Mission-oriented requirements for updating MIL-H-8501. Volume 2: STI background and rationale

A supplement to the structure of a new flying and ground handling qualities specification for military rotorcraft structure is presented in order to explain the background and rationale for the specification structure, the proposed forms of criteria, and the status of the existing data base. Critical gaps in the data base for the new structure are defined, and recommendations are provided for the research required to address the most important of these gaps

Attitudes of Nunavut Inuit toward Killer Whales (Orcinus orca)

Killer whale (Orcinus orca) sightings are increasing throughout the eastern Canadian Arctic, and residents of Nunavut are concerned about the possible impact of killer whale predation on other marine mammals that are of socio-economic and cultural importance to Inuit. We analyzed the attitudes of Inuit towards killer whales, drawing on 105 semi-directed interviews conducted in 11 eastern Nunavut communities (Kivalliq and Qikiqtaaluk regions) between 2007 and 2010. Information gathered included interviewees’ firsthand knowledge, as well as knowledge they had gained through oral history. Interviews provided data on interactions between Inuit and killer whales, physical descriptions and nature of killer whales in this region, overall opinion of interviewees with respect to killer whales, historical use of the animal, opinions regarding research on killer whales and effects of killer whales on other species, particularly the whales and seals harvested for Inuit subsistence. Interviewees described killer whales as their helpers more often than as their competitors, but also as feared and dangerous. Overall, negative opinions were more common than positive opinions, and some interviewees also had a conflicted attitude towards killer whales. More participants viewed killer whales as smart and fast than as beautiful and playful. Inuit attitudes toward killer whales did not vary significantly with sex, age, hunter status, or experience with killer whales, but did vary somewhat across regions. Inuit knowledge and perspectives play a critical role in wildlife management, especially in a changing Arctic. Conservation and management of species that are important to the Inuit subsistence harvest in Nunavut must take into consideration killer whale predation, Inuit knowledge, and Inuit views and attitudes towards killer whales.Les observations d’épaulards (Orcinus orca) augmentent dans l’est de l’Arctique canadien, et les habitants du Nunavut s’inquiètent des effets possibles de la prédation des épaulards à l’égard d’autres mammifères marins qui revêtent une importance socioéconomique et culturelle pour les Inuits. Nous avons analysé les attitudes des Inuits vis-à-vis des épaulards, nous appuyant ainsi sur 105 entrevues semi-dirigées réalisées dans 11 collectivités de l’est du Nunavut (les régions de Kivalliq et de Qikiqtaaluk) entre 2007 et 2010. Les connaissances directes des personnes interviewées font partie des renseignements qui ont été recueillis, de même que les connaissances obtenues par le biais de l’histoire orale. Les entrevues ont ainsi permis d’obtenir des données sur les interactions entre les Inuits et les épaulards, sur les descriptions physiques et sur la nature des épaulards de cette région, en plus de recueillir l’opinion générale des personnes interviewées au sujet des épaulards, l’utilisation historique de cet animal, les opinions en matière de recherche sur les épaulards et les effets des épaulards sur d’autres espèces, plus particulièrement les baleines et les phoques capturés pour la subsistance des Inuits. Selon les personnes interviewées, les épaulards leur viennent davantage en aide au lieu d’entrer en concurrence avec elles, mais cela dit, elles les craignent et les trouvent dangereux. Dans l’ensemble, il y avait plus d’opinions négatives que d’opinions positives, et certaines personnes interviewées avaient même une attitude conflictuelle à l’égard des épaulards. Plus nombreux étaient les participants qui considéraient les épaulards comme intelligents et rapides que comme beaux et enjoués. Les attitudes des Inuits envers les épaulards ne variaient pas beaucoup en fonction du sexe, de l’âge, du type de chasseur ou de l’expérience qu’ils possédaient avec les épaulards, mais ils variaient quelque peu d’une région à l’autre. Les connaissances et les perspectives des Inuits jouent un rôle critique dans la gestion de la faune, surtout dans l’Arctique en pleine évolution. La conservation et la gestion des espèces qui revêtent de l’importance dans les récoltes de subsistance des Inuits au Nunavut doivent tenir compte de la prédation par les épaulards, des connaissances des Inuits de même que des points de vue et des attitudes des Inuits vis-à-vis des épaulards

Computer and internet interventions to optimize listening and learning for people with hearing loss: accessibility, use, and adherence

Purpose: The aim of this research forum article was to examine accessibility, use, and adherence to computerized and online interventions for people with hearing loss. Method: Four intervention studies of people with hearing loss were examined: 2 auditory training studies, 1 working memory training study, and 1 study of multimedia educational support. Results: A small proportion (approximately 15%) of participants had never used a computer, which may be a barrier to the accessibility of computer and Internet based interventions. Computer competence was not a factor in intervention use or adherence. Computer skills and Internet access influenced participant preference for the delivery method of the multimedia educational support program. Conclusions: It is important to be aware of current barriers to computer and Internet-delivered interventions for people with hearing loss. However, there is a clear need to develop and future-proof hearing-related applications for online delivery

When Lone Wolf Defectors Undermine the Power of the Opt-Out Default

High levels of cooperation are a central feature of human society, and conditional cooperation has been proposed as one proximal mechanism to support this. The counterforce of free-riding can, however, undermine cooperation and as such a number of external mechanisms have been proposed to ameliorate the effects of free-riding. One such mechanism is setting cooperation as the default (i.e., an opt-out default). We posit, however, that in dynamic settings where people can observe and condition their actions on others’ behaviour, ‘lone wolf’ defectors undermine initial cooperation encouraged by an opt-out default, while ‘good shepherds’ defeat the free-riding encouraged by an opt-in default. Thus, we examine the dynamic emergence of conditional cooperation under different default settings. Specifically, we develop a game theoretical model to analyse cooperation under defaults for cooperation (opt-out) and defection (opt-in). The model predicts that the ‘lone wolf’ effect is stronger than the ‘good shepherd’ effect, which – if anticipated by players – should strategically deter free-riding under opt-out and cooperation under opt-in. Our experimental games confirm the existence of both ‘lone wolf’ defectors and ‘good shepherd’ cooperators, and that the ‘lone wolf’effect is stronger in the context of organ donation registration behaviour. We thus show a potential ‘dark side’ to conditional cooperation (‘lone wolf effect’) and draw implications for the adoption of an opt-out organ donation policy

Mission-oriented requirements for updating MIL-H-8501. Volume 1: STI proposed structure

The structure of a new flying and ground handling qualities specification for military rotorcraft is presented. This preliminary specification structure is intended to evolve into a replacement for specification MIL-H-8501A. The new structure is designed to accommodate a variety of rotorcraft types, mission flight phases, flight envelopes, and flight environmental characteristics and to provide criteria for three levels of flying qualities, a systematic treatment of failures and reliability, both conventional and multiaxis controllers, and external vision aids which may also incorporate synthetic display content. Existing and new criteria were incorporated into the new structure wherever they could be substantiated

Embedded disks in Fornax dwarf ellipticals

We present photometric and kinematic evidence for the presence of stellar disks, seen practically edge-on, in two Fornax dwarf galaxies, FCC204 (dS0(6)) and FCC288 (dS0(7)). This is the first time such structures have been identified in Fornax dwarfs. FCC2088 has only a small bulge and a bright flaring and slightly warped disk that can be traced out to 23" from the center (2.05 kpc for H_0=75 km/s/Mpc). FCC204's disk can be traced out to 20" (1.78 kpc). This galaxy possesses a large bulge. These results can be compared to the findings of Jerjen et al. (2000) and Barazza et al. (2002) who discovered nucleated dEs with spiral and bar features in the Virgo Cluster.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in A&