Stereoscopic distance perception

Limited cue, open-loop tasks in which a human observer indicates distances or relations among distances are discussed. By open-loop tasks, it is meant tasks in which the observer gets no feedback as to the accuracy of the responses. What happens when cues are added and when the loop is closed are considered. The implications of this research for the effectiveness of visual displays is discussed. Errors in visual distance tasks do not necessarily mean that the percept is in error. The error could arise in transformations that intervene between the percept and the response. It is argued that the percept is in error. It is also argued that there exist post-perceptual transformations that may contribute to the error or be modified by feedback to correct for the error

A project and competition to design and build a simple heat exchanger

To address a declining interest in process engineering, a project to design and build a compact heat exchanger was initiated in the second year of a four-year, multidisciplinary degree programme in biotechnology. The heat exchangers had a double-pipe configuration and employed plastic outer pipes and copper inner pipes of various diameters. Designs produced ranged from coiled inner pipes to various multi-pass arrangements and were assessed on the basis of heat transfer achieved per unit mean temperature difference per unit cost. The project, which also formed the basis of a competition, was very well received by students and gave them hands-on experience of engineering design and construction, as well as team work, problem solving, engineering drawing and the use of simple tools. Based on the success of this project, a similar problem based learning approach will be initiated in the third year of the same degree programme and will focus on bioethanol production

Local pre-processing for node classification in networks : application in protein-protein interaction

Network modelling provides an increasingly popular conceptualisation in a wide range of domains, including the analysis of protein structure. Typical approaches to analysis model parameter values at nodes within the network. The spherical locality around a node provides a microenvironment that can be used to characterise an area of a network rather than a particular point within it. Microenvironments that centre on the nodes in a protein chain can be used to quantify parameters that are related to protein functionality. They also permit particular patterns of such parameters in node-centred microenvironments to be used to locate sites of particular interest. This paper evaluates an approach to index generation that seeks to rapidly construct microenvironment data. The results show that index generation performs best when the radius of microenvironments matches the granularity of the index. Results are presented to show that such microenvironments improve the utility of protein chain parameters in classifying the structural characteristics of nodes using both support vector machines and neural networks

From Paper to Action: State-Level Interagency Agreements for Supported Employment of People with Disabilities

Over the past decade there has been an increasing national emphasis on the participation of individuals with disabilities in the labor force. This concern was recognized through Executive Order No. 13078 signed by President Bill Clinton in March 1998, establishing the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities. The Task Force was charged with a mission to create a coordinated and aggressive policy to bring adults with disabilities into gainful employment at a rate that is as close as possible to that of the general adult population (Section 1 (c)). Legislation and policy changes have also been directed to increase employment opportunities. The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 (P.L. 105-220) was implemented with a broad goal of consolidating, coordinating, and improving all national workforce development initiatives, including vocational rehabilitation and youth employment programs. The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 (P.L. 101-336), the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act (TWWIIA) of 1999 (P.L. 106-170), amendments to the Vocational Rehabilitation Act (most recently included in WIA), and changes to Medicaid regulations are all intended to expand access to employment. One mechanism for improving employment outcomes that is increasingly being emphasized or required in legislation and regulation is interagency agreements or interagency collaboration. This manuscript will describe the components of six interagency agreements nominated as effective in facilitating access to supported employment

CDS wide slit time-series of EUV coronal bright points

Wide slit (90" x 240" ) movies of four Extreme Ultraviolet coronal bright points (BPs) obtained with the Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer (CDS) on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SoHO) have been inspected. The wavelet analysis of the He I 584.34 Å, O V 629.73 Å and Mg VII/IX 368 Å time-series confirms the oscillating nature of the BPs, with periods ranging between 600 and 1100 s. In one case we detect periods as short as 236 s. We suggest that these oscillations are the same as those seen in the chromospheric network and that a fraction of the network bright points are most likely the cool footpoints of the loops comprising coronal bright points. These oscillations are interpreted in terms of global acoustic modes of the closed magnetic structures associated with BPs

Image-based Quantification of 3D Morphology for Bifurcations in the Left Coronary Artery: Application to Stent Design

Background Improved strategies for stent‐based treatment of coronary artery disease at bifurcations require a greater understanding of artery morphology. Objective We developed a workflow to quantify morphology in the left main coronary (LMCA), left anterior descending (LAD), and left circumflex (LCX) artery bifurcations. Methods Computational models of each bifurcation were created for 55 patients using computed tomography images in 3D segmentation software. Metrics including cross‐sectional area, length, eccentricity, taper, curvature, planarity, branching law parameters, and bifurcation angles were assessed using open‐sources software and custom applications. Geometric characterization was performed by comparison of means, correlation, and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Results Differences between metrics suggest dedicated or multistent approaches should be tailored for each bifurcation. For example, the side branch of the LCX (i.e., obtuse marginal; OM) was longer than that of the LMCA (i.e., LCXprox) and LAD (i.e., first diagonal; D1). Bifurcation metrics for some locations (e.g., LMCA Finet ratio) provide results and confidence intervals agreeing with prior findings, while revised metric values are presented for others (e.g., LAD and LCX). LDA revealed several metrics that differentiate between artery locations (e.g., LMCA vs. D1, LMCA vs. OM, LADprox vs. D1, and LCXprox vs. D1). Conclusions These results provide a foundation for elucidating common parameters from healthy coronary arteries and could be leveraged in the future for treating diseased arteries. Collectively the current results may ultimately be used for design iterations that improve outcomes following implantation of future dedicated bifurcation stents

1992: Implications for NATO

Arms Control & Domestic and International Security (ACDIS

'Working away in that Grey Area...' A qualitative exploration of the challenges general practitioners experience when managing behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia

Background: general practitioners (GPs) have identified the management of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) as a particularly challenging aspect of dementia care. However, there is a paucity of research on why GPs find BPSD challenging and how this influences the care they offer to their patients with dementia. Objectives: to establish the challenges GPs experience when managing BPSD; to explore how these challenges influence GPs’ management decisions; and to identify strategies for overcoming these challenges. Design: qualitative study of GPs experiences of managing BPSD. Methods: semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 GPs in the Republic of Ireland. GPs were purposively recruited to include participants with differing levels of experience caring for people with BPSD in nursing homes and in community settings to provide maximum diversity of views. Interviews were analysed thematically. Results: three main challenges of managing BPSD were identified; lack of clinical guidance, stretched resources and difficulties managing expectations. The lack of relevant clinical guidance available affected GPs’ confidence when managing BPSD. In the absence of appropriate resources GPs felt reliant upon sedative medications. GPs believed their advocacy role was further compromised by the difficulties they experienced managing expectations of family caregivers and nursing home staff. Conclusions: this study helps to explain the apparent discrepancy between best practice recommendations in BPSD and real-life practice. It will be used to inform the design of an intervention to support the management of BPSD in general practice