2,465 research outputs found
Human Factors Considerations in System Design
Human factors considerations in systems design was examined. Human factors in automated command and control, in the efficiency of the human computer interface and system effectiveness are outlined. The following topics are discussed: human factors aspects of control room design; design of interactive systems; human computer dialogue, interaction tasks and techniques; guidelines on ergonomic aspects of control rooms and highly automated environments; system engineering for control by humans; conceptual models of information processing; information display and interaction in real time environments
Large-Scale Agile Transformation: A Case Study of Transforming Business, Development and Operations
Today, product development organizations are adopting agile methods in units outside the software development unit, such as in sales, market, legal, operations working with the customer. This broader adoption of agile methods has been labeled large-scale agile transformation and is considered a particular type of organizational change, originating in the software development units. So far, there is little research-based advice on conducting such transformations. Aiming to contribute towards providing relevant research advice on large-scale agile transformation, we apply a research-based framework for evaluating organizational agility on a product development program in a maritime service provider organization. We found that doing a large-scale agile transformation involves many significant challenges, such as having a shared understanding of the problem, getting access to users, and getting commitment to change that needs to be done. In order to overcome such challenges, we discuss the need for a holistic and integrated approach to agile transformation involving all the units linked to software development.publishedVersio
A New Class of Majoron-Emitting Double-Beta Decays
Motivated by the excess events that have recently been found near the
endpoints of the double beta decay spectra of several elements, we re-examine
models in which double beta decay can proceed through the neutrinoless emission
of massless Nambu-Goldstone bosons (majorons). Noting that models proposed to
date for this process must fine-tune either a scalar mass or a VEV to be less
than 10 keV, we introduce a new kind of majoron which avoids this difficulty by
carrying lepton number . We analyze in detail the requirements that
models of both the conventional and our new type must satisfy if they are to
account for the observed excess events. We find: (1) the electron sum-energy
spectrum can be used to distinguish the two classes of models from one another;
(2) the decay rate for the new models depends on different nuclear matrix
elements than for ordinary majorons; and (3) all models require a (pseudo)
Dirac neutrino, having a mass of a several hundred MeV, which mixes with
.Comment: 43 pages, 10 figures (included), [figure captions are now included
Human norovirus infection and the acute serum cytokine response
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/115914/1/cei12681.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/115914/2/cei12681_am.pd
Mathematical retroreflectors
Retroreflectors are optical devices that reverse the direction of incident
beams of light. Here we present a collection of billiard type retroreflectors
consisting of four objects; three of them are asymptotically perfect
retroreflectors, and the fourth one is a retroreflector which is very close to
perfect. Three objects of the collection have recently been discovered and
published or submitted for publication. The fourth object - notched angle - is
a new one; a proof of its retroreflectivity is given.Comment: 32 pages, 19 figure
Noise Effects on the Complex Patterns of Abnormal Heartbeats
Patients at high risk for sudden death often exhibit complex heart rhythms in
which abnormal heartbeats are interspersed with normal heartbeats. We analyze
such a complex rhythm in a single patient over a 12-hour period and show that
the rhythm can be described by a theoretical model consisting of two
interacting oscillators with stochastic elements. By varying the magnitude of
the noise, we show that for an intermediate level of noise, the model gives
best agreement with key statistical features of the dynamics.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, RevTe
Dynamics of lattice spins as a model of arrhythmia
We consider evolution of initial disturbances in spatially extended systems
with autonomous rhythmic activity, such as the heart. We consider the case when
the activity is stable with respect to very smooth (changing little across the
medium) disturbances and construct lattice models for description of
not-so-smooth disturbances, in particular, topological defects; these models
are modifications of the diffusive XY model. We find that when the activity on
each lattice site is very rigid in maintaining its form, the topological
defects - vortices or spirals - nucleate a transition to a disordered,
turbulent state.Comment: 17 pages, revtex, 3 figure
Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay within QRPA with Proton-Neutron Pairing
We have investigated the role of proton-neutron pairing in the context of the
Quasiparticle Random Phase approximation formalism. This way the neutrinoless
double beta decay matrix elements of the experimentally interesting A= 48, 76,
82, 96, 100, 116, 128, 130 and 136 systems have been calculated. We have found
that the inclusion of proton-neutron pairing influences the neutrinoless double
beta decay rates significantly, in all cases allowing for larger values of the
expectation value of light neutrino masses. Using the best presently available
experimental limits on the half life-time of neutrinoless double beta decay we
have extracted the limits on lepton number violating parameters.Comment: 16 RevTex page
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