Individual Workload Research Articles

Benchmarking the price of computing: Results of a survey

A computing benchmark survey was conducted in 1975 by the EDUCOM Planning Council on Computing in Education and Research. Thirteen different FORTRAN programs were run at major universities and colleges. An analysis is made of internal and external prices for individual jobs and representative university workloads. In the survey an attempt was made to control factors such as arithmetic precision, file organization, compiler type, and turn-around time. Significant differences in prices may have arisen, however, due to differences in cost accounting practices and cost recovery policies. Nevertheless, the data support the general view that substantial benefits can be achieved through selective use of computational resources at a variety of different computer centers.

The physiologic fallacy of adjusting for body weight in performance of the Master two-step test

The physiologic load imposed by the double Master two-step test and by a similar step test in which work was carried out at a rate of 40 steps per 3 minutes was evaluated in 14 male subjects having a wide range of body weights. Gross oxygen consumption varied less among individuals during the Master procedure (the S.D. was 25.6 per cent of the mean) than during the 40-step test, in which all subjects worked at the same rate (the S.D. was 41.7 per cent of the mean). However, expression of energy requirements per unit of body weight decreased the coefficient of variation for the energy cost of the 40-step test (9.4 per cent) well below that of the Master test (26.7 per cent). Oxygen requirements per kilogram of body weight were very high for lighter subjects, reaching 38.6 ml. per minute, and very much less for heavy subjects (minimum, 19.1 ml. per minute). The lightest subjects were, therefore, approaching their maximal oxygen intakes while the heavier men were farthest from maximal. These data illustrate the error in decreasing the rate of work for heavier subjects performing the step test, and demonstrate that the Master procedure fails to provide a physiologically equivalent work load for individuals differing in body weight.

A Concept of the Measurement of Faculty Load

FACULTY LOAD has long been limited to the narrow concept that the number of credit hours taught is an adequate measure of any individual staff member's entire work load. However impor tant this aspect of the duties of a teacher may be, it is certainly not the whole job which he is called upon to do, and the mere number of hours of cred it taught is certainly not an adequate measure even of that part of his job. Any acceptable measure of total load must take into account not only all of those factors which the institution recognizes as part of the instructor's job, in the sense that it expects him to perform them even though they may not actually be included as a specific part of the contractual relationship, but it must also take into account those tasks which an individual feels are a burden upon him w he n he comes to perform them. Obviously then, there are far more factors in the total load picture than are reflected by any simple statement as to the number of hours taught.

Preventing Technical Obsolescence in Petroleum Engineers and Scientists

Abstract Current technological advances in every branch of science and engineering are developing at an unprecedented rate. In the petroleum industry, improvements in operating techniques and equipment are last making conventional methods obsolete. Keeping up-to-date with the many new developments reported in worldwide technical society papers, trade journals and patents presents petroleum engineers and scientists a practically insurmountable task. Rapidly developing techniques for information dissemination and retrieval are designed to meet this need. Many oil companies have organized information centers that review current technical literature, evaluate and condense pertinent technical information, and distribute it to all interested personnel. Some of the beneficial results reported by these companies include stimulating interest in current published information, uncovering valuable leads to new exploration and production techniques, eliminating costly duplication of research effort and providing a comprehensive reference file for retrospective searching. Cooperative abstracting services provide many of these benefits at an economic savings to participating firms. Introduction Are the petroleum engineers and scientists of today in danger of becoming obsolete? Are the young engineering and science graduates, fresh from college, better equipped technologically to solve the technical problems of the petroleum industry?Unfortunately, in many cases this is the situation. Although lacking in experience, the young graduated enter the petroleum industry with a knowledge of many of the most recent advances in petroleum technology whereas the "veteran" engineers and scientists may still be operating on the basis of principles and techniques in vogue 5, 10, 20 or more years ago. However, the newcomers do not retain this advantage long. Petroleum technology is changing so rapidly that they, too, are soon out-of-date unless they take special precautions to avoid it. The obvious answer to this problem is that the competent scientist or engineer is not satisfied to rest on his laurels. Through study of current technical society publications and trade journals, attendance at technical meetings both regional and local, and other self-improvement efforts, he keeps himself up-to-date on the most recent technological advances in his field. This is referred to as "current awareness".Unfortunately, the answer is not that simple. For the average technologist today, time is at a premium. Reduced engineering staffs and increased individual work loads have cut his free time on the job to practically zero, while the knowledge that he needs to keep himself up-to-date is mushrooming at an ever-increasing rate. Even though he may be willing to use off-job time and sacrifice fellowship with his friends and family, he is brought up short by what has been termed "The Information Explosion". Research and Development Growth What has caused the current flood of technical and scientific information? Basically, it is the natural result of man's learning how to put scientific knowledge to work, and how to make use of other people's scientific experience. Since the end of World War II, a tremendous expansion has occurred in all branches of technological achievement. It is hard to realize that such common-place items as television, formation fracturing, electronic computers, miscible-phase displacement and atomic reactors have all evolved during the last decade. Yet these advances represent only a few of the fruits of research, which has been soaring at a tremendous pace. Half of the $85 billion spent on research and development in the United States since 1941 has been spent during the last four years. By 1975, it is estimated that the annual expenditure for research will have swelled to more than $25 billion per year. Over the next 15 years, American business and government will spend over $250 billion, just to discover and perfect new products and processes. The rapid expansion of technology has been mirrored by the increasing number of technical journals that have come into being. The earliest surviving journal is the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, first published in 1665. By 1750, 10 technical journals were in existence. JPT P. 931^