Coordination Of Multiple Tasks Research Articles

Modeling Task Scheduling in Complex Healthcare Environments: Identifying Relevant Factors

Multiple task coordination involves scheduling tasks, completing tasks, and integrating tasks into a workflow. Task scheduling can influence outcomes of safety, satisfaction, and efficiency when completing tasks. This is especially important in complex life-critical environments such as healthcare, which incurs many situations where there are multiple tasks and limited resources for addressing all tasks. One approach for understanding tasks coordination is the Strategic Task Overload Management (STOM) model, which is a model for task scheduling behavior. In this theoretical paper, we discuss how this model can be extended to a complex healthcare environment. There are additional considerations (e.g., time) which must be considered when applying this model to healthcare. Ultimately, understanding how emergency physicians make multiple task scheduling decisions will advance theories and models, such as STOM, which can then in turn be implemented to improve scheduling behaviors in complex healthcare environments.

Better dual-task processing in simultaneous interpreters.

Simultaneous interpreting (SI) is a highly complex activity and requires the performance and coordination of multiple, simultaneous tasks: analysis and understanding of the discourse in a first language, reformulating linguistic material, storing of intermediate processing steps, and language production in a second language among others. It is, however, an open issue whether persons with experience in SI possess superior skills in coordination of multiple tasks and whether they are able to transfer these skills to lab-based dual-task situations. Within the present study, we set out to explore whether interpreting experience is associated with related higher-order executive functioning in the context of dual-task situations of the Psychological Refractory Period (PRP) type. In this PRP situation, we found faster reactions times in participants with experience in simultaneous interpretation in contrast to control participants without such experience. Thus, simultaneous interpreters possess superior skills in coordination of multiple tasks in lab-based dual-task situations.

A multitasking architecture for humanoid robot programming

We propose a hierarchical, three-tiered motion programming architecture for humanoid robots that allows for the prioritized coordination of multiple tasks while taking into account the dynamics and other physics-based constraints that underlie typical humanoid robot tasks. We first introduce a data structure for generic humanoid robots based on a general description of what constitutes a humanoid that is workable and practical from a programming perspective, without overly restricting the diversity of humanoid designs. For the low-level language we develop an extension of Brockett's motion description language (MDL) that allows for the prioritized coordination of multiple tasks taking into account the dynamics-based requirements of typical humanoid manipulation tasks. The extended multitasking motion description language (MDLm) inherits the advantages of the original MDL, while making use of change of coordinates and the null space control formalism of Sentis and Khatib (Int J Humanoid Robot 2(4):505---518, 2005). We also develop a high-level language consisting of pre-defined motion primitives that constitute a vocabulary for generating more complex free-space motions and object manipulation tasks. These occupational tasks and free-space motions are derived based on methods and principles for measuring human task performance Drumwright (The Task Matrix: a robot-independent framework for programming humanoids. Ph.D dissertation, University of Southern California, 2007), Karger and Bayha (Engineered work measurement. Industrial Press, New York, 1965). The structure of the high level language is also inspired in part by well-established notation for dance choreography Huang and Hudak (Dance: a declarative language for the control of humanoid robots, 2003) Hutchinson (Labanotation or Kinetography Laban: system of analyzing and recording movement. Oxford University Press, New York, 1972). In the resulting architecture, high-level motion primitives and MDLm are integrated in a balanced and consistent manner that allows for flexible and intuitive programming in an efficient manner. A case study is offered to illustrate our architecture.

Enhancing clinical trials on the internet: lessons from INVEST.

The INternational VErapamil SR/trandolapril STudy (INVEST) is the first long-term, large-scale clinical trial being conducted primarily using Web-based technology. The Web is a powerful tool for enhancing clinical trial management because of its ability to centralize all study information and coordinate multiple trial processes in real time at lower cost. The result is improved efficiency, accuracy, and safety in clinical trials conduct. In Web-based clinical trials, sites are able to focus primarily on medicine and science, rather than on trial administration. Site training, study documentation, subject recruitment, randomization, medication dispensing, and management procedures are simplified by using Web-based software to enhance processes. This paper summarizes the advantages achieved for INVEST investigators, sponsor representatives, monitors, and subjects resulting from the centralization and coordination of multiple tasks through Web-based technology.

A Multiple-Task Measurement Framework for Assessing Maximum-Typical Performance

This study presents a novel measurement framework for assessing and predicting maximum and typical performance. The proposed measurement approach addresses the need for organizations to assess maximum and typical performance changes over time in complex job settings requiring coordination of multiple tasks with changing priorities. We present results of an experiment in which participants engaged in a complex task with multiple task elements and instructions to either maximize a different task element in each of four performance blocks (variable-priority condition) or treat all task elements with equal priority (stable-priority condition). We estimated growth curves corresponding to each task element and calculated the area under each growth curve as a summary performance index. Growth curves corresponding to the maximized, high-priority task element in the variable-priority condition reflected maximum performance, whereas those corresponding to the deemphasized, lower priority elements reflected typical performance. We compared the shape of the maximum and typical growth curves in the variable-priority condition to their corresponding performance trajectories in the stable-priority condition. In addition, we tested the moderating influence of individual differences in action-state orientation on the obtained maximum and typical performance estimates. Results indicated support for the proposed measurement framework in terms of its usefulness for inducing sustained levels of maximum performance and for identifying and correcting sources of the maximum-typical performance discrepancy.

The discontinuous nature of motor execution II. Merging discrete and rhythmic movements in a single-joint system - the phase entrainment effect

Initiation of rapid discrete flexion movements is significantly altered when a secondary rhythmic movement is performed simultaneously with the same limb; the onset of a stimulus-evoked discrete movement tends to occur time-locked to the oscillation: i.e., the rhythmic movement entrains the discrete response. This nonlinear interaction may reflect a specific principle of coordination of motor tasks which are simultaneously executed with the same effector. This part II of a tripartite research report on such single-muscle multiple-task coordination investigates the contribution of the dynamic properties of the muscle and its reflex circuitry to phase entrainment. Assuming a simple threshold-linear relationship between the control signals generated by the central nervous system and the observable kinematic and electromyographic signals, a secondary rhythmic movement will cause an additional phase-dependent delay between the central "go" command and the first observable change in actual kinematics of the compound movement. Several indicators for such threshold-linear interaction are derived and tested on real data obtained in psychophysical experiments. Four healthy subjects performed rapid lateral abductions of the index finger in response to a visual "go" signal. During a portion of the experiments, subjects produced additional low-amplitude oscillatory movements before stimulus presentation with either the same finger (one-handed task), or with the index finger of the other hand (two-handed task). Results showed phase entrainment and modulation of reaction times when the cyclic and the discrete movements were simultaneously executed by the same finger. But there was no entrainment in the bimanual execution of the tasks. The model was capable of reproducing the observed effects. It is concluded that coordination of voluntary movements which are concurrently performed by the same effector involves specific discontinuous operations, which represents an essential part of the mechanism of motor coordination. Phase entrainment reflects this characteristic discontinuous behavior of the lower stages of motor execution and does not necessarily require nonlinear interaction of motor commands at higher levels of motor processing.