Shuttle environmental and thermal control/life support system computer program

Computer programs developed to simulate the RSECS (representative shuttle environmental control system) are described. These programs were prepared to provide pretest predictions, post-test analysis and real-time problem analysis for RSECS test planning and evaluation. These programs are on a magnetic tape cassette and on a disc device that is part of the WANG-2200 series computer system

Qualitative Abstraction and Inherent Uncertainty in Scene Recognition

The interpretation of scenes, e.g., in videos, is demanding at all levels. At the image processing level it is necessary to apply an "intelligent" segmentation and to determine the objects of interest. For the higher symbolic levels it is a challenging task to perform the transition between quantitative and qualitative data and to determine the relations between objects. Here we assume that the position of objects ("agents") in images and videos will already be determined as a minimal requirement for the further analysis. The interpretation of complex and dynamic scenes with embedded intentional agents is one of the most challenging tasks in current AI and imposes highly heterogeneous requirements. A key problem is the efficient and robust representation of uncertainty. We propose that uncertainty should be distinguished with respect to two different epistemological sources: (1) noisy sensor information and (2) ignorance. In this presentation we propose possible solutions to this class of problems. The use and evaluation of sensory information in the field of robotics shows impressive results especially in the fields of localization (e.g. MCL) and map building (e.g. SLAM) but also imposes serious problems on the successive higher levels of processing due to the probabilistic nature. In this presentation we propose that the use of (a) qualitative abstraction (classic approach) from quantitative to (at least partial) qualitative representations and (b) coherence-based perception validation based on Dempster-Shafer (DST) can help to reduce the problem significantly. The second important probability problem class that will be addressed is ignorance. In our presentation we will focus on reducing missing information by inference. We contrast/compare our experiences in an important field of scene interpretation namely plan and intention recognition. The first approach is based on a logical abductive approach and the second approach in contrast uses a probabilistic approach (Relational Hidden Markov Model (RHMM))

Resource Oriented Architecture and REST

In light of the emerging discussion on Resource Oriented Architectures (ROA) and REST technology platform as solutions for Spatial Data distributed Infrastructures, the aim of this document is capture Resource Oriented Architectures principles and assess the feasibility as well as the advantages of using such approach compared with Service Oriented Architectures (SOA). Although most of the comments are domain independent we will use the INSPIRE (and the OGC services) infrastructure that is currently based on a SOA as domain for the comparative analysis.JRC.H.6-Spatial data infrastructure

A Declaration of Interdependence: Peace, Social Justice, and the “Spirit Wrestlers”

The struggle between the Doukhobors, a nonviolent society committed to communal values, and the Canadian Government epitomizes the tension between values of personal rights and independence on the one hand, and social obligation on the other. The immigration of the Doukhobors from Russia to the Canadian prairies in 1899 precipitated a centurylong struggle that brings issues of social justice, moral obligation, political authority, and the rule of law into question. The fundamental core of Western democracies, founded on the sanctity of individual rights and equal opportunity, loses its potency in a community that holds to the primacy of interdependence and an ethic of caring. The transformation of individual identity from an isolated ego to a transpersonal state of interdependence presents profound implications for personal morality, social justice, and ecological awareness. The struggle of the Doukhobors invites us to imagine self-interest and community interest as no longer distinct and work toward a transformed vision of relational interdependence that embraces all of life

Alienation, Commodification, and Commercialization: A Feminist Critique of Commercial Surrogacy Agreements Through the Lens of Labor Exploitation and U.S. Organ Donation Law

In the United States, organ sale and other forms of paid organ donation agreements are legally prohibited on the grounds that they pose the potential to exploit indigent people for the use of their bodies by the wealthy. However, commercial surrogacy agreements, in which a woman is paid to undergo pregnancy on behalf of another person, form the basis of a booming industry in the United States and abroad. This note posits that commercial surrogacy agreements introduce the same potential for exploitation of the poor as paid organ donation agreements, and that that potential is compounded by specific exploitation of surrogates’ reproductive labor along the lines of race, class, gender, and nationality. Therefore, this note argues that surrogacy agreements should be regulated under the same terms as organ donation and should become a purely altruistic form of legal agreement, rather than a salable service or good

Effectiveness of the EDL Study Skills Library in a Seventh Grade Reading Program

This paper presents an evaluation of a study skills program used in a seventh grade reading class. This program is designed to teach study skills on an individualized basis, allowing the student to work at his own pace and on his own level. Two groups of students were involved. The group using the program showed slightly higher improvement on the post-tests. Recommendations included using the program in a reading class and that the teacher closely follow the progress of each student

Empathy, Ethics, and Empowerment: Supervising the Transpersonal Therapist

This grounded theory study addressed the question What model explains the essential qualities, skills, and competencies of an effective supervisory relationship for transpersonal therapists in training? It emerged out of a recognition that current training models for supervisors were not inclusive of competencies to address the needs of therapist trainees who are oriented toward a transpersonal approach to psychotherapy. The results of 22 interviews with trainees and supervisors surfaced a fundamental tension within the supervisory relationship in the distinction among the primary responsibility of the supervisor for ensuring client welfare, and encouraging supervisees to develop their personal therapeutic orientation and the self of the therapist. Emergent themes describe the nature of a supervisory relationship that encourages development of all of the gifts of the therapist while training for competence