1,597 research outputs found
Delay-induced multistability near a global bifurcation
We study the effect of a time-delayed feedback within a generic model for a
saddle-node bifurcation on a limit cycle. Without delay the only attractor
below this global bifurcation is a stable node. Delay renders the phase space
infinite-dimensional and creates multistability of periodic orbits and the
fixed point. Homoclinic bifurcations, period-doubling and saddle-node
bifurcations of limit cycles are found in accordance with Shilnikov's theorems.Comment: Int. J. Bif. Chaos (2007), in prin
Instructors, Students, Managers, and the Basic Organizational Communication Course: Are We All Working Together or Working Apart?
Three studies were conducted to determine the extent of overlap between basic organizational communication textbook content (1990-2002), student perceptions of basic organizational communication knowledge and skills important for the workplace, and managerial expectations of communication knowledge and skills for graduates. Overall, findings indicate overlap on assigning importance to group/team communication, leadership, verbal communication, and conflict management; however, there were differences on a range of topics addressed in the basic organizational communication course deemed essential for job success. Implications of the studiesâ findings indicate that organizational communication textbooks could emphasize more âsoft skillsâ such as interpersonal relationships, listening, dealing with conflict, and so on, because of the premium todayâs employers place on employees possessing those skills. Additionally, basic organizational communication instructors play a vital role in organizational communication education because they functions as a âtranslation specialistâ for the students and employers
Normalized power priors always discount historical data
Power priors are used for incorporating historical data in Bayesian analyses by taking the likelihood of the historical data raised to the power α as the prior distribution for the model parameters. The power parameter α is typically unknown and assigned a prior distribution, most commonly a beta distribution. Here, we give a novel theoretical result on the resulting marginal posterior distribution of α in case of the normal and binomial model. Counterintuitively, when the current data perfectly mirror the historical data and the sample sizes from both data sets become arbitrarily large, the marginal posterior of α does not converge to a point mass at α=1 but approaches a distribution that hardly differs from the prior. The result implies that a complete pooling of historical and current data is impossible if a power prior with beta prior for α is used
Assessing and monitoring student progress in e-learning environments
E-learning has emerged as a form of pedagogy and as a delivery system with broad
implications for meeting personnel needs nationally in special education. At present, it is important
to make investments in research and development to ensure that this new pedagogy becomes fully
developed and is appropriately applied. Assessment and monitoring of student progress in e-learning
environments is an important element of this new form of pedagogy that requires research attention
to maximize the effectiveness of e-learning when applied to teacher education. The authors draw upon
their personal online teaching experience in addressing strategies for assessing student performance and
using electronic portfolios in e-learning environments, both presented as integral aspects of e-learning
instructional process. Perspectives from the literature and lessons learned from the authorsâ own experience are shared.peerreviewe
Comparative Analysis of Human Operators and Advanced Technologies in the Visual Inspection of Aero Engine Blades
BackgroundâAircraft inspection is crucial for safe flight operations and is predominantly performed by human operators, who are unreliable, inconsistent, subjective, and prone to err. Thus, advanced technologies offer the potential to overcome those limitations and improve inspection quality. MethodâThis paper compares the performance of human operators with image processing, artificial intelligence software and 3D scanning for different types of inspection. The results were statistically analysed in terms of inspection accuracy, consistency and time. Additionally, other factors relevant to operations were assessed using a SWOT and weighted factor analysis. ResultsâThe results show that operatorsâ performance in screenâbased inspection tasks was superior to inspection software due to their strong cognitive abilities, decisionâmaking capabilities, versatility and adaptability to changing conditions. In partâbased inspection however, 3D scanning outperformed the operator while being significantly slower. Overall, the strength of technological systems lies in their consistency, availability and unbiasedness. ConclusionsâThe performance of inspection software should improve to be reliably used in blade inspection. While 3D scanning showed the best results, it is not always technically feasible (e.g., in a borescope inspection) nor economically viable. This work provides a list of evaluation criteria beyond solely inspection performance that could be considered when comparing different inspection systems
Assessment of Aircraft Engine Blade Inspection Performance Using Attribute Agreement Analysis
BackgroundâVisual inspection is an important element of aircraft engine maintenance to assure flight safety. Predominantly performed by human operators, those maintenance activities are prone to human error. While false negatives imply a risk to aviation safety, false positives can lead to increased maintenance cost. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the human performance in visual inspection of aero engine blades, specifically the operatorsâ consistency, accuracy, and reproducibility, as well as the system reliability. MethodsâPhotographs of 26 blades were presented to 50 industry practitioners of three skill levels to assess their performance. Each image was shown to each operator twice in random order, leading to N = 2600 observations. The data were statistically analysed using Attribute Agreement Analysis (AAA) and Kappa analysis. ResultsâThe results show that operators were on average 82.5% consistent with their serviceability decision, while achieving an inspection accuracy of 67.7%. The operatorsâ reproducibility was 15.4%, as was the accuracy of all operators with the ground truth. Subsequently, the false-positive and false-negative rates were analysed separately to the overall inspection accuracy, showing that 20 operators (40%) achieved acceptable performances, thus meeting the required standard. ConclusionsâIn aviation maintenance the false-negative rate of <5% as per Aerospace Standard AS13100 is arguably the single most important metric since it determines the safety outcomes. The results of this study show acceptable false-negative performance in 60% of appraisers. Thus, there is the desirability to seek ways to improve the performance. Some suggestions are given in this regard
The Role of Mesotocin on Social Bonding in Pinyon Jays
The neuropeptide oxytocin influences mammalian social bonding by facilitating the building and maintenance of parental, sexual, and sameâsex social relationships. However, we do not know whether the function of the avian homologue mesotocin is evolutionarily conserved across birds. While it does influence avian prosocial behavior, mesotocin\u27s role in avian social bonding remains unclear. Here, we investigated whether mesotocin regulates the formation and maintenance of sameâsex social bonding in pinyon jays (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus), a member of the crow family. We formed squads of four individually housed birds. In the first, âpairâformationâ phase of the experiment, we repeatedly placed pairs of birds from within the squad together in a cage for short periods of time. Prior to entering the cage, we intranasally administered one of three hormone solutions to both members of the pair: mesotocin, oxytocin antagonist, or saline. Pairs received repeated sessions with administration of the same hormone. In the second, âpairâmaintenanceâ phase of the experiment, all four members of the squad were placed together in a large cage, and no hormones were administered. For both phases, we measured the physical proximity between pairs as our proxy for social bonding. We found that, compared with saline, administering mesotocin or oxytocin antagonist did not result in different proximities in either the pairâformation or pairâmaintenance phase of the experiment. Therefore, at the dosages and time frames used here, exogenously introduced mesotocin did not influence sameâsex social bond formation or maintenance. Like oxytocin in mammals, mesotocin regulates avian prosocial behavior; however, unlike oxytocin, we do not have evidence that mesotocin regulates social bonds in birds
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