatani, K.; Okada, H.; Obiki, T.

1999-01-01

Helical systems are an attractive candidate for magnetic fusion reactor. Recently, there has been great progress in theoretical research of three dimensional magnetic field structures, resulting in several kinds of confinement optimization being proposed for toroidal magnetic confinement system. For example, some sophisticated ideas have appeared on stage such as quasi-helical symmetry and quasi-isodynamic system. To find experimentally which way is the best Optimisation, a new helical axis heliotron device, so called 'Heliotron J', is under construction in the Institute of Advanced Energy, Kyoto University, Japan. In this conference, the basic concept and the present status will be presented. In the conventional plane axis helical system, it was difficult to have both good particle confinement and good MHD stability simultaneously. The goal of Heliotron J project is to clarify their compatibility in the spatial axis toroidal device. The best way for Optimising the helical magnetic field configuration will be explored by investigating the plasma response to the change in the field components. The main subjects for plasma experiment are: demonstration of the existence of good magnetic flux surfaces, reduction of neoclassical transport in collisionless regime, MHD Stabilisation in high β plasma, controllability of bootstrap current, good confinement of high energy particles

How Do Students Use Their Mobile Devices to Support Learning? A Case Study from an Australian Regional University

Science.gov (United States)

Farley, Helen; Murphy, Angela; Johnson, Chris; Carter, Brad; Lane, Michael; Midgley, Warren; Hafeez-Baig, Abdul; Dekeyser, Stijn; Koronios, Andy

2015-01-01

Though universities are eager to leverage the potential of mobile learning to provide learning flexibly, most balk at the cost of providing students with mobile hardware. The practice of "bring your own device" (BYOD) is often mooted as a cost-effective alternative. This paper provides a snapshot of student ownership of mobile devices at…

Students, Mobile Devices and Classrooms: A Comparison of US and Arab Undergraduate Students in A Middle Eastern University

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammad Abu Taleb, Bibi Rahima; Coughlin, Chris; Romanowski, Michael H.; Semmar, Yassir; Hosny, Khaled

2017-01-01

The use of mobile devices in the university classroom is not limited to Western cultures. Rather universities in the Middle East, particularly in the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) face similar problems regarding smartphone usage in classrooms. This study utilizes Tindell and Bohlander's (2012) survey to compare results regarding cell phones and…

"Pseudo" Faraday cage: a solution for telemetry link interaction between a left ventricular assist device and an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

Science.gov (United States)

Jacob, Sony; Cherian, Prasad K; Ghumman, Waqas S; Das, Mithilesh K

2010-09-01

Patients implanted with left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) may have implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) implanted for sudden cardiac death prevention. This opens the possibility of device-device communication interactions and thus interferences. We present a case of such interaction that led to ICD communication failure following the activation of an LVAD. In this paper, we describe a practical solution to circumvent the communication interference and review the communication links of ICDs and possible mechanisms of ICD-LVAD interactions.

Secure and Usable Out-Of-Band Channels for Ad Hoc Mobile Device Interactions

OpenAIRE

Kainda , Ronald; Flechais , Ivan; Roscoe , A. W.

2010-01-01

International audience; Protocols for bootstrapping security in ad hoc mobile device interactions rely on users' ability to perform specific tasks such as transferring or comparing fingerprints of information between devices. The size of fingerprints depends on the level of technical security required by a given application but, at the same time, is limited by users' inability to deal with large amounts of data with high levels of accuracy. Large fingerprints provide high technical security b...

Exploring the tutor-student interaction in a blended university course

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krasnova Tatiana

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A meaningful tutor-student interaction requires a new insight into pedagogical principles and proper implementation of modern teaching strategies. This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of online tutoring in blended learning settings and the impact of the tutor-student interaction on the learning process. The article reports on the results of the study on students’ evaluation of the tutor’s role and the tutor-student interaction in a blended university course. The findings show that professional tutoring and the effective tutor-student interaction help students to improve their learning efficacy and to have a greater personal responsibility for their outcomes.

Universal crystal cooling device for precession cameras, rotation cameras and diffractometers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hajdu, J.; McLaughlin, P.J.; Helliwell, J.R.; Sheldon, J.; Thompson, A.W.

1985-01-01

A versatile crystal cooling device is described for macromolecular crystallographic applications in the 290 to 80 K temperature range. It utilizes a fluctuation-free cold-nitrogen-gas supply, an insulated Mylar crystal cooling chamber and a universal ball joint, which connects the cooling chamber to the goniometer head and the crystal. The ball joint is a novel feature over all previous designs. As a result, the device can be used on various rotation cameras, precession cameras and diffractometers. The lubrication of the interconnecting parts with graphite allows the cooling chamber to remain stationary while the crystal and goniometer rotate. The construction allows for 360 0 rotation of the crystal around the goniometer axis and permits any settings on the arcs and slides of the goniometer head (even if working at 80 K). There are no blind regions associated with the frame holding the chamber. Alternatively, the interconnecting ball joint can be tightened and fixed. This results in a set up similar to the construction described by Bartunik and Schubert where the cooling chamber rotates with the crystal. The flexibility of the systems allows for the use of the device on most cameras or diffractometers. THis device has been installed at the protein crystallographic stations of the Synchrotron Radiation Source at Daresbury Laboratory and in the Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Oxford. Several data sets have been collected with processing statistics typical of data collected without a cooling chamber. Tests using the full white beam of the synchrotron also look promising. (orig./BHO)

Dynamical aspects on FEL interaction in single passage and storage ring devices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dattoli, G.; Renieri, A. [ENEA, Frascati (Italy)

1995-12-31

The dynamical behaviour of the free-electron lasers is investigated using appropriate scaling relations valid for devices operating in the low and high gain regimes, including saturation. The analysis is applied to both single passage and storage ring configurations. In the latter case the interplay between the interaction of the electron bean with the laser field and with the accelerator environment is investigated. In particular we discuss the effect of FEL interaction on the microwave instability.

Scientists Interacting With University Science Educators

Science.gov (United States)

Spector, B. S.

2004-12-01

Scientists with limited time to devote to educating the public about their work will get the greatest multiplier effect for their investment of time by successfully interacting with university science educators. These university professors are the smallest and least publicized group of professionals in the chain of people working to create science literate citizens. They connect to all aspects of formal and informal education, influencing everything from what and how youngsters and adults learn science to legislative rulings. They commonly teach methods of teaching science to undergraduates aspiring to teach in K-12 settings and experienced teachers. They serve as agents for change to improve science education inside schools and at the state level K-16, including what science content courses are acceptable for teacher licensure. University science educators are most often housed in a College of Education or Department of Education. Significant differences in culture exist in the world in which marine scientists function and that in which university science educators function, even when they are in the same university. Subsequently, communication and building relationships between the groups is often difficult. Barriers stem from not understanding each other's roles and responsibilities; and different reward systems, assumptions about teaching and learning, use of language, approaches to research, etc. This presentation will provide suggestions to mitigate the barriers and enable scientists to leverage the multiplier effect saving much time and energy while ensuring the authenticity of their message is maintained. Likelihood that a scientist's message will retain its authenticity stems from criteria for a university science education position. These professors have undergraduate degrees in a natural science (e.g., biology, chemistry, physics, geology), and usually a master's degree in one of the sciences, a combination of natural sciences, or a master's including

Exploring the requirements for multimodal interaction for mobile devices in an end-to-end journey context.

Science.gov (United States)

Krehl, Claudia; Sharples, Sarah

2012-01-01

The paper investigates the requirements for multimodal interaction on mobile devices in an end-to-end journey context. Traditional interfaces are deemed cumbersome and inefficient for exchanging information with the user. Multimodal interaction provides a different user-centred approach allowing for more natural and intuitive interaction between humans and computers. It is especially suitable for mobile interaction as it can overcome additional constraints including small screens, awkward keypads, and continuously changing settings - an inherent property of mobility. This paper is based on end-to-end journeys where users encounter several contexts during their journeys. Interviews and focus groups explore the requirements for multimodal interaction design for mobile devices by examining journey stages and identifying the users' information needs and sources. Findings suggest that multimodal communication is crucial when users multitask. Choosing suitable modalities depend on user context, characteristics and tasks.

Increased drop formation frequency via reduction of surfactant interactions in flow-focusing microfluidic devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Josephides, Dimitris N; Sajjadi, Shahriar

2015-01-27

Glass capillary based microfluidic devices are able to create extremely uniform droplets, when formed under the dripping regime, at low setup costs due to their ease of manufacture. However, as they are rarely parallelized, simple methods to increase droplet production from a single device are sought. Surfactants used to stabilize drops in such systems often limit the maximum flow rate that highly uniform drops can be produced due to the lowering interfacial tension causing jetting. In this paper we show that by simple design changes we can limit the interactions of surfactants and maximize uniform droplet production. Three flow-focused configurations are explored: a standard glass capillary device (consisting of a single round capillary inserted into a square capillary), a nozzle fed device, and a surfactant shielding device (both consisting of two round capillaries inserted into either end of a square capillary). In principle, the maximum productivity of uniform droplets is achieved if surfactants are not present. It was found that surfactants in the standard device greatly inhibit droplet production by means of interfacial tension lowering and tip-streaming phenomena. In the nozzle fed configuration, surfactant interactions were greatly limited, yielding flow rates comparable to, but lower than, a surfactant-free system. In the surfactant shielding configuration, flow rates were equal to that of a surfactant-free system and could make uniform droplets at rates an order of magnitude above the standard surfactant system.

Reclaiming public space: designing for public interaction with private devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eriksson, Eva; Hansen, Thomas Riisgaard; Lykke-Olesen, Andreas

2007-01-01

. In this paper we explore the implications of interacting in public space and how technology can be rethought to not only act as personal devices, but be the tool to reclaim the right and possibility to interact in public spaces. We introduce information exchange, social support and regulation as three central......Public spaces are changing from being ungoverned places for interaction to be more formalized, controlled, less interactive, and designed places aimed at fulfilling a purpose. Simultaneously, new personal mobile technology aims at providing private individual spaces in the public domain...... aspects for reclaiming public space. The PhotoSwapper application is presented as an example of a system designed to integrate pervasive technology in a public setting. The system is strongly inspired by the activities at a traditional market place. Based on the design of the application we discuss four...

Coupling functions: Universal insights into dynamical interaction mechanisms

Science.gov (United States)

Stankovski, Tomislav; Pereira, Tiago; McClintock, Peter V. E.; Stefanovska, Aneta

2017-10-01

The dynamical systems found in nature are rarely isolated. Instead they interact and influence each other. The coupling functions that connect them contain detailed information about the functional mechanisms underlying the interactions and prescribe the physical rule specifying how an interaction occurs. A coherent and comprehensive review is presented encompassing the rapid progress made recently in the analysis, understanding, and applications of coupling functions. The basic concepts and characteristics of coupling functions are presented through demonstrative examples of different domains, revealing the mechanisms and emphasizing their multivariate nature. The theory of coupling functions is discussed through gradually increasing complexity from strong and weak interactions to globally coupled systems and networks. A variety of methods that have been developed for the detection and reconstruction of coupling functions from measured data is described. These methods are based on different statistical techniques for dynamical inference. Stemming from physics, such methods are being applied in diverse areas of science and technology, including chemistry, biology, physiology, neuroscience, social sciences, mechanics, and secure communications. This breadth of application illustrates the universality of coupling functions for studying the interaction mechanisms of coupled dynamical systems.

Introduction of Interactive Learning into French University Physics Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Rudolph, Alexander L.; Lamine, Brahim; Joyce, Michael; Vignolles, Hélène; Consiglio, David

2014-01-01

We report on a project to introduce interactive learning strategies (ILS) to physics classes at the Université Pierre et Marie Curie, one of the leading science universities in France. In Spring 2012, instructors in two large introductory classes, first-year, second-semester mechanics, and second-year introductory electricity and magnetism,…

The Monash University Interactive Simple Climate Model

Science.gov (United States)

Dommenget, D.

2013-12-01

The Monash university interactive simple climate model is a web-based interface that allows students and the general public to explore the physical simulation of the climate system with a real global climate model. It is based on the Globally Resolved Energy Balance (GREB) model, which is a climate model published by Dommenget and Floeter [2011] in the international peer review science journal Climate Dynamics. The model simulates most of the main physical processes in the climate system in a very simplistic way and therefore allows very fast and simple climate model simulations on a normal PC computer. Despite its simplicity the model simulates the climate response to external forcings, such as doubling of the CO2 concentrations very realistically (similar to state of the art climate models). The Monash simple climate model web-interface allows you to study the results of more than a 2000 different model experiments in an interactive way and it allows you to study a number of tutorials on the interactions of physical processes in the climate system and solve some puzzles. By switching OFF/ON physical processes you can deconstruct the climate and learn how all the different processes interact to generate the observed climate and how the processes interact to generate the IPCC predicted climate change for anthropogenic CO2 increase. The presentation will illustrate how this web-base tool works and what are the possibilities in teaching students with this tool are.

Global innovation networks and university-firm interactions: an exploratory survey analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gustavo Britto

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The literature on Global Innovation Networks has contributed to identify changes in the innovation activities of multinational corporations. Although university-firm interactions are seen as an important factor for the emergence of GINs, their role has received limited attention. This paper aims to fill this gap in two ways. First, it carries out an exploratory analysis of an original survey dataset, of firms in three industrial sectors from nine developed and developing countries. Second, the paper analyses whether the role of universities in global innovation networks is related to national systems of innovation with varying degrees of maturity. Multiple correspondence analysis and a Probit model are used to establish the relevance of key factors in driving GINs. The results identify distinctive profiles constructed mainly according to firm characteristics, but reflecting country specific patterns of association. The Probit model confirms that internationalization processes and the existence of local interactions substantially increase the probability of interactions with international institutions.

Interactive Near-Field Illumination for Photorealistic Augmented Reality with Varying Materials on Mobile Devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Rohmer, Kai; Buschel, Wolfgang; Dachselt, Raimund; Grosch, Thorsten

2015-12-01

At present, photorealistic augmentation is not yet possible since the computational power of mobile devices is insufficient. Even streaming solutions from stationary PCs cause a latency that affects user interactions considerably. Therefore, we introduce a differential rendering method that allows for a consistent illumination of the inserted virtual objects on mobile devices, avoiding delays. The computation effort is shared between a stationary PC and the mobile devices to make use of the capacities available on both sides. The method is designed such that only a minimum amount of data has to be transferred asynchronously between the participants. This allows for an interactive illumination of virtual objects with a consistent appearance under both temporally and spatially varying real illumination conditions. To describe the complex near-field illumination in an indoor scenario, HDR video cameras are used to capture the illumination from multiple directions. In this way, sources of illumination can be considered that are not directly visible to the mobile device because of occlusions and the limited field of view. While our method focuses on Lambertian materials, we also provide some initial approaches to approximate non-diffuse virtual objects and thereby allow for a wider field of application at nearly the same cost.

Interacting polytropic gas model of phantom dark energy in non-flat universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karami, K.; Ghaffari, S.; Fehri, J.

2009-01-01

By introducing the polytropic gas model of interacting dark energy, we obtain the equation of state for the polytropic gas energy density in a non-flat universe. We show that for an even polytropic index by choosing K>Ba (3)/(n) , one can obtain ω Λ eff <-1, which corresponds to a universe dominated by phantom dark energy. (orig.)

Accelerated expansion of a universe containing a self-interacting Bose-Einstein gas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Izquierdo, German; Besprosvany, Jaime, E-mail: german.izquierdo@gmail.co, E-mail: bespro@fisica.unam.m [Instituto de Fisica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Circuito de la Investigacion CientIfica S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, CP 04510, Mexico, Distrito Federal (Mexico)

2010-03-21

Acceleration of the universe is obtained from a model of non-relativistic particles with a short-range attractive interaction, at low enough temperature to produce a Bose-Einstein condensate. Conditions are derived for negative-pressure behavior. In particular, we show that a phantom-accelerated regime at the beginning of the universe solves the horizon problem, consistently with nucleosynthesis.

Analysis of transient electromagnetic wave interactions on graphene-based devices using integral equations

KAUST Repository

Shi, Yifei

2015-10-26

Graphene is a monolayer of carbon atoms structured in the form of a honeycomb lattice. Recent experimental studies have revealed that it can support surface plasmons at Terahertz frequencies thanks to its dispersive conductivity. Additionally, characteristics of these plasmons can be dynamically adjusted via electrostatic gating of the graphene sheet (K. S. Novoselov, et al., Science, 306, 666–669, 2004). These properties suggest that graphene can be a building block for novel electromagnetic and photonic devices for applications in the fields of photovoltaics, bio-chemical sensing, all-optical computing, and flexible electronics. Simulation of electromagnetic interactions on graphene-based devices is not an easy task. The thickness of the graphene sheet is orders of magnitude smaller than any other geometrical dimension of the device. Consequently, discretization of such a device leads to significantly large number of unknowns and/or ill-conditioned matrix systems.

Democratic Governance through interaction between NGOs, Universities and Science Shops:Experiences, Expectations, Recommendations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Michael Søgaard; Brodersen, Søsser

The INTERACTS research project is a pioneer cross-national study by organisations and institutions from seven different countries – Austria, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, and the United Kingdom conducted in the period of January 2002 until December 2003. The aim of the project...... Shops, and universities in the partner countries. • Twenty-one national case studies analysing experiences of interaction between NGOs, researchers, students and Science Shops and the impact on societal dis-courses, research agendas and university curricula • The expectations for and perspectives of co...

Statistical effect of interactions on particle creation in expanding universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kodama, Hideo

1982-01-01

The statistical effect of interactions which drives many-particle systems toward equilibrium is expected to change the qualitative and quantitative features of particle creation in expanding universe. To investigate this problem a simplified model called the finite-time reduction model is formulated and applied to the scalar particle creation in the radiation dominant Friedmann universe. The number density of created particles and the entropy production due to particle creation are estimated. The result for the number density is compared with that in the conventional free field theory. It is shown that the statistical effect increases the particle creation and lengthens the active creation period. As for the entropy production it is shown that it is negligible for scalar particles in the Friedmann universe. (author)

Inhalation drug delivery devices: technology update

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ibrahim M

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Mariam Ibrahim, Rahul Verma, Lucila Garcia-ContrerasDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USAAbstract: The pulmonary route of administration has proven to be effective in local and systemic delivery of miscellaneous drugs and biopharmaceuticals to treat pulmonary and non-pulmonary diseases. A successful pulmonary administration requires a harmonic interaction between the drug formulation, the inhaler device, and the patient. However, the biggest single problem that accounts for the lack of desired effect or adverse outcomes is the incorrect use of the device due to lack of training in how to use the device or how to coordinate actuation and aerosol inhalation. This review summarizes the structural and mechanical features of aerosol delivery devices with respect to mechanisms of aerosol generation, their use with different formulations, and their advantages and limitations. A technological update of the current state-of-the-art designs proposed to overcome current challenges of existing devices is also provided.Keywords: pulmonary delivery, asthma, nebulizers, metered dose inhaler, dry powder inhaler

Development of MW gyrotrons for fusion devices by University of Tsukuba

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minami, R.; Kariya, T.; Imai, T.; Numakura, T.; Endo, Y.; Nakabayashi, H.; Eguchi, T.; Shimozuma, T.; Kubo, S.; Yoshimura, Y.; Igami, H.; Takahashi, H.; Mutoh, T.; Ito, S.; Idei, H.; Zushi, H.; Yamaguchi, Y.; Sakamoto, Keishi; Mitsunaka, Y.

2012-11-01

Over-1 MW power gyrotrons for electron cyclotron heating (ECH) have been developed in the joint program of NIFS and University of Tsukuba. The obtained maximum outputs are 1.9 MW for 0.1 s on the 77 GHz Large Helical Device (LHD) tube and 1.0 MW for 1 ms on the 28 GHz GAMMA 10 one, which are new records in these frequency ranges. In long pulse operation, 300 kW for 40 min at 77 GHz and 540 kW for 2 s at 28 GHz were achieved. A new program of 154 GHz 1 MW development has started for high density plasma heating in LHD and the first tube has been fabricated. These lower frequency tubes like 77 GHz or 28 GHz one are also important for advanced magnetic fusion devices, which use Electron Bernstein Wave (EBW) heating / current drive. As a next activity of 28 GHz gyrotron, we have already started the development of over-1.5 MW gyrotron and a new design study of 28 GHz / 35 GHz dual frequency gyrotron, which indicates the practicability of the multi-purpose gyrotron. (author)

Establishing Network Interaction between Resource Training Centers for People with Disabilities and Partner Universities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Panyukova S.V.,

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The paper focuses on the problem of accessibility and quality of higher education for students with disabilities. We describe our experience in organising network interaction between the MSUPE Resource and Training Center for Disabled People established in 2016-2017 and partner universities in ‘fixed territories’. The need for cooperation and network interaction arises from the high demand for the cooperation of efforts of leading experts, researchers, methodologists and instructors necessary for improving the quality and accessibility of higher education for persons with disabilities. The Resource and Training Center offers counseling for the partner universities, arranges advanced training for those responsible for teaching of the disabled, and offers specialized equipment for temporary use. In this article, we emphasize the importance of organizing network interactions with universities and social partners in order to ensure accessibility of higher education for students with disabilities.

Application of nanomaterials in two-terminal resistive-switching memory devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianyong Ouyang

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Nanometer materials have been attracting strong attention due to their interesting structure and properties. Many important practical applications have been demonstrated for nanometer materials based on their unique properties. This article provides a review on the fabrication, electrical characterization, and memory application of two-terminal resistive-switching devices using nanomaterials as the active components, including metal and semiconductor nanoparticles (NPs, nanotubes, nanowires, and graphenes. There are mainly two types of device architectures for the two-terminal devices with NPs. One has a triple-layer structure with a metal film sandwiched between two organic semiconductor layers, and the other has a single polymer film blended with NPs. These devices can be electrically switched between two states with significant different resistances, i.e. the ‘ON’ and ‘OFF’ states. These render the devices important application as two-terminal non-volatile memory devices. The electrical behavior of these devices can be affected by the materials in the active layer and the electrodes. Though the mechanism for the electrical switches has been in argument, it is generally believed that the resistive switches are related to charge storage on the NPs. Resistive switches were also observed on crossbars formed by nanotubes, nanowires, and graphene ribbons. The resistive switches are due to nanoelectromechanical behavior of the materials. The Coulombic interaction of transient charges on the nanomaterials affects the configurable gap of the crossbars, which results into significant change in current through the crossbars. These nanoelectromechanical devices can be used as fast-response and high-density memory devices as well. Dr. Jianyong Ouyang received his bachelor degree from the Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, and MSc from the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Science. He received his PhD from the Institute for Molecular

Reconstructing an interacting holographic polytropic gas model in a non-flat FRW universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karami, K; Abdolmaleki, A

2010-01-01

We study the correspondence between the interacting holographic dark energy and the polytropic gas model of dark energy in a non-flat FRW universe. This correspondence allows one to reconstruct the potential and the dynamics for the scalar field of the polytropic model, which describe accelerated expansion of the universe.

Reconstructing an interacting holographic polytropic gas model in a non-flat FRW universe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karami, K; Abdolmaleki, A, E-mail: KKarami@uok.ac.i [Department of Physics, University of Kurdistan, Pasdaran Street, Sanandaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2010-05-01

We study the correspondence between the interacting holographic dark energy and the polytropic gas model of dark energy in a non-flat FRW universe. This correspondence allows one to reconstruct the potential and the dynamics for the scalar field of the polytropic model, which describe accelerated expansion of the universe.

3-Dimensional and Interactive Istanbul University Virtual Laboratory Based on Active Learning Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Ince, Elif; Kirbaslar, Fatma Gulay; Yolcu, Ergun; Aslan, Ayse Esra; Kayacan, Zeynep Cigdem; Alkan Olsson, Johanna; Akbasli, Ayse Ceylan; Aytekin, Mesut; Bauer, Thomas; Charalambis, Dimitris; Gunes, Zeliha Ozsoy; Kandemir, Ceyhan; Sari, Umit; Turkoglu, Suleyman; Yaman, Yavuz; Yolcu, Ozgu

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study is to develop a 3-dimensional interactive multi-user and multi-admin IUVIRLAB featuring active learning methods and techniques for university students and to introduce the Virtual Laboratory of Istanbul University and to show effects of IUVIRLAB on students' attitudes on communication skills and IUVIRLAB. Although there…

Study of Near Field Communication Technology in University Scenarios

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz, Irene Luque; Miraz, Guillermo Matas; Gómez-Nieto, Miguel Ángel

2009-08-01

In this paper we present an introduction to the possibilities of NFC (Near Field Communication) technology in the University environment. NFC is the key for the development of interactive systems where "intelligent" objects interact with the user just only by touching the objects with a NFC device. We support that a University environment with active objects dispatching information and services to the users (students and teachers) can introduce an appropriate environment for the fulfillment of the new Educational European directives. Here, we briefly describe some of the possibilities of the NFC technology and we include an example of the use of NFC through a Smart Poster for a scenario where a Department directory is considered.

Universal Safety Distance Alert Device for Road Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matic Virant

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Driving with too short of a safety distance is a common problem in road traffic, often with traffic accidents as a consequence. Research has identified a lack of vehicle-mountable devices for alerting the drivers of trailing vehicles about keeping a sufficient safe distance. The principal requirements for such a device were defined. A conceptual study was performed in order to select the components for the integration of the device. Based on the results of this study, a working prototype of a flexible, self-contained device was designed, built and tested. The device is intended to be mounted on the rear of a vehicle. It uses radar as the primary distance sensor, assisted with a GPS receiver for velocity measurement. A Raspberry Pi single-board computer is used for data acquisition and processing. The alerts are shown on an LED-matrix display mounted on the rear of the host vehicle. The device software is written in Python and provides automatic operation without requiring any user intervention. The tests have shown that the device is usable on almost any motor vehicle and performs reliably in simulated and real traffic. The open issues and possibilities for future improvements are presented in the Discussion.

Microstates of black holes in expanding universe from interacting branes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shiba, Shotaro [Theory Center, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK),1-1 Oho, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801 (Japan)

2017-05-15

Thermodynamics of the near extremal black p-branes can be described by collective motions of gravitationally interacting branes. This proposal is called the p-soup model. In this paper, we check this proposal in the case of black brane system which is asymptotically Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker universe in an infinite distance. As a result, we can show that the gravitationally interacting branes explain free energy, entropy, temperature and other physical quantities in these systems. This implies that the microstates of this kind of brane system can be also understood in the p-soup model.

Universal chemiluminescence flow-through device based on directed self-assembly of solid-state organic chromophores on layered double hydroxide matrix.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhihua; Teng, Xu; Lu, Chao

2013-02-19

In this work, a universal chemiluminescence (CL) flow-through device suitable for various CL resonance energy transfer (CRET) systems has been successfully fabricated. Highly efficient CRET in solid-state photoactive organic molecules can be achieved by assembling them on the surface of layered double hydroxides (LDHs). We attribute these observations to the suppression of the intermolecular π-π stacking interactions among aromatic rings and the improvement of molecular orientation and planarity in the LDH matrix, enabling a remarkable increase in fluorescence lifetime and quantum yield of organic molecules. Under optimal conditions, using peroxynitrous acid-fluorescein dianion (FLUD) as a model CRET system, trace FLUD (10 μM) was assembled on the surface of LDHs. Peroxynitrous acid/nitrite could be assayed in the range of 1.0-500 μM, and the detection limit for peroxynitrous acid/nitrite (S/N = 3) was 0.6 μM. This CL flow-through device exhibited operational stability, high reproducibility, and long lifetime. While LDHs were immobilized in a flow-through device in the absence of FLUD, the detection limit for peroxynitrous acid/nitrite was 100 μM. On the other hand, FLUD at the same concentration can not enhance the CL intensity of peroxynitrous acid system. This fabricated CL flow-through column has been successfully applied to determine nitrite in sausage samples with recoveries of 98-102%. These satisfactory results demonstrated that our studies pave a novel way toward flow-through column-based CRET using solid-state organic molecules as acceptors for signal amplification.

Neural Signatures of Trust During Human-Automation Interactions

Science.gov (United States)

2016-04-01

also automated devices such as a Global Positioning System. For instance, to provide advanced safety measures, the Transportation Safety...AFRL-AFOSR-VA-TR-2016-0160 Neural Signatures of Trust during Human- Automation Interactions Frank Krueger GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY Final Report 04/01...SUBTITLE Neural Signatures of Trust during Human- Automation Interactions 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER FA9550-13-1-0017 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT

Contributions to the 7th International Conference on plasma surface interactions in controlled fusion devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-01-01

The report contains three papers presented in the 7th International Conference on plasma surface interactions in controlled fusion devices held in Princeton (USA) 5-9 May 1986, all referred to the FT Tokamak

Using Personal Portable Devices as Learning Tools in the English Class

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luz Edith Herrera Díaz

2014-10-01

Full Text Available A group of university students used a variety of personal portable devices (cellphones, tablets, laptops, and netbooks which distracted them in English class. This qualitative action research aimed to implement activities entailing the use of such devices and to learn their impact on students’ learning and the use of English in class. Thus, a series of applications was used to promote the use of these devices for the benefit of the English as a Foreign Language class. These applications included a learning management system that resembled a social network, a live interaction application, and an online dictionary. It was found that students were able to productively use these devices as learning tools plus they expressed comfort and interest in using them.

Natural Environment Illumination: Coherent Interactive Augmented Reality for Mobile and Non-Mobile Devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Rohmer, Kai; Jendersie, Johannes; Grosch, Thorsten

2017-11-01

Augmented Reality offers many applications today, especially on mobile devices. Due to the lack of mobile hardware for illumination measurements, photorealistic rendering with consistent appearance of virtual objects is still an area of active research. In this paper, we present a full two-stage pipeline for environment acquisition and augmentation of live camera images using a mobile device with a depth sensor. We show how to directly work on a recorded 3D point cloud of the real environment containing high dynamic range color values. For unknown and automatically changing camera settings, a color compensation method is introduced. Based on this, we show photorealistic augmentations using variants of differential light simulation techniques. The presented methods are tailored for mobile devices and run at interactive frame rates. However, our methods are scalable to trade performance for quality and can produce quality renderings on desktop hardware.

Negotiation between peers: strategic device for a reading and writing program at the university level

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Estela Ines Moyano

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The following paper focuses on the description and exemplification of a device which is the core of the Academic Reading and Writing Program (PROLEA, for its acronym in Spanish conducting at University of Flores (UFLO: the “negotiation between peers” or “negotiation between teaching partners”. The Program design is based on the Sydney School's developments in Systemic Functional Linguistics. The negotiation between peers comprises the work between a professor on academic and professional literacies, who is a member of the Program, and the professors of each of the specific subjects involved. In order to successfully implement this modality, the realization of the negotiation between peers is necessary. This device entails a series of agreements between the professors involved about the teaching of the curricula contents through reading and writing tasks. First in this paper, the negotiation between peers is characterized, and its function and value in the Program are highlighted; second, two scenarios of application are presented in order to show the device contribution as well as its difficulties and the way of resolution of the problems found.

Design and Interaction Control of a New Bilateral Upper-Limb Rehabilitation Device

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qing Miao

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposed a bilateral upper-limb rehabilitation device (BULReD with two degrees of freedom (DOFs. The BULReD is portable for both hospital and home environment, easy to use for therapists and patients, and safer with respect to upper-limb robotic exoskeletons. It was implemented to be able to conduct both passive and interactive training, based on system kinematics and dynamics, as well as the identification of real-time movement intention of human users. Preliminary results demonstrate the potential of the BULReD for clinical applications, with satisfactory position and interaction force tracking performance. Future work will focus on the clinical evaluation of the BULReD on a large sample of poststroke patients.

Data-driven analysis of interactions between people with dementia and a tablet device

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Doneit Wolfgang

2017-09-01

Full Text Available In the project I-CARE a technical system for tablet devices is developed that captures the personal needs and skills of people with dementia. The system provides activation content such as music videos, biographical photographs and quizzes on various topics of interest to people with dementia, their families and professional caregivers. To adapt the system, the activation content is adjusted to the daily condition of individual users. For this purpose, emotions are automatically detected through facial expressions, motion, and voice. The daily interactions of the users with the tablet devices are documented in log files which can be merged into an event list. In this paper, we propose an advanced format for event lists and a data analysis strategy. A transformation scheme is developed in order to obtain datasets with features and time series for popular methods of data mining. The proposed methods are applied to analysing the interactions of people with dementia with the I-CARE tablet device. We show how the new format of event lists and the innovative transformation scheme can be used to compress the stored data, to identify groups of users, and to model changes of user behaviour. As the I-CARE user studies are still ongoing, simulated benchmark log files are applied to illustrate the data mining strategy. We discuss possible solutions to challenges that appear in the context of I-CARE and that are relevant to a broad range of applications.

Universality Classes of Interaction Structures for NK Fitness Landscapes

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Sungmin; Schmiegelt, Benjamin; Ferretti, Luca; Krug, Joachim

2018-02-01

Kauffman's NK-model is a paradigmatic example of a class of stochastic models of genotypic fitness landscapes that aim to capture generic features of epistatic interactions in multilocus systems. Genotypes are represented as sequences of L binary loci. The fitness assigned to a genotype is a sum of contributions, each of which is a random function defined on a subset of k ≤ L loci. These subsets or neighborhoods determine the genetic interactions of the model. Whereas earlier work on the NK model suggested that most of its properties are robust with regard to the choice of neighborhoods, recent work has revealed an important and sometimes counter-intuitive influence of the interaction structure on the properties of NK fitness landscapes. Here we review these developments and present new results concerning the number of local fitness maxima and the statistics of selectively accessible (that is, fitness-monotonic) mutational pathways. In particular, we develop a unified framework for computing the exponential growth rate of the expected number of local fitness maxima as a function of L, and identify two different universality classes of interaction structures that display different asymptotics of this quantity for large k. Moreover, we show that the probability that the fitness landscape can be traversed along an accessible path decreases exponentially in L for a large class of interaction structures that we characterize as locally bounded. Finally, we discuss the impact of the NK interaction structures on the dynamics of evolution using adaptive walk models.

Combining multi-criteria decision analysis and mini-health technology assessment: A funding decision-support tool for medical devices in a university hospital setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Martelli, Nicolas; Hansen, Paul; van den Brink, Hélène; Boudard, Aurélie; Cordonnier, Anne-Laure; Devaux, Capucine; Pineau, Judith; Prognon, Patrice; Borget, Isabelle

2016-02-01

At the hospital level, decisions about purchasing new and oftentimes expensive medical devices must take into account multiple criteria simultaneously. Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) is increasingly used for health technology assessment (HTA). One of the most successful hospital-based HTA approaches is mini-HTA, of which a notable example is the Matrix4value model. To develop a funding decision-support tool combining MCDA and mini-HTA, based on Matrix4value, suitable for medical devices for individual patient use in French university hospitals - known as the IDA tool, short for 'innovative device assessment'. Criteria for assessing medical devices were identified from a literature review and a survey of 18 French university hospitals. Weights for the criteria, representing their relative importance, were derived from a survey of 25 members of a medical devices committee using an elicitation technique involving pairwise comparisons. As a test of its usefulness, the IDA tool was applied to two new drug-eluting beads (DEBs) for transcatheter arterial chemoembolization. The IDA tool comprises five criteria and weights for each of two over-arching categories: risk and value. The tool revealed that the two new DEBs conferred no additional value relative to DEBs currently available. Feedback from participating decision-makers about the IDA tool was very positive. The tool could help to promote a more structured and transparent approach to HTA decision-making in French university hospitals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Synthetic Biology Project - Developing a single-molecule device for screening drug-target interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Firman, Keith; Evans, Luke; Youell, James

2012-07-16

This review describes a European-funded project in the area of Synthetic Biology. The project seeks to demonstrate the application of engineering techniques and methodologies to the design and construction of a biosensor for detecting drug-target interactions at the single-molecule level. Production of the proteins required for the system followed the principle of previously described "bioparts" concepts (a system where a database of biological parts - promoters, genes, terminators, linking tags and cleavage sequences - is used to construct novel gene assemblies) and cassette-type assembly of gene expression systems (the concept of linking different "bioparts" to produce functional "cassettes"), but problems were quickly identified with these approaches. DNA substrates for the device were also constructed using a cassette-system. Finally, micro-engineering was used to build a magnetoresistive Magnetic Tweezer device for detection of single molecule DNA modifying enzymes (motors), while the possibility of constructing a Hall Effect version of this device was explored. The device is currently being used to study helicases from Plasmodium as potential targets for anti-malarial drugs, but we also suggest other potential uses for the device. Copyright © 2012 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Low-frequency excess flux noise in superconducting devices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kempf, Sebastian; Ferring, Anna; Fleischmann, Andreas; Enss, Christian [Kirchhoff-Institute for Physics, Heidelberg University (Germany)

2016-07-01

Low-frequency noise is a rather universal phenomenon and appears in physical, chemical, biological or even economical systems. However, there is often very little known about the underlying processes leading to its occurrence. In particular, the origin of low-frequency excess flux noise in superconducting devices has been an unresolved puzzle for many decades. Its existence limits, for example, the coherence time of superconducting quantum bits or makes high-precision measurements of low-frequency signals using SQUIDs rather challenging. Recent experiments suggest that low-frequency excess flux noise in Josephson junction based devices might be caused by the random reversal of interacting spins in surface layer oxides and in the superconductor-substrate interface. Even if it turns out to be generally correct, the underlying physical processes, i.e. the origin of these spins, their physical nature as well as the interaction mechanisms, have not been resolved so far. In this contribution we discuss recent measurements of low-frequency SQUID noise which we performed to investigate the origin of low-frequency excess flux noise in superconducting devices. Within this context we give an overview of our measurement techniques and link our data with present theoretical models and literature data.

Scaling laws and universality for the strength of genetic interactions in yeast

Science.gov (United States)

Velenich, Andrea; Dai, Mingjie; Gore, Jeff

2012-02-01

Genetic interactions provide a window to the organization of the thousands of biochemical reactions in living cells. If two mutations affect unrelated cellular functions, the fitness effects of their combination can be easily predicted from the two separate fitness effects. However, because of interactions, for some pairs of mutations their combined fitness effect deviates from the naive prediction. We study genetic interactions in yeast cells by analyzing a publicly available database containing experimental growth rates of 5 million double mutants. We show that the characteristic strength of genetic interactions has a simple power law dependence on the fitness effects of the two interacting mutations and that the probability distribution of genetic interactions is a universal function. We further argue that the strength of genetic interactions depends only on the fitness effects of the interacting mutations and not on their biological origin in terms of single point mutations, entire gene knockouts or even more complicated physiological perturbations. Finally, we discuss the implications of the power law scaling of genetic interactions on the ruggedness of fitness landscapes and the consequent evolutionary dynamics.

Intelligent Interactive Multimedia

CERN Document Server

Watanabe, Toyohide; Takahashi, Naohisa; 5th International Conference on Intelligent Interactive Multimedia Systems and Services

2012-01-01

This volume contains the Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Intelligent Interactive Multimedia Systems and Services (KES-IIMSS-12).  The Conference was jointly organised by Nagoya University in Japan and the KES International organisation, and held in the attractive city of Gifu.   The KES-IIMSS conference series, (series chairs Prof. Maria Virvou and Prof. George Tsihrintzis), presents novel research in various areas of intelligent multimedia system relevant to the development of a new generation of interactive, user-centric devices and systems.  The aim of the conference is to provide an internationally respected forum for scientific research in the technologies and applications of this new and dynamic research area.

Feasibility Study of Interactive Game Technologies to Improve Experience with Inhaler Spacer Devices in Young Children

OpenAIRE

Aslam, Tariq; Shakir, Savana; Murray, Clare

2016-01-01

IntroductionThe correct use of inhaler devices with facemasks and spacers in young children can be difficult for both children and parents, resulting in distress for both, poor adherence and ineffective drug delivery. The aim of this study was to develop and assess the utility and impact of an interactive electronic game designed to improve the experience of spacer devices in young asthmatic children.MethodsThe Respiratory Aid For Inhaler (RAFIhaler) technology consists of a smartphone mounte...

APPLICATION OF FORMS AND METHODS OF COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS THROUGH THE INTERACTION OF UNIVERSITIES AND ENTERPRISES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Svetlana E. Sitnikova

2018-03-01

Full Text Available In the conditions of formation of economy based on knowledge, a key condition for successful development is the effective integration of science, education and business. Currently, the commercialization of innovation becomes a necessary factor for sustainable development of universities, one of their main tools to increase its competitiveness in the market of educational services and products. The efficiency of the process of innovation commercialization is conditioned by the rational choice of forms and methods of implementing this process. The interaction of universities and enterprises in the innovative clusters provides benefits such as effective dissemination of information about the creation of innovations, the relevant areas of research, the granting of preferences to cluster participants. The creation of technoparks suggests the presence of a specially allocated site, which houses many new businesses, so that existing institutions can only be partners of the technopark. From the point of view of commercialization of University innovation, the cluster seems to be a more attractive method compared with the creation of technology parks, but its application is necessary to adjust the approach to conducting the state policy in the field of innovation management. The interaction of universities and enterprises via an intermediary – the chamber of commerce and industry – can be described as an obstacle to the commercialization of university innovations. On the contrary, technological innovation center protects the interests of universities, rather than enterprises, as it is created to facilitate the commercialization of university innovation. Direct interaction of universities and enterprises becomes possible with the help of methods of a single transaction, a regular cooperation and a contract for the supply of innovation. The choice of methods of commercialization of innovations should be made on the basis of existing university

Interaction devices for hands-on desktop design

Science.gov (United States)

Ju, Wendy; Madsen, Sally; Fiene, Jonathan; Bolas, Mark T.; McDowall, Ian E.; Faste, Rolf

2003-05-01

Starting with a list of typical hand actions - such as touching or twisting - a collection of physical input device prototypes was created to study better ways of engaging the body and mind in the computer aided design process. These devices were interchangeably coupled with a graphics system to allow for rapid exploration of the interplay between the designer's intent, body motions, and the resulting on-screen design. User testing showed that a number of key considerations should influence the future development of such devices: coupling between the physical and virtual worlds, tactile feedback, and scale. It is hoped that these explorations contribute to the greater goal of creating user interface devices that increase the fluency, productivity and joy of computer-augmented design.

An Examination of the Impact of an Assistive Technology Device on the Quality of Adult/Young Child Interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Plunkett, Diane M.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to gain greater understanding of the potential benefits of assistive technology (AT) devices on young children's social development. Specifically, changes to the quality of the adult/young child social interactions as a function of the child's access to and use of his/her personal AT device was examined. Using a…

Quadratic interaction effect on the dark energy density in the universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deveci, Derya G; Aydiner, Ekrem

2017-01-01

In this study, we deal with the holographic model of interacting dark components of dark energy and dark matter quadratic case of the equation of state parameter (EoS). The effective equations of states for the interacting holographic energy density are derived and the results are analyzed and compared with the solution of the linear form in the literature. The result of our work shows that the value of interaction term between dark components affects the fixed points at far future in the DE-dominated universe in the case of quadratic EoS parameter; it is a different result from the linear case in the theoretical results in the literature, and as the Quintom scenario the equations of state had coincidence at the cosmological constant boundary of –1 from above to below. (paper)

The Target Model of Strategic Interaction of Kazan Federal University and the Region in the Field of Education

Science.gov (United States)

Gabdulchakov, Valerian F.

2016-01-01

The subject of the study in the article is conceptual basis of construction of the target model of interaction between University and region. Hence the topic of the article "the Target model of strategic interaction between the University and the region in the field of education." The objective was to design a target model of this…

Grasp interaction with tablets

CERN Document Server

Wolf, Katrin

2015-01-01

This book presents guidelines for a future device type: a tablet that allows ergonomic front- and back-of-device interaction. These guidelines help designers and developers of user interfaces to build ergonomic applications for tablet devices, in particular for devices that enable back-of-device interaction. In addition, manufacturers of tablet devices obtain arguments that back-of-device interaction is a promising extension of the interaction design space and results in increased input capabilities, enriched design possibilities, and proven usability. The guidelines are derived from empirical studies and developed to fit the users’ skills to the way the novel device type is held. Three particular research areas that are relevant to develop design guidelines for tablet interaction are investigated: ergonomic gestures, interaction areas, and pointing techniques.

Design and evaluation of pointing devices; Gestaltung und Evaluation von koordinatengebenden Interaktionsgeraeten

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krauss, L.; Zuehlke, D. [Kaiserslautern Univ. (Germany)

2002-07-01

Pointing devices e.g. the computer mouse are gaining considerable importance in modern human-machine-systems as a major part of the interaction interface between human beings and machines. During the dialogues with window-based operating systems the human being - the user - moves the cursor to a certain position on the screen by means of pointing devices. Microsoft products like WINDOWS have asserted themselves in the meantime in office applications and are currently conquering the market of industrial control systems as well. In office applications the mouse has become established as the most important pointing device for interaction. However, an 'office mouse' is not really suitable in a manufacturing environment. Only a few investigations exist evaluating alternatives to the mouse, which are suitable for industrial applications. At the Center of Human-Machine-Interaction (ZMMI) of the Institute of Production Automation (pak) at the University of Kaiserslautern a comparative investigation was carried out for alternative pointing devices like mouse, mousepad, mousebutton, mousestick, trackball, joystick, touchscreen, digitizing tablet and keyboard to determine their industrial suitability. This paper presents the methods of investigation and the most important results. The known Fitts' law model is mainly used in the field of HCl for office applications in order to evaluate interaction devices. This paper presents the new method DEVICE and is applied in the field of HMI for the evaluation of pointing devices. Tests with DEVICE and Fitts' method were conducted with machine operators under industrial environments to determine the suitability of thirty different pointing devices. The comparison between DEVICE and Fitts' law model shows that the results of certain partial tests correlate with each other. DEVICE can be used as substitute for Fitts' law model and offers additional parameters such as e.g. error rates and pointing deviation

A Self-Organizing Interaction and Synchronization Method between a Wearable Device and Mobile Robot.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Min Su; Lee, Jae Geun; Kang, Soon Ju

2016-06-08

In the near future, we can expect to see robots naturally following or going ahead of humans, similar to pet behavior. We call this type of robots "Pet-Bot". To implement this function in a robot, in this paper we introduce a self-organizing interaction and synchronization method between wearable devices and Pet-Bots. First, the Pet-Bot opportunistically identifies its owner without any human intervention, which means that the robot self-identifies the owner's approach on its own. Second, Pet-Bot's activity is synchronized with the owner's behavior. Lastly, the robot frequently encounters uncertain situations (e.g., when the robot goes ahead of the owner but meets a situation where it cannot make a decision, or the owner wants to stop the Pet-Bot synchronization mode to relax). In this case, we have adopted a gesture recognition function that uses a 3-D accelerometer in the wearable device. In order to achieve the interaction and synchronization in real-time, we use two wireless communication protocols: 125 kHz low-frequency (LF) and 2.4 GHz Bluetooth low energy (BLE). We conducted experiments using a prototype Pet-Bot and wearable devices to verify their motion recognition of and synchronization with humans in real-time. The results showed a guaranteed level of accuracy of at least 94%. A trajectory test was also performed to demonstrate the robot's control performance when following or leading a human in real-time.

Crowding of Interacting Fluid Particles in Porous Media through Molecular Dynamics: Breakdown of Universality for Soft Interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Schnyder, Simon K.; Horbach, Jürgen

2018-02-01

Molecular dynamics simulations of interacting soft disks confined in a heterogeneous quenched matrix of soft obstacles show dynamics which is fundamentally different from that of hard disks. The interactions between the disks can enhance transport when their density is increased, as disks cooperatively help each other over the finite energy barriers in the matrix. The system exhibits a transition from a diffusive to a localized state, but the transition is strongly rounded. Effective exponents in the mean-squared displacement can be observed over three decades in time but depend on the density of the disks and do not correspond to asymptotic behavior in the vicinity of a critical point, thus, showing that it is incorrect to relate them to the critical exponents in the Lorentz model scenario. The soft interactions are, therefore, responsible for a breakdown of the universality of the dynamics.

A 3D character animation engine for multimodal interaction on mobile devices

Science.gov (United States)

Sandali, Enrico; Lavagetto, Fabio; Pisano, Paolo

2005-03-01

Talking virtual characters are graphical simulations of real or imaginary persons that enable natural and pleasant multimodal interaction with the user, by means of voice, eye gaze, facial expression and gestures. This paper presents an implementation of a 3D virtual character animation and rendering engine, compliant with the MPEG-4 standard, running on Symbian-based SmartPhones. Real-time animation of virtual characters on mobile devices represents a challenging task, since many limitations must be taken into account with respect to processing power, graphics capabilities, disk space and execution memory size. The proposed optimization techniques allow to overcome these issues, guaranteeing a smooth and synchronous animation of facial expressions and lip movements on mobile phones such as Sony-Ericsson's P800 and Nokia's 6600. The animation engine is specifically targeted to the development of new "Over The Air" services, based on embodied conversational agents, with applications in entertainment (interactive story tellers), navigation aid (virtual guides to web sites and mobile services), news casting (virtual newscasters) and education (interactive virtual teachers).

The Global Interaction Research Initiative at the IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bardram, Jakob Eyvind; Bjørn, Pernille; Glenstrup, Arne John

2011-01-01

This showcase paper describes the Global Interaction Research Initiative – GIRI – recently inaugurated at the IT University of Copenhagen. It presents the motivation for this initiative, namely that the use of information technology is the core enabling factor for global collaboration and business...... initiative, and we invite other researchers to join....

Haldane's statistical interactions and universal properties of anyon systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Protogenov, A.

1995-03-01

The exclusion principle of fractional statistics proposed by Haldane is applied to systems with internal degrees of freedom. The symmetry of these systems is included in the statistical interaction matrix which contains the Cartan matrix of Lie algebras. The solutions of the equations for the statistical weights, which coincide with the thermodynamic Bethe ansatz equations are determined in the high temperature limit by the squares of q-deformed dimensions of irreducible representations. The entropy and other thermodynamic properties of anyon systems in this limit are completely characterized by the algebraic structure of symmetry in the universal form. (author). 39 refs

Wireless device connection problems and design solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Ji-Won; Norman, Donald; Nam, Tek-Jin; Qin, Shengfeng

2016-09-01

Users, especially the non-expert users, commonly experience problems when connecting multiple devices with interoperability. While studies on multiple device connections are mostly concentrated on spontaneous device association techniques with a focus on security aspects, the research on user interaction for device connection is still limited. More research into understanding people is needed for designers to devise usable techniques. This research applies the Research-through-Design method and studies the non-expert users' interactions in establishing wireless connections between devices. The "Learning from Examples" concept is adopted to develop a study focus line by learning from the expert users' interaction with devices. This focus line is then used for guiding researchers to explore the non-expert users' difficulties at each stage of the focus line. Finally, the Research-through-Design approach is used to understand the users' difficulties, gain insights to design problems and suggest usable solutions. When connecting a device, the user is required to manage not only the device's functionality but also the interaction between devices. Based on learning from failures, an important insight is found that the existing design approach to improve single-device interaction issues, such as improvements to graphical user interfaces or computer guidance, cannot help users to handle problems between multiple devices. This study finally proposes a desirable user-device interaction in which images of two devices function together with a system image to provide the user with feedback on the status of the connection, which allows them to infer any required actions.

INTERACTION BETWEEN ENTERPRISES AND UNIVERSITIES CIVIL AVIATION BASED TECHNOLOGIES OF DISTANCE EDUCATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. S. Ermakov

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Distance education based on modern information technology as a tool for interaction between universities and enterprises of civil aviation. The introduction of the learning process real needs of civil aviation, enabling an airline to use scientific potential of educational institutions for the successful implementation of scientific research aimed at solving urgent problems.

Empowering Older Patients to Engage in Self Care: Designing an Interactive Robotic Device

Science.gov (United States)

Tiwari, Priyadarshi; Warren, Jim; Day, Karen

2011-01-01

Objectives: To develop and test an interactive robot mounted computing device to support medication management as an example of a complex self-care task in older adults. Method: A Grounded Theory (GT), Participatory Design (PD) approach was used within three Action Research (AR) cycles to understand design requirements and test the design configuration addressing the unique task requirements. Results: At the end of the first cycle a conceptual framework was evolved. The second cycle informed architecture and interface design. By the end of third cycle residents successfully interacted with the dialogue system and were generally satisfied with the robot. The results informed further refinement of the prototype. Conclusion: An interactive, touch screen based, robot-mounted information tool can be developed to support healthcare needs of older people. Qualitative methods such as the hybrid GT-PD-AR approach may be particularly helpful for innovating and articulating design requirements in challenging situations. PMID:22195203

Interacting with the biomolecular solvent accessible surface via a haptic feedback device

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hayward Steven

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background From the 1950s computer based renderings of molecules have been produced to aid researchers in their understanding of biomolecular structure and function. A major consideration for any molecular graphics software is the ability to visualise the three dimensional structure of the molecule. Traditionally, this was accomplished via stereoscopic pairs of images and later realised with three dimensional display technologies. Using a haptic feedback device in combination with molecular graphics has the potential to enhance three dimensional visualisation. Although haptic feedback devices have been used to feel the interaction forces during molecular docking they have not been used explicitly as an aid to visualisation. Results A haptic rendering application for biomolecular visualisation has been developed that allows the user to gain three-dimensional awareness of the shape of a biomolecule. By using a water molecule as the probe, modelled as an oxygen atom having hard-sphere interactions with the biomolecule, the process of exploration has the further benefit of being able to determine regions on the molecular surface that are accessible to the solvent. This gives insight into how awkward it is for a water molecule to gain access to or escape from channels and cavities, indicating possible entropic bottlenecks. In the case of liver alcohol dehydrogenase bound to the inhibitor SAD, it was found that there is a channel just wide enough for a single water molecule to pass through. Placing the probe coincident with crystallographic water molecules suggests that they are sometimes located within small pockets that provide a sterically stable environment irrespective of hydrogen bonding considerations. Conclusion By using the software, named HaptiMol ISAS (available from http://www.haptimol.co.uk, one can explore the accessible surface of biomolecules using a three-dimensional input device to gain insights into the shape and water

Interacting entropy-corrected new agegraphic dark energy in the non-flat universe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karami, Kayoomars [Department of Physics, University of Kurdistan, Pasdaran Street, Sanandaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Sorouri, Arash, E-mail: KKarami@uok.ac.i [Research Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics of Maragha (RIAAM), Maragha (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2010-08-15

Here, we consider the entropy-corrected version of the new agegraphic dark energy (NADE) model in the non-flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe. We derive the exact differential equation that determines the evolution of the entropy-corrected NADE density parameter in the presence of interaction with dark matter. We also obtain the equation of state and deceleration parameters and present a necessary condition for the selected model to cross the phantom divide. Moreover, we reconstruct the potential and the dynamics of the phantom scalar field according to the evolutionary behavior of the interacting entropy-corrected new agegraphic model.

Practical microwave electron devices

CERN Document Server

Meurant, Gerard

2013-01-01

Practical Microwave Electron Devices provides an understanding of microwave electron devices and their applications. All areas of microwave electron devices are covered. These include microwave solid-state devices, including popular microwave transistors and both passive and active diodes; quantum electron devices; thermionic devices (including relativistic thermionic devices); and ferrimagnetic electron devices. The design of each of these devices is discussed as well as their applications, including oscillation, amplification, switching, modulation, demodulation, and parametric interactions.

Heart-pulse Biofeedback in Playful Exercise using a Wearable device and Modular Interactive Tiles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shimokakimoto, Tomoya; Lund, Henrik Hautop; Suzuki, Kenji

2014-01-01

interactive tiles. The system consists of a wearable device that measures heart-pulse via ear-mounted sensor, and modular interactive tiles which are used for physical rehabilitation exercise through playing a game. The wearable devise enables detection of heart pulse in real-time and therefore provides heart...... beat rate during playful activities, even if the heart pulse wave have motion artifacts. The tiles are designed to build flexible structures and to provide immediate feedback based on the users’ physical interaction with the tiles. We combine the two systems to provide users with heart pulse...... biofeedback in playful exercise. We show that using the developed system it is possible for the users to regulate the exercise intensity on their own with biofeedback, and also possible to analyze exercise activity using number of steps on the tiles and heart beat rate....

Magnetic Fusion Energy Plasma Interactive and High Heat Flux Components: Volume 5, Technical assessment of critical issues in the steady state operation of fusion confinement devices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1988-01-01

Critical issues for the steady state operation of plasma confinement devices exist in both the physics and technology fields of fusion research. Due to the wide range and number of these issues, this technical assessment has focused on the crucial issues associated with the plasma physics and the plasma interactive components. The document provides information on the problem areas that affect the design and operation of a steady state ETR or ITER type confinement device. It discusses both tokamaks and alternative concepts, and provides a survey of existing and planned confinement machines and laboratory facilities that can address the identified issues. A universal definition of steady state operation is difficult to obtain. From a physics point of view, steady state is generally achieved when the time derivatives approach zero and the operation time greatly exceeds the characteristic time constants of the device. Steady state operation for materials depends on whether thermal stress, creep, fatigue, radiation damage, or power removal are being discussed. For erosion issues, the fluence and availability of the machine for continuous operation are important, assuming that transient events such as disruptions do not limit the component lifetimes. The panel suggests, in general terms, that steady state requires plasma operation from 100 to 1000 seconds and an availability of more than a few percent, which is similar to the expectations for an ETR type device. The assessment of critical issues for steady state operation is divided into four sections: physics issues; technology issues; issues in alternative concepts; and devices and laboratory facilities that can address these problems.

Magnetic Fusion Energy Plasma Interactive and High Heat Flux Components: Volume 5, Technical assessment of critical issues in the steady state operation of fusion confinement devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-01-01

Critical issues for the steady state operation of plasma confinement devices exist in both the physics and technology fields of fusion research. Due to the wide range and number of these issues, this technical assessment has focused on the crucial issues associated with the plasma physics and the plasma interactive components. The document provides information on the problem areas that affect the design and operation of a steady state ETR or ITER type confinement device. It discusses both tokamaks and alternative concepts, and provides a survey of existing and planned confinement machines and laboratory facilities that can address the identified issues. A universal definition of steady state operation is difficult to obtain. From a physics point of view, steady state is generally achieved when the time derivatives approach zero and the operation time greatly exceeds the characteristic time constants of the device. Steady state operation for materials depends on whether thermal stress, creep, fatigue, radiation damage, or power removal are being discussed. For erosion issues, the fluence and availability of the machine for continuous operation are important, assuming that transient events such as disruptions do not limit the component lifetimes. The panel suggests, in general terms, that steady state requires plasma operation from 100 to 1000 seconds and an availability of more than a few percent, which is similar to the expectations for an ETR type device. The assessment of critical issues for steady state operation is divided into four sections: physics issues; technology issues; issues in alternative concepts; and devices and laboratory facilities that can address these problems

Effects of interactive technology, teacher scaffolding and feedback on university students' conceptual development in motion and force concepts

Science.gov (United States)

Stecklein, Jason Jeffrey

The utilization of interactive technologies will affect learning in science classrooms of the future. And although these technologies have improved in form and function, their effective employment in university science classrooms has lagged behind the rapid development of new constructivist pedagogies and means of instruction. This dissertation examines the enlistment of instructional technologies, in particular tablet PCs and DyKnow Interactive Software, in a technologically enhanced, university-level, introductory physics course. Results of this qualitative case study of three university students indicate that (1) the use of interactive technology positively affects both student learning within force and motion and self-reported beliefs about physics, (2) ad hoc use of instructional technologies may not sufficient for effective learning in introductory physics, (3) student learners dictate the leveraging of technology in any classroom, and (4) that purposeful teacher structuring of classroom activities with technologies are essential for student construction of knowledge. This includes designing activities to elicit attention and make knowledge visible for low-level content, while augmenting student interactions and modelling procedural steps for higher-level content.

Tidal interactions in the expanding universe - The formation of prolate systems

Science.gov (United States)

Binney, J.; Silk, J.

1979-01-01

The study estimates the magnitude of the anisotropy that can be tidally induced in neighboring initially spherical protostructures, be they protogalaxies, protoclusters, or even uncollapsed density enhancements in the large-scale structure of the universe. It is shown that the linear analysis of tidal interactions developed by Peebles (1969) predicts that the anisotropy energy of a perturbation grows to first order in a small dimensionless parameter, whereas the net angular momentum acquired is of second order. A simple model is presented for the growth of anisotropy by tidal interactions during the nonlinear stage of the development of perturbations. A possible observational test is described of the alignment predicted by the model between the orientations of large-scale perturbations and the positions of neighboring density enhancements.

Analysis of plasma behavior and electro-magnetic interaction between plasma and device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kobayashi, Tomofumi

1980-01-01

A simulation program for the analysis of plasma behavior and the electromagnetic interaction between plasma and device has been developed. The program consists of a part for the analysis of plasma behavior (plasma system) and a part for the analysis of the electro-magnetic interaction between plasma and devices (circuit system). The parameters which connect the plasma system and the circuit system are the electric resistance of plasma, the internal inductance, and the plasma current. For the plasma system, the simultaneous equations which describe the density distribution of plasma particles, the temperature distribution of electrons and ions, and the space-time variation of current density distribution were derived. The one-dimensional plasma column in γ-direction was considered. The electric resistance and the internal inductance can be deduced. The circuit components are a current transformer, a vertical field coil, a quadrupole field coil, a vacuum chamber and others. An equation which describes plasma position and the shape of cross section is introduced. The plasma position can be known by solving the Mukhavatov's formula of equilibrium. By using this program, the build-up process of plasma current in JT-60 was analysed. It was found that the expansion of plasma sub radius and the control of current distribution by gas injection are the effective methods to obtain high temperature and high density plasma. The eddy current induced in a vacuum vessel shields 40 percent of magnetic field made in the plasma region by a vertical field coil. (Kato, T.)

Proceedings of US/Japan workshop, Q219 on high heat flux components and plasma surface interactions for next fusion devices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ulrickson, M.A.; Stevens, P.L.; Hino, T.; Hirohata, Y. [eds.

1996-12-01

This report contains the viewgraphs from the proceedings of US/Japan Workshop on High Heat Flux Components and Plasma Surface Interactions for Next Fusion Devices. Some of the general topics covered by this report are: PFC/PSI in tokamak and helical devices; development of high heat flux components; PSIS and plasma facing materials;tritium; and material damage.

Proceedings of US/Japan workshop, Q219 on high heat flux components and plasma surface interactions for next fusion devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ulrickson, M.A.; Stevens, P.L.; Hino, T.; Hirohata, Y.

1996-12-01

This report contains the viewgraphs from the proceedings of US/Japan Workshop on High Heat Flux Components and Plasma Surface Interactions for Next Fusion Devices. Some of the general topics covered by this report are: PFC/PSI in tokamak and helical devices; development of high heat flux components; PSIS and plasma facing materials;tritium; and material damage

Facilitating Integration of Electron Beam Lithography Devices with Interactive Videodisc, Computer-Based Simulation and Job Aids.

Science.gov (United States)

Von Der Linn, Robert Christopher

A needs assessment of the Grumman E-Beam Systems Group identified the requirement for additional skill mastery for the engineers who assemble, integrate, and maintain devices used to manufacture integrated circuits. Further analysis of the tasks involved led to the decision to develop interactive videodisc, computer-based job aids to enable…

Ways of Telecommunications Interaction Arrangement for Microprocessor Devices of Different Types in Composition of Multi-Motor Electric Drives

Science.gov (United States)

Shpenst, V. A.; Vasiliev, B. Y.; Kalashnikov, O. V.; Oleynikova, A. M.

2018-05-01

The article covers a consideration of various state-of-the-art industrial data transfer protocols, e.g. Modbus, Profibus, Industrial Ethernet and CAN. Their pros and cons are analyzed and conclusions made on advisability of the use of each protocol. It is shown that for the arrangement of effective telecommunication interaction of microprocessor devices of different types in the composition of multi-motor electric drives, it is advisable to use highlevel CAN-protocols, such as CANopen and DeviceNet.

Injection device-related risk management toward safe administration of medications: experience in a university teaching hospital in The People's Republic of China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhu LL

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Ling-ling Zhu,1 Wei Li,2 Ping Song,3 Quan Zhou3 1Geriatric VIP Ward, Division of Nursing, 2Division of Medical Administration, 3Department of Pharmacy, the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China Abstract: The use of injection devices to administer intravenous or subcutaneous medications is common practice throughout a variety of health care settings. Studies suggest that one-half of all harmful medication errors originate during drug administration; of those errors, about two-thirds involve injectables. Therefore, injection device management is pivotal to safe administration of medications. In this article, the authors summarize the relevant experiences by retrospective analysis of injection device-related near misses and adverse events in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, People's Republic of China. Injection device-related near misses and adverse events comprised the following: 1 improper selection of needle diameter for subcutaneous injection, material of infusion sets, and pore size of in-line filter; 2 complications associated with vascular access; 3 incidents induced by absence of efficient electronic pump management and infusion tube management; and 4 liquid leakage of chemotherapeutic infusion around the syringe needle. Safe injection drug use was enhanced by multidisciplinary collaboration, especially among pharmacists and nurses; drafting of clinical pathways in selection of vascular access; application of approaches such as root cause analysis using a fishbone diagram; plan–do–check–act and quality control circle; and construction of a culture of spontaneous reporting of near misses and adverse events. Pharmacists must be professional in regards to medication management and use. The depth, breadth, and efficiency of cooperation between nurses and pharmacists are pivotal to injection safety. Keywords

The Effect of Interacting with Two Devices when Creating the Illusion of Internal State in Tangible Widgets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bech, Christoffer; Bork, Andreas Heldbjerg; Memborg, Jakob Birch

2017-01-01

This paper investigates whether the illusion of internal state in passive tangible widgets is stronger when using one touchscreen device or two devices. Passive tangible widgets are an increasingly popular way to interact with tablet games. Since the production of passive widgets is usually cheaper...... than the production of widgets with internal state, it is much more cost-efficient to induce the illusion of internal state in passive widgets than to use tangible widgets with an actual internal state. An experiment was conducted where the participants’ belief in the illusion was determined by means...

Engineering of kinase-based protein interacting devices: active expression of tyrosine kinase domains

KAUST Repository

Diaz Galicia, Miriam Escarlet

2018-05-01

Protein-protein interactions modulate cellular processes in health and disease. However, tracing weak or rare associations or dissociations of proteins is not a trivial task. Kinases are often regulated through interaction partners and, at the same time, themselves regulate cellular interaction networks. The use of kinase domains for creating a synthetic sensor device that reads low concentration protein-protein interactions and amplifies them to a higher concentration interaction which is then translated into a FRET (Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer) signal is here proposed. To this end, DNA constructs for interaction amplification (split kinases), positive controls (intact kinase domains), scaffolding proteins and phosphopeptide - SH2-domain modules for the reading of kinase activity were assembled and expression protocols for fusion proteins containing Lyn, Src, and Fak kinase domains in bacterial and in cell-free systems were optimized. Also, two non-overlapping methods for measuring the kinase activity of these proteins were stablished and, finally, a protein-fragment complementation assay with the split-kinase constructs was tested. In conclusion, it has been demonstrated that features such as codon optimization, vector design and expression conditions have an impact on the expression yield and activity of kinase-based proteins. Furthermore, it has been found that the defined PURE cell-free system is insufficient for the active expression of catalytic kinase domains. In contrast, the bacterial co-expression with phosphatases produced active kinase fusion proteins for two out of the three tested Tyrosine kinase domains.

Characterising Learning Interactions: A Study of University Students Solving Physics Problems in Groups

Science.gov (United States)

Berge, Maria; Danielsson, Anna T.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this article is to explore how a group of four university physics students addressed mechanics problems, in terms of student direction of attention, problem solving strategies and their establishment of and ways of interacting. Adapted from positioning theory, the concepts "positioning" and "storyline" are used to describe and to…

Kinetic Monte Carlo Modeling of Charge Carriers in Organic Electronic Devices: Suppression of the Self-Interaction Error

KAUST Repository

Li, Haoyuan

2017-05-18

Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations have emerged as an important tool to help improve the efficiency of organic electronic devices by providing a better understanding of their device physics. In the KMC simulation of an organic device, the reliability of the results depends critically on the accuracy of the chosen charge-transfer rates, which are themselves strongly influenced by the site-energy differences. These site-energy differences include components coming from the electrostatic forces present in the system, which are often evaluated through electric potentials described by the Poisson equation. Here we show that the charge-carrier self-interaction errors that appear when evaluating the site-energy differences can lead to unreliable simulation results. To eliminate these errors, we propose two approaches that are also found to reduce the impact of finite-size effects. As a consequence, reliable results can be obtained at reduced computational costs. The proposed methodologies can be extended to other device simulation techniques as well.

The weak π − π interaction originated resonant tunneling and fast switching in the carbon based electronic devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun He

2012-03-01

Full Text Available By means of the nonequilibrium Green's functions and the density functional theory, we have investigated the electronic transport properties of C60 based electronic device with different intermolecular interactions. It is found that the electronic transport properties vary with the types of the interaction between two C60 molecules. A fast electrical switching behavior based on negative differential resistance has been found when two molecules are coupled by the weak π − π interaction. Compared to the solid bonding, the weak interaction is found to induce resonant tunneling, which is responsible for the fast response to the applied electric field and hence the velocity of switching.

Proceedings of Japan-U.S. workshop P-196 on high heat flux components and plasma surface interactions for next devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilson, K.N.; Yamashina, T.

1993-03-01

The Japan-US Workshop P-196 was successfully carried out in Kyushu University, Chikushi Campus, from November 17 to 19. The major concern was on the research and development required both for international Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) and Large Helical Device (LHD). Most of the discussion items was similar to that of the last workshop, e.g. PFC and PSI in Large Device, High Heat Flux Component, Laboratory Studies and Neutron Damage. The presentation number concerning High Heat Flux Component was largest. (J.P.N.)

Self-Managing Postoperative Pain with the Use of a Novel, Interactive Device: A Proof of Concept Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luke Mordecai

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Pain is commonly experienced following surgical procedures. Suboptimal management is multifactorial. Objectives. The primary objective was to assess whether patients used a device (Navimed to self-report pain over and above a normal baseline of observations. Secondary outcome measures included comparison of pain scores and patient use of and feedback on the device. Methods. In a prospective randomized controlled trial, elective gynaecological surgery patients received standard postoperative pain care or standard care plus the Navimed, which allowed them to self-report pain and offered interactive self-help options. Results. 52 female patients, 26 in each of device and standard groups, did not differ in the frequency of nurse-documented pain scores or mean pain scores provided to nurses. The device group additionally reported pain on the device (means 18.50 versus 11.90 pain ratings per day, t(32=2.75, p<0.001 that was significantly worse than reported to nurses but retrospectively rated significantly less anxiety. 80% of patients found the device useful. Discussion and Conclusion. This study demonstrates that patients used the Navimed to report pain and to help manage it. Further work is required to investigate the difference in pain scores reported and to develop more sophisticated software.

Interactive Relationship between Job Involvement, Job Satisfaction, Organisational Citizenship Behaviour, and Organizational Commitment in Nigerian Universities

OpenAIRE

B.M. Nwibere

2014-01-01

The study examined the interactive relationship between job involvement, job satisfaction, organisational commitment citizenship behaviour (OCB) and organisational commitment among employees of Nigerian universities. The sample for the study consisted of two hundred and ten academic members of staff (210) from five (5) Federal Government owned universities in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. The study utilized both quantitative data (questionnaire) and qualitative data (interview). The Mult...

Injection device-related risk management toward safe administration of medications: experience in a university teaching hospital in The People's Republic of China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Ling-Ling; Li, Wei; Song, Ping; Zhou, Quan

2014-01-01

The use of injection devices to administer intravenous or subcutaneous medications is common practice throughout a variety of health care settings. Studies suggest that one-half of all harmful medication errors originate during drug administration; of those errors, about two-thirds involve injectables. Therefore, injection device management is pivotal to safe administration of medications. In this article, the authors summarize the relevant experiences by retrospective analysis of injection device-related near misses and adverse events in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, People's Republic of China. Injection device-related near misses and adverse events comprised the following: 1) improper selection of needle diameter for subcutaneous injection, material of infusion sets, and pore size of in-line filter; 2) complications associated with vascular access; 3) incidents induced by absence of efficient electronic pump management and infusion tube management; and 4) liquid leakage of chemotherapeutic infusion around the syringe needle. Safe injection drug use was enhanced by multidisciplinary collaboration, especially among pharmacists and nurses; drafting of clinical pathways in selection of vascular access; application of approaches such as root cause analysis using a fishbone diagram; plan-do-check-act and quality control circle; and construction of a culture of spontaneous reporting of near misses and adverse events. Pharmacists must be professional in regards to medication management and use. The depth, breadth, and efficiency of cooperation between nurses and pharmacists are pivotal to injection safety.

Knowledge, Beliefs and Attitudes of Patients and the General Public towards the Interactions of Physicians with the Pharmaceutical and the Device Industry: A Systematic Review.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Racha Fadlallah

Full Text Available To systematically review the evidence on the knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes of patients and the general public towards the interactions of physicians with the pharmaceutical and the device industry.We included quantitative and qualitative studies addressing any type of interactions between physicians and the industry. We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE in August 2015. Two reviewers independently completed data selection, data extraction and assessment of methodological features. We summarized the findings narratively stratified by type of interaction, outcome and country.Of the 11,902 identified citations, 20 studies met the eligibility criteria. Many studies failed to meet safeguards for protecting from bias. In studies focusing on physicians and the pharmaceutical industry, the percentages of participants reporting awareness was higher for office-use gifts relative to personal gifts. Also, participants were more accepting of educational and office-use gifts compared to personal gifts. The findings were heterogeneous for the perceived effects of physician-industry interactions on prescribing behavior, quality and cost of care. Generally, participants supported physicians' disclosure of interactions through easy-to-read printed documents and verbally. In studies focusing on surgeons and device manufacturers, the majority of patients felt their care would improve or not be affected if surgeons interacted with the device industry. Also, they felt surgeons would make the best choices for their health, regardless of financial relationship with the industry. Participants generally supported regulation of surgeon-industry interactions, preferably through professional rather than governmental bodies.The awareness of participants was low for physicians' receipt of personal gifts. Participants also reported greater acceptability and fewer perceived influence for office-use gifts compared to personal gifts. Overall, there appears to be lower awareness

Knowledge, Beliefs and Attitudes of Patients and the General Public towards the Interactions of Physicians with the Pharmaceutical and the Device Industry: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Fadlallah, Racha; Nas, Hala; Naamani, Dana; El-Jardali, Fadi; Hammoura, Ihsan; Al-Khaled, Lina; Brax, Hneine; Kahale, Lara; Akl, Elie A

2016-01-01

To systematically review the evidence on the knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes of patients and the general public towards the interactions of physicians with the pharmaceutical and the device industry. We included quantitative and qualitative studies addressing any type of interactions between physicians and the industry. We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE in August 2015. Two reviewers independently completed data selection, data extraction and assessment of methodological features. We summarized the findings narratively stratified by type of interaction, outcome and country. Of the 11,902 identified citations, 20 studies met the eligibility criteria. Many studies failed to meet safeguards for protecting from bias. In studies focusing on physicians and the pharmaceutical industry, the percentages of participants reporting awareness was higher for office-use gifts relative to personal gifts. Also, participants were more accepting of educational and office-use gifts compared to personal gifts. The findings were heterogeneous for the perceived effects of physician-industry interactions on prescribing behavior, quality and cost of care. Generally, participants supported physicians' disclosure of interactions through easy-to-read printed documents and verbally. In studies focusing on surgeons and device manufacturers, the majority of patients felt their care would improve or not be affected if surgeons interacted with the device industry. Also, they felt surgeons would make the best choices for their health, regardless of financial relationship with the industry. Participants generally supported regulation of surgeon-industry interactions, preferably through professional rather than governmental bodies. The awareness of participants was low for physicians' receipt of personal gifts. Participants also reported greater acceptability and fewer perceived influence for office-use gifts compared to personal gifts. Overall, there appears to be lower awareness, less concern and

Interacting new agegraphic tachyon, K-essence and dilaton scalar field models of dark energy in non-flat universe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karami, K., E-mail: KKarami@uok.ac.i [Department of Physics, University of Kurdistan, Pasdaran St., Sanandaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Research Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics of Maragha (RIAAM), Maragha (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Khaledian, M.S.; Felegary, F.; Azarmi, Z. [Department of Physics, University of Kurdistan, Pasdaran St., Sanandaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2010-03-29

We study the correspondence between the tachyon, K-essence and dilaton scalar field models with the interacting new agegraphic dark energy model in the non-flat FRW universe. We reconstruct the potentials and the dynamics for these scalar field models, which describe accelerated expansion of the universe.

Interacting new agegraphic tachyon, K-essence and dilaton scalar field models of dark energy in non-flat universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karami, K.; Khaledian, M.S.; Felegary, F.; Azarmi, Z.

2010-01-01

We study the correspondence between the tachyon, K-essence and dilaton scalar field models with the interacting new agegraphic dark energy model in the non-flat FRW universe. We reconstruct the potentials and the dynamics for these scalar field models, which describe accelerated expansion of the universe.

A Quick-responsive DNA Nanotechnology Device for Bio-molecular Homeostasis Regulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Songlin; Wang, Pei; Xiao, Chen; Li, Zheng; Yang, Bing; Fu, Jieyang; Chen, Jing; Wan, Neng; Ma, Cong; Li, Maoteng; Yang, Xiangliang; Zhan, Yi

2016-08-10

Physiological processes such as metabolism, cell apoptosis and immune responses, must be strictly regulated to maintain their homeostasis and achieve their normal physiological functions. The speed with which bio-molecular homeostatic regulation occurs directly determines the ability of an organism to adapt to conditional changes. To produce a quick-responsive regulatory system that can be easily utilized for various types of homeostasis, a device called nano-fingers that facilitates the regulation of physiological processes was constructed using DNA origami nanotechnology. This nano-fingers device functioned in linked open and closed phases using two types of DNA tweezers, which were covalently coupled with aptamers that captured specific molecules when the tweezer arms were sufficiently close. Via this specific interaction mechanism, certain physiological processes could be simultaneously regulated from two directions by capturing one biofactor and releasing the other to enhance the regulatory capacity of the device. To validate the universal application of this device, regulation of the homeostasis of the blood coagulant thrombin was attempted using the nano-fingers device. It was successfully demonstrated that this nano-fingers device achieved coagulation buffering upon the input of fuel DNA. This nano-device could also be utilized to regulate the homeostasis of other types of bio-molecules.

Nanotechnologies and advanced devices; Nanotechnology to sentan device

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arakawa, Y [The University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan). Institute of Industrial Science

1994-11-01

This paper introduces studies on nanotechnologies performed at the Production Technology Research Institute at Tokyo University. Conceiving the future optical devices is based on a desire to control electrons and lights by means of nano construction technologies to use the interactions between electrons and photons in ways as they are wanted and realize the next generation laser. The nano-construction making technology targets working on making boxes and lines with a size of 10 nm in arbitrary patterns at high precision. The method using an atom operating technology is such a method as building a house with bricks of atoms bringing them one by one. The crystallization technology applies some kind of magic on a crystallizing substrate, and then sprinkle crystalline seeds over the substrate to have them grow to crystals that build a structure. The Production Technology Research Institute uses a crystal growing technique called an MOCVD process. This is a representative technology comparable with the MBO in the thin film forming technologies. Because of chemically reactive process entering into the technique, building an interesting self-structural construction can occur. 14 figs.

Quantum interference measurement of spin interactions in a bio-organic/semiconductor device structure

Science.gov (United States)

Deo, Vincent; Zhang, Yao; Soghomonian, Victoria; Heremans, Jean J.

2015-03-01

Quantum interference is used to measure the spin interactions between an InAs surface electron system and the iron center in the biomolecule hemin in nanometer proximity in a bio-organic/semiconductor device structure. The interference quantifies the influence of hemin on the spin decoherence properties of the surface electrons. The decoherence times of the electrons serve to characterize the biomolecule, in an electronic complement to the use of spin decoherence times in magnetic resonance. Hemin, prototypical for the heme group in hemoglobin, is used to demonstrate the method, as a representative biomolecule where the spin state of a metal ion affects biological functions. The electronic determination of spin decoherence properties relies on the quantum correction of antilocalization, a result of quantum interference in the electron system. Spin-flip scattering is found to increase with temperature due to hemin, signifying a spin exchange between the iron center and the electrons, thus implying interactions between a biomolecule and a solid-state system in the hemin/InAs hybrid structure. The results also indicate the feasibility of artificial bioinspired materials using tunable carrier systems to mediate interactions between biological entities.

Visual interaction: models, systems, prototypes. The Pictorial Computing Laboratory at the University of Rome La Sapienza.

Science.gov (United States)

Bottoni, Paolo; Cinque, Luigi; De Marsico, Maria; Levialdi, Stefano; Panizzi, Emanuele

2006-06-01

This paper reports on the research activities performed by the Pictorial Computing Laboratory at the University of Rome, La Sapienza, during the last 5 years. Such work, essentially is based on the study of humancomputer interaction, spans from metamodels of interaction down to prototypes of interactive systems for both synchronous multimedia communication and groupwork, annotation systems for web pages, also encompassing theoretical and practical issues of visual languages and environments also including pattern recognition algorithms. Some applications are also considered like e-learning and collaborative work.

Interaction Problems Accessing E-Learning Environments in Multi-Touch Mobile Devices: A Case Study in TelEduc

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva, André Constantino; Freire, Fernanda Maria Pereira; de Arruda, Alan Victor Pereira; da Rocha, Heloísa Vieira

2013-01-01

e-Learning environments offer content, such text, audio, video, animations, using the Web infrastructure and they are designed to users interacting with keyboard, mouse and a medium-sized screen. Mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, have enough computation power to render Web pages, allowing browsing the Internet and access e-Learning…

Flavor non-universal gauge interactions and anomalies in B-meson decays

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Yong; Wu, Yue-Liang

2018-02-01

Motivated by flavor non-universality and anomalies in semi-leptonic B-meson decays, we present a general and systematic discussion about how to construct anomaly-free U(1)‧ gauge theories based on an extended standard model with only three right-handed neutrinos. If all standard model fermions are vector-like under this new gauge symmetry, the most general family non-universal charge assignments, (a,b,c) for three-generation quarks and (d,e,f) for leptons, need satisfy just one condition to be anomaly-free, 3(a+b+c) = - (d+e+f). Any assignment can be linear combinations of five independent anomaly-free solutions. We also illustrate how such models can generally lead to flavor-changing interactions and easily resolve the anomalies in B-meson decays. Probes with {{B}}{s} - {{\\bar B}}{s} mixing, decay into τ ±, dilepton and dijet searches at colliders are also discussed. Supported by the Grant-in-Aid for Innovative Areas (16H06490)

Proceedings of 1999 U.S./Japan Workshop (99FT-05) On High Heat Flux Components and Plasma Surface Interactions for Next Fusion Devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

NYGREN, RICHARD E.; STAVROS, DIANA T.

2000-01-01

The 1999 US-Japan Workshop on High Heat Flux Components and Plasma Surface Interactions in Next Step Fusion Devices was held at the St. Francis Hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on November 1-4, 1999. There were 42 presentations as well as discussion on technical issues and planning for future collaborations. The participants included 22 researchers from Japan and the United States as well as seven researchers from Europe and Russia. There have been important changes in the programs in both the US and Japan in the areas of plasma surface interactions and plasma facing components. The US has moved away from a strong focus on the ITER Project and has introduced new programs on use of liquid surfaces for plasma facing components, and operation of NSTX has begun. In Japan, the Large Helical Device began operation. This is the first large world-class confinement device operating in a magnetic configuration different than a tokamak. In selecting the presentations for this workshop, the organizers sought a balance between research in laboratory facilities or confinement devices related to plasma surface interactions and experimental research in the development of plasma facing components. In discussions about the workshop itself, the participants affirmed their preference for a setting where ''work-in-progress'' could be informally presented and discussed

Dynamic stress of impeller blade of shaft extension tubular pump device based on bidirectional fluid-structure interaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kan, Kan; Liu, Huiwen; Yang, Chunxia [Hohai University, Nanjing (China); Zheng, Yuan [National Engineering Research Center of Water Resources Efficient Utilization and Engineering Safety, Nanjing (China); Fu, Shifeng; Zhang, Xin [Power China Huadong Engineering Corporation, Hangzhou (China)

2017-04-15

Current research on the stability of tubular pumps is mainly concerned with the transient hydrodynamic characteristics. However, the structural response under the influence of fluid-structure interaction hasn't been taken fully into consideration. The instability of the structure can cause vibration and cracks, which may threaten the safety of the unit. We used bidirectional fluid-structure interaction to comprehensively analyze the dynamic stress characteristics of the impeller blades of the shaft extension tubular pump device. Furthermore, dynamic stress of impeller blade of shaft extension tubular pump device was solved under different lift conditions of 0° blade angle. Based on Reynolds-average N-S equation and SST k-ω turbulence model, numerical simulation was carried out for three-dimensional unsteady incompressible turbulent flow field of the pump device whole flow passage. Meanwhile, the finite element method was used to calculate dynamic characteristics of the blade structure. The blade dynamic stress distribution was obtained on the basis of fourth strength theory. The research results indicate that the maximum blade dynamic stress appears at the joint between root of inlet side of the blade suction surface and the axis. Considering the influence of gravity, the fluctuation of the blade dynamic stress increases initially and decreases afterwards within a rotation period. In the meantime, the dynamic stress in the middle part of inlet edge presents larger relative fluctuation amplitude. Finally, a prediction method for dynamic stress distribution of tubular pump considering fluid-structure interaction and gravity effect was proposed. This method can be used in the design stage of tubular pump to predict dynamic stress distribution of the structure under different operating conditions, improve the reliability of pump impeller and analyze the impeller fatigue life.

Referential Interactions of Turkish-Learning Children with Their Caregivers about Non-Absent Objects: Integration of Non-Verbal Devices and Prior Discourse

Science.gov (United States)

Ates, Beyza S.; Küntay, Aylin C.

2018-01-01

This paper examines the way children younger than two use non-verbal devices (i.e., deictic gestures and communicative functional acts) and pay attention to discourse status (i.e., prior mention vs. newness) of referents in interactions with caregivers. Data based on semi-naturalistic interactions with caregivers of four children, at ages 1;00,…

Quality of Student–Faculty Interaction at University: An Empirical Approach of Gender and ICT Usage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Criado-Gomis

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Purpose—This paper studies the relationship of gender and ICT usage as significant variables in the formation of perceived value, satisfaction and loyalty to educational institutions, and in the quality of the student-faculty interaction to discuss how these variables determine the bond between students and the University, in order to improve this interaction. Design/methodology/approach—The empirical research designed to test the proposed model was conducted in two Spanish universities (a random sample of 1000 graduates—500 from each university—from two academic years, all areas of knowledge and proportional for men/women. They were individually interviewed by personnel of an external market research institute, using CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interview. For the measurement of the latent variables in the proposed model, we use an 11-point Likert scale (adapted to the particular context of the present study by means of several in-depth interviews with students and academics. ICT usage—classified in communication, author and administration tools, supporting the teaching, research and administrative management processes of the educational service—was measured with a scale of 7 items, which cover the main ICT used by students during their learning process and checked by an expert panel. These items were also examined more rigorously to validate their psychometric properties with the estimation of a confirmatory factor analysis via the maximum-likelihood method of structural equation modeling with LISREL 8.5. The evaluation of discriminant validity was testing by the AVE for each construct, which exhibited all of the constructs, discriminant validity in the model. Moreover, it was also verified through analysis of the confidence interval for the correlation coefficient between ICT usage and quality of interaction, and performing a model with construct correlations constrained to 1.00 was compared to an unconstrained model

Quality of Student–Faculty Interaction at University: An Empirical Approach of Gender and ICT Usage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Angeles Iniesta-Bonillo

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose—This paper studies the relationship of gender and ICT usage as significant variables in the formation of perceived value, satisfaction and loyalty to educational institutions, and in the quality of the student-faculty interaction to discuss how these variables determine the bond between students and the University, in order to improve this interaction.Design/methodology/approach—The empirical research designed to test the proposed model was conducted in two Spanish universities (a random sample of 1000 graduates—500 from each university—from two academic years, all areas of knowledge and proportional for men/women. They were individually interviewed by personnel of an external market research institute, using CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interview.For the measurement of the latent variables in the proposed model, we use an 11-point Likert scale (adapted to the particular context of the present study by means of several in-depth interviews with students and academics. ICT usage—classified in communication, author and administration tools, supporting the teaching, research and administrative management processes of the educational service—was measured with a scale of 7 items, which cover the main ICT used by students during their learning process and checked by an expert panel. These items were also examined more rigorously to validate their psychometric properties with the estimation of a confirmatory factor analysis via the maximum-likelihood method of structural equation modeling with LISREL 8.5.The evaluation of discriminant validity was testing by the AVE for each construct, which exhibited all of the constructs, discriminant validity in the model. Moreover, it was also verified through analysis of the confidence interval for the correlation coefficient between ICT usage and quality of interaction, and performing a model with construct correlations constrained to 1.00 was compared to an unconstrained model

Defining interactions of in-stream hydrokinetic devices in the Tanana River, Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, J.; Toniolo, H.; Seitz, A. C.; Schmid, J.; Duvoy, P.

2012-12-01

The acceptance, performance, and sustainability of operating in-stream hydrokinetic power generating devices in rivers depends on the impact of the river environment on hydrokinetic infrastructure as well as its impact on the river environment. The Alaska Hydrokinetic Energy Research Center (AHERC) conducts hydrokinetic "impact" and technology studies needed to support a sustainable hydrokinetic industry in Alaska. These include completed and ongoing baseline studies of river hydrodynamic conditions (river stage, discharge, current velocity, power, and turbulence; suspended and bed load sediment transport), ice, fish populations and behavior, surface and subsurface debris flows, and riverbed conditions. Technology and methods studies to minimize the effect of debris flows on deployed turbine system are in-progress to determine their effectiveness at reducing the probability of debris impact, diverting debris and their affect on available river power for conversion to electricity. An anchor point has been placed in the main flow just upstream of Main (Figure 1) to support projects and in preparation for future projects that are being planned to examine hydrokinetic turbine performance including power conversion efficiency, turbine drag and anchor chain loads, wake generation and effects on fish. Baseline fish studies indicate that hydrokinetic devices at the test site will have the most potential interactions with Pacific salmon smolts during their down-migration to the ocean in May and June. At the AHERC test site, the maximum turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) occurs just down stream from the major river bends (e.g., 000 and near the railroad bridge [upper center of the figure]) and over a deep hole at 440 (Figure 1), Minimum TKE occurs between main and 800. River current velocity measurements and simulations of river flow from 000 downstream past the railroad bridge indicate that the most stable current in the river reach is between Main and 800. The stable current

Reconstructing interacting entropy-corrected holographic scalar field models of dark energy in the non-flat universe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karami, K; Khaledian, M S [Department of Physics, University of Kurdistan, Pasdaran Street, Sanandaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Jamil, Mubasher, E-mail: KKarami@uok.ac.ir, E-mail: MS.Khaledian@uok.ac.ir, E-mail: mjamil@camp.nust.edu.pk [Center for Advanced Mathematics and Physics (CAMP), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad (Pakistan)

2011-02-15

Here we consider the entropy-corrected version of the holographic dark energy (DE) model in the non-flat universe. We obtain the equation of state parameter in the presence of interaction between DE and dark matter. Moreover, we reconstruct the potential and the dynamics of the quintessence, tachyon, K-essence and dilaton scalar field models according to the evolutionary behavior of the interacting entropy-corrected holographic DE model.

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

Interacting with and via mobile devices and mobile robots in an assisted living setting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Dagioglou

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Using robotic home assistants as a platform for remote health monitoring offers several advantages, but also presents considerable challenges related to both the technical immaturity of home robotics and to user acceptance issues. In this paper we explore tablets and similar mobile devices as the medium of communication between robots and their users, presenting relevant current and planned research in humanrobot interaction that can help the telehealth community circumvent technical shortcomings, improve user acceptance, and maximize the quality of the data collected by robotic home assistants.

Interactions of DNA with graphene and sensing applications of graphene field-effect transistor devices: A review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Green, Nathaniel S.; Norton, Michael L., E-mail: norton@marshall.edu

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The interaction of DNA, including DNA nanostructures, and graphene is reviewed. • Comparison of DNA graphene field-effect transistor (GFET) with other detection methods. • Discussion of challenges present in the detection mechanism of GFETs. • Use of DNA aptamer GFET sensors for the detection of small molecules and proteins. - Abstract: Graphene field-effect transistors (GFET) have emerged as powerful detection platforms enabled by the advent of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) production of the unique atomically thin 2D material on a large scale. DNA aptamers, short target-specific oligonucleotides, are excellent sensor moieties for GFETs due to their strong affinity to graphene, relatively short chain-length, selectivity, and a high degree of analyte variability. However, the interaction between DNA and graphene is not fully understood, leading to questions about the structure of surface-bound DNA, including the morphology of DNA nanostructures and the nature of the electronic response seen from analyte binding. This review critically evaluates recent insights into the nature of the DNA graphene interaction and its affect on sensor viability for DNA, small molecules, and proteins with respect to previously established sensing methods. We first discuss the sorption of DNA to graphene to introduce the interactions and forces acting in DNA based GFET devices and how these forces can potentially affect the performance of increasingly popular DNA aptamers and even future DNA nanostructures as sensor substrates. Next, we discuss the novel use of GFETs to detect DNA and the underlying electronic phenomena that are typically used as benchmarks for characterizing the analyte response of these devices. Finally, we address the use of DNA aptamers to increase the selectivity of GFET sensors for small molecules and proteins and compare them with other, state of the art, detection methods.

How do health service professionals consider human factors when purchasing interactive medical devices? A qualitative interview study.

Science.gov (United States)

Vincent, Christopher James; Blandford, Ann

2017-03-01

We present findings of a UK study into how those involved in purchasing interactive medical devices go about evaluating usability, the challenges that arise, and opportunities for improvement. The study focused on procurement of infusion devices because these are used by various professionals across healthcare. A semi-structured interview study was carried out involving a range of stakeholders (20 in total) involved in or impacted by medical device procurement. Data was analysed using thematic analysis, a qualitative method designed to support the identification, analysis and reporting of patterns. In principle, health service purchasing was found to accommodate consideration of equipment usability. In practice, the evaluation process was driven primarily by engineering standards; assessment of local needs did not accommodate substantive assessment of usability; and choice was limited by the availability of equipment on the marketplace. We discuss ways in which purchasing could be improved through techniques that account for social circumstances. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Proceedings of 1999 U.S./Japan Workshop (99FT-05) On High Heat Flux Components and Plasma Surface Interactions for Next Fusion Devices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NYGREN,RICHARD E.; STAVROS,DIANA T.

2000-06-01

The 1999 US-Japan Workshop on High Heat Flux Components and Plasma Surface Interactions in Next Step Fusion Devices was held at the St. Francis Hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on November 1-4, 1999. There were 42 presentations as well as discussion on technical issues and planning for future collaborations. The participants included 22 researchers from Japan and the United States as well as seven researchers from Europe and Russia. There have been important changes in the programs in both the US and Japan in the areas of plasma surface interactions and plasma facing components. The US has moved away from a strong focus on the ITER Project and has introduced new programs on use of liquid surfaces for plasma facing components, and operation of NSTX has begun. In Japan, the Large Helical Device began operation. This is the first large world-class confinement device operating in a magnetic configuration different than a tokamak. In selecting the presentations for this workshop, the organizers sought a balance between research in laboratory facilities or confinement devices related to plasma surface interactions and experimental research in the development of plasma facing components. In discussions about the workshop itself, the participants affirmed their preference for a setting where ''work-in-progress'' could be informally presented and discussed.

Facilitating Social Play for Children with PDDs: Effects of Paired Robotic Devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soichiro Matsuda

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Interacting with toys and other people is fundamental for developing social communication skills. However, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD are characterized by having a significant impairment in social interaction, which often leads to deficits in play skills. For this reason, methods of teaching play skills to young children with ASD have been well documented. Although previous studies have examined a variety of instructional strategies for teaching skills, few studies have evaluated the potential of using robotic devices. The purpose of the present study is to examine whether automatic feedback provided by colored lights and vibration via paired robotic devices, COLOLO, facilitates social play behaviors in children with ASD. We also explore how social play relates to social interaction. COLOLO is a system of paired spherical devices covered with soft fabric. All participants in this study were recruited as volunteers through the Department of Psychology at Keio University. The pilot study included three participants diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDDs; 5- to 6-year-old boys, and compared experimental conditions with and without automatic feedback from the devices (colored lights and vibration. The results indicated that the participants in the condition that included feedback from the devices exhibited increased rates of ball contact and looking at the therapist’s ball, but did not exhibit increased rates of eye contact or positive affect. In the experimental study, a systematic replication of the pilot study was performed with three other participants diagnosed with PDDs (3- to 6-year-old boys, using an A-B-A-B design. Again, the results demonstrated that, in the condition with colored lights and vibration, the children increased ball contact as well as looking at the therapist’s ball. However, the results did not show the effect of automatic feedback consistently for three children. These findings are

Joint marketing cites excellence: Fairview-University Medical Center advertises cooperatively with University of Minnesota Physicians.

Science.gov (United States)

Botvin, Judith D

2004-01-01

Fairview-University Medical Center and University of Minnesota Physicians, both in Minneapolis, are enjoying the benefits of a co-branded advertising campaign. It includes print ads, brochures, and other marketing devices.

Extended behavioural device modelling and circuit simulation with Qucs-S

Science.gov (United States)

Brinson, M. E.; Kuznetsov, V.

2018-03-01

Current trends in circuit simulation suggest a growing interest in open source software that allows access to more than one simulation engine while simultaneously supporting schematic drawing tools, behavioural Verilog-A and XSPICE component modelling, and output data post-processing. This article introduces a number of new features recently implemented in the 'Quite universal circuit simulator - SPICE variant' (Qucs-S), including structure and fundamental schematic capture algorithms, at the same time highlighting their use in behavioural semiconductor device modelling. Particular importance is placed on the interaction between Qucs-S schematics, equation-defined devices, SPICE B behavioural sources and hardware description language (HDL) scripts. The multi-simulator version of Qucs is a freely available tool that offers extended modelling and simulation features compared to those provided by legacy circuit simulators. The performance of a number of Qucs-S modelling extensions are demonstrated with a GaN HEMT compact device model and data obtained from tests using the Qucs-S/Ngspice/Xyce ©/SPICE OPUS multi-engine circuit simulator.

[Universal electrogustometer EG-2].

Science.gov (United States)

Wałkanis, Andrzej; Czesak, Michał; Pleskacz, Witold A

2011-01-01

Electrogustometry is a method for taste diagnosis and measurement. The EG-2 project is being developed in cooperation between Warsaw University of Technology and Military institute of Medicine in Warsaw. The device is an evolution of the recent universal electrogustometer EG-1 prototype. Due to considerations and experiences acquired during prototype usage, many enhancements have been incorporated into device. The aim was to create an easy-to-use, portable, battery powered device, enabled for fast measurements. Developed electrogustometer is using innovative, low-power microprocessor system, which control whole device. User interface is based on 5.7" graphical LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and touchscreen. It can be directly operated by finger or with optional stylus. Dedicated GUI (Graphical User Interface) offers simple, predefined measurements and advance settings of signal parameters. It is also possible to store measurements results and patients data in an internal memory. User interface is multilanguage. Signals for patients examinations, supplied with bipolar electrode, are generated by an on-board circuit using DDS (Direct-Digital Synthesis) and DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter). Electrogustometer is able to generate DC, sinus, triangle or rectangle signals with current amplitude from 0 to 500 pA and frequency form 0 to 500 Hz. Device is designed for manual and automeasurement modes. By using USB (Universal Serial Bus) port it is possible to retrieve data stored in internal memory and charging of built-in Li-lon battery as a source of power.

A microdot multilayer oxide device: let us tune the strain-ionic transport interaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Schweiger, Sebastian; Kubicek, Markus; Messerschmitt, Felix; Murer, Christoph; Rupp, Jennifer L M

2014-05-27

In this paper, we present a strategy to use interfacial strain in multilayer heterostructures to tune their resistive response and ionic transport as active component in an oxide-based multilayer microdot device on chip. For this, fabrication of strained multilayer microdot devices with sideways attached electrodes is reported with the material system Gd0.1Ce0.9O(2-δ)/Er2O3. The fast ionic conducting Gd0.1Ce0.9O(2-δ) single layers are altered in lattice strain by the electrically insulating erbia phases of a microdot. The strain activated volume of the Gd0.1Ce0.9O(2-δ) is investigated by changing the number of individual layers from 1 to 60 while keeping the microdot at a constant thickness; i.e., the proportion of strained volume was systematically varied. Electrical measurements showed that the activation energy of the devices could be altered by Δ0.31 eV by changing the compressive strain of a microdot ceria-based phase by more than 1.16%. The electrical conductivity data is analyzed and interpreted with a strain volume model and defect thermodynamics. Additionally, an equivalent circuit model is presented for sideways contacted multilayer microdots. We give a proof-of-concept for microdot contacting to capture real strain-ionic transport effects and reveal that for classic top-electrode contacting the effect is nil, highlighting the need for sideways electric contacting on a nanoscopic scale. The near order ionic transport interaction is supported by Raman spectroscopy measurements. These were conducted and analyzed together with fully relaxed single thin film samples. Strain states are described relative to the strain activated volumes of Gd0.1Ce0.9O(2-δ) in the microdot multilayer. These findings reveal that strain engineering in microfabricated devices allows altering the ionic conduction over a wide range beyond classic doping strategies for single films. The reported fabrication route and concept of strained multilayer microdots is a promising path

DIGITAL BROADCASTING and INTERACTIVE TELEVISION in DISTANCE EDUCATION: Digital And Interactive Television Infrastructure Proposol for Anadolu University Open Education Faculty

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reha Recep ERGUL

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Rapid changes and improvements in the communication and information technologies beginning from the midst of the 20th Century and continuing today require new methods, constructions, and arrangements in the production and distribution of information. While television having the ability of presenting complex or difficult to comprehend concepts, subjects, and experimental studies to learners from different points of view, supported by 2D or 3D graphics and animations with audio visual stimulators replaces its technology from analog to digital and towards digital-interactive, it has also begun to convert the broadcasting technology in Turkey in this direction. Therefore, television broadcast infrastructure of Anadolu University Open Education Faculty needs to be replaced with a digital and interactive one. This study contains basic concepts of digital and interactive broadcasting and the new improvements. Furthermore, it includes the approaches in the basis of why and how a digital television broadcasting infrastructure should be stablished.

University Physics Students' Use of Models in Explanations of Phenomena Involving Interaction between Metals and Electromagnetic Radiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Redfors, Andreas; Ryder, Jim

2001-01-01

Examines third year university physics students' use of models when explaining familiar phenomena involving interaction between metals and electromagnetic radiation. Concludes that few students use a single model consistently. (Contains 27 references.) (DDR)

Thumb Reach of Indonesian Young Adult When Interacting with Touchscreen of Single-Handed Device: A Preliminary Study

Science.gov (United States)

Umami, M. K.

2018-01-01

This study is a preliminary survey on thumb reach of Indonesian population when interacting with single-handed device. This study was aimed to know the thumb reach envelope on the screen of mobile phone. The correlation between the thumb reach vs. the hand length and thumb length was also identified. Thirty young adults participated in the study. All participants had normal body stature and were right-handed person. In the observational phase, the participant was asked to colour the canvas area on the screen of the mobile phone by using his/her thumb. The participant had to complete the task by applying the single hand interaction. The participant should grab the mobile phone as he/she use it normally in his/her daily activities. The thumb reach envelope of participants was identified from the coloured area of the canvas. The results of this study found that participants with a large hand length and thumb length tend to have a large thumb reach. The results of this study also show the thumb reach area of the participants is forming an elliptical shape that runs from the northeast to southwest on the device screen.

Rotation gate for a three-level superconducting quantum interference device qubit with resonant interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, C.-P.; Han Siyuan

2006-01-01

We show a way to realize an arbitrary rotation gate in a three-level superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) qubit using resonant interaction. In this approach, the two logical states of the qubit are represented by the two lowest levels of the SQUID and a higher-energy intermediate level is utilized for the gate manipulation. By considering spontaneous decay from the intermediate level during the gate operation, we present a formula for calculating average fidelity over all possible initial states. Finally, based on realistic system parameters, we show that an arbitrary rotation gate can be achieved with a high fidelity in a SQUID

Online Distance Teaching of Undergraduate Finance: A case for Musashi University and Konan University, Japan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keiichi Kubota

2007-03-01

Full Text Available We implemented a synchronous distance course entitled: Introductory Finance designed for undergraduate students. This course was held between two Japanese universities. Stable Internet connections allowing minimum delay and minimum interruptions of the audio-video streaming signals were used. Students were equipped with their own PCs with pre-loaded learning materials and Microsoft Excel exercises. These accompanying course and exercise materials helped students comprehend the mathematical equations and statistical numerical exercises that are indispensable to learning Introductory Finance effectively. The general tendency for students, not to raise questions during the class hours in Japan, however, was found to be a big obstacle. As such, motivational devices are needed and should ideally be combined to promote interaction between the e-classrooms.

A pedestrian's view on interacting particle systems, KPZ universality and random matrices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kriecherbauer, Thomas; Krug, Joachim

2010-01-01

These notes are based on lectures delivered by the authors at a Langeoog seminar of SFB/TR12 Symmetries and Universality in Mesoscopic Systems to a mixed audience of mathematicians and theoretical physicists. After a brief outline of the basic physical concepts of equilibrium and nonequilibrium states, the one-dimensional simple exclusion process is introduced as a paradigmatic nonequilibrium interacting particle system. The stationary measure on the ring is derived and the idea of the hydrodynamic limit is sketched. We then introduce the phenomenological Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) equation and explain the associated universality conjecture for surface fluctuations in growth models. This is followed by a detailed exposition of a seminal paper of Johansson [59] that relates the current fluctuations of the totally asymmetric simple exclusion process (TASEP) to the Tracy-Widom distribution of random matrix theory. The implications of this result are discussed within the framework of the KPZ conjecture. (topical review)

Effects of interactive teaching on university students’ knowledge and attitude toward reproductive health: a pilot study in Jordan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali RA

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Reem A Ali,1 Ahlam Alnatour,2 Karimeh Alnuaimi,1 Fatmeh Alzoubi,1 Maysa Almomani,3 Areej Othman4 1Department of Maternal and Child Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan; 2Department of Community and Mental Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan; 3Department of Adult Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan; 4Department of Maternal and Child Health Nursing, School of Nursing, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan Background: Youths in Jordan lack knowledge related to reproductive health (RH. Interactive teaching methods showed positive results in enhancing health awareness and adopting healthy practices among students. Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine the usefulness of interactive teaching in promoting health awareness of RH among nonmedical university students in Jordan.Methods: We employed a quasi-experimental one group pretest and posttest design for a purposive sample of 210 students (18–24 years. Knowledge and attitudes regarding RH issues were assessed using a questionnaire developed by the researchers. Results: A significant improvement in students’ knowledge and attitudes toward RH was evident. Female students had higher scores on knowledge than male students in the pretest; this difference was smaller in the posttest. Also, female students had significantly more positive attitudes toward RH in pretest than males, although this difference vanished in the posttest. Study results indicated that students benefit from study intervention regardless their gender. Conclusion: Integrating RH into university’s curriculum coupled with interactive learning approach is a powerful way to promote RH awareness among youths. Keywords: STIs, young adult, family planning, premarital examination, health promotion

Interactive Technologies of Foreign Language Teaching in Future Marine Specialists’ Training: from Experience of the Danube River Basin Universities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olga Demchenko

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the investigation of the interactive technologies of foreign language teaching in future marine specialists’ training in the Danube river basin universities. The author gives definitions of the most popular interactive technologies aimed to form communicative competence as a significant component of future mariners’ key competencies. Typology and analysis of some interactive technologies of foreign language teaching in future marine specialists’ training are provided.

An Overview of Biofield Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Muehsam, David; Chevalier, Gaétan; Barsotti, Tiffany

2015-01-01

Advances in biophysics, biology, functional genomics, neuroscience, psychology, psychoneuroimmunology, and other fields suggest the existence of a subtle system of “biofield” interactions that organize biological processes from the subatomic, atomic, molecular, cellular, and organismic to the interpersonal and cosmic levels. Biofield interactions may bring about regulation of biochemical, cellular, and neurological processes through means related to electromagnetism, quantum fields, and perhaps other means of modulating biological activity and information flow. The biofield paradigm, in contrast to a reductionist, chemistry-centered viewpoint, emphasizes the informational content of biological processes; biofield interactions are thought to operate in part via low-energy or “subtle” processes such as weak, nonthermal electromagnetic fields (EMFs) or processes potentially related to consciousness and nonlocality. Biofield interactions may also operate through or be reflected in more well-understood informational processes found in electroencephalographic (EEG) and electrocardiographic (ECG) data. Recent advances have led to the development of a wide variety of therapeutic and diagnostic biofield devices, defined as physical instruments best understood from the viewpoint of a biofield paradigm. Here, we provide a broad overview of biofield devices, with emphasis on those devices for which solid, peer-reviewed evidence exists. A subset of these devices, such as those based upon EEG- and ECG-based heart rate variability, function via mechanisms that are well understood and are widely employed in clinical settings. Other device modalities, such a gas discharge visualization and biophoton emission, appear to operate through incompletely understood mechanisms and have unclear clinical significance. Device modes of operation include EMF-light, EMF-heat, EMF-nonthermal, electrical current, vibration and sound, physical and mechanical, intentionality and nonlocality

Hot carrier degradation in semiconductor devices

CERN Document Server

2015-01-01

This book provides readers with a variety of tools to address the challenges posed by hot carrier degradation, one of today’s most complicated reliability issues in semiconductor devices.  Coverage includes an explanation of carrier transport within devices and book-keeping of how they acquire energy (“become hot”), interaction of an ensemble of colder and hotter carriers with defect precursors, which eventually leads to the creation of a defect, and a description of how these defects interact with the device, degrading its performance. • Describes the intricacies of hot carrier degradation in modern semiconductor technologies; • Covers the entire hot carrier degradation phenomenon, including topics such as characterization, carrier transport, carrier-defect interaction, technological impact, circuit impact, etc.; • Enables detailed understanding of carrier transport, interaction of the carrier ensemble with the defect precursors, and an accurate assessment of how the newly created defects imp...

Mobile Collocated Interactions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lucero, Andrés; Clawson, James; Lyons, Kent

2015-01-01

Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets were originally conceived and have traditionally been utilized for individual use. Research on mobile collocated interactions has been looking at situations in which collocated users engage in collaborative activities using their mobile devices, thus...... going from personal/individual toward shared/multiuser experiences and interactions. However, computers are getting smaller, more powerful, and closer to our bodies. Therefore, mobile collocated interactions research, which originally looked at smartphones and tablets, will inevitably include ever......-smaller computers, ones that can be worn on our wrists or other parts of the body. The focus of this workshop is to bring together a community of researchers, designers and practitioners to explore the potential of extending mobile collocated interactions to the use of wearable devices....

An Appeal for heritage interpretation and accessibility. Immersive and interactive virtual reality tours for mobile devices

OpenAIRE

Guillermo Duclos Bautista; Javier Cousillas Ripoll

2013-01-01

We propose an interactive resource for the value enhancement, management, diffusion and accessibility of the architectural and archaeological heritage by means of virtual reality technologies through mobile devices. The resource is, in addition, a tool for the management of the heritage by the employment of intermediate modules that allow the graphical and alphanumeric update of the external and internal databases put in relation with the resource, depending on the interventions and investiga...

A Universal Standard for the Validation of Blood Pressure Measuring Devices: Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation/European Society of Hypertension/International Organization for Standardization (AAMI/ESH/ISO) Collaboration Statement.

Science.gov (United States)

Stergiou, George S; Alpert, Bruce; Mieke, Stephan; Asmar, Roland; Atkins, Neil; Eckert, Siegfried; Frick, Gerhard; Friedman, Bruce; Graßl, Thomas; Ichikawa, Tsutomu; Ioannidis, John P; Lacy, Peter; McManus, Richard; Murray, Alan; Myers, Martin; Palatini, Paolo; Parati, Gianfranco; Quinn, David; Sarkis, Josh; Shennan, Andrew; Usuda, Takashi; Wang, Jiguang; Wu, Colin O; O'Brien, Eoin

2018-03-01

In the past 30 years, several organizations, such as the US Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), the British Hypertension Society, the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) Working Group on Blood Pressure (BP) Monitoring, and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), have developed protocols for clinical validation of BP measuring devices. However, it is recognized that science, as well as patients, consumers, and manufacturers, would be best served if all BP measuring devices were assessed for accuracy according to an agreed single validation protocol that had global acceptance. Therefore, an international initiative was taken by the AAMI, ESH, and ISO experts who agreed to develop a universal standard for device validation. This statement presents the key aspects of a validation procedure, which were agreed by the AAMI, ESH, and ISO representatives as the basis for a single universal validation protocol. As soon as the AAMI/ESH/ISO standard is fully developed, this will be regarded as the single universal standard and will replace all other previous standards/protocols. © 2018 American Heart Association, Inc., and Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

Nonlinear fluid/structure interaction relating a rupture-disc pressure-relief device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsieh, B.J.; Kot, C.A.; Shin, Y.W.; Youngdahl, C.K.

1983-01-01

Rupture disc assemblies are used in piping network systems as a pressure-relief device. The reverse-buckling type is chosen for application in a liquid metal fast breeder reactor. This assembly is used successfully in systems in which the fluid is highly compressible, such as air; the opening up of the disc by the knife setup is complete. However, this is not true for a liquid system; it had been observed experimentally that the disc may open up only partially or not at all. Therefore, to realistically understand and represent a rupture disc assembly in a liquid environment, the fluid-structure interactions between the liquid medium and the disc assembly must be considered. The methods for analyzing the fluid and the disc and the mechanism interconnecting them are presented. The fluid is allowed to cavitate through a column-cavitation model and the disc is allowed to become plastically deformed through the classic Von Mises' yield criteria, when necessary

[Mechanical circulatory support saves lives -- three years' experience of the newly established assist device program at Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary].

Science.gov (United States)

Fazekas, Levente; Sax, Balázs; Hartyánszky, István; Pólos, Miklós; Horkay, Ferenc; Varga, Tamás; Rácz, Kristóf; Németh, Endre; Székely, Andrea; Paulovich, Erzsébet; Heltai, Krisztina; Zima, Endre; Szabolcs, Zoltán; Merkely, Béla

2015-03-29

Since the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the first heart transplantation in Hungary in 2012 the emerging need for modern heart failure management via mechanical circulatory support has evolved. In May 2012 the opening of a new heart failure and transplant unit with 9 beds together with the procurement of necessary devices at Semmelweis University accomplished this need. The aim of the authors was to report their initial experience obtained in this new cardiac assist device program. Since May, 2012, mechanical circulatory support system was applied in 89 cases in 72 patients. Indication for support were end stage heart failure refractory to medical treatment and acute left or right heart failure. Treatment was initiated for acute graft failure after heart transplantation in 27 cases, for end stage heart failure in 24 cases, for acute myocardial infarction in 21 cases, for acute postcardiotomy heart failure in 14 cases, for severe respiratory insufficiency in 2 cases and for drug intoxication in one case. Among the 30 survivor of the whole program 13 patients were successfully transplanted. The available devices can cover all modalities of current bridge therapy from short term support through medium support to heart transplantation or long term support and destination therapy. These conditions made possible the successful start of a new cardiac assist device program.

Language Choice and Identity Construction in Peer Interactions: Insights from a Multilingual University in Hong Kong

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Mingyue

2011-01-01

Informed by linguistic ecological theory and the notion of identity, this study investigates language uses and identity construction in interactions among students with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds in a multilingual university. Individual and focus-group interviews were conducted with two groups of students: Hong Kong (HK) and…

[Dynamics and interactions between the university community and public health 2.0].

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez-Gómez, Rodolfo

2016-01-01

To explore the experiences of a group of participants in a university community with the web in general and with digital contents on public health, to describe their motivations and to understand how social networks influence their interaction with content on public health. Qualitative research. Deep semi-structured interviews were conducted to understand the phenomenon. Five categories emerged after the study: socialization and internalization of the cyberculture, social marketing linked to the web and public health, culture of fear and distrust, the concept of health, and the health system and public health. Participants have internalized the web and have given it a strong symbolic capital. The challenges of public health 2.0 are not only to achieve interaction with users and to get a place in cyberspace, but also to fight against the stigma of the "public" and to take advantage of the influence of the web on small-world networks to communicate.

Interactive lectures: Clickers or personal devices? [v1; ref status: indexed, http://f1000r.es/54w

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lesley J. Morrell

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Audience response systems (‘clickers’ are frequently used to promote participation in large lecture classes, and evidence suggests that they convey a number of benefits to students, including improved academic performance and student satisfaction. The limitations of these systems (such as limited access and cost can be overcome using students’ personal electronic devices, such as mobile phones, tablets and laptops together with text message, web- or app-based polling systems. Using questionnaires, we compare student perceptions of clicker and smartphone based polling systems. We find that students prefer interactive lectures generally, but those that used their own device preferred those lectures over lectures using clickers. However, device users were more likely to report using their devices for other purposes (checking email, social media etc. when they were available to answer polling questions. These students did not feel that this distracted them from the lecture, instead, concerns over the use of smartphones centred around increased battery usage and inclusivity for students without access to suitable technology. Our results suggest that students generally preferred to use their own devices over clickers, and that this may be a sensible way to overcome some of the limitations associated with clickers, although issues surrounding levels of distraction and the implications for retention and recall of information need further investigation.

Device Process and Circuit Application Interaction for Harsh Electronics: Hf-In-Zn-O Thin Film Transistors as an Example

KAUST Repository

Ho, Chih-Hsiang

2017-06-27

The effects of Hf content on the radiation hardness of Hf-In-Zn-O thin-film transistors (HIZO TFTs) and HIZO TFTbased circuits are systemically examined. The evaluated circuits, including current-starved ring oscillator, energy harvesting and RF circuits are essential for space electronic systems. It is shown that HIZO TFTs with low Hf concentration have better initial performance while TFTs with high Hf concentration are more stable against radiation. On the other hand, for circuit application, the stable HIZO TFTs are not necessarily preferred for all circuits. The work demonstrates that understanding the device-circuit interactions is necessary for device optimization and circuit reliability improvements for harsh electronic systems.

Device Process and Circuit Application Interaction for Harsh Electronics: Hf-In-Zn-O Thin Film Transistors as an Example

KAUST Repository

Ho, Chih-Hsiang; Tsai, Dung-Sheng; Lu, Chao; Kim, Soo Youn; Mungan, Selin; Yang, Shih-Guo; Zhang, Yuanzhi; He, Jr-Hau

2017-01-01

The effects of Hf content on the radiation hardness of Hf-In-Zn-O thin-film transistors (HIZO TFTs) and HIZO TFTbased circuits are systemically examined. The evaluated circuits, including current-starved ring oscillator, energy harvesting and RF circuits are essential for space electronic systems. It is shown that HIZO TFTs with low Hf concentration have better initial performance while TFTs with high Hf concentration are more stable against radiation. On the other hand, for circuit application, the stable HIZO TFTs are not necessarily preferred for all circuits. The work demonstrates that understanding the device-circuit interactions is necessary for device optimization and circuit reliability improvements for harsh electronic systems.

Mixed Interaction Spaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lykke-Olesen, Andreas; Eriksson, E.; Hansen, T.R.

In this paper, we describe a new interaction technique for mobile devices named Mixed Interaction Space that uses the camera of the mobile device to track the position, size and rotation of a fixed-point. In this demonstration we will present a system that uses a hand-drawn circle, colored object...... or a person’s face as a fixed-point to determine the location of the device. We use these features as a 4 dimensional input vector to a set of different applications....

A study on electromechanical carbon nanotube memory devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Jeong Won; Hwang, Ho Jung

2005-01-01

Electromechanical operations of carbon-nanotube (CNT) bridge memory device were investigated by using atomistic simulations based on empirical potentials. The nanotube-bridge memory device was operated by the electrostatic and the van der Waals forces acting on the nanotube-bridge. For the CNT bridge memory device, the van der Waals interactions between the CNT bridge and the oxide were very important. As the distance between the CNT bridge and the oxide decreased and the van der Waals interaction energy increased, the pull-in bias of the CNT-bridge decreased and the nonvolatility of the nanotube-bridge memory device increased, while the pull-out voltages increased. When the materials composed of the oxide film are different, since the van der Waals interactions must be also different, the oxide materials must be carefully selected for the CNT-bridge memory device to work as a nonvolatile memory.

User Experience of Mobile Devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Raptis, Dimitrios

that the overall physical form of a mobile device has a significant effect on the perceived usability of an application: the more attractive the physical form, the higher the perceived usability. The other study validated the effect of a particular physical form element on usability and showed that the screen size......This thesis focuses on mobile devices and it specifically investigates the effect of their physical form on two perceived user experience qualities, usability and coolness. With the term mobile devices, I refer to interactive products that users interact with while being on the move......, and with the term physical form I refer to the physical elements that constitute a mobile device as a whole, such as weight, size and materials. The selected research area was addressed through two research questions, one focusing on effects of physical form on usability and the other on effects on coolness...

Mobile devices, interaction, and distraction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aagaard, Jesper

2016-01-01

at stake in such impaired social interaction include delayed responses, mechanical intonation, a motionless body, and a lack of eye contact. Appropriating developmental psychologist Daniel Stern’s terminology, it is suggested that this mismatch between the vitality of a person and his or her absently...

Physicians interrupted by mobile devices in hospitals: understanding the interaction between devices, roles, and duties.

Science.gov (United States)

Solvoll, Terje; Scholl, Jeremiah; Hartvigsen, Gunnar

2013-03-07

A common denominator of modern hospitals is a variety of communication problems. In particular, interruptions from mobile communication devices are a cause of great concern for many physicians. To characterize how interruptions from mobile devices disturb physicians in their daily work. The gathered knowledge will be subsequently used as input for the design and development of a context-sensitive communication system for mobile communications suitable for hospitals. This study adheres to an ethnographic and interpretive field research approach. The data gathering consisted of participant observations, non-structured and mostly ad hoc interviews, and open-ended discussions with a selected group of physicians. Eleven physicians were observed for a total of 135 hours during May and June 2009. The study demonstrates to what degree physicians are interrupted by mobile devices in their daily work and in which situations they are interrupted, such as surgery, examinations, and during patients/relatives high-importance level conversations. The participants in the study expected, and also indicated, that wireless phones probably led to more interruptions immediately after their introduction in a clinic, when compared to a pager, but this changed after a short while. The unpleasant feeling experienced by the caller when interrupting someone by calling them differs compared to sending a page message, which leaves it up to the receiver when to return the call. Mobile devices, which frequently interrupt physicians in hospitals, are a problem for both physicians and patients. The results from this study contribute to knowledge being used as input for designing and developing a prototype for a context-sensitive communication system for mobile communication suitable for hospitals. We combined these findings with results from earlier studies and also involved actual users to develop the prototype, CallMeSmart. This system intends to reduce such interruptions and at the same time

profile of intrauterine contraceptive device acceptors at the university

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ANNALS

Conclusion: The acceptors of intrauterine contraceptive devices in our center were ... Conclusion: Les accepteurs de la contraception de substances médicamentenses dans notre centre .... sterilization due to cultural reasons is very low,13 the.

Plasma edge and plasma-wall interaction modelling: Lessons learned from metallic devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Wiesen

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Robust power exhaust schemes employing impurity seeding are needed for target operational scenarios in present day tokamak devices with metallic plasma-facing components (PFCs. For an electricity-producing fusion power plant at power density Psep/R>15MW/m divertor detachment is a requirement for heat load mitigation. 2D plasma edge transport codes like the SOLPS code as well as plasma-wall interaction (PWI codes are key to disentangle relevant physical processes in power and particle exhaust. With increased quantitative credibility in such codes more realistic and physically sound estimates of the life-time expectations and performance of metallic PFCs can be accomplished for divertor conditions relevant for ITER and DEMO. An overview is given on the recent progress of plasma edge and PWI modelling activities for (carbon-free metallic devices, that include results from JET with the ITER-like wall, ASDEX Upgrade and Alcator C-mod. It is observed that metallic devices offer an opportunity to progress the understanding of underlying plasma physics processes in the edge. The validation of models can be substantially improved by eliminating carbon from the experiment as well as from the numerical system with reduced degrees of freedom as no chemical sputtering from amorphous carbon layers and no carbon or hydro-carbon transport are present. With the absence of carbon as the primary plasma impurity and given the fact that the physics of the PWI at metallic walls is less complex it is possible to isolate the crucial plasma physics processes relevant for particle and power exhaust. For a reliable 2D dissipative plasma exhaust model these are: cross-field drifts, complete kinetic neutral physics, geometry effects (including main-chamber, divertor and sub-divertor structures, SOL transport reflecting also the non-diffusive nature of anomalous transport, as well as transport within the pedestal region in case of significant edge impurity radiation

Effects of radiation on MOS structures and silicon devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braeunig, D.; Fahrner, W.

1983-02-01

A comprehensive view of radiation effects on MOS structures and silicon devices is given. In the introduction, the interaction of radiation with semiconductor material is presented. In the next section, the electrical degradation of semiconductor devices due to this interaction is discussed. The commonly used hardening techniques are shown. The last section deals with testing of radiation hardness of devices. (orig.) [de

Personal Learning Environments (PLE in the Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education at the University of Granada

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eduardo Chaves-Barboza

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This paper studies the devices that university students in teacher education incorporate into their personal learning environments (PLE. It also examines the time that students dedicate to activities related to ICT, the factors that encourage or frustrate the incorporation of tools to students’ PLE, and the characteristics that this population desires for a PLE. For this, a questionnaire has been applied using Likert scales in a sample of 668 students divided into 15 groups, enrolled in the Elementary Education Bachelor’s degree program, at the University of Granada, Spain. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (with 95% confidence interval. Also, correlation tests (Kendall coefficient τ and analysis of variance (test of Kruskal-Wallis H were employed. The results showed that laptops and smartphones are the most accessible devices for students. The findings also showed that students spend little time to visiting university platforms, they prefer PLE tools to be productive and to allow them to connect with others, and they want PLE to be interactive, customizable and useful.

A universal parameterization of chaos in various beam-wave interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jae Koo; Lee, Hae June; Hur, Min Sup; Bae, InDeog; Yang, Yi

1998-01-01

The comprehensive parameter space of sell-oscillation and its period-doubling route to chaos are shown for a bounded collisionless beam-plasma system. In this parameterization, it is helpful to use a potentially universal parameter in close analogy with free-electron-laser chaos. A common parameter, which is related to the velocity slippage and the ratio of bounce to oscillation frequencies, is shown to have similar significance for different physical systems. This single parameter replaces the dependences on many input parameters, thus suitable for a simplifying and diagnostic measure of nonlinear dynamical and chaotic phenomena for various systems of particle-wave interactions. The results of independent kinetic-simulations verify those of nonlinear fluid-simulations. Other standard routes to chaos via intermittent or quasiperiodic oscillations are also shown for the undriven plasma systems. Some correlation of linear characteristics to nonlinear phenomena was noted. (author)

Mobile devices and augmented reality in the learning process of university students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julio Cabero Alemanra

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Augmented Reality is an emerging technology having more and more influence on teaching. Together with it, mobile technology is drawn as one of the most effective pairing to support a meaningful and omnipresent learning. However, for it to be able to work with validity, the student must be motivated to use them during the training process, so that the learning process can work with validity. By means of the application of the Instructional Material Motivational Survey by Keller (1983, we have tried to determine the degree of motivation that students, from the Degree of Pedagogy at Seville University (N=148, have about the usage in the  classroom of notes enriched through Augmented Reality and available in mobile devices. Through an application designed exclusively for the subject, it has been valued in a positive way by the students who participate in this research. Moreover, we can highlight that the main finding achieved has been the narrow relationship between the students' motivation to use the enriched notes and the degree of success in the subject when using them. Likewise, we can confirm that Augmented Reality benefits the learning process. Therefore, we conclude the validity and viability of such a paring related to the achievement of an improvement in the students' learning results.

EPICS GPIB device support

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winans, J.

1993-01-01

A GPIB device support module is used to provide access to the operating parameters of a GPIB device. GPIB devices may be accessed via National Instruments 1014 cards or via Bitbus Universal Gateways. GPIB devices typically have many parameters, each of which may be thought of in terms of the standard types of database records available in EPICS. It is the job of the device support module designer to decide how the mapping of these parameters will be made to the available record types. Once this mapping is complete, the device support module may be written. The writing of the device support module consists primarily of the construction of a parameter table. This table is used to associate the database record types with the operating parameters of the GPIB instrument. Other aspects of module design include the handling of SRQ events and errors. SRQ events are made available to the device support module if so desired. The processing of an SRQ event is completely up to the designer of the module. They may be ignored, tied to event based record processing, or anything else the designer wishes. Error conditions may be handled in a similar fashion

Trends in University Programs in Nanoelectronics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bruun, Erik; Nielsen, Ivan Ring

2013-01-01

and non-electronic devices (such as bio-devices or chemical devices), and possibilities for developing fundamentally new nanoscale electronic devices. Engineering curricula taking this development into account have been around for a number of years. The development over the past five years is examined...... in three representative programs and an overview of present programs in the Nordic countries is given. Also, the services provided for universities by the EuroTraining program1 are described....

Institute for Fusion Research and Large Helical Device program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iiyoshi, Atsuo

1989-01-01

In the research on nuclear fusion, the final objective is to materialize nuclear fusion reactors, and for the purpose, it is necessary to cause nuclear combustion by making the plasma of higher than 100 million deg and confine it for a certain time. So far in various universities, the researches on diversified fusion processes have been advanced, but in February, 1986, the Science Council issued the report 'Nuclear fusion research in universities hereafter'. As the next large scale device, an external conductor system helical device was decided, and it is desirable to found the organization for joint utilization by national universities to promote the project. The researches on the other processes are continued by utilizing the existing facilitie. The reason of selecting a helical device is the data base of the researches carried out so far can be utilized sufficiently, it is sufficiently novel even after 10 years from now, and many researchers can be collected. The place of the research is Toki City, Gifu Prefecture, where the Institute of Plasma Physics, Nagoya University, is to be moved. The basic concept of the superconducting helical device project, the trend of nuclear fusion development in the world, the physical research using a helical system and so on are reported. (Kako, I.)

Medical device-related pressure ulcers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Black JM

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Joyce M Black,1 Peggy Kalowes2 1Adult Health and Illness Department, College of Nursing, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 2Nursing Research and Innovation, Long Beach Memorial Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital, Long Beach, CA, USA Abstract: Pressure ulcers from medical devices are common and can cause significant morbidity in patients of all ages. These pressure ulcers appear in the shape of the device and are most often found from the use of oxygen delivery devices. A hospital program designed to reduce the number of pressure ulcers from medical devices was successful. The program involved the development of a team that focused on skin, the results were then published for the staff to track their performance, and it was found that using foam dressings helped reduce the pressure from the device. The incidence of ulcers from medical devices has remained at zero at this hospital since this program was implemented. Keywords: pressure ulcer, medical device related

Particle interaction and displacement damage in silicon devices operated in radiation environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leroy, Claude; Rancoita, Pier-Giorgio

2007-01-01

Silicon is used in radiation detectors and electronic devices. Nowadays, these devices achieving submicron technology are parts of integrated circuits of large to very large scale integration (VLSI). Silicon and silicon-based devices are commonly operated in many fields including particle physics experiments, nuclear medicine and space. Some of these fields present adverse radiation environments that may affect the operation of the devices. The particle energy deposition mechanisms by ionization and non-ionization processes are reviewed as well as the radiation-induced damage and its effect on device parameters evolution, depending on particle type, energy and fluence. The temporary or permanent damage inflicted by a single particle (single event effect) to electronic devices or integrated circuits is treated separately from the total ionizing dose (TID) effect for which the accumulated fluence causes degradation and from the displacement damage induced by the non-ionizing energy-loss (NIEL) deposition. Understanding of radiation effects on silicon devices has an impact on their design and allows the prediction of a specific device behaviour when exposed to a radiation field of interest

A chiral-based magnetic memory device without a permanent magnet.

Science.gov (United States)

Ben Dor, Oren; Yochelis, Shira; Mathew, Shinto P; Naaman, Ron; Paltiel, Yossi

2013-01-01

Several technologies are currently in use for computer memory devices. However, there is a need for a universal memory device that has high density, high speed and low power requirements. To this end, various types of magnetic-based technologies with a permanent magnet have been proposed. Recent charge-transfer studies indicate that chiral molecules act as an efficient spin filter. Here we utilize this effect to achieve a proof of concept for a new type of chiral-based magnetic-based Si-compatible universal memory device without a permanent magnet. More specifically, we use spin-selective charge transfer through a self-assembled monolayer of polyalanine to magnetize a Ni layer. This magnitude of magnetization corresponds to applying an external magnetic field of 0.4 T to the Ni layer. The readout is achieved using low currents. The presented technology has the potential to overcome the limitations of other magnetic-based memory technologies to allow fabricating inexpensive, high-density universal memory-on-chip devices.

Replication Kits for the papers "Automated Usability Evaluation of Virtual Reality Applications" and "VR Interaction Modalities for the Evaluation of Technical Device Prototypes" submitted to the CHI 2018

OpenAIRE

Harms, Patrick; Holderied, Hanna

2017-01-01

This replication kit contains all necessary data to reproduce the setup and results of both papers 'Automated Usability Evaluation of Virtual Reality Applications' and 'VR Interaction Modalities for the Evaluation of Technical Device Prototypes' as submitted to the CHI 2018. It includes the Unity Projects that show a coffee machine and a copier scene (sometimes refered to as printer scene, as well, as it is an integrated device) that can be interacted with with the help of the four interactio...

Measuring devices for the modular switch system; Messgeraete fuer den Schaltschrank

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mueller, Rudolf [Janitza Electronics GmbH, Lahnau (Germany). Sales und Marketing

2008-10-15

The advantages of digital universal measuring instruments are: lower device cost for more information and functionality. Furtheron digital measuring technology is more exactly during service life. Cost advantages result due to low installation cost and reduced installation of wires and cables. So universal devices replace all analogue systems and offer further functions. (orig./GL)

Electronic universal vade-mecum

CERN Document Server

Mikolajczyk, Piotr

1964-01-01

Electronic Universal Vade-Mecum, Volume 1 considers the classification of about 15,000 types of electron devices into a number of groups. Each group includes similar devices irrespective of their marking and production origin. The group arrangement presented in this book has been devised according to a range principle, such as each group includes electron devices differing only insignificantly from those placed in neighboring groups. This indicates that any user of the vade-mecum can easily find all other types of identical or similar characteristics produced by various firms. Each group incl

Generic device controller for accelerator control systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mariotti, R.; Buxton, W.; Frankel, R.; Hoff, L.

1987-01-01

A new distributed intelligence control system has become operational at the AGS for transport, injection, and acceleration of heavy ions. A brief description of the functionality of the physical devices making up the system is given. An attempt has been made to integrate the devices for accelerator specific interfacing into a standard microprocessor system, namely, the Universal Device Controller (UDC). The main goals for such a generic device controller are to provide: local computing power; flexibility to configure; and real time event handling. The UDC assemblies and software are described

The Interactional Effects of the Internal and External University Environment, and the Influence of Personal Values, on Satisfaction among International Postgraduate Students

Science.gov (United States)

Arambewela, Rodney; Hall, John

2013-01-01

The article investigates the interactional effects of internal and external university learning environments, and the influence of personal values, in the satisfaction formation process of international postgraduate students from Asia. Past research on student satisfaction has been narrowly focused on certain aspects of the university internal…

The Effectiveness of an Interactive Training Program in Developing a Set of Non-Cognitive Skills in Students at University of Petra

Science.gov (United States)

Gheith, Eman; Aljaberi, Nahil M.

2017-01-01

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of interactive training programs in developing a set of non-cognitive skills in students at the University of Petra. Furthermore, it sought to examine the impact of the sex, academic year, and university major variables on developing these skills in students who underwent the training program, as…

Interactions of aquatic animals with the ORPC OCGen® in Cobscook Bay, Maine: Monitoring behavior change and assessing the probability of encounter with a deployed MHK device

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zydlewski, Gayle Barbin [Univ. of Maine, Orono, ME (United States). School of Marine Sciences; Staines, Garrett [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Viehman, Haley [Acadia Univ., Wolfville, NS (Canada); Shen, Haixue [Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, LA (United States); Altenritter, Megan [Univ. of Maine, Orono, ME (United States)

2016-10-19

Commercial viability of the marine hydrokinetic (MHK) energy industry is contingent on numerous and diverse factors. A major factor is the effects deployed devices have on animals. This factor is multi-faceted since it is dependent on the availability of appropriate scientific approaches to detect these effects. One of the animal groups with overlapping distributions of MHK devices are fishes. As such, individual fish behavior is likely to be influenced by the presence and operation of MHK devices. Depending on the scale of deployment there are implications for changes to essential fish habitat and effects that can be explored during deployment of a single device yet most changes are likely to be realized when multiple devices are deployed over large areas. It is not only important to document these effects and examine the need for mitigation, but also determine whether the methods involved can be used within the economic constraints of this nascent industry. The results presented in this report benefit the MHK industry by providing transferrable environmental monitoring approaches for MHK projects, specifically related to the interactions between static and dynamic tidal turbines and fish. In addition, some of the data can be used to generalize conditions (e.g., the temporal periodicity of fish presence in tidal regions and probability of fish encountering a device) at other MHK sites with similar physical conditions and fish assemblages. Ocean Renewable Power Company, LLC (ORPC) deployed and tested a prototype OCGen® tidal module in Cobscook Bay, Maine, in the summer of 2014. University of Maine researchers proposed an approach to inform other researchers, regulators, and industry members of the effects of this deployment on fish. While the approach was specifically applied to the OCGen® module, results are applicable to other pilot projects and inform future array deployments. Research funded under this grant allowed us to quantify fish presence as well as

[Anesthesia simulators and training devices].

Science.gov (United States)

Hartmannsgruber, M; Good, M; Carovano, R; Lampotang, S; Gravenstein, J S

1993-07-01

Simulators and training devices are used extensively by educators in 'high-tech' occupations, especially those requiring an understanding of complex systems and co-ordinated psychomotor skills. Because of advances in computer technology, anaesthetised patients can now be realistically simulated. This paper describes several training devices and a simulator currently being employed in the training of anaesthesia personnel at the University of Florida. This Gainesville Anesthesia Simulator (GAS) comprises a patient mannequin, anaesthesia gas machine, and a full set of normally operating monitoring instruments. The patient can spontaneously breathe, has audible heart and breath sounds, and palpable pulses. The mannequin contains a sophisticated lung model that consumes and eliminates gas according to physiological principles. Interconnected computers controlling the physical signs of the mannequin enable the presentation of a multitude of clinical signs. In addition, the anaesthesia machine, which is functionally intact, has hidden fault activators to challenge the user to correct equipment malfunctions. Concealed sensors monitor the users' actions and responses. A robust data acquisition and control system and a user-friendly scripting language for programming simulation scenarios are key features of GAS and make this system applicable for the training of both the beginning resident and the experienced practitioner. GAS enhances clinical education in anaesthesia by providing a non-threatening environment that fosters learning by doing. Exercises with the simulator are supported by sessions on a number of training devices. These present theoretical and practical interactive courses on the anaesthesia machine and on monitors. An extensive system, for example, introduces the student to the physics and clinical application of transoesophageal echocardiography.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Our Particle Universe

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

and “why is the universe the way it is?” Not long before ... to each other. The interactions of particles in the universe ... theory by Jean Perrin in 1908 convinced people that atoms and ..... ing the origin and evolution of our universe13. This is an ...

Proxemic Mobile Collocated Interactions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Porcheron, Martin; Lucero, Andrés; Quigley, Aaron

2016-01-01

and their digital devices (i.e. the proxemic relationships). Building on the ideas of proxemic interactions, this workshop is motivated by the concept of ‘proxemic mobile collocated interactions’, to harness new or existing technologies to create engaging and interactionally relevant experiences. Such approaches......Recent research on mobile collocated interactions has been looking at situations in which collocated users engage in collaborative activities using their mobile devices. However, existing practices fail to fully account for the culturally-dependent spatial relationships between people...... in exploring proxemics and mobile collocated interactions....

Geometric universality of currents in an open network of interacting particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sinitsyn, Nikolai A.; Chernyak, Vladimir Y.; Chertkov, Michael

2010-01-01

We discuss a non-equilibrium statistical system on a graph or network. Identical particles are injected, interact with each other, traverse, and leave the graph in a stochastic manner described in terms of Poisson rates, possibly dependent on time and instantaneous occupation numbers at the nodes of the graph. We show that under the assumption of the relative rates constancy, the system demonstrates a profound statistical symmetry, resulting in geometric universality of the particle currents statistics. The phenomenon applies broadly to many man-made and natural open stochastic systems, such as queuing of packages over internet, transport of electrons and quasi-particles in mesoscopic systems, and chains of reactions in bio-chemical networks. We illustrate the utility of the general approach using two enabling examples from the two latter disciplines.

Mobile Devices and GPU Parallelism in Ionospheric Data Processing

Science.gov (United States)

Mascharka, D.; Pankratius, V.

2015-12-01

Scientific data acquisition in the field is often constrained by data transfer backchannels to analysis environments. Geoscientists are therefore facing practical bottlenecks with increasing sensor density and variety. Mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, offer promising solutions to key problems in scientific data acquisition, pre-processing, and validation by providing advanced capabilities in the field. This is due to affordable network connectivity options and the increasing mobile computational power. This contribution exemplifies a scenario faced by scientists in the field and presents the "Mahali TEC Processing App" developed in the context of the NSF-funded Mahali project. Aimed at atmospheric science and the study of ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC), this app is able to gather data from various dual-frequency GPS receivers. It demonstrates parsing of full-day RINEX files on mobile devices and on-the-fly computation of vertical TEC values based on satellite ephemeris models that are obtained from NASA. Our experiments show how parallel computing on the mobile device GPU enables fast processing and visualization of up to 2 million datapoints in real-time using OpenGL. GPS receiver bias is estimated through minimum TEC approximations that can be interactively adjusted by scientists in the graphical user interface. Scientists can also perform approximate computations for "quickviews" to reduce CPU processing time and memory consumption. In the final stage of our mobile processing pipeline, scientists can upload data to the cloud for further processing. Acknowledgements: The Mahali project (http://mahali.mit.edu) is funded by the NSF INSPIRE grant no. AGS-1343967 (PI: V. Pankratius). We would like to acknowledge our collaborators at Boston College, Virginia Tech, Johns Hopkins University, Colorado State University, as well as the support of UNAVCO for loans of dual-frequency GPS receivers for use in this project, and Intel for loans of

Assessing the potential roles of silicon and germanium phthalocyanines in planar heterojunction organic photovoltaic devices and how pentafluoro phenoxylation can enhance π-π interactions and device performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Lessard, Benoît H; White, Robin T; Al-Amar, Mohammad; Plint, Trevor; Castrucci, Jeffrey S; Josey, David S; Lu, Zheng-Hong; Bender, Timothy P

2015-03-11

In this study, we have assessed the potential application of dichloro silicon phthalocyanine (Cl2-SiPc) and dichloro germanium phthalocyanine (Cl2-GePc) in modern planar heterojunction organic photovoltaic (PHJ OPV) devices. We have determined that Cl2-SiPc can act as an electron donating material when paired with C60 and that Cl2-SiPc or Cl2-GePc can also act as an electron acceptor material when paired with pentacene. These two materials enabled the harvesting of triplet energy resulting from the singlet fission process in pentacene. However, contributions to the generation of photocurrent were observed for Cl2-SiPc with no evidence of photocurrent contribution from Cl2-GePc. The result of our initial assessment established the potential for the application of SiPc and GePc in PHJ OPV devices. Thereafter, bis(pentafluoro phenoxy) silicon phthalocyanine (F10-SiPc) and bis(pentafluoro phenoxy) germanium phthalocyanine (F10-GePc) were synthesized and characterized. During thermal processing, it was discovered that F10-SiPc and F10-GePc underwent a reaction forming small amounts of difluoro SiPc (F2-SiPc) and difluoro GePc (F2-GePc). This undesirable reaction could be circumvented for F10-SiPc but not for F10-GePc. Using single crystal X-ray diffraction, it was determined that F10-SiPc has significantly enhanced π-π interactions compared with that of Cl2-SiPc, which had little to none. Unoptimized PHJ OPV devices based on F10-SiPc were fabricated and directly compared to those constructed from Cl2-SiPc, and in all cases, PHJ OPV devices based on F10-SiPc had significantly improved device characteristics compared to Cl2-SiPc.

Use of speech generating devices can improve perception of qualifications for skilled, verbal, and interactive jobs.

Science.gov (United States)

Stern, Steven E; Chobany, Chelsea M; Beam, Alexander A; Hoover, Brittany N; Hull, Thomas T; Linsenbigler, Melissa; Makdad-Light, Courtney; Rubright, Courtney N

2017-01-01

We have previously demonstrated that when speech generating devices (SGD) are used as assistive technologies, they are preferred over the users' natural voices. We sought to examine whether using SGDs would affect listener's perceptions of hirability of people with complex communication needs. In a series of three experiments, participants rated videotaped actors, one using SGD and the other using their natural, mildly dysarthric voice, on (a) a measurement of perceptions of speaker credibility, strength, and informedness and (b) measurements of hirability for jobs coded in terms of skill, verbal ability, and interactivity. Experiment 1 examined hirability for jobs varying in terms of skill and verbal ability. Experiment 2 was a replication that examined hirability for jobs varying in terms of interactivity. Experiment 3 examined jobs in terms of skill and specific mode of interaction (face-to-face, telephone, computer-mediated). Actors were rated more favorably when using SGD than their own voices. Actors using SGD were also rated more favorably for highly skilled and highly verbal jobs. This preference for SGDs over mildly dysarthric voice was also found for jobs entailing computer-mediated-communication, particularly skillful jobs.

WWC Review of the Report "Interactive Online Learning on Campus: Testing MOOCs and Other Platforms in Hybrid Formats in the University System of Maryland." What Works Clearinghouse Single Study Review

Science.gov (United States)

What Works Clearinghouse, 2015

2015-01-01

In the 2014 study, "Interactive Online Learning on Campus: Testing MOOCs and Other Platforms in Hybrid Formats in the University System of Maryland," researchers examined the impact of using hybrid forms of interactive online learning in seven undergraduate courses across seven universities in Maryland. Hybrid forms of interactive online…

On Emulation of Flueric Devices in Excitable Chemical Medium.

Science.gov (United States)

Adamatzky, Andrew

2016-01-01

Flueric devices are fluidic devices without moving parts. Fluidic devices use fluid as a medium for information transfer and computation. A Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) medium is a thin-layer spatially extended excitable chemical medium which exhibits travelling excitation wave-fronts. The excitation wave-fronts transfer information. Flueric devices compute via jets interaction. BZ devices compute via excitation wave-fronts interaction. In numerical model of BZ medium we show that functions of key flueric devices are implemented in the excitable chemical system: signal generator, and, xor, not and nor Boolean gates, delay elements, diodes and sensors. Flueric devices have been widely used in industry since late 1960s and are still employed in automotive and aircraft technologies. Implementation of analog of the flueric devices in the excitable chemical systems opens doors to further applications of excitation wave-based unconventional computing in soft robotics, embedded organic electronics and living technologies.

On Emulation of Flueric Devices in Excitable Chemical Medium.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew Adamatzky

Full Text Available Flueric devices are fluidic devices without moving parts. Fluidic devices use fluid as a medium for information transfer and computation. A Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ medium is a thin-layer spatially extended excitable chemical medium which exhibits travelling excitation wave-fronts. The excitation wave-fronts transfer information. Flueric devices compute via jets interaction. BZ devices compute via excitation wave-fronts interaction. In numerical model of BZ medium we show that functions of key flueric devices are implemented in the excitable chemical system: signal generator, and, xor, not and nor Boolean gates, delay elements, diodes and sensors. Flueric devices have been widely used in industry since late 1960s and are still employed in automotive and aircraft technologies. Implementation of analog of the flueric devices in the excitable chemical systems opens doors to further applications of excitation wave-based unconventional computing in soft robotics, embedded organic electronics and living technologies.

The potential of medical device industry in technological and economical context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maresova P

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Petra Maresova,1 Marek Penhaker,1,2 Ali Selamat,1,3 Kamil Kuca1,41Faculty of Informatics and Management, University of Hradec Králové, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic; 2Department of Cybernetics and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Technical University of Ostrava, Poruba, Czech Republic; 3Faculty of Computing, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia; 4Center for Biomedical Research, University Hospital Hradec Králové, Hradec Králové, Czech RepublicAbstract: The high quality of public health improves not only healthy life expectancy, but also the productivity of labor. The most important part of the health care sector is the medical technology industry. The aim of this study is to analyze the current situation in the medical device industry in Europe, its potential strengths and weaknesses in the context of topical economic and demographic development. The contribution specifies an analysis of the economic state of the medical device industry in the context of demographic development of European Union’s macroeconomic indicators and views of experts in the field of medical device development, concerning the opportunities for entities involved in the medical device market. There is fierce competition on the European market. The innovative activity is stable and well regulated by responsible authorities. Worldwide, the medical device market is expected to grow.Keywords: technology context, medical device, Europe, expenditure, review

Automatic shadowing device for electron microscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bishop, F W; Bogitch, S

1960-01-01

For the past ten years in the laboratory of the Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Biology at the University of California, and before that at Rochester, New York, every evaporation was done with the aid of an automatic shadowing device. For several months the automatic shadowing device has been available at the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC) Hiroshima, Japan with the modifications described. 1 reference.

Universal spectrum data analysis program for microsoft windows

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hao, F.; Cai, Z.; Wang, H.

1993-01-01

We have developed a universal spectrum analysis and characterization program the Microsoft Windows environment. This sophisticated and easy to use software package can be employed in many areas for spectra data analysis, parametrization and line profile recognition. Spectra can for example be smoothed, calibrated and transformed from the laboratory frame to the projectile frame and background can be subtracted by using cubic spline functions or exponential functions. Up to 10 peaks and 40 different parameters can be fitted simultaneously either automatically by least squares routines or manually by system interactive devices. Line profiles include triangular, Gaussian, Lorentzian, Fano, Shore, post collisonal interactions functions etc., and also can be easily expanded to virtually any nonlinear fitting function. In addition, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) routines allow users to convolute, deconvolute or Fourier analyze complex spectral patterns. Specifically this program has been applied for high resolution electron- and photon emission spectra following electron or ion collision with gaseous targets. Some examples for data evaluation will be presented

The Effect of Interactive e-Book on Students' Achievement at Najran University in Computer in Education Course

Science.gov (United States)

Ebied, Mohammed Mohammed Ahmed; Rahman, Shimaa Ahmed Abdul

2015-01-01

The current study aims to examine the effect of interactive e-books on students' achievement at Najran University in computer in education course. Quasi-experimental study design is used in the study and to collect data the researchers built achievement test to measure the dependent variable represented in the achievement affected by experimental…

Explaining the large numbers by a hierarchy of ''universes'': a unified theory of strong and gravitational interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caldirola, P.; Recami, E.

1978-01-01

By assuming covariance of physical laws under (discrete) dilatations, strong and gravitational interactions have been described in a unified way. In terms of the (additional, discrete) ''dilatational'' degree of freedom, our cosmos as well as hadrons can be considered as different states of the same system, or rather as similar systems. Moreover, a discrete hierarchy can be defined of ''universes'' which are governed by force fields with strengths inversely proportional to the ''universe'' radii. Inside each ''universe'' an equivalence principle holds, so that its characteristic field can be geometrized there. It is thus easy to derive a whole ''numerology'', i.e. relations among numbers analogous to the so-called Weyl-Eddington-Dirac ''large numbers''. For instance, the ''Planck mass'' happens to be nothing but the (average) magnitude of the strong charge of the hadron quarks. However, our ''numerology'' connects the (gravitational) macrocosmos with the (strong) microcosmos, rather than with the electromagnetic ones (as, e.g., in Dirac's version). Einstein-type scaled equations (with ''cosmological'' term) are suggested for the hadron interior, which - incidentally - yield a (classical) quark confinement in a very natural way and are compatible with the ''asymptotic freedom''. At last, within a ''bi-scale'' theory, further equations are proposed that provide a priori a classical field theory of strong interactions (between different hadrons). The relevant sections are 5.2, 7 and 8. (author)

Weak interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogava, S.; Savada, S.; Nakagava, M.

1983-01-01

The problem of the use of weak interaction laws to study models of elementary particles is discussed. The most typical examples of weak interaction is beta-decay of nucleons and muons. Beta-interaction is presented by quark currents in the form of universal interaction of the V-A type. Universality of weak interactions is well confirmed using as examples e- and μ-channels of pion decay. Hypothesis on partial preservation of axial current is applicable to the analysis of processes with pion participation. In the framework of the model with four flavours lepton decays of hadrons are considered. Weak interaction without lepton participation are also considered. Properties of neutral currents are described briefly

Dielectrokinetic chromatography devices

Science.gov (United States)

Chirica, Gabriela S; Fiechtner, Gregory J; Singh, Anup K

2014-12-16

Disclosed herein are methods and devices for dielectrokinetic chromatography. As disclosed, the devices comprise microchannels having at least one perturber which produces a non-uniformity in a field spanning the width of the microchannel. The interaction of the field non-uniformity with a perturber produces a secondary flow which competes with a primary flow. By decreasing the size of the perturber the secondary flow becomes significant for particles/analytes in the nanometer-size range. Depending on the nature of a particle/analyte present in the fluid and its interaction with the primary flow and the secondary flow, the analyte may be retained or redirected. The composition of the primary flow can be varied to affect the magnitude of primary and/or secondary flows on the particles/analytes and thereby separate and concentrate it from other particles/analytes.

Stimulating Manufacturing Excellence through University-Industry Interaction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Riis, Jens Ove

2001-01-01

This paper considers what a university engineering school can do to stimulate manufacturing excellence in industry. Aalborg University, with its unique use of problem-based learning methods, is used as a case example. This approach is also embedded in a new research initiative, the Centre...... for Industrial Production. Examples of industry involvement in research and development projects are given. Such university–industry collaboration will not only benefit the development of competencies in large and small industrial enterprises, but will also provide a laboratory setting for the study...

Multi-microelectrode devices for intrafascicular use in peripheral nerve

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rutten, Wim

1996-01-01

This minisymposium paper gives an overview of experimental, modeling, design and microfabrication steps which lead towards the University of Twente three-dimensional 128-fold silicon microelectrode device. The device is meant for implantation in peripheral nerve for neuromuscular control purposes

The One Universal Graph — a free and open graph database

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, Liang S.; Champion, Corbin

2016-02-01

Recent developments in graph database mostly are huge projects involving big organizations, big operations and big capital, as the name Big Data attests. We proposed the concept of One Universal Graph (OUG) which states that all observable and known objects and concepts (physical, conceptual or digitally represented) can be connected with only one single graph; furthermore the OUG can be implemented with a very simple text file format with free software, capable of being executed on Android or smaller devices. As such the One Universal Graph Data Exchange (GOUDEX) modules can potentially be installed on hundreds of millions of Android devices and Intel compatible computers shipped annually. Coupled with its open nature and ability to connect to existing leading search engines and databases currently in operation, GOUDEX has the potential to become the largest and a better interface for users and programmers to interact with the data on the Internet. With a Web User Interface for users to use and program in native Linux environment, Free Crowdware implemented in GOUDEX can help inexperienced users learn programming with better organized documentation for free software, and is able to manage programmer's contribution down to a single line of code or a single variable in software projects. It can become the first practically realizable “Internet brain” on which a global artificial intelligence system can be implemented. Being practically free and open, One Universal Graph can have significant applications in robotics, artificial intelligence as well as social networks.

Human Handheld-Device Interaction : An Adaptive User Interface

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fitrianie, S.

2010-01-01

The move to smaller, lighter and more powerful (mobile) handheld devices, whe-ther PDAs or smart-phones, looks like a trend that is building up speed. With numerous embedded technologies and wireless connectivity, the drift opens up unlimited opportunities in daily activities that are both more

A pedestrian's view on interacting particle systems, KPZ universality and random matrices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kriecherbauer, Thomas [Fakultaet fuer Mathematik, Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum (Germany); Krug, Joachim, E-mail: thomas.kriecherbauer@ruhr-uni-bochum.d, E-mail: krug@thp.uni-koeln.d [Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Universitaet zu Koeln (Germany)

2010-10-08

These notes are based on lectures delivered by the authors at a Langeoog seminar of SFB/TR12 Symmetries and Universality in Mesoscopic Systems to a mixed audience of mathematicians and theoretical physicists. After a brief outline of the basic physical concepts of equilibrium and nonequilibrium states, the one-dimensional simple exclusion process is introduced as a paradigmatic nonequilibrium interacting particle system. The stationary measure on the ring is derived and the idea of the hydrodynamic limit is sketched. We then introduce the phenomenological Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) equation and explain the associated universality conjecture for surface fluctuations in growth models. This is followed by a detailed exposition of a seminal paper of Johansson [59] that relates the current fluctuations of the totally asymmetric simple exclusion process (TASEP) to the Tracy-Widom distribution of random matrix theory. The implications of this result are discussed within the framework of the KPZ conjecture. (topical review)

Chaotic universe model.

Science.gov (United States)

Aydiner, Ekrem

2018-01-15

In this study, we consider nonlinear interactions between components such as dark energy, dark matter, matter and radiation in the framework of the Friedman-Robertson-Walker space-time and propose a simple interaction model based on the time evolution of the densities of these components. By using this model we show that these interactions can be given by Lotka-Volterra type equations. We numerically solve these coupling equations and show that interaction dynamics between dark energy-dark matter-matter or dark energy-dark matter-matter-radiation has a strange attractor for 0 > w de  >-1, w dm  ≥ 0, w m  ≥ 0 and w r  ≥ 0 values. These strange attractors with the positive Lyapunov exponent clearly show that chaotic dynamics appears in the time evolution of the densities. These results provide that the time evolution of the universe is chaotic. The present model may have potential to solve some of the cosmological problems such as the singularity, cosmic coincidence, big crunch, big rip, horizon, oscillation, the emergence of the galaxies, matter distribution and large-scale organization of the universe. The model also connects between dynamics of the competing species in biological systems and dynamics of the time evolution of the universe and offers a new perspective and a new different scenario for the universe evolution.

The generalized second law of thermodynamics for the interacting polytropic dark energy in non-flat FRW universe enclosed by the apparent horizon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karami, K.; Ghaffari, S.

2010-01-01

We investigate the validity of the generalized second law of thermodynamics in a non-flat FRW universe containing the interacting polytropic dark energy with cold dark matter. The boundary of the universe is assumed to be enclosed by the dynamical apparent horizon. We show that for this model under thermal equilibrium with the Hawking radiation, the generalized second law is always satisfied throughout the history of the universe for any spatial curvature, independently of the deceleration parameter.

The generalized second law of thermodynamics for the interacting polytropic dark energy in non-flat FRW universe enclosed by the apparent horizon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karami, K., E-mail: KKarami@uok.ac.i [Department of Physics, University of Kurdistan, Pasdaran St., Sanandaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Research Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics of Maragha (RIAAM), Maragha (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Ghaffari, S. [Department of Physics, University of Kurdistan, Pasdaran St., Sanandaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2010-05-03

We investigate the validity of the generalized second law of thermodynamics in a non-flat FRW universe containing the interacting polytropic dark energy with cold dark matter. The boundary of the universe is assumed to be enclosed by the dynamical apparent horizon. We show that for this model under thermal equilibrium with the Hawking radiation, the generalized second law is always satisfied throughout the history of the universe for any spatial curvature, independently of the deceleration parameter.

Probing Interaction Between Platinum Group Metal (PGM) and Non-PGM Support Through Surface Characterization and Device Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Saha, Shibely

High cost and limited abundance of Platinum (Pt) have hindered effective commercialization of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell and Electrolyzer. Efforts have been undertaken to reduce precious group metal (PGM) requirement for these devices without compromising the activity of the catalyst by using transition metal carbides (TMC) as non-PGM support thanks to their similar electronic and geometric structures as Pt. In this work Mo2C was selected as non-PGM support and Pt was used as the PGM of interest. We hypothesize that the hollow nanotube morphology of Mo2C support combined with Pt nano particles deposited on it via atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique would allow increased interaction between them which may increase the activity of Pt and Mo2C as well as maximize the Pt active surface area. Specifically, a rotary ALD equipment was used to grow Pt particles from atomic level to 2--3 nanometers by simply adjusting number of ALD cycles in order to probe the interaction between the deposited Pt nanoparticles and Mo2C nanotube support. Interaction between the Pt and Mo2 C was analyzed via surface characterization and electrochemical characterization. Interaction between Pt and Mo2C arises due to the lattice mismatch between Pt and Mo2C as well as electron migration between them. Lattice spacing analysis using high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images, combined with Pt binding energy shift in XPS results, clearly showed strong bonding between Pt nanoparticles and the Mo2C nanotube support in all the resultant Pt/Mo2C samples. We postulate that this strong interaction is responsible for the significantly enhanced durability observed in our constant potential electrolysis (CPE) and accelerated degradation testing (ADT). Of the three samples from different ALD cycles (15, 50 and 100), Mo2C nanotubes modified by 50 (1.07 wt% Pt loading) and 100 cycles (4.4 wt% Pt) of Pt deposition, showed higher HER and HOR activity per Pt mass than commercial

Hybrid Universities in Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Molly; Wan, Chang Da; Sirat, Morshidi

2017-01-01

Are Asian universities different from those in Western countries? Premised on the hypothesis that Asian universities are different because of hybridization between Western academic models and local traditional cultures, this paper investigates the hybrid characteristics in Malaysian universities resulting from interaction between contemporary…

Exploring the Use of Interactive Digital Storytelling Video: Promoting Student Engagement and Learning in a University Hybrid Course

Science.gov (United States)

Shelton, Catharyn C.; Warren, Annie E.; Archambault, Leanna M.

2016-01-01

This study explores interactive digital storytelling in a university hybrid course. Digital stories leverage imagery and narrative-based content to explore concepts, while appealing to millennials. When digital storytelling is used as the main source of course content, tensions arise regarding how to engage and support student learning while…

Universal programmable devices for unambiguous discrimination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Chi; Ying Mingsheng; Qiao, Bo

2006-01-01

We discuss the problem of designing unambiguous programmable discriminators for any n unknown quantum states in an m-dimensional Hilbert space. The discriminator is a fixed measurement that has two kinds of input registers: the program registers and the data register. The quantum state in the data register is what users want to identify, which is confirmed to be among the n states in program registers. The task of the discriminator is to tell the users which state stored in the program registers is equivalent to that in the data register. First, we give a necessary and sufficient condition for judging an unambiguous programmable discriminator. Then, if m=n, we present an optimal unambiguous programmable discriminator for them, in the sense of maximizing the worst-case probability of success. Finally, we propose a universal unambiguous programmable discriminator for arbitrary n quantum states

XIX Conference on Plasma Surface Interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurnaev, V A; Gasparyan, Yu M

2016-01-01

The 19 th Conference on Plasma Surface Interactions (PSI-2016) was held at National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute) on 28-29 January 2016. This is a traditional annual meeting organized by MEPhI for many years and devoted to the recent achievements of Russian scientists and foreign colleagues in experimental and computer simulations of plasma and its components' interactions with plasma faced materials (PFM) for fusion devices and plasma technologies. The conference agenda covered a broad list of topics including: • plasma induced erosion and modification of materials; • radiation damage in materials; • lithium and liquid metals as PFM; • modeling of plasma surface interaction and processes in SOL of tokamak plasma; • diagnostics of plasma-surface interaction. The aim of the conference was to present and discuss new results in PSI in a wide audience with different areas of expertise. The important feature of the conference is to give PhD and undergraduate students the opportunity for approbation of results of their scientific activity and improve their knowledge in the novel directions of R and D in the field of fusion and plasma technologies. In total, more than 80 experienced and young researchers participated in the conference. These Proceedings contain 21 papers selected for publication, which were reviewed by the invited international team of editors (T. Tanabe, S. Petrovich, Ch. Grisolia, Yu. Martynenko, S. Krasheninnikov, L. Begrambekov, A. Pisarev). The Conference as well as editing of this issue were supported by National Research Nuclear University MEPhI in the framework of the Russian Academic Excellence Project (contract No. 02.a03.21.0005, 27.08.2013). Finally, we would like to thank all of the speakers, participants and organizing committee members for their contribution to the conference. Acknowledgements The organizers of the conference would like to thank for the support from National Research

Flexible devices: from materials, architectures to applications

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Mingzhi; Ma, Yue; Yuan, Xin; Hu, Yi; Liu, Jie; Jin, Zhong

2018-01-01

Flexible devices, such as flexible electronic devices and flexible energy storage devices, have attracted a significant amount of attention in recent years for their potential applications in modern human lives. The development of flexible devices is moving forward rapidly, as the innovation of methods and manufacturing processes has greatly encouraged the research of flexible devices. This review focuses on advanced materials, architecture designs and abundant applications of flexible devices, and discusses the problems and challenges in current situations of flexible devices. We summarize the discovery of novel materials and the design of new architectures for improving the performance of flexible devices. Finally, we introduce the applications of flexible devices as key components in real life. Project supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (Nos. 2017YFA0208200, 2016YFB0700600, 2015CB659300), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 21403105, 21573108), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. 020514380107).

Progress and Prospects in Stretchable Electroluminescent Devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wang Jiangxin

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Stretchable electroluminescent (EL devices are a new form of mechanically deformable electronics that are gaining increasing interests and believed to be one of the essential technologies for next generation lighting and display applications. Apart from the simple bending capability in flexible EL devices, the stretchable EL devices are required to withstand larger mechanical deformations and accommodate stretching strain beyond 10%. The excellent mechanical conformability in these devices enables their applications in rigorous mechanical conditions such as flexing, twisting, stretching, and folding.The stretchable EL devices can be conformably wrapped onto arbitrary curvilinear surface and respond seamlessly to the external or internal forces, leading to unprecedented applications that cannot be addressed with conventional technologies. For example, they are in demand for wide applications in biomedical-related devices or sensors and soft interactive display systems, including activating devices for photosensitive drug, imaging apparatus for internal tissues, electronic skins, interactive input and output devices, robotics, and volumetric displays. With increasingly stringent demand on the mechanical requirements, the fabrication of stretchable EL device is encountering many challenges that are difficult to resolve. In this review, recent progresses in the stretchable EL devices are covered with a focus on the approaches that are adopted to tackle materials and process challenges in stretchable EL devices and delineate the strategies in stretchable electronics. We first introduce the emission mechanisms that have been successfully demonstrated on stretchable EL devices. Limitations and advantages of the different mechanisms for stretchable EL devices are also discussed. Representative reports are reviewed based on different structural and material strategies. Unprecedented applications that have been enabled by the stretchable EL devices are

SeleCon: Scalable IoT Device Selection and Control Using Hand Gestures.

Science.gov (United States)

Alanwar, Amr; Alzantot, Moustafa; Ho, Bo-Jhang; Martin, Paul; Srivastava, Mani

2017-04-01

Although different interaction modalities have been proposed in the field of human-computer interface (HCI), only a few of these techniques could reach the end users because of scalability and usability issues. Given the popularity and the growing number of IoT devices, selecting one out of many devices becomes a hurdle in a typical smarthome environment. Therefore, an easy-to-learn, scalable, and non-intrusive interaction modality has to be explored. In this paper, we propose a pointing approach to interact with devices, as pointing is arguably a natural way for device selection. We introduce SeleCon for device selection and control which uses an ultra-wideband (UWB) equipped smartwatch. To interact with a device in our system, people can point to the device to select it then draw a hand gesture in the air to specify a control action. To this end, SeleCon employs inertial sensors for pointing gesture detection and a UWB transceiver for identifying the selected device from ranging measurements. Furthermore, SeleCon supports an alphabet of gestures that can be used for controlling the selected devices. We performed our experiment in a 9 m -by-10 m lab space with eight deployed devices. The results demonstrate that SeleCon can achieve 84.5% accuracy for device selection and 97% accuracy for hand gesture recognition. We also show that SeleCon is power efficient to sustain daily use by turning off the UWB transceiver, when a user's wrist is stationary.

Integrating medical, assistive, and universally designed products and technologies: assistive technology device classification (ATDC).

Science.gov (United States)

Bauer, Stephen; Elsaesser, Linda-Jeanne

2012-09-01

ISO26000:2010 International Guidance Standard on Organizational Social Responsibility requires that effective organizational performance recognize social responsibility, including the rights of persons with disabilities (PWD), engage stakeholders and contribute to sustainable development. Millennium Development Goals 2010 notes that the most vulnerable people require special attention, while the World Report on Disability 2011 identifies improved data collection and removal of barriers to rehabilitation as the means to empower PWD. The Assistive Technology Device Classification (ATDC), Assistive Technology Service Method (ATSM) and Matching Person and Technology models provide an evidence-based, standardized, internationally comparable framework to improve data collection and rehabilitation interventions. The ATDC and ATSM encompass and support universal design (UD) principles, and use the language and concepts of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Use ATDC and ICF concepts to differentiate medical, assistive and UD products and technology; relate technology "types" to markets and costs; and support provision of UD products and technologies as sustainable and socially responsible behavior. Supply-side and demand-side incentives are suggested to foster private sector development and commercialization of UD products and technologies. Health and health-related professionals should be knowledgeable of UD principles and interventions.

Injection device-related risk management toward safe administration of medications: experience in a university teaching hospital in The People’s Republic of China

OpenAIRE

Zhu, Ling-ling; Li, Wei; Song, Ping; Zhou, Quan

2014-01-01

Ling-ling Zhu,1 Wei Li,2 Ping Song,3 Quan Zhou3 1Geriatric VIP Ward, Division of Nursing, 2Division of Medical Administration, 3Department of Pharmacy, the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China Abstract: The use of injection devices to administer intravenous or subcutaneous medications is common practice throughout a variety of health care settings. Studies suggest that one-half of all harmful medication errors origi...

Microwave produced plasma in a Toroidal Device

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, A. K.; Edwards, W. F.; Held, E. D.

2010-11-01

A currentless toroidal plasma device exhibits a large range of interesting basic plasma physics phenomena. Such a device is not in equilibrium in a strict magneto hydrodynamic sense. There are many sources of free energy in the form of gradients in plasma density, temperature, the background magnetic field and the curvature of the magnetic field. These free energy sources excite waves and instabilities which have been the focus of studies in several devices in last two decades. A full understanding of these simple plasmas is far from complete. At Utah State University we have recently designed and installed a microwave plasma generation system on a small tokamak borrowed from the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada. Microwaves are generated at 2.45 GHz in a pulsed dc mode using a magnetron from a commercial kitchen microwave oven. The device is equipped with horizontal and vertical magnetic fields and a transformer to impose a toroidal electric field for current drive. Plasmas can be obtained over a wide range of pressure with and without magnetic fields. We present some preliminary measurements of plasma density and potential profiles. Measurements of plasma temperature at different operating conditions are also presented.

Situated learning in the mobile age: mobile devices on a field trip to the sea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vanessa D.I. Pfeiffer

2009-12-01

Full Text Available This study focuses on learning about fish biodiversity via mobile devices in a situated learning scenario. Mobile devices do not only facilitate relating the presented information to the real world in a direct way; they also allow the provision of dynamic representations on demand. This study asks whether mobile devices are suited to support knowledge acquisition in a situated learning scenario and whether providing dynamic content is an additional benefit of mobile devices in combination with a real-world experience. The study was conducted during a regular university course at the Mediterranean Sea. Students had to acquire knowledge on 18 Mediterranean fish species by using either static (n = 16 or dynamic learning materials (n = 17. An initial classroom activity was followed by a real-world experience with mobile devices (snorkelling activity. Learning outcomes were measured before and after snorkelling. A 2×2 mixed ANOVA revealed that students performed better after than before the mobile learning experience, whereas no main effect for learning material could be found. However, an interaction between both factors indicated that the knowledge gain in the dynamic group exceeded the knowledge gain in the static group. These results indicate that mobile devices are helpful to unfold the potential of dynamic visualisations for learning biodiversity in a situated learning scenario.

Investigating Cross-Device Interaction between a Handheld Device and a Large Display

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Paay, Jeni; Raptis, Dimitrios; Kjeldskov, Jesper

2017-01-01

and mid-air gestures, pinching, swiping, swinging and flicking. We look specifically at their relative efficiency, effectiveness and accuracy in bi-directional interaction between a smartphone and large display in a point-click context. We report findings from two user studies, which show that swiping...... is both most effective, fastest and most accurate, closely followed by swinging. What these two approaches have in common is the ability to keep the pointer steady on the large display, unaffected by concurrent gestures or body movements used to complete the interaction, suggesting...

Garbage Modeling for On-device Speech Recognition

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Gysel, C.; Velikovich, L.; McGraw, I.; Beaufays, F.

2015-01-01

User interactions with mobile devices increasingly depend on voice as a primary input modality. Due to the disadvantages of sending audio across potentially spotty network connections for speech recognition, in recent years there has been growing attention to performing recognition on-device. The

CMOS and BiCMOS process integration and device characterization

CERN Document Server

El-Kareh, Badih

2009-01-01

Covers both the theoretical and practical aspects of modern silicon devices and the relationship between their electrical properties and processing conditions. This book also covers silicon devices and integrated process technologies. It discusses modern silicon devices, their characteristics, and interactions with process parameters.

Remote media vision-based computer input device

Science.gov (United States)

Arabnia, Hamid R.; Chen, Ching-Yi

1991-11-01

In this paper, we introduce a vision-based computer input device which has been built at the University of Georgia. The user of this system gives commands to the computer without touching any physical device. The system receives input through a CCD camera; it is PC- based and is built on top of the DOS operating system. The major components of the input device are: a monitor, an image capturing board, a CCD camera, and some software (developed by use). These are interfaced with a standard PC running under the DOS operating system.

Critical plasma-wall interaction issues for plasma-facing materials and components in near-term fusion devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Federici, G.; Coad, J.P.; Haasz, A.A.; Janeschitz, G.; Noda, N.; Philipps, V.; Roth, J.; Skinner, C.H.; Tivey, R.; Wu, C.H.

2000-01-01

The increase in pulse duration and cumulative run-time, together with the increase of the plasma energy content, will represent the largest changes in operation conditions in future fusion devices such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) compared to today's experimental facilities. These will give rise to important plasma-physics effects and plasma-material interactions (PMIs) which are only partially observed and accessible in present-day experiments and will open new design, operation and safety issues. For the first time in fusion research, erosion and its consequences over many pulses (e.g., co-deposition and dust) may determine the operational schedule of a fusion device. This paper identifies the most critical issues arising from PMIs which represent key elements in the selection of materials, the design, and the optimisation of plasma-facing components (PFCs) for the first-wall and divertor. Significant advances in the knowledge base have been made recently, as part of the R and D supporting the engineering design activities (EDA) of ITER, and some of the most relevant data are reviewed here together with areas where further R and D work is urgently needed

Magnetic Field Interactions of Copper-Containing Intrauterine Devices in 3.0-Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging: In Vivo Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berger-Kulemann, Vanessa; Einspieler, Henrik [Department of Radiology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1090 (Austria); Hachemian, Nilouparak [Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1090 (Austria); Prayer, Daniela; Trattnig, Siegfried; Weber, Michael; Ba-Ssalamah, Ahmed [Department of Radiology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1090 (Austria)

2013-07-01

An ex vivo study found a copper-containing intrauterine device (IUD) to be safe for women undergoing an MRI examination at a 3.0-T field. No significant artifacts caused by the metallic implant were detected. However, there are still no in vivo data about these concerns. The aim of this study was to evaluate 3.0-T magnetic field interactions of copper-containing IUDs in vivo. Magnetic field interactions and potential adverse events were evaluated in 33 women using a questionnaire-based telephone survey. Two experienced radiologists performed artifact evaluation on MR images of the pelvis. Eighteen patients were eligible for the survey. One patient reported a dislocation of the IUD after the MR examination. All other patients had no signs of field interactions. No IUD-related artifacts were found. MRI at 3.0-T is possible for women with copper-containing IUDs. However, consulting a gynecologist to check the correct position of the IUD and exclude complications after an MR examination is highly recommended. High-quality clinical imaging of the female pelvis can be performed without a loss in image quality.

Magnetic Field Interactions of Copper-Containing Intrauterine Devices in 3.0-Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging: In Vivo Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berger-Kulemann, Vanessa; Einspieler, Henrik; Hachemian, Nilouparak; Prayer, Daniela; Trattnig, Siegfried; Weber, Michael; Ba-Ssalamah, Ahmed

2013-01-01

An ex vivo study found a copper-containing intrauterine device (IUD) to be safe for women undergoing an MRI examination at a 3.0-T field. No significant artifacts caused by the metallic implant were detected. However, there are still no in vivo data about these concerns. The aim of this study was to evaluate 3.0-T magnetic field interactions of copper-containing IUDs in vivo. Magnetic field interactions and potential adverse events were evaluated in 33 women using a questionnaire-based telephone survey. Two experienced radiologists performed artifact evaluation on MR images of the pelvis. Eighteen patients were eligible for the survey. One patient reported a dislocation of the IUD after the MR examination. All other patients had no signs of field interactions. No IUD-related artifacts were found. MRI at 3.0-T is possible for women with copper-containing IUDs. However, consulting a gynecologist to check the correct position of the IUD and exclude complications after an MR examination is highly recommended. High-quality clinical imaging of the female pelvis can be performed without a loss in image quality

Tactile Feedback for Above-Device Gesture Interfaces

OpenAIRE

Freeman, Euan; Brewster, Stephen; Lantz, Vuokko

2014-01-01

Above-device gesture interfaces let people interact in the space above mobile devices using hand and finger movements. For example, users could gesture over a mobile phone or wearable without having to use the touchscreen. We look at how above-device interfaces can also give feedback in the space over the device. Recent haptic and wearable technologies give new ways to provide tactile feedback while gesturing, letting touchless gesture interfaces give touch feedback. In this paper we take a f...

SeleCon: Scalable IoT Device Selection and Control Using Hand Gestures

Science.gov (United States)

Alanwar, Amr; Alzantot, Moustafa; Ho, Bo-Jhang; Martin, Paul; Srivastava, Mani

2018-01-01

Although different interaction modalities have been proposed in the field of human-computer interface (HCI), only a few of these techniques could reach the end users because of scalability and usability issues. Given the popularity and the growing number of IoT devices, selecting one out of many devices becomes a hurdle in a typical smarthome environment. Therefore, an easy-to-learn, scalable, and non-intrusive interaction modality has to be explored. In this paper, we propose a pointing approach to interact with devices, as pointing is arguably a natural way for device selection. We introduce SeleCon for device selection and control which uses an ultra-wideband (UWB) equipped smartwatch. To interact with a device in our system, people can point to the device to select it then draw a hand gesture in the air to specify a control action. To this end, SeleCon employs inertial sensors for pointing gesture detection and a UWB transceiver for identifying the selected device from ranging measurements. Furthermore, SeleCon supports an alphabet of gestures that can be used for controlling the selected devices. We performed our experiment in a 9m-by-10m lab space with eight deployed devices. The results demonstrate that SeleCon can achieve 84.5% accuracy for device selection and 97% accuracy for hand gesture recognition. We also show that SeleCon is power efficient to sustain daily use by turning off the UWB transceiver, when a user’s wrist is stationary. PMID:29683151

Wearable Assistive Devices for the Blind

OpenAIRE

Velazquez, Ramiro

2016-01-01

Assistive devices are a key aspect in wearable systems for biomedical applications, as they represent potential aids for people with physical and sensory disabilities that might lead to improvements in the quality of life. This chapter focuses on wearable assistive devices for the blind. It intends to review the most significant work done in this area, to present the latest approaches for assisting this population and to understand universal design concepts for the development of wearable ass...

Obstacles to Innovation in Brazil: The Lack of Qualified Individuals to Implement Innovation and Establish University-Firm Interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Rapini, Marcia Siqueira; Chiarini, Tulio; Bittencourt, Pablo Felipe

2017-01-01

Through an investigation of data available from the Brazilian Innovation Survey (Pesquisa de Inovação) of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística) and from a national survey on university-firm interactions (the BR Survey), the authors show that Brazilian industrial firms lack qualified…

Development of Mobile Learning in Faculty of Economics, Bina Nusantara University

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Herru Darmadi

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The research wanted to find the workflow and solution by developing m-learning object for Android and iOS-based smartphone and tablet that supported interactive multimedia. The research began with analysis, design, implementation, and evaluation. Currently, the learning objects were not compatible with mobile devices. To overcome this problem, the research focused on designing the instructional design for m-learning and the development of interactive multimedia. Instructional design was created by the collaboration of the subject matter expert and instructional designer. M-learning was designed using UML and developed using Adobe AIR technology. The implementation of this research was a prototype of m-learning for concept of cost in Faculty of Economics, Bina Nusantara University. Then, the evaluation was conducted by distributing m-learning object to 32 selected students by simple random sampling in their first week of lectures in February 2014. The observation was conducted during m-learning object installation and initial learning process. At the end of the second week of the experiment, summative assessment and questionnaire were given to students. The results show that m-learning object is compatible with mobile devices. The students also say that m-learning is easy to use and helpful for their learning.

Exact gate sequences for universal quantum computation using the XY interaction alone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kempe, J.; Whaley, K.B.

2002-01-01

In a previous publication [J. Kempe et al., Quantum Computation and Information (Rinton Press, Princeton, NJ, 2001), Vol. 1, special issue, p. 33] we showed that it is possible to implement universal quantum computation with the anisotropic XY-Heisenberg exchange acting as a single interaction. To achieve this we used encodings of the states of the computation into a larger Hilbert space. This proof is nonconstructive, however, and did not explicitly give the trade-offs in time that are required to implement encoded single-qubit operations and encoded two-qubit gates. Here we explicitly give the gate sequences needed to simulate these operations on encoded qubits and qutrits (three-level systems) and analyze the trade-offs involved. We also propose a possible layout for the qubits in a triangular arrangement

Reference Device-Assisted Adaptive Location Fingerprinting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dongjin Wu

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Location fingerprinting suffers in dynamic environments and needs recalibration from time to time to maintain system performance. This paper proposes an adaptive approach for location fingerprinting. Based on real-time received signal strength indicator (RSSI samples measured by a group of reference devices, the approach applies a modified Universal Kriging (UK interpolant to estimate adaptive temporal and environmental radio maps. The modified UK can take the spatial distribution characteristics of RSSI into account. In addition, the issue of device heterogeneity caused by multiple reference devices is further addressed. To compensate the measuring differences of heterogeneous reference devices, differential RSSI metric is employed. Extensive experiments were conducted in an indoor field and the results demonstrate that the proposed approach not only adapts to dynamic environments and the situation of changing APs’ positions, but it is also robust toward measuring differences of heterogeneous reference devices.

Universal Quantum Criticality in the Metal-Insulator Transition of Two-Dimensional Interacting Dirac Electrons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuichi Otsuka

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The metal-insulator transition has been a subject of intense research since Mott first proposed that the metallic behavior of interacting electrons could turn to an insulating one as electron correlations increase. Here, we consider electrons with massless Dirac-like dispersion in two spatial dimensions, described by the Hubbard models on two geometrically different lattices, and perform numerically exact calculations on unprecedentedly large systems that, combined with a careful finite-size scaling analysis, allow us to explore the quantum critical behavior in the vicinity of the interaction-driven metal-insulator transition. Thereby, we find that the transition is continuous, and we determine the quantum criticality for the corresponding universality class, which is described in the continuous limit by the Gross-Neveu model, a model extensively studied in quantum field theory. Furthermore, we discuss a fluctuation-driven scenario for the metal-insulator transition in the interacting Dirac electrons: The metal-insulator transition is triggered only by the vanishing of the quasiparticle weight, not by the Dirac Fermi velocity, which instead remains finite near the transition. This important feature cannot be captured by a simple mean-field or Gutzwiller-type approximate picture but is rather consistent with the low-energy behavior of the Gross-Neveu model.

HARD - The High Assurance Remote Authentication Device Project

OpenAIRE

2006-01-01

The HARD project will build and evaluate a high assurance network access device. The purpose of this device is to provide an unforgeable trusted path with which network clients can securely interact with security-enabled remote servers.

The One Universal Graph — a free and open graph database

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ng, Liang S.; Champion, Corbin

2016-01-01

Recent developments in graph database mostly are huge projects involving big organizations, big operations and big capital, as the name Big Data attests. We proposed the concept of One Universal Graph (OUG) which states that all observable and known objects and concepts (physical, conceptual or digitally represented) can be connected with only one single graph; furthermore the OUG can be implemented with a very simple text file format with free software, capable of being executed on Android or smaller devices. As such the One Universal Graph Data Exchange (GOUDEX) modules can potentially be installed on hundreds of millions of Android devices and Intel compatible computers shipped annually. Coupled with its open nature and ability to connect to existing leading search engines and databases currently in operation, GOUDEX has the potential to become the largest and a better interface for users and programmers to interact with the data on the Internet. With a Web User Interface for users to use and program in native Linux environment, Free Crowdware implemented in GOUDEX can help inexperienced users learn programming with better organized documentation for free software, and is able to manage programmer's contribution down to a single line of code or a single variable in software projects. It can become the first practically realizable “Internet brain” on which a global artificial intelligence system can be implemented. Being practically free and open, One Universal Graph can have significant applications in robotics, artificial intelligence as well as social networks. (paper)

Japanese universities' activities for PFC development and PMI studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hino, T.

1998-01-01

Development of reliable plasma facing components (PFC) with active cooling structures is required for divertor plates of fusion devices in order to remove a large heat flow to the divertor. It is also known that plasma material interactions (PMIs), i.e. fuel hydrogen recycling and erosion of plasma facing material (PFM) determine the energy confinement characteristics. The lifetime of PFCs is limited by the erosion of PFMs. In Japanese universities, studies concerning PFCs and PMIs have been carried out so far for LHD and ITER. For the LHD divertor, both graphite/copper brazed components and mechanical joint components have been developed, and the heat load performance has been examined. For the particle control in LHD, a localized divertor called LID has been designed, the preliminary experiment was conducted in a small helical device, the CHS. In order to reduce the oxygen impurity level, boronization experiments have been conducted systematically, and properties such as oxygen gettering and hydrogen retention were clarified. In the TRIAM-1M tokamak, the damage of PFMs has been investigated using a surface probe. Data on hydrogen retention, which determines the degree of hydrogen recycling, have been accumulated for graphite, Li, B, B 4 C, SiC and W. Conditioning methods are also suggested. In this paper, the problems associated with PFCs and PMIs are pointed out and data recently obtained in Japanese universities and NIFS are briefly introduced. (orig.)

The environmental interactions of tidal and wave energy generation devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frid, Chris; Andonegi, Eider; Depestele, Jochen; Judd, Adrian; Rihan, Dominic; Rogers, Stuart I.; Kenchington, Ellen

2012-01-01

Global energy demand continues to grow and tidal and wave energy generation devices can provide a significant source of renewable energy. Technological developments in offshore engineering and the rising cost of traditional energy means that offshore energy resources will be economic in the next few years. While there is now a growing body of data on the ecological impacts of offshore wind farms, the scientific basis on which to make informed decisions about the environmental effects of other offshore energy developments is lacking. Tidal barrages have the potential to cause significant ecological impacts particularly on bird feeding areas when they are constructed at coastal estuaries or bays. Offshore tidal stream energy and wave energy collectors offer the scope for developments at varying scales. They also have the potential to alter habitats. A diversity of designs exist, including floating, mid-water column and seabed mounted devices, with a variety of moving-part configurations resulting in a unique complex of potential environmental effects for each device type, which are discussed to the extent possible. - Highlights: ► We review the environmental impacts of tidal barrages and fences, tidal stream farms and wave energy capture devices. ► Impacts on habitats, species and the water column, and effects of noise and electromagnetic fields are considered. ► Tidal barrages can cause significant impacts on bird feeding areas when constructed at coastal estuaries or bays. ► Wave energy collectors can alter water column and sea bed habitats locally and over large distances.

The environmental interactions of tidal and wave energy generation devices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frid, Chris, E-mail: c.l.j.frid@liv.ac.uk [School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool, L69 7ZB (United Kingdom); Andonegi, Eider, E-mail: eandonegi@azti.es [AZTI-Tecnalia, Txatxarramendi ugartea, z/g E-48395 Sukarrieta (Bizkaia) (Spain); Depestele, Jochen, E-mail: jochen.depestele@ilvo.vlaanderen.be [Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research, Ankerstraat 1, B-8400 Oostende (Belgium); Judd, Adrian, E-mail: Adrian.Judd@cefas.co.uk [Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science , Lowestoft Laboratory, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft NR33 0HT United Kingdom (United Kingdom); Rihan, Dominic, E-mail: Dominic.RIHAN@ec.europa.eu [Irish Sea Fisheries Board, P.O. Box 12 Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin (Ireland); Rogers, Stuart I., E-mail: stuart.rogers@cefas.co.uk [Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science , Lowestoft Laboratory, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft NR33 0HT United Kingdom (United Kingdom); Kenchington, Ellen, E-mail: Ellen.Kenchington@dfo-mpo.gc.ca [Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, P.O. Box 1006, Dartmouth Canada, NS B2Y 4A2 (Canada)

2012-01-15

Global energy demand continues to grow and tidal and wave energy generation devices can provide a significant source of renewable energy. Technological developments in offshore engineering and the rising cost of traditional energy means that offshore energy resources will be economic in the next few years. While there is now a growing body of data on the ecological impacts of offshore wind farms, the scientific basis on which to make informed decisions about the environmental effects of other offshore energy developments is lacking. Tidal barrages have the potential to cause significant ecological impacts particularly on bird feeding areas when they are constructed at coastal estuaries or bays. Offshore tidal stream energy and wave energy collectors offer the scope for developments at varying scales. They also have the potential to alter habitats. A diversity of designs exist, including floating, mid-water column and seabed mounted devices, with a variety of moving-part configurations resulting in a unique complex of potential environmental effects for each device type, which are discussed to the extent possible. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We review the environmental impacts of tidal barrages and fences, tidal stream farms and wave energy capture devices. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Impacts on habitats, species and the water column, and effects of noise and electromagnetic fields are considered. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Tidal barrages can cause significant impacts on bird feeding areas when constructed at coastal estuaries or bays. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Wave energy collectors can alter water column and sea bed habitats locally and over large distances.

Superweakly interacting massive particle dark matter signals from the early Universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng, Jonathan L.; Rajaraman, Arvind; Takayama, Fumihiro

2003-01-01

Cold dark matter may be made of superweakly interacting massive particles, super-WIMP's, that naturally inherit the desired relic density from late decays of metastable WIMP's. Well-motivated examples are weak-scale gravitinos in supergravity and Kaluza-Klein gravitons from extra dimensions. These particles are impossible to detect in all dark matter experiments. We find, however, that super-WIMP dark matter may be discovered through cosmological signatures from the early Universe. In particular, super-WIMP dark matter has observable consequences for big bang nucleosynthesis and the cosmic microwave background (CMB), and may explain the observed underabundance of 7 Li without upsetting the concordance between deuterium and CMB baryometers. We discuss the implications for future probes of CMB blackbody distortions and collider searches for new particles. In the course of this study, we also present a model-independent analysis of entropy production from late-decaying particles in light of Wilkinson microwave anisotropy probe data

An Appeal for heritage interpretation and accessibility. Immersive and interactive virtual reality tours for mobile devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guillermo Duclos Bautista

2013-11-01

Full Text Available We propose an interactive resource for the value enhancement, management, diffusion and accessibility of the architectural and archaeological heritage by means of virtual reality technologies through mobile devices. The resource is, in addition, a tool for the management of the heritage by the employment of intermediate modules that allow the graphical and alphanumeric update of the external and internal databases put in relation with the resource, depending on the interventions and investigations that on the monument are taking place in the time. Furthermore, the resource is a powerful compensatory measure for the virtual accessibility to the heritage by persons with limited mobility and / or sensory deficiencies.

Pointing Device Performance in Steering Tasks.

Science.gov (United States)

Senanayake, Ransalu; Goonetilleke, Ravindra S

2016-06-01

Use of touch-screen-based interactions is growing rapidly. Hence, knowing the maneuvering efficacy of touch screens relative to other pointing devices is of great importance in the context of graphical user interfaces. Movement time, accuracy, and user preferences of four pointing device settings were evaluated on a computer with 14 participants aged 20.1 ± 3.13 years. It was found that, depending on the difficulty of the task, the optimal settings differ for ballistic and visual control tasks. With a touch screen, resting the arm increased movement time for steering tasks. When both performance and comfort are considered, whether to use a mouse or a touch screen for person-computer interaction depends on the steering difficulty. Hence, a input device should be chosen based on the application, and should be optimized to match the graphical user interface. © The Author(s) 2016.

An university-scale pulsed-power system using a bipolar Marx generator

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Po-Yu; Yang, Sheng-Hua; Huang, Mei-Feng; Isaps, Natl Cheng Kung Univ Team

2017-10-01

A bipolar Marx generator is being built for x-ray sources or laboratory astrophysics and space research for university-scale laboratory. The system consists of ten stages. In each stage, two 1 μF capacitors connected in series are charged to +/- 30 kV storing 9 kJ of total energy. It delivers a current of 200 kA to the load with a 200 ns rise time during the discharge. It will be used for following three purposes: (1) gas-puff z pinches generating soft x-ray for bio-medical research in the future; (2) generating plasma jets to study interactions between plasma flows and unmagnetized/magnetized obstacles analogous to the interactions between solar winds and planetary magnetic fields or unmagnetized planets; and (3) studying the pinch in a dense plasma focus device. The results of current measurements and circuit characteristics are shown.

Underwater Shock Wave Research Applied to Therapeutic Device Developments

Science.gov (United States)

Takayama, K.; Yamamoto, H.; Shimokawa, H.

2013-07-01

The chronological development of underwater shock wave research performed at the Shock Wave Research Center of the Institute of Fluid Science at the Tohoku University is presented. Firstly, the generation of planar underwater shock waves in shock tubes and their visualization by using the conventional shadowgraph and schlieren methods are described. Secondly, the generation of spherical underwater shock waves by exploding lead azide pellets weighing from several tens of micrograms to 100 mg, that were ignited by irradiating with a Q-switched laser beam, and their visualization by using double exposure holographic interferometry are presented. The initiation, propagation, reflection, focusing of underwater shock waves, and their interaction with various interfaces, in particular, with air bubbles, are visualized quantitatively. Based on such a fundamental underwater shock wave research, collaboration with the School of Medicine at the Tohoku University was started for developing a shock wave assisted therapeutic device, which was named an extracorporeal shock wave lithotripter (ESWL). Miniature shock waves created by irradiation with Q-switched HO:YAG laser beams are studied, as applied to damaged dysfunctional nerve cells in the myocardium in a precisely controlled manner, and are effectively used to design a catheter for treating arrhythmia.

Microfluidics and Lab-on-a-Chip Devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Castillo, Jaime

2015-01-01

The rapid advances in microfabrication and nanofabrication in combination with the synthesis and discovery of new materials have propelled the drive to develop new technological devices such as smartphones, personal and tablet computers. These devices have changed the way humankind interacts......TAS technologies need to join forces with those behind the new communication devices which provide sources of power, detection and data transmission complementing the features that lab-on-a-chip and microTAS platforms can offer. An increasing number of microfluidic-based devices, developed both in small start...

Smart portable rehabilitation devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leahey Matt

2005-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The majority of current portable orthotic devices and rehabilitative braces provide stability, apply precise pressure, or help maintain alignment of the joints with out the capability for real time monitoring of the patient's motions and forces and without the ability for real time adjustments of the applied forces and motions. Improved technology has allowed for advancements where these devices can be designed to apply a form of tension to resist motion of the joint. These devices induce quicker recovery and are more effective at restoring proper biomechanics and improving muscle function. However, their shortcoming is in their inability to be adjusted in real-time, which is the most ideal form of a device for rehabilitation. This introduces a second class of devices beyond passive orthotics. It is comprised of "active" or powered devices, and although more complicated in design, they are definitely the most versatile. An active or powered orthotic, usually employs some type of actuator(s. Methods In this paper we present several new advancements in the area of smart rehabilitation devices that have been developed by the Northeastern University Robotics and Mechatronics Laboratory. They are all compact, wearable and portable devices and boast re-programmable, real time computer controlled functions as the central theme behind their operation. The sensory information and computer control of the three described devices make for highly efficient and versatile systems that represent a whole new breed in wearable rehabilitation devices. Their applications range from active-assistive rehabilitation to resistance exercise and even have applications in gait training. The three devices described are: a transportable continuous passive motion elbow device, a wearable electro-rheological fluid based knee resistance device, and a wearable electrical stimulation and biofeedback knee device. Results Laboratory tests of the devices

Smart portable rehabilitation devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Mavroidis, Constantinos; Nikitczuk, Jason; Weinberg, Brian; Danaher, Gil; Jensen, Katherine; Pelletier, Philip; Prugnarola, Jennifer; Stuart, Ryan; Arango, Roberto; Leahey, Matt; Pavone, Robert; Provo, Andrew; Yasevac, Dan

2005-07-12

The majority of current portable orthotic devices and rehabilitative braces provide stability, apply precise pressure, or help maintain alignment of the joints with out the capability for real time monitoring of the patient's motions and forces and without the ability for real time adjustments of the applied forces and motions. Improved technology has allowed for advancements where these devices can be designed to apply a form of tension to resist motion of the joint. These devices induce quicker recovery and are more effective at restoring proper biomechanics and improving muscle function. However, their shortcoming is in their inability to be adjusted in real-time, which is the most ideal form of a device for rehabilitation. This introduces a second class of devices beyond passive orthotics. It is comprised of "active" or powered devices, and although more complicated in design, they are definitely the most versatile. An active or powered orthotic, usually employs some type of actuator(s). In this paper we present several new advancements in the area of smart rehabilitation devices that have been developed by the Northeastern University Robotics and Mechatronics Laboratory. They are all compact, wearable and portable devices and boast re-programmable, real time computer controlled functions as the central theme behind their operation. The sensory information and computer control of the three described devices make for highly efficient and versatile systems that represent a whole new breed in wearable rehabilitation devices. Their applications range from active-assistive rehabilitation to resistance exercise and even have applications in gait training. The three devices described are: a transportable continuous passive motion elbow device, a wearable electro-rheological fluid based knee resistance device, and a wearable electrical stimulation and biofeedback knee device. Laboratory tests of the devices demonstrated that they were able to meet their design

The Impact of Digital Mobile Devices in Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Sevillano-García, M.ª Luisa; Vázquez-Cano, Esteban

2015-01-01

This research examined the acceptance, incidence, and use of digital mobile devices (tablets and smartphones) among university students in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). The research was contextualized in a sample of 419 students from three Spanish public universities. Through a quantitative methodology, we identified the factors and…

Interactive Learning in SME-University Collaborations: A Conceptual Framework for Facilitating Interaction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Filip, Diane

2013-01-01

. The facilitation process focuses on interactive learning and is divided into phases, which makes it easier for SMEs to progressive engage in innovation projects with researchers. In-depth interviews with the facilitators of the programme were conducted and focused on barriers to collaboration, human interaction......, and lessons learned. From the facilitators’ perspective, a conceptual model capturing the main actor’s activities in each phase paralleled with an illustration of the narrowed gap from the human interaction is presented in the paper. The main findings addressed the issues of human-based and system......-based barriers. One of the lessons learned is the importance of human interaction of narrowing the perceived gap by mitigating the human-based barriers, and to some extent also system-based barriers. The case presented in this paper has managerial and innovation policy implications....

Exploring Social Outcomes of Interactions between University ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In particular, female students have had a positive impact on indigenous. Waala youth ... counterparts that university students have influenced their children positively in terms of inspiration for ..... led to domestic conflicts and eventual divorce.

The effects of interaction with the device described by procedural text on recall, true/false, and task performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Diehl, V A; Mills, C B

1995-11-01

In two experiments, subjects interacted to different extents with relevant devices while reading two complex multistep procedural texts and were then tested with task performance time, true/false, and recall measures. While reading, subjects performed the task (read and do), saw the experimenter perform the task (read and see experimenter do), imagined doing the task (read and imagine), looked at the device while reading (read and see), or only read (read only). Van Dijk and Kintsch's (1983) text representation theory led to the prediction that exposure to the task device (in the read-and-do, read-and-see, and read-and-see-experimenter-do conditions) would lead to the development of a stronger situation model and therefore faster task performance, whereas the read-only and read-and-see conditions would lead to a better textbase, and therefore better performance on the true/false and recall tasks. Paivio's (1991) dual coding theory led to the opposite prediction for recall. The results supported the text representation theory with task performance and recall. The read-and-see condition produced consistently good performance on the true/false measure. Amount of text study time contributed to recall performance. These findings support the notion that information available while reading leads to differential development of representations in memory, which, in turn, causes differences in performance on various measures.

Governing risks and benefits: Mobile communication technologies in British universities

OpenAIRE

Howarth, Anita; Fernández, Gemma Martínez

2014-01-01

Mobile communication technologies (MCTs) pose new opportunities and challenges to university governance. Not only are the devices widespread, they have particular capabilities and constantly changing uses which makes any governing of them difficult. Furthermore most devices are individually owned. Thus universities are unable to directly control how they are used but do have a duty of care towards those learning and teaching within their spaces. This article outlines preliminary findings on h...

Global numerical modeling of magnetized plasma in a linear device

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Magnussen, Michael Løiten

Understanding the turbulent transport in the plasma-edge in fusion devices is of utmost importance in order to make precise predictions for future fusion devices. The plasma turbulence observed in linear devices shares many important features with the turbulence observed in the edge of fusion dev...... with simulations performed at different ionization levels, using a simple model for plasma interaction with neutrals. It is found that the steady state and the saturated state of the system bifurcates when the neutral interaction dominates the electron-ion collisions.......Understanding the turbulent transport in the plasma-edge in fusion devices is of utmost importance in order to make precise predictions for future fusion devices. The plasma turbulence observed in linear devices shares many important features with the turbulence observed in the edge of fusion...... devices, and are easier to diagnose due to lower temperatures and a better access to the plasma. In order to gain greater insight into this complex turbulent behavior, numerical simulations of plasma in a linear device are performed in this thesis. Here, a three-dimensional drift-fluid model is derived...

Electromedical devices test laboratories accreditation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murad, C; Rubio, D; Ponce, S; Alvarez Abri, A; Terron, A; Vicencio, D; Fascioli, E

2007-01-01

In the last years, the technology and equipment at hospitals have been increase in a great way as the risks of their implementation. Safety in medical equipment must be considered an important issue to protect patients and their users. For this reason, test and calibrations laboratories must verify the correct performance of this kind of devices under national and international standards. Is an essential mission for laboratories to develop their measurement activities taking into account a quality management system. In this article, we intend to transmit our experience working to achieve an accredited Test Laboratories for medical devices in National technological University

Surgical tools and medical devices

CERN Document Server

Jackson, Mark

2016-01-01

This new edition presents information and knowledge on the field of biomedical devices and surgical tools. The authors look at the interactions between nanotechnology, nanomaterials, design, modeling, and tools for surgical and dental applications, as well as how nanostructured surfaces can be created for the purposes of improving cell adhesion between medical devices and the human body. Each original chapter is revised in this second edition and describes developments in coatings for heart valves, stents, hip and knee joints, cardiovascular devices, orthodontic applications, and regenerative materials such as bone substitutes. There are also 8 new chapters that address: Microvascular anastomoses Inhaler devices used for pulmonary delivery of medical aerosols Surface modification of interference screws Biomechanics of the mandible (a detailed case study) Safety and medical devices The synthesis of nanostructured material Delivery of anticancer molecules using carbon nanotubes Nano and micro coatings for medic...

Current perspectives in percutaneous atrial septal defect closure devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bissessor N

2015-07-01

Full Text Available N Bissessor1–4 1Department of Cardiology, The Epworth Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; 2Division of Interventional Cardiology, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; 3Department of Clinical Science, Charles Sturt University Albury Campus, NSW, Australia; 4Heart Foundation, Griffith University, QLD, Australia Abstract: In the last decade, percutaneous atrial septal defect (ASD closure has become the treatment of choice in most clinical presentations of ASD. Percutaneous ASD closure has established procedural safety through operator experience and improved device structure and deliverability. There have also been advances in diagnostic capabilities. Devices have evolved from large bulky meshes to repositionable, minimal residual mesh content that easily endothelializes and conforms well to surrounding structures. Biodegradable technology has been introduced and will be closely watched as a future option. The evolution of ASD closure device usage in the last four decades incorporates development that minimizes a wide range of serious side effects that have been reported over the years. Complications reported in the literature include thrombus formation, air embolization, device embolization, erosions, residual shunts, and nickel hypersensitivity. Modern devices have intermediate to long term data with outcomes that have been favorable. Devices are available in multiple sizes with improved delivery mechanisms to recapture, reposition, and safely close simple and complex ASDs amenable to percutaneous closure. In this review, commonly used devices and deployment procedures are discussed together with a look at devices that show promise for the future. Keywords: ASD, congenital, Amplatzer, Gore Helex, Biostar, Figulla

Interactive Online Modules and Videos for Learning Geological Concepts at the University of Toronto Department of Earth Sciences

Science.gov (United States)

Veglio, E.; Graves, L. W.; Bank, C. G.

2014-12-01

We designed various computer-based applications and videos as educational resources for undergraduate courses at the University of Toronto in the Earth Science Department. These resources were developed in effort to enhance students' self-learning of key concepts as identified by educators at the department. The interactive learning modules and videos were created using the programs MATLAB and Adobe Creative Suite 5 (Photoshop and Premiere) and range from optical mineralogy (extinction and Becke line), petrology (equilibrium melting in 2-phase systems), crystallography (crystal systems), geophysics (gravity anomaly), and geologic history (evolution of Canada). These resources will be made available for students on internal course websites as well as through the University of Toronto Earth Science's website (www.es.utoronto.ca) where appropriate; the video platform YouTube.com may be used to reach a wide audience and promote the material. Usage of the material will be monitored and feedback will be collected over the next academic year in order to gage the use of these interactive learning tools and to assess if these computer-based applications and videos foster student engagement and active learning, and thus offer an enriched learning experience.

The Interaction of Language-Specific and Universal Factors During the Acquisition of Morphophonemic Alternations With Exceptions.

Science.gov (United States)

Baer-Henney, Dinah; Kügler, Frank; van de Vijver, Ruben

2015-09-01

Using the artificial language paradigm, we studied the acquisition of morphophonemic alternations with exceptions by 160 German adult learners. We tested the acquisition of two types of alternations in two regularity conditions while additionally varying length of training. In the first alternation, a vowel harmony, backness of the stem vowel determines backness of the suffix. This process is grounded in substance (phonetic motivation), and this universal phonetic factor bolsters learning a generalization. In the second alternation, tenseness of the stem vowel determines backness of the suffix vowel. This process is not based in substance, but it reflects a phonotactic property of German and our participants benefit from this language-specific factor. We found that learners use both cues, while substantive bias surfaces mainly in the most unstable situation. We show that language-specific and universal factors interact in learning. Copyright © 2014 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

The generalized second law in irreversible thermodynamics for the interacting dark energy in a non-flat FRW universe enclosed by the apparent horizon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karami, K., E-mail: KKarami@uok.ac.i [Department of Physics, University of Kurdistan, Pasdaran St., Sanandaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Research Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics of Maragha (RIAAM), Maragha (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Ghaffari, S. [Department of Physics, University of Kurdistan, Pasdaran St., Sanandaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2010-03-01

We investigate the validity of the generalized second law in irreversible thermodynamics in a non-flat FRW universe containing the interacting dark energy with cold dark matter. The boundary of the universe is assumed to be enclosed by the dynamical apparent horizon. We show that for the present time, the generalized second law in nonequilibrium thermodynamics is satisfied for the special range of the energy transfer constants.

The generalized second law in irreversible thermodynamics for the interacting dark energy in a non-flat FRW universe enclosed by the apparent horizon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karami, K.; Ghaffari, S.

2010-01-01

We investigate the validity of the generalized second law in irreversible thermodynamics in a non-flat FRW universe containing the interacting dark energy with cold dark matter. The boundary of the universe is assumed to be enclosed by the dynamical apparent horizon. We show that for the present time, the generalized second law in nonequilibrium thermodynamics is satisfied for the special range of the energy transfer constants.

Combining a Multi-Agent System and Communication Middleware for Smart Home Control: A Universal Control Platform Architecture.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Song; Zhang, Qi; Zheng, Rong; Huang, Bi-Qin; Song, Yi-Lin; Chen, Xin-Chu

2017-09-16

In recent years, the smart home field has gained wide attention for its broad application prospects. However, families using smart home systems must usually adopt various heterogeneous smart devices, including sensors and devices, which makes it more difficult to manage and control their home system. How to design a unified control platform to deal with the collaborative control problem of heterogeneous smart devices is one of the greatest challenges in the current smart home field. The main contribution of this paper is to propose a universal smart home control platform architecture (IAPhome) based on a multi-agent system and communication middleware, which shows significant adaptability and advantages in many aspects, including heterogeneous devices connectivity, collaborative control, human-computer interaction and user self-management. The communication middleware is an important foundation to design and implement this architecture which makes it possible to integrate heterogeneous smart devices in a flexible way. A concrete method of applying the multi-agent software technique to solve the integrated control problem of the smart home system is also presented. The proposed platform architecture has been tested in a real smart home environment, and the results indicate that the effectiveness of our approach for solving the collaborative control problem of different smart devices.

Combining a Multi-Agent System and Communication Middleware for Smart Home Control: A Universal Control Platform Architecture

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Song; Zhang, Qi; Zheng, Rong; Huang, Bi-Qin; Song, Yi-Lin; Chen, Xin-Chu

2017-01-01

In recent years, the smart home field has gained wide attention for its broad application prospects. However, families using smart home systems must usually adopt various heterogeneous smart devices, including sensors and devices, which makes it more difficult to manage and control their home system. How to design a unified control platform to deal with the collaborative control problem of heterogeneous smart devices is one of the greatest challenges in the current smart home field. The main contribution of this paper is to propose a universal smart home control platform architecture (IAPhome) based on a multi-agent system and communication middleware, which shows significant adaptability and advantages in many aspects, including heterogeneous devices connectivity, collaborative control, human-computer interaction and user self-management. The communication middleware is an important foundation to design and implement this architecture which makes it possible to integrate heterogeneous smart devices in a flexible way. A concrete method of applying the multi-agent software technique to solve the integrated control problem of the smart home system is also presented. The proposed platform architecture has been tested in a real smart home environment, and the results indicate that the effectiveness of our approach for solving the collaborative control problem of different smart devices. PMID:28926957

Combining a Multi-Agent System and Communication Middleware for Smart Home Control: A Universal Control Platform Architecture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Song Zheng

2017-09-01

Full Text Available In recent years, the smart home field has gained wide attention for its broad application prospects. However, families using smart home systems must usually adopt various heterogeneous smart devices, including sensors and devices, which makes it more difficult to manage and control their home system. How to design a unified control platform to deal with the collaborative control problem of heterogeneous smart devices is one of the greatest challenges in the current smart home field. The main contribution of this paper is to propose a universal smart home control platform architecture (IAPhome based on a multi-agent system and communication middleware, which shows significant adaptability and advantages in many aspects, including heterogeneous devices connectivity, collaborative control, human-computer interaction and user self-management. The communication middleware is an important foundation to design and implement this architecture which makes it possible to integrate heterogeneous smart devices in a flexible way. A concrete method of applying the multi-agent software technique to solve the integrated control problem of the smart home system is also presented. The proposed platform architecture has been tested in a real smart home environment, and the results indicate that the effectiveness of our approach for solving the collaborative control problem of different smart devices.

Optoelectronic Devices Advanced Simulation and Analysis

CERN Document Server

Piprek, Joachim

2005-01-01

Optoelectronic devices transform electrical signals into optical signals and vice versa by utilizing the sophisticated interaction of electrons and light within micro- and nano-scale semiconductor structures. Advanced software tools for design and analysis of such devices have been developed in recent years. However, the large variety of materials, devices, physical mechanisms, and modeling approaches often makes it difficult to select appropriate theoretical models or software packages. This book presents a review of devices and advanced simulation approaches written by leading researchers and software developers. It is intended for scientists and device engineers in optoelectronics, who are interested in using advanced software tools. Each chapter includes the theoretical background as well as practical simulation results that help to better understand internal device physics. The software packages used in the book are available to the public, on a commercial or noncommercial basis, so that the interested r...

Multifunctional Energy Storage and Conversion Devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yan; Zhu, Minshen; Huang, Yang; Pei, Zengxia; Li, Hongfei; Wang, Zifeng; Xue, Qi; Zhi, Chunyi

2016-10-01

Multifunctional energy storage and conversion devices that incorporate novel features and functions in intelligent and interactive modes, represent a radical advance in consumer products, such as wearable electronics, healthcare devices, artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, smart household, and space satellites, etc. Here, smart energy devices are defined to be energy devices that are responsive to changes in configurational integrity, voltage, mechanical deformation, light, and temperature, called self-healability, electrochromism, shape memory, photodetection, and thermal responsivity. Advisable materials, device designs, and performances are crucial for the development of energy electronics endowed with these smart functions. Integrating these smart functions in energy storage and conversion devices gives rise to great challenges from the viewpoint of both understanding the fundamental mechanisms and practical implementation. Current state-of-art examples of these smart multifunctional energy devices, pertinent to materials, fabrication strategies, and performances, are highlighted. In addition, current challenges and potential solutions from materials synthesis to device performances are discussed. Finally, some important directions in this fast developing field are considered to further expand their application. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Study on intelligent processing system of man-machine interactive garment frame model

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Shuwang; Yin, Xiaowei; Chang, Ruijiang; Pan, Peiyun; Wang, Xuedi; Shi, Shuze; Wei, Zhongqian

2018-05-01

A man-machine interactive garment frame model intelligent processing system is studied in this paper. The system consists of several sensor device, voice processing module, mechanical parts and data centralized acquisition devices. The sensor device is used to collect information on the environment changes brought by the body near the clothes frame model, the data collection device is used to collect the information of the environment change induced by the sensor device, voice processing module is used for speech recognition of nonspecific person to achieve human-machine interaction, mechanical moving parts are used to make corresponding mechanical responses to the information processed by data collection device.it is connected with data acquisition device by a means of one-way connection. There is a one-way connection between sensor device and data collection device, two-way connection between data acquisition device and voice processing module. The data collection device is one-way connection with mechanical movement parts. The intelligent processing system can judge whether it needs to interact with the customer, realize the man-machine interaction instead of the current rigid frame model.

Transient electro-thermal modeling of bipolar power semiconductor devices

CERN Document Server

Gachovska, Tanya Kirilova; Du, Bin

2013-01-01

This book presents physics-based electro-thermal models of bipolar power semiconductor devices including their packages, and describes their implementation in MATLAB and Simulink. It is a continuation of our first book Modeling of Bipolar Power Semiconductor Devices. The device electrical models are developed by subdividing the devices into different regions and the operations in each region, along with the interactions at the interfaces, are analyzed using the basic semiconductor physics equations that govern device behavior. The Fourier series solution is used to solve the ambipolar diffusio

Displaying Sensed Tactile Cues with a Fingertip Haptic Device.

Science.gov (United States)

Pacchierotti, Claudio; Prattichizzo, Domenico; Kuchenbecker, Katherine J

2015-01-01

Telerobotic systems enable humans to explore and manipulate remote environments for applications such as surgery and disaster response, but few such systems provide the operator with cutaneous feedback. This article presents a novel approach to remote cutaneous interaction; our method is compatible with any fingertip tactile sensor and any mechanical tactile display device, and it does not require a position/force or skin deformation model. Instead, it directly maps the sensed stimuli to the best possible input commands for the device's motors using a data set recorded with the tactile sensor inside the device. As a proof of concept, we considered a haptic system composed of a BioTac tactile sensor, in charge of measuring contact deformations, and a custom 3-DoF cutaneous device with a flat contact platform, in charge of applying deformations to the user's fingertip. To validate the proposed approach and discover its inherent tradeoffs, we carried out two remote tactile interaction experiments. The first one evaluated the error between the tactile sensations registered by the BioTac in a remote environment and the sensations created by the cutaneous device for six representative tactile interactions and 27 variations of the display algorithm. The normalized average errors in the best condition were 3.0 percent of the BioTac's full 12-bit scale. The second experiment evaluated human subjects' experiences for the same six remote interactions and eight algorithm variations. The average subjective rating for the best algorithm variation was 8.2 out of 10, where 10 is best.

A MODFLOW Infiltration Device Package for Simulating Storm Water Infiltration.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeppesen, Jan; Christensen, Steen

2015-01-01

This article describes a MODFLOW Infiltration Device (INFD) Package that can simulate infiltration devices and their two-way interaction with groundwater. The INFD Package relies on a water balance including inflow of storm water, leakage-like seepage through the device faces, overflow, and change in storage. The water balance for the device can be simulated in multiple INFD time steps within a single MODFLOW time step, and infiltration from the device can be routed through the unsaturated zone to the groundwater table. A benchmark test shows that the INFD Package's analytical solution for stage computes exact results for transient behavior. To achieve similar accuracy by the numerical solution of the MODFLOW Surface-Water Routing (SWR1) Process requires many small time steps. Furthermore, the INFD Package includes an improved representation of flow through the INFD sides that results in lower infiltration rates than simulated by SWR1. The INFD Package is also demonstrated in a transient simulation of a hypothetical catchment where two devices interact differently with groundwater. This simulation demonstrates that device and groundwater interaction depends on the thickness of the unsaturated zone because a shallow groundwater table (a likely result from storm water infiltration itself) may occupy retention volume, whereas a thick unsaturated zone may cause a phase shift and a change of amplitude in groundwater table response to a change of infiltration. We thus find that the INFD Package accommodates the simulation of infiltration devices and groundwater in an integrated manner on small as well as large spatial and temporal scales. © 2014, National Ground Water Association.

Electromagnetic Interference in Implantable Rhythm Devices - The Indian Scenario

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johnson Francis

2002-07-01

Full Text Available Implantable rhythm device (IRD is the generic name for the group of implantable devices used for diagnosis and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. Devices in this category include cardiac pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators and implantable loop recorders. Since these devices have complex microelectronic circuitry and use electromagnetic waves for communication, they are susceptible to interference from extraneous sources of electromagnetic radiation and magnetic energy. Electromagnetic interference (EMI is generally not a major problem outside of the hospital environment. The most important interactions occur when a patient is subjected to medical procedures such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, electrocautery and radiation therapy. Two articles in this issue of the journal discusses various aspects of EMI on IRD1,2 . Together these articles provide a good review of the various sources of EMI and their interaction with IRD for the treating physician.

Thermo-mechanical challenges for quantum devices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gielen, A.W.J.; McKenzie, F.V.

2014-01-01

In the last few years Technical University of Delft, under leadership of Prof.dr.ir. Leo Kouwenhoven, has developed several successful concepts for quantum devices that are suitable for quantum computing and quantum communication. From a quantum research point of view we are still in a very

An Activity-Centric Approach to Configuration Work in Distributed Interaction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Houben, Steven

The widespread introduction of new types of computing devices, such as smartphones, tablet computers, large interactive displays or even wearable devices, has led to setups in which users are interacting with a rich ecology of devices. These new device ecologies have the potential to introduce...... and captures the problems and challenges of distributed interaction. Using both empirical data and related work, I argue that configuration work is composed of: curation work, task resumption lag, mobility work, physical handling and articulation work. Using configuration work as a problem description, I...

Developing National Systems of Innovation: University-Industry ...

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

2015-01-30

Jan 30, 2015 ... Interactions between firms and universities are key building blocks of innovation systems. With a focus on developing countries, this book presents novel comparative research spanning three continents. The result is a more universal and dynamic view of the shaping and reshaping of interactions between ...

MinT: Middleware for Cooperative Interaction of Things.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeon, Soobin; Jung, Inbum

2017-06-20

This paper proposes an Internet of Things (IoT) middleware called Middleware for Cooperative Interaction of Things (MinT). MinT supports a fully distributed IoT environment in which IoT devices directly connect to peripheral devices easily construct a local or global network, and share their data in an energy efficient manner. MinT provides a sensor abstract layer, a system layer and an interaction layer. These enable integrated sensing device operations, efficient resource management, and active interconnection between peripheral IoT devices. In addition, MinT provides a high-level API to develop IoT devices easily for IoT device developers. We aim to enhance the energy efficiency and performance of IoT devices through the performance improvements offered by MinT resource management and request processing. The experimental results show that the average request rate increased by 25% compared to Californium, which is a middleware for efficient interaction in IoT environments with powerful performance, an average response time decrease of 90% when resource management was used, and power consumption decreased by up to 68%. Finally, the proposed platform can reduce the latency and power consumption of IoT devices.

Medical universities educational and research online services: benchmarking universities' website towards e-government.

Science.gov (United States)

Farzandipour, Mehrdad; Meidani, Zahra

2014-06-01

Websites as one of the initial steps towards an e-government adoption do facilitate delivery of online and customer-oriented services. In this study we intended to investigate the role of the websites of medical universities in providing educational and research services following the E-government maturity model in the Iranian universities. This descriptive and cross- sectional study was conducted through content analysis and benchmarking the websites in 2012. The research population included the entire medical university website (37). Delivery of educational and research services through these university websites including information, interaction, transaction, and Integration were investigated using a checklist. The data were then analyzed by means of descriptive statistics and using SPSS software. Level of educational and research services by websites of the medical universities type I and II was evaluated medium as 1.99 and 1.89, respectively. All the universities gained a mean score of 1 out of 3 in terms of integration of educational and research services. Results of the study indicated that Iranian universities have passed information and interaction stages, but they have not made much progress in transaction and integration stages. Failure to adapt to e-government in Iranian medical universities in which limiting factors such as users' e-literacy, access to the internet and ICT infrastructure are not so crucial as in other organizations, suggest that e-government realization goes beyond technical challenges.

Coprocessors for quantum devices

Science.gov (United States)

Kay, Alastair

2018-03-01

Quantum devices, from simple fixed-function tools to the ultimate goal of a universal quantum computer, will require high-quality, frequent repetition of a small set of core operations, such as the preparation of entangled states. These tasks are perfectly suited to realization by a coprocessor or supplementary instruction set, as is common practice in modern CPUs. In this paper, we present two quintessentially quantum coprocessor functions: production of a Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state and implementation of optimal universal (asymmetric) quantum cloning. Both are based on the evolution of a fixed Hamiltonian. We introduce a technique for deriving the parameters of these Hamiltonians based on the numerical integration of Toda-like flows.

Designing for mobile interaction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nazzi, Elena

2009-01-01

The theme of this PhD project is designing for mobile interaction with devices and services, for the accessing, making, and sharing of information, taking into account the dynamic physical and social settings that embrace this interaction. To narrow down this theme, the whole project focuses...... on the exploitation of social interaction --- in particular among senior citizens --- to enhance and support mobile interaction....

Large Display Interaction Using Mobile Devices

OpenAIRE

Bauer, Jens

2015-01-01

Large displays become more and more popular, due to dropping prices. Their size and high resolution leverages collaboration and they are capable of dis- playing even large datasets in one view. This becomes even more interesting as the number of big data applications increases. The increased screen size and other properties of large displays pose new challenges to the Human- Computer-Interaction with these screens. This includes issues such as limited scalability to the number of users, diver...

Safety of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients with Cardiac Devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Nazarian, Saman; Hansford, Rozann; Rahsepar, Amir A; Weltin, Valeria; McVeigh, Diana; Gucuk Ipek, Esra; Kwan, Alan; Berger, Ronald D; Calkins, Hugh; Lardo, Albert C; Kraut, Michael A; Kamel, Ihab R; Zimmerman, Stefan L; Halperin, Henry R

2017-12-28

Patients who have pacemakers or defibrillators are often denied the opportunity to undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) because of safety concerns, unless the devices meet certain criteria specified by the Food and Drug Administration (termed "MRI-conditional" devices). We performed a prospective, nonrandomized study to assess the safety of MRI at a magnetic field strength of 1.5 Tesla in 1509 patients who had a pacemaker (58%) or an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (42%) that was not considered to be MRI-conditional (termed a "legacy" device). Overall, the patients underwent 2103 thoracic and nonthoracic MRI examinations that were deemed to be clinically necessary. The pacing mode was changed to asynchronous mode for pacing-dependent patients and to demand mode for other patients. Tachyarrhythmia functions were disabled. Outcome assessments included adverse events and changes in the variables that indicate lead and generator function and interaction with surrounding tissue (device parameters). No long-term clinically significant adverse events were reported. In nine MRI examinations (0.4%; 95% confidence interval, 0.2 to 0.7), the patient's device reset to a backup mode. The reset was transient in eight of the nine examinations. In one case, a pacemaker with less than 1 month left of battery life reset to ventricular inhibited pacing and could not be reprogrammed; the device was subsequently replaced. The most common notable change in device parameters (>50% change from baseline) immediately after MRI was a decrease in P-wave amplitude, which occurred in 1% of the patients. At long-term follow-up (results of which were available for 63% of the patients), the most common notable changes from baseline were decreases in P-wave amplitude (in 4% of the patients), increases in atrial capture threshold (4%), increases in right ventricular capture threshold (4%), and increases in left ventricular capture threshold (3%). The observed changes in lead parameters

Dielectrokinetic chromatography and devices thereof

Science.gov (United States)

Chirica, Gabriela S; Fiechtner, Gregory J; Singh, Anup K

2014-04-22

Disclosed herein are methods and devices for dielectrokinetic chromatography. As disclosed, the devices comprise microchannels having at least one perturber which produces a non-uniformity in a field spanning the width of the microchannel. The interaction of the field non-uniformity with a perturber produces a secondary flow which competes with a primary flow. By decreasing the size of the perturber the secondary flow becomes significant for particles/analytes in the nanometer-size range. Depending on the nature of a particle/analyte present in the fluid and its interaction with the primary flow and the secondary flow, the analyte may be retained or redirected. The composition of the primary flow can be varied to affect the magnitude of primary and/or secondary flows on the particles/analytes and thereby separate and concentrate it from other particles/analytes.

Atherectomy devices: technology update

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akkus NI

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Nuri I Akkus,1 Abdulrahman Abdulbaki,1 Enrique Jimenez,2 Neeraj Tandon2 1Department of Cardiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, USA; 2Department of Cardiology, Overton Brooks VA Medical Center, Shreveport, LA, USA Abstract: Atherectomy is a procedure which is performed to remove atherosclerotic plaque from diseased arteries. Atherosclerotic plaques are localized in either coronary or peripheral arterial vasculature and may have different characteristics depending on the texture of the plaque. Atherectomy has been used effectively in treatment of both coronary and peripheral arterial disease. Atherectomy devices are designed differently to either cut, shave, sand, or vaporize these plaques and have different indications. In this article, current atherectomy devices are reviewed. Keywords: coronary artery disease, peripheral arterial disease

Coherent Structure Dynamics and Turbulent Effects of Horizontal Axis Marine Energy Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Gajardo, D. I.; Escauriaza, C. R.; Ingram, D.

2016-12-01

Harnessing the energy available in the oceans constitutes one of the most promising alternatives for generating clean electricity. There are vast amounts of energy present both in waves and tidal currents so it is anticipated that marine energy will have a major role in non-conventional renewable energy generation in the near to mid future. Nevertheless, before marine hydrokinetic (MHK) devices can be installed in large numbers a better understanding of the physical, social and environmental implications of their operation is needed. This includes understanding the: hydrodynamic processes, interaction with bathymetry, and the local flow characteristics. This study is focused on the effects horizontal axis MHK devices have on flow turbulence and coherent structures. This is especially relevant considering that sites with favourable conditions for MHK devices are tidal channels where a delicate balance exists between the strong tidal currents and the ecosystems. Understanding how MHK devices influence flow conditions, turbulence and energy flux is essential for predicting and assessing the environmental implications of deploying MHK technologies. We couple a Blade Element Momentum Actuator Disk (BEM-AD) model to a Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) flow solver in order to study flow conditions for different configurations of horizontal axis MHK turbines. In this study, we contribute to the understanding of the hydrodynamic behaviour of MHK technologies, and give insights into the effects devices will have on their environment, with emphasis in ambient turbulence and flow characteristics, while keeping in mind that these effects can alter electricity quality and device performance. Work supported by CONICYT grant 80160084, Fondecyt grant 1130940, Chile's Marine Energy Research & Innovation Center (MERIC) CORFO project 14CEI2-28228, and the collaboration between the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and the University of Edinburgh, UK, partially supported by the RC

Universal quantum interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2004-01-01

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

Intracavitary deposits on Essure® hysteroscopic sterilization devices : A case report

OpenAIRE

Maassen, L. W.; van Gastel, Maatje D A; Lentjes, E. G.W.M.; Bongers, M. Y.; Veersema, S.

2017-01-01

Objective: To study the composition of intracavitary deposits on Essure® hysteroscopic sterilization devices. Design: Case report. Setting: Reproductive Medicine and Gynecology department of a University Hospital. Patient(s): A 39 years old patient presenting with a request for surgical removal of Essure® sterilization devices. Diagnostic hysteroscopy showed a crystal like white deposit attached to one of the devices. Intervention: Diagnostic hysteroscopy and surgical removal of E...

Characterization of high flux magnetized helium plasma in SCU-PSI linear device

Science.gov (United States)

Xiaochun, MA; Xiaogang, CAO; Lei, HAN; Zhiyan, ZHANG; Jianjun, WEI; Fujun, GOU

2018-02-01

A high-flux linear plasma device in Sichuan University plasma-surface interaction (SCU-PSI) based on a cascaded arc source has been established to simulate the interactions between helium and hydrogen plasma with the plasma-facing components in fusion reactors. In this paper, the helium plasma has been characterized by a double-pin Langmuir probe. The results show that the stable helium plasma beam with a diameter of 26 mm was constrained very well at a magnetic field strength of 0.3 T. The core density and ion flux of helium plasma have a strong dependence on the applied current, magnetic field strength and gas flow rate. It could reach an electron density of 1.2 × 1019 m-3 and helium ion flux of 3.2 × 1022 m-2 s-1, with a gas flow rate of 4 standard liter per minute, magnetic field strength of 0.2 T and input power of 11 kW. With the addition of -80 V applied to the target to increase the helium ion energy and the exposure time of 2 h, the flat top temperature reached about 530 °C. The different sizes of nanostructured fuzz on irradiated tungsten and molybdenum samples surfaces under the bombardment of helium ions were observed by scanning electron microscopy. These results measured in the SCU-PSI linear device provide a reference for International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor related PSI research.

Enhancing the Usability of Telecare Devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Manuel Ojel-Jaramillo

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Demographic and sociological changes in the last 50 years have forced Western societies to create services to attend to elderly people in their homes, where they can live within familiar environments. Telecare involves a device plugged into a telephonic network that provides access to teams of professionals who can attend to the needs of the elderly in their homes. These devices have been designed according to the principles of universal design, but the great number of erroneous calls to telecare centers point to the necessity of enhancing the usability of the devices. One analysis of the cognitive functioning of elderly people showed that a possible cause of these errors could be the difficulty elderly people have when processing language. In our experiment, we tested the hypothesis that the numbers of errors could be reduced by using icons instead of words in the device interface. The results support this hypothesis.

Mobile: Letting Go of the Device and Building for Innovation

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Jim; Rocchio, Rosemary A.

2011-01-01

Mobile use of the Internet is on target to surpass fixed use by 2014. Three-fourths of all college/university students have purchased or intend to purchase an Internet-enabled handheld device within the next year. The smartphone market is changing almost monthly. Attempting to manage even just one or a few "devices" is becoming a lost…

S-Band POSIX Device Drivers for RTEMS

Science.gov (United States)

Lux, James P.; Lang, Minh; Peters, Kenneth J.; Taylor, Gregory H.

2011-01-01

This is a set of POSIX device driver level abstractions in the RTEMS RTOS (Real-Time Executive for Multiprocessor Systems real-time operating system) to SBand radio hardware devices that have been instantiated in an FPGA (field-programmable gate array). These include A/D (analog-to-digital) sample capture, D/A (digital-to-analog) sample playback, PLL (phase-locked-loop) tuning, and PWM (pulse-width-modulation)-controlled gain. This software interfaces to Sband radio hardware in an attached Xilinx Virtex-2 FPGA. It uses plug-and-play device discovery to map memory to device IDs. Instead of interacting with hardware devices directly, using direct-memory mapped access at the application level, this driver provides an application programming interface (API) offering that easily uses standard POSIX function calls. This simplifies application programming, enables portability, and offers an additional level of protection to the hardware. There are three separate device drivers included in this package: sband_device (ADC capture and DAC playback), pll_device (RF front end PLL tuning), and pwm_device (RF front end AGC control).

(Re)Discovering University Autonomy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

This book challenges traditional approach to university autonomy which is based on four pillars: organisational, financial, human resource, and academic. The main thesis is that a fuller understanding of university autonomy can only be obtained through a more holistic view of the complex inter......-relationships between stakeholders and policies which can reinforce and equally pull in opposite directions. The holistic view is expressed in a model of institutional university autonomy that brings together the traditional basic four pillars of autonomy, and five interfaces: government–university; university......–university staff; academic staff–students; university–business; and university–internationalisation. This model is explored through international case studies that give new insights and reinforce our understanding that the issues relating to institutional university autonomy are complex, interactive and genuinely...

Adaptive Text Entry for Mobile Devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Proschowsky, Morten Smidt

The reduced size of many mobile devices makes it difficult to enter text with them. The text entry methods are often slow or complicated to use. This affects the performance and user experience of all applications and services on the device. This work introduces new easy-to-use text entry methods...... for mobile devices and a framework for adaptive context-aware language models. Based on analysis of current text entry methods, the requirements to the new text entry methods are established. Transparent User guided Prediction (TUP) is a text entry method for devices with one dimensional touch input. It can...... be touch sensitive wheels, sliders or similar input devices. The interaction design of TUP is done with a combination of high level task models and low level models of human motor behaviour. Three prototypes of TUP are designed and evaluated by more than 30 users. Observations from the evaluations are used...

Nanoscale device physics science and engineering fundamentals

CERN Document Server

Tiwari, Sandip

2017-01-01

Nanoscale devices are distinguishable from the larger microscale devices in their specific dependence on physical phenomena and effects that are central to their operation. The size change manifests itself through changes in importance of the phenomena and effects that become dominant and the changes in scale of underlying energetics and response. Examples of these include classical effects such as single electron effects, quantum effects such as the states accessible as well as their properties; ensemble effects ranging from consequences of the laws of numbers to changes in properties arising from different magnitudes of the inter-actions, and others. These interactions, with the limits placed on size, make not just electronic, but also magnetic, optical and mechanical behavior interesting, important and useful. Connecting these properties to the behavior of devices is the focus of this textbook. Description of the book series: This collection of four textbooks in the Electroscience series span the undergrad...

A video of Mixed Interaction Space video

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lykke, Olesen, Andreas; Hansen, Thomas Riisgaard; Eriksson, Eva

Mixed Interaction Space is a new concept that uses the mobile phone to interact with either applications on the phone or in the environment by tracking the position and rotation with the camera in 4 dimmension. Most mobile devices today has a camera onboard. In the project about Mixed Interaction...... Spaces we use image processing algorithms to track the movement of the mobile phone according to a fixed point and use this information as input to different applications. We are able to track the movement of the device in 3D plus the rotation of the device and uses these information as a kind of four...... dimensional input device. As a fixed point we use a circle in the first version of Mixis. By tracking the circle we have developed a number of applications that uses this technique as input. Above is three examples....

The conversational interface talking to smart devices

CERN Document Server

McTear, Michael; Griol, David

2016-01-01

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the conversational interface, which is becoming the main mode of interaction with virtual personal assistants, smart devices, various types of wearables, and social robots. The book consists of four parts: Part I presents the background to conversational interfaces, examining past and present work on spoken language interaction with computers; Part II covers the various technologies that are required to build a conversational interface along with practical chapters and exercises using open source tools; Part III looks at interactions with smart devices, wearables, and robots, and then goes on to discusses the role of emotion and personality in the conversational interface; Part IV examines methods for evaluating conversational interfaces and discusses future directions. · Presents a comprehensive overview of the various technologies that underlie conversational user interfaces; · Combines descriptions of conversational user interface technologies with a gui...

Using Blockchain Technology and Smart Contracts for Access Management in IoT devices

OpenAIRE

Bagchi, Rupsha

2017-01-01

The Internet of Things is a proliferating industry, which is transforming many homes and businesses, making them smart. However, the rapid growth of these devices and the interactions between these devices, introduces many challenges including that of a secure management system for the identities and interactions of the devices. While the centralized model has worked well for many years, there is a risk of the servers becoming bottlenecks and a single point of failure, thereby making them vul...

Mobile health devices: will patients actually use them?

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, Ryan J; Steinberg, Dori M; Bonnet, Jonathan; Modarai, Farhad; George, Aaron; Cunningham, Traven; Mason, Markedia; Shahsahebi, Mohammad; Grambow, Steven C; Bennett, Gary G; Bosworth, Hayden B

2016-05-01

Although mobile health (mHealth) devices offer a unique opportunity to capture patient health data remotely, it is unclear whether patients will consistently use multiple devices simultaneously and/or if chronic disease affects adherence. Three healthy and three chronically ill participants were recruited to provide data on 11 health indicators via four devices and a diet app. The healthy participants averaged overall weekly use of 76%, compared to 16% for those with chronic illnesses. Device adherence declined across all participants during the study. Patients with chronic illnesses, with arguably the most to benefit from advanced (or increased) monitoring, may be less likely to adopt and use these devices compared to healthy individuals. Results suggest device fatigue may be a significant problem. Use of mobile technologies may have the potential to transform care delivery across populations and within individuals over time. However, devices may need to be tailored to meet the specific patient needs. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Microbial profiling of cpn60 universal target sequences in artificial mixtures of vaginal bacteria sampled by nylon swabs or self-sampling devices under different storage conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Schellenberg, John J; Oh, Angela Yena; Hill, Janet E

2017-05-01

The vaginal microbiome is increasingly characterized by deep sequencing of universal genes. However, there are relatively few studies of how different specimen collection and sample storage and processing influence these molecular profiles. Here, we evaluate molecular microbial community profiles of samples collected using the HerSwab™ self-sampling device, compared to nylon swabs and under different storage conditions. In order to minimize technical variation, mixtures of 11 common vaginal bacteria in simulated vaginal fluid medium were sampled and DNA extracts prepared for massively parallel sequencing of the cpn60 universal target (UT). Three artificial mixtures imitating commonly observed vaginal microbiome profiles were easily distinguished and proportion of sequence reads correlated with the estimated proportion of the organism added to the artificial mixtures. Our results indicate that cpn60 UT amplicon sequencing quantifies the proportional abundance of member organisms in these artificial communities regardless of swab type or storage conditions, although some significant differences were observed between samples that were stored frozen and thawed prior to DNA extraction, compared to extractions from samples stored at room temperature for up to 7days. Our results indicate that an on-the-market device developed for infectious disease diagnostics may be appropriate for vaginal microbiome profiling, an approach that is increasingly facilitated by rapidly dropping deep sequencing costs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Role of management devices in enacting strategy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Harritz, Daniel

2016-01-01

the SSC’s creation. Originality/value - This study is the first to use a performative method to highlight the temporary and local nature of enacting strategic decisions to construct an SSC in the public sector. Keywords: Management control, SSC, strategic change, actor-network theory, organizational......Purpose - This study illustrates the role of management devices in enacting strategy and strategic decisions, resulting in the development of a Shared Service Centre (SSC) in a Danish municipality. It shows how devices interact in defending, rejecting and reframing strategy, leading to the closure...... the active role of non-human entities, such as management devices, in enacting and reformulating strategy. Findings - Different devices have become key actants in shaping and formulating the new strategy in the municipality and the strategic decision to construct a SSC. However, different devices mobilise...

Cost-effective therapeutic hypothermia treatment device for hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Allen RH

2013-01-01

Full Text Available John J Kim,1,2 Nathan Buchbinder,1,† Simon Ammanuel,1,4,5,† Robert Kim,1,† Erika Moore,1 Neil O'Donnell,1 Jennifer K Lee,3 Ewa Kulikowicz,3 Soumyadipta Acharya,1 Robert H Allen,1,9 Ryan W Lee,6,7 Michael V Johnston4–81Department of Biomedical Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, 2The James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, Department of Urology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 3Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, 4Kennedy Krieger Institute, 5Hugo W Moser Research Institute, 6Department of Neurology, 7Department of Pediatrics, 8Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD; 9Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA†These authors contributed equally to this workAbstract: Despite recent advances in neonatal care and monitoring, asphyxia globally accounts for 23% of the 4 million annual deaths of newborns, and leads to hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE. Occurring in five of 1000 live-born infants globally and even more in developing countries, HIE is a serious problem that causes death in 25%–50% of affected neonates and neurological disability to at least 25% of survivors. In order to prevent the damage caused by HIE, our invention provides an effective whole-body cooling of the neonates by utilizing evaporation and an endothermic reaction. Our device is composed of basic electronics, clay pots, sand, and urea-based instant cold pack powder. A larger clay pot, lined with nearly 5 cm of sand, contains a smaller pot, where the neonate will be placed for therapeutic treatment. When the sand is mixed with instant cold pack urea powder and wetted with water, the device can extract heat from inside to outside and maintain the inner pot at 17°C for more than 24 hours with monitoring by LED lights and thermistors

Developing biomedical devices design, innovation and protection

CERN Document Server

Andreoni, Giuseppe; Colombo, Barbara

2013-01-01

During the past two decades incredible progress has been achieved in the instruments and devices used in the biomedical field. This progress stems from continuous scientific research that has taken advantage of many findings and advances in technology made available by universities and industry. Innovation is the key word, and in this context legal protection and intellectual property rights (IPR) are of crucial importance. This book provides students and practitioners with the fundamentals for designing biomedical devices and explains basic design principles. Furthermore, as an aid to the dev

Long-range correlations and universality in plasma edge turbulence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Milligen, B.Ph. van; Pedrosa, M.A.; Carreras, B.A.

1999-01-01

Long-range correlations in turbulence, associated with self-similarity of the fluctuations, are a signature of transport by avalanches as occurs in Self-Organized Critical systems. We have investigated long-range correlations in plasma edge fluctuations in a variety of fusion devices, using the Rescaled-Range and similar techniques. We find that the degree of self-similarity in confining devices is high and similar between devices, and much different from non-confining devices where it is low. Likewise, we find that turbulent spectra show a high degree of similarity between devices. These findings strongly indicate the existence of universality in plasma edge (ohmic) turbulence, and demonstrate its non-Gaussian character. (author)

Cluster Approach to Network Interaction in Pedagogical University

Science.gov (United States)

Chekaleva, Nadezhda V.; Makarova, Natalia S.; Drobotenko, Yulia B.

2016-01-01

The study presented in the article is devoted to the analysis of theory and practice of network interaction within the framework of education clusters. Education clusters are considered to be a novel form of network interaction in pedagogical education in Russia. The aim of the article is to show the advantages and disadvantages of the cluster…

Using Personal Portable Devices as Learning Tools in the English Class

Science.gov (United States)

Herrera Díaz, Luz Edith; Cruz Ramos, María de los Milagros; Sandoval Sánchez, Mario Alberto

2014-01-01

A group of university students used a variety of personal portable devices (cellphones, tablets, laptops, and netbooks) which distracted them in English class. This qualitative action research aimed to implement activities entailing the use of such devices and to learn their impact on students' learning and the use of English in class. Thus, a…

From micro- to nanostructured implantable device for local anesthetic delivery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zorzetto L

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Laura Zorzetto,1 Paola Brambilla,1 Elena Marcello,1 Nora Bloise,2 Manuela De Gregori,3 Lorenzo Cobianchi,4,5 Andrea Peloso,4,5 Massimo Allegri,6 Livia Visai,2,7 Paola Petrini1 1Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering ‘G. Natta’, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, 2Department of Molecular Medicine, Centre for Health Technologies (CHT, INSTM UdR of Pavia, University of Pavia, 3Pain Therapy Service, IRCCS Foundation Policlinico San Matteo Pavia, Pavia, 4General Surgery Department, IRCCS Foundation Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, 5Departments of Clinical, Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, 6Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Parma, Parma, 7Department of Occupational Medicine, Toxicology and Environmental Risks, S. Maugeri Foundation, IRCCS, Lab of Nanotechnology, Pavia, Italy Abstract: Local anesthetics block the transmission of painful stimuli to the brain by acting on ion channels of nociceptor fibers, and find application in the management of acute and chronic pain. Despite the key role they play in modern medicine, their cardio and neurotoxicity (together with their short half-life stress the need for developing implantable devices for tailored local drug release, with the aim of counterbalancing their side effects and prolonging their pharmacological activity. This review discusses the evolution of the physical forms of local anesthetic delivery systems during the past decades. Depending on the use of different biocompatible materials (degradable polyesters, thermosensitive hydrogels, and liposomes and hydrogels from natural polymers and manufacturing processes, these systems can be classified as films or micro- or nanostructured devices. We analyze and summarize the production techniques according to this classification, focusing on their relative advantages and disadvantages. The most relevant trend reported in this work highlights the effort of moving from microstructured

Silicon solid state devices and radiation detection

CERN Document Server

Leroy, Claude

2012-01-01

This book addresses the fundamental principles of interaction between radiation and matter, the principles of working and the operation of particle detectors based on silicon solid state devices. It covers a broad scope with respect to the fields of application of radiation detectors based on silicon solid state devices from low to high energy physics experiments including in outer space and in the medical environment. This book covers stateof- the-art detection techniques in the use of radiation detectors based on silicon solid state devices and their readout electronics, including the latest developments on pixelated silicon radiation detector and their application.

Chemically sensitive interfaces on SAW devices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ricco, A.J.; Martin, S.J. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States); Crooks, R.M.; Xu, Chuanjing [Texas A and M Univ., College Station, TX (United States); Allred, R.E. [Adherent Technologies, Inc., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

1993-11-01

Using surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices, three approaches to the effective use of chemically sensitive interfaces that are not highly chemically selective have been examined: (1) molecular identification from time-resolved permeation transients; (2) using multifrequency SAW devices to determine the frequency dependence of analyte/film interactions; (3) use of an array of SAW devices bearing diverse chemically sensitive interfaces to produce a distinct response pattern for each analyte. In addition to their well-known sensitivity to mass changes (0.0035 monolayer of N{sub 2} can be measured), SAW devices respond to the mechanical and electronic properties of thin films, enhancing response information content but making a thorough understanding of the perturbation critical. Simultaneous measurement of changes in frequency and attenuation, which can provide the information necessary to determine the type of perturbation, are used as part of the above discrimination schemes.

Building devices from colloidal quantum dots.

Science.gov (United States)

Kagan, Cherie R; Lifshitz, Efrat; Sargent, Edward H; Talapin, Dmitri V

2016-08-26

The continued growth of mobile and interactive computing requires devices manufactured with low-cost processes, compatible with large-area and flexible form factors, and with additional functionality. We review recent advances in the design of electronic and optoelectronic devices that use colloidal semiconductor quantum dots (QDs). The properties of materials assembled of QDs may be tailored not only by the atomic composition but also by the size, shape, and surface functionalization of the individual QDs and by the communication among these QDs. The chemical and physical properties of QD surfaces and the interfaces in QD devices are of particular importance, and these enable the solution-based fabrication of low-cost, large-area, flexible, and functional devices. We discuss challenges that must be addressed in the move to solution-processed functional optoelectronic nanomaterials. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Spin-dependent transport and functional design in organic ferromagnetic devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guichao Hu

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Organic ferromagnets are intriguing materials in that they combine ferromagnetic and organic properties. Although challenges in their synthesis still remain, the development of organic spintronics has triggered strong interest in high-performance organic ferromagnetic devices. This review first introduces our theory for spin-dependent electron transport through organic ferromagnetic devices, which combines an extended Su–Schrieffer–Heeger model with the Green’s function method. The effects of the intrinsic interactions in the organic ferromagnets, including strong electron–lattice interaction and spin–spin correlation between π-electrons and radicals, are highlighted. Several interesting functional designs of organic ferromagnetic devices are discussed, specifically the concepts of a spin filter, multi-state magnetoresistance, and spin-current rectification. The mechanism of each phenomenon is explained by transmission and orbital analysis. These works show that organic ferromagnets are promising components for spintronic devices that deserve to be designed and examined in future experiments.

Student Use of Mobile Devices in Course Evaluation: A Longitudinal Study

Science.gov (United States)

Champagne, Matthew V.

2013-01-01

A 2012 survey of higher education found that 27% of colleges and universities were "mobile ready", that is, allowing students to complete course evaluations via mobile devices, and 26% of schools planned to allow the use of mobile devices for course evaluations within the next year. The purpose of this study was to prepare for this…

High-risk medical devices, children and the FDA: regulatory challenges facing pediatric mechanical circulatory support devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Almond, Christopher S D; Chen, Eric A; Berman, Michael R; Less, Joanne R; Baldwin, J Timothy; Linde-Feucht, Sarah R; Hoke, Tracey R; Pearson, Gail D; Jenkins, Kathy; Duncan, Brian W; Zuckerman, Bram D

2007-01-01

Pediatric mechanical circulatory support is a critical unmet need in the United States. Infant- and child-sized ventricular assist devices are currently being developed largely through federal contracts and grants through the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Human testing and marketing of high-risk devices for children raises epidemiologic and regulatory issues that will need to be addressed. Leaders from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), NHLBI, academic pediatric community, and industry convened in January 2006 for the first FDA Workshop on the Regulatory Process for Pediatric Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices. The purpose was to provide the pediatric community with an overview of the federal regulatory process for high-risk medical devices and to review the challenges specific to the development and regulation of pediatric mechanical circulatory support devices. Pediatric mechanical circulatory support present significant epidemiologic, logistic, and financial challenges to industry, federal regulators, and the pediatric community. Early interactions with the FDA, shared appreciation of challenges, and careful planning will be critical to avoid unnecessary delays in making potentially life-saving devices available for children. Collaborative efforts to address these challenges are warranted.

Activity-Based Collaboration for Interactive Spaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bardram, Jakob Eyvind; Esbensen, Morten; Tabard, Aurélien

2017-01-01

, folder, documents, etc., users are able to interact with ‘activities’ which encapsulate files and other low-level resources. In ABC an ‘activity’ can be shared between collaborating users and can be accessed on different devices. As such, ABC is a framework that suits the requirements of designing...... interactive spaces. This chapter provides an overview of ABC with a special focus on its support for collaboration (‘Activity Sharing’) and multiple devices (‘Activity Roaming’). These ABC concepts are illustrated as implemented in two different interactive spaces technologies; ReticularSpaces [1] and the e......LabBench [2, 3]. The chapter discusses the benefits of activity-based collaboration support for these interactive spaces, while also discussing limitations and challenges to be addressed in further research....

Materials perspective on Casimir and van der Waals interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Woods, L. M.; Dalvit, D. A. R.; Tkatchenko, A.; Rodriguez-Lopez, P.; Rodriguez, A. W.; Podgornik, R.

2016-10-01

Interactions induced by electromagnetic fluctuations, such as van der Waals and Casimir forces, are of universal nature present at any length scale between any types of systems. Such interactions are important not only for the fundamental science of materials behavior, but also for the design and improvement of micro- and nanostructured devices. In the past decade, many new materials have become available, which has stimulated the need for understanding their dispersive interactions. The field of van der Waals and Casimir forces has experienced an impetus in terms of developing novel theoretical and computational methods to provide new insights into related phenomena. The understanding of such forces has far reaching consequences as it bridges concepts in materials, atomic and molecular physics, condensed-matter physics, high-energy physics, chemistry, and biology. This review summarizes major breakthroughs and emphasizes the common origin of van der Waals and Casimir interactions. Progress related to novel ab initio modeling approaches and their application in various systems, interactions in materials with Dirac-like spectra, force manipulations through nontrivial boundary conditions, and applications of van der Waals forces in organic and biological matter are examined. The outlook of the review is to give the scientific community a materials perspective of van der Waals and Casimir phenomena and stimulate the development of experimental techniques and applications.

The development for the particle physics experiments platform in university

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liang Futian; Yao Yuan; Wang Zhaoqi; Liu Yuzhe; Sang Ziru; Chen Lian; Wen Fei; Jin Ge; Liu Hongbin

2012-01-01

Nuclear science and particle physics is an important subject in physics, and it is important to launch particle physics experiments in university to training students. We design an experiments platform based on particle physics experiments in university. By employing digitalization and reconfiguration techniques in our design, we achieve all kinds of device functions with only one device. With the customized software for particular experiments and a website for teaching assistance, the platform is easy to be employed in universities. Students can accomplish a classical particle physics experiment in a modern way with the help of the platform, and they can also try new ideals. The experiments platform is ready to be used, and some of the lab sessions in USTC have already begin to use our experiments platform. (authors)

Mobile Collocated Interactions With Wearables

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lucero, Andrés; Wilde, Danielle; Robinson, Simon

2015-01-01

Research on mobile collocated interactions has been looking at situations in which collocated users engage in collaborative activities using their mobile devices, thus going from personal/individual toward shared/multiuser experiences and interactions. However, computers are getting smaller, more...

Touch-free, gesture-based control of medical devices and software based on the leap motion controller.

Science.gov (United States)

Mauser, Stanislas; Burgert, Oliver

2014-01-01

There are several intra-operative use cases which require the surgeon to interact with medical devices. We used the Leap Motion Controller as input device and implemented two use-cases: 2D-Interaction (e.g. advancing EPR data) and selection of a value (e.g. room illumination brightness). The gesture detection was successful and we mapped its output to several devices and systems.

Intelligence Studies, Universities and Security

Science.gov (United States)

Glees, Anthony

2015-01-01

This article offers a critical assessment of academic intelligence studies in higher education. It argues that universities (and academics) should value this subject far more highly than they currently do. Doing so will enhance better public understanding of an increasingly important and unique device in modern governance. It will also improve the…

Radiology and the mobile device: Radiology in motion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sridhar G Panughpath

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The use of mobile devices is revolutionizing the way we communicate, interact, are entertained, and organize our lives. With healthcare in general and radiology in particular becoming increasingly digital, the use of such devices in radiologic practice is inevitable. This article reviews the current status of the use of mobile devices in the clinical practice of radiology, namely in emergency teleradiology. Technical parameters such as luminance and resolution are discussed. The article also discusses the benefits of such mobility vis-à-vis the current limitations of the technologies available.

Radiology and the mobile device: Radiology in motion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panughpath, Sridhar G; Kalyanpur, Arjun

2012-01-01

The use of mobile devices is revolutionizing the way we communicate, interact, are entertained, and organize our lives. With healthcare in general and radiology in particular becoming increasingly digital, the use of such devices in radiologic practice is inevitable. This article reviews the current status of the use of mobile devices in the clinical practice of radiology, namely in emergency teleradiology. Technical parameters such as luminance and resolution are discussed. The article also discusses the benefits of such mobility vis-à-vis the current limitations of the technologies available

Diamond Pixel Detectors and 3D Diamond Devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Venturi, N.

2016-01-01

Results from detectors of poly-crystalline chemical vapour deposited (pCVD) diamond are presented. These include the first analysis of data of the ATLAS Diamond Beam Monitor (DBM). The DBM module consists of pCVD diamond sensors instrumented with pixellated FE-I4 front-end electronics. Six diamond telescopes, each with three modules, are placed symmetrically around the ATLAS interaction point. The DBM tracking capabilities allow it to discriminate between particles coming from the interaction point and background particles passing through the ATLAS detector. Also, analysis of test beam data of pCVD DBM modules are presented. A new low threshold tuning algorithm based on noise occupancy was developed which increases the DBM module signal to noise ratio significantly. Finally first results from prototypes of a novel detector using pCVD diamond and resistive electrodes in the bulk, forming a 3D diamond device, are discussed. 3D devices based on pCVD diamond were successfully tested with test beams at CERN. The measured charge is compared to that of a strip detector mounted on the same pCVD diamond showing that the 3D device collects significantly more charge than the planar device.

Controlling Ionic Transport for Device Design in Synthetic Nanopores

Science.gov (United States)

Kalman, Eric Boyd

Polymer nanopores present a number of behaviors not seen in microscale systems, such as ion current rectification, ionic selectivity, size exclusion and potential dependent ion concentrations in and near the pore. The existence of these effects stems from the small size of nanopores with respect to the characteristic length scales of surface interactions at the interface between the nanopore surface and the solution within it. The large surface-to-volume ratio due to the nanoscale geometry of a nanopore, as well as similarity in scale between geometry and interaction demands the solution interact with the nanopore walls. As surfaces in solution almost always carry residual charge, these surface forces are primarily the electrostatic interactions between the charge groups on the pore surface and the ions in solution. These interactions may be used by the experimentalist to control ionic transport through synthetic nanopores, and use them as a template for the construction of devices. In this research, we present our work on creating a number of ionic analogs to seminal electronic devices, specifically diodes, and transistors, by controlling ionic transport through the electrostatic interactions between a single synthetic nanopore and ions. Control is achieved by "doping" the effective charge carrier concentration in specific regions of the nanopore through manipulation of the pore's surface charge. This manipulation occurs through two mechanisms: chemical modification of the surface charge and electrostatic manipulation of the local internal nanopore potential using a gate electrode. Additionally, the innate selectivity of the charged nanopores walls allows for the separation of charges in solution. This well-known effect, which spawns measureable quantities, the streaming potential and current, has been used to create nanoscale water desalination membranes. We attempt to create a device using membranes with large nanopore densities for the desalination of water

Assistive acting movement therapy devices with pneumatic rotary-type soft actuators.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkening, André; Baiden, David; Ivlev, Oleg

2012-12-01

Inherent compliance and assistive behavior are assumed to be essential properties for safe human-robot interaction. Rehabilitation robots demand the highest standards in this respect because the machine interacts directly with weak persons who are often sensitive to pain. Using novel soft fluidic actuators with rotary elastic chambers (REC actuators), compact, lightweight, and cost-effective therapeutic devices can be developed. This article describes modular design and control strategies for new assistive acting robotic devices for upper and lower extremities. Due to the inherent compliance and natural back-drivability of pneumatic REC actuators, these movement therapy devices provide gentle treatment, whereby the interaction forces between humans and the therapy device are estimated without the use of expensive force/torque sensors. An active model-based gravity compensation based on separated models of the robot and of the individual patient's extremity provides the basis for effective assistive control. The utilization of pneumatic actuators demands a special safety concept, which is merged with control algorithms to provide a sufficient level of safeness and to catch any possible system errors and/or emergency situations. A self-explanatory user interface allows for easy, intuitive handling. Prototypes are very comfortable for use due to several control routines that work in the background. Assistive devices have been tested extensively with several healthy persons; the knee/hip movement therapy device is now under clinical trials at the Clinic for Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery at the Klinikum Stuttgart.

Universal appeal of how it all started

CERN Multimedia

Grattan, G

2002-01-01

Our current understanding of how the universe was created is being explained in an interactive exhibition developed by PPARC, entitled 'Building the Universe', which opened in the Odyssey, Belfast today.

Mobile devices in medicine: a survey of how medical students, residents, and faculty use smartphones and other mobile devices to find information*

Science.gov (United States)

Boruff, Jill T.; Storie, Dale

2014-01-01

Objectives: The research investigated the extent to which students, residents, and faculty members in Canadian medical faculties use mobile devices, such as smartphones (e.g., iPhone, Android, Blackberry) and tablet computers (e.g., iPad), to answer clinical questions and find medical information. The results of this study will inform how health libraries can effectively support mobile technology and collections. Methods: An electronic survey was distributed by medical librarians at four Canadian universities to medical students, residents, and faculty members via departmental email discussion lists, personal contacts, and relevant websites. It investigated the types of information sought, facilitators to mobile device use in medical information seeking, barriers to access, support needs, familiarity with institutionally licensed resources, and most frequently used resources. Results: The survey of 1,210 respondents indicated widespread use of smartphones and tablets in clinical settings in 4 Canadian universities. Third- and fourth-year undergraduate students (i.e., those in their clinical clerkships) and medical residents, compared to other graduate students and faculty, used their mobile devices more often, used them for a broader range of activities, and purchased more resources for their devices. Conclusions: Technological and intellectual barriers do not seem to prevent medical trainees and faculty from regularly using mobile devices for their medical information searches; however, barriers to access and lack of awareness might keep them from using reliable, library-licensed resources. Implications: Libraries should focus on providing access to a smaller number of highly used mobile resources instead of a huge collection until library-licensed mobile resources have streamlined authentication processes. PMID:24415916

Mobile devices in medicine: a survey of how medical students, residents, and faculty use smartphones and other mobile devices to find information.

Science.gov (United States)

Boruff, Jill T; Storie, Dale

2014-01-01

The research investigated the extent to which students, residents, and faculty members in Canadian medical faculties use mobile devices, such as smartphones (e.g., iPhone, Android, Blackberry) and tablet computers (e.g., iPad), to answer clinical questions and find medical information. The results of this study will inform how health libraries can effectively support mobile technology and collections. An electronic survey was distributed by medical librarians at four Canadian universities to medical students, residents, and faculty members via departmental email discussion lists, personal contacts, and relevant websites. It investigated the types of information sought, facilitators to mobile device use in medical information seeking, barriers to access, support needs, familiarity with institutionally licensed resources, and most frequently used resources. The survey of 1,210 respondents indicated widespread use of smartphones and tablets in clinical settings in 4 Canadian universities. Third- and fourth-year undergraduate students (i.e., those in their clinical clerkships) and medical residents, compared to other graduate students and faculty, used their mobile devices more often, used them for a broader range of activities, and purchased more resources for their devices. Technological and intellectual barriers do not seem to prevent medical trainees and faculty from regularly using mobile devices for their medical information searches; however, barriers to access and lack of awareness might keep them from using reliable, library-licensed resources. Libraries should focus on providing access to a smaller number of highly used mobile resources instead of a huge collection until library-licensed mobile resources have streamlined authentication processes.

Runaway-electron-materials interaction studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bolt, H.; Miyahara, A.

1990-03-01

During the operation of magnetic fusion devices it has been frequently observed that runaway electrons can cause severe damage to plasma facing components. The energy of the runaway electrons could possibly reach several 100 MeV in a next generation device with an energy content in the plasma in the order of 100 MJ. In this study effects of high energy electron - materials interaction were determined by laboratory experiments using particle beam facilities, i.e. the Electron Linear Accelerator of the Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research of Osaka University and the 10 MW Neutral Beam Injection Test Stand of the National Institute for Fusion Science. The experiments and further analyses lead to a first assessment of the damage thresholds of plasma facing materials and components under runaway electron impact. It was found that metals (stainless steel, molybdenum, tungsten) showed grain growth, crack formation and/or melting already below the threshold for crack initiation on graphite (14-33 MJ/m 2 ). Strong erosion of carbon materials would occur above 100 MJ/m 2 . Damage to metal coolant channels can occur already below an energy deposition of 100 MJ/m 2 . The energy deposited in the metal coolant channels depends on the thickness of the plasma facing carbon material D, with the shielding efficiency S of carbon approximately as S∼D 1.15 . (author) 304 refs. 12 tabs. 59 figs

Baby universes with induced gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Yihong; Gao Hongbo

1989-01-01

In this paper some quantum effects of baby universes with induced gravity are discussed. It is proved that the interactions between the baby-parent universes are non-local, and argue that the induced low-energy cosmological constant is zero. This argument does not depend on the detail of the induced potential

Application of high power microwave vacuum electron devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ding Yaogen; Liu Pukun; Zhang Zhaochuan; Wang Yong; Shen Bin

2011-01-01

High power microwave vacuum electron devices can work at high frequency, high peak and average power. They have been widely used in military and civil microwave electron systems, such as radar, communication,countermeasure, TV broadcast, particle accelerators, plasma heating devices of fusion, microwave sensing and microwave heating. In scientific research, high power microwave vacuum electron devices are used mainly on high energy particle accelerator and fusion research. The devices include high peak power klystron, CW and long pulse high power klystron, multi-beam klystron,and high power gyrotron. In national economy, high power microwave vacuum electron devices are used mainly on weather and navigation radar, medical and radiation accelerator, TV broadcast and communication system. The devices include high power pulse and CW klystron, extended interaction klystron, traveling wave tube (TWT), magnetron and induced output tube (IOT). The state of art, common technology problems and trends of high power microwave vacuum electron devices are introduced in this paper. (authors)

Continuous Context-Aware Device Comfort Evaluation Method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guo, Jingjing; Jensen, Christian D.; Ma, Jianfeng

2015-01-01

Mobile devices have become more powerful and are increasingly integrated in the everyday life of people; from playing games, taking pictures and interacting with social media to replacing credit cards in payment solutions. The security of a mobile device is therefore increasingly linked to its...... context, such as its location, surroundings (e.g. objects and people in the immediate environment) and so on, because some actions may only be appropriate in some situations; this is not captured by traditional security models. In this paper, we examine the notion of Device Comfort and propose a way...... to calculate the sensitivity of a specific action to the context. We present two different methods for a mobile device to dynamically evaluate its security status when an action is requested, either by the user or by another device. The first method uses the predefined ideal context as a standard to assess...

BioInnovate Ireland--fostering entrepreneurial activity through medical device innovation training.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruzzi, M S; Linehan, J H

2013-09-01

In the midst of a rich environment for medical device development and manufacturing, universities can play a critical role by developing relevant training programs to produce entrepreneurs who can be efficient and successful in creating early stage companies by understanding deeply the issues involved in creating a useful device, how to raise money, designing early clinical studies and locating manufacturing partners.

Design and Calibration of a New 6 DOF Haptic Device

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huanhuan Qin

2015-12-01

Full Text Available For many applications such as tele-operational robots and interactions with virtual environments, it is better to have performance with force feedback than without. Haptic devices are force reflecting interfaces. They can also track human hand positions simultaneously. A new 6 DOF (degree-of-freedom haptic device was designed and calibrated in this study. It mainly contains a double parallel linkage, a rhombus linkage, a rotating mechanical structure and a grasping interface. Benefited from the unique design, it is a hybrid structure device with a large workspace and high output capability. Therefore, it is capable of multi-finger interactions. Moreover, with an adjustable base, operators can change different postures without interrupting haptic tasks. To investigate the performance regarding position tracking accuracy and static output forces, we conducted experiments on a three-dimensional electric sliding platform and a digital force gauge, respectively. Displacement errors and force errors are calculated and analyzed. To identify the capability and potential of the device, four application examples were programmed.

Design and Calibration of a New 6 DOF Haptic Device

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Huanhuan; Song, Aiguo; Liu, Yuqing; Jiang, Guohua; Zhou, Bohe

2015-01-01

For many applications such as tele-operational robots and interactions with virtual environments, it is better to have performance with force feedback than without. Haptic devices are force reflecting interfaces. They can also track human hand positions simultaneously. A new 6 DOF (degree-of-freedom) haptic device was designed and calibrated in this study. It mainly contains a double parallel linkage, a rhombus linkage, a rotating mechanical structure and a grasping interface. Benefited from the unique design, it is a hybrid structure device with a large workspace and high output capability. Therefore, it is capable of multi-finger interactions. Moreover, with an adjustable base, operators can change different postures without interrupting haptic tasks. To investigate the performance regarding position tracking accuracy and static output forces, we conducted experiments on a three-dimensional electric sliding platform and a digital force gauge, respectively. Displacement errors and force errors are calculated and analyzed. To identify the capability and potential of the device, four application examples were programmed. PMID:26690449

Designing Gestural Interfaces Touchscreens and Interactive Devices

CERN Document Server

Saffer, Dan

2008-01-01

If you want to get started in new era of interaction design, this is the reference you need. Packed with informative illustrations and photos, Designing Gestural Interfaces provides you with essential information about kinesiology, sensors, ergonomics, physical computing, touchscreen technology, and new interface patterns -- information you need to augment your existing skills in traditional" websites, software, or product development. This book will help you enter this new world of possibilities."

Dalla disciplina del progetto, le ragioni di un percorso magistrale di studi in interaction design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alessandra Bosco

2014-04-01

Full Text Available ITLa trasformazione del ruolo e della professione del designer nella condizione socio-economica culturale contemporanea, contraddistinta da una molteplicità di stimoli visivi, dal sovraffollamento dei prodotti, dall’uso di nuove tecnologie e dalla pervasività dei device, orienta la scelta di indirizzare un percorso di studi magistrale nell’ambito multidisciplinare dell’interaction design. La formazione specifica che si articola in maniera sinergica tra laboratori e corsi teorici trova fondamento nelle discipline dello human factors, delle teorie dell’interazione e della critica del design. Il paper argomenta le ragioni, i metodi e le scelte effettuate dal gruppo di docenti che tra il 2010 e il 2014 ha progettato tale percorso didattico all’Università degli Studi della Repubblica di San Marino.ENThe transformation of the designer’s role in the contemporary social, economic and cultural context, characterized by a growing overload of visual stimuli, new technological products, and a multitude of pervasive mobile devices, led the decision to steer the graduate degree programme in design towards the multidisciplinary field of interaction design. This specific branch of learning builds its fundamentals in the synergetic teaching of theoretical and studio courses focusing on human factors, theories of interaction and design criticism. This paper investigates the motivations, the methods and the choices made by a group of professors of the University of the Republic of San Marino to create a new graduate programme in interaction design.

Expanding Interaction Potentials within Virtual Environments: Investigating the Usability of Speech and Manual Input Modes for Decoupled Interaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alex Stedmon

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Distributed technologies and ubiquitous computing now support users who may be detached or decoupled from traditional interactions. In order to investigate the potential usability of speech and manual input devices, an evaluation of speech input across different user groups and a usability assessment of independent-user and collaborative-user interactions was conducted. Whilst the primary focus was on a formative usability evaluation, the user group evaluation provided a formal basis to underpin the academic rigor of the exercise. The results illustrate that using a speech interface is important in understanding user acceptance of such technologies. From the usability assessment it was possible to translate interactions and make them compatible with innovative input devices. This approach to interaction is still at an early stage of development, and the potential or validity of this interfacing concept is still under evaluation; however, as a concept demonstrator, the results of these initial evaluations demonstrate the potential usability issues of both input devices as well as highlighting their suitability for advanced virtual applications.

Quantum theory of novel parametric devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drummond, P.D.; Reid, M.D.; Dechoum, K.; Chaturvedi, S.; Olsen, M.; Kheruntsyan, K.; Bradley, A.

2005-01-01

While the parametric amplifier is a widely used and important source of entangled and squeezed photons, there are many possible ways to investigate the physics of intracavity parametric devices. Novel quantum theory of parametric devices in this talk will cover several new types of unconventional devices, including the following topics:- Critical intracavity paramp - We calculate intrinsic limits to entanglement of a quantum paramp, caused by nonlinear effects originating in phase noise of the pump. - Degenerate planar paramp - We obtain universal quantum critical fluctuations in a planar paramp device by mapping to the equations of magnetic Lifshitz points Nondegenerate planar paramp - The Mermin-Wagner theorem is used to demonstrate that there is no phase transition in the case of a nondegenerate planar device - Coupled channel paramp - A robust and novel integrated entanglement source can be generated using type I waveguides coupled inside a cavity to generate spatial entanglement - Cascade paramps - This possible 'GHZ-type' source is obtained by cascading successive down conversion crystals inside the same cavity, giving two thresholds Parallel paramps - Tripartite entanglement can be generated if three intracavity paramp crystals are operated in parallel, each idler mode acting as a signal for the next. Finally, we briefly treat the relevant experimental developments. (author)

Using Mobile Devices in Nursing Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Day-Black, Crystal; Merrill, Earlene B

2015-01-01

The use of mobile device technology in nursing education is growing. These devices are becoming more important in the health care environment with an advantage of providing a compendium of drug, nursing procedures and treatments, and disease information to nursing students. Senior baccalaureate nursing students traditionally are prohibited from medication administration during psychiatric-mental health clinical rotations, but they are required to participate in simulated medication discussions and administration experiences. The incorporation of this mobile device technology to augment clinical learning experiences has advantages including potential reduction of medication errors, and improved patient safety during students' clinical rotation. The purpose of this project is to explain how the mobile device (iPod Touch, 4th generation wireless media player) may be used to enhance and augment comprehensive nursing care in a psychiatric-mental health clinical setting. Thirty-four (34) baccalaureate senior nursing students enrolled in a clinical psychiatric-mental nursing course at a mid-Atlantic public university school of nursing were used. Each student was provided a loaner mobile device with appropriate software and the necessary training. Data were collected on the student's ability to simulate medication administration to a psychiatric-mental health client. Surveys were administered before distribution, at mid-point and at the end of two (2) seven week semesters.

Device for guiding various diameter size cable

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Litvinov, I.M.; Klauzer, L.P.; Yeganov, L.I.; Zaripov, A.M.

1982-01-30

A design is submitted for a device to guide cable of various diameters. This device consists of a profiled multiple-pass roller, and clamps for uniting cut cable. This design is simplified by allowing both the rollers and their supports to rotate on the roller axis thus facilitating interaction with the clamps. The working surface of the supports is evolute while the outside surfaces have screw-channels for transfering the cable from one roller pass to the other.

A pneumatic muscle hand therapy device.

Science.gov (United States)

Koeneman, E J; Schultz, R S; Wolf, S L; Herring, D E; Koeneman, J B

2004-01-01

Intensive repetitive therapy improves function and quality of life for stroke patients. Intense therapies to overcome upper extremity impairment are beneficial, however, they are expensive because, in part, they rely on individualized interaction between the patient and rehabilitation specialist. The development of a pneumatic muscle driven hand therapy device, the Mentortrade mark, reinforces the need for volitional activation of joint movement while concurrently offering knowledge of results about range of motion, muscle activity or resistance to movement. The device is well tolerated and has received favorable comments from stroke survivors, their caregivers, and therapists.

Fast reactor recharging device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Artemiev, L.N.; Kurilkin, V.V.

1979-01-01

Disclosure is made of a device for recharging a fast-neutron reactor, intended for the transfer of fuel assemblies and rods of the control and safety system, having profiled heads to be gripped on the outside. The device comprises storage drums whose compartments for rods of the control and safety system are identical to compartments for fuel assemblies. In order to store and transport rods of the control and safety system from the storage drums to the recharging mechanism provision is made for sleeve-type holders. When placed in such a holder, the dimensions of a rod of the control and safety system are equal to those of a fuel assembly. To join a holder to a rod of the control and safety system, on the open end of each holder there is mounted a collet, whereas on the surface of each rod of the control and safety system, close to its head, there is provided an encircling groove to interact with the collet. The grip of the recharging mechanism is provided with a stop interacting with the collet in order to open the latter and withdraw the safety and control system rod from its holder

Beyond QCD: A Composite Universe

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sannino, Francesco

Strong dynamics constitutes one of the pillars of the standard model of particle interactions, and it accounts for the bulk of the visible matter in the universe. It is therefore a well posed question to ask if the rest of the universe can be described in terms of new highly natural four...

Mutagenesis: Interactions with a parallel universe.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Jeffrey H

Unexpected observations in mutagenesis research have led to a new perspective in this personal reflection based on years of studying mutagenesis. Many mutagens have been thought to operate via a single principal mechanism, with secondary effects usually resulting in only minor changes in the observed mutation frequencies and spectra. For example, we conceive of base analogs as resulting in direct mispairing as their main mechanism of mutagenesis. Recent studies now show that in fact even these simple mutagens can cause very large and unanticipated effects both in mutation frequencies and in the mutational spectra when used in certain pair-wise combinations. Here we characterize this leap in mutation frequencies as a transport to an alternate universe of mutagenesis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Gravitational instantons and separation of an expanding Universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rubakov, V.A.; Tinyakov, P.G.

1988-01-01

Instanton, describing the separation of closed small-size classically inflating Universe from the plane Universe, was found in the model of gravitational field, interacting with matter fields. Existence of such instantons provides the possibility of expanding Universe self-birth

Transformable Menu Component for Mobile Device Applications: Working with both Adaptive and Adaptable User Interfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Glavinic

2008-08-01

Full Text Available Using a learning system in a mobile environmentis not effective if barriers are not overcome in theinteraction with targeted users. For that purpose all mobileservices, including m-learning ones, demand specialattention being paid to interaction with the user. Whilemobile device applications are becoming more powerful,their development process must utilize the concepts ofuniversal access and universal usability. This paperdescribes the model of both adaptable and adaptive mobileuser interface, through the introduction of a transformablemenu component capable to be personalized to eachindividual user with respect to her/his preferences andinteraction style. We discuss the use of customization andadaptation techniques, with the aim to both enhance mobileHCI and to increase user satisfaction, particularly whenworking with graphically rich m-learning applications.

Learning English Using Children's Stories in Mobile Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Cavus, Nadire; Ibrahim, Dogan

2017-01-01

The topic of this paper is to describe the development of an interactive application that can be used in teaching English as a second language using children's stories in mobile devices. The aim of this experimental study has been to find out the potential of using the developed interactive mobile application in improving the learning skills such…

Device for overlapping of a column of pump compressor pipes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sharafutdinov, I.G.; Akhmerov, M.N.; Asadullin, Kh.F.; Prokopov, O.I.

1980-02-16

A device is proposed for automatic overlapping of pump compressor pipes of gushing petroleum and gas wells when losses occur near the well. The objective of the invention is to increase efficiency of the overlapping of the pipe column by recharging the device directly at the hole without disassembling the head equipment. This objective is achieved as follows. The device is equipped with elastic spacers located in the channels of a ring. They are mounted with the possibility of interaction with ball catches. A drawing and description of the device are given.

The baryon asymmetry of the Universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barrow, J.D.

1980-01-01

An interaction between cosmology and particle physics has been mediated by the development of a unified approach to the fundamental symmetries of nature. The development of a unified theory of the strong and electro-weak interactions has encountered a potential hurdle to its progress. The underlying symmetry between the strong and electro-weak interactions may only be restored at energies exceeding approximately 10 14 GeV and such conditions can only be probed by an indirect retrospection into the first instants of the hot big bang origin of the Universe. The author aims to describe some of the recent developments surrounding grand unified theories (GUT's) of the strong and electro-weak interactions together with their relation to the question of the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the Universe and the relative cosmic abundances of photons and nucleons. Further progress is hindered by the fact that super-unified theory must also encompass the gravitational interaction. (Auth.)

Guidelines for haptic interpersonal communication applications : an exploration of foot interaction styles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rovers, A.F.; Essen, van H.A.

2006-01-01

A new method for researching haptic interaction styles is presented, based on a layered interaction model and a classification of existing devices. The method is illustrated by designing a new foot interaction device. The aim of which is to enhance non-verbal communication over a computer network. A

Multi-surface Interaction in the WILD Room

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beaudouin-Lafon, Michel; Chapuis, Olivier; Eagan, James R.

2012-01-01

The WILD (wall-sized interaction with large datasets) room serves as a testbed for exploring the next generation of interactive systems by distributing interaction across diverse computing devices, enabling multiple users to easily and seamlessly create, share, and manipulate digital content...

University Reactor Sharing Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reese, W.D.

2004-01-01

Research projects supported by the program include items such as dating geological material and producing high current super conducting magnets. The funding continues to give small colleges and universities the valuable opportunity to use the NSC for teaching courses in nuclear processes; specifically neutron activation analysis and gamma spectroscopy. The Reactor Sharing Program has supported the construction of a Fast Neutron Flux Irradiator for users at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and the University of Houston. This device has been characterized and has been found to have near optimum neutron fluxes for A39/Ar 40 dating. Institution final reports and publications resulting from the use of these funds are on file at the Nuclear Science Center

estimation of background radiation at rivers state university

African Journals Online (AJOL)

DJFLEX

State University of Science and Technology was measured using a specialize digital, radiation meter type, radalert ... KEYWORDS: Radiation, Radalert-50, electronic devices, radiation limit ... electron gun and the back of CRT (Philip and pick,.

Seeking Common Ground: First-Year U.S. University Students' Experiences with Intercultural Interaction and Friendship in an On-Campus Residential Community

Science.gov (United States)

Gaston, Michelle Elise

2017-01-01

The number of international students on U.S. campuses has increased more than 84 percent over the past decade (IIE, 2016). Although it has been well-established that interaction and friendship with local students is a key element for international student adjustment to a foreign university, few studies have grappled with how these intercultural…

Productive interactions for societal impact: Developing a research information system for agriculture (RIS-Agric) at Stellenbosch University, South Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boshoff, N.; Esterhuyse, H.

2016-07-01

Assessments of the societal impact of research rely on primary data as input to the relevant indicators. In the current project, the data collection for indicator construction is guided by the SIAMPI approach to societal impact assessment. According to SIAMPI, the achievement of societal impact involves two elements: stakeholders and productive interactions. The latter includes three kinds of interactions: direct personal interactions; indirect interactions where contact is mediated by a material or human ‘carrier’; and financial interactions that refer to the economic exchanges between researchers and stakeholders. The question to be explored is whether the assessment of the societal impact of research can be facilitated by capturing any direct, indirect and financial interactions between researchers and societal stakeholders in a research information system. CREST/SciSTIP is developing such a system, called RIS-Agric, in cooperation with the Faculty of AgriSciences at Stellenbosch University and four agricultural research funders in South Africa that represent different agricultural commodities. A RIS with productive interactions at its core – and the funded research project as the unit of observation – will produce the necessary data for indicators linked to the societal impact of research, in addition to generating insights about the ‘pathway’ from research to societal impact. The indicators need to be ‘socially robust’ in the sense that their validation processes should include the research beneficiaries and their representatives. In doing so, RIS-Agric will produce a useful, standardised measurement mechanism that is aligned across the different commodities. The focus on productive interactions will be supplemented by other methods in order to enable the quantification of societal impact in the form of ‘impact scores’. (Author)

Radioprotective shield - an adequate radioprotective device for routine stomatological radiodiagnosis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiltschke, F [Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Univ., Greifswald (German Democratic Republic); Taschner, P; Koenig, W; Menzel, B [Staatliches Amt fuer Atomsicherheit und Strahlenschutz, Berlin (German Democratic Republic)

1975-01-01

Starting from the shortcomings of the radioprotective devices at present used in routine stomatological radiodiagnosis, the authors describe the advantages of a radioprotective shield which has been produced in the Greifswald University Stomatological Clinic. On the basis of dosimetric studies, the National Board for Nuclear Safety and Radiological Protection of the GDR (Staatliches Amt fuer Atomsicherheit und Strahlenschutz der DDR) could demonstrate the suitability of this shield as a radioprotective device for routine stomatological radiodiagnosis.

Computation of many-particle quantum trajectories with exchange interaction: application to the simulation of nanoelectronic devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alarcón, A; Yaro, S; Cartoixà, X; Oriols, X

2013-01-01

Following Oriols (2007 Phys. Rev. Lett. 98 066803), an algorithm to deal with the exchange interaction in non-separable quantum systems is presented. The algorithm can be applied to fermions or bosons and, by construction, it exactly ensures that any observable is totally independent of the interchange of particles. It is based on the use of conditional Bohmian wave functions which are solutions of single-particle pseudo-Schrödinger equations. The exchange symmetry is directly defined by demanding symmetry properties of the quantum trajectories in the configuration space with a universal algorithm, rather than through a particular exchange–correlation functional introduced into the single-particle pseudo-Schrödinger equation. It requires the computation of N 2 conditional wave functions to deal with N identical particles. For separable Hamiltonians, the algorithm reduces to the standard Slater determinant for fermions (or permanent for bosons). A numerical test for a two-particle system, where exact solutions for non-separable Hamiltonians are computationally accessible, is presented. The numerical viability of the algorithm for quantum electron transport (in a far-from-equilibrium time-dependent open system) is demonstrated by computing the current and fluctuations in a nano-resistor, with exchange and Coulomb interactions among electrons. (paper)

Power calculation of grading device in desintegrator

Science.gov (United States)

Bogdanov, V. S.; Semikopenko, I. A.; Vavilov, D. V.

2018-03-01

This article describes the analytical method of measuring the secondary power consumption, necessitated by the installation of a grading device in the peripheral part of the grinding chamber in the desintegrator. There is a calculation model for defining the power input of the disintegrator increased by the extra power demand, required to rotate the grading device and to grind the material in the area between the external row of hammers and the grading device. The work has determined the inertia moments of a cylindrical section of the grading device with armour plates. The processing capacity of the grading device is adjusted to the conveying capacity of the auger feeder. The grading device enables one to increase the concentration of particles in the peripheral part of the grinding chamber and the amount of interaction between particles and armour plates as well as the number of colliding particles. The perforated sections provide the output of the ground material with the proper size granules, which together with the effects of armour plates, improves the efficiency of grinding. The power demand to rotate the grading device does not exceed the admissible value.

An in situ accelerator-based diagnostic for plasma-material interactions science on magnetic fusion devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Hartwig, Zachary S; Barnard, Harold S; Lanza, Richard C; Sorbom, Brandon N; Stahle, Peter W; Whyte, Dennis G

2013-12-01

This paper presents a novel particle accelerator-based diagnostic that nondestructively measures the evolution of material surface compositions inside magnetic fusion devices. The diagnostic's purpose is to contribute to an integrated understanding of plasma-material interactions in magnetic fusion, which is severely hindered by a dearth of in situ material surface diagnosis. The diagnostic aims to remotely generate isotopic concentration maps on a plasma shot-to-shot timescale that cover a large fraction of the plasma-facing surface inside of a magnetic fusion device without the need for vacuum breaks or physical access to the material surfaces. Our instrument uses a compact (~1 m), high-current (~1 milliamp) radio-frequency quadrupole accelerator to inject 0.9 MeV deuterons into the Alcator C-Mod tokamak at MIT. We control the tokamak magnetic fields--in between plasma shots--to steer the deuterons to material surfaces where the deuterons cause high-Q nuclear reactions with low-Z isotopes ~5 μm into the material. The induced neutrons and gamma rays are measured with scintillation detectors; energy spectra analysis provides quantitative reconstruction of surface compositions. An overview of the diagnostic technique, known as accelerator-based in situ materials surveillance (AIMS), and the first AIMS diagnostic on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak is given. Experimental validation is shown to demonstrate that an optimized deuteron beam is injected into the tokamak, that low-Z isotopes such as deuterium and boron can be quantified on the material surfaces, and that magnetic steering provides access to different measurement locations. The first AIMS analysis, which measures the relative change in deuterium at a single surface location at the end of the Alcator C-Mod FY2012 plasma campaign, is also presented.

Low-cost Augmented Reality prototype for controlling network devices

OpenAIRE

Nguyen, Anh; Banic, Amy

2014-01-01

With the evolution of mobile devices, and smart-phones in particular, comes the ability to create new experiences that enhance the way we see, interact, and manipulate objects, within the world that surrounds us. It is now possible to blend data from our senses and our devices in numerous ways that simply were not possible before using Augmented Reality technology. In a near future, when all of the office devices as well as your personal electronic gadgets are on a common wireless network, op...

3D virtual facilities with interactive instructions for nuclear education and training

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Satoh, Yoshinori; Li, Ye; Zhu, Yuefeng; Rizwan-uddin

2015-01-01

Efficient and effective education and training of nuclear engineering students and future operators are critical for the safe operation and maintenance of nuclear power plants. Students and future operators used to receive some of the education and training at university laboratories and research reactors. With many university research reactors now shutdown, both students and future operators are deprived of this valuable training source. With an eye toward this need and to take advantage of recent developments in human machine interface technologies, we have focused on the development of 3D virtual laboratories for nuclear engineering education and training as well as to conduct virtual experiments. These virtual laboratories are expected to supplement currently available resources and education and training experiences. Resent focus is on adding interactivity and physics model to allow trainees to conduct virtual experiments. This paper reports some recent extensions to our virtual nuclear education laboratory and research reactor laboratory. These include head mounted display as well as hand tracking devices for virtual operations. (author)

Reflected Brownian motions in the KPZ universality class

CERN Document Server

Weiss, Thomas; Spohn, Herbert

2017-01-01

This book presents a detailed study of a system of interacting Brownian motions in one dimension. The interaction is point-like such that the n-th Brownian motion is reflected from the Brownian motion with label n-1. This model belongs to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) universality class. In fact, because of the singular interaction, many universal properties can be established with rigor. They depend on the choice of initial conditions. Discussion addresses packed and periodic initial conditions (Chapter 5), stationary initial conditions (Chapter 6), and mixtures thereof (Chapter 7). The suitably scaled spatial process will be proven to converge to an Airy process in the long time limit. A chapter on determinantal random fields and another one on Airy processes are added to have the notes self-contained. These notes serve as an introduction to the KPZ universality class, illustrating the main concepts by means of a single model only. The notes will be of interest to readers from interacting diffusion processe...

Plasma Surface Interactions Common to Advanced Fusion Wall Materials and EUV Lithography - Lithium and Tin

Science.gov (United States)

Ruzic, D. N.; Alman, D. A.; Jurczyk, B. E.; Stubbers, R.; Coventry, M. D.; Neumann, M. J.; Olczak, W.; Qiu, H.

2004-09-01

Advanced plasma facing components (PFCs) are needed to protect walls in future high power fusion devices. In the semiconductor industry, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) sources are needed for next generation lithography. Lithium and tin are candidate materials in both areas, with liquid Li and Sn plasma material interactions being critical. The Plasma Material Interaction Group at the University of Illinois is leveraging liquid metal experimental and computational facilities to benefit both fields. The Ion surface InterAction eXperiment (IIAX) has measured liquid Li and Sn sputtering, showing an enhancement in erosion with temperature for light ion bombardment. Surface Cleaning of Optics by Plasma Exposure (SCOPE) measures erosion and damage of EUV mirror samples, and tests cleaning recipes with a helicon plasma. The Flowing LIquid surface Retention Experiment (FLIRE) measures the He and H retention in flowing liquid metals, with retention coefficients varying between 0.001 at 500 eV to 0.01 at 4000 eV.

Hadron jets in deep inelastic ν-bar N interactions and universality of the jet properties in relative four-velocity space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baldin, A.M.; Didenko, L.A.; Grishin, V.G.; Kuznetsov, A.A.; Maneva, G.M.; Temnikov, P.P.

1987-01-01

A new definition of the jets as clusters in the four-velocity space has been used to make an invariant analysis of the jet production processes in ν-barN collisions for the three energy intervals of the hadron system: W=3.5; 4.9; 8.0 GeV. The obtained results are compared with the characteristics of the four-dimensional jets in various types of interactions: pp, p-barp, π - p, π - C, pC and pTa at energies from 6 to 205 GeV. The characteristics of the four-dimensional jets in soft and hard interactions are shown to be universal, i.e., independent of neither the type of the fragmenting system (p, p-bar, π - , C, q), nor the collision energy for P lab ≥ 22 GeV/c (√S=W > 6 GeV). The obtained result means that the hadronization of the colour charges is determined by the dynamics of their interaction with vacuum

Evaluating mobile centric information access and interaction compatibility for learning websites

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Chipangura, B

2013-11-01

Full Text Available guidelines for One web design, not all websites meet these standards. Research has shown that accessing websites that were designed for desktop computer access on mobile hand held devices results in negative user experience [12]. The reasons... to identify mobile phone accessibility problems of university websites [14, 18]. At organizational level, many universities are struggling with adapting their current desktop-based websites to be accessible on mobile devices [20]. A number...

Interactive TV: Interaction and Control in Second-screen TV Consumption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fleury, Alexandre; Pedersen, Jakob Schou; Baunstrup, Mai

2012-01-01

The integration of television and mobile technologies are becoming a reality in today’s home media environments. In order to facilitate the development of future cross-platform broadcast TV services, this study investigated prompting and control strategies for a secondary device in front of the TV...... they preferred with which content. Overall, we found a clear preference for keeping interactive contents and prompting on the secondary device and broadcast TV content on the primary screen. The workshops generated numerous ideas concerning possible personalization of such service....

Fluctuation-induced long-range interactions in polymer systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Semenov, A N; Obukhov, S P

2005-01-01

We discover a new universal long-range interaction between solid objects in polymer media. This polymer-induced interaction is directly opposite to the van der Waals attraction. The predicted effect is deeply related to the classical Casimir interactions, providing a unique example of universal fluctuation-induced repulsion rather than normal attraction. This universal repulsion comes from the subtracted soft fluctuation modes in the ideal counterpart of the real polymer system. The effect can also be interpreted in terms of subtracted (ghost) large-scale polymer loops. We establish the general expressions for the energy of polymer-induced interactions for arbitrary solid particles in a concentrated polymer system. We find that the correlation function of the polymer density in a concentrated solution of very long chains follows a scaling law rather than an exponential decay at large distances. These novel universal long-range interactions can be of importance in various polymer systems. We discuss the ways to observe/simulate these fluctuation-induced effects

University Interaction with National Development Plans: A Case Study from Iraq.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Naimi, Taha T.; Al-Nassri, Sabah A.

1981-01-01

The development of the University of Technology in Baghdad, Iraq, is discussed, illustrating how it has adjusted its work to national needs as expressed in national development plans. As industry in Iraq has broadened its scope, the curriculum in the university has widened. (Author/MLW)

Emergent universe with wormholes in massive gravity

Science.gov (United States)

Paul, B. C.; Majumdar, A. S.

2018-03-01

An emergent universe (EU) scenario is proposed to obtain a universe free from big-bang singularity. In this framework the present universe emerged from a static Einstein universe phase in the infinite past. A flat EU scenario is found to exist in Einstein’s gravity with a non-linear equation of state (EoS). It has been shown subsequently that a physically realistic EU model can be obtained considering cosmic fluid composed of interacting fluids with a non-linear equation of state. It results a viable cosmological model accommodating both early inflation and present accelerating phases. In the present paper, the origin of an initial static Einstein universe needed in the EU model is explored in a massive gravity theory which subsequently emerged to be a dynamically evolving universe. A new gravitational instanton solution in a flat universe is obtained in the massive gravity theory which is a dynamical wormhole that might play an important role in realizing the origin of the initial state of the emergent universe. The emergence of a Lorentzian universe from a Euclidean gravity is understood by a Wick rotation τ = i t . A universe with radiation at the beginning finally transits into the present observed universe with a non-linear EoS as the interactions among the fluids set in. Thus a viable flat EU scenario where the universe stretches back into time infinitely, with no big bang is permitted in a massive gravity.

Biomolecular detection device

Science.gov (United States)

Huo, Qisheng [Albuquerque, NM; Liu, Jun [Albuquerque, NM

2008-10-21

A device for detecting and measuring the concentration of biomolecules in solution, utilizing a conducting electrode in contact with a solution containing target biomolecules, with a film with controllable pore size distribution characteristics applied to at least one surface of the conducting electrode. The film is functionalized with probe molecules that chemically interact with the target biomolecules at the film surface, blocking indicator molecules present in solution from diffusing from the solution to the electrode, thereby changing the electrochemical response of the electrode.

Photonic Switching Devices Using Light Bullets

Science.gov (United States)

Goorjian, Peter M. (Inventor)

1999-01-01

A unique ultra-fast, all-optical switching device or switch is made with readily available, relatively inexpensive, highly nonlinear optical materials. which includes highly nonlinear optical glasses, semiconductor crystals and/or multiple quantum well semiconductor materials. At the specified wavelengths. these optical materials have a sufficiently negative group velocity dispersion and high nonlinear index of refraction to support stable light bullets. The light bullets counter-propagate through, and interact within the waveguide to selectively change each others' directions of propagation into predetermined channels. In one embodiment, the switch utilizes a rectangularly planar slab waveguide. and further includes two central channels and a plurality of lateral channels for guiding the light bullets into and out of the waveguide. An advantage of the present all-optical switching device lies in its practical use of light bullets, thus preventing the degeneration of the pulses due to dispersion and diffraction at the front and back of the pulses. Another advantage of the switching device is the relative insensitivity of the collision process to the time difference in which the counter-propagating pulses enter the waveguide. since. contrary to conventional co-propagating spatial solitons, the relative phase of the colliding pulses does not affect the interaction of these pulses. Yet another feature of the present all-optical switching device is the selection of the light pulse parameters which enables the generation of light bullets in nonlinear optical materials. including highly nonlinear optical glasses and semiconductor materials such as semiconductor crystals and/or multiple quantum well semiconductor materials.

Interacting dark energy and the expansion of the universe

CERN Document Server

Silbergleit, Alexander S

2017-01-01

This book presents a high-level study of cosmology with interacting dark energy and no additional fields. It is known that dark energy is not necessarily uniform when other sources of gravity are present: interaction with matter leads to its variation in space and time. The present text studies the cosmological implications of this circumstance by analyzing cosmological models in which the dark energy density interacts with matter and thus changes with the time. The book also includes a translation of a seminal article about the remarkable life and work of E.B. Gliner, the first person to suggest the concept of dark energy in 1965.

Observational Consequences of an Interacting Multiverse

Science.gov (United States)

Robles-Pérez, Salvador

2017-05-01

The observability of the multiverse is at the very root of its physical significance as a scientific proposal. In this conference we present, within the third quantization formalism, an interacting scheme between the wave functions of different universes and analyze the effects of some particular values of the coupling function. One of the main consequences of the interaction between universes can be the appearance of a pre-inflationary stage in the evolution of the universes that might leave observable consequences in the properties of the CMB.

The Proliferation of Smart Devices on Mobile Cloud Computing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kant Hiran, Kamal; Doshi, Ruchi

Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC) is an emerging research topic in the world of Information Technology, this trend promises to deliver and promote a wide range of advantage to it anxious markets or clients. With MCC, all the applications that exist are on a remote server enable the individual client...... machines or devices to access them. Mobile Cloud Computing in smartphone and tablets allows devices to offload functions and data resources to a cloud environment. This happening conserve the power of the smart devices or the tablets to prolong it battery longevity. This book sought to analyses how MCC...... influence the time they spend on their devices. This book would be useful for research scholars as a text for university undergraduate courses related to mobile cloud computing, as well as at junior colleges, and vocational schools training course....

Asymmetric creation of matter and antimatter in the expanding universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Papastamatiou, N.J.; Parker, L.

1979-01-01

We consider a simple model in which the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the universe is brought about by an effective two-particle interaction that violates baryon-number conservation as well as CP invariance. The particle fields participating in the interaction are quantized, and their time development in an isotropically expanding universe is found to all orders in the coupling constant. Pair production by the asymmetric interaction, as well as symmetric production by the gravitational field of the expanding universe, appear simultaneously in the solution. Taking an initial state in which no particles participating in the asymmetric interaction are present, we find the created baryon-number density. We consider in more detail the case when the matter-antimatter asymmetry is produced during a stage when the radius of the universe is small with respect to its present value. We make numerical estimates of the created matter-antimatter asymmetry, and put limits on possible values of the parameters of this model

Need Assessment on Jimma University Community Schools (JUCS ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Journal Home > Vol 3, No 2 (2008) > ... JUCS was institutionalized as one of Jimma University strategic devices for staff retention in providing quality of education for ... laboratories and equipment, library and pedagogical center, lack of parent ...

WORKSHOP: Low temperature devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1987-01-01

With extraterrestrial neutrinos (whether from the sun or further afield) continuing to make science news, and with the search for the so far invisible 'dark matter' of the universe a continual preoccupation, physicists from different walks of life (solid state, low temperature, particles, astrophysics) gathered at a workshop on low temperature devices for the detection of neutrinos and dark matter, held from 12-13 March at Ringberg Castle on Lake Tegernsee in the Bavarian Alps, and organized by the Max Planck Institute for Physics and Astrophysics in Munich

WORKSHOP: Low temperature devices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

1987-06-15

With extraterrestrial neutrinos (whether from the sun or further afield) continuing to make science news, and with the search for the so far invisible 'dark matter' of the universe a continual preoccupation, physicists from different walks of life (solid state, low temperature, particles, astrophysics) gathered at a workshop on low temperature devices for the detection of neutrinos and dark matter, held from 12-13 March at Ringberg Castle on Lake Tegernsee in the Bavarian Alps, and organized by the Max Planck Institute for Physics and Astrophysics in Munich.

Innovative medical devices and hospital decision making: a study comparing the views of hospital pharmacists and physicians.

Science.gov (United States)

Billaux, Mathilde; Borget, Isabelle; Prognon, Patrice; Pineau, Judith; Martelli, Nicolas

2016-06-01

Objectives Many university hospitals have developed local health technology assessment processes to guide informed decisions about new medical devices. However, little is known about stakeholders' perceptions and assessment of innovative devices. Herein, we investigated the perceptions regarding innovative medical devices of their chief users (physicians and surgeons), as well as those of hospital pharmacists, because they are responsible for the purchase and management of sterile medical devices. We noted the evaluation criteria used to assess and select new medical devices and suggestions for improving local health technology assessment processes indicated by the interviewees. Methods We randomly selected 18 physicians and surgeons (nine each) and 18 hospital pharmacists from 18 French university hospitals. Semistructured interviews were conducted between October 2012 and August 2013. Responses were coded separately by two researchers. Results Physicians and surgeons frequently described innovative medical devices as 'new', 'safe' and 'effective', whereas hospital pharmacists focused more on economic considerations and considered real innovative devices to be those for which no equivalent could be found on the market. No significant difference in evaluation criteria was found between these groups of professionals. Finally, hospital pharmacists considered the management of conflicts of interests in local health technology assessment processes to be an issue, whereas physicians and surgeons did not. Conclusions The present study highlights differences in perceptions related to professional affiliation. The findings suggest several ways in which current practices for local health technology assessment in French university hospitals could be improved and studied. What is known about the topic? Hospitals are faced with ever-growing demands for innovative and costly medical devices. To help hospital management deal with technology acquisition issues, hospital

Resonant frequency of the silicon micro-structure of MEMS vector hydrophone in fluid-structure interaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guojun Zhang

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The MEMS vector hydrophone developed by the North University of China has advantages of high Signal to Noise Ratio, ease of array integration, etc. However, the resonance frequency of the MEMS device in the liquid is different from that in the air due to the fluid-structure interaction (FSI. Based on the theory of Fluid-Solid Coupling, a generalized distributed mass attached on the micro-structure has been found, which results in the resonance frequency of the microstructure in the liquid being lower than that in the air. Then, an FSI simulation was conducted by ANSYS software. Finally, the hydrophone was measured by using a shaking table and a vector hydrophone calibration system respectively. Results show that, due to the FSI, the resonance frequency of the MEMS devices of the bionic vector hydrophone in the liquid declines approximately 30% compared to the case in the air.

TIDE: Lightweight Device Composition for Enhancing Tabletop Environments with Smartphone Applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sicard, Leo; Tabard, Aurelien; Ramos, Juan David Hincapie

2013-01-01

platforms have to be re-developed. At the same time, smartphones are pervasive computers that users carry around and with a large pool of applications. This paper presents TIDE, a lightweight device composition middleware to bring existing smartphone applica- tions onto the tabletop. Through TIDE......, applications running on the smartphone are displayed on the tabletop computer, and users can interact with them through the tabletop’s interactive surface. TIDE contributes to the areas of device compo- sition and tabletops by providing an OS-level middleware that is transparent to the smartphone applications...

Virtual instrumentation on mobile devices for deployment in nuclear installations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farias, Marcos Santana; Santos, Isaac Jose A. Luquetti dos; Jesus, Miller F. de; Sant'Anna, Claudio Reis de; Szabo, Andre Pedro; Carvalho, Paulo Victor R. de

2013-01-01

The virtual instrumentation can be defined as a layer of software and hardware, added to a general purpose computer, so that users can interact with the computer in the same way that they interacted with traditional electronic instruments such as oscilloscopes, multi-meters and signal generators, and may add other functions defined by software. The virtual instrumentation gets a new integration environment, little explored yet, with the great growth that occurred in the mobile devices area. Nowadays it is possible to take measurements in more places by combining mobile devices with data acquisition hardware to create extremely portable and interconnected measurement systems. This paper shows the development of software and hardware that make possible the use of instrumentation on mobile devices for monitoring nuclear installations. It's presented the hardware and the application software for data acquisition of radiation monitors, developed to iOS devices. It's also shown the possibilities of hardware and software to develop near real-time data transfer to and from the field in nuclear installations, with benefits in efficiency, safety and productivity. (author)

Collocated Interaction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

E. Fischer, Joel; Porcheron, Martin; Lucero, Andrés

2016-01-01

interactions. Yet, new challenges abound as people wear and carry more devices than ever, creating fragmented device ecologies at work, and changing the ways we socialise with each other. In this workshop we seek to start a dialogue to look back as well as forward, review best practices, discuss and design......In the 25 years since Ellis, Gibbs, and Rein proposed the time-space taxonomy, research in the ‘same time, same place’ quadrant has diversified, perhaps even fragmented. This one-day workshop will bring together researchers with diverse, yet convergent interests in tabletop, surface, mobile...

Evaluating and Predicting Patient Safety for Medical Devices With Integral Information Technology

Science.gov (United States)

2005-01-01

323 Evaluating and Predicting Patient Safety for Medical Devices with Integral Information Technology Jiajie Zhang, Vimla L. Patel, Todd R...errors are due to inappropriate designs for user interactions, rather than mechanical failures. Evaluating and predicting patient safety in medical ...the users on the identified trouble spots in the devices. We developed two methods for evaluating and predicting patient safety in medical devices

Modeling, Designing, and Implementing an Avatar-based Interactive Map

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefan Andrei

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Designing interactive maps has always been a challenge due to the geographical complexity of the earth’s landscape and the difficulty of resolving details to a high resolution. In the past decade or so, one of the most impressive map-based software application, the Global Positioning System (GPS, has probably the highest level of interaction with the user. This article describes an innovative technique for designing an avatar-based virtual interactive map for the Lamar University Campus, which will entail the buildings’ exterior as well as their interiors. Many universities provide 2D or 3D maps and even interactive maps. However, these maps do not provide a complete interaction with the user. To the best of our knowledge, this project is the first avatar-based interaction game that allows 100% interaction with the user. This work provides tremendous help to the freshman students and visitors of Lamar University. As an important marketing tool, the main objective is to get better visibility of the campus worldwide and to increase the number of students attending Lamar University.

From the universe to the elementary particles. A first introduction to cosmology and the fundamental interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ellwanger, Ulrich

2012-01-01

In this book, the author leads the reader, step by step and without any advanced mathematics, to a clear understanding of the foundations of modern elementary particle physics and cosmology. He also addresses current and controversial questions on topics such as string theory. The book contains gentle introductions to the theories of special and general relativity, and also classical and quantum field theory. The essential aspects of these concepts are understood with the help of simple calculations; for example, the force of gravity as a consequence of the curvature of the space-time. Also treated are the Big Bang, dark matter and dark energy, as well as the presently known interactions of elementary particles: electrodynamics, the strong and the weak interactions including the Higgs boson. Finally, the book sketches as yet speculative theories: Grand Unification theories, supersymmetry, string theory and the idea of additional dimensions of space-time. Since no higher mathematical or physics expertise is required, the book is also suitable for college and university students at the beginning of their studies. Hobby astronomers and other science enthusiasts seeking a deeper insight than can be found in popular treatments will also appreciate this unique book.

Observational Consequences of an Interacting Multiverse

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salvador J. Robles-Pérez

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The observability of the multiverse is at the very root of its physical significance as a scientific proposal. In this conference we present, within the third quantization formalism, an interacting scheme between the wave functions of different universes and analyze the effects of some particular values of the coupling function. One of the main consequences of the interaction between universes can be the appearance of a pre-inflationary stage in the evolution of the universes that might leave observable consequences in the properties of the CMB.

Universal microcomputer ABM 80 for data processing and measurement devices control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jagiello, S.; Kozminski, A.; Plominski, M.; Rzymkowski, K.

1983-01-01

The main features of the universal microcomputer ABM-80 with microprocessor INTEL 8080 are described. ABM-80 works with the measurer AZAR and the register ERD-102 or with other equipment with similar input/output parameters. Monitor program is an integral part of the microcomputer. (author)

Compiling a Medical Device File and a Proposal for an International Standard for Rehabilitation Robots

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Römer, GertWillem R.B.E.; Stuyt, Harry J.A.

2007-01-01

Medical devices produced by manufacturers are subject to regulatory review by authorities. Usually, medical devices are developed at universities and other research institutes. This implies that regulatory activities are to be carried out by the designer at these organizations also. And as early as

Multiuser Collaboration with Networked Mobile Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Tso, Kam S.; Tai, Ann T.; Deng, Yong M.; Becks, Paul G.

2006-01-01

In this paper we describe a multiuser collaboration infrastructure that enables multiple mission scientists to remotely and collaboratively interact with visualization and planning software, using wireless networked personal digital assistants(PDAs) and other mobile devices. During ground operations of planetary rover and lander missions, scientists need to meet daily to review downlinked data and plan science activities. For example, scientists use the Science Activity Planner (SAP) in the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission to visualize downlinked data and plan rover activities during the science meetings [1]. Computer displays are projected onto large screens in the meeting room to enable the scientists to view and discuss downlinked images and data displayed by SAP and other software applications. However, only one person can interact with the software applications because input to the computer is limited to a single mouse and keyboard. As a result, the scientists have to verbally express their intentions, such as selecting a target at a particular location on the Mars terrain image, to that person in order to interact with the applications. This constrains communication and limits the returns of science planning. Furthermore, ground operations for Mars missions are fundamentally constrained by the short turnaround time for science and engineering teams to process and analyze data, plan the next uplink, generate command sequences, and transmit the uplink to the vehicle [2]. Therefore, improving ground operations is crucial to the success of Mars missions. The multiuser collaboration infrastructure enables users to control software applications remotely and collaboratively using mobile devices. The infrastructure includes (1) human-computer interaction techniques to provide natural, fast, and accurate inputs, (2) a communications protocol to ensure reliable and efficient coordination of the input devices and host computers, (3) an application

Low-field magnetotransport in graphene cavity devices

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, G. Q.; Kang, N.; Li, J. Y.; Lin, Li; Peng, Hailin; Liu, Zhongfan; Xu, H. Q.

2018-05-01

Confinement and edge structures are known to play significant roles in the electronic and transport properties of two-dimensional materials. Here, we report on low-temperature magnetotransport measurements of lithographically patterned graphene cavity nanodevices. It is found that the evolution of the low-field magnetoconductance characteristics with varying carrier density exhibits different behaviors in graphene cavity and bulk graphene devices. In the graphene cavity devices, we observed that intravalley scattering becomes dominant as the Fermi level gets close to the Dirac point. We associate this enhanced intravalley scattering to the effect of charge inhomogeneities and edge disorder in the confined graphene nanostructures. We also observed that the dephasing rate of carriers in the cavity devices follows a parabolic temperature dependence, indicating that the direct Coulomb interaction scattering mechanism governs the dephasing at low temperatures. Our results demonstrate the importance of confinement in carrier transport in graphene nanostructure devices.

Towards Generic Interaction Styles for Product Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Buur, Jacob; Stienstra, Marcelle

2008-01-01

a wider range of interactive products. In this paper we report on five years of continued research into interaction styles for telephones, kitchen equipment, HiFi products and medical devices, and we show how it is indeed possible and beneficial to formulate a set of generic interaction styles....

Anisotropic universal conductance fluctuations in disordered quantum wires with Rashba and Dresselhaus spin–orbit interaction and an applied in-plane magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scheid, Matthias; Adagideli, İnanç; Richter, Klaus; Nitta, Junsaku

2009-01-01

We investigate the transport properties of narrow quantum wires realized in disordered two-dimensional electron gases in the presence of k-linear Rashba and Dresselhaus spin–orbit interaction, and an applied in-plane magnetic field. Building on previous work (Scheid et al 2008 Phys. Rev. Lett. 101 266401), we find that in addition to the conductance, the universal conductance fluctuations also feature anisotropy with respect to the magnetic field direction. This anisotropy can be explained solely from the symmetries exhibited by the Hamiltonian as well as the relative strengths of the Rashba and Dresselhaus spin–orbit interaction and thus can be utilized to detect this ratio from purely electrical measurements

iPosture: The Size of Electronic Consumer Devices Affects our Behavior

OpenAIRE

Bos, Maarten W.; Cuddy, Amy J. C.

2013-01-01

We examined whether incidental body posture, prompted by working on electronic devices of different sizes, affects power-related behaviors. Grounded in research showing that adopting expansive body postures increases psychological power, we hypothesized that working on larger devices, which forces people to physically expand, causes users to behave more assertively. Participants were randomly assigned to interact with one of four electronic devices that varied in size: an iPod Touch, an iPad,...

Off-equilibrium infrared structure of self-interacting scalar fields: Universal scaling, vortex-antivortex superfluid dynamics, and Bose-Einstein condensation

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Jian; Schlichting, Soeren; Venugopalan, Raju; Wang, Qun

2018-05-01

We map the infrared dynamics of a relativistic single-component (N =1 ) interacting scalar field theory to that of nonrelativistic complex scalar fields. The Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation, describing the real-time dynamics of single-component ultracold Bose gases, is obtained at first nontrivial order in an expansion proportional to the powers of λ ϕ2/m2 where λ , ϕ , and m are the coupling constant, the scalar field, and the particle mass respectively. Our analytical studies are corroborated by numerical simulations of the spatial and momentum structure of overoccupied scalar fields in (2+1)-dimensions. Universal scaling of infrared modes, vortex-antivortex superfluid dynamics, and the off-equilibrium formation of a Bose-Einstein condensate are observed. Our results for the universal scaling exponents are in agreement with those extracted in the numerical simulations of the GP equation. As in these simulations, we observe coarsening phase kinetics in the Bose superfluid with strongly anomalous scaling exponents relative to that of vertex resummed kinetic theory. Our relativistic field theory framework further allows one to study more closely the coupling between superfluid and normal fluid modes, specifically the turbulent momentum and spatial structure of the coupling between a quasiparticle cascade to the infrared and an energy cascade to the ultraviolet. We outline possible applications of the formalism to the dynamics of vortex-antivortex formation and to the off-equilibrium dynamics of the strongly interacting matter formed in heavy-ion collisions.

Cosmology and the early universe

Science.gov (United States)

Joshi, Abhigna

2017-01-01

In the beginning the universe was in a hot dense state nearly 13.8 billion years ago. The thermal history of the universe was traced back to an era when the temperature was about 1012K. At this early time, the universe was filled with particles-mostly photons and leptons- whose interactions are hopefully weak enough to allow this medium to be treated as a more or less ideal gas. However, if we look back a little further, into the first 0.0001 second of cosmic history when the temperature was above 1012K. At such temperatures, there will be present in thermal equilibrium copious numbers of strongly interacting particles-mostly masons and baryons-with a mean interparticle distance less than a Compton wavelength. These particles will be in a state of continual mutual interaction, and cannot reasonably be expected to obey any simple equation of state. The inflationary epoch lasted from 10-36seconds after the Big Bang to sometime between 10-33and 10-32seconds. Matter and energy created in this time. Right after that space expanded exponentially with enormous rate of 74.3 +/-2.1Km per second per Mpc. Undergraduate student and researcher of the string theory, quantum gravity, cosmology and quantum biology.

Universal Design and the Smart Home.

Science.gov (United States)

Pennick, Tim; Hessey, Sue; Craigie, Roland

2016-01-01

The related concepts of Universal Design, Inclusive Design, and Design For All, all recognise that no one solution will fit the requirements of every possible user. This paper considers the extent to which current developments in smart home technology can help to reduce the numbers of users for whom mainstream technology is not sufficiently inclusive, proposing a flexible approach to user interface (UI) implementation focussed on the capabilities of the user. This implies development of the concepts underlying Universal Design to include the development of a flexible inclusive support infrastructure, servicing the requirements of individual users and their personalised user interface devices.

Transformations: Mobile Interaction & Language Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Carroll, Fiona; Kop, Rita; Thomas, Nathan; Dunning, Rebecca

2015-01-01

Mobile devices and the interactions that these technologies afford have the potential to change the face and nature of education in our schools. Indeed, mobile technological advances are seen to offer better access to educational material and new interactive ways to learn. However, the question arises, as to whether these new technologies are…

Uranium-scintillator device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, S.D.

1979-01-01

The calorimeter subgroup of the 1977 ISABELLE Summer Workshop strongly recommended investigation of the uranium-scintillator device because of its several attractive features: (1) increased resolution for hadronic energy, (2) fast time response, (3) high density (i.e., 16 cm of calorimeter per interaction length), and, in comparison with uranium--liquid argon detectors, (4) ease of construction, (5) simple electronics, and (6) lower cost. The AFM group at the CERN ISR became interested in such a calorimeter for substantially the same reasons, and in the fall of 1977 carried out tests on a uranium-scintillator (U-Sc) calorimeter with the same uranium plates used in their 1974 studies of the uranium--liquid argon (U-LA) calorimeter. The chief disadvantage of the scintillator test was that the uranium plates were too small to fully contain the hadronic showers. However, since the scintillator and liquid argon tests were made with the plates, direct comparison of the two types of devices could be made

High Power Microwave Emission of Large and Small Orbit Gyrotron Devices in Rectangular Interaction Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Hochman, J. M.; Gilgenbach, R. M.; Jaynes, R. L.; Rintamaki, J. I.; Luginsland, J. W.; Lau, Y. Y.; Spencer, T. A.

1996-11-01

Experiments utilize large and small orbit e-beam gyrotron devices in a rectangular-cross-section (RCS) gyrotron. This device is being explored to examine polarization control. Other research issues include pulse shortening, and mode competition. MELBA generates electron beams with parameters of: -800kV, 1-10kA diode current, and 0.5-1.0 μ sec pulselengths. The small orbit gyrotron device is converted to a large orbit experiment by running MELBA's annular electron beam through a magnetic cusp. Initial experiments showed an increase in beam alpha (V_perp/V_par) of a factor of ~ 4 between small and large orbit devices. Experimental results from the RCS gyrotron will be compared for large-orbit and small-orbit electron beams. Beam transport data and frequency measurements will be presented. Computer modeling utilizing the MAGIC and E-gun codes will be shown.

Nuclear science and engineering education at a university research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loveland, W.

1993-01-01

The role of an on-site irradiation facility in nuclear science and engineering education is examined. Using the example of a university research reactor, the use of such devices in laboratory instruction, public outreach programs, special instructional programs, research, etc. is discussed. Examples from the Oregon State University curriculum in nuclear chemistry, nuclear engineering and radiation health are given. (author) 1 tab

University-industry coupling: exaggerated expectations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roy, R.

This coupling, formally disdainful to university presidents and leading scientists, is now all the rage, according to the author. The presidents' enthusiasm is sparked apparently by hopes of making killings on patents and gaining equity participation in the Silicon Valleys of the future, he notes. The reality of the situation, the cautions, is that all ventures are highly speculative; further, the performance of most universities in knowledge transfer is mixed. He supports research interactions between universities and industries where natural and effective, but warms against the public's grossly exaggerated expectations. 6 references

An Application of the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction and College and University Classroom Environment Inventory in a Multicultural Tertiary Context

Science.gov (United States)