Keyboard design through physiological strain measurements

The physiologically tolerable range of positions for the joints of the upper extremities have been investigated for typing tasks by recording the myoelectric activities of the involved muscles. For long-term typing tasks a split keyboard is recommended allocating a key field to each hand. The fields should be rotated against each other in the horizontal plane and inclined laterally.     

A CLIMATE‐BASED INDEX OF HISTORIC SPAWNING‐STREAM HYDROLOGY

Reproductive success of stream‐spawning Oncorhynchus fishes (Pacific salmon, rainbow trout, cutthroat trout and their allies) may be greatly affected by stream discharge or its covariate, stream temperature, during the spawning season. Because such data for the physical environment may not have been routinely collected as part of previous investigations of these fishes, identification of simple but robust indices of historic, seasonal stream discharge and temperature, using long‐term climate data sets, would be important, especially to investigations of historic population dynamics. This study examined statistical associations among several climate variables and the spawning‐season (approximately June) discharges and temperatures of Clear Creek, a Yellowstone Lake tributary used by spawning Yellowstone cutthroat trout, Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri (YCT), from the lake. Correlation analysis showed that total water‐year degree‐days (calculated on the basis of mean daily air temperature > 0°C) at Lake Village, on the lake's north shore, was a robust index (both negative and positive, respectively) of consecutive, total semi‐month metrics of creek discharge and temperature during the YCT spawning season. This study (and subsequent use of the Lake Village degree days metric as an environmental variable in a dynamic, age‐structured model of the lacustrine–adfluvial YCT population of Clear Creek) showed how exploratory analyses of the fragmentary but long‐term and regionally unique data sets for Clear Creek discharge and temperature revealed a simple but robust index of climate variation important to understanding the historic dynamics of Clear Creek's YCT population, which is a key spawning stock of Yellowstone Lake. In addition, the extensive statistical associations among the climate variables, along with the temporal trends in two key variables, broadly showed how climate varied across the Yellowstone Lake region during the past several decades. Those observations have implications for the historic, seasonal hydrology of all Yellowstone Lake tributaries used by spawning YCT. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Getting closer and experiencing together: Antecedents and consequences of psychological distance in social media-enhanced real-time streaming video

Social media services such as YouTube and Flickr have become online necessities for millions of users worldwide. Social media are online services that enable users to share contents, opinions, and perspectives that support communication with other users. Social media places an emphasis on the shared experience between users, which we call co-experience. However, the online characteristics of social media increase psychological distance between users, which, in turn, results in a decrease in the quality of co-experience. Hence, as the goal of this study, we theoretically modeled and empirically verified the antecedents and user experience-based consequences of psychological distance in a social media-enhanced real-time streaming video service. In order to reduce psychological distance, we introduced two system elements: inhabited space (the degree of being situated in context and in a meaningful place) and isomorph effects (the degree of preserving the structure of a user’s actions). We constructed a social media-enhanced real-time streaming video service prototype and conducted a field experiment with actual social media users. The prototype, which streamed a live baseball game, enabled users to simultaneously view the game from remote locations and to interact with each other through cheering tools. The results indicate that inhabited space and isomorph effects reduce psychological distance between users, and this, in turn, enhances co-experience. This paper ends with theoretical as well as practical implications of the study.     

Vessel motion thresholds for maintaining physical and cognitive performance: a study of naval personnel at sea

Methods and results are reported from a study of ships companies' exposure to low-frequency motions on three vessels of the Royal Navy. The aim of the study was to investigate relationships between deck accelerations and the incidence of problems such as difficulties with physical tasks, cognitive activities, motion sickness, and work effort. Ship motions were recorded continuously during sea patrols of 10-14 days. The data collected from the three vessels comprised 105 days of ship motions over 12 patrols, with 779 associated daily diaries from 78 participants. Problems most strongly associated with vessel motions were related to the difficulties with physical tasks. Some cognitive aspects of task performance and motion sickness were associated with vertical acceleration magnitudes, but the correlations were less strong than with physical tasks. Practitioner Summary: Little is known about the severity of ship motions that degrade physical and mental performance. The paper offers preliminary estimates of the motion threshold values below which the performance will not be degraded by motion.     

Process control and risky decision-making: moderation by general mental ability and need for cognition

Human factors and ergonomics research could benefit from focusing more strongly on individual differences – especially trait variables. The present study suggests the analysis of moderator effects as a promising way to enhance understanding of trait variables and process control performance. Process control performance was studied by analysing moderator effects of general mental ability (GMA) and need for cognition (NC) on risky decision-making (RDM) and performance. Fifty engineering students were trained on a process control task using a computer-based simulation for three hours and tested twice thereafter. Risky decision-making was measured using a computerised gambling task while GMA and NC were assessed with questionnaires. Risky decision-making in interaction with each GMA and NC explained variance in performance over and above variance explained by the single effects. In conclusion, the analysis of moderator effects between individual difference variables and process control performance seems promising.

Practitioner Summary: Individual difference variables affect learning and performance, but have often not been studied to any great extent in human factors research. This article suggests a promising approach to studying individual differences – moderator analyses – and illustrates how such differences can lead to a better understanding of what determines process control performance.     

多氯代9,10-菲醌的热力学性质及稳定性的理论研究

采用密度泛函理论(DFT),在B3LYP/6-31G*水平上对135个多氯9,10-菲醌(PCPQ)系列化合物进行全优化和振动分析,得到各分子在298.15K,101.3kPa状态下的热力学参数。设计等键反应,计算了PCPQ系列化合物的标准生成焓(ΔfHθ)和标准生成自由能(ΔfGθ)。用SPSS13.0对这些热力学参数与氯原子的取代位置及取代数目(NPCS)进行多元线性回归,得出相关方程。结果表明:PCPQ系列化合物的Sθ、ΔfHθ和ΔfGθ与NPCS之间有很强的相关性。根据异构体标准生成自由能的相对大小,从理论上求得异构体的相对稳定性。同时,发现氯原子取代模式对扭角(C-C(=O)-C(=O)-C)有很大的影响。     

基于粒子系统的爆炸效果仿真研究

针对目前诸如军事、铁路等领域事故爆炸仿真模型运算复杂、仿真效果较差的问题,提出了改进的仿真模型,该模型以粒子系统为基础,用定性、定量的随机变化模型代替爆炸物理过程的流体模型。将粒子发射速度参数与随机扰动速度参数相结合,建立通用仿真模型,通过给定不同的参数形成烟雾、火焰与爆炸碎片的具体仿真模型,可以有效降低爆炸效果模拟的计算复杂度。实验证明,该方法运算速度快,真实感强,可以满足各种爆炸效果的仿真需求。     

A combined dislocation—cohesive zone model for fracture in a confined ductile layer

The collective dislocation behavior near a crack tip in a ductile layer sandwiched between two brittle solids is analyzed via two-dimensional dislocation dynamics (DD) simulations that incorporate a cohesive zone (CZ) model. The cohesive crack tip is treated as part of a much larger finite crack confined in the ductile layer. The underlying boundary value problem is formulated with a set of boundary integral equations and numerically evaluated with a collocation method. The fracture energy of the layered composite material is shown to be strongly correlated with the layer thickness and is directly influenced by the cohesive strength of the ductile layer (Hsia KJ et al. (1994) J Mech Phys Solids 6 877–896).     

Abnormal growth of austenite grain of low-carbon steel

Niobium is an important alloying element for the steel. To know further the effect of Nb in the steel, the contrast experiments on the austenite grain growth of the 0.015%Nb and free Nb steels were carried out using Gleeble 1500 thermomechanical simulator. The experimental results indicate that the austenite grain of 0.015%Nb steel is finer than that of Nb free steel at 1150–1230 °C. And when the heating temperature arrives the critical temperature 1240 °C, the austenite grain of Nb steel suddenly grows up, while the austenite grain of Nb free steel changes little. Finally, the austenite grain of Nb steel is obviously coarser than that of Nb free steel. By transmission electron microscopy (TEM) using a carbon extraction replica technique, the precipitates of Nb(C,N) were not observed in the 0.015%Nb steel. It is concluded that the grain-boundary internal adsorption of Nb atoms leads to the result.