Identifying the task variables that predict object assembly difficulty.

We investigated the physical attributes of an object that influence the difficulty of its assembly. Identifying attributes that contribute to assembly difficulty will provide a method for predicting assembly complexity

An objective examination of consumer perception of nutrition information based on healthiness ratings

Objective. Previous research on nutrition labelling has mainly used subjective measures. This study examines the effectiveness of two types of nutrition label using two objective measures: eye movements and healthiness ratings. Design. Eye movements were recorded while participants made healthiness ratings for two types of nutrition label: standard and standard plus the Food Standards Agency’s ‘traffic light’ concept. Setting. University of Derby, UK. Subjects. 92 participants (mean age 31.5 years) were paid for their participation. None of the participants worked in the areas of food or nutrition. Results. For the standard nutrition label, participant eye movements lacked focus and their healthiness ratings lacked accuracy. The traffic light system helped to guide the attention of the consumer to the important nutrients and improved the accuracy of the healthiness ratings of nutrition labels. Conclusions. Consumer’s have a lack of knowledge regarding how to interpret nutrition information for standard labels. The traffic light concept helps to ameliorate this problem by indicating important nutrients to pay attention to

Study of Fluid Experiment System (FES)/CAST/Holographic Ground System (HGS)

The use of holographic and schlieren optical techniques for studying the concentration gradients in solidification processes has been used by several investigators over the years. The HGS facility at MSFC has been primary resource in researching this capability. Consequently, scientific personnel have been able to utilize these techniques in both ground based research and in space experiments. An important event in the scientific utilization of the HGS facilities was the TGS Crystal Growth and the casting and solidification technology (CAST) experiments that were flown on the International Microgravity Laboratory (IML) mission in March of this year. The preparation and processing of these space observations are the primary experiments reported in this work. This project provides some ground-based studies to optimize on the holographic techniques used to acquire information about the crystal growth processes flown on IML. Since the ground-based studies will be compared with the space-based experimental results, it is necessary to conduct sufficient ground based studies to best determine how the experiment worked in space. The current capabilities in computer based systems for image processing and numerical computation have certainly assisted in those efforts. As anticipated, this study has certainly shown that these advanced computing capabilities are helpful in the data analysis of such experiments

Ethnographic descriptions of English corners in Shanghai

This study explored the phenomenon of English Comers (EC) in Shanghai. These are informal communities formed for the purpose of practising English. In 1978, just after the death of Mao Ze Dong and the fall of the \u27gang of four\u27, many eager Chinese people gathered together to practise their oral English in the Shanghai People\u27s Park. Many of these were old men and had been educated in English at missionary schools in Shanghai in the early 20th century. Today we see many successors to such groups in the ECs which meet in different locations throughout the city and which comprise people ranging from young children through to octogenarians. The persistence of the English comer phenomenon over more than 20 years suggests that, despite Shanghai\u27s massive modernization, there is still a perceived need for language learning support at a community level. It seems that for many Chinese learners today the use of English in an informal setting is an important support to the learning of the language. In this study, the ECs were explored on the basis of questionnaires, interviews, observations and ethnographic descriptions. The focus of collecting data was from 20 informants from four ECs in Shanghai. Also four other ECs were visited and ethnographic observations were recorded. To supplement the description of ECs in Shanghai I interviewed four English native speakers and six Chinese English teachers. The research into ECs in Shanghai demonstrated benefits and limitations lent by context to EFL. The major benefits for the local Chinese were that the EC communities provided places to practise their spoken English, make friends, and exchange information. The limitations with the corners were firstly the lack of fluent and accurate English speakers and secondly the low level of English language competency to which the learners had access in a society that demonstrates massive modernizatio

Why Chunking Should be Considered as an Explanation for Developmental Change before Short-Term Memory Capacity and Processing Speed

The chunking hypothesis suggests that during the repeated exposure of stimulus material, information is organized into increasingly larger chunks. Many researchers have not considered the full power of the chunking hypothesis as both a learning mechanism and as an explanation of human behavior. Indeed, in developmental psychology there is relatively little mention of chunking and yet it can be the underlying cause of some of the mechanisms of development that have been proposed. This paper illustrates the chunking hypothesis in the domain of non-word repetition, a task that is a strong predictor of a child’s language learning. A computer simulation of non-word repetition that instantiates the chunking mechanism shows that: (1) chunking causes task behavior to improve over time, consistent with children’s performance; and (2) chunking causes perceived changes in areas such as short-term memory capacity and processing speed that are often cited as mechanisms of child development. Researchers should be cautious when considering explanations of developmental data, since chunking may be able to explain differences in performance without the need for additional mechanisms of development

Restructuring ad infinitum : the New Zealand pipfruit industry

The New Zealand Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme develops emerging agribusiness leaders to help shape the future of New Zealand agribusiness and rural affairs. Lincoln University has been involved with this leaders programme since 1979 when it was launched with a grant from the Kellogg Foundation, USA.No industry in New Zealand has been through the major changes that the pipfruit industry has over the past few seasons. New production systems, quality requirements, and corporatisation of the cooperative industry have challenged growers. After so much restructuring there is more to come. This paper looks at the evolution of the pipfruit industry, the associated bodies, and the current structures. How they came to their present structure, and what their structures may be in the future