Effect of display size on utilization of traffic situation display for self-spacing task

The weather radar cathode ray tube (CRT) is the prime candidate for presenting cockpit display of traffic information (CDTI) in current, conventionally equipped transport aircraft. Problems may result from this, since the CRT size is not optimized for CDTI applications and the CRT is not in the pilot's primary visual scan area. The impact of display size on the ability of pilots to utilize the traffic information to maintain a specified spacing interval behind a lead aircraft during an approach task was studied. The five display sizes considered are representative of the display hardware configurations of airborne weather radar systems. From a pilot's subjective workload viewpoint, even the smallest display size was usable for performing the self spacing task. From a performane viewpoint, the mean spacing values, which are indicative of how well the pilots were able to perform the task, exhibit the same trends, irrespective of display size; however, the standard deviation of the spacing intervals decreased (performance improves) as the display size increased. Display size, therefore, does have a significant effect on pilot performance

Mathematical Models for Screening

In this Report, another screening method in the design of water resource systems -- termed the Effective Capacity Method, or Method II -- is suggested. As in Method I, the Equivalent Reservoir Method (May 1973), this again uses the equivalent capacity concept, but here the equivalent capacities downstream of the entire system, termed effective capacities, are calculated for each potential reservoir individually. The cost-capacity functions for each site are modified to cost-effective capacity functions and the required system storage is allocated on the basis of these modified cost functions

Neurological symptoms among dental assistants: a cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Dental assistants help the dentist in preparing material for filling teeth. Amalgam was the filling material mostly commonly used in Norway before 1980, and declined to about 5% of all fillings in 2005. Amalgam is usually an alloy of silver, copper, tin and mercury. Copper amalgam, giving particularly high exposure to mercury was used in Norway until 1994. Metallic mercury is neurotoxic. Few studies of the health of dental assistants exist, despite their exposure to mercury. There are questions about the existence of possible chronic neurological symptoms today within this working group, due to this exposure. The aim of this study was to compare the occurrence of neurological symptoms among dental assistants likely to be exposed to mercury from work with dental filling material, compared to similar health personnel with no such exposure.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>All dental assistants still at work and born before 1970 registered in the archives of a trade union in Hordaland county of Norway were invited to participate (response rate 68%, n = 41), as well as a similar number of randomly selected assistant nurses (response rate 87%, n = 64) in the same age group. The participants completed a self-administered, mailed questionnaire, with questions about demographic variables, life-style factors, musculoskeletal, neurological and psychosomatic symptoms (Euroquest).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The dental assistants reported significant higher occurrence of neurological symptoms; psychosomatic symptoms, problems with memory, concentration, fatigue and sleep disturbance, but not for mood. This was found by analyses of variance, adjusting for age, education, alcohol consumption, smoking and personality traits. For each specific neurological symptom, adjusted logistic regression analyses were performed, showing that these symptoms were mainly from arms, hands, legs and balance organs.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>There is a possibility that the higher occurrence of neurological symptoms among the dental assistants may be related to their previous work exposure to mercury amalgam fillings. This should be studied further to assess the clinical importance of the reported symptoms.</p

Senior Recital: Mark T. Moen, Violin; Chenqui Ouyang, Piano; November 18, 2020

Kemp Recital HallNovember 18, 2020Friday Evening6:00 p.m

In medio stat victus: Labor Demand Effects of an Increase in the Retirement Age

After falling for four decades, statutory retirement ages are increasing in most OECD countries. The labor market adjustment to these reforms has not yet been thoroughly investigated by the literature. We draw on a major pension reform that took place in Italy in December 2011 that increased the retirement age by up to six years for some categories of workers. We have access to a unique dataset validated by the Italian social security administration (INPS), which identifies in each private firm, based on an administrative exam of eligibility conditions, how many workers were locked in by the sudden increase in the retirement age, and for how long. We find that firms mostly affected by the lock in are those that were downsizing even before the policy shock. The increase in the retirement age seems to displace more middle-aged workers than young workers. Furthermore, there is not a one-to-one increase in the number of older workers in the firms where some workers were locked in by the reform. We provide tentative explanations for these results, based on the interaction between retirement, employment protection legislation and liquidity constraints of firms