The purpose of this study was to evaluate the suitability of using an existing 25-ft radius centrifuge as a dynamic flight simulator for “full mission” F/A-18 strike fighter mission training with respect to the representativeness of pilot-perceived motion and acceleration cues.The methodology employed in this study consisted of analyzing F/A-18 mission tasks, collecting pilot opinion surveys of important sensory cues needed in simulator training, and conducting an analysis of human pilot perceptual problems caused by centrifuge motion constraints.This study identified a number of issues indicating that a centrifuge-based flight simulator shows limited potential for use in “full mission” F/A-18 training scenarios. Specifically, there is a fundamental mismatch between the 6 degree-of-freedom mission-representative acceleration environment experienced in the aircraft and the 3 degree-of-freedom acceleration environment the centrifuge is able to provide. The centrifuge is not optimized for the typical acceleration environment experienced during F/A-18 missions and has significant limitations in “near one g” and “near zero g” flight conditions. Additionally, the centrifuge causes a variety of undesired, unrealistic, and debilitating vestibular artifacts that are not consistent with what a pilot experiences in the aircraft when performing the same mission task, degrading the effectiveness of training.Despite its limited suitability as a “full mission” F/A-18 simulator, the centrifuge is an essential physiological training device, shows good potential as a part-task trainer for departure/spin training, and should continue to play a role in the F/A-18 training continuum.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes special report study entitled: Circulation analysis. Includes bibliographical references.

The thesis project is aimed to automate ultrasonic Time-of-Flight (ToF) technique for saw log classification using signal processing. The ToF technique works in such a way that ultrasonic tone-burst pulses are sent into a saw log, and then the ToF that the pulses take for the propagation is measured and used to calculate the sound speed and further, the Modulus of Elasticity (MoE). Based on the MoE, the quality of the logs is predicted and presorted before sawing. Development of matched filters is the central task for automating the ToF technique.  The whole project was carried out in two different parts: 1) Fundamentals and MATLAB implementation, and 2) Real-time implementation based on digital signal processor.     In the first part, fundamentals on the ToF technique and matched filters have been studied, and then MATLAB simulations of matched filters for automating the technique have been made. After this, test measurements have been conducted. The test results are shown to be consistent with the simulation: matched filtering works well for automating the ToF technique. In the second part of the report, an embedded algorithm has been developed and implemented on a Digital Signal Processor. The algorithm is the first step in the automation of measurements. Eventually, two test measurements have been performed with the DSP. The results were obtained using both oscilloscope to visualize and MATLAB to plot the obtained debug log, and they have shown that the algorithm works, and can automatically measure the ToF, which is in turn used to calculate the sound speed and MoE. The further work on the project that needs to be done, is to applying the developed system to the real situations in sawmills, and improving it according to their requirements.

The success of the most competitive companies throughout the world, including higher education institutions, lies in their highly skilled employees on which these institutions spend millions to retain. Literature reveals the cost of losing best employees to be enormous – beyond monetary quantification. Also worth noting is that the loss of one competent employee to a competitor institution strengthens the competitor’s advantage. This case study analysed human resources turnover data, and interviewed academic managers and employees in order to examine the possible employee retention factors for a higher education institution in South Africa. The findings reveal different institutional interests between institutional managers and employees. The former are concerned more about profits, business sustenance and justification for spending, while the latter are driven by introverted interests such as development, monetary rewards and personal fulfilment.

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