Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) Specifications for Irrigation District Pumps

This information was compiled by ITRC and includes specifications for standards, warranties, submittals, VFD size, and other technical details to aid districts in the selection and implementation of VFD system

Friendly Fire in a Simulated Firearms Task

Factors such as poor visibility, lack of situation awareness and bad communication have been shown to contribute to friendly fire incidents. However, to the authors’ knowledge, an individual’s ability to inhibit their motor response of shooting when a non-target is presented has not been investigated. This phenomenon has been modeled empirically using the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART; Robertson, Manly, Andrade, Baddeley, & Yiend, 1997) computer task. The SART is generally a high Go/low No-Go detection task whereby participants respond to numerous neutral stimuli and withhold to rare targets. In the current investigation, we further investigate the SART using a simulated small arms scenario to test whether lack of motor response inhibition can be modeled in a more ecologically valid environment. Additionally, we were interested in how error rates were impacted in low Go/high No-Go versions of the task. Thirteen university students completed a computer and simulated small arms scenario in a SART and low Go condition. Both the computer and small arms scenario revealed similar speed-accuracy trade-offs indicating participants’ inability to halt their pre-potent responses to targets even in a more ecologically valid environment. The SART may be used in future studies to model friendly fire scenarios

Cyber Threats Facing Autonomous and Connected Vehicles: Future Challenges

Vehicles are currently being developed and sold with increasing levels of connectivity and automation. As with all networked computing devices, increased connectivity often results in a heightened risk of a cyber security attack. Furthermore, increased automation exacerbates any risk by increasing the opportunities for the adversary to implement a successful attack. In this paper, a large volume of publicly accessible literature is reviewed and compartmentalised based on the vulnerabilities identified and mitigation techniques developed. This review highlighted that the majority of research is reactive and vulnerabilities are often discovered by friendly adversaries (white-hat hackers). Many gaps in the knowledge base were identified. Priority should be given to address these knowledge gaps to minimise future cyber security risks in the connected and autonomous vehicle sector

Human factors issues with the use of text-speak communication

Advances in communication technology have significantly changed how individuals communicate (Crystal, 2008). Individuals not only have auditory communication at the their disposal, but also text based communication available through cell phones or computers. Emergency response agencies have begun to utilize text messaging to warn people of impending natural disasters (Samarajiva & Waidvanatha, 2009). These early warning systems can likely save lives by allowing people to prepare accordingly. Text messaging may also be useful in actual emergency management operations, such as disaster response. In these settings, text based communication could be more beneficial than auditory communication in that it allows an individual to reread a message a later time; text messages serve as an augmentation to human memory which is fallible. For example, civil defense personnel could receive a text message in which details are critical (e.g., survivors on third floor of bank near stairway). Once the message is received, one can reread the message and extract key information that could potentially save lives. One potential problem with text messaging is the limited amount of space available and time it takes to write. To overcome limited amount of space the time limits, individuals incorporate shortening techniques (i.e., text-speak) that allows an individual to convey a word or phrase in a shorter amount of time and decreased amount of space (e.g., srvvrs on 3rd flor of bnk near th strwy, survivors on the third floor of the bank near the stairway). Although text-speak allows one to create a message faster and in a shorter amount of space, processing text-speak could exact a cognitive cost to the reader (Head, et al., 2012). It is likely that civil defense workers responding to natural disasters could be subject to processing text-speak while text messaging. For example, it is common for civil defense to use shortening techniques such as acronyms (e.g., EQC-earthquake commission, GEOC-Group Emergency Operations Centre and MoH-Ministry of Health)

A Study to Determine if University Athletic Teams in Desert Environments Experience Risky Diet-related Behaviours

Training and competing in desert environments may exacerbate concerns related to disordered eating, supplement use, and hydration in some student athlete populations. A survey administered equitably to both genders solicited self-reported responses from members of 18 different teams over four years from a southwestern United States university athletic program. More than 1,700 athletes responded to 42 items on the questionnaire. Teams, not individual student athletes, were the units of measure for statistical analyses. Initial analysis of results indicated that there were no overt concerns regarding dietary behaviors due to training and competing in the desert environment. Further analysis subjected the team responses to principle component factor analysis and determined the construct validity using Varimax rotation with Kaiser normalization. Six factors were identified which accounted for 93% of total variance associated with reported risky dietary related behaviors among athletic teams. Specifically, the factors contributing to dietary related behavior total variance were; 1) weight loss and exercise issues and practices -47.15%, 2) self-image - 26.00%, 3) hydration - 10.92%, 4) supplement use - 3.85%, 5) disordered eating - 3.70%, and 6) hormonal issues - 1.71%. University athletic programs should use routine assessment of dietary related behaviours, including hydration, to help identify team members practicing risky dietary related behaviours

Obesity: transition from adolescence to adulthood and feedback partial gmm logistic model with time-dependent covariates

Background: The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of certain covariates on obesity. More importantly, we seek to determine the feedback of obesity on depression, and physical activity as they transition from adolescence to young adulthood. Methods: Using 15 years of nationally representative data from 6560 adolescents (Add health data), we estimate feedback and associations between depression, and activity scale on obesity while we adjusted for gender, age, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status through a GMM logistic regression model with time-dependent covariates. Results: Activity (p<0.001) and depression (p<0.001) have significant impact on Obesity. In early years, alcohol had no impact (p=0.895 and p=0.476) on obesity but in later years it did (p<0.001). In the early years, television hours had an impact but as they got older, it did not. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that public health researchers can target obesity simultaneously with depression, and activity scale. These findings contribute new insights into the feedback of obesity on depression, and activity. This unique model allows segments of associations to be addressed rather than assuming all associations remain the same over 15 years.&nbsp

Friendly fire and the proportion of friends to foes

Losses of inhibitory control may be partly responsible for some friendly fire incidents. The Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART; Robertson, Manly, Andrade, Baddeley, & Yiend, 1997) may provide an appropriate empirical model for this. The current investigation aimed to provide an ecologically valid application of the SART to a small arms simulation and examine the effect of different proportions of enemy to friendly confederates. Seven university students engaged in a small arms simulation where they cleared a building floor using a near-infrared emitter gun, tasked with firing at confederates representing enemies and withholding fire to confederates representing friends. All participants completed three conditions which were differentiated by the proportion of enemies to friends present. As hypothesized, participants failed to withhold responses more often when the proportion of foes was higher, suggesting that a prepotent motor response routine had developed. This effect appeared to be disproportionately more substantial in the high foe condition relative to the others. Participants also subjectively reported higher levels of on-task focus as foe proportions increased, suggesting that they found this more mentally demanding. Future research could examine closer the nature of the performance reductions associated with high proportions of foes, as it appears that this is more complex than a simple linear relationship

The effect of task-relevant and irrelevant anxiety-provoking stimuli on response inhibition

The impact of anxiety-provoking stimuli on the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART; Robertson, Manly, Andrade, Baddeley, & Yiend, 1997), and response inhibition more generally, is currently unclear. Participants completed four SARTs embedded with picture stimuli of two levels of emotion (negative or neutral) and two levels of task-relevance (predictive or non-predictive of imminent No-Go stimuli). Negative pictures had a small but detectable adverse effect on performance regardless of their task-relevance. Overall, response times and rates of commission errors were more dependent upon the predictive value (relevance) of the pictures than their attention-capturing nature (i.e., negative valence). The findings raise doubt over whether anxiety improves response inhibition, and also lend support to a response strategy perspective of SART performance, as opposed to a mindlessness or mind-wandering explanation