Sub-wavelength surface IR imaging of soft-condensed matter

Outlined here is a technique for sub-wavelength infrared surface imaging performed using a phase matched optical parametric oscillator laser and an atomic force microscope as the detection mechanism. The technique uses a novel surface excitation illumination approach to perform simultaneously chemical mapping and AFM topography imaging with an image resolution of 200 nm. This method was demonstrated by imaging polystyrene micro-structures

Theatre is a valid add-on therapeutic intervention for emotional rehabilitation of parkinson's disease patients

Conventional medical treatments of Parkinson's disease (PD) are effective on motor disturbances but may have little impact on nonmotor symptoms, especially psychiatric ones. Thus, even when motor symptomatology improves, patients might experience deterioration in their quality of life. We have shown that 3 years of active theatre is a valid complementary intervention for PD as it significantly improves the well-being of patients in comparison to patients undergoing conventional physiotherapy. Our aim was to replicate these findings while improving the efficacy of the treatment. We ran a single-blinded pilot study lasting 15 months on 24 subjects with moderate idiopathic PD. 12 were assigned to a theatre program in which patients underwent "emotional" training. The other 12 underwent group physiotherapy. Patients were evaluated at the beginning and at the end of their treatments, using a battery of eight clinical and five neuropsychological scales. We found that the emotional theatre training improved the emotional well-being of patients, whereas physiotherapy did not. Interestingly, neither of the groups showed improvements in either motor symptoms or cognitive abilities tested by the neuropsychological battery. We confirmed that theatre therapy might be helpful in improving emotional well-being in PD

Bounds on survival probability given mean probability of failure per demand; And the paradoxical advantages of uncertainty

When deciding whether to accept into service a new safety-critical system, or choosing between alternative systems, uncertainty about the parameters that affect future failure probability may be a major problem. This uncertainty can be extreme if there is the possibility of unknown design errors (e.g. in software), or wide variation between nominally equivalent components. We study the effect of parameter uncertainty on future reliability (survival probability), for systems required to have low risk of even only one failure or accident over the long term (e.g. their whole operational lifetime) and characterised by a single reliability parameter (e.g. probability of failure per demand - pfd). A complete mathematical treatment requires stating a probability distribution for any parameter with uncertain value. This is hard, so calculations are often performed using point estimates, like the expected value. We investigate conditions under which such simplified descriptions yield reliability values that are sure to be pessimistic (or optimistic) bounds for a prediction based on the true distribution. Two important observations are: (i) using the expected value of the reliability parameter as its true value guarantees a pessimistic estimate of reliability, a useful property in most safety-related decisions; (ii) with a given expected pfd, broader distributions (in a formally defined meaning of "broader"), that is, systems that are a priori "less predictable", lower the risk of failures or accidents. Result (i) justifies the simplification of using a mean in reliability modelling; we discuss within which scope this justification applies, and explore related scenarios, e.g. how things improve if we can test the system before operation. Result (ii) offers more flexible ways of bounding reliability predictions, but also has important, often counter-intuitive implications for decision making in various areas, like selection of components, project management, and product acceptance or licensing. For instance, in regulatory decision making dilemmas may arise in which the goal of minimising risk runs counter to other commonly held priorities, like predictability of risk; in safety assessment using expert opinion, the commonly recognised risk of experts being "overconfident" may be less dangerous than their being underconfident

A Design Heritage-Based Forecasting Methodology for Risk Informed Management of Advanced Systems

The development of next generation systems often carries with it the promise of improved performance, greater reliability, and reduced operational costs. These expectations arise from the use of novel designs, new materials, advanced integration and production technologies intended for functionality replacing the previous generation. However, the novelty of these nascent technologies is accompanied by lack of operational experience and, in many cases, no actual testing as well. Therefore some of the enthusiasm surrounding most new technologies may be due to inflated aspirations from lack of knowledge rather than actual future expectations. This paper proposes a design heritage approach for improved reliability forecasting of advanced system components. The basis of the design heritage approach is to relate advanced system components to similar designs currently in operation. The demonstrated performance of these components could then be used to forecast the expected performance and reliability of comparable advanced technology components. In this approach the greater the divergence of the advanced component designs from the current systems the higher the uncertainty that accompanies the associated failure estimates. Designers of advanced systems are faced with many difficult decisions. One of the most common and more difficult types of these decisions are those related to the choice between design alternatives. In the past decision-makers have found these decisions to be extremely difficult to make because they often involve the trade-off between a known performing fielded design and a promising paper design. When it comes to expected reliability performance the paper design always looks better because it is on paper and it addresses all the know failure modes of the fielded design. On the other hand there is a long, and sometimes very difficult road, between the promise of a paper design and its fulfillment; with the possibility that sometimes the reliability promise is not fulfilled at all. Decision makers in advanced technology areas have always known to discount the performance claims of a design to a degree in proportion to its stage of development, and at times have preferred the more mature design over the one of lesser maturity even with the latter promising substantially better performance once fielded. As with the broader measures of performance this has also been true for projected reliability performance. Paper estimates of potential advances in design reliability are to a degree uncertain in proportion to the maturity of the features being proposed to secure those advances. This is especially true when performance-enhancing features in other areas are also planned to be part of the development program

Intergroup Dynamics: Librarians and Paraprofessionals in the Workplace

Library literature and anecdotal evidence reveal issues of friction between professional librarians with MLS degrees and library support staff, often called paraprofessionals, who do not have MLS degrees. Few, if any, studies, however, have explored how librarians actually feel about paraprofessionals. This case study describes the intergroup dynamics at one public library system in North Carolina. Five professional librarians were given a survey instrument to test their level of in-group bias vis a vis paraprofessionals. Following the survey, the five professional librarians, along with six paraprofessionals, were interviewed to see if in-group bias, or the perception of it, has an impact on the intergroup dynamics in the workplace. While this study did reveal some level of in-group bias among professional librarians, it was of a lesser degree than what has been ascribed to them. A variety of factors, including a high level of personalized contact, may impact the low degree of in-group bias found among librarians at the library system studied

Seven Key Principles of Program and Project Success: A Best Practices Survey

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Organization Design Team (ODT), consisting of 20 seasoned program and project managers and systems engineers from a broad spectrum of the aerospace industry, academia, and government, was formed to support the Next Generation Launch Technology (NGLT) Program and the Constellation Systems Program. The purpose of the ODT was to investigate organizational factors that can lead to success or failure of complex government programs, and to identify tools and methods for the design, modeling, and analysis of new and more-efficient program and project organizations. The ODT conducted a series of workshops featuring invited lectures from seasoned program and project managers representing 25 significant technical programs spanning 50 years of experience. The result was the identification of seven key principles of program success that can be used to help design and operate future program organizations. This paper presents the success principles and examples of best practices that can significantly improve the design of program, project, and performing technical line organizations, the assessment of workforce needs and organization performance, and the execution of programs and projects

Abundância e diversidade de herbívoros em Peixotoa tomentosa A. Juss. (Malpighiaceae) no Cerrado e sua relação com formigas visitantes de nectários extraflorais

Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso (Graduação)A hipótese de que formigas atraídas pelos nectários extraflorais de Peixotoa tomentosa podem proteger, essas plantas, contra a ação de herbívoros e que diferentes espécies de formigas podem proporcionar algum beneficio diferencial para a planta, foi investigada durante o período de abril à dezembro de 1997 e de janeiro à agosto de 1998. P. tomentosa é visitada por aproximadamente onze espécies de formigas, principalmente as do género Camponotzis, Zacryptocerus e Ectatomma. Pode-se observar diferenças quanto a abundância de herbívoros presentes, quando comparadas plantas com formiga e sem formigas e independente das espécies de formigas associadas. Não houve diferença significativa na herbivoria dependendo da espécie de formiga. No entanto, a herbivoria aumentou significativamente ao longo do. tempo, independente da presença ou ausência das formigas. No geral, o grupo tratamento (sem formigas) não apresentou um número significativamente maior de herbívoros. Provavelmente as formigas ofereçam maior proteção aos botões florais de P. tomentosa, uma vez que nas folhas próximas a esses a produção de néctar nos NEFs é maior, enquanto que nas outras folhas isso não ocorre, pois vão ficando esclerificadas (defesa morfológica) ao longo do tempo. A presença de um grande número de sauveiros (Atra sexdens) pode ter sido um fator decisivo para a herbivoria estudada. No entanto, outros parâmetros corno a média de frutos produzidos por botões formados, estudos de fenologia do crescimento da planta e investigações sobre a herbivoria de botões florais devem ser realizadas para uma melhor compreensão dos possíveis benefícios que as formigas podem oferecer às plantas de Peixotoa tomentos