Analyzing high energy physics data using database computing: Preliminary report

A proof of concept system is described for analyzing high energy physics (HEP) data using data base computing. The system is designed to scale up to the size required for HEP experiments at the Superconducting SuperCollider (SSC) lab. These experiments will require collecting and analyzing approximately 10 to 100 million 'events' per year during proton colliding beam collisions. Each 'event' consists of a set of vectors with a total length of approx. one megabyte. This represents an increase of approx. 2 to 3 orders of magnitude in the amount of data accumulated by present HEP experiments. The system is called the HEPDBC System (High Energy Physics Database Computing System). At present, the Mark 0 HEPDBC System is completed, and can produce analysis of HEP experimental data approx. an order of magnitude faster than current production software on data sets of approx. 1 GB. The Mark 1 HEPDBC System is currently undergoing testing and is designed to analyze data sets 10 to 100 times larger

Strategic understandings:An investigation of professional academy youth soccer coaches’ interpretation, knowledge and application of game strategies

The purpose of this study was to explore professional soccer coaches’ interpretations of features suggesting players’ game understanding across the age phases of professional academy youth soccer in England, with particular attention paid to the role of strategic understanding. Semistructured interviews were conducted with coaches (n = 19) of players aged 9–23 years to better understand how coaches understand and apply methods to develop players’ strategic game understanding. Data revealed that coaches prioritized the technical and tactical development of their players over strategic development. However, across the age phases, coaches encountered challenges with coaching for strategic understanding (i.e., maintaining control of the game, players as problem solvers, player reflection, and coaching individuals within a team). The authors suggest that coaches and program designers need to show more intent toward developing players’ strategic understanding, becoming more purposeful when choosing “how” to develop this. In particular, coaches should consider how coaching methods that seek to develop players’ metacognitive game skills can be applied, with the goal of developing self-aware, flexible, and independent players as learners who demonstrate an appropriately “deep” understanding of the game

LABA/LAMA combinations versus LAMA monotherapy or LABA/ICS in COPD : a systematic review and meta-analysis

Acknowledgments The meta-analysis work was performed by Guruprasad Rao KS and Sharanbasappa Durg of Molecular Connections (P) Ltd, Bangalore, India, under the guidance of the manuscript authors and Novartis Pharma AG (Basel, Switzerland). Medical writing assistance was provided by Colette O’Sullivan, PhD, of Scriva Medical Communications Ltd, a professional medical writer funded by Novartis. Development of the manuscript was supported by Novartis Pharma AG (Basel, Switzerland). The authors received no compensation related to the development of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Combining Functional and Structural Reasoning for Safety Analysis of Electrical Designs

Increasing complexity of design in automotive electrical systems has been paralleled by increased demands for analysis of the safety and reliability aspects of those designs. Such demands can place a great burden on the engineers charged with carrying out the analysis. This paper describes how the intended functions of a circuit design can be combined with a qualitative model of the electrical circuit that ful®ls the functions, and used to analyse the safety of the design. FLAME, an automated failure mode and e€ects analysis system based on these techniques, is described in detail. FLAME has been developed over several years, and is capable of composing an FMEA report for many di€erent electrical subsystems. The paper also addresses the issue of how the use of functional and structural reasoning can be extended to sneak circuit analysis and fault tree analysis.

A Review of Cutting-edge Techniques for Material Selection

Selecting the optimum material for a given application is a complex task for engineers and designers across all industrial fields. There are a huge number of materials now available with a range of different properties and behaviours and so it has become even more necessary to carry out a systematic process in order to screen and/or rank the materials to give a promising number of candidates. The output of the material selection process depends upon which method is used. In some methods, a chart can be used to identify promising candidates whereas in others a single ‘optimum’ material may be chosen or a ranked list of candidates identified. This paper aims to summarise the documented techniques for material selection, evaluating the methods that are currently available, and compare the methods for consistency and effectiveness

How do high-level youth soccer players approach and solve game problems? The role of strategic understanding

Background Invasion team sports such as soccer require teams and individual players to understand the game and problem solve. One aspect of problem solving that has recently been more prominent in team sport literature is the role of metacognition. Purpose The purpose of the current study was to examine how high-level youth soccer players approach and solve problems, with a particular focus on the role of strategic understanding. We were interested in the range and sophistication of cognitive strategy and process used by players when tackling game problems. Also, the ways in which they plan, monitor and evaluate how they approach and solve problems. Methods Eighteen high-level youth soccer players took part in semi-structured interviews which adopted Applied Cognitive Task Analysis (ACTA) protocol. Interview data were analysed using deductive content analysis to distinguish the use of cognitive and metacognitive thinking. Findings Results showed that players displayed a range of cognitive processes when solving problems, but more sophisticated processes were least employed. Furthermore, there was little evidence of a strategic approach to problem solving. Conclusions Players would benefit from practicing their problem-solving skills. Coaches should pay due attention to ‘what’ and ‘how’ players think when problem solving. Coach education might consider how to educate coaches to better equip players to solve stubborn game problems. One possibility is to present coaches with methods that make player thinking overt