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- Title
- The Impact of Automation Reliability and Fatigue on Reliance.
- Creator
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Wohleber, Ryan, Matthews, Gerald, Reinerman, Lauren, Szalma, James, Funke, Gregory, Jentsch, Florian, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The objective of this research is to inform th(&)#172;(&)#172;e design of dynamic interfaces to optimize unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operator reliance on automation. A broad goal of the U.S. military is to improve the ratio of UAV operators to UAVs controlled. Accomplishing this goal requires the use of automation; however, the benefits of automation are jeopardized without appropriate operator reliance. To improve reliance on automation, this effort sought to accomplish several objectives...
Show moreThe objective of this research is to inform th(&)#172;(&)#172;e design of dynamic interfaces to optimize unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operator reliance on automation. A broad goal of the U.S. military is to improve the ratio of UAV operators to UAVs controlled. Accomplishing this goal requires the use of automation; however, the benefits of automation are jeopardized without appropriate operator reliance. To improve reliance on automation, this effort sought to accomplish several objectives organized into phases. The first phase aimed to validate metrics that could be used to gauge operator fatigue online, to understand how the reliability of automated systems influences subjective and objective responses, and to understand how the impact of automation reliability changes with different levels of fatigue. To that end, this study employed a multiple UAV simulation containing several tasks. Findings for a challenging Image Analysis task indicated a decrease in accuracy and reliance with time. Both accuracy and reliance were lower with an unreliable automated decision making aid (60% reliability) than with a reliable automated decision making aid (86.7% reliability). Further, a significant interaction indicated that reliance diminished more quickly when the automated aid was less reliable. Concerning the identification of possible eye tracking measures for fatigue, metrics for percentage of eye closure (PERCLOS), blinks, fixations, and dwell time registered changes with time on task. Fixation metrics registered reliability differences. The second phase sought to use outcomes from the first phase to build two algorithms, based on eye tracking, to drive continuous diagnostic monitoring, one simple and another complex. These algorithms were intended to diagnose the passive fatigue state of UAV operators and used subjective task engagement as the dependent variable. The simple algorithm used PERCLOS and total dwell time within the automated tasking area. The complex algorithm added percent of cognitive fixations and frequency of express fixations. The complex algorithm successfully predicted task engagement, primarily on the strength of percentage of cognitive fixations and express fixation frequency metrics.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFE0006548, ucf:51323
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006548
- Title
- Comparing Types of Adaptive Automation within a Multi-Tasking Environment.
- Creator
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Taylor, Grant, Szalma, James, Hancock, Peter, Mouloua, Mustapha, Reinerman, Lauren, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Throughout the many years of research examining the various effects of automation on operator performance, stress, workload, etc., the focus has traditionally been on the level of automation, and the invocation methods used to alter it. The goal of the current study is to instead examine the utilization of various types of automation with the goal of better meeting the operator's cognitive needs, thus improving their performance, workload, and stress. The task, control of a simulated unmanned...
Show moreThroughout the many years of research examining the various effects of automation on operator performance, stress, workload, etc., the focus has traditionally been on the level of automation, and the invocation methods used to alter it. The goal of the current study is to instead examine the utilization of various types of automation with the goal of better meeting the operator's cognitive needs, thus improving their performance, workload, and stress. The task, control of a simulated unmanned robotic system, is designed to specifically stress the operator's visual perception capabilities to a greater degree. Two types of automation are implemented to support the operator's performance of the task: an auditory beep aid intended to support visual perception resources, and a driving aid automating control of the vehicle's navigation, offloading physical action execution resources. Therefore, a comparison can be made between types of automation intended to specifically support the mental dimension that is under the greatest demand (the auditory beep) against those that do not (the driving automation). An additional evaluation is made to determine the benefit of adaptively adjusting the level of each type of automation based on the current level of task demand, as well as the influence of individual differences in personality.Results indicate that the use of the auditory beep aid does improve performance, but also increases Temporal Demand and Effort. Use of driving automation appears to disengage the operator from the task, eliciting a vigilance response. Adaptively altering the level of automation to meet task demands has a mixed effect on performance and workload (reducing both) when the auditory beep automation is used. However, adaptive driving automation is clearly detrimental, causing an increase in workload while decreasing performance. Higher levels of Neuroticism are related to poorer threat detection performance, but personality differences show no indication of moderating the effects of either of the experimental manipulations. The results of this study show that the type of automation implemented within an environment has a considerable impact on the operator, in terms of performance as well as cognitive/emotional state.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004340, ucf:49414
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004340
- Title
- DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF WIRELES SENSOR NETWORKS FOR PARKING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.
- Creator
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Kora, Sudhir, Phillips, Ronald, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The technology of wirelessly networked micro sensors promises to revolutionize the way we interact with the physical environment. A new approach to solve parking-related issues of vehicles in parking lots using wireless sensor networks is presented. This approach enables the implementation of the Parking Management System (PMS®) in public parking lots found in Airports, Commercial Buildings, Universities, etc. The design architecture of the sensor nodes is discussed here. An overall view...
Show moreThe technology of wirelessly networked micro sensors promises to revolutionize the way we interact with the physical environment. A new approach to solve parking-related issues of vehicles in parking lots using wireless sensor networks is presented. This approach enables the implementation of the Parking Management System (PMS®) in public parking lots found in Airports, Commercial Buildings, Universities, etc. The design architecture of the sensor nodes is discussed here. An overall view of the sensor network, which covers the whole of the parking lot, is also summarized. Detailed description of the software architecture that supports the hardware is provided. A sample experiment for detecting the movement of vehicles by placing the sensor nodes allowing vehicles to pass over it is performed. The readings are sent to a local database server, which gives an indication of the actual number of vehicles parked in the building at any time. This application-oriented project also identifies important areas of further work in power management, communication, collaborative signal processing and parking management.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- Identifier
- CFE0000669, ucf:46522
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000669
- Title
- AN INVESTIGATION INTO PROVIDING FEEDBACK TO USERS OF DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR FAULT MANAGEMENT.
- Creator
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Pharmer, James, Bowers, Clint, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Research in several domains has shown that the implementation of computerized decision support aids is often associated with issues of human-automation interaction, which can have disastrous consequences. One often-cited reason for these issues is the poor quality of the feedback that is provided to the operators through these tools. The objective of the proposed investigation is to examine how providing feedback through a decision support tool affects operator knowledge and performance in...
Show moreResearch in several domains has shown that the implementation of computerized decision support aids is often associated with issues of human-automation interaction, which can have disastrous consequences. One often-cited reason for these issues is the poor quality of the feedback that is provided to the operators through these tools. The objective of the proposed investigation is to examine how providing feedback through a decision support tool affects operator knowledge and performance in the context of a fault management task for naval gunfire support. A one-way between-groups comparison was made to investigate differences between providing decision support feedback (logic trace, mission impact, both, no feedback) in a fault management task. Logic trace feedback was posited to provide users with a representation of the logic that the decision support tool used in reaching a conclusion about the best course of action to perform and is posited to support better diagnostic performance. Mission impact feedback was posited to provide the operator with a description of the potential effects that a taking a course of action will have on the pre-planned mission and is expected to support better prognoses of the outcome of a particular fault. Finally, providing both feedback types was posited to support better compensatory actions for fault situations. Results indicated that decision support feedback has potential improve diagnosis and decrease errors of commission in these tasks.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- CFE0000234, ucf:46249
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000234
- Title
- MODERATORS OF TRUST AND RELIANCE ACROSS MULTIPLE DECISION AIDS.
- Creator
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Ross, Jennifer, Szalma, James, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The present work examines whether user's trust of and reliance on automation, were affected by the manipulations of user's perception of the responding agent. These manipulations included agent reliability, agent type, and failure salience. Previous work has shown that automation is not uniformly beneficial; problems can occur because operators fail to rely upon automation appropriately, by either misuse (overreliance) or disuse (underreliance). This is because operators often face...
Show moreThe present work examines whether user's trust of and reliance on automation, were affected by the manipulations of user's perception of the responding agent. These manipulations included agent reliability, agent type, and failure salience. Previous work has shown that automation is not uniformly beneficial; problems can occur because operators fail to rely upon automation appropriately, by either misuse (overreliance) or disuse (underreliance). This is because operators often face difficulties in understanding how to combine their judgment with that of an automated aid. This difficulty is especially prevalent in complex tasks in which users rely heavily on automation to reduce their workload and improve task performance. However, when users rely on automation heavily they often fail to monitor the system effectively (i.e., they lose situation awareness a form of misuse). However, if an operator realizes a system is imperfect and fails, they may subsequently lose trust in the system leading to underreliance. In the present studies, it was hypothesized that in a dual-aid environment poor reliability in one aid would impact trust and reliance levels in a companion better aid, but that this relationship is dependent upon the perceived aid type and the noticeability of the errors made. Simulations of a computer-based search-and-rescue scenario, employing uninhabited/unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) searching a commercial office building for critical signals, were used to investigate these hypotheses. Results demonstrated that participants were able to adjust their reliance and trust on automated teammates depending on the teammate's actual reliability levels. However, as hypothesized there was a biasing effect among mixed-reliability aids for trust and reliance. That is, when operators worked with two agents of mixed-reliability, their perception of how reliable and to what degree they relied on the aid was effected by the reliability of a current aid. Additionally, the magnitude and direction of how trust and reliance were biased was contingent upon agent type (i.e., 'what' the agents were: two humans, two similar robotic agents, or two dissimilar robot agents). Finally, the type of agent an operator believed they were operating with significantly impacted their temporal reliance (i.e., reliance following an automation failure). Such that, operators were less likely to agree with a recommendation from a human teammate, after that teammate had made an obvious error, than with a robotic agent that had made the same obvious error. These results demonstrate that people are able to distinguish when an agent is performing well but that there are genuine differences in how operators respond to agents of mixed or same abilities and to errors by fellow human observers or robotic teammates. The overall goal of this research was to develop a better understanding how the aforementioned factors affect users' trust in automation so that system interfaces can be designed to facilitate users' calibration of their trust in automated aids, thus leading to improved coordination of human-automation performance. These findings have significant implications to many real-world systems in which human operators monitor the recommendations of multiple other human and/or machine systems.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- Identifier
- CFE0002077, ucf:47579
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002077
- Title
- THE EFFECTS OF AN INCREASING FEDERAL MINIMUM WAGE ON FEDERAL UNEMPLOYMENT AND JOB AUTOMATION LEVELS.
- Creator
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Krayeski, Kiana, Hofler, Richard, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The industrial revolution was the start of increasing technological advancements that are continuing to grow today. Technology improves accuracy, efficiency and is more productive in comparison to human labor as it does not require breaks and cannot violate any labor laws. With many innovations available today, firms have more options to choose from and can select the relatively cheaper solution. The push for a fifteen-dollar minimum wage affects the firm's options, and the use of technology...
Show moreThe industrial revolution was the start of increasing technological advancements that are continuing to grow today. Technology improves accuracy, efficiency and is more productive in comparison to human labor as it does not require breaks and cannot violate any labor laws. With many innovations available today, firms have more options to choose from and can select the relatively cheaper solution. The push for a fifteen-dollar minimum wage affects the firm's options, and the use of technology might increasingly become the more viable choice. This study took data from the years 1993 to 2016 and created two regressions using the unemployment rate and job automation rate as the dependent variables. The independent variables looked at were the year, the population growth rate, the minimum wage, inflation, the gross domestic product growth rate, and the consumer price index. After normality checks and transformations were done two regressions were run, and the models were studied to determine the effects. Both regressions were found to be valid with f-statistics lower than one percent. All the statistically significant variables were retained in the model, and the insignificant variables were omitted to reproduce the regression and check for accuracy. The models with the lower Akaike's information criterion and Bayesian information criterion values were kept and used as the final models. Overall the regressions found that the year and consumer price index had the most substantial effects on the unemployment rate, and the consumer price index had the strongest effect on the automation rate. Limitations on the study include the data available, a possible lag in the effect of the minimum wage, and the possible inaccuracy in using industrial robot installation as a measure for job automation.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFH2000424, ucf:45778
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000424
- Title
- Machine Learning Methods for Multiparameter Flow Cytometry Analysis and Visualization.
- Creator
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Sassano, Emily, Jha, Sumit Kumar, Pattanaik, Sumanta, Hughes, Charles, Moore, Sean, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Flow cytometry is a popular analytical cell-biology instrument that uses specific wavelengths of light to profile heterogeneous populations of cells at the individual level. Current cytometers have the capability of analyzing up to 20 parameters on over a million cells, but despite the complexity of these datasets, a typical workflow relies on subjective labor-intensive manual sequential analysis. The research presented in this dissertation provides two machine learning methods to increase...
Show moreFlow cytometry is a popular analytical cell-biology instrument that uses specific wavelengths of light to profile heterogeneous populations of cells at the individual level. Current cytometers have the capability of analyzing up to 20 parameters on over a million cells, but despite the complexity of these datasets, a typical workflow relies on subjective labor-intensive manual sequential analysis. The research presented in this dissertation provides two machine learning methods to increase the objectivity, efficiency, and discovery in flow cytometry data analysis. The first, a supervised learning method, utilizes previously analyzed data to evaluate new flow cytometry files containing similar parameters. The probability distribution of each dimension in a file is matched to each related dimension of a reference file through color indexing and histogram intersection methods. Once a similar reference file is selected the cell populations previously classified are used to create a tailored support vector machine capable of classifying cell populations as an expert would. This method has produced results highly correlated with manual sequential analysis, providing an efficient alternative for analyzing a large number of samples. The second, a novel unsupervised method, is used to explore and visualize single-cell data in an objective manner. To accomplish this, a hypergraph sampling method was created to preserve rare events within the flow data before divisively clustering the sampled data using singular value decomposition. The unsampled data is added to the discovered set of clusters using a support vector machine classifier, and the final analysis is displayed as a minimum spanning tree. This tree is capable of distinguishing rare subsets of cells comprising of less than 1% of the original data.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007243, ucf:52241
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007243
- Title
- EFFECT OF REPEATED FUNCTION ALLOCATION AND RELIABILITY ON AUTOMATION INDUCED MONITORING INEFFICIENCY.
- Creator
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Jones, Lauriann, Mouloua, Mustapha, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The purpose of this study is to extend previous findings of Mouloua, Parasuraman, and Molloy (1993), Parasuraman, Mouloua, and Molloy (1996), Hilburn, Parasuraman, and Mouloua (1996), and Oakley, Mouloua, and Hancock (2003) by: 1) examining the effect of repeated adaptive function allocation to manual control of minimal length (5 minutes) to reduce of human error and minimize workload; 2) explore the placement or timing of adaptive function allocation intervals (approximately 20 minutes of...
Show moreThe purpose of this study is to extend previous findings of Mouloua, Parasuraman, and Molloy (1993), Parasuraman, Mouloua, and Molloy (1996), Hilburn, Parasuraman, and Mouloua (1996), and Oakley, Mouloua, and Hancock (2003) by: 1) examining the effect of repeated adaptive function allocation to manual control of minimal length (5 minutes) to reduce of human error and minimize workload; 2) explore the placement or timing of adaptive function allocation intervals (approximately 20 minutes of automation control to reduce the human operators' monitoring decrement between intervals, maintain adaptive recovery performance levels, and improve response times); 3) examine different levels of automation reliability (30%, 60%, and 90% reliable); 4) explore factors that may be manipulated to reduce automation-induced monitoring inefficiency, increase detection of automation malfunctions, improve situation awareness, reduce response/reaction times, and reduce workload in a simulated complex aviation system. The study was a 2 (non-adaptive control vs. adaptive group) x 3 (30%, 60%, and 90% automation reliability condition) x 4 (repeated 25 minute session) mixed factorial design. Fifty-four undergraduate participants' (i.e., 27 participants per group; 9 participants per condition; at least 18 yrs. of age) percentage of detected malfunctions, response times, and subjective workload were gathered from the Multi-Attribute Task Battery and the NASA TLX. Results indicated a significant improvement in detection of malfunctions and response times during adaptive-function allocation to manual control but without adaptive recovery. There was a significant effect for workload found between baseline measures and experimental sessions by group in the first session but not across experimental sessions. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations and future research are discussed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- Identifier
- CFE0001874, ucf:47387
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001874
- Title
- AUTONOMOUS ROBOTIC AUTOMATION SYSTEMWITH VISION FEEDBACK.
- Creator
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Rosino, Jeffery, Qu, Zhihua, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
In this thesis, a full design, development and application of an autonomous robotic automation system using vision feedback is performed. To realize this system, a cylindrical manipulator configuration is implemented, using a personal computer (PC) based PID controller from National Instruments. Full autonomous control will be achieved via a programmable human machine interface (HMI) developed on a PC using Borland C++ Builder. The vision feedback position control is accomplished using an...
Show moreIn this thesis, a full design, development and application of an autonomous robotic automation system using vision feedback is performed. To realize this system, a cylindrical manipulator configuration is implemented, using a personal computer (PC) based PID controller from National Instruments. Full autonomous control will be achieved via a programmable human machine interface (HMI) developed on a PC using Borland C++ Builder. The vision feedback position control is accomplished using an ordinary "off-the-shelf" web camera. The manuscript is organized as follows; After Chapter 1, an introduction to automation history and its role in the manufacturing industry, Chapter 2 discusses and outlines the development of the robotic kinematics and dynamics of the system. A control strategy is also developed and simulated in this chapter. Chapter 3 discusses color image processing and shows the development of the algorithm used for the vision feedback position control. Chapter 4 outlines the system development, which includes the hardware and software. Chapter 5 concludes with a summary, and improvement section. The process used as a basis for the design and development of this thesis of this thesis topic was constructed from a manual capacitor orientation check test station. A more detailed definition and objective is presented in the introduction.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- CFE0000277, ucf:46220
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000277
- Title
- TECHNIQUES FOR ASSESSING AND IMPROVING PERFORMANCE IN NAVIGATION AND WAYFINDING USING MOBILE AUGMENTED REALITY.
- Creator
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Goldiez, Brian, Hancock, Peter, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Augmented reality is a field of technology in which the real world is overlaid with additional information from a computer generated display. Enhancements to augmented reality technology presently support limited mobility which is expected to increase in the future to provide much greater real world functionality. This work reports on a set of experiments that investigate performance in search and rescue navigating tasks using augmented reality. Augmentation consisted of a spatially and...
Show moreAugmented reality is a field of technology in which the real world is overlaid with additional information from a computer generated display. Enhancements to augmented reality technology presently support limited mobility which is expected to increase in the future to provide much greater real world functionality. This work reports on a set of experiments that investigate performance in search and rescue navigating tasks using augmented reality. Augmentation consisted of a spatially and temporally registered map of a maze that was overlaid onto a real world maze. Participants were required to traverse the maze, answer spatially oriented questions in the maze, acquire a target object, and exit. Pre and post hoc questionnaires were administered. Time and accuracy data from one hundred twenty participants were collected across six treatments. The between subject treatments, which had an equal number of male and female participants, were a control condition with only a compass, a control condition with a paper map available prior to maze traversal and four experimental conditions consisting of combinations of egocentric and exocentric maps, and a continuously on and on demand map display. Data collected from each participant consisted of time to traverse the maze, percent of the maze covered, estimations of euclidian distance and direction, estimations of cardinal direction, and spatial recall. Data was also collected via pre and post hoc questionnaires. Results indicate that best performance with respect to time was in the control condition with a map. The small size of the maze could have facilitated this result through route memorization. Augmented reality can offer enhancement to performance as navigational tasks become more complex and saturate working memory. Augmented reality showed best performance in accuracy by facilitating participants' coverage of the maze. Exocentric maps generally exhibited better performance than egocentric maps. On demand displays also generally resulted in better performance than continuously on displays. Gender differences also were evident with males exhibiting better performance than females. Participants reporting an initial tendency to not rotate maps exhibited better performance than those reporting a tendency to rotate maps. Enhancements being made to augmented reality and related technologies will result in more features, improved form factor for users, and improved performance in the future. Guidelines provided in this work seek to ensure augmented reality systems continue to progress in enhancing performance
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- CFE0000177, ucf:46157
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000177
- Title
- WIKIPDF - A TOOL TO HELP SCIENTISTS UNDERSTAND THE LITERATURE OF THE BIOLOGICAL, HEALTH, AND LIFE SCIENCES.
- Creator
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Calloway, David, Parkinson, Christopher, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Biological sciences literature can be extraordinarily difficult to understand. Papers are commonly filled with terminology unique to a particular sub-discipline. Readers with expertise outside that sub-discipline often have difficulty understanding information the author is trying to convey. The WikiPDF project that is the subject of this thesis helps readers understand the biological sciences literature by automatically generating a customized glossary for each page of any technical paper...
Show moreBiological sciences literature can be extraordinarily difficult to understand. Papers are commonly filled with terminology unique to a particular sub-discipline. Readers with expertise outside that sub-discipline often have difficulty understanding information the author is trying to convey. The WikiPDF project that is the subject of this thesis helps readers understand the biological sciences literature by automatically generating a customized glossary for each page of any technical paper available in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) format. WikiPDF relies on the Wikipedia®, an on-line encyclopedia created and supported by a host of volunteers, as a source of definitions used in its glossaries. WikiPDF uses the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Medline/PubMed database of journal papers to organize, index, and locate WikiPDF glossaries. Design and implementation of this project relied exclusively on open-source software, including the Linux operating system, the Apache Tomcat web server, and the MySQL relational database system.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0001084, ucf:46782
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001084
- Title
- INDIVIDUAL PREFERENCES IN THE USE OF AUTOMATION.
- Creator
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Thropp, Jennifer, Hancock, Peter, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
As system automation increases and evolves, the intervention of the supervising operator becomes ever less frequent but ever more crucial. The adaptive automation approach is one in which control of tasks dynamically shifts between humans and machines, being an alternative to traditional static allocation in which task control is assigned during system design and subsequently remains unchanged during operations. It is proposed that adaptive allocation should adjust to the individual operators...
Show moreAs system automation increases and evolves, the intervention of the supervising operator becomes ever less frequent but ever more crucial. The adaptive automation approach is one in which control of tasks dynamically shifts between humans and machines, being an alternative to traditional static allocation in which task control is assigned during system design and subsequently remains unchanged during operations. It is proposed that adaptive allocation should adjust to the individual operators' characteristics in order to improve performance, avoid errors, and enhance safety. The roles of three individual difference variables relevant to adaptive automation are described: attentional control, desirability of control, and trait anxiety. It was hypothesized that these traits contribute to the level of performance for target detection tasks for different levels of difficulty as well as preferences for different levels of automation. The operators' level of attentional control was inversely proportional to automation level preferences, although few objective performance changes were observed. The effects of sensory modality were also assessed, and auditory signal detection was superior to visual signal detection. As a result, the following implications have been proposed: operators generally preferred either low or high automation while neglecting the intermediary level; preferences and needs for automation may not be congruent; and there may be a conservative response bias associated with high attentional control, notably in the auditory modality.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0001096, ucf:46771
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001096
- Title
- Verification and Automated Synthesis of Memristor Crossbars.
- Creator
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Pourtabatabaie, Arya, Jha, Sumit Kumar, Chatterjee, Mainak, Pattanaik, Sumanta, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The Memristor is a newly synthesized circuit element correlating differences in electrical charge and magnetic flux, which effectively acts as a nonlinear resistor with memory. The small size of this element and its potential for passive state preservation has opened great opportunities for data-level parallel computation, since the functions of memory and processing can be realized on the same physical device.In this research we present an in-depth study of memristor crossbars for...
Show moreThe Memristor is a newly synthesized circuit element correlating differences in electrical charge and magnetic flux, which effectively acts as a nonlinear resistor with memory. The small size of this element and its potential for passive state preservation has opened great opportunities for data-level parallel computation, since the functions of memory and processing can be realized on the same physical device.In this research we present an in-depth study of memristor crossbars for combinational and sequential logic. We outline the structure of formulas which they are able to produce and henceforth the inherent powers and limitations of Memristive Crossbar Computing.As an improvement on previous methods of automated crossbar synthesis, a method for symbolically verifying crossbars is proposed, proven and analysed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFE0006840, ucf:51765
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006840
- Title
- The Impact of Automation and Stress on Human Performance in UAV Operation.
- Creator
-
Lin, Jinchao, Matthews, Gerald, Reinerman, Lauren, Szalma, James, Funke, Gregory, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The United States Air Force (USAF) has increasing needs for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operators. Automation may enable a single operator to manage multiple UAVs at the same time. Multi-UAV operation may require a unique set of skills and the need for new operators calls for targeting new populations for recruitment. The objective of this research is to develop a simulation environment for studying the role of individual differences in UAV operation under different task configurations and...
Show moreThe United States Air Force (USAF) has increasing needs for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operators. Automation may enable a single operator to manage multiple UAVs at the same time. Multi-UAV operation may require a unique set of skills and the need for new operators calls for targeting new populations for recruitment. The objective of this research is to develop a simulation environment for studying the role of individual differences in UAV operation under different task configurations and investigate predictors of performance and stress. Primarily, the study examined the impact of levels of automation (LOAs), as well as task demands, on task performance, stress and operator reliance on automation. Two intermediate LOAs were employed for two surveillance tasks included in the simulation of UAV operation. Task demand was manipulated via the high and low frequency of events associated with additional tasks included in the simulation. The task demand and LOA manipulations influenced task performance generally as expected. The task demand manipulations elicited higher subjective distress and workload. LOAs did not affect operator workload but affected reliance behavior. Also, this study examined the role of individual differences in simulated UAV operation. A variety of individual difference factors were associated with task performance and with subjective stress response. Video gaming experience was linked to lower distress and better performance, suggesting possible transfer of skills. Some gender differences were revealed in stress response, task performance, but all the gender effects became insignificant with gaming experience controlled. Generally, the effects of personality were consistent with previous studies, except some novel findings with the performance metrics. Additionally, task demand was found to moderate the influence of personality factors on stress response and performance metrics. Specifically, conscientiousness was associated with higher subjective engagement and performance when demands were higher. This study supports future research which aims to improve the dynamic interfaces in UAV operation, optimize operator reliance on automation, and identify individuals with the highest aptitude for multi-UAV control.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006951, ucf:51630
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006951
- Title
- Objectively Defining Scenario Complexity: Towards Automated, Adaptive Scenario-Based Training.
- Creator
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Dunn, Robert, Sivo, Stephen, Hoffman, Bobby, Hartshorne, Richard, Bowers, Clint, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Effective Scenario-Based Training (SBT) is sequenced in an efficient trajectory from novice to mastery and is well-grounded in pedagogically sound instructional strategies and learning theory. Adaptive, automated SBT attempts to sequence scenarios according to the performance of the student and implement the sequence without human agency. The source of these scenarios may take the form of a matrix constructed by Instructional Systems Designers (ISD), software engineers or trainers. The domain...
Show moreEffective Scenario-Based Training (SBT) is sequenced in an efficient trajectory from novice to mastery and is well-grounded in pedagogically sound instructional strategies and learning theory. Adaptive, automated SBT attempts to sequence scenarios according to the performance of the student and implement the sequence without human agency. The source of these scenarios may take the form of a matrix constructed by Instructional Systems Designers (ISD), software engineers or trainers. The domain being instructed may contain procedures or concepts that are easily differentiated thus allowing quick and accurate determination of difficulty. In this instance, the sequencing of the SBT is relatively simple. However, in complex, domain-integrated instructional environments accurate and efficient sequencing may be extremely difficult as ISD, software engineers and trainers, without an objective means to calculate a scenario's complexity must rely on subjectivity. In the Military, where time, fiscal and manpower constraints may lead to ineffective, inefficient and, perhaps, negative training SBT is a growing alternative to live training due to the significant cost avoidance demonstrated by such systems as the United States Marine Corps' (USMC) Abrams Main Battle Tank (M1A1) Advanced Gunnery Training System (AGTS). Even as the practice of simulation training grows, leadership such as the Government Accountability Office asserts that little has been done to demonstrate simulator impact on trainee proficiency. The M1A1 AGTS instructional sub system, the Improved Crew Training Program (ICTP), employs an automated matrix intended to increase Tank Commander (TC) and Gunner (GNR) team proficiency. This matrix is intended to guide the team along a trajectory of ever-increasing scenario difficulty. However, as designed, the sequencing of the matrix is based on subjective evaluation of difficulty, not on empirical or objective calculations of complexity. Without effective, automated SBT that adapts to the performance of the trainee, gaps in combat readiness and fiscal responsibility could grow large.In 2010, the author developed an algorithm intended to computationally define scenario complexity (Dunne, Schatz, Fiore, Martin (&) Nicholson, 2010) and conducted a proof of concept study to determine the algorithm's effectiveness (Dunne, Schatz, Fiore, Nicholson (&) Fowlkes, 2010). Based on results of that study, and follow-on analysis, revisions were made to that Scenario Complexity (SC) algorithm. The purpose of this research was to examine the efficacy of the revised SC algorithm to enable Educators and Trainers, ISDs, and software engineers to objectively and computationally define SC. The research process included a period of instruction for Subject Matter Experts (SME) to receive instruction on how to identify the base variables that comprise SC. Using this knowledge SMEs then determined the values of the scenarios base variables. Once calculated, these values were ranked and compared to the ICTP matrix sequence.Results indicate that the SMEs were very consistent in their ratings of the items across scenario base variables. Due to the highly proceduralized process underlying advanced gunnery skills, this high degree of agreement was expected. However, the significant lack of correlation to the matrix sequencing is alarming and while a recent study has shown the AGTS to increase TC and GNR team proficiency (PM TRASYS, 2014a), this research's findings suggests that redesign of the ICTP matrix is in order.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005789, ucf:50062
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005789
- Title
- AN APPROACH TO AUTOMATING DATA COLLECTION FOR SIMULATION.
- Creator
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Portnaya, Irin, Mollaghasemi, Mansooreh, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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In past years many industries have utilized simulation as a means for decision making. That wave has introduced simulation as a powerful optimization and development tool in the manufacturing industry. Input data collection is a significant and complex event in the process of simulation. The simulation professionals have grown to accept it is as a strenuous but necessary task. Due to the nature of this task, data collection problems are numerous and vary depending on the situation. These...
Show moreIn past years many industries have utilized simulation as a means for decision making. That wave has introduced simulation as a powerful optimization and development tool in the manufacturing industry. Input data collection is a significant and complex event in the process of simulation. The simulation professionals have grown to accept it is as a strenuous but necessary task. Due to the nature of this task, data collection problems are numerous and vary depending on the situation. These problems may involve time consumption, lack of data, lack of structure, etc. This study concentrates on the challenges of input data collection for Discrete Event Simulation in the manufacturing industry and focuses particularly on speed, efficiency, data completeness and data accuracy. It has been observed that many companies have recently utilized commercial databases to store production data. This study proposes that the key to faster and more efficient input data collection is to extract data directly from these sources in a flexible and efficient way. An approach is introduced here to creating a custom software tool for a manufacturing setting that allows input data to be collected and formatted quickly and accurately.The methodology for the development of such a custom tool and its implementation, Part Data Collection, are laid out in this research. The Part Data Collection application was developed to assist in the simulation endeavors of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Orlando, Florida. It was implemented and tested as an aid in a large simulation project, which included modeling a new factory. This implementation resulted in 93% reduction in labor time associated with data collection and significantly improved data accuracy.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- CFE0000025, ucf:46096
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000025
- Title
- Assessing the Safety and Operational Benefits of Connected and Automated Vehicles: Application on Different Roadways, Weather, and Traffic Conditions.
- Creator
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Rahman, Md Sharikur, Abdel-Aty, Mohamed, Eluru, Naveen, Hasan, Samiul, Yan, Xin, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technologies have recently drawn an increasing attention from governments, vehicle manufacturers, and researchers. Connected vehicle (CV) technologies provide real-time information about the surrounding traffic condition (i.e., position, speed, acceleration) and the traffic management center's decisions. The CV technologies improve the safety by increasing driver situational awareness and reducing crashes through vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to...
Show moreConnected and automated vehicle (CAV) technologies have recently drawn an increasing attention from governments, vehicle manufacturers, and researchers. Connected vehicle (CV) technologies provide real-time information about the surrounding traffic condition (i.e., position, speed, acceleration) and the traffic management center's decisions. The CV technologies improve the safety by increasing driver situational awareness and reducing crashes through vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I). Vehicle platooning with CV technologies is another key element of the future transportation systems which helps to simultaneously enhance traffic operations and safety. CV technologies can also further increase the efficiency and reliability of automated vehicles (AV) by collecting real-time traffic information through V2V and V2I. However, the market penetration rate (MPR) of CAVs and the higher level of automation might not be fully available in the foreseeable future. Hence, it is worthwhile to study the safety benefits of CAV technologies under different MPRs and lower level of automation. None of the studies focused on both traffic safety and operational benefits for these technologies including different roadway, traffic, and weather conditions. In this study, the effectiveness of CAV technologies (i.e., CV /AV/CAV/CV platooning) were evaluated in different roadway, traffic, and weather conditions. To be more specific, the impact of CVs in reduced visibility condition, longitudinal safety evaluation of CV platooning in the managed lane, lower level of AVs in arterial roadway, and the optimal MPRs of CAVs for both peak and off-peak period are analyzed using simulation techniques. Currently, CAV fleet data are not easily obtainable which is one of the primary reasons to deploy the simulation techniques in this study to evaluate the impacts of CAVs in the roadway. The car following, lane changing, and the platooning behavior of the CAV technologies were modeled in the C++ programming language by considering realistic car following and lane changing models in PTV VISSIM. Surrogate safety assessment techniques were considered to evaluate the safety effectiveness of these CAV technologies, while the average travel time, average speed, and average delay were evaluated as traffic operational measures. Several statistical tests (i.e., Two sample t-test, ANOVA) and the modelling techniques (Tobit, Negative binomial, and Logistic regression) were conducted to evaluate the CAV effectiveness with different MPRs over the baseline scenario. The statistical tests and modeling results suggested that the higher the MPR of CAVs implemented, the higher were the safety and mobility benefits achieved for different roadways (i.e., freeway, expressway, arterials, managed lane), weather (i.e., clear, foggy), and traffic conditions (i.e., peak and off-peak period). Interestingly, from the safety and operation perspective, at least 30% and 20% MPR were needed to achieve both the safety and operational benefits of peak and off-peak period, respectively. This dissertation has major implications for improving transportation infrastructure by recommending optimal MPR of CAVs to achieve balanced mobility and safety benefits considering varying roadway, traffic, and weather condition.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFE0007709, ucf:52442
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007709
- Title
- Automated Synthesis of Memristor Crossbar Networks.
- Creator
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Chakraborty, Dwaipayan, Jha, Sumit Kumar, Leavens, Gary, Ewetz, Rickard, Valliyil Thankachan, Sharma, Xu, Mengyu, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The advancement of semiconductor device technology over the past decades has enabled the design of increasingly complex electrical and computational machines. Electronic design automation (EDA) has played a significant role in the design and implementation of transistor-based machines. However, as transistors move closer toward their physical limits, the speed-up provided by Moore's law will grind to a halt. Once again, we find ourselves on the verge of a paradigm shift in the computational...
Show moreThe advancement of semiconductor device technology over the past decades has enabled the design of increasingly complex electrical and computational machines. Electronic design automation (EDA) has played a significant role in the design and implementation of transistor-based machines. However, as transistors move closer toward their physical limits, the speed-up provided by Moore's law will grind to a halt. Once again, we find ourselves on the verge of a paradigm shift in the computational sciences as newer devices pave the way for novel approaches to computing. One of such devices is the memristor -- a resistor with non-volatile memory.Memristors can be used as junctional switches in crossbar circuits, which comprise of intersecting sets of vertical and horizontal nanowires. The major contribution of this dissertation lies in automating the design of such crossbar circuits -- doing a new kind of EDA for a new kind of computational machinery. In general, this dissertation attempts to answer the following questions:a. How can we synthesize crossbars for computing large Boolean formulas, up to 128-bit?b. How can we synthesize more compact crossbars for small Boolean formulas, up to 8-bit?c. For a given loop-free C program doing integer arithmetic, is it possible to synthesize an equivalent crossbar circuit?We have presented novel solutions to each of the above problems. Our new, proposed solutions resolve a number of significant bottlenecks in existing research, via the usage of innovative logic representation and artificial intelligence techniques. For large Boolean formulas (up to 128-bit), we have utilized Reduced Ordered Binary Decision Diagrams (ROBDDs) to automatically synthesize linearly growing crossbar circuits that compute them. This cutting edge approach towards flow-based computing has yielded state-of-the-art results. It is worth noting that this approach is scalable to n-bit Boolean formulas. We have made significant original contributions by leveraging artificial intelligence for automatic synthesis of compact crossbar circuits. This inventive method has been expanded to encompass crossbar networks with 1D1M (1-diode-1-memristor) switches, as well. The resultant circuits satisfy the tight constraints of the Feynman Grand Prize challenge and are able to perform 8-bit binary addition. A leading edge development for end-to-end computation with flow-based crossbars has been implemented, which involves methodical translation of loop-free C programs into crossbar circuits via automated synthesis. The original contributions described in this dissertation reflect the substantial progress we have made in the area of electronic design automation for synthesis of memristor crossbar networks.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFE0007609, ucf:52528
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007609
- Title
- Simulation-Based Cognitive Workload Modeling and Evaluation of Adaptive Automation Invoking and Revoking Strategies.
- Creator
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Rusnock, Christina, Geiger, Christopher, Karwowski, Waldemar, Xanthopoulos, Petros, Reinerman, Lauren, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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In human-computer systems, such as supervisory control systems, large volumes of incoming and complex information can degrade overall system performance. Strategically integrating automation to offload tasks from the operator has been shown to increase not only human performance but also operator efficiency and safety. However, increased automation allows for increased task complexity, which can lead to high cognitive workload and degradation of situational awareness. Adaptive automation is...
Show moreIn human-computer systems, such as supervisory control systems, large volumes of incoming and complex information can degrade overall system performance. Strategically integrating automation to offload tasks from the operator has been shown to increase not only human performance but also operator efficiency and safety. However, increased automation allows for increased task complexity, which can lead to high cognitive workload and degradation of situational awareness. Adaptive automation is one potential solution to resolve these issues, while maintaining the benefits of traditional automation. Adaptive automation occurs dynamically, with the quantity of automated tasks changing in real-time to meet performance or workload goals. While numerous studies evaluate the relative performance of manual and adaptive systems, little attention has focused on the implications of selecting particular invoking or revoking strategies for adaptive automation. Thus, evaluations of adaptive systems tend to focus on the relative performance among multiple systems rather than the relative performance within a system.This study takes an intra-system approach specifically evaluating the relationship between cognitive workload and situational awareness that occurs when selecting a particular invoking-revoking strategy for an adaptive system. The case scenario is a human supervisory control situation that involves a system operator who receives and interprets intelligence outputs from multiple unmanned assets, and then identifies and reports potential threats and changes in the environment. In order to investigate this relationship between workload and situational awareness, discrete event simulation (DES) is used. DES is a standard technique in the analysis of systems, and the advantage of using DES to explore this relationship is that it can represent a human-computer system as the state of the system evolves over time. Furthermore, and most importantly, a well-designed DES model can represent the human operators, the tasks to be performed, and the cognitive demands placed on the operators. In addition to evaluating the cognitive workload to situational awareness tradeoff, this research demonstrates that DES can quite effectively model and predict human cognitive workload, specifically for system evaluation.This research finds that the predicted workload of the DES models highly correlates with well-established subjective measures and is more predictive of cognitive workload than numerous physiological measures. This research then uses the validated DES models to explore and predict the cognitive workload impacts of adaptive automation through various invoking and revoking strategies. The study provides insights into the workload-situational awareness tradeoffs that occur when selecting particular invoking and revoking strategies. First, in order to establish an appropriate target workload range, it is necessary to account for both performance goals and the portion of the workload-performance curve for the task in question. Second, establishing an invoking threshold may require a tradeoff between workload and situational awareness, which is influenced by the task's location on the workload-situational awareness continuum. Finally, this study finds that revoking strategies differ in their ability to achieve workload and situational awareness goals. For the case scenario examined, revoking strategies based on duration are best suited to improve workload, while revoking strategies based on revoking thresholds are better for maintaining situational awareness.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0004927, ucf:49607
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004927
- Title
- Analysis of Driver Behavior Modeling in Connected Vehicle Safety Systems Through High Fidelity Simulation.
- Creator
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Jamialahmadi, Ahmad, Pourmohammadi Fallah, Yaser, Rahnavard, Nazanin, Chatterjee, Mainak, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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A critical aspect of connected vehicle safety analysis is understanding the impact of human behavior on the overall performance of the safety system. Given the variation in human driving behavior and the expectancy for high levels of performance, it is crucial for these systems to be flexible to various driving characteristics. However, design, testing, and evaluation of these active safety systems remain a challenging task, exacerbated by the lack of behavioral data and practical test...
Show moreA critical aspect of connected vehicle safety analysis is understanding the impact of human behavior on the overall performance of the safety system. Given the variation in human driving behavior and the expectancy for high levels of performance, it is crucial for these systems to be flexible to various driving characteristics. However, design, testing, and evaluation of these active safety systems remain a challenging task, exacerbated by the lack of behavioral data and practical test platforms. Additionally, the need for the operation of these systems in critical and dangerous situations makes the burden of their evaluation very costly and time-consuming. As an alternative option, researchers attempt to use simulation platforms to study and evaluate their algorithms. In this work, we introduce a high fidelity simulation platform, designed for a hybrid transportation system involving both human-driven and automated vehicles. We decompose the human driving task and offer a modular approach in simulating a large-scale traffic scenario, making it feasible for extensive studying of automated and active safety systems. Furthermore, we propose a human-interpretable driver model represented as a closed-loop feedback controller. For this model, we analyze a large driving dataset to extract expressive parameters that would best describe different driving characteristics. Finally, we recreate a similarly dense traffic scenario within our simulator and conduct a thorough analysis of different human-specific and system-specific factors and study their effect on the performance and safety of the traffic network.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007573, ucf:52578
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007573