Evaluation of a proposed expert system development methodology: Two case studies

Two expert system development projects were studied to evaluate a proposed Expert Systems Development Methodology (ESDM). The ESDM was developed for use at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) to provide guidance to managers and technical personnel and serve as a standard in the development of expert systems. It was agreed that the proposed ESDM must be evaluated before it could be adopted; therefore a study was planned for its evaluation. This detailed study is now underway. Before the study began, however, two ongoing projects were selected for a retrospective evaluation. They were the Ranging Equipment Diagnostic Expert System (BCAUS). Both projects were approximately 1 year into development. Interviews of project personnel were conducted, and the resulting data was used to prepare the retrospective evaluation. Decision models of the two projects were constructed and used to evaluate the completeness and accuracy of key provisions of ESDM. A major conclusion reached from these case studies is that suitability and risk analysis should be required for all AI projects, large and small. Further, the objectives of each stage of development during a project should be selected to reduce the next largest remaining area of risk or uncertainty on the project.     

A Missing Link in Suggestibility Research: What Is Known About the Behavior of Field Interviewers in Unstructured Interviews With Young Children?

Despite suggestibility researchers' focus on adult behaviors that distort children's reports, whether behaviors examined in experimental work are used in the field is unknown. The current study presents a mutually exclusive and exhaustive hierarchical coding system that reflects interview questioning behaviors of concern in experimental work. The study examined 80 unstructured interviews conducted by 41 field interviewers with 40 children ages 3 to 7 about known events. Data on the use of leading and neutral questions are presented and include distinctions between accurate and inaccurate suggested information. In addition, analyses show that interviewers are consistent in their style of questioning and that a preinterview measure of interviewers' preference for a qualitative versus a quantitative interviewing style predicted the introduction of novel information into the interview. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validation and verification of expert systems

Validation and verification (V&V) are procedures used to evaluate system structure or behavior with respect to a set of requirements. Although expert systems are often developed as a series of prototypes without requirements, it is not possible to perform V&V on any system for which requirements have not been prepared. In addition, there are special problems associated with the evaluation of expert systems that do not arise in the evaluation of conventional systems, such as verification of the completeness and accuracy of the knowledge base. The criticality of most National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) missions makes it important to be able to certify the performance of the expert systems used to support these missions. This paper presents recommendations for the most appropriate methods for integrating V&V into the Expert System Development Methodology (ESDM) and suggestions for the most suitable approaches for each stage of ESDM development.     

Development of FRP Reinforcement Guidelines for Prestressed Concrete Structures

Several national programs define the testing protocols and design guidelines for fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforcement in concrete structures. This paper offers a review of these documents, comparing the materials testing and design philosophies for FRP reinforcement of different working groups. The work references Canadian, European, and Japanese efforts to codify these materials and assess the relative merits of each approach. The emphasis is on prestressing applications since the demands for sustained load capacity and full bond are more severe than for reinforced concrete.     

Synthesis and analysis of an indium tin oxide nanoparticle dispersion

Interest in inkjet printing of indium tin oxide (ITO) has created the need for a dispersible and highly crystalline nanoparticle form that displays no agglomeration in solution. We have developed a synthesis route to the production of a colloidal ITO nanoparticle system which meets these requirements. The 5 nm diameter ITO particles are highly crystalline and display intrinsic properties similar to those observed in thin-film samples. Most importantly, the organic compounds that initiate the reaction cascade also act as stabilizers against agglomeration and allow the particles to be dispersed in solution for months and potentially years. The colloidal form also provides an additional material with which to probe the fundamental physics of ITO.     

Cholecystectomy and abdominal hysterectomy

Cholelithiasis is a common disease in women and can lead to serious complications. At Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center, we have performed 21 cholecystectomies at the time of abdominal hysterectomy. All patients had been asymptomatic with regard to gallbladder disease, but showed either preoperative or intraoperative evidence of gallbladder disease. The mean surgical time was 3.3 hours, mean blood loss was 474 mL, and only one patient had febrile morbidity (> 38.3 degrees C). Because of the low morbidity, we recommend that this combined surgical approach be considered by both the gynecologist and general surgeon.