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At least 901 records · Page 50

The Adaptable and Resilient Safety System: The Human Factor in Future In-Time Aviation Safety Management Systems

In-time integrated safety management will be paramount for safely enabling the envisioned transformations of the future National Airspace System (NAS). The path for realizing the vision includes addressing the increasing need for advanced data analytics and fusion of aviation safety data, managed by human decision-makers. The paper describes safety management systems and its’ challenges, and how the concept of In-time Aviation Safety Management Systems addresses the need to ensure an adaptable and resilient future safety system in the envisioned transformed NAS. Finally, it discusses potential human factors challenges, including new human roles and responsibilities, new information and cognitive requirements, new intelligent technologies that change human-system interaction and coordination, and new design paradigms for human system integration and teaming.

Aviation Safety↗

ATHENA, the Desktop Human "Body"

Creating surrogate human organs, coupled with insights from highly sensitive mass spectrometry technologies, a new project is on the brink of revolutionizing the way we screen new drugs and toxic agents. ATHENA, the Advanced Tissue-engineered Human Ectypal Network Analyzer project team, is developing four human organ constructs - liver, heart, lung and kidney - that are based on a significantly miniaturized platform. Each organ component will be about the size of a smartphone screen, and the whole ATHENA "body" of interconnected organs would fit neatly on a desk. "By developing this 'homo minutus,' we are stepping beyond the need for animal or Petri dish testing: There are huge benefits in developing drug and toxicity analysis systems that can mimic the response of actual human organs," said Rashi Iyer, a senior scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, the lead laboratory on the five-year, $19 million multi-institutional effort. The project is supported by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). Some 40 percent of pharmaceuticals fail their clinical trials, Iyer noted, and there are thousands of chemicals whose effects on humans are simply unknown. Providing a realistic, cost-effective and rapid screening system such as ATHENA with high-throughput capabilities could provide major benefits to the medical field, screening more accurately and offering a greater chance of clinical trial success.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Establishing a value chain for human factors in nuclear power plantcontrol room modernization

Commercial nuclear power plants in the United States (U.S.) have operated reliably and efficiently for decades. With the life extensions of plants now being planned for operation beyond their original operating licenses, there are opportunities to achieve even greater efficiencies, while maintaining high operational reliabilities, with strategic, risk- and economically-informed, upgrades to plant systems and infrastructure. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) program supports the commercial nuclear industry’s modernization efforts through research and development (R&D) activities across many areas to help establish the technical and economic bases for modernization activities. The Advanced Instrumentation, Information, and Control Systems Technologies pathway is one R&D focus area for the LWRS program, and has researchers at Idaho National Laboratory working with select utility partners to use human factors and instrumentation and controls R&D to help modernize the plant’s main control room. However, some in the nuclear industry have not been as enthusiastic about using human factors R&D to inform life extension decision making. Part of the reason for this may stem from uncertainty decision-makers have regarding how human factors fits into the value chain for nuclear power plant control room modernization. This paper reviews past work that has attempted to demonstrate the value of human factors, and then describes the value chain concept, how it applies to control room modernization, and then makes a case for how and why human factors is an essential link in the modernization value chain.

Control room modernization↗

APPLICATION OF EYE TRACKING FOR MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION IN HUMAN FACTORS STUDIES IN CONTROL ROOM MODERNIZATION

An important element of human factors engineering (HFE) pertains to measurement and evaluation (M&E). The role of HFE-M&E should be integrated throughout the entire control room modernization (CRM) process and be used for human-system performance evaluation and diagnostic purposes with resolving potential human engineering deficiencies (HEDs) and other human machine interface (HMI) design issues. NUREG-0711 describes how HFE in CRM should employ a hierarchical set of measures, particularly during integrated system validation (ISV), including plant performance, personnel task performance, situation awareness, cognitive workload, and anthropometric/ physiological factors. Historically, subjective measures have been primarily used since they are easier to collect and do not require specialized equipment. However, there are pitfalls with relying solely on subjective measures in M&E such that negatively impact reliability, sensitivity, and objectivity. As part of comprehensively capturing a diverse set of measures that strengthen findings and inferences made of the benefits from emerging technologies like advanced displays, this paper discusses the value of using eye tracking as an objective method that can be used in M&E. A brief description of eye tracking technology and relevant eye tracking measures is provided. Additionally, technical considerations and the unique challenges with using eye tracking in full-scaled simulations are addressed. Finally, this paper shares preliminary findings regarding the use of a wearable eye tracking system in a full-scale simulator study. These findings should help guide future full-scale simulator studies using eye tracking as a methodology to evaluate human-system performance.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

INVESTIGATION OF HUMAN RELIABILITY ANALYSIS METHODS FOR ANALYZING PRE-INITIATORS

As a type of human actions defined in human reliability analysis (HRA), pre-initiator refers to the human actions that may lead to the unavailability of systems, typically committed during maintenance, test, or calibration. This paper investigates representative HRA methods used for analyzing pre-initiators. The HRA methods are Technique for Human Error Rate Prediction (THERP), Korean Standard HRA (K-HRA) and Standard Plant Risk HRA (SPAR-H). In this paper, characteristics of each HRA method are compared for qualitative and quantification aspects. Two pre-initiators, i.e., a calibration task and a valve restoration task, are analyzed using the HRA methods to compare human error probabilities. Then, insights from the analysis and additional research requirements are discussed in this paper.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

A Framework to Integrate Human Reliability Data Obtained from Different Sources Based on the Complexity Scores of Proceduralized Tasks

For many decades, PSA (Probabilistic Safety Assessment) or PRA (Probabilistic Risk Assessment) techniques have been used to enhance the operational safety of nuclear power plants (NPPs) based on the consideration of potential hazards that could result in an unexpected consequence. As human error is one of the potential hazards, diverse human reliability analysis (HRA) methods have been proposed to provide a systematic way to estimate the likelihood of human errors (i.e., human error probability, HEP) in specific task contexts. Accordingly, it is evident that the quality of HRA results strongly depends on the credibility of HEP estimations. This implies that, in terms of enhancing this credibility, the collection of raw information (HRA data) that is helpful for understating when and why human errors occur is a crucial issue. In order to address this issue, in this study, the feasibility of a framework to integrate HRA data obtained from different sources is investigated based on the complexity of proceduralized tasks.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Human Factors Challenges in Modernizing Nuclear Power Plant Control Rooms

Jeffrey Joe has been invited to give a presentation entitled, “Human Factors Challenges in Modernizing Nuclear Power Plant Control Rooms,” at the 2024 Human Systems Symposium. Experts conducting human factors and human systems research will gather and share research at this conference. This conference is a good opportunity to develop new business for INL via research collaborations, as attendees exchange knowledge and explore the latest trends, advancements, and challenges in the field of human systems research across the DOE national laboratories.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

The Bermuda Triangle: The Pragmatics, Policies, and Principles for Data Sharing in the History of the Human Genome Project

The Bermuda Principles for DNA sequence data sharing are an enduring legacy of the Human Genome Project (HGP). They were adopted by the HGP at a strategy meeting in Bermuda in February of 1996 and implemented in formal policies by early 1998, mandating daily release of HGP-funded DNA sequences into the public domain. The idea of daily sharing, we argue, emanated directly from strategies for large, goal-directed molecular biology projects first tested within the “community” of C. elegans researchers, and were introduced and defended for the HGP by the nematode biologists John Sulston and Robert Waterston. In the C. elegans community, and subsequently in the HGP, daily sharing served the pragmatic goals of quality control and project coordination. Yet in the HGP human genome, we also argue, the Bermuda Principles addressed concerns about gene patents impeding scientific advancement, and were aspirational and flexible in implementation and justification. They endured as an archetype for how rapid data sharing could be realized and rationalized, and permitted adaptation to the needs of various scientific communities. Yet in addition to the support of Sulston and Waterston, their adoption also depended on the clout of administrators at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the UK nonprofit charity the Wellcome Trust, which together funded 90% of the HGP human sequencing effort. The other nations wishing to remain in the HGP consortium had to accommodate to the Bermuda Principles, requiring exceptions from incompatible existing or pending data access policies for publicly funded research in Germany, Japan, and France. We begin this story in 1963, with the biologist Sydney Brenner’s proposal for a nematode research program at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) at the University of Cambridge. We continue through 2003, with the completion of the HGP human reference genome, and conclude with observations about policy and the historiography of molecular biology.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Human Factors Design for Particle Accelerator Control Room Interfaces

Fermilab, the birthplace of many scientific discoveries in physics and particle accelerator sciences, is in the midst of a widescale modernization effort. The Accelerator Control Operations Research Network (ACORN project’s goal is to modernize the accelerator control system by replacing end-of-life power supplies and enhance future operations of the Fermilab accelerator complex with megawatt particle beams. Within ACORN, opportunities for process improvement concerning software development, human-system interface design, and task performance are also being considered. Human factors researchers from Idaho National Laboratory in collaboration with usability experts from Fermilab, are currently investigating human-centered design improvements for the accelerator control system. For example, substantial tribal knowledge and memory recall are required to effectively operate the accelerator system. This contributes to high cognitive workload and potential burnout of accelerator operators. Developing guidance for consistent visual and functional design enables a more intuitive interaction and relieves operators of cognitive burden. Additionally, developing more intuitive and integrated interfaces can also lead to improved accelerator efficacy by empowering operators with greater understanding and control of the systems. The challenge in developing such interfaces is in designing for a wide variety of user goals, system specifications, and level of experience in users. The challenges need to be met while e also considering the maintainability of the control system. The purpose of this paper is to detail the human factors process and design within the ACORN project, describe results gathered thus far, and discuss the larger implications for this work.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Vertebrate and invertebrate competition for carrion in human‐impacted environments depends on abiotic factors

Abstract Human altered landscapes have caused declines in the diversity of wildlife where behaviorally plastic species (i.e., mesocarnivores and invasive species) tend to monopolize these areas and consume predictable and readily accessible food resources, such as human food waste and carrion. Increased consumption of carrion by vertebrates and invasive invertebrate species can alter population dynamics of native necrophagous insects relying on these resources. We tested the hypothesis that vertebrate scavengers and invasive species reduce blow fly (1) ability to use carrion and (2) reproduction in human‐impacted environments in central Texas, USA, with season, habitat (field and wooded landscapes), and carrion type (species of carrion and coat color) acting synergistically. Vertebrate scavengers in this habitat, of which 75% of the documented species were mesocarnivores and obligate scavengers, consumed 100% of carrion during the winter and 62% during summer despite having low species richness (2–5 species). Of the remaining carcasses available for arthropod activity during summer, the invasive red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), monopolized 34%, and blow flies (e.g., Lucilia eximia and Chrysomya rufifacies [Diptera: Calliphoridae]) were only able to colonize 25%. Approximately 90% of carrion that was utilized by blow flies was co‐colonized by fire ants, and subsequent production of adult blow flies experienced up to a ninefold reduction in production compared with carcasses that were not scavenged by vertebrates or fire ants. Our results demonstrate oviposition resources used by blow flies in environments altered by human activity are reduced significantly by vertebrate scavengers and an invasive ant species. Future research should determine whether competitive interactions between vertebrate and invasive ant competitors for access to carrion resources have population‐level impacts to blow flies in human‐mediated ecosystems, or whether blow flies are able to shift to other resources to maintain sustainable populations and continue providing ecosystem services, such as pollination.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Metaproteomics Reveals Functional Shifts in Microbial and Human Proteins During Infant Gut Colonization Case

The microbial colonization of the human gastrointestinal tract plays an important role in establishing health and homeostasis. However, the time-dependent functional signatures of microbial and human proteins during early colonization of the gut have yet to be determined. Thus, we employed shotgun proteomics to simultaneously monitor microbial and human proteins in fecal samples from a preterm infant during the first month of life. Microbial community complexity and functions increased over time, with compositional changes that were consistent with previous metagenomic and rRNA gene data indicating three distinct colonization phases. Overall microbial community functions were established relatively early in development and remained stable. Human proteins detected included those responsible for epithelial barrier function and antimicrobial activity. Some neutrophil-derived proteins increased in abundance early in the study period, suggesting activation of the innate immune system. Moreover, abundances of cytoskeletal and mucin proteins increased later in the time course, suggestive of subsequent adjustment to the increased microbial load. Our study provides the first snapshot of coordinated human and microbial protein expression in the infant gut during early development.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

A treatment-effect model to quantify human dimensions of disaster impacts: the case of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico

Here, we propose a supervised learning approach using publicly available panel data to statistically quantify the specific manifestations of human impacts of an extreme event, such as changes number of suicides, substance abuse, excess mortality, and unemployment. This allows us to conceptually focus our framework on human impacts and how by attributing them to disaster events along widely accepted psychological, economic, and social dimensions. Our modified treatment-effect model allows counterfactual baseline conditions to be posited for each manifestation from which an aggregated quantitative multi-faceted measure of human impacts can be determined. The developed statistical methodology could be beneficial to policymakers who must allocate scarce resources to those communities in greater need. We illustrate the applicability of our approach using annual and monthly panel data from 2012 to 2018 encompassing the 2017 Hurricane Maria event across various municipalities in Puerto Rico. Our statistical modeling methodology stands apart since (i) it explicitly and more realistically captures the effect of different human-oriented manifestations of an actual event and (ii) it is flexible enough to accommodate individual preferences of various stakeholders in how they assign importance to multiple manifestations of human impacts.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Human metastatic melanoma cell lines express high levels of growth hormone receptor and respond to GH treatment

Highlights: •Most cancer types of the NCI60 have sub-sets of cell lines with high GHR expression. •GHR is highly expressed in melanoma cell lines. •GHR is elevated in advanced stage IV metastatic tumors vs. stage III. •GH treatment of metastatic melanoma cell lines alters growth and cell signaling. -- Abstract: Accumulating evidence implicates the growth hormone receptor (GHR) in carcinogenesis. While multiple studies show evidence for expression of growth hormone (GH) and GHR mRNA in human cancer tissue, there is a lack of quantification and only a few cancer types have been investigated. The National Cancer Institute’s NCI60 panel includes 60 cancer cell lines from nine types of human cancer: breast, CNS, colon, leukemia, melanoma, non-small cell lung, ovarian, prostate and renal. We utilized this panel to quantify expression of GHR, GH, prolactin receptor (PRLR) and prolactin (PRL) mRNA with real-time RT qPCR. Both GHR and PRLR show a broad range of expression within and among most cancer types. Strikingly, GHR expression is nearly 50-fold higher in melanoma than in the panel as a whole. Analysis of human metastatic melanoma biopsies confirmed GHR gene expression in melanoma tissue. In these human biopsies, the level of GHR mRNA is elevated in advanced stage IV tumor samples compared to stage III. Due to the novel finding of high GHR in melanoma, we examined the effect of GH treatment on three NCI60 melanoma lines (MDA-MB-435, UACC-62 and SK-MEL-5). GH increased proliferation in two out of three cell lines tested. Further analysis revealed GH-induced activation of STAT5 and mTOR in a cell line dependent manner. In conclusion, we have identified cell lines and cancer types that are ideal to study the role of GH and PRL in cancer, yet have been largely overlooked. Furthermore, we found that human metastatic melanoma tumors express GHR and cell lines possess active GHRs that can modulate multiple signaling pathways and alter cell proliferation. Based on this data, GH could be a new therapeutic target in melanoma.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

NMR-based metabolite profiling of human milk: A pilot study of methods for investigating compositional changes during lactation

Low-molecular-weight metabolites in human milk are gaining increasing interest in studies of infant nutrition. In the present study, the milk metabolome from a single mother was explored at different stages of lactation. Metabolites were extracted from sample aliquots using either methanol/water (MeOH/H{sub 2}O) extraction or ultrafiltration. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used for metabolite identification and quantification, and multi- and univariate statistical data analyses were used to detect changes over time of lactation. Compared to MeOH/H{sub 2}O extraction, ultrafiltration more efficiently reduced the interference from lipid and protein resonances, thereby enabling the identification and quantification of 36 metabolites. The human milk metabolomes at the early (9–24 days after delivery) and late (31–87 days after delivery) stages of lactation were distinctly different according to multi- and univariate statistics. The late lactation stage was characterized by significantly elevated concentrations of lactose, choline, alanine, glutamate, and glutamine, as well as by reduced levels of citrate, phosphocholine, glycerophosphocholine, and N-acetylglucosamine. Our results indicate that there are significant compositional changes of the human milk metabolome also in different phases of the matured lactation stage. These findings complement temporal studies on the colostrum and transitional metabolome in providing a better understanding of the nutritional variations received by an infant. - Highlights: • 36 metabolites were simultaneously quantified in human milk by NMR. • Ultrafiltration more efficiently reduces interferences than MeOH/H{sub 2}O extraction. • Compositional changes of the human milk exist during the matured lactation stage.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Gamma-glutamylcyclotransferase promotes the growth of human glioma cells by activating Notch-Akt signaling

Glioma as an aggressive type tumor is rapidly growing and has become one of the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. γ-Glutamylcyclotransferase (GGCT) has been shown as a diagnostic marker in various cancers. To reveal whether there is a correlation between GGCT and human glioma, GGCT expression in human glioma tissues and cell lines was first determined. We found that GGCT expression was up-regulated in human glioma tissues and cell lines. Further, we demonstrate that GGCT knockdown inhibits glioma cell T98G and U251 proliferation and colony formation, whereas GGCT overexpression leads to oppose effects. GGCT overexpression promotes the expression of Notch receptors and activates Akt signaling in glioma cells, and Notch-Akt signaling is activated in glioma tissues with high expression of GGCT. Finally, we show that inhibition of Notch-Akt signaling with Notch inhibitor MK-0752 blocks the effects of GGCT on glioma proliferation and colony formation. In conclusion, GGCT plays a critical role in glioma cell proliferation and may be a potential cancer therapeutic target. - Highlights: • GGCT expression is up-regulated in human glioma tissues and cell lines. • GGCT promotes glioma cell growth and colony formation. • GGCT promotes the activation of Notch-Akt signaling in glioma cells and tissues. • Notch inhibition blocks the role of GGCT in human glioma cells.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Nuclear DNA damage-triggered NLRP3 inflammasome activation promotes UVB-induced inflammatory responses in human keratinocytes

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation in sunlight can result in DNA damage and an inflammatory reaction of the skin commonly known as sunburn, which in turn can lead to cutaneous tissue disorders. However, little has been known about how UV-induced DNA damage mediates the release of inflammatory mediators from keratinocytes. Here, we show that UVB radiation intensity-dependently increases NLRP3 gene expression and IL-1β production in human keratinocytes. Knockdown of NLRP3 with siRNA suppresses UVB-induced production of not only IL-1β, but also other inflammatory mediators, including IL-1α, IL-6, TNF-α, and PGE{sub 2}. In addition, inhibition of DNA damage repair by knockdown of XPA, which is a major component of the nucleotide excision repair system, causes accumulation of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD) and activation of NLRP3 inflammasome. In vivo immunofluorescence analysis confirmed that NLRP3 expression is also elevated in UV-irradiated human epidermis. Overall, our findings indicate that UVB-induced DNA damage initiates NLRP3 inflammasome activation, leading to release of various inflammatory mediators from human keratinocytes. - Highlights: • UVB radiation induces NLRP3 inflammasome activation in human keratinocytes. • NLRP3 knockdown suppresses production of UVB-induced inflammatory mediators. • UVB-induced DNA damage triggers NLRP3 inflammasome activation. • NLRP3 expression in human epidermis is elevated in response to UV radiation.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Differential elastic responses to barrier-altering agonists in two types of human lung endothelium

Vascular integrity is primarily determined by endothelial cell (EC) cytoskeletal structure that is differentially regulated by various stimuli. In this study, atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to characterize structural and mechanical properties in the cytoskeleton of cultured human pulmonary artery EC (HPAEC) and human lung microvascular EC (HLMVEC) by determining elastic properties (Young's modulus) in response to endogenous barrier protective agents sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), or the barrier disruptive molecule thrombin. Initial studies in unstimulated cells indicate higher baseline peripheral elastic modulus values in HPAEC (mean 2.9 KPa) than in HLMVEC (1.8 KPa). After 30 min of stimulation, S1P induced the highest Young's modulus increase (6.1 KPa) compared to the other barrier enhancing stimuli, HGF (5.8 KPa) and the pharmaceutical agent and S1P analog FTY720 (4.1 KPa). In contrast, the barrier disruptive agent thrombin decreased values from 2.5 KPa to 0.7 KPa depending on the cell type and treatment time. AFM topographical imaging supports these quantitative biophysical data regarding differential peripheral elastic properties in EC. Overall, these AFM studies provide novel insights into the biomechanical properties of human lung EC that regulate vascular barrier function and have potential applicability to pathophysiologic vascular leak syndromes such as acute lung injury. - Highlights: • AFM dynamically measures cellular biophysical properties in live endothelial cells. • Macrovascular human lung EC exhibit different biophysical responses than microvascular. • Agonists that promote EC barrier function increase peripheral elastic properties. • Provide insights into potential therapeutic modulation of human lung EC.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Human transbodies to VP40 inhibit cellular egress of Ebola virus-like particles

A direct acting anti-Ebola agent is needed. VP40, a conserved protein across Ebolavirus (EBOV) species has several pivotal roles in the virus life cycle. Inhibition of VP40 functions would lessen the virion integrity and interfere with the viral assembly, budding, and spread. In this study, cell penetrable human scFvs (HuscFvs) that bound to EBOV VP40 were produced by phage display technology. Gene sequences coding for VP40-bound-HuscFvs were subcloned from phagemids into protein expression plasmids downstream to a gene of cell penetrating peptide, i.e., nonaarginine (R9). By electron microscopy, transbodies from three clones effectively inhibited egress of the Ebola virus-like particles from human hepatic cells transduced with pseudo-typed-Lentivirus particles carrying EBOV VP40 and GP genes. Computerized simulation indicated that the effective HuscFvs bound to multiple basic residues in the cationic patch of VP40 C-terminal domain which are important in membrane-binding for viral matrix assembly and virus budding. The transbodies bound also to VP40 N-terminal domain and L domain peptide encompassed the PTAPPEY (WW binding) motif, suggesting that they might confer VP40 function inhibition through additional mechanism(s). The generated transbodies are worthwhile tested with authentic EBOV before developing to direct acting anti-Ebola agent for preclinical and clinical trials. - Highlights: • Cell penetrable human scFvs (transbodies) to Ebolavirus (EBOV) VP40 were produced. • The transbodies inhibited egress of EBOV-like particles (VLPs) from human hepatocytes. • They interacted with VP40 CTD basic residues important for plasma membrane binding. • And hence interfere with viral matrix assembly and viral progeny budding. • This is the first report on human antibodies that target intracellular EBOV VP40.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗