Towards human technology symbiosis in the haptic mode

Search and rescue operations are often undertaken in dark and noisy environments in which rescue teams must rely on haptic feedback for exploration and safe exit. However, little attention has been paid specifically to haptic sensitivity in such contexts or to the possibility of enhancing communicational proficiency in the haptic mode as a life-preserving measure. Here we discuss the design of a haptic guide robot, inspired by careful study of the communication between blind person and guide dog. In the case of this partnership, the development of a symbiotic relationship between person and dog, based on mutual trust and confidence, is a prerequisite for successful task performance. We argue that a human-technology symbiosis is equally necessary and possible in the case of the robot guide. But this is dependent on the robot becoming 'transparent technology' in Andy Clark's sense. We report on initial haptic mode experiments in which a person uses a simple mobile mechanical device (a metal disk fixed with a rigid handle) to explore the immediate environment. These experiments demonstrate the extreme sensitivity and trainability of haptic communication and the speed with which users develop and refine their haptic proficiencies in using the device, permitting reliable and accurate discrimination between objects of different weights. We argue that such trials show the transformation of the mobile device into a transparent information appliance and the beginnings of the development of a symbiotic relationship between device and human user. We discuss how these initial explorations may shed light on the more general question of how a human mind, on being exposed to an unknown environment, may enter into collaboration with an external information source in order to learn about, and navigate, that environment

Advisement Satisfaction Among Community College Students in Mississippi

Mississippi lacks a formal unified method for evaluating academic advising programs, and it is unclear whether advisement practices are satisfactory and aiding in student success. This study attempted to assess advisement satisfaction among students attending community colleges in Mississippi. The purpose of this study was to explore the level of satisfaction among Mississippi community college students with advisement. An additional aim of this study was to determine if advisement satisfaction is influenced by race, gender, non-traditional student status, first-generation student status, or on/off campus housing across Mississippi community college student populations. Students from each of the 15 community colleges in Mississippi (only the main campuses) were invited to participate in the survey process. The researcher purchased the Survey of Academic Advising, Copyright 1997, from ACT, Inc. The Survey of Academic Advising was developed by the Evaluation Survey Service (ESS) and ACT and was used to measure students’ satisfaction with advising. The majority of the participants reported being satisfied with their advisor. Students indicated an overall high level of satisfaction with advisors’ assistance. Students were most satisfied with advisors’ knowledge of scheduling/registration, graduation requirements, drop/add procedures, and selecting and changing majors. Students were least satisfied with advisors’ knowledge of obtaining course credit through nontraditional means including CLEP and workforce experience programs, obtaining tutorial and remedial assistance, job placement after college, and obtaining campus employment. Survey findings showed that satisfaction with advisement is unrelated to gender, non-traditional student status, first-generation student status, and commuter or residential student status. Satisfaction was only significantly related to race. The research showed a small positive correlation between Caucasian students and satisfaction with advisors. In this study, Caucasian students were more satisfied with their advisors than African Americans students and students who reported their race as other

Thermal Conductivity of Thermally-Isolating Polymeric and Composite Structural Support Materials Between 0.3 and 4 K

We present measurements of the low-temperature thermal conductivity of a number of polymeric and composite materials from 0.3 to 4 K. The materials measured are Vespel SP-1, Vespel SP-22, unfilled PEEK, 30% carbon fiber-filled PEEK, 30% glass-filled PEEK, carbon fiber Graphlite composite rod, Torlon 4301, G-10/FR-4 fiberglass, pultruded fiberglass composite, Macor ceramic, and graphite rod. These materials have moderate to high elastic moduli making them useful for thermally-isolating structural supports.Comment: Accepted for publication in the journal Cryogenic

Effects of Colony Creation Method and Beekeeper Education on Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Mortality

The two-part study reported here analyzed the effects of beekeeper education and colony creation methods on colony mortality. The first study examined the difference in hive mortality between hives managed by beekeepers who had received formal training in beekeeping with beekeepers who had not. The second study examined the effect on hive mortality between hives that were initiated as nucleus or package colonies. Colonies created from package bees were more likely to survive for 1 year than nucleus colonies. Colonies managed by beekeepers who had received formal education also exhibited better survival rates than those managed by non-educated beekeepers

The use of acute oxygen supplementation upon muscle tissue saturation during repeat sprint cycling

This study examined performance and physiological responses (power output, tissue saturation index) to repeat sprint cycling with oxygen supplementation (O2Supp [fraction of inspired oxygen 1.00]). Fourteen amateur male cyclists took part. Two visits to the laboratory entailed; 15min relative intensity warm-up, 10min of passive recovery, followed by 10x15s repeated sprints, during which air inspired had FiO21.00 oxygen or normal air. Outcome measures include, mean power (W) and change in Tissue Saturation Index (ΔTSI%). Repeated measures ANOVA were used to examine difference between conditions in mean power output. Paired samples t-tests were used to examine differences between conditions in ΔTSI (%) and rate of muscle reoxygenation and deoxygenation (%·s-1). Mean power output was 4% higher in the oxygen condition compared to normoxia (p<.01). There was a significant positive correlation between power output and reoxygenation rate during O2Supp (r=0.65, p=.04). No correlation was seen between power output and reoxygenation rate during normoxia (r=-0.30, p=.40). A significantly increased deoxy rate was seen in the O2Supp condition compared to normoxia (p=.05). Oxygen supplementation appears to elicit the greatest performance improvements in mean power, potentially facilitated by an increasing muscle reoxygenation rate. This evidences the utility of oxygen as an ergogenic aid to in cycling performance

What Is Meant by “Replication” and Why Does It Encounter Resistance in Economics?

This paper discusses recent trends in the use of replications in economics. We include the results of recent replication studies that have attempted to identify replication rates within the discipline. These studies generally find that replication rates are relatively low. We then consider obstacles to undertaking replication studies and highlight replication initiatives in psychology and political science, behind which economics appears to lag

Seismic Response Analysis of Pile-Supported Structure: Assessment of Commonly Used Approximations

The seismic response of a pile-supported structure is formulated by the approach developed by the first author. Using this formulation, some of the crude approximations frequently used in the seismic response analysis of a soil-pile-structure system are examined. Those involved in the analysis procedure are assessed under the linear elastic condition. A commonly used nonlinear soil model for the dynamic pile response analysis is also assessed. It is found that those approximations routinely used in the analysis procedure and numerical modelling can cause significant errors in the computed response of a pile-supported structure