Measurement and display of control information. Remote manipulation and manual control Progress report, 1 Apr. - 30 Sep. 1967

Control interface between man and computer manipulators, and optimality of human controllers as time optimal, bang-bang state regulators of second order system

Toward the definition and measurement of the mental workload of transport pilots

January 1979Includes bibliographical references (p. 69-72)This report describes work performed in the first year of a continuing research project aimed at developing useful methods for measuring the workload of pilots operating aircraft in the ATC system. Good methods of measuring mental workload of human operators are needed to evaluate the introduction of new technology and new procedures in the man-machine environment. The present research is concentrating on developing subjective assessment methods for any phase of an IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) flight and any crew station on the flight deck. One of the results achieved in the first year is an expanded conceptual structure which allows a more precise definition of terms and assumptions in defining pilot mental workload in a multi-task environment. A second area of research has concentrated on reviewing the alternative approaches to developing a measurement scheme for workload, with some emphasis on the subjective assessment approach. A tentative result in this area is the generation of a prototype subjective rating method for IFR pilot workload modeled closely on the Cooper-Harper rating developed in 1969 to evaluate aircraft handling qualities. This scheme and others will be tested in a transport aircraft simulation during the coming year. If successful, it will be used in a variety of cockpit simulators at NASA research centers (Ames and Langley) and FAA NAFEC as part of a joint research program to evaluate cockpit display of traffic information.Supported in part by the U.S. Dept. of Transportatio

Human Machine Interfaces for Teleoperators and Virtual Environments

In Mar. 1990, a meeting organized around the general theme of teleoperation research into virtual environment display technology was conducted. This is a collection of conference-related fragments that will give a glimpse of the potential of the following fields and how they interplay: sensorimotor performance; human-machine interfaces; teleoperation; virtual environments; performance measurement and evaluation methods; and design principles and predictive models

Design ideation through improvised comedy processes

We argue that the processes of creating successful comedy are comparable to the processes of designing an innovative product. Our research explores how constructs of humour may be applied to the early phase of engineering design, when divergent thinking is assumed to be most valuable. During a series of exploratory workshops, the principles and processes of creating improvised comedy presented an opportunity to reinvigorate the design process, and overcome some of the common barriers to effective group brainstorming. This paper discusses the link between improvised comedy and design creativity, and the early development of a new improvisation-based approach to design ideation

Pro-inflammatory flagellin proteins of prevalent motile commensal bacteria are variably abundant in the intestinal microbiome of elderly humans

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Ion Trap Mass Spectrometers for Identity, Abundance and Behavior of Volatiles on the Moon

NASA GSFC and The Open University (UK) are collaborating to deploy an Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer on the Moon to investigate the lunar water cycle. The ITMS is flight-proven throughthe Rosetta Philae comet lander mission. It is also being developed under ESA funding to analyse samples drilled from beneath the lunar surface on the Roscosmos Luna-27 lander (2025).Now, GSFC and OU will now develop a compact ITMS instrument to study the near-surface lunar exosphere on board a CLPS Astrobotic lander at Lacus Mortis in 2021

In Vitro Hydrodynamic Assessment of a New Transcatheter Heart Valve Concept (the TRISKELE)

This study presents the in vitro hydrodynamic assessment of the TRISKELE, a new system suitable for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), aiming to mitigate the procedural challenges experienced with current technologies. The TRISKELE valve comprises three polymeric leaflet and an adaptive sealing cuff, supported by a novel fully retrievable self-expanding nitinol wire frame. Valve prototypes were manufactured in three sizes of 23, 26, and 29 mm by automated dip-coating of a biostable polymer, and tested in a hydrodynamic bench setup in mock aortic roots of 21, 23, 25, and 27 mm annulus, and compared to two reference valves suitable for equivalent implantation ranges: Edwards SAPIEN XT and Medtronic CoreValve. The TRISKELE valves demonstrated a global hydrodynamic performance comparable or superior to the controls with significant reduction in paravalvular leakage. The TRISKELE valve exhibits enhanced anchoring and improved sealing. The valve is currently under preclinical investigation

Prebiotic and Probiotic Approaches to Improving Food Safety on the Farm and Their Implications on Human Health

Human health is a broad category that encompasses the entirety of the food production system. Livestock production practices have important effects on human health because livestock not only are a primary food source but also can be the source of pathogenic bacteria that may enter the food chain indirectly. As government regulation and public scrutiny restrict the prophylactic use of antibiotic and antimicrobial interventions, other techniques must be used to reduce the burden of animal‐borne pathogenic bacteria entering the food system. Prebiotics (isolated compounds that enhance natural microflora and thereby decrease pathogens) and probiotics (live microbes that are administered to livestock to enhance microbial diversity and crowd out pathogens) represent two unique opportunities for alternative measures in pathogen reduction. This review addresses the link between animal production and human health, the agricultural sources of pathogenic organisms, and the probiotic and prebiotic approaches that have been evaluated in an effort to reduce carriage of foodborne pathogenic bacteria by livestock