The effective acoustic environment of helicopter crewmen

Methods of measuring the composite acoustic environment of helicopters in order to quantify the effective acoustic environment of the crewmen and to assess the real acoustic hazards of the personnel are examined. It is indicated that the attenuation characteristics of the helmets and hearing protectors and the variables of the physiology of the human ear be accounted for in determining the effective acoustic environment of Army helicopter crewmen as well as the acoustic hazards of voice communications systems noise

Automatic signal range selector for metering devices Patent

Voltage range selection apparatus for sensing and applying voltages to electronic instruments without loading signal sourc

Raman Signal Extraction from CARS Spectra Using a Learned-Matrix Representation of the Discrete Hilbert Transform

Removing distortions in coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectra due to interference with the nonresonant background (NRB) is vital for quantitative analysis. Popular computational approaches may generate significant errors for peaks that extend in any part beyond the recording window. In this work, we present a learned matrix approach to the discrete Hilbert transform that is easy to implement, fast, and dramatically improves accuracy of Raman retrieval for Kramers-Kronig approaches.Comment: 22 pages (15 main, 7 supplement), 7 figures (4 main, 3 supplement

The Inter-Rater Reliability of the American Association on Mental Deficiency Adaptive Behavior Scale (School Edition) Using Secondary Special Education Personnel as Raters

The concept of adaptive behavior has been present in the definition of adaptive behavior for many years. With the advent of intelligence testing, adaptive behavior was deemphasized, but later reemerged as widespread dissatisfaction with the testing movement grew among researchers in the area of mental retardation. The importance of the concept of adaptive behavior has been affirmed by the American Association on Mental Deficiency (A.A.M.D.), which developed a dual criteria system of defining mental retardation that included adaptive behavior as a major component. The Federal government later adopted this classification system for funding purposes in P.L. 94-142. The valid and reliable measurement of adaptive behavior is a major concern of researchers, diagnosticians, and teachers in the field of mental retardation. The present study investigated the inter-rater reliability of one of the most widely used measures of adaptive behavior: the A.A.M.D. Adaptive Behavior Scale (School Edition). A total of 18 subjects (9 male and 9 female) were randomly assigned to 2 raters. The raters used the ABS-SE to rate the adaptive behavior of the subjects. The ratings of the scorers were then compared using a simple agreement formula and kappa (a correlational statistic which accounts for chance agreements). The results of this study show that: (1) based on total factor scores the ABS-SE may be useful in making placement decisions; (2) the ABS-SE may provide useful information for making some programming decisions; and (3) the contention of the authors, that teachers provide the most reliable information, when the first person method of assessment is used, was supported. Comments by the investigators and raters provide suggestions that may increase the reliability of the ABS-SE. Several questions that need further investigation are also raised by the author. This investigation provides the impetus for further investigation of the inter-rater reliability of the ABS-SE. It also provides valuable information as to the amount of confidence educators and diagnosticians should place in this popular instrument. This study has shown that those concerned with the reliable and valid measurement of adaptive behavior must continuously refine the instruments used to assess this concept

The Inter-Rater Reliability of the American Association on Mental Deficiency Adaptive Behavior Scale (School Edition) Using Secondary Special Education Personnel as Raters

The concept of adaptive behavior has been present in the definition of adaptive behavior for many years. With the advent of intelligence testing, adaptive behavior was deemphasized, but later reemerged as widespread dissatisfaction with the testing movement grew among researchers in the area of mental retardation. The importance of the concept of adaptive behavior has been affirmed by the American Association on Mental Deficiency (A.A.M.D.), which developed a dual criteria system of defining mental retardation that included adaptive behavior as a major component. The Federal government later adopted this classification system for funding purposes in P.L. 94-142. The valid and reliable measurement of adaptive behavior is a major concern of researchers, diagnosticians, and teachers in the field of mental retardation. The present study investigated the inter-rater reliability of one of the most widely used measures of adaptive behavior: the A.A.M.D. Adaptive Behavior Scale (School Edition). A total of 18 subjects (9 male and 9 female) were randomly assigned to 2 raters. The raters used the ABS-SE to rate the adaptive behavior of the subjects. The ratings of the scorers were then compared using a simple agreement formula and kappa (a correlational statistic which accounts for chance agreements). The results of this study show that: (1) based on total factor scores the ABS-SE may be useful in making placement decisions; (2) the ABS-SE may provide useful information for making some programming decisions; and (3) the contention of the authors, that teachers provide the most reliable information, when the first person method of assessment is used, was supported. Comments by the investigators and raters provide suggestions that may increase the reliability of the ABS-SE. Several questions that need further investigation are also raised by the author. This investigation provides the impetus for further investigation of the inter-rater reliability of the ABS-SE. It also provides valuable information as to the amount of confidence educators and diagnosticians should place in this popular instrument. This study has shown that those concerned with the reliable and valid measurement of adaptive behavior must continuously refine the instruments used to assess this concept