Small-scale Demonstration Research Articles

Methodological quality and the evaluation of anti-crime programs

The National Research Council (NRC) report is an excellent contribution to knowledge. The main issues arising are: (1) Evaluability: will consideration of this topic mean that few programs are evaluated? (2) Methodological quality: a new scale needs to be developed and used. (3) Effect size: a realistic, easily understandable measure should be used. (4) Benefit:cost ratio: more calculations of this are needed. (5) Observational methods: their usefulness in evaluation compared with experimental and quasi-experimental methods is doubtful in most cases. (6) Attrition: research is needed on how to minimize this. (7) Evaluating area-based programs: more research is needed on how to do this. (8) Theories: theories and programs should inform each other. (9) Generalizability: research is needed on how to achieve this from small-scale demonstration projects to large-scale routine application. (10) Descriptive validity: a checklist of items to be included in research reports should be specified. Some other issues include the need to calculate statistical power, the need for research on case flow problems, the difficulty of identifying the active ingredients of a program, the problem of obtaining access to official data, the desirability of collecting victim survey and self-report data, conflict of interest issues, and the need for more systematic reviews.

A limitation on the small-scale demonstration of retrodirective microwave power transmission from the solar power satellite

The solar power satellite (SPS) is a future system for transmitting a high-power microwave beam to the Earth using a large, space-based retrodirective array. However, the small-scale demonstration of a prototype retrodirective transmitter for this application faces a basic limitation and associated tradeoffs, which are identified and described in this paper. Computer-simulated examples are presented, and recommendations are made.

Liquid-state NMR simulations of quantum many-body problems

Recently developed quantum algorithms suggest that in principle, quantum computers can solve problems such as simulation of physical systems more efficiently than classical computers. Much remains to be done to implement these conceptual ideas into actual quantum computers. As a small-scale demonstration of their capability, we simulate a simple many-fermion problem, the Fano-Anderson model, using liquid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). We carefully designed our experiment so that the resource requirement would scale up polynomially with the size of the quantum system to be simulated. The experimental results obtained give us an insight to the quantum control required when simulating quantum systems with NMR techniques. The simulation of other physical systems, with different particle statistics, is also discussed.

Evaluation of In-Service Performance of Tom’s Creek Bridge Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Superstructure

The Tom's Creek Bridge is a small-scale demonstration project involving the use of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite girders as the main load carrying members. It is a simply supported, short-span bridge located along Tom's Creek Road in Blacksburg, Virginia. As a result of discussions among Virginia Tech, Strongwell, the Virginia Department of Transportation, and the Town of Blacksburg, the existing deteriorated superstructure of the Tom's Creek Bridge was replaced with a glue-laminated timber deck on 8 in. (20.3 cm) deep pultruded FRP beams. The project was intended to address two issues. First, by calculating bridge design parameters such as the dynamic load allowance, transverse wheel load distribution and deflections under service loading, the Tom's Creek Bridge will aid in modifying current AASHTO bridge design standards for use with FRP composite materials. Second, by evaluating the FRP girders after being exposed to controlled laboratory and service conditions, the project will begin to answer questions about the long-term performance of these advanced composite material beams when used in bridge design. A dynamic load allowance, IM, of 0.90 is recommended for the Tom's Creek Bridge. This value is the largest average IM observed and is therefore conservative. This value is significantly higher than those set forth in the AASHTO standards of 0.33 (AASHTO, 1998) and 0.30 (AASHTO, 1996). It is recommended to use a value of L/425 (LRFD Specification) or L/500 (Standard Specification). This value is consistent with AASHTO deflection control criteria for an all timber bridge. It is recommended to use the AASHTO wheel load distribution factors for a glulam timber deck on steel stringer bridge. There is no indication of loss of FRP girder ultimate strength after 15 months of service. Given the low service loads (no more than 10% of the ultimate capacity) and traffic volume the fatigue life prediction model suggests that fatigue will not be a major concern during the life of service (10 to 15 years).

Patchwork Quilt or Seamless Day? Parent, Teacher and Child Care Staff Views on Early Childhood Education Programs for Kindergarten-Age Children in Canada

In Canada, child care for kindergartners typically combines part-day school and child care. Exploratory research examined parents', teachers', and child care staff views on coordination between these programs. Community-based research surveyed these three groups. There was general agreement, and some key differences, among the groups in priorities for programs for kindergarten-age children. Social and language skills were generally considered most important; reading and writing least. Parents were particularly enthusiastic about a coordinated, school-based program. Teachers and child care staff were somewhat less enthusiastic about the model, with teachers' reactions the least positive. Teachers' views on the advisability of an integrated program were varied—some thought it would be of benefit to children, others disagreed. All three groups felt that a coordinated program would benefit by being school-based. Direct experience with integrated programs seemed to produce strong opinions about the value of program integration, with those teachers who had on-site child care programs giving the integrated programs the highest and the lowest ratings. Arguments are made for small-scale demonstration programs to expand provision of child care services using kindergarten as a foundation—and for rigorous evaluation of program impacts and outcomes.

Editorial: The cardiovascular disease epidemic: global, regional, local

correspondence Pascal Bovet, University Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Bugnon 5, 1005Lausanne, Switzerland. Fax: +41 21 314 7373; E-mail: pascal.bovet@inst.hospvd.chThe challenge of the cardiovascular disease epidemicis not whether it will occur at all in the developingcountries but whether we respond in time to telescopethe transition and avoid the huge burden in young andmiddle age adults. The question is not whether we canafford to invest in cardiovascular disease preventionin the developing countries, but whether we canafford not to (Ruth Bonita).This statement by the director for the surveillance of non-communicable diseases at the World Health Organization(WHO) forcefully summarizes critical issues related tocardiovascular disease (CVD) in developing countries: theupsurge of the CVD epidemic and the need for an urgentresponsetopreventanimpendingadditionalburdenthatcanhardly be afforded by low and middle-income countriesalready plagued with scarce resources and a large burden ofinfectious diseases. Global–regional–local interrelations arecentral to these considerations. Globalization fuels theepidemic even to the remotest communities by spreadingmany unhealthy behaviours and environments conducive toCVD. However, globalization can also provide powerfulmeans to tackle CVD at broad and local levels.The rise in CVD in developing countries can be bestunderstood in the light of the epidemiological transition(Omran 1971; Reddy & Yusuf, 1998), an evolutionaryframework linking demographical and social change todisease patterns. The rapid ageing of populations indeveloping countries is the first engine in the emergence ofCVD. This demographic transition results from improvedsanitation, nutrition and infectious disease control, partic-ularly in childhood, which accompany urbanization andindustrialization. Prolonged survival allows for longerexposure to CVD risk factors and this inevitably results inlarger total numbers of CVD cases. In addition to ageingpopulations, industrialization and urbanization also bringabout several changes in lifestyles such as sedentary habits,tobacco use and unfavourable dietary patterns, whichfurther increase the incidence of CVD and other chronicdiseases. While the mix between specific chronic diseases inpopulations, particularly cerebrovascular disease andischaemic heart disease, can differ substantially betweendeveloping countries, the shift from early transitiondiseases (infections and malnutrition) to late transitiondiseases (CVD and other chronic diseases) is rapid, largeand consistent among most developing countries (Yusufet al. 2001a, b).It is not often appreciated that the current CVD burdenin developing countries is already high. Approximately78% of the burden of non-communicable diseases and85% of the cardiovascular burden worldwide arose fromthe low- and middle-income countries in 1998 (WHO1999). Furthermore, the CVD burden is expected to furtherincrease significantly over the next decades. The combinedmorbidity and mortality burdens (expressed as disability-adjusted years of life lost) caused by ischaemic heartdisease and cerebrovascular disease in developing countriesare anticipated to rank first and fourth in 2020, com-pared with sixth and seventh in 1999 (WHO 2000a, b). Itis also often not realized, possibly because of very highmortality rates from other diseases, that age-specific deathrates from non-communicable diseases are higher indeveloping than developed countries (Murray & Lopez1996). For example, the probability of stroke death isseveral folds higher, at all ages, in Tanzania than in the UK(Walker et al. 2000).A number of factors could exacerbate the CVD epidemicin developing countries compared with its course inwestern countries. Urbanization in settings of povertydiffers from that which occurs in prosperous economies,and the vulnerability to unhealthy behaviours is likely to beincreased in a context of loose social network, stressfulwaged labour and restricted resources for public healthresponse. This points to the higher prevalence of CVD andCVD risk factors among people of low socio-economic

Priorities in oral health care in non-EME countries

This paper describes the prevailing problems pertaining to oral care in non-established market economy (non-EME) countries. The current situation with large numbers of untreated cases of oral diseases, the inequality in delivery systems and the virtual non-existence of an adequate community oriented prevention calls for action. What is needed is a turn towards an oral care system that meets the principles of primary health care (PHC). This implies an oral health care system which makes use of the existing health care infrastructures and which applies an appropriate technology with emphasis on community oriented prevention directed to all at an affordable price. Four components of oral care are proposed as priorities in basic oral care, aiming to achieve the objectives of the PHC philosophy. These four components are: emergency care; exposure to fluoride; oral health education (OHE); atraumatic restorative treatment (ART). These components should be available for all. The exact content and extent of each component in various countries depends on local existing supporting conditions and on the level of development as well as on specific perceived needs of the population. Therefore, small-scale demonstration projects containing one or more of the described components should firstly be launched in various countries to evaluate the acceptability, effectiveness and sustainability of the proposed basic oral care programme.

Phytoremediation: a technology using green plants to remove contaminants from polluted areas.

Phytoremediation is an emerging cost-effective, non-intrusive, esthetically pleasing, and low cost technology using the remarkable ability of plants to concentrate elements and compounds from the environment and to metabolize various molecules in their tissues. Phytoremediation technology is applicable to a broad range of contaminants, including metals and radionuclides, as well as organic compounds like chlorinated solvents, polychlorobiphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides/insecticides, explosives, and surfactants. The use of plants to transport and concentrate metals from the soil into the harvestable parts of roots and above-ground shoots, usually called 'phytoextraction', has appeared on the scene as a valid alternative to traditional physicochemical remediation methods that do not provide acceptable solutions for the removal of metals from soils. Positive results are becoming available regarding the ability of plants to degrade certain organic compounds. Nonetheless, despite the firm establishment of phytoremediation technology in the literature and in extensive research study and in small-scale demonstrations, full-scale applications are currently limited to a small number of projects. At present, the phytoremediation of metal pollutants from the environment could be approaching commercialization.

Mapping the road for voluntary change: Partnerships in agricultural extension

BIOS and BIFS are two California-based, small-scale alternative agricultural demonstration programs that define an applied Agriculture Partnership Model of extension. This model operates through a structure of local project leadership, a process of responsive farmer outreach and a primary goal of voluntary pesticide reduction. It reaches back to a Land Grant approach to extension of personal relationship, equal partnership, and collaborative learning. Overall findings from a systematic assessment of BIOS and BIFS imply that the operation and impacts of these two Agriculture Partnership Projects owe more to the model, approach, and values of the projects than to any specific farming or extension techniques. A model of local partnership and responsive, learner-centered outreach, operational values such as flexibility and relationship, and a balanced systems approach to farm management and project operation combine to create a promising organizational response to the rapidly changing regulatory, environmental, and political circumstances confronting conventional farmers in California. Though some farm advisors and field research specialists within the University of California Cooperative Extension have successfully used the projects to leverage decreasing Extension resources, increase their one-on-one contact with farmers, and learn new outreach and agricultural skills, others within that system are highly critical of the two projects. Organizational tension between Cooperative Extension and the quasi-university Partnership Projects largely reflects differences in fundamental beliefs and values about legitimate knowledge, learning processes, and effective teaching as well as primary goals for agricultural outreach.

Handheld standing-wave generator

Before the evening demonstration show at the 1999 AAPT Summer Meeting, several participants were walking around with small-scale demonstrations to entertain the local children who were attending the show. One gentleman showed me an ingenious yet simple and compact device for generating standing waves on a string.

Optimal Control of Large, Forward-Looking Models: Efficient Solutions and Two Examples

An optimal control tool is described that is particularly useful for computing rules of large-scale models where users might otherwise have difficulty determining the state vector a priori and where the inversion of large, sparse matrices is involved. A small-scale demonstration is presented, as are data on performance with the Board of Governors large-scale rational expectations macroeconometric model, FRB/US.

Optimal Control of Large, Forward-Looking Models: Efficient Solutions and Two Examples

An optimal control tool is described that is particularly useful for computing rules of large-scale models where users might otherwise have difficulty determining the state vector a priori and where the inversion of large, sparse matrices is involved. A small-scale demonstration is presented, as are data on performance with the Board of Governors large-scale rational expectations macroeconometric model, FRB/US.

Operation and performance of an ATM based demonstrator for the sequential option of the ATLAS trigger

This paper describes an implementation on a small scale demonstrator of the sequential option for the ATLAS trigger. This demonstrator is built around an ATM switch connecting source modules, destination processors, a supervisor and a monitor. The source modules emulate a group of detector read-out buffers. We describe the hardware and software architecture of the system. We investigate the performance of the demonstrator in various configurations and with different sets of input parameters. Finally, we discuss the scaling of the results to the design of a large trigger system for ATLAS.

Directions in Community Care Reform: a NSW Example

The 1990s have seen a fundamental re‐evaluation of the role of government in the funding and provision of services. This paper describes the process of managing change in NSW through small scale demonstration projects on integrated community care services. The projects will examine how effective new models of funding and provision are in bringing about the desired changes.

A study of performance issues of the ATLAS event selection system based on an ATM switching network

The next generation of High Energy Physics experiments, ATLAS and CMS, proposed at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC), will place heavy demands on the data acquisition and on-line filtering systems. Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) is a candidate technology to implement the high performance network in the data collection system for the ATLAS experiment. This work presents the results of modeling and simulation studies which aim at integrating the detailed organization of the detector read-out, the trigger requirements and the capabilities of ATM switching networks. The status of hardware development of small scale demonstrators is outlined.

A new repulsive magnetic levitation approach using permanent magnets and air-core electromagnets

This paper introduces a new repulsive magnetic levitation approach using permanent magnets and air-core electromagnets as primary actuating components. The permanent magnets, which are attached to the bottom of a carrier, are repulsively levitated above and by oblong shaped electromagnets, which constitute one part of the guide tracks. Due to the lateral unstable nature of repulsive levitation, the stability of the levitated permanent magnets is regulated by another part of the guide tracks, electromagnetic stabilizers, which are strands of straight wires running through the entire length of the guide tracks above the levitation coils. A state feedback controller with integral compensator is designed for the stability control. The entire levitation system is divided into three subsystems: levitation, stabilization and propulsion. All the control works with respect to each subsystem are executed extrinsic to the carrier, i.e., there is no electrical circuit on board the carrier. The feasibility of this new levitation approach is confirmed successfully by a small scale demonstration system designed to transport a single silicon wafer in a microelectronic fabrication line. The wafer carrier is stably levitated 1.5 mm above the track surface with lateral air-gaps of 0.5 mm. Its maximum velocity is 22.2 cm/sec and the traveling range is 1 m. >

AVIARY:Design Issues for Future Large-Scale Virtual Environments

VR is already evolving away from single user small-scale demonstrators, and inexorably toward sophisticated environments in which many geographically distributed users can perform a diverse range of activities. There will therefore be a pressure to make such environments increasingly general purpose and dynamic in their support of applications, paralleling perhaps the historical evolution of conventional operating systems. It is from speculations about the nature of such a future large-scale VR system that the AVIARY project has developed. AVIARY provides multiple worlds, each with its own set of laws, that may be tailored to suit particular application domains. The overall structure enables a coherent relationship between worlds to be maintained, which is important both for purposes of code reuse, and to aid users in navigating the system. A prototype implementation exists that addresses underlying implementation issues in the AVIARY model, and, in particular, distribution across heterogeneous processor networks, dynamic management of objects and message types within the system, the separation of graphics processing, and the management of spatial extent. Implementations of the prototype have been tested on a Transputer array, and a heterogeneous network of Sun and Silicon Graphics workstations. The system is currently being ported to a 2.4-Gflop KSR-1 parallel supercomputer. This paper reviews approaches to distributed, multi-application VR systems, presents pertinent elements of the AVIARY design, and describes the prototype implementation with particular attention given to the issues of distribution.

SURVEY AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF MECHANICAL RAISIN HARVESTING SYSTEMS

The harvest and production of natural Thompson Seedless raisins traditionally has been a very labor intensive process. Current practices require significant labor inputs for harvest, turning, rolling, and retrieval of raisins. A disruption of labor supply during the harvest and drying period would be detrimental for raisin growers.During the 1992 raisin harvest, a small-scale demonstration trial was conducted in the CSU Fresno campus vineyard. Two mechanical raisin harvesting systems were utilized in a side-by-side comparison with the traditional method of raisin harvesting. Each system was used to harvest a six-row block in two vineyard locations. Data were collected regarding the procedures, costs of operation, and labor requirements for each system from pre-harvest practices to the boxed, farm-level product.When the actual time and motion data collected from our 1992 research were adjusted to reflect industry average vineyard situations (i.e., yields of 5.6 metric tons/hectare and 402m row lengths), the mechanical harvest systems exhibited significant economic and labor-saving advantages over the traditional hand raisin production system.

Three-Dimensional Imaging Coherent Laser Radar Array

We have constructed a small-scale laboratory demonstration of a laser-diode-based radar array for simultaneous coherent ranging and velocimetry of multiple target points. Signals are produced by an array of laser/detector packages in a self-detection geometry with common imaging optics for both the source and backscattered light. The radar has been used with a microcomputer to find the orientation and rotation speed of a spinning disk at an arbitrary position in the field of view.

Zeolite heat pump for domestic heating

Various applications are discussed for the civil use of a device based on the adsorption/desorption of water vapour in a zeolite. Experimental work carried out with a testing system is described. Technical and economical development of such a system depends mainly on the solution of heat- and mass-transfer problems. To assess these problems, a special heat exchanger was designed and tested in a small-scale demonstration unit. We also describe the design procedure for a prototype heat exchanger and provide a description of a shell and finned-tube heat exchanger located in a zeolite bed. Details of plant assembly and experimental results are included.