WFIRST Coronagraph Technology Requirements: Status Update and Systems Engineering Approach

The coronagraphic instrument (CGI) on the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) will demonstrate technologies and methods for high-contrast direct imaging and spectroscopy of exoplanet systems in reflected light, including polarimetry of circumstellar disks. The WFIRST management and CGI engineering and science investigation teams have developed requirements for the instrument, motivated by the objectives and technology development needs of potential future flagship exoplanet characterization missions such as the NASA Habitable Exoplanet Imaging Mission (HabEx) and the Large UV/Optical/IR Surveyor (LUVOIR). The requirements have been refined to support recommendations from the WFIRST Independent External Technical/Management/Cost Review (WIETR) that the WFIRST CGI be classified as a technology demonstration instrument instead of a science instrument. This paper provides a description of how the CGI requirements flow from the top of the overall WFIRST mission structure through the Level 2 requirements, where the focus here is on capturing the detailed context and rationales for the CGI Level 2 requirements. The WFIRST requirements flow starts with the top Program Level Requirements Appendix (PLRA), which contains both high-level mission objectives as well as the CGI-specific baseline technical and data requirements (BTR and BDR, respectively)... We also present the process and collaborative tools used in the L2 requirements development and management, including the collection and organization of science inputs, an open-source approach to managing the requirements database, and automating documentation. The tools created for the CGI L2 requirements have the potential to improve the design and planning of other projects, streamlining requirement management and maintenance. [Abstract Abbreviated]Comment: 16 pages, 4 figure

'I like it instead of maths' : how pupils with moderate learning difficulties in Scottish primary special schools intuitively solved mathematical word problems

This study shows how a group of 24 children in three Scottish primary schools for pupils with moderate learning difficulties responded to word problems following their teachers' introduction to the principles of Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI). CGI is a professional development programme in mathematics instruction based on constructivist principles developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The study found that the sample group of pupils were able to develop their understanding of mathematical concepts through actively engaging in word problems without prior explicit instruction and with minimal teacher adjustments. The pupils' conceptual understandings demonstrated by their solution strategies within CGI activities were generally not consistent with classroom records of assessment. The results were encouraging in illustrating the capacity of the sample group of pupils with moderate learning difficulties to reveal their mathematical thinking and considers the importance of this insight for instructional decision making

Conducción y valor empresarial en Brasil (y Chile)

(Disponible en idioma inglés únicamente) En este trabajo se elabora un índice de prácticas de conducción empresarial (CGI, por sus siglas en inglés) basándose en un conjunto de 24 preguntas que se pueden responder objetivamente a partir de información disponible públicamente. El objetivo es cuantificar la calidad general de las prácticas de conducción empresarial del mayor número posible de compañías. Los niveles del CGI en Brasil han venido mejorando con el tiempo, y un análisis de sus componentes indica que las compañías brasileñas tienen un desempeño mucho mejor en cuanto a la información que suministran que en cuanto a otros aspectos de la gestión empresarial. En este trabajo se hallan niveles sumamente elevados de concentración de derechos de voto, apalancados por el uso generalizado de estructuras de control indirecto y acciones sin derecho a voto. No se hallan indicios ni de afianzamiento firme ni de incentivos en cuanto al uso de porcentajes de propiedad en Brasil, pero sí se hallan indicios de que la separación del control de los derechos sobre el flujo de caja destruye el valor. El CGI mantiene una relación positiva, significativa y robusta con el valor de la empresa. Una mejora de peor a mejor en el CGI en 2002 conduciría a un aumento de 0,38 del coeficiente de Tobin, lo cual representa un aumento de 95% del valor de la acción de una compañía con apalancamiento promedio y las proporciones del coeficiente de Tobin. Tomando en cuenta nuestro coeficiente CGI más bajo, un aumento de un punto del CGI conduciría a un aumento de 6,8% del precio de la acción de la compañía promedio en 2002. No se halló relación significativa alguna entre la conducción empresarial y el pago de dividendos. Los resultados se ponen en contexto mediante un análisis comparativo con Chile.

Hearing the shape of a room

PMCID: PMC3725052The final published version of this article can be found here: www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.130993211

CGIwithR: Facilities for processing web forms using R

CGIwithR is a package for use with the R statistical computing environment, to facilitate processing of information from web-based forms, and reporting of results in the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), through the Common Gateway Interface (CGI). CGIwithR permits the straightforward use of R as a CGI scripting language. This paper serves as an extended user manual for CGIwithR, supplementary to the R help pages installed with the package.

Gallus GBrowse: a unified genomic database for the chicken

Gallus GBrowse (http://birdbase.net/cgi-bin/gbrowse/gallus/) provides online access to genomic and other information about the chicken, Gallus gallus. The information provided by this resource includes predicted genes and Gene Ontology (GO) terms, links to Gallus In Situ Hybridization Analysis (GEISHA), Unigene and Reactome, the genomic positions of chicken genetic markers, SNPs and microarray probes, and mappings from turkey, condor and zebra finch DNA and EST sequences to the chicken genome. We also provide a BLAT server (http://birdbase.net/cgi-bin/webBlat) for matching user-provided sequences to the chicken genome. These tools make the Gallus GBrowse server a valuable resource for researchers seeking genomic information regarding the chicken and other avian species

Computerized Response Inhibition Training For Children With Trichotillomania

Evidence suggests that trichotillomania is characterized by impairment in response inhibition, which is the ability to suppress pre-potent/dominant but inappropriate responses. This study sought to test the feasibility of computerized response inhibition training for children with trichotillomania. Twenty-two children were randomized to the 8-session response inhibition training (RIT; n = 12) or a waitlisted control (WLT; n = 10). Primary outcomes were assessed by an independent evaluator, using the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I), and the NIMH Trichotillomania Severity (NIMH-TSS) and Impairment scales (NIMH-TIS) at pre, post-training/waiting, and 1-month follow-up. Relative to the WLT group, the RIT group showed a higher response rate (55% vs. 11%) on the CGI-I and a lower level of impairment on the NIMH-TIS, at post-training. Overall symptom reductions rates on the NIMH-TSS were 34% (RIT) vs. 21% (WLT) at post-training. The RIT\u27s therapeutic gains were maintained at 1-month follow-up, as indicated by the CGI-I responder status (= 66%), and a continuing reduction in symptom on the NIMH-TSS. This pattern of findings was also replicated by the 6 waitlisted children who received the same RIT intervention after post-waiting assessment. Results suggest that computerized RIT may be a potentially useful intervention for trichotillomania