421 research outputs found
Space Structures: Issues in Dynamics and Control
A selective technical overview is presented on the vibration and control of large space structures, the analysis, design, and construction of which will require major technical contributions from the civil/structural, mechanical, and extended engineering communities. The immediacy of the U.S. space station makes the particular emphasis placed on large space structures and their control appropriate. The space station is but one part of the space program, and includes the lunar base, which the space station is to service. This paper attempts to summarize some of the key technical issues and hence provide a starting point for further involvement. The first half of this paper provides an introduction and overview of large space structures and their dynamics; the latter half discusses structural control, including controlâsystem design and nonlinearities. A crucial aspect of the large space structures problem is that dynamics and control must be considered simultaneously; the problems cannot be addressed individually and coupled as an afterthought
Paper Session II-C - Reliability of Structures for the Moon
The subject of risk and reliability for lunar structures is introduced and critical issues are introduced. Our purpose is to suggest an approach to the complicated lunar structure reliability question, the difficulty being that the estimation of reliability of unique structural types on a planetary body on which no construction has occurred has little precedence
Voice Reenactment with F0 and timing constraints and adversarial learning of conversions
This paper introduces voice reenactement as the task of voice conversion (VC)
in which the expressivity of the source speaker is preserved during conversion
while the identity of a target speaker is transferred. To do so, an original
neural- VC architecture is proposed based on sequence-to-sequence voice
conversion (S2S-VC) in which the speech prosody of the source speaker is
preserved during conversion. First, the S2S-VC architecture is modified so as
to synchronize the converted speech with the source speech by mean of phonetic
duration encoding; second, the decoder is conditioned on the desired sequence
of F0- values and an explicit F0-loss is formulated between the F0 of the
source speaker and the one of the converted speech. Besides, an adversarial
learning of conversions is integrated within the S2S-VC architecture so as to
exploit both advantages of reconstruction of original speech and converted
speech with manipulated attributes during training and then reducing the
inconsistency between training and conversion. An experimental evaluation on
the VCTK speech database shows that the speech prosody can be efficiently
preserved during conversion, and that the proposed adversarial learning
consistently improves the conversion and the naturalness of the reenacted
speech.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2107.1234
Subjective versus Objective Measures of Tic Severity in Tourette Syndrome â The Influence of Environment
The objective of this study was to examine the influence of environmental challenges on tic expression by subjective and objective measures. The study group consisted of 41 children aged 6â18 years (M=10.15, SD=2.73) with a primary diagnosis of Tourette syndrome. Subjective measures included the Functional Assessment Interview developed for this study and three standard validated instruments. The objective measure was a video-recording of the patients in five daily-life situations: watching television, doing homework, being alone, receiving attention when ticcing, and talking to a stranger. In addition, the effect of premonitory urges on assessment of tic expression was evaluated. The associations between the subjective and objective measures of tic expression were moderate to low. A significantly higher number of tics were observed in the television situation, and a significantly lower number in the alone situation, compared to the other situations. Higher levels of premonitory urge were associated with greater awareness of objectively measured tic expression. In conclusion, tic expression is significantly influenced by the environment. Subjective measures of tic expression may be misleading. These results have implications for refining the clinical assessment of tics, improving research methodology, and developing new therapeutic strategies
Occupational Therapy Assistant Studentsâ Perceptions of using Standardized Patient Encounters as a Replacement for Traditional Level I Fieldwork
Standardized patient encounters are being utilized more often in occupational therapy education as a replacement for traditional fieldwork. While there is a growing body of research to support the use of this model in developing student skillsets and confidence, there remains limited information on the topic, and no studies which look at its use with occupational therapy assistant students. Twenty-four occupational therapy assistant students participated in standardized patient encounters which served as a replacement for traditional Level I fieldwork. All students completed an anonymous supplementary course evaluation regarding their experiences. A secondary analysis of the data looked at their perceptions of a standardized patient encounter model for fieldwork and how it did or did not prepare them for future Level II clinicals. Quantitative and qualitative data exposed aspects of these experiences which students found to be most and least effective. Overall, data showed moderate support for use of standardized patient encounters to support student confidence and skills in anticipation of Level II fieldwork. The student perception of these types of experiences is influenced by environmental (e.g., structure) and personal (e.g., student personality) factors. Success requires adequate preparation of all involved parties. Use of standardized patient encounters should be researched further to determine its impact on fieldwork performance evaluation scores and future employment
Faculty-Led Virtual Level 1 Community Fieldwork during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Fieldwork is an integral portion of occupational therapy education that ensures students have the opportunity to develop basic competencies in real world practice settings. The national shortage of fieldwork placements, particularly in the area of mental health, in combination with the COVID-19 pandemic, have led to the adoption of increasingly innovative fieldwork models. This retrospective, qualitative study investigates occupational therapy assistant studentsâ experiences of completing a faculty-led (i.e. where faculty served as the primary fieldwork educator) and virtual (i.e., where services were offered in a virtual environment) Level I fieldwork with a community-based peer led behavioral health agency. Twenty-three students completed a confidential survey describing their experiences in Fall 2020. A secondary analysis of studentsâ responses was performed using principles of thematic analysis, which yielded results centered on four themes: knowledge, skills, attitudes, and structure. Subcategories highlighted growth across multiple areas including knowledge of occupational therapyâs role in mental health, interpersonal skills, and use of technology and other resources. Studentsâ preconceived notions of individuals with mental illness were challenged and many reported increased confidence in their abilities to work with these individuals. Both positive and constructive feedback were provided regarding the overall virtual fieldwork experience. The faculty-led virtual fieldwork model was viable in supporting occupational therapy assistant studentsâ skills to engage people with mental health and substance use challenges in a community setting. The potential use of this model is discussed in light of the anticipated increase of behavioral health problems for many across the lifespan post-COVID-19 pandemic
Application of Active Learning Strategies for Online Delivery in an Occupational Therapy Assistant Program
The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact worldwide in every aspect of society including occupational therapy assistant students enrolled in academic coursework. This manuscript examines the unique experience of occupational therapy assistant faculty in a northeast state who were able to quickly modify classroom and lab teaching-learning strategies to a fully online virtual format for two semesters. Since no available information on strategies for online delivery of occupational therapy assistant education were found in the literature, their experiences implementing active learning strategies are described and discussed. Strategies covered include: the flipped classroom model; think-pair-share and jigsaw technique using breakout rooms; polling and student response systems; muddiest point via chat box; lab kits; one-minute paper using discussion forums; and student-generated videos. Twenty students provided feedback through a survey about the helpfulness of each strategy. The breakout room and chat box feature of the synchronous virtual classroom as well as lab kits were perceived as most helpful, whereas student-generated videos and one-minute papers were perceived as least helpful. Implications for continued incorporation of online learning in occupational therapy assistant curricula are outlined
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