Usability Inspection Report of NCSTRL

An evaluation report of the www.ncstrl.org site outlining usability problems and solutions to these problems

Distortion product otoacoustic emissions in canines: Systematic Changes in amplitude as a function of f2/f1 ratio

Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) are part of hearing screening measures and comprehensive audiologic test battery in humans. For canines, the brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) test is the gold standard for assessing hearing sensitivity. Performing DPOAEs on canines for screening/diagnostic purposes is a relatively new area of research and there is a lack of canine-specific equipment and universally accepted guidelines. The purpose of this research was to determine what stimulus frequency ratios would produce the most robust DPOAEs in canines to support future clinical use and to aid in evaluation of hearing status. Diagnostic DPOAE tests utilizing nine f2/f1 ratios from 1.18-1.28 were completed on the right ear of 10 canines. Results showed consistent DPOAE responses across the f2/f1 ratios tested. The f2/f1 ratios between 1.18 and 1.28 did not produce statistically significantly different DPOAE responses, and the pattern across frequencies did not significantly change when the f2/f1 ratio changed. Lack of DPOAE responses below 2k Hz with low ambient noise and high canine compliance suggests the typical DPOAE response is best at 2k Hz and above. In general, canine DPOAE responses are robust enough that the f2/f1 ratio does not seem to significantly impact overall amplitudes. If DPOAEs are to be utilized as a clinical screening tool at this time, the f2/f1 ratio 1.18-1.22 is recommended because 1.18 and 1.20 had the most robust responses overall. The ratio 1.22, typically used for DPOAEs in humans, would also be acceptable especially if it aided in ease of use

Environmental, Nutritional, and Physiological Factors Associated with Hoof Growth and Wear in Holstein Cows

Environmental, nutritional, and physiological parameters associated with hoof growth and wear were evaluated using data from 140 Holstein cows in five herds. Growth and wear of the dorsal and lateral regions of the front and rear outside claws were measured at approximately 2 mo intervals over a 14 mo period. Housing facilities varied from continuous confinement on concrete to confinement in dirt lots and included loafing sheds, free stall barns, and one comfort stall facility with rubber mats. Lateral hoof regions grew 24% faster than dorsal regions in the front and 20% faster in the rear hooves. Rear hooves grew 10% faster in the dorsal and about 6% faster in the lateral areas than the front hooves. Dorsal regions consistently wore at a lower rate than lateral regions. Hoof wear of the lateral area was less in front hooves than in the rear, but dorsal region wear was similar for front and rear hooves. Cows housed in free stall systems exhibited slower rates of hoof wear than animals housed in dirt pack loafing sheds and comfort stalls. Hoof growth was not as greatly influenced by housing type. Rates on hoof growth and wear increased with increasing photoperiod and ambient temperature. Reproductive efficiency, sire line, arid type evaluations did not influence hoof growth or wear. Older animals exhibited slower rates of growth and wear in the lateral region of rear hooves. Hooves grew more slowly in early lactation than in late lactation. Increased dietary sulfur intake was related to increased hoof growth and decreased hoof wear. Increased fiber intake was also related to increased hoof growth and tended to be related to decreased hoof wear

An Interactive Environment for Dialogue Development: Its Design, Use and Evaluation

The Author's Interactive Didogue Environment (AIDE) of the Dialogue Management System is an integrated set of direct manipulation tools used by a dialogue author to design and implement human-computer interfaces without writing source code. This paper presents the conceptua! dialogue transaction model upon which AIDE is based, describes AIDE, and illustrates how a dialope author develops an interface using AIDE. A preliminary empirical evaluation of the use of AIDE versus the use of a programming language to implement an interface shows very encouraging results

Impact of the Great Recession on Social Assistance Programs in the Eau Claire Area

Color poster with text, images, and graphs.The economic downturn of 2008-09 was so severe that it has become known as The Great Recession and by most accounts the subsequent recovery has been slow to non-existent. National data reflects a continuing demand for social assistance programs. This suggests that, despite a modest recovery based on labor market measures such as employment and unemployment rates, there seems to be a continuing need for social assistance. This study presents data from a variety of local sources illustrating this prolonged hardship and strain on social service programs in the Chippewa Valley.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs; Xcel Energy-Eau Claire; Northwestern Bank-Chippewa Falls

Building Bridges and Interfaces: Toward the Next Generation of UIMS

User interface management systems (UIMS) have established themselves in both research and commercial arenas. We present several generations in UIMS evolution and discuss some problems of the early generations. In particular, we discuss the problems of a gap between methods used by behavioral scientists and computer scientists during the process of building interfaces. We present an empirical approach to begin bridging this gap and results of our preliminary observations: a human-computer interface development life cycle and recording techniques for interface development, as well as UIMS needed to support them. We conclude with future directions for the evolution of UIMS

Impact of the Great Recession on Total Employment and Unemployment Rates in the U.S.

Color poster with text, images, maps, and tables.The economic downturn of 2008-09 was so severe that it has become known as the Great Recession, and by most accounts the subsequent recovery has been relatively slow. The most basic method of judging the severity of a recession and the success of a recovery is to look at labor market information. In particular, the unemployment rate and the number of jobs (total employment) are often used for this purpose. This study presents data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for 2007, 2009 and 2011 using maps to describe the recession and recovery at a national level as well as compare the effects across states.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs; Xcel Energy-Eau Claire; Northwestern Bank-Chippewa Falls

Trusting Remote Users… Can They Identify Problems Without Involving Usability Experts?

Based on our belief that critical incident data, observed during usage and associated closely with specific task performance are the most useful kind of formative evaluation data for finding and fixing usability problems, we developed a Remote Usability Evaluation Method (RUEM) that involves real users self-reporting critical incidents encountered in real tasks performed in their normal working environments without the intervention of evaluators. In our exploratory study we observed that users were able to identify, report, and rate the severity level of their own critical incidents with only brief training

UIMS: Toward the Next Generation

First generation User Interface Management Systems (UIMS) have established themselves in both research and commercial areas. This paper discusses improved usability and extension of UIMS to include a broader whole system development life cycle as the basis for evolution of a second generation of UIMS. Problems of first generation UIMS, some informal empirical work that is leading toward an interface development life cycle and UIMS to directions for the anticipated evolution are presented