A study of digital holographic filter generation

Problems associated with digital computer generation of holograms are discussed along with a criteria for producing optimum digital holograms. This criteria revolves around amplitude resolution and spatial frequency limitations induced by the computer and plotter process

Visual TASK: A Collaborative Cognitive Aid for Acute Care Resuscitation

Preventable medical errors are a severe problem in healthcare, causing over 400,000 deaths per year in the US in hospitals alone. In acute care, the branch of medicine encompassing the emergency department (ED) and intensive care units (ICU), error rates may be higher to due low situational awareness among clinicians performing resuscitation on patients. To support cognition, novice team leaders may rely on reference guides to direct and anticipate future steps. However, guides often act as a fixation point, diverting the leader's attention away from the team. To address this issue, we conducted a qualitative study that evaluates a collaborative cognitive aid co-designed with clinicians called Visual TASK. Our study explored the use of Visual TASK in three simulations employing a projected shared display with two different interaction modalities: the Microsoft Kinect and a touchscreen. Our results suggest that tools like the Kinect, while useful in other areas of acute care like the OR, are unsuitable for use in high-stress situations like resuscitation. We also observed that fixation may not be constrained to reference guides alone, and may extend to other objects in the room. We present our findings, and a discussion regarding future avenues in which collaborative cognitive aids may help in improving situational awareness in resuscitation.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure

Feasibility study of aileron and spoiler control systems for large horizontal axis wind turbines

The feasibility of using aileron or spoiler controls as alternates to pitch control for large horizontal axis wind turbines was studied. The NASA Mod-0 100 kw machine was used as the basis for the study. Specific performance studies were conducted for 20% chord ailerons over the outboard 30% span, and for 10% chord spoilers over the same portion of the span. Both control systems utilized control deflections up to 60 deg. Results of the study show that either ailerons or spoilers can provide the control necessary to limit turbine power in high wind conditions. The aileron system, as designed, provides overspeed protection at hurricane wind speeds, low wind speed starting torque of 778 N-m (574 ft. lb) at 3.6 m/sec, and a 1.3 to 1.5% increase in annual energy compared to a fixed pitch rotor. The aileron control system preliminary design study includes aileron loads analysis and the design of a failsafe flyweight actuator for overspeed protection in the event of a hydraulic system failure

Rescoring the NIH chronic prostatitis symptom index: nothing new.

The National Institutes of Health-chronic prostatitis symptom index (NIH-CPSI) is a commonly used 13-item questionnaire for the assessment of symptom severity in men with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). For each item, score ranges are 0-1 (6 items), 0-3 (2 items), 0-5 (3 items), 0-6 (1 item) and 0-10 (1 item). This scoring system is straightforward, but items with wider score ranges are de facto weighted more, which could adversely affect the performance characteristics of the questionnaire. We rescored the NIH-CPSI so that equal weights were assigned to each item, and compared the performance of the standard and rescored questionnaires using the original validation dataset. Both the original and revised versions of the scoring algorithm discriminated similarly among groups of men with CP (n=151), benign prostatic hyperplasia (n=149) and controls (n=134). The internal consistency of the questionnaire was slightly better with the revised scoring, but values with the standard scoring were sufficiently high (Cronbach's >or=0.80). We conclude that although the rescored NIH-CPSI provides better face validity than the standard scoring algorithm, it requires additional calculation efforts and yields only marginal improvements in performance

FY13 Planning Task Force Documents: University Library System, University of Pittsburgh, August 2011-June 2012

These documents provide a record of the work of the ULS FY13 Planning Task Force, which initiated and deployed a highly inclusive strategic planning process to analyze the library's strategic options, prioritize them, and identify key actions for implementation in FY13. The ULS FY13 Planning and Budget Report, submitted to the provost's office on 28 February 2012, incorporates the task force's recommended strategic priorities for FY13. Additional task force documents (e.g., meeting agendas, presentations by task force members, and materials related to the group's environmental scan) may be accessed via the library's internal site, Behind the Scenes, at http://bts.library.pitt.edu, under "General Planning.