A display package for CAD of control systems

A multi-access computer system has been installed at the Control Systems Centre of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. The application of this computer to research into the computer aided design of industrial control systems involved the connection of two keyboard display terminals to the system. The ARDS storage tube displays chosen had the advantages of being teletypewriter compatible and not requiring the connection of a satellite computer A graphics package for the entry and structuring of data derived from the stability analysis of control systems was required as soon as possible after the installation was commissioned. The initial package enabled data to be entered by program and then selected and plotted by keyboard requests. Translation, scaling, alteration of the method of plotting (with points or vectors) and the selection of different items for the display were all carried out by keyboard interaction For long term CAD work a more extensive graphics package was required, the specification was determined following feedback from users of the initial package. It provided additional facilities for graphic interaction, alphanumeric annotation of the displays, specialized drawing and data entry functions and the storing of any pictures built up by the user, as well as a more linked data structure. The structure and facilities of this package are described.     

An investigation of data entry methods with a personal computer

The features of three methods of data entry were investigated and a trial of them was carried out using operators with differing amounts of keyboard experience. The first method was a simple system of character entry using a word processing package, and the second and third systems were written in a commercial data base language; one was designed to possess limited intelligence, the other moderate intelligence. The amount of time and computing expertise required to set up each method increased in parallel with its sophistication. The most sophisticated method offered theoretical advantages of reduced error rates and increased keying rates but these were not realized in practice. The limited intelligence method, in which data were entered into a screen image of the record form, was fastest overall and was most popular with all users. This method together with verification by dual keying will provide a convenient, rapid, and high fidelity method of data entry. The simplest method was found to be adequate for short forms but incurred high error rates with longer forms.     

20-sim software for hierarchical bond-graph/block-diagram models

We discuss the modeling and simulation package 20-sim, a tool for modeling and simulation of dynamic behavior of engineering systems. Engineering systems as application domain means that we focus on systems that span multiple physical domains and the information domain. The 20-sim software is an interactive tool, where model entry and model processing are fully integrated. This means that already during model entry and editing, models can be checked on their consistency. 20-sim has its own simulator, using sophisticated numerical integration methods, taken from. internationally accepted numerical libraries. The use of 20-sim is demonstrated by an example, in which a 3-dof scara robot with controller is modeled and simulated.     

An R implementation for generalized Birnbaum-Saunders distributions

The Birnbaum-Saunders (BS) model is a positively skewed statistical distribution that has received great attention in recent decades. A generalized version of this model was derived based on symmetrical distributions in the real line named the generalized BS (GBS) distribution. The R package named gbs was developed to analyze data from GBS models. This package contains probabilistic and reliability indicators and random number generators from GBS distributions. Parameter estimates for censored and uncensored data can also be obtained by means of likelihood methods from the gbs package. Goodness-of-fit and diagnostic methods were also implemented in this package in order to check the suitability of the GBS models. In this article, the capabilities and features of the gbs package are illustrated by using simulated and real data sets. Shape and reliability analyses for GBS models are presented. A simulation study for evaluating the quality and sensitivity of the estimation method developed in the package is provided and discussed.     

QUAD: a computer package for the analysis of QUantal assay data

The computer package QUAD has been developed at the University of Kent, U.K. It is menu-driven and written in Advanced BASIC. It runs on IBM PC compatible machines equiped with a suitable graphics facility such as CGA or simulated CGA. QUAD is available on a floppy disk, for a small handling charge.

QUAD has four main functions: it performs a logit analysis of quantal assay data; it provides a flexible way of analysing the data, allowing dose transformations and providing alternative confidence intervals for ED_p values; it produces a range diagnostics for assessing the fit of models to data; it provides and fits two families of extended models, each containing the logit as a special case.

The package makes use of the latest statistical research, and fitted models are displayed by means of the good graphics facilities available on microcomputers.

This document describes the facilities available in detail, and provides and discusses illustrations of the package at work. QUAD has been designed as a pilot package. Further additions and developments are planned and described later.     

The role of the personal computer in the cardiac catheterization laboratory: an integrated approach to information management

A personal computer-based data management system for the cardiac catheterization laboratory is described. This is a cooperative effort on the part of the Dutch academic hospitals, through the Interuniversity Cardiology Institute, to put in place a more uniform structure for data collection and reporting in the context of cooperative studies. The major design criteria included the necessity that the system provide a clear and present benefit to the users in terms of their day-to-day work. This requires a practical data entry package together with a full reporting capability, including management tools for supervision of the catheterization laboratory in general. Ancillary activities include quantitative analysis of ventriculograms and an elementary statistics package with graphics. To facilitate supportability of the system, commercially available packages for data base management, text processing, and communications have been used to advantage. After a prototype test phase involving two centers, five other centers have been equipped with similar systems and used successfully in the majority.     

Algorithms for solving large-scale 0–1 goal programming and its application to reliability optimization problem

Goal programming(GP) is one of the most widely used Operations Research/Management Science/Industrial Engineering techniques for solving multiple criteria decision making (MCD M) problems. In the realistic decision making problems, many GP problems are involved a large number of 0–1 decision variables and a special type of system structures.

Inthis paper, we develop a computational algorithm for solving 0–1 goal programming with a generalized upper bounding (GUB) structures. From the views of the computational experience and storage requirement, we implemented an efficient software package for UN IX workstations in which we called it micro 0–1 GP(GUB). In the micro 0–1 GP(GUB) developed here, the GUB structures would be effectively handled and we designed user-friendly GP data entry subsystem.

As a real-world 0–1 goal programming problem with the GUB structures, we demonstrate an optimization problem of system reliability for allocating redundant units by the micro 0–1 GP(GUB) software package on an UN IX system.     

Tracking projects-at-a-glance: Applying the SAS/GRAPH® as product a project management tool

The project management-at-a-glance concept was developed to provide a communication graphic which could visibly provide the managers of several departments with an overview of all active projects. All the major milestones are predefined for simplicity. The detail between the milestones was also eliminated for clarity. The chart was designed to show multiple projects in a compressed format. Eight projects and 12 milestones can be shown on each page of the chart.

The Base SAS® package was utilized as the programming tool. The SAS/FSEDIT® product was used for data entry. The data for the report was stored in an IBM TSO sequential flat file. SAS/GRAPH's® annotate tools are used to create the layered project management chart. The SAS system was chosen because of its strong ability to handle dates and custom generated graphics.     

AGRIF: Adaptive grid refinement in Fortran

Adaptive grid refinement in Fortran (AGRIF) is a Fortran90 package for the integration of adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) features within existing finite difference codes. The package first provides model-independent Fortran90 procedures containing the different operations in an AMR process: time integration of grid hierarchy, clustering, interpolations, updates, etc. The package then creates the Fortran90 model-dependent part of the code based on an entry file written by the user.The basic idea of AGRIF is to make use of Fortran90 pointers to successively address the variables of the different grids of an AMR process. As pointers can be used exactly like other (static) variables in Fortran, most of the original code will remain unchanged.     

Optimization of a parallel permutation testing function for the SPRINT R package

The statistical language R and its Bioconductor package are favoured by many biostatisticians for processing microarray data. The amount of data produced by some analyses has reached the limits of many common bioinformatics computing infrastructures. High Performance Computing systems offer a solution to this issue. The Simple Parallel R Interface (SPRINT) is a package that provides biostatisticians with easy access to High Performance Computing systems and allows the addition of parallelized functions to R. Previous work has established that the SPRINT implementation of an R permutation testing function has close to optimal scaling on up to 512 processors on a supercomputer. Access to supercomputers, however, is not always possible, and so the work presented here compares the performance of the SPRINT implementation on a supercomputer with benchmarks on a range of platforms including cloud resources and a common desktop machine with multiprocessing capabilities. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Godpp: Programs for the presentation and analysis of structural data

The package of FORTRAN programs described provides the field geologist with a system for processing and analyzing orientation data. The facilities offered include the plotting of stereograms, maps and rose diagrams together with rotations and statistical analysis of orientations. Orientation data may be supplied to the package in a variety of frequently used styles. Package facilities are specified by option statements, which the package interprets, that may be supplied in any sequence thus allowing maximum manipulative flexibility. The package has been successfully used to process and analyse structural data from a metamorphic terrain within the Norwegian Caledonides, but may be applied readily to other types of orientation data. The emphasis in writing this package was placed upon the production of usable graphical output, thus replacing tedious manual plotting and drafting tasks. These programs are not designed to undertake sophisticated interpretative operations on orientation data, these tasks remain with the user who will have hopefully more time in which to accomplish them.     

Fluoropack: A program package for automatic fluorimetric measurements

In order to facilitate experimental data acquisition from an LS-5 Perkin-Elmer fluorimeter and later calculations by means of cheap and standard personal computers, a general program package for an IBM PC and compatible computers has been developed. The standard package, which allows one to choose the best experimental conditions for complex samples, includes: prescanning; quantitative analysis and calibration curves; acquisition of kinetic curves; data acquisition; and representation of both bidimensional and tridimensional fluorescence spectra, including data acquisition and representation of synchronous spectra. The program package also provides treatment of spectra, i.e. derivatives calculation, smooth and zooming options. A new powerful subroutine has been elaborated to allow acquisition of variable angle fluorescence spectra. This subroutine, not normally in fluorescence packages, solves the problem of the multicomponent analysis in samples with complex matrices.     

The effects of data entry error: an analysis of partial verification

Modern data entry technology has greatly reduced entry errors by building quality control mechanisms such as cross-field and range edits directly into data entry programs. In many application areas the increased accuracy of modern data entry techniques has made 100% verification unnecessary to assure high standards of data quality. Verification of randomly selected forms combined with 100% verification of critical fields provides a cost efficient alternative to 100% verification of all fields. This paper analyzes the effects of data entry error on study findings and provides a basis for designing a partial verification scheme for achieving quality control goals in a cost efficient manner.     

Simulation package for small-scale systems

A simulation package for microcomputers has been developed which is applicable to small- and medium-size problems in the educational and industrial environment. The package consists of: an ordinary differential equations simulator capable of solving up to 12 simultaneous first-order ordinary differential equations; a simultaneous linear and nonlinear equations solver capable of solving systems containing up to 12 linear and nonlinear equations; an extended polynomial/nonlinear curve fitting program capable of fitting a variety of equations to a set of data points of Y_i versus X_i; and an extended multiple-linear-regression program which can fit mathematical models containing up to five linear parameters to experimental data.The paper describes this simulation package, demonstrates some typical applications, and summarizes recent experience in using the package in an educational environment.     

Preventing human error: The impact of data entry methods on data accuracy and statistical results

Human data entry can result in errors that ruin statistical results and conclusions. A single data entry error can make a moderate correlation turn to zero and a significant t-test non-significant. Therefore, researchers should design and use human computer interactions that minimize data entry errors. In this paper, 195 undergraduates were randomly assigned to three data entry methods: double entry, visual checking, and single entry. After training in their assigned method, participants entered 30 data sheets, each containing six types of data. Visual checking resulted in 2958% more errors than double entry, and was not significantly better than single entry. These data entry errors sometimes had terrible effects on coefficient alphas, correlations, and t-tests. For example, 66% of the visual checking participants produced incorrect values for coefficient alpha, which was sometimes wrong by more than .40. Moreover, these data entry errors would be hard to detect: Only 0.06% of the errors were blank or outside of the allowable range for the variables. Thus, researchers cannot rely upon histograms and frequency tables to detect data entry errors. Single entry and visual checking should be replaced with more effective data entry methods, such as double entry.     

The design of a user friendly interactive personal computer package for quality control charts, project management, and linear programming applications

This paper describes the design of a user friendly interactive software package which can easily be used in both educational and industrial environments. The package contains applications for Quality Control Charts, Project Management, and Linear Programming. It is written in the BASIC programming language using the IBM Disk Operating System (DOS version 3.1). An IBM Personal Computer (PC, XT or AT) or compatible with one disk drive, a monochrome VDT and a line or dot matrix printer are required. The programs incorporate human factors considerations and the user is not required to have any previous computer programming experience. The package has data management options for adding new data, deleting data, listing data, storing data on a disk file and printing data collection forms for each program. The programs have been extensively validated using text book examples and comparisons with similar packages on main frame computer systems (such as EZLP, PPERT, LPRG, etc.). Based upon testing, this package was found to be easier to use and produced the desired results in approximately one third of the total time required by using the main-frame packages.     

一种IPv6数据包安全传输的实现

在分析了现有的加密体制的基础上,结合IPv6数据包的特点,设计了一种保护IPv6数据包传输的安全方案,该方法可以实现网络环境下的加密传输,并且具有数字签名和身份认证的功能.最后,本文给出了一个实现的例子。     

A comparative evaluation of the wearable augmented reality-based data presentation interface and traditional methods for data entry tasks

Data entry is a ubiquitous task performed in today's offices. Persistent data entry is linked with high workload and fatigue due to poor ergonomic workplace design and poor posture. This study aims to alleviate data entry operators' workload and improve data entry performance by applying wearable augmented reality (AR) technology to data entry tasks. An AR-based interface was developed and used to present data to the participants, who entered the data in web-based data entry forms. A total of eighteen participants performed data entry tasks to evaluate the AR interface with traditional methods – extra desktop monitor and paper-based data presentation methods. Each method's performance was judged on the task completion time, typing error rate, workload, and usability. The usability and overall perceived workload while using an AR interface for data entry were similar to the traditional way of using paper, despite the additional burden due to the weight of the AR headset. AR interface did not perform better than the extra desktop monitor interface for usability and overall perceived workload. The results from this study can be utilized to design AR devices that are suited for data entry tasks.     

Organization principles and functional capabilities of the POTOK software package used for aerodynamic experiment automation

Organization principles, functional capabilities and application of a multifunctional software package are considered; it has been developed in Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) and is intended for tests’ automation in wind tunnels. The package supports real-time operation of measuring and control subsystems integrated in local network, as well as complete data processing and representation. Application of the package for actual technological objects improves information capability and cost efficiency of the tests.