Therapists' reactions to treatment of survivors of political torture.

Working with survivors of political torture and war trauma can trigger strong emotional responses in the therapist. As more survivors seek treatment, it is essential to identify and develop robust support systems for therapists who help their clients confront nearly unspeakable experiences. The emotional reactions of 6 psychotherapists who worked with traumatized survivors in a refugee treatment center were explored. The psychotherapists' reactions were compared with those of therapists who worked in different treatment settings with other presenting problems. The results of the study show that the strong level of responsibility therapists feel for their traumatized clients may hide an emotional strain and may lead to burnout. Suggestions are offered for supporting therapists in this difficult but important work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parameter extraction for bipolar transistors

Different methods of extracting the DC Gummel-Poon bipolar transistor model parameters are reviewed. First the shortcomings of the classical extraction schemes for the intrinsic model are presented together with some improved procedures. Finally the extraction of the series resistances is addressed.     

Engineering Analysis and Design with ALE-VMS and Space–Time Methods

Flow problems with moving boundaries and interfaces include fluid–structure interaction (FSI) and a number of other classes of problems, have an important place in engineering analysis and design, and offer some formidable computational challenges. Bringing solution and analysis to them motivated the Deforming-Spatial-Domain/Stabilized Space–Time (DSD/SST) method and also the variational multiscale version of the Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian method (ALE-VMS). Since their inception, these two methods and their improved versions have been applied to a diverse set of challenging problems with a common core computational technology need. The classes of problems solved include free-surface and two-fluid flows, fluid–object and fluid–particle interaction, FSI, and flows with solid surfaces in fast, linear or rotational relative motion. Some of the most challenging FSI problems, including parachute FSI, wind-turbine FSI and arterial FSI, are being solved and analyzed with the DSD/SST and ALE-VMS methods as core technologies. Better accuracy and improved turbulence modeling were brought with the recently-introduced VMS version of the DSD/SST method, which is called DSD/SST-VMST (also ST-VMS). In specific classes of problems, such as parachute FSI, arterial FSI, ship hydrodynamics, fluid–object interaction, aerodynamics of flapping wings, and wind-turbine aerodynamics and FSI, the scope and accuracy of the FSI modeling were increased with the special ALE-VMS and ST FSI techniques targeting each of those classes of problems. This article provides an overview of the core ALE-VMS and ST FSI techniques, their recent versions, and the special ALE-VMS and ST FSI techniques. It also provides examples of challenging problems solved and analyzed in parachute FSI, arterial FSI, ship hydrodynamics, aerodynamics of flapping wings, wind-turbine aerodynamics, and bridge-deck aerodynamics and vortex-induced vibrations.     

High-Temperature Creep Behavior of Mixed Conducting La0.5Sr0.5Fe1−xCoxO3-δ (0.5≤x≤1) Materials

Steady-state compressive creep rate of La_0.5Sr_0.5Fe_0.5Co_0.5O_3−δ (LSFC) and La_0.5Sr_0.5CoO_3−δ (LSC) is reported in the temperature region 900°–1050°C and stress range 5–28 MPa. The stress exponents for the two materials were 1.71±0.18 and 1.24±0.15, respectively. The activation energy for creep was considerably higher for LSC (619±56 kJ/mol) than for LSFC (392±28 kJ/mol). The grain size exponent for LSC was 1.28±0.14. Considerably higher creep rates were observed for both materials in N₂ compared with air. Relaxation by creep of chemical-induced stresses in oxygen-permeable membranes is addressed, especially at low partial pressure of oxygen.     

LCD motion‐blur estimation using different measurement methods

Abstract— The primary goal of this study was to find a measurement method for motion blur which is easy to carry out and gives results that can be reproduced from one lab to another. This method should be able to also take into account methods for reduction of motion blur such as backlight flashing. Two methods have been compared. The first method uses a high‐speed camera that permits us to directly picture the blurred‐edge profile. The second one exploits the mathematical analysis of the motion‐blur formation to construct the blurred‐edge profile from the temporal step response. Measurement results and method proposals are given and discussed.     

Control strategies used by experienced marine navigators: observation of verbal conversations during navigation training

This article investigates the relationship between the control situation framework, as presented by Bjørkli et al. (Cogn Technol Work 9:67–80, 2007), and observed operator action and communication in high-speed craft operation in the Norwegian Royal Navy. The reported data include two series of events during sailing in the Norwegian archipelago where uncertainty of ship position, challenges of manoeuvring and navigation strategies are addressed. The results indicate that the navigators perform actions and communicate in accordance with the key features of the control situation framework, and thus adapt to the interrelation between control possibilities and control requirements. The navigators were guided by explicit knowledge of the functional characteristics of psychical and temporal dynamics, which were actualized in manoeuvring. It indicates that the control situation framework can be used to describe the models the operators use.     

The effects of glossy screens on the acceptance of flat‐panel displays

Abstract— The TCO requirements provide well‐known and recognized quality labels for displays. For these requirements to remain useful, they must continuously be reviewed and updated when necessary. The study described here was performed in response to the market trend of designing flat‐panel displays and notebooks with glare panels. The purpose of this study was to investigate subjective responses to display screens of different gloss levels for office workers working on different tasks under normal office‐lighting conditions. The study consisted of three parts, one where the users should set an acceptable reflex level, one where the user should rate their disturbance on a category scale, and one where the visual acuity of the users were investigated whether they were affected by glare or not. The results show that increasing gloss and increasing luminance levels had negative effects on the acceptance and the disturbance of reflexes. There were statistically significant differences in the acceptance and the disturbance levels between screens with low gloss and screens with high gloss, which suggests that screens with the highest gloss levels should be avoided. The study did not show an effect on the performance based on acuity testing.     

Open Wireless Networks on University Campuses

Open wireless networks raise privacy issues and entail increased risk of malicious attacks and illegal downloading activities. Such networks are nonetheless attractive—particularly to universities—because they enhance usability and thus expand access to nonsensitive system resources. At universities, such access brings numerous benefits to students, faculty, and the surrounding community alike. Here, the authors describe the challenges of removing individual user authentication requirements at the perimeter of a university network in which mobile device users access system resources over wireless links to the wired infrastructure. The authors discuss how to mitigate the security and privacy risks entailed in an open network of this sort, and also describe how IT departments can vary the network's degree of openness.     

Perceptual Issues in Music Pattern Recognition: Complexity of Rhythm and Key Finding

We consider several perceptual issues in the context of machine recognition ofmusic patterns. It is argued that a successful implementation of a musicrecognition system must incorporate perceptual information and error criteria.We discuss several measures of rhythm complexity which are used fordetermining relative weights of pitch and rhythm errors. Then, a new methodfor determining a localized tonal context is proposed. This method is based onempirically derived key distances. The generated key assignments are then usedto construct the perceptual pitch error criterion which is based on noterelatedness ratings obtained from experiments with human listeners.