Considerations for Synchronization in Body Area Networks for Human Activity Monitoring

In this paper, we highlight considerations for synchronization issues in body area networks. Requirements for the synchronization accuracy in body area networks depend on the application at hand. Synchronization may be needed for power management, sample ordering, calculation of stimulus responses and for sensor fusion. This paper provides a theoretical exercise to help understand the accuracy required for typical human motion sensing. It gives an overview of various synchronisation strategies used and implemented in prototype systems. Lessons learnt from practical implementations using Bluetooth, an IEEE 802.15.4 proprietary network and Nanonet are presented to illustrate the principles involved. The discussion provides some considerations and the requirements for typical WBAN applications.     

Managing emergencies and abnormal situations in air traffic control (part II): Teamwork strategies

Team performance has been studied in many safety-critical organizations including aviation, nuclear power plant, offshore oil platforms and health organizations. This study looks into teamwork strategies that air traffic controllers employ to manage emergencies and abnormal situations. Two field studies were carried out in the form of observations of simulator training in emergency and unusual scenarios of novices and experienced controllers. Teamwork strategies covered aspects of team orientation and coordination, information exchange, change management and error handling. Several performance metrics were used to rate the efficiency of teamwork and test the construct validity of a prototype model of teamwork. This is a companion study to an earlier investigation of taskwork strategies in the same field (part I) and contributes to the development of a generic model for Taskwork and Teamwork strategies in Emergencies in Air traffic Management (T²EAM). Suggestions are made on how to use T²EAM to develop training programs, assess team performance and improve mishap investigations.     

美国伯明翰市铁路公园

TSL事务所通过与公众和私人的广泛合作耗时5年完成了城市中央公园的建设,并对其铁路走廊进行了规划。事务所为此组建了一个囊括众多建筑师、本土风景园林师和工程师的团队。这个项目是为了纪念11条废弃的铁路线曾对城市做出的贡献,它们曾缓缓穿行于这座城市的高架桥上,并深受人们的喜爱。这个7.7hm2(19英亩)的城市公园里坐落着一架54.6m(15英尺)高的铁路高架桥,它将城     

Thermal redistribution reactions of Blackglas™ ceramic

Several methods for the preparation of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel are being reported in the literature. In this communication a new, simple, and mild complexation reaction using phenyl boronic acid, leading to a highly elastic PVA hydrogel, is addressed. It is found that the inherent crystalline property of the semicrystalline PVA is retained by the complexation reaction, which is confined to the amorphous region. An enhanced mechanical property, particularly in the wet condition, is observed after the modification resulting from the intact crystallinity. Also, the inherent nontoxic characteristic property of PVA is unaffected upon this complexation reaction. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 143–149, 2001     

Protiviti 2015 IT Priorities Survey

Abstract

This article makes basic cost accounting understandable. It is an easy read. Nine business examples are provided to show the wide use of the concepts. These concepts can be applied to the business portions of government, colleges, and non-profit organizations.

Pricing a product or service for less can improve the bottom line in some situations. Businesses blend cost accounting and key business revenue drivers, along with the marketing loss leader concept. This blending can be especially important during slow business periods.

Many organizations improve their financial position for off peak periods by trying to maximize their contribution margin at off peak. They are willing to accept less profit or even a loss at off peak demand. They want to minimize their losses at off peak demand.     

Finite element simulations of static and sliding contact between a human fingertip and textured surfaces

This paper presents a mechanics study of the variations with position and time of stresses within the dermis and epidermis of a human fingertip when it is loaded and slid over textured surfaces. Its purpose is to examine how fingerprints interact with surface texture to cause stress variations in tune with the sensitivities of Meissner and Pacinian corpuscles through which humans in part interpret tactile sensations. A two-dimensional multilayer elastic finite element model of a fingertip has been created for this purpose. Results show that fingertip’s epidermal ridges have little effect on stress distribution within the fingertip in static loading but significantly increase stress oscillations during sliding over a textured surface. Oscillation frequencies from the sliding simulations are in ranges that should stimulate a fingertip’s Meissner and Pacinian corpuscle nerve endings.     

A risk management approach to safety assessment of trenchless technologies for culvert rehabilitation

Proper functioning of culverts is not only critical to protecting the transportation system from flooding but also critical to maintaining the expected service life of the overall transportation system. During the service life of culverts, they deteriorate due to many reasons such as corrosion caused by road salt, blockage by debris and sediment, poor construction techniques, etc. Trenchless technologies have been used by several State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) to rehabilitate deteriorated drainage structures without disrupting the traffic and within a relatively short span of time. These technologies provide many benefits in terms of cost, time, quality, and expected service life. However, the safety aspects of these techniques have not been discussed and documented in detail probably due to the complexity and the lack of safety standards and specifications directly associated with the techniques. This paper discusses the application of a risk assessment framework to assess potential safety issues of currently available trenchless technologies for culvert rehabilitation. The findings of the study will provide additional information to improve the decision making process in selecting and planning culvert rehabilitation projects.     

Genotoxic responses to titanium dioxide nanoparticles and fullerene in gpt delta transgenic MEF cells

Background  

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles and fullerene (C₆₀) are two attractive manufactured nanoparticles with great promise in industrial and medical applications. However, little is known about the genotoxic response of TiO₂ nanoparticles and C₆₀ in mammalian cells. In the present study, we determined the mutation fractions induced by either TiO₂ nanoparticles or C₆₀ in gpt delta transgenic mouse primary embryo fibroblasts (MEF) and identified peroxynitrite anions (ONOO^-) as an essential mediator involved in such process.     

A meta-analytic investigation of the structure of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms.

Converging lines of evidence have called into question the validity of conceptualizations of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM; American Psychiatric Association, 2000) and suggested alternative structural models of PTSD symptomatology. We conducted a meta-analysis of 40 PTSD studies (N = 14,827 participants across studies) that used a DSM-based measure to assess PTSD severity. We aggregated correlation matrices across studies and then applied confirmatory factor analysis to the aggregated matrices to test the fit of competing models of PTSD symptomatology that have gained support in the literature. Results indicated that both prominent 4-factor models of PTSD symptomatology yielded good model fit across subsamples of studies; however, the model comprising Intrusions, Avoidance, Hyperarousal, and Dysphoria factors appeared to fit better across studies. Results also indicated that the best fitting models were not moderated by measure or sample type. Results are discussed in the context of structural models of PTSD and implications for the diagnostic nosology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)