Aerospace medicine and biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes (supplement 333)

This bibliography lists 122 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information System during January, 1990. Subject coverage includes: aerospace medicine and psychology, life support systems and controlled environments, safety equipment, exobiology and extraterrestrial life, and flight crew behavior and performance

A cognitive prosthesis for complex decision-making

While simple heuristics can be ecologically rational and effective in naturalistic decision making contexts, complex situations require analytical decision making strategies, hypothesis-testing and learning. Sub-optimal decision strategies – using simplified as opposed to analytic decision rules – have been reported in domains such as healthcare, military operational planning, and government policy making. We investigate the potential of a computational toolkit called “IMAGE” to improve decision-making by developing structural knowledge and increasing understanding of complex situations. IMAGE is tested within the context of a complex military convoy management task through (a) interactive simulations, and (b) visualization and knowledge representation capabilities. We assess the usefulness of two versions of IMAGE (desktop and immersive) compared to a baseline. Results suggest that the prosthesis helped analysts in making better decisions, but failed to increase their structural knowledge about the situation once the cognitive prosthesis is removed

Spatially Interactive Literature Analysis System (SILAS): An Interactive Tool to Study the Narrative Landscape of Ancient Texts

College-level students of Christian scripture face the challenge of critically reading the text while separating it from the familiar theological context. This can be addressed by requiring students to create maps of relevant data, but it raises challenges in cartography, temporal representation and analysis. Students either laboriously hand draw maps or attempt to use web-based tools without much regard to time or spatial analysis. A Geographic Information System (GIS) can help, but the large investment in learning software is often not worth the effort. The Spatially Interactive Literature Analysis System (SILAS) is a GIS-based study tool designed to allow students to integrate historical data, edit and annotate geospatial content, and create and print maps. Computer-based GIS technologies, manual techniques, usability issues and integrating text with geography are examined. Initially focused on the four gospels in the New Testament, SILAS can serve as a template for incorporating other texts, Christian and otherwise

Coal conversion systems design and process modeling. Volume 2: Installation of MPPM on the Signal 9 computer

Relevant differences between the MPPM resident IBM 370computer and the NASA Sigma 9 computer are described as well as the MPPM system itself and its development. Problems encountered and solutions used to overcome these difficulties during installation of the MPPM system at MSFC are discussed. Remaining work on the installation effort is summarized. The relevant hardware features incorporated in the program are described and their implications on the transportability of the MPPM source code are examined