Effectiveness evaluation of simulative workshops for newly licensed drivers

The current study set to examine the effects of simulator use in driving instruction on newly licensed drivers, comparing the road safety knowledge and reported intended behavior, as well as the actual driving performance of new drivers. Participants consisted of 280 newly licensed driver, of which 140 whose drivers license training included additional simulator-based lessons, and 140 drivers whose training precluded simulator-based lessons. All drivers answered questionnaires pertaining to their intended safe driving behaviors (according to Ajzen's (2000) theory of planned behavior), and to their traffic safety knowledge. Of the initial sample, 40 drivers received actual driving performance evaluation by an expert driving instructor, as well as by in-vehicle data recorders (IVDRs). We assumed that safer drivers report safer driving intentions, demonstrate greater traffic safety knowledge, evaluated as safer drivers by the driving instructor, and display lower and stable driving parameters on the IVDRs. We hypothesized that theoretical driving studies combined with practical training on simulators will elevate the safety level of novices driving. Hierarchical regression analyses on driving intentions indicated that drivers who did not receive simulator-based lessons demonstrated safer driving intentions compared to drivers who received simulator-based lessons. This pattern possibly indicating the drivers who received simulator-based lessons felt more confident in their driving abilities compared to drivers who did not receive simulated training. No significant difference was found in traffic safety knowledge, or in the evaluation of the expert driving instructor. IDVR data comparisons indicated drivers who received simulator-based lessons braked more often and were less prone to headway events, suggesting a more responsive driving style. These findings do not point to any significant advantage or disadvantage of the current simulator-based driving training over other driving training methods.     

Perpendicular Orientation of Anisotropic Au‐Tipped CdS Nanorods at the Air/Water Interface

Anisotropic CdS nanorods tipped by Au nanoparticles on one edge (Au‐CdS‐NRs) are perpendicularly oriented at the air/water interface, whereby all the Au tips are located in the subphase, using the Langmuir–Blodgett technique. Since these nano‐objects reveal light‐induced charge separation at the semiconductor/metal interface, it is of high interest to control their organization. The orientation of these assemblies is studied in situ while compressing the Langmuir–Blodgett trough using the π‐A isotherm, Brewster angle microscopy, and horizontal touch voltammetry. All these analyses clearly confirm the induced organization of the amphiphilic Au‐CdS‐NRs by compression of the Langmuir layer. The compressed layers are successfully transferred by the Langmuir–Schaefer method onto transmission electron microscopy grids while maintaining the preferential orientation as analyzed by transmission, scanning and scanning trasmission electron microscopy, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. As far as can be determined, the Langmuir–Blodgett technique has not been used so far for perpendicularly orienting anisotropic nano‐objects. Moreover, these findings clearly demonstrate that anisotropic amphiphilic nano‐objects can be treated with some similarity to the traditional amphiphilic molecular building blocks.     

Using Fourier/Mellin-based correlators and their fractional versions in navigational tasks

The navigational tasks of computing time to impact and controlling movements in specific range are addressed here. We show how time to impact can be obtained via the Mellin-based correlator, and we introduce the concept of fractional based correlators. The fractional Fourier/Mellin based correlators can be used in detecting or controlling specific range of movements. Also, both the conventional and the fractional-based correlators can be easily implemented optically in lenses, thus providing correlation images directly at image acquisition time. Lenses are considered cost-effective and therefore, the optical correlators are optimal in both senses, speed and cost.     

Permeabilities to salts and water of macrocyclic polyether–polyamide membranes

The polyether–polyamide (PC-6) strongly absorbs sodium salts from their aqueous solutions. Membranes based on PC-6 and on its polymeric alloys with poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) are, however, much more permeable to water than to salts. The membrane permselectivity is due to the low mobility of the absorbed salts. Desorption experiments were conducted to determine the values of the diffusion coefficients of the sodium ions in the investigated membranes. They were found to vary from 5 × 10^-12 cm²/sec in loose PC-6 membranes to 1.7 × 10^-9 cm²/sec in the polymeric alloy containing 30% PVP. Water permeation experiments with the alloy membranes yielded values of the diffusion coefficients in the range of 2–5 × 10^-7 cm²/sec. The apparent “energy of activation of the diffusion” of sodium ions in such membranes was found to be essentially indentical (～12 kcal) with the energy of activation of the decomplexation of the sodium–“crown” complex. The ramifications of the proposed “site to site jump” diffusion mechanism were discussed. The permeability characteristics of PC-6 membranes were found to be strongly affected by their “history.”. The observed phenomenon was explained in terms of reversible changes in the structure of the polymeric network, in the presence and in the absence of the absorbed salts. It has been found that PVP has a stabilizing effect on the permeability characteristics of the membranes. Reverse osmosis experiments indicated that their intrinsic osmotic characteristics seem to be superior to those of the commercially used materials. Their salt rejections are in the range of 95–99.5%, and their permeabilities to water are at least one order of magnitude higher than those of the unmodified aromatic polyamides.     

A stable finite element simulation of convective transport

A finite element simulation of the equations of momentum and energy transport in fluids has been implemented with triangular elements. An attempt is made to single out the reasons for numerical instabilities reported by other investigators for convection–diffusion transport operations in fluid mechanics when the ratio of the convective to the diffusive terms, measured by the Reynolds and Peclét numbers, is of the order of a hundred. To this end, the equations are solved for several problems to permit a direct comparison with results of other formulations. It is shown that the appearance of instability can be delayed by a proper choice of boundary conditions, and its intensity can be reduced through the use of triangular finite elements. Results agree very well with theoretical solutions for particular test problems including flows with large convection effects, large dissipation effects and fluids with temperature dependent properties.     

Coping, locus of control, social support, and combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder: A prospective study.

We examined the relations between coping, locus of control, and social support and combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The sample consisted of 262 Israeli soldiers who suffered a combat stress reaction episode during the 1982 Lebanon war and were followed 2 and 3 years after their participation in combat. Cross-sectional analyses revealed significant relations between locus of control, coping, and social support and PTSD at the two points of assessment. Changes in PTSD from Time 1 to Time 2 were also associated with changes in coping. We discuss theoretical and methodological implications of the findings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Limited-resource scheduling by generalized rule-based system

A general paradigm for solving resource allocation, time-tabling, and scheduling problems is presented. The paradigm is based on an expert system approach, which looks for a feasible solution that satisfies the problem's real-life constraints. The new paradigm includes generic concepts for resources, activities, constraints, and allocations. The general control strategy of the new paradigm is suitable for a large family of resource allocation and time-tabling problems. This control strategy includes three parts that deal with allocation, constraint checking, and changes to allocations.

The proposed paradigm was tested on three real-world problems: crew assignment to air force missions, class scheduling for a university department, and time-tabling of final examinations for the faculty of natural sciences. All cases were solved well in a few minutes of central processing unit time, by Prolog-based systems that implemented the proposed paradigm. These case studies are described in the paper in some detail, and an overall evaluation of the methodology is given.     

On the Pressure Distribution in Uncharged Membranes During Osmotic Plow

Experiments indicated that adsorptive forces lower the potential energy of water inside uncharged cellulose acetate membranes. As a result it is postulated that the steady-state pressure distribution during osmosis is affected. In particular, a sudden rise in pressure should occur across the water-membrane interface. Thus, in this region, water may flow against a pressure gradient.