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At least 163 records · Page 9

Reliable Determination of Pulses and Pulse-Shape Instability in Ultrashort Laser Pulse Trains Using Polarization-Gating and Transient-Grating Frequency-Resolved Optical Gating Using the RANA Approach

Devices that measure the presence of instability in the pulse shapes in trains of ultrashort laser pulses do not exist, so this task necessarily falls to pulse-measurement devices, like Frequency-Resolved Optical Gating (FROG) and its variations, which have proven to be a highly reliable class of techniques for measuring stable trains of ultrashort laser pulses. Fortunately, multi-shot versions of FROG have also been shown to sensitively distinguish trains of stable from those of unstable pulse shapes by displaying readily visible systematic discrepancies between the measured and retrieved traces in the presence of unstable pulse trains. However, the effects of pulse-shape instability and algorithm stagnation can be indistinguishable, so a never-stagnating algorithm—even when instability is present—is required and is generally important. In previous work, we demonstrated that our recently introduced Retrieved-Amplitude N-grid Algorithmic (RANA) approach produces highly reliable (100%) pulse-retrieval in the second-harmonic-generation (SHG) version of FROG for thousands of sample trains of pulses with stable pulse shapes. Further, it does so even for trains of unstable pulse shapes and thus both reliably distinguishes between the two cases and provides a rough measure of the degree of instability as well as a reasonable estimate of most typical pulse parameters. Here, we perform the analogous study for the polarization-gating (PG) and transient-grating (TG) versions of FROG, which are often used for higher-energy pulse trains. We conclude that PG and TG FROG, coupled with the RANA approach, also provide reliable indicators of pulse-shape instability. In addition, for PG and TG FROG, the RANA approach provides an even better estimate of a typical pulse in an unstable pulse train than SHG FROG does, even in cases of significant pulse-shape instability.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Frequency and duration of interval training programs and changes in aerobic power

The present study was designed to ascertain whether a training frequency of 2 days/wk for a 7- and 13-wk interval training program would produce improvement in maximal aerobic power comparable to that obtained from 7- and 13-wk programs of the same intensity consisting of 4 training days/wk. After training, there was a significant increase in maximal aerobic power that was independent of both training frequency and duration. Maximal heart rate was significantly decreased following training. Submaximal aerobic power did not change with training, but submaximal heart rate decreased significantly with greater decreases the more frequent and the longer the training.

Fox, E. L.↗

Determining Training Device Requirements in Army Aviation Systems

A decision making methodology which applies the systems approach to the training problem is discussed. Training is viewed as a total system instead of a collection of individual devices and unrelated techniques. The core of the methodology is the use of optimization techniques such as the transportation algorithm and multiobjective goal programming with training task and training device specific data. The role of computers, especially automated data bases and computer simulation models, in the development of training programs is also discussed. The approach can provide significant training enhancement and cost savings over the more traditional, intuitive form of training development and device requirements process. While given from an aviation perspective, the methodology is equally applicable to other training development efforts.

Poumade, M. L.↗

Preparing for the unexpected - A psychologist's case for improved training

In the procedures designed to minimize human errors that lead to aircraft incidents, the improved human factor engineering and automation approaches must be supplemented by new training methods. Changes are suggested in the preprogrammed training principles which are currently based almost exclusively on the procedures-oriented environment, with insufficient training for cognitive processing and awareness. Use of the Line-Oriented Flight Training procedure, in which a training simulator is supplemented by a highly structured script or scenario to simulate the total line operational environment for the purpose of simultaneously training the entire flight crew, offers one way of providing pilots and other crewmembers with the experience of dealing with unexpected or stressful events. Of primary importance is maximal coordination between the aircraft captain and other crewmembers during the flight, which puts emphasis on the importance of teamwork and personal relations among all other crewmembers. The current FARs governing training and proficiency will have to be modified to accommodate new training appoaches.

Foushee, H. C.↗

Effect of swim exercise training on human muscle fiber function

The effect of swim exercise training on the human muscle fiber function was investigated in swimmers trained in a typical collegiate swim-training program followed by an intensified 10-day training period. The measured parameters included the peak tension (P0), negative log molar Ca(2+) concentration (pCa)-force, and maximal shortening speed (Vmax) of the slow-twitch type I and fast-twitch type II fibers obtained by biopsy from the deltoid muscle. The P0 values were found to be not altered after either the training or the 10-day intensive program. The type I fibers from the trained swimmers showed pCa-force curves shifted to the right, such that higher free Ca(2+) levels were required to elicit a given percent of P0. The training program significantly increased the Vmax in the type I fibers and decreased that of the type II fibers, and the 10-day intensive training produced a further significant decrease of the type II fibers.

Fitts, R. H.↗

Intelligent Computer-Aided Training (ICAT)

The Software Technology Branch has developed and demonstrated a number of ICAT System for a variety of complex procedural tasks in the NASA operational environment. A general ICAT architecture was developed and shown to be adaptable across this spectrum of tasks. Currently underway is the assembly of a suite of software tools that will permit the training community to rapidly develop and deploy ICAT systems for a variety of Space Station training tasks. The use of ICAT technology for selected training applications within the Space Station Freedom program can significantly reduce the costs of training system development. Once developed ICAT systems can be more readily and efficiently evolved and maintained than many conventional training systems. ICAT systems can be delivered for both ground based and on-orbit training. The availability of sophisticated on-orbit training will serve to reduce EVA time and can be especially useful in preparing crew for the performance on infrequent, mission critical tasks. ICAT systems can deliver uniform but individualized training to large numbers of personnel in a workstation environment.

Savely, Robert T.↗

Carotid-cardiac baroreflex response and LBNP tolerance following resistance training

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of lower body resistance training on cardiovascular control mechanisms and blood pressure maintenance during an orthostatic challenge. Lower body negative pressure (LBNP) tolerance, carotid-cardiac baroreflex function (using neck chamber pressure), and calf compliance were measured in eight healthy males before and after 19 wk of knee extension and leg press training. Resistance training sessions consisted of four or five sets of 6-12 repetitions of each exercise, performed two times per week. Training increased strength 25 +/- 3 (SE) percent (P = 0.0003) and 31 +/- 6 percent (P = 0.0004), respectively, for the leg press and knee extension exercises. Average fiber size in biopsy samples of m. vastus lateralis increased 21 +/- 5 percent (P = 0.0014). Resistance training had no significant effect on LBNP tolerance. However, calf compliance decreased in five of the seven subjects measured, with the group average changing from 4.4 +/- 0.6 ml.mm Hg-1 to 3.9 +/- 0.3 ml.mm Hg-1 (P = 0.3826). The stimulus-response relationship of the carotid-cardiac baroreflex response shifted to the left on the carotid pressure axis as indicated by a reduction of 6 mm Hg in baseline systolic blood pressure (P = 0.0471). In addition, maximum slope increased from 5.4 +/- 1.3 ms.mm Hg-1 before training to 6.6 +/- 1.6 ms.mm Hg-1 after training (P = 0.0141). Our results suggest the possibility that high resistance, lower extremity exercise training can cause a chronic increase in sensitivity and resetting of the carotid-cardiac baroreflex.

Tatro, D. L.↗

STS-93 Crew Training

Live footage of the STS-93 crewmembers shows Commander Eileen M. Collins, Pilot Jeffrey S. Ashby, Mission Specialists Steven A. Hawley, Catherine G. Coleman, and Michel Tognini going through various training activities. These activities include Bail Out Training NBL, Emergency Egress Training, Earth Observations Classroom Training, Simulator Training, T-38 Departure from Ellington Field, Chandra Deploy Training, SAREX Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment, CCT Bail Out Crew Compartment Training, and Southwest Research Ultraviolet Imaging System (SWUIS) Training.

Source record↗

STS-92 Crew Training

Footage shows the crew of STS-92, Commander Brian Duffy, Pilot Pamela A. Melroy, and Mission Specialists Koichi Wakata, Leroy Chiao, Peter J.K. Wisoff, Michael E. Lopez-Alegria, and William S. McArthur during various parts of their training. Clips are seen of the Shuttle bailout training, Shuttle arm and extravehicular activity (EVA) training at the Virtual Reality Lab, EVA training at the Neutral Buoyancy Lab, Shuttle operations training, EVA prep and post training in the Full Fuselage Trainer, ascent and post insertion training in the Guidance Navigation Simulator, and Mission Specialist Wakata in the Shuttle Engineering Dome and training on the Manipulator Development Facility.

Source record↗

The Dynamical Evolution of A Tubular Leonid Persistent Train

The dynamical evolution of the persistent train of a bright Leonid meteor was examined for evidence of the source of the luminosity and the physical conditions in the meteor path. The train consisted of two parallel somewhat diffuse luminous tracks, interpreted as the walls of a tube. A general lack of wind shear along the trail allowed these structures to remain intact for nearly 200 s, from which it was possible to determine that the tubular structure expanded at a near constant 10.5 m/s, independent of altitude between 86 and 97 km. An initial fast decrease of train intensity below 90 km was followed by an increase in intensity and then a gradual decrease at longer times, whereas at high attitudes the integrated intensity was nearly constant with time. These results are compared to a model that describes the dynamical evolution of the train by diffusion, following an initial rapid expansion of the hot gaseous trail behind the meteoroid. The train luminosity is produced by O ((sup 1)S) emission at 557 nm, driven by elevated atomic O levels produced by the meteor impact, as well as chemiluminescent reactions of the ablated metals Na and Fe with O3. Ozone is rapidly removed within the train, both by thermal decomposition and catalytic destruction by the metallic species. Hence, the brightest emission occurs at the edge of the train between outwardly diffusing metallic species and inwardly diffusing O3. Although the model is able to account plausibly for a number of characteristic features of the train evolution, significant discrepancies remain that cannot easily be resolved.

Jenniskens, Peter↗

STS-105 Crew Training Clip

The STS-105 crewmembers, Commander Scott Horowitz, Pilot Frederick Sturckow, and Mission Specialists Daniel Barry and Patrick Forrester, are seeing during various stages of their training. Footage includes Post-Insertion Training, Virtual Reality Laboratory Remote Manipulator System Training, Emergency Egress Training in the CCT, Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory Training, Post Egress Landing Training at FFT, Long Rendezvous Training in the GNS (Navigation Simulator), and Post Insertion Operations Training at FFT.

Source record↗

Effects of Above Real Time Training (ARTT) On Individual Skills and Contributions to Crew/Team Performance

Above Real Time Training (ARTT) is the training acquired on a real time simulator when it is modified to present events at a faster pace than normal. The experiments on training of pilots performed by NASA engineers and others have indicated that real time training (RTT) reinforced with ARTT would offer an effective training strategy for such tasks which require significant effort at time and workload management. A study was conducted to find how ARTT and RTT complement each other for training of novice pilot-navigator teams to fly on a required route. In the experiment, each of the participating pilot-navigator teams was required to conduct simulator flights on a prescribed two-legged ground track while maintaining required air speed and altitude. At any instant in a flight, the distance between the actual spatial point location of the airplane and the required spatial point was used as a measure of deviation from the required route. A smaller deviation represented better performance. Over a segment of flight or over complete flight, an average value of the deviation represented consolidated performance. The deviations were computed from the information on latitude, longitude, and altitude. In the combined ARTT and RTT program, ARTT at intermediate training intervals was beneficial in improving the real time performance of the trainees. It was observed that the team interaction between pilot and navigator resulted in maintaining high motivation and active participation throughout the training program.

Ali, Syed Firasat↗

Airplane Upset Training Evaluation Report

Airplane upset accidents are a leading factor in hull losses and fatalities. This study compared five types of airplane-upset training. Each group was composed of eight, non-military pilots flying in their probationary year for airlines operating in the United States. The first group, 'No aero / no upset,' was made up of pilots without any airplane upset training or aerobatic flight experience; the second group, 'Aero/no upset,' of pilots without any airplane-upset training but with aerobatic experience; the third group, 'No aero/upset,' of pilots who had received airplane-upset training in both ground school and in the simulator; the fourth group, 'Aero/upset,' received the same training as Group Three but in addition had aerobatic flight experience; and the fifth group, 'In-flight' received in-flight airplane upset training using an instrumented in-flight simulator. Recovery performance indicated that clearly training works - specifically, all 40 pilots recovered from the windshear upset. However few pilots were trained or understood the use of bank to change the direction of the lift vector to recover from nose high upsets. Further, very few thought of, or used differential thrust to recover from rudder or aileron induced roll upsets. In addition, recovery from icing-induced stalls was inadequate.

Gawron, Valerie J.↗

Clinical Core Competency Training for NASA Flight Surgeons

Introduction: The cohort of NASA flight surgeons (FS) is a very accomplished group with varied clinical backgrounds; however, the NASA Flight Surgeon Office has identified that the extremely demanding schedule of this cohort prevents many of these physicians from practicing clinical medicine on a regular basis. In an effort to improve clinical competency, the NASA FS Office has dedicated one day a week for the FS to receive clinical training. Each week, an FS is assigned to one of five clinical settings, one being medical patient simulation. The Medical Operations Support Team (MOST) was tasked to develop curricula using medical patient simulation that would meet the clinical and operational needs of the NASA FS Office. Methods: The MOST met with the Lead FS and Training Lead FS to identify those core competencies most important to the FS cohort. The MOST presented core competency standards from the American Colleges of Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine as a basis for developing the training. Results: The MOST identified those clinical areas that could be best demonstrated and taught using medical patient simulation, in particular, using high fidelity human patient simulators. Curricula are currently being developed and additional classes will be implemented to instruct the FS cohort. The curricula will incorporate several environments for instruction, including lab-based and simulated microgravity-based environments. Discussion: The response from the NASA FS cohort to the initial introductory class has been positive. As a result of this effort, the MOST has identified three types of training to meet the clinical needs of the FS Office; clinical core competency training, individual clinical refresher training, and just-in-time training (specific for post-ISS Expedition landings). The MOST is continuing to work with the FS Office to augment the clinical training for the FS cohort, including the integration of Web-based learning.

Polk, J. D.↗

Results from an Investigation into Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) Training Related Shoulder Injuries

The number and complexity of extravehicular activities (EVAs) required for the completion and maintenance of the International Space Station (ISS) is unprecedented. The training required to successfully complete this magnitude of space walks presents a real risk of overuse musculoskeletal injuries to the EVA crew population. There was mounting evidence raised by crewmembers, trainers, and physicians at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) between 1999 and 2002 that suggested a link between training in the Neutral - Buoyancy Lab (NBL) and the several reported cases of shoulder injuries. The short- and long-term health consequences of shoulder injury to astronauts in training as well as the potential mission impact associated with surgical intervention to assigned EVA crew point to this as a critical problem that must be mitigated. Thus, a multi-directorate tiger team was formed in December of 2002 led by the EVA Office and Astronaut Office at the JSC. The primary objectives of this Tiger Team were to evaluate the prevalence of these injuries and substantiate the relationship to training in the NBL with the crew person operating in the EVA Mobility Unit (EMU). Between December 2002 and June of 2003 the team collected data, surveyed crewmembers, consulted with a variety of physicians, and performed tests. The results of this effort were combined with the vast knowledge and experience of the Tiger Team members to formulate several findings and over fifty recommendations. This paper summarizes those findings and recommendations as well as the process by which these were determined. The Tiger Team concluded that training in the NBL was directly linked to several major and minor shoulder injuries that had occurred. With the assistance of JSC flight surgeons, outside consultants, and the lead crewmember/physician on the team, the mechanisms of injury were determined. These mechanisms were then linked to specific aspects of the hardware design, operational techniques, and the training environment. During the 1999 to 2003 time frame many variables converged to make it impossible to determine with any accuracy which one or two root causes were primarily involved. Therefore a broad range of recommendations was established to prevent future injury to crewmembers training in the NBL in the near term. Many of these recommendations are lessons learned that are essentially timeless and therefore should be passed on to future EVA endeavors to ensure that hardware designs and operational techniques utilized in the future consider the demands of training on the human body here on earth.

Johnson, Brian J.↗

Mentoring SFRM: A New Approach to International Space Station Flight Controller Training

The Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) of the Johnson Space Center is responsible for providing continuous operations support for the International Space Station (ISS). Operations support requires flight controllers who are skilled in team performance as well as the technical operations of the ISS. Space Flight Resource Management (SFRM), a NASA adapted variant of Crew Resource Management (CRM), is the competency model used in the MOD. ISS flight controller certification has evolved to include a balanced focus on development of SFRM and technical expertise. The latest challenge the MOD faces is how to certify an ISS flight controller (operator) to a basic level of effectiveness in 1 year. SFRM training uses a two-pronged approach to expediting operator certification: 1) imbed SFRM skills training into all operator technical training and 2) use senior flight controllers as mentors. This paper focuses on how the MOD uses senior flight controllers as mentors to train SFRM skills. Methods: A mentor works with an operator throughout the training flow. Inserted into the training flow are guided-discussion sessions and on-the-job observation opportunities focusing on specific SFRM skills, including: situational leadership, conflict management, stress management, cross-cultural awareness, self care and team care while on-console, communication, workload management, and situation awareness. The mentor and operator discuss the science and art behind the skills, cultural effects on skills applications, recognition of good and bad skills applications, recognition of how skills application changes subtly in different situations, and individual goals and techniques for improving skills. Discussion: This mentoring program provides an additional means of transferring SFRM knowledge compared to traditional CRM training programs. Our future endeavors in training SFRM skills (as well as other organization s) may benefit from adding team performance skills mentoring. This paper explains our mentoring approach and discusses its effectiveness and future applicability in promoting SFRM/CRM skills.

Huning, Therese↗

Infusing Training into the Documentation and Culture of Ares I Upper Stage Design and Manufacturing

In roughly two years time, Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Mission Operations Laboratory (MOL) has incubated a personnel training and certification program for about 1000 learners and multiple phases of the Ares I Upper Stage (US) project. Previous MOL-developed training programs focused on about 100 learners with a focus on operations, and had enough full-time training staff to develop courseware and provide training administration. This paper discusses 1) how creation of a broad, structured training program unfolded as feedback from more narrowly defined tasks, 2) how training philosophy, development methods, and administration are being simplified and tailored so that many Upper Stage organizations can grow their own training yet maintain consistency, accountability, and traceability across the project, and 3) possibilities for interfacing with the production contractor's training system and staff.

Scott, David W.↗

Making Games Not Work: Paradoxes Embedded in Game-Based Training and Concepts for Overcoming Them

An interest in game-based training solutions is natural. All one has to do is watch someone fully engaged in a modern game to see the potential of harnessing that attention for training. However, the reality of game-based training has not fully satisfied these expectations. This paper explains two paradoxes that must be overcome for games to support training. These paradoxes are a result of the realities of the basic human condition clashing with the requirements of learning theory. 80th paradoxes arise from the concept of "engagement" that is central to games. The first comes from a more robust definition of engagement, which is the condition of Flow or Optimal Experience. Flow is the state game developers want to see in users. One aspect of Flow is loss of sense of self as the individual becomes immersed in the experience. The paradox arises because this loss of self directly contradicts the learning requirement of self-reflection. The second paradox comes from theories of play, which state in part that play requires a level of individual freedom. The contradiction arises when game-based play must be harnessed to an organizational training program or regimen. The paper will discuss these paradoxes in the context of an effort to design a game-based training modality to train combat medics and will close with a review of compensating strategies identified by the designers. The paper will provide information important to anyone interested in conceptualizing and designing game-based training.

Jones, Phillip N.↗