ModerateDrinking.Com and moderation management: Outcomes of a randomized clinical trial with non-dependent problem drinkers.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a web-based protocol, ModerateDrinking.com (MD; www.moderatedrinking.com) combined with use of the online resources of Moderation Management (MM; www.moderation.org) as opposed to the use of the online resources of MM alone. Method: We randomly assigned 80 problem drinkers to either the experimental or control group with follow-ups at 3, 6, and 12 months. Results: Seventy-five participants (94%) had outcome data at 1 or more follow-up points, and 59 participants (73%) were assessed at all 3 follow-ups. Comparing baseline measures to the average outcomes at follow-ups indicated a significant overall reduction in both groups in alcohol-related problems and consumption variables. Compared with the control group, the experimental group had better outcomes on percent days abstinent. There was an interaction between intensity of drinking at baseline and treatment in determining outcomes assessing drinking. Less heavy drinkers in the experimental group had better outcomes on log mean blood alcohol content (BAC) per drinking day compared with the control group. Heavier drinkers did not differentially benefit from the MD program on this measure. Mixed model analyses in general corroborated these outcomes. Conclusion: The outcome data provide partial evidence for the effectiveness of the MD web application combined with MM, compared with the effectiveness of the resources available online at MM by themselves. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Expert knowledge acquisition: A methodology for GIS assisted industrial land suitability assessment

Aquestionnaire was designed to acquire expert knowledge concerning land suitability assessment for three industrial land uses. The suitability criteria definition and factor weights collected by the questionnaire were integrated into a GIS framework. The interaction of the expert, questionnaire and GIS modelling environment can benefit the plan making process.     

Forget the funny glasses [autostereoscopic display systems]

Shutter glasses, polarized glasses, and head-mounted displays (HMDs) have become common technologies for providing the illusion of 3D. Shutter glasses, popularized by StereoGraphics as CrystalEyes, use an LCD shutter over each eye to enable stereo viewing. The shutters are rendered alternately opaque and transparent so that only one eye can see through the glasses at any moment. The glasses are synchronized to the display system presenting the right and left images at the same frequency as the shutters' phase shifts. These systems can work with televisions, computer monitors, or projectors, but require that the display system can generate images at twice the frequency desired for viewing, because each frame must be shown twice (once for each eye). Although they can cause some loss of image brightness and can suffer from crosstalk, shutter glasses work well and permit full-spectrum color. However, especially with low-cost systems, they can cause eyestrain and other discomfort. In addition, the eyewear is bulky and often heavy, which makes using shutter glasses for long periods of time somewhat uncomfortable. Autostereoscopic displays (ASDs) use several technologies to present different images to both of a viewer's eyes. Volumetric display systems (VDSs) create an image with true depth, letting the eyes and brainwork in natural manner. ASD and VDS systems are intended to replace current 3D displays, all of which require the user to wear some sort of filtering system, such as eyeglasses.     

设计：三星变革的催化剂

当设计团队从市场与工程部门完全独立,有了独立的话语权之后,三星公司才渐渐从市场上找到自己的定位。设计是成功的基石,对于中国企业而言,这或许是值得借鉴的方法。品牌知名度低,市场竞争激烈,或许是很多中国企业现在面临的发展困局。10年前,如今名满天下的三星也面临过同样的     

Surface Temperature Test Methods Per IEEE 1349

The fine print note (FPN) No. 1 in 2005 National Electrical Code (NEC) Article 501.8 (B) [ANSI/NFPA 70, National Electrical Code, 2005 (NEC)] cautions users to "consider the temperature of internal and external surfaces that may be exposed to the flammable atmosphere" when putting a motor into service in a Class I, Division 2 environment. Thus, it is critical that manufacturers and users of industrial electric motors understand that internal peak temperatures exceed the external peak temperatures. This paper presents three common IEEE 1349 [IEEE 1349-2001, IEEE Guide for the Application of Electric Motors in Class I, Division 2 Hazardous (Classified) Locations] test methods used by manufacturers to determine these internal peak temperatures. Potential test method error and the test results from the three test methods are also presented. IEEE 1349 provides only guidance when performing these test methods so this paper intends to provide additional clarification. The test motors presented in this paper are low voltage, ac induction, severe-duty, energy-efficient, totally enclosed fan-cooled motors commonly used in the "Petrochemical Industry."     

An ultrahigh-speed GaAs MESFET operational amplifier

A wide-bandwidth GaAs MESFET operational amplifier is reported, with a 65-dB DC gain and a 20-GHz gain-bandwidth product at 500 MHz. The circuit uses a variety of local feedback techniques to enhance the overall gain. The use of an undoped GaAs buffer, grown at a relatively low temperature (≈300°C), eliminates backgating and light sensitivity. The circuit was fabricated in an 80-GHz f_T MESFET process, with 0.2-μm electron-beam defined gates. The high levels of 1/f noise, MESFET frequency-dependent output conductance, and large offset voltage standard deviation limit the application of the circuit to moderate precision applications     

Human Resource Planning: A Business Necessity

Abstract

Information-based organizations are structured to function with as small and efficient a staff as possible. To this end, executives at The Promus Companies are using IT to spread decision-making authority and responsibility for customer satisfaction and customer service throughout the organization.     

Risk-informed design guidance for future reactor systems

Future reactor designs face an uncertain regulatory environment. It is anticipated that there will be some level of probabilistic insights in the regulations and supporting regulatory documents for Generation-IV nuclear reactors. Central to current regulations are design basis accidents (DBAs) and the general design criteria (GDC), which were established before probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs) were developed. These regulations implement a structuralist approach to safety through traditional defense in depth and large safety margins. In a rationalist approach to safety, accident frequencies are quantified and protective measures are introduced to make these frequencies acceptably low. Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages and future reactor design and licensing processes will have to implement a hybrid approach. This paper presents an iterative four-step risk-informed methodology to guide the design of future-reactor systems using a gas-cooled fast reactor emergency core cooling system as an example. This methodology helps designers to analyze alternative designs under potential risk-informed regulations and to anticipate design justifications the regulator may require during the licensing process. The analysis demonstrated the importance of common-cause failures and the need for guidance on how to change the quantitative impact of these potential failures on the frequency of accident sequences as the design changes. Deliberation is an important part of the four-step methodology because it supplements the quantitative results by allowing the inclusion in the design choice of elements such as best design practices and ease of online maintenance, which usually cannot be quantified. The case study showed that, in some instances, the structuralist and the rationalist approaches were inconsistent. In particular, GDC 35 treats the double-ended break of the largest pipe in the reactor coolant system with concurrent loss of offsite power and a single failure in the most critical place as the DBA for the emergency core cooling system. Seventeen out of the 45 variations that we considered violated this DBA, but passed the probabilistic screening criteria. Using PRA techniques, we found that the mean frequency of this accident was very low, thus indicating that deterministic criteria such as GDC 35 must be reassessed in the light of risk insights.