bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
User-System Interface (USI) Prototyping
Authors: Hansen Mark D. , Griggs Edwin B. , Runyard Robert C. , Steiner Milton A. , Sigsbey Roy C. 
Published: January 2009

This demonstration presents the utility of USI prototyping (of computer-based systems) as a human factors engineering design tool. We will present our USI prototyping tool, its composition, and a sample application. Throughout the demonstration we will illustrate how prototype USIs can be generated quickly and efficiently for user evaluation and immediate insertion into system design. Our tool for prototyping USIs is called a “USI Prototyping System (USIPS).” USIPS is divided into four components: Imagetool, Fonttool, Dynatool, and On-Line Help. Imagetool is used to build static images of text and graphics. Fonttool is used to design the fonts used in the images. Dynatool is used to link these static images into user and event driven USIs that interface to real and or simulated data bases. As a result these USIs appear to work as they would in the target system. On-Line Help is used to provide unfamiliar users with information on how to operate USIPS. We will describe each of these components in the demonstration. USI prototyping is used to formally and informally study design options for the USI before coding takes place. As the system design is being developed, different ways of interacting with users and displaying information is studied at relatively little cost. These studies yield an effective USI design which can then be implemented. A large bonus of USI prototyping is that it enables early and congenial interaction with future users of the system. User working groups can be formed and included early in the USI design process. Since the user is actively involved in the USI design process, user acceptance problems would be kept to a minimum. USI prototyping is also used to provide rapid answers to questions arising during the system development process.
Product Evaluation of Three Competing Document Production Devices
Authors: Harrison Patti L. Kelly , Sayer James R. , Snyder Harry L. 
Published: January 2009

Three competing document production devices were evaluated in terms of ease of learning and ease of use. Forty temporary office workers were hired to learn each device and then perform 16 identical exercises on each machine. After each exercise, the subjects were to rate the features assessed in that exercise along several seven-point rating scales anchored on either “Easy to Do” - “Hard to Do” or “Easy to Remember” - “Hard to Remember.” After completing these exercises on each of the devices, the subjects were then asked to perform six additional exercises on the machines and to compare and rank them. Data consisted of subjective ratings from the exercises, the times required to complete each of the exercises, and the subjective rankings of the machines. Analyses of variance of the subjective ratings identified 78 out of 160 factors by which to distinguish the devices. These subjective factors were supported by an analysis of variance of the time data. Nonparametric analysis of variance of the subjective rankings of the devices identified an additional 23 out of 26 features by which the devices reliably differed.
Design of a Consumer Computer Terminal for Automated Access to Overnight Delivery Services
Authors: Maddox Michael E. , Turpin James A. 
Published: January 2009

Consumer product design is seldom approached in a truly systematic framework, especially in applied settings. Although most designers know about systems design techniques, real design projects usually appear to be driven by severe scheduling constraints, cost limitations, strongly held opinions on the part of management and designers, or all of these characteristics. There has also historically been friction between human factors professionals and industrial designers. The result is that most consumer products have not undergone a truly systematic process of design and testing. This paper describes a case study in which a real product with potentially significant financial impact has been designed and is being tested using a systematic process. More significantly, this product represents a collaboration among company management, human factors professionals, and industrial designers. The overall design and testing process is described. Results from several tests, successively increasing the fidelity of the test items, are presented
A Prototype Modular Base System for Military Applications
Authors: Frey Thomas J. 
Published: January 2009

Modularity is a concept that the military has been advocating for the design of ground station shelters for the past several years. To this end the military has created a program known as the Standard Mobile Segment (SMS). This program is intended to create standards for military shelters and the modular equipment housed within. Standard shelter sizes were determined to be 8 foot high by 8 foot wide in overall lengths of 10, 20, 30, or 40 feet. These dimensions were selected to allow transport by truck in any state of the union. Wall thickness was set at 3″ leaving inside dimensions of 90″ high by 90″ wide. Shelter components such as workstations, racks, equipment, and storage areas would be designed to be “plugged in” or “unplugged” as the need arose. All manufacturers would provide components with uniform interfaces in standard dimensions to be interchangeable with components of other manufacturers. As an example, one 48″ workstation could be removed and replaced with two 24″ electronic racks. Using a standard sized shelter and the concept of modularity, the IBM Human Factors team in the Federal Sector Division in Boulder, Colorado began by creating a modular 48″ workstation that conformed with the SMS standard. The modular workstation was then expanded into a complete 20 foot transportable operations shelter. The prototype of this shelter in now complete and the modular concept has been expanded to include a modular base system.
Showing What People Can and Cannot Do: Human Capacity and Limitations Demonstrations
Authors: Shapiro Ronald G. , White Royce M. , Brown Megan L. , Adams Roxann E. P. 
Published: January 2009

To communicate Human Factors Design Principles to audiences of computer programmers, community groups, junior college and college students, the authors have combined a set of thirteen demonstrations of Human Capabilities and Limitations into an effective, stand-alone presentation lasting from one to two hours. Each of the demonstrations and the implications of each demonstration for product design will be explained. The content areas include: Memory Classical Conditioning Operant Conditioning Cognitive Learning Obedience to Authority. Rule Usage Perception Adaptation Response Competition The primary goal of this paper is to provide the Human Factors Educator, Practitioner or Graduate Student with an alternative way to introduce the topic of Human Factors in one or two consolidated sessions to a variety of audiences which will be informative, popular, easy to prepare for, and very inexpensive. A secondary goal is to provide some demonstration ideas which might be used to supplement traditional classroom lectures.
The Thesis Simulation: An Approach for Teaching Research Skills in a Remote, Non-Thesis Program
Authors: Dingus Thomas A. , Gillan Douglas J. 
Published: January 2009

Remote education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels is becoming increasingly popular. With advances in technology (utilizing satellite uplinks, VCR compatible video production facilities and computer conferencing), high-quality, flexible, remote education is now feasible. However, particularly at the graduate level, achieving the ultimate goal of providing the same educational opportunities off-campus as on-campus is not a simple process. For example, providing research skill development is difficult in the remote education environment. In human factors, such skill development can not be easily overlooked or under-emphasized since many available career opportunities require significant research efforts. Traditionally, a large portion of research skill is developed during the conduct of a thesis project. Unfortunately, many remote students are not in a position to fulfill thesis requirements with out significant tenure (up to one year) on campus. Such requirements can preclude many students from pursuing a graduate education in the field of their choice. The current paper describes an approach (dubbed “the thesis simulation”) for providing research skill development opportunities, to the greatest extent possible, to remote students in a non-thesis, remote human factors program.
Increasing Human Factors Effectiveness in Product Design
Authors: Fisher Wayne 
Published: January 2009

Human Factors specialists working alone or in small groups face a number of challenges when designing commercial products. These challenges range from having a role that is often poorly understood to a basic lack of staff resources. Strengthening the role of Human Factors specialists typically requires the allocation of already scarce resources and as a result individuals working alone or in small groups often face a breadth versus depth trade off. This is because activities such as user interface design and test and evaluation can be resource intensive to the exclusion of other tasks. An alternate role for Human Factors specialists working in this type of environment is to focus on information as a critical resource and to leave design implementation to other, better staffed development groups. This change in emphasis allows the Human Factors specialist to focus on identifying user needs and testing to ensure that those needs are met. Changing from a designer to an information provider requires skills in two areas: information gathering at the early phases of the product development cycle and usability testing at the design phase. Information gathering activities are used to identify critical user interface elements and to develop behavioural objectives for the product. Usability testing is used to provide ongoing feedback about the effectiveness of the design solution throughout the design phase of the project. One key result of Human Factors specialists becoming more involved with defining user (customer) needs to the developers and verifying that the product design meets these needs is to shift the design focus from engineering driven to user centered.
Designing User Interface Guidelines for Time-Shift Programming on a Video Cassette Recorder (VCR)
Authors: Hoffberg Linda I. 
Published: January 2009

Advances in technology may create additional problems for the user. The average consumer encounters difficulty when programming electronic products which require a series of steps to operate. The user-interfaces of these products vary not only among different types of products, but also within the individual market itself. There are presently no interface guidelines in existence to assist designers in developing easy to use electronic programmable products. This research proposes user interface guidelines to improve the current poor interface designs of the Video Cassette Recorder (VCR). Improving the interfaces of electronic products results in less frustration for users. This study demonstrates the advantages of incorporating human factors design criteria into the interface of electronic programmable devices. Research and testing performed on existing VCRs identified problems and the need to minimize them. The results of the research were used to develop and implement a new interface using HyperPADTM, a prototyping tool for the IBM/PC. HyperPADTM was also used to simulate an existing VCR. A data collection program captured the users' keystrokes and errors, and simplified the analysis of the raw data. Test results for the new VCR interface demonstrated a 50% reduction in the number of incorrect recordings and a 50% reduction in the time required to set the clock and program the VCR.
Incident Evolution and Task Demands: An Analysis and a Field Study of ‘Going Sour” Incidents
Authors: Xiao Yan , Milgramxy1 Paul , Doyle D. John 
Published: January 2009

When managing complex systems, cognitive demands or problem-solving situations can appear in different ways. In some situations, problems surface gradually while being recognised, identified and treated. This category of situations has been labelled as ‘going sour” incidents. Within these incidents, there are a number of interesting and unique features warranting special attention. The present research project attempts to depict the the task demands associated with going sour incidents. After initial analysis of complexity and some field observations, initial hypotheses were generated. Subsequent field study has provided support for the hypotheses. Major findings on going sour incidentsinclude: (1) problem-solving spans a long period of time and requires synthesis of information over this period; (2) trouble spots have to be checked repeatedly as the environment is likely to change over time; (3) interventions are required before obtaining sufficient number of signs; and (4) multiple hypotheses must be maintained and examined as the underlying problem changes appearance slowly from one form to another.
A Training Approach for Context-Sensitive Skills: An Example with Typeface Selection
Authors: Keough Barbara , Shalin Valerie L. , McKenna Paul 
Published: January 2009

Cognitive task analysis and Computer Science have revolutionized training technology with intelligent tutoring systems (Wenger, 1987). However, some key assumptions determine the success of such systems: 1) Student knowledge is rule-based, so that performance may be evaluated according to the presence or absence of rules and 2) The computer and the student have access to the same information about the problem context. In the instructional task domain we are addressing–-typeface selection–-neither assumption is appropriate. Each selection emerges as an interaction with the parameters and contingencies of the particular problem (Suchman, 1987). Furthermore, an important property of typeface is its evocative or emotional power–-a property that cannot be represented adequately in a computer. Our objective is to develop a satisfactory compromise using computer-aided instruction, specifically for the domain of typeface selection. Following Clancey (1983) and Winograd & Flores (1986), we recognize that some of the knowledge we seek to train will simply not “be in” the computer. However, it may be reflected in the design and organization of training exercises, which set up a sensitivity to the important dimensions of the problem. We take advantage of the computer medium to demonstrate typeface and layout transformations of preprogrammed text examples, as well as text examples entered on-line by the student. In addition, a hypertext style menuing system allows the student to access any part of the system from any point. In this paper we provide a description of the system we have built for training in the domain of typeface selection, and discuss the relevance of this system for two applications concerns in human factors: 1) The design of messages for public display and 2) The training of context sensitive skill.
Human Factors and Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS)
Authors: Perez William A. , Mast Truman M. 
Published: January 2009

The nation's motoring public is increasingly burdened by recalcitrant transportation problems, many of them directly attributable to increasing traffic congestion. In response to this, the US. Department of transportation is actively moving on several fronts to address this problem. One of the more promising approaches to relieving congestion is through the design and implementation of new technology in the Intelligent Vehicle/Highway System (IVHS). IVHS is composed of five elements: Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS), Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS), Commercial Vehicle Operations (CVO), Advanced Vehicle Control Systems (AVCS), and Advanced Public Transportation Systems (APTS). This paper will discuss human factors issues associated with ATIS.
Systematic Errors Occur in the Discrimination of Complex Audio Signals
Authors: Gerth Jeffrey M. 
Published: January 2009

Previous research suggests that the temporal pattern of dissimilar sounds may be a basis for confusion. To extend this research, the present study used complex sounds formed by simultaneously playing components drawn from four sound categories. Four temporal patterns, determined by sound duration and duty cycle were also used, producing a total of 16 basic components. The density (i.e., number of components played simultaneously) ranged from one to four. Subjects heard a sequence of two complex sounds and judged whether they were same of different. For trials in which the sounds differed, there were three possible manipulations: the addition of a component, the deletion of a component, and the substitution of one component for another. Overall accuracy was 94 percent across the 144 dissimilar sound complexes. As density increased, a significantly greater number of errors occurred for all classes of manipulations. Changes in individual temporal patterns across a variety of manipulations of sounds involving adding, deleting and substituting components were accurately discriminated. Subjects were least accurate in detecting substitutions of a pattern. A single sound category was identified in error prone sequences which was most often involved as the changing component from first to second sound presentation. Suggestions for the design of easily discriminated sounds are discussed.
Barbara Vaughan: Reflective Practice in the United Kingdom
Authors: Manthey Marie , Vaughan Barbara 
Published: January 2009

Reflective practice is an approach in which you look at events from your practice and analyze them. It involves thinking about your work in a particular structured way, sometimes with the help of a reflective journal, log or diary…. Reflective practice requires a conscious effort on your part … It is a particular way of thinking about situations, analyzing them and learning from them. You then test out what you learned by building it into your practice. —(Vaughan and Manthey, 2001)
Regional risk assessment as a part of the long-term receiving water study
Authors: Landis Wayne G , Thomas Jill F 
Published: January 2009

Abstract
A regional-scale watershed assessment using the relative risk model has now been performed on each of the watersheds that are part of the Long-Term Receiving Waters Study (LTRWS) to generate patterns of risk at each study site. The watersheds assessed included the lower McKenzie and mid-Willamette rivers in Oregon, USA; Codorus Creek in Pennsylvania, USA; and the Leaf River in Mississippi, USA. In each case, the goal was to put the LTRWS into a watershed and regional context, including multiple sources, stressors, habitats, and assessment endpoints. In each instance, the relative risk model provided measures of relative risk and testable hypotheses about patterns within the watersheds. There were similarities among the 3 risk studies. First, land use within the watershed was the most important driver of risk in each instance, even compared with point sources. Second, the list of endpoints was similar for each risk assessment. Water quality was held as important, along with populations critical to recreation or commercial use. At each site, data from the LTRWS and other sources could be used to support the risk patterns predicted from the risk assessment process. However, the sampling design of the LTRWS prevented the confirmation of specific cause–effect relationships. A fundamental conclusion is that risk assessment, using an adaptation of the relative risk model, should be performed as an integral part of any watershed assessment and management effort. These initial watershed risk assessments have led to similar assessments across the world.
Mixtures of fermionic atoms with mass imbalance in optical lattices
Authors: Farkašovský Pavol 
Published: January 2009

Abstract
We study ground-state properties of ultracold fermionic mixtures with strong mass imbalance in one and two-dimensional optical lattices through large scale numerical simulations of the attractive Falicov-Kimball model in harmonic confining potentials. In the one-dimensional case, we observe a formation of insulating atomic-density-wave domains at low particle fillings and a coexistence of insulating and metallic domains at intermediate and large particle fillings. Moreover, we show how the formation of metallic regions is reflected in the momentum distribution of the light atoms. In two dimensions, we find a rich spectrum of density-wave patterns including the homogeneous distributions, the axial striped distributions, the labyrinthine phases as well as the segregated phases.
Prevalence of intestinal parasites in shelter dogs and cats in the metropolitan area of Barcelona (Spain)
Authors: Gracenea Mercedes , Gómez Maria , Torres Jordi 
Published: January 2009

AbstractPrevalence of intestinal parasites in dogs and cats in Barcelona and surrounding areas was studied by analyzing 505 faecal samples of dogs and 50 of cats using a formol-ether diphasic method for helminths, a modified acid-fast technique for Cryptosporidium and other coccidian oocysts, and the Heindenhein technique for Giardia and Entamoeba trophozoites and cysts. Parasites were found in 26.9% of dogs and 34.0% of cats. Giardia duodenalis, Cryptosporidium sp., coccidian oocysts and Entamoeba sp. were detected in both dogs and cats. Taenia sp., Dipylidium caninum, Ancylostoma caninum, Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina, Trichuris vulpis and Uncinaria sp. were also found in dogs but only Ancylostoma tubaeforme and Toxocara cati in cats. There was a significant relationship for G. duodenalis and Cryptosporidium sp. with seasonality and for G. duodenalis with geographical origin in dogs. Significant differences were also found for T. canis between stray and domestic dogs and for T. vulpis between males and females.
A new trematode species parasitizing the catfish Hoplosternum littorale (Osteichthyes, Callichthyidae) from Paraná River, Brazil, with an emendation of the diagnosis of Magnivitellinum (Trematoda, Macroderoididae)
Authors: Lacerda Ana , Takemoto Ricardo , Pavanelli Gilberto 
Published: January 2009

AbstractMagnivitellinum corvitellinum sp. nov. is a parasite from the intestine of tamboatá Hoplosternum littorale, a freshwater catfish from Paraná River, Brazil. This species has an elongate body, a small cirrus-sac, testes in the posterior half of the body and well-developed follicular vitellines. It differs from the only other species in the genus, M. simplex, in having tegumental spines along the body, ventral sucker distinctly bigger than oral sucker, oesophagus absent and vitellaria extending from posterior margin of ventral sucker to near posterior extremity of body. An emendation of the generic diagnosis is proposed in view of the presence of tegumental spines along the body, absence of oesophagus, relative size of ventral and oral suckers and uterus covering caeca from the level of ventral sucker to the end of caeca. This is the fourth trematode species recorded parasitizing Hoplosternum littorale.
Occurrence of Cryptosporidium hominis in pigeons (Columba livia)
Authors: Abreu-Acosta Néstor , Foronda-Rodríguez Pilar , López Mercedes , Valladares Basilio 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThis study demonstrated the presence of Cryptosporidium hominis in pigeons for the first time. Previously, C. hominis had been cited only in another bird species, Branta canadiensis. The present findings suggest that pigeons may act as mechanical vectors for this protozoan.