Achieving quality assurance through clinical audit.

PubMed

Patel, Seraphim

2010-06-01

Audit is a crucial component of improvements to the quality of patient care. Clinical audits are undertaken to help ensure that patients can be given safe, reliable and dignified care, and to encourage them to self-direct their recovery. Such audits are undertaken also to help reduce lengths of patient stay in hospital, readmission rates and delays in discharge. This article describes the stages of clinical audit and the support required to achieve organisational core values.

Capturing Essential Information to Achieve Safe Interoperability

PubMed Central

Weininger, Sandy; Jaffe, Michael B.; Rausch, Tracy; Goldman, Julian M.

2016-01-01

In this article we describe the role of “clinical scenario” information to assure the safety of interoperable systems, as well as the system’s ability to deliver the requisite clinical functionality to improve clinical care. Described are methods and rationale for capturing the clinical needs, workflow, hazards, and device interactions in the clinical environment. Key user (clinician and clinical engineer) needs and system requirements can be derived from this information, therefore improving the communication from clinicians to medical device and information technology system developers. This methodology is intended to assist the health care community, including researchers, standards developers, regulators, and manufacturers, by providing clinical definition to support requirements in the systems engineering process, particularly those focusing on development of Integrated Clinical Environments described in standard ASTM F2761. Our focus is on identifying and documenting relevant interactions and medical device capabilities within the system using a documentation tool called medical device interface data sheets (MDIDSa) and mitigating hazardous situations related to workflow, product usability, data integration, and the lack of effective medical device-health information technology system integration to achieve safe interoperability. Portions of the analysis of a clinical scenario for a “Patient-controlled analgesia safety interlock” are provided to illustrate the method. Collecting better clinical adverse event information and proposed solutions can help identify opportunities to improve current device capabilities and interoperability and support a Learning Health System to improve health care delivery. Developing and analyzing clinical scenarios are the first steps in creating solutions to address vexing patient safety problems and enable clinical innovation. A web-based research tool for implementing a means of acquiring and managing this

Reliability and Maintainability Engineering - A Major Driver for Safety and Affordability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Safie, Fayssal M.

2011-01-01

The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is in the midst of an effort to design and build a safe and affordable heavy lift vehicle to go to the moon and beyond. To achieve that, NASA is seeking more innovative and efficient approaches to reduce cost while maintaining an acceptable level of safety and mission success. One area that has the potential to contribute significantly to achieving NASA safety and affordability goals is Reliability and Maintainability (R&M) engineering. Inadequate reliability or failure of critical safety items may directly jeopardize the safety of the user(s) and result in a loss of life. Inadequate reliability of equipment may directly jeopardize mission success. Systems designed to be more reliable (fewer failures) and maintainable (fewer resources needed) can lower the total life cycle cost. The Department of Defense (DOD) and industry experience has shown that optimized and adequate levels of R&M are critical for achieving a high level of safety and mission success, and low sustainment cost. Also, lessons learned from the Space Shuttle program clearly demonstrated the importance of R&M engineering in designing and operating safe and affordable launch systems. The Challenger and Columbia accidents are examples of the severe impact of design unreliability and process induced failures on system safety and mission success. These accidents demonstrated the criticality of reliability engineering in understanding component failure mechanisms and integrated system failures across the system elements interfaces. Experience from the shuttle program also shows that insufficient Reliability, Maintainability, and Supportability (RMS) engineering analyses upfront in the design phase can significantly increase the sustainment cost and, thereby, the total life cycle cost. Emphasis on RMS during the design phase is critical for identifying the design features and characteristics needed for time efficient processing

Safe Schools/Safe Communities: A Directory of Resources for Pennsylvania.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pennsylvania State Dept. of Education, Harrisburg.

This document contains a directory of resources available in Pennsylvania to help achieve the goal of safe schools. Following a copy of the Safe Schools Act of 1993, nine sections list agencies that provide services and products under the headings of: conflict resolution/mediation, gangs, suicide, crisis response, family violence, diversity,…

A safe and reliable neutralization assay based on pseudovirus to measure neutralizing antibody titer against poliovirus.

PubMed

Liu, Shaohua; Song, Dongmei; Bai, Han; Lu, Weiwei; Dai, Xinxian; Hao, Chunsheng; Zhang, Zhongyang; Guo, Huijie; Zhang, Yue; Li, Xiuling

2017-12-01

With the promotion of inactivated poliomyelitis vaccine (IPV) and live attenuated oral poliomyelitis vaccine (OPV), the global reported cases of poliomyelitis have reduced sharply from 0.35 million in 1988 to 74 in 2015. The Polio Eradication & Endgame Strategic Plan published by WHO in 2013 included the strategy of implementation of poliovirus safe handling and containment measures to minimize the risks of facility-associated reintroduction of virus into the polio-free community to prevent the re-import of poliovirus. Toward this strategy, we produced replication-incompetent pseudovirus of poliovirus type 1, 2, 3 attenuated strains by constructing poliovirus capsid expression vectors and poliovirus replicon then transfecting HEK293T cells and developed a pseudovirus-based neutralization assay (pNA) to determine neutralizing antibody titer which is more secure, time-saving and reliable than conventional neutralization assay (cNA). By using anti-poliovirus rat serum, we demonstrated excellent correlation between neutralizing antibody titers measured by cNA and pNA. It was concluded that pNA can be a potential alternative to replace cNA as a safe and time-saving system for titer determination after live poliovirus's safekeeping. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

An Automated Safe-to-Mate (ASTM) Tester

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Phuc; Scott, Michelle; Leung, Alan; Lin, Michael; Johnson, Thomas

2013-01-01

Safe-to-mate testing is a common hardware safety practice where impedance measurements are made on unpowered hardware to verify isolation, continuity, or impedance between pins of an interface connector. A computer-based instrumentation solution has been developed to resolve issues. The ASTM is connected to the circuit under test, and can then quickly, safely, and reliably safe-to-mate the entire connector, or even multiple connectors, at the same time.

Cultivating the Art of Safe Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunter, Mary Ann

2008-01-01

Performance-making and peace-building are processes predicated on the production of safe space. But what is "safe space"? In performance-making, what is it that makes space safe without losing the creative potential of tension? What role is there for risk? And, once achieved, how does safe space become meaningful beyond its immediate…

UAV Research at NASA Langley: Towards Safe, Reliable, and Autonomous Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davila, Carlos G.

2016-01-01

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) are fundamental components in several aspects of research at NASA Langley, such as flight dynamics, mission-driven airframe design, airspace integration demonstrations, atmospheric science projects, and more. In particular, NASA Langley Research Center (Langley) is using UAVs to develop and demonstrate innovative capabilities that meet the autonomy and robotics challenges that are anticipated in science, space exploration, and aeronautics. These capabilities will enable new NASA missions such as asteroid rendezvous and retrieval (ARRM), Mars exploration, in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), pollution measurements in historically inaccessible areas, and the integration of UAVs into our everyday lives all missions of increasing complexity, distance, pace, and/or accessibility. Building on decades of NASA experience and success in the design, fabrication, and integration of robust and reliable automated systems for space and aeronautics, Langley Autonomy Incubator seeks to bridge the gap between automation and autonomy by enabling safe autonomous operations via onboard sensing and perception systems in both data-rich and data-deprived environments. The Autonomy Incubator is focused on the challenge of mobility and manipulation in dynamic and unstructured environments by integrating technologies such as computer vision, visual odometry, real-time mapping, path planning, object detection and avoidance, object classification, adaptive control, sensor fusion, machine learning, and natural human-machine teaming. These technologies are implemented in an architectural framework developed in-house for easy integration and interoperability of cutting-edge hardware and software.

Hybrids - Best of both worlds. [liquid and solid propellants mated for safe reliable and low cost launch vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldberg, Ben E.; Wiley, Dan R.

1991-01-01

An overview is presented of hybrid rocket propulsion systems whereby combining solids and liquids for launch vehicles could produce a safe, reliable, and low-cost product. The primary subsystems of a hybrid system consist of the oxidizer tank and feed system, an injector system, a solid fuel grain enclosed in a pressure vessel case, a mixing chamber, and a nozzle. The hybrid rocket has an inert grain, which reduces costs of development, transportation, manufacturing, and launch by avoiding many safety measures that must be taken when operating with solids. Other than their use in launch vehicles, hybrids are excellent for simulating the exhaust of solid rocket motors for material development.

A reliable and safe gastrotomy closure technique assessed in a porcine survival model pilot study: success of the Queen's closure.

PubMed

Hookey, L C; Bielawska, B; Samis, A; Jalink, D; Ellis, R; Khokhotva, V; Hurlbut, D; Mercer, D

2009-06-01

The evolution of NOTES to clinical implementation has been hampered by lack of a reliable, safe, and easy-to-implement technique for closure of the opening created in accessing the peritoneum. The Queen's closure uses a combination of endoscopic clips and loop devices to seal such defects in the stomach wall. This study aimed to assess the Queen's closure in a porcine survival model. Five 30-kg pigs underwent endoscopic transgastric surgery with exploration of the peritoneum. The endoscope was then withdrawn back into the stomach and the closure performed. The animals were recovered, monitored closely, and underwent endoscopy 1 week after surgery. They were then euthanized at 2 (n = 2) and 3 (n = 3) weeks after surgery with subsequent necropsy. The mean procedure time (from intubation of the esophagus to withdrawal of the endoscope) was 79 minutes (range 45-105 minutes) with a mean time of exploration of the peritoneum of 14 minutes (range 8-25 minutes). All animals recovered well with no apparent pain, distress, or signs of infection. Endoscopic examination 1 week after surgery revealed all the closures to be intact and only identifiable by a small ulcer. At necropsy, the gastrotomy site was identifiable only by minor serosal adhesions. Histological study demonstrated full-thickness closure with minimal inflammation. The Queen's closure is a reliable and safe technique that provides full-thickness gastrotomy closure without any observed complications. The technique has proven to be transferable knowledge that holds promise for clinical implementation.

Photovoltaic power system reliability considerations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lalli, V. R.

1980-01-01

This paper describes an example of how modern engineering and safety techniques can be used to assure the reliable and safe operation of photovoltaic power systems. This particular application was for a solar cell power system demonstration project in Tangaye, Upper Volta, Africa. The techniques involve a definition of the power system natural and operating environment, use of design criteria and analysis techniques, an awareness of potential problems via the inherent reliability and FMEA methods, and use of a fail-safe and planned spare parts engineering philosophy.

Photovoltaic power system reliability considerations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lalli, V. R.

1980-01-01

An example of how modern engineering and safety techniques can be used to assure the reliable and safe operation of photovoltaic power systems is presented. This particular application is for a solar cell power system demonstration project designed to provide electric power requirements for remote villages. The techniques utilized involve a definition of the power system natural and operating environment, use of design criteria and analysis techniques, an awareness of potential problems via the inherent reliability and FMEA methods, and use of fail-safe and planned spare parts engineering philosophy.

Adaptation, translation and reliability of the Australian 'Juniors Enjoying Cricket Safely' injury risk perception questionnaire for Sri Lanka.

PubMed

Gamage, Prasanna J; Fortington, Lauren V; Finch, Caroline F

2018-01-01

Cricket is a very popular sport in Sri Lanka. In this setting there has been limited research; specifically, there is little knowledge of cricket injuries. To support future research possibilities, the aim of this study was to cross-culturally adapt, translate and test the reliability of an Australian-developed questionnaire for the Sri Lankan context. The Australian 'Juniors Enjoying Cricket Safely' (JECS-Aus) injury risk perception questionnaire was cross-culturally adapted to suit the Sri Lankan context and subsequently translated into the two main languages (Sinhala and Tamil) based on standard forward-back translation. The translated questionnaires were examined for content validity by two language schoolteachers. The questionnaires were completed twice, 2 weeks apart, by two groups of school cricketers (males) aged 11-15 years (Sinhala (n=24), Tamil (n=30)) to assess reliability. Test-retest scores were evaluated for agreement. Where responses were <100% agreement, Cohen's kappa (κ) statistics were calculated. Questions with moderate-to-poor test-retest reliability (κ<0.6) were reconsidered for modification. Both the Sinhala and Tamil questionnaires had 100% agreement for questions on demographic data, and 88%-100% agreement for questions on participation in cricket and injury history. Of the injury risk perception questions, 72% (Sinhala) and 90% (Tamil) questions showed a substantial (κ=0.61-0.8) and almost perfect (κ=0.81-1.0) test-retest agreement. The adapted and translated JECS-SL questionnaire demonstrated strong reliability. This is the first study to adapt the JECS-Aus questionnaire for use in a different population, providing an outcome measure for assessing injury risk perceptions in Sri Lankan junior cricketers.

The Achievement of Therapeutic Objectives Scale: Interrater Reliability and Sensitivity to Change in Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy and Cognitive Therapy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valen, Jakob; Ryum, Truls; Svartberg, Martin; Stiles, Tore C.; McCullough, Leigh

2011-01-01

This study examined interrater reliability and sensitivity to change of the Achievement of Therapeutic Objectives Scale (ATOS; McCullough, Larsen, et al., 2003) in short-term dynamic psychotherapy (STDP) and cognitive therapy (CT). The ATOS is a process scale originally developed to assess patients' achievements of treatment objectives in STDP,…

Safe surgical technique for associated acetabular fractures

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Associated acetabular fractures are challenging injuries to manage. The complex surgical approaches and the technical difficulty in achieving anatomical reduction imply that the learning curve to achieve high-quality care of patients with such challenging injuries is extremely steep. This first article in the Journal’s “Safe Surgical Technique” section presents the standard surgical care, in conjunction with intraoperative tips and tricks, for the safe management of all subgroups of associated acetabular fractures. PMID:23414782

Safe Manual Jettison

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barton, Jay

2008-01-01

In space, the controlled release of certain cargoes is no less useful than the maritime jettisons from which they take their name but is also much more dangerous. Experience has shown that jettisons can be performed safely, but the process is complicated with the path to performing a jettison taking months or even years. In the background, time is also required to write procedures, train the crew, configure the vehicle, and many other activities. This paper outlines the current process used by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for manual jettisons, detailing the methods used to assure that the jettisons and the jettisoned objects are as safe as achievable and that the crew is adequately trained to be able to affect the safe jettison. The goal of this paper is not only to capture what it takes to perform safe jettisons in the near Earth environment but to extrapolate this knowledge to future space exploration scenarios that will likely have Extravehicular Activity (EVA) and International Partner (IP) interfaces.

Application of Solid Phase Microextraction with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry as a Rapid, Reliable, and Safe Method for Field Sampling and Analysis of Chemical Warfare Agent Precursors

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-03-01

in hair samples with analysis by GC-MS [41,42]. The research discussed here examined a polydimethylsiloxane polymer with 10% activated charcoal (PDMS...Field Sampling and Analysis of Chemical Warfare Agent Precursors” Name of Candidate: LT Douglas Parrish Doctor of Philosophy, Environmental...Microextraction with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry as a Rapid, Reliable, and Safe Method for Field Sampling and Analysis of Chemical Warfare

Who's Got the Bridge? - Towards Safe, Robust Autonomous Operations at NASA Langley's Autonomy Incubator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, B. Danette; Cross, Charles D.; Motter, Mark A.; Neilan, James H.; Qualls, Garry D.; Rothhaar, Paul M.; Tran, Loc; Trujillo, Anna C.; Crisp, Vicki K.

2015-01-01

NASA aeronautics research has made decades of contributions to aviation. Both aircraft and air traffic management (ATM) systems in use today contain NASA-developed and NASA sponsored technologies that improve safety and efficiency. Recent innovations in robotics and autonomy for automobiles and unmanned systems point to a future with increased personal mobility and access to transportation, including aviation. Automation and autonomous operations will transform the way we move people and goods. Achieving this mobility will require safe, robust, reliable operations for both the vehicle and the airspace and challenges to this inevitable future are being addressed now in government labs, universities, and industry. These challenges are the focus of NASA Langley Research Center's Autonomy Incubator whose R&D portfolio includes mission planning, trajectory and path planning, object detection and avoidance, object classification, sensor fusion, controls, machine learning, computer vision, human-machine teaming, geo-containment, open architecture design and development, as well as the test and evaluation environment that will be critical to prove system reliability and support certification. Safe autonomous operations will be enabled via onboard sensing and perception systems in both data-rich and data-deprived environments. Applied autonomy will enable safety, efficiency and unprecedented mobility as people and goods take to the skies tomorrow just as we do on the road today.

A Statistical Simulation Approach to Safe Life Fatigue Analysis of Redundant Metallic Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matthews, William T.; Neal, Donald M.

1997-01-01

This paper introduces a dual active load path fail-safe fatigue design concept analyzed by Monte Carlo simulation. The concept utilizes the inherent fatigue life differences between selected pairs of components for an active dual path system, enhanced by a stress level bias in one component. The design is applied to a baseline design; a safe life fatigue problem studied in an American Helicopter Society (AHS) round robin. The dual active path design is compared with a two-element standby fail-safe system and the baseline design for life at specified reliability levels and weight. The sensitivity of life estimates for both the baseline and fail-safe designs was examined by considering normal and Weibull distribution laws and coefficient of variation levels. Results showed that the biased dual path system lifetimes, for both the first element failure and residual life, were much greater than for standby systems. The sensitivity of the residual life-weight relationship was not excessive at reliability levels up to R = 0.9999 and the weight penalty was small. The sensitivity of life estimates increases dramatically at higher reliability levels.

Developing Reliable Life Support for Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Harry W.

2017-01-01

A human mission to Mars will require highly reliable life support systems. Mars life support systems may recycle water and oxygen using systems similar to those on the International Space Station (ISS). However, achieving sufficient reliability is less difficult for ISS than it will be for Mars. If an ISS system has a serious failure, it is possible to provide spare parts, or directly supply water or oxygen, or if necessary bring the crew back to Earth. Life support for Mars must be designed, tested, and improved as needed to achieve high demonstrated reliability. A quantitative reliability goal should be established and used to guide development t. The designers should select reliable components and minimize interface and integration problems. In theory a system can achieve the component-limited reliability, but testing often reveal unexpected failures due to design mistakes or flawed components. Testing should extend long enough to detect any unexpected failure modes and to verify the expected reliability. Iterated redesign and retest may be required to achieve the reliability goal. If the reliability is less than required, it may be improved by providing spare components or redundant systems. The number of spares required to achieve a given reliability goal depends on the component failure rate. If the failure rate is under estimated, the number of spares will be insufficient and the system may fail. If the design is likely to have undiscovered design or component problems, it is advisable to use dissimilar redundancy, even though this multiplies the design and development cost. In the ideal case, a human tended closed system operational test should be conducted to gain confidence in operations, maintenance, and repair. The difficulty in achieving high reliability in unproven complex systems may require the use of simpler, more mature, intrinsically higher reliability systems. The limitations of budget, schedule, and technology may suggest accepting lower and

Critical issues in assuring long lifetime and fail-safe operation of optical communications network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paul, Dilip K.

1993-09-01

Major factors in assuring long lifetime and fail-safe operation in optical communications networks are reviewed in this paper. Reliable functionality to design specifications, complexity of implementation, and cost are the most critical issues. As economics is the driving force to set the goals as well as priorities for the design, development, safe operation, and maintenance schedules of reliable networks, a balance is sought between the degree of reliability enhancement, cost, and acceptable outage of services. Protecting both the link and the network with high reliability components, hardware duplication, and diversity routing can ensure the best network availability. Case examples include both fiber optic and lasercom systems. Also, the state-of-the-art reliability of photonics in space environment is presented.

Study of fail-safe abort system for an actively cooled hypersonic aircraft, volume 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peeples, M. E.; Herring, R. L.

1976-01-01

Conceptual designs of a fail-safe abort system for hydrogen fueled actively cooled high speed aircraft are examined. The fail-safe concept depends on basically three factors: (1) a reliable method of detecting a failure or malfunction in the active cooling system, (2) the optimization of abort trajectories which minimize the descent heat load to the aircraft, and (3) fail-safe thermostructural concepts to minimize both the weight and the maximum temperature the structure will reach during descent. These factors are examined and promising approaches are evaluated based on weight, reliability, ease of manufacture and cost.

Willingness to pay for safe drinking water: Evidence from Parral, Mexico.

PubMed

Vásquez, William F; Mozumder, Pallab; Hernández-Arce, Jesús; Berrens, Robert P

2009-08-01

A referendum-format contingent valuation (CV) survey is used to elicit household willingness to pay responses for safe and reliable drinking water in Parral, Mexico. Households currently adopt a variety of averting and private investment choices (e.g., bottled water consumption, home-based water treatment, and installation of water storage facilities) to adapt to the existing water supply system. These revealed behaviors indicate the latent demand for safer and more reliable water services, which is corroborated by the CV survey evidence. Validity findings include significant scope sensitivity in WTP for water services. Further, results indicate that households are willing to pay from 1.8% to 7.55% of reported household income above their current water bill for safe and reliable drinking water services, depending upon the assumptions about response uncertainty.

Expert Consensus Statement on achieving self-sufficiency in safe blood and blood products, based on voluntary non-remunerated blood donation (VNRBD).

PubMed

2012-11-01

All countries face challenges in making sufficient supplies of blood and blood products available and sustainable, while also ensuring the quality and safety of these products in the face of known and emerging threats to public health. Since 1975, the World Health Assembly (WHA) has highlighted the global need for blood safety and availability. WHA resolutions 63·12, 58·13 and 28·72, The Melbourne Declaration on 100% Voluntary Non-Remunerated Donation of Blood and Blood Components and WHO Global Blood Safety Network recommendations have reaffirmed the achievement of 'Self-sufficiency in blood and blood products based on voluntary non-remunerated blood donation (VNRBD)' as the important national policy direction for ensuring a safe, secure and sufficient supply of blood and blood products, including labile blood components and plasma-derived medicinal products. Despite some successes, self-sufficiency is not yet a reality in many countries. A consultation of experts, convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) in September 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland, addressed the urgent need to establish strategies and mechanisms for achieving self-sufficiency. Information on the current situation, and country perspectives and experiences were shared. Factors influencing the global implementation of self-sufficiency, including safety, ethics, security and sustainability of supply, trade and its potential impact on public health, availability and access for patients, were analysed to define strategies and mechanisms and provide practical guidance on achieving self-sufficiency. Experts developed a consensus statement outlining the rationale and definition of self-sufficiency in safe blood and blood products based on VNRBD and made recommendations to national health authorities and WHO. © 2012 World Health Organization. Vox Sanguinis © 2012 International Society of Blood Transfusion.

Fair and Just Culture, Team Behavior, and Leadership Engagement: The Tools to Achieve High Reliability

PubMed Central

Frankel, Allan S; Leonard, Michael W; Denham, Charles R

2006-01-01

Background Disparate health care provider attitudes about autonomy, teamwork, and administrative operations have added to the complexity of health care delivery and are a central factor in medicine's unacceptably high rate of errors. Other industries have improved their reliability by applying innovative concepts to interpersonal relationships and administrative hierarchical structures (Chandler 1962). In the last 10 years the science of patient safety has become more sophisticated, with practical concepts identified and tested to improve the safety and reliability of care. Objective Three initiatives stand out as worthy regarding interpersonal relationships and the application of provider concerns to shape operational change: The development and implementation of Fair and Just Culture principles, the broad use of Teamwork Training and Communication, and tools like WalkRounds that promote the alignment of leadership and frontline provider perspectives through effective use of adverse event data and provider comments. Methods Fair and Just Culture, Teamwork Training, and WalkRounds are described, and implementation examples provided. The argument is made that they must be systematically and consistently implemented in an integrated fashion. Conclusions There are excellent examples of institutions applying Just Culture principles, Teamwork Training, and Leadership WalkRounds—but to date, they have not been comprehensively instituted in health care organizations in a cohesive and interdependent manner. To achieve reliability, organizations need to begin thinking about the relationship between these efforts and linking them conceptually. PMID:16898986

Columbus safety and reliability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Longhurst, F.; Wessels, H.

1988-10-01

Analyses carried out to ensure Columbus reliability, availability, and maintainability, and operational and design safety are summarized. Failure modes/effects/criticality is the main qualitative tool used. The main aspects studied are fault tolerance, hazard consequence control, risk minimization, human error effects, restorability, and safe-life design.

Evaluating "The Safe Living Guide": A Home Hazard Checklist for Seniors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sorcinelli, Andrea; Shaw, Lynn; Freeman, Andrew; Cooper, Kim

2007-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility and reliability of a home hazard checklist published in Health Canada, "The Safe Living Guide: A Guide to Home Safety for Seniors" (2003). Methods: 76 community-dwelling seniors evaluated the guide, and inter-rater reliability was determined through comparison of ratings of…

Safe corridors for K-wiring in phalangeal fractures.

PubMed

Rex, C; Vignesh, R; Javed, M; Balaji, Subba Chandra; Premanand, C; Zakki, Syed Ashfaque

2015-01-01

Unstable phalangeal fractures are commonly treated with K-wire fixation. Operative fixation must be used judiciously and with the expectation that the ultimate outcome should be better than the outcome after nonoperative management. It is necessary to achieve a stable fracture fixation and early mobilization. In order to achieve this goal, one should closely understand the safe portals/corridors in hand for K-wire entry for fractures of the phalanges. Safe corridors were defined and tested using a pilot cadaveric and a clinical case study by assessing the outcome. In our prospective case series, 50 patients with 64 phalangeal fractures were treated with closed reduction and K-wires were inserted through safe portals identified by a pilot cadaveric study. On table active finger movement test was done and the results were analyed using radiology, disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand (DASH) score and total active motion (TAM). In our study, little finger (n = 28) was the most commonly involved digit. In fracture pattern, transverse (n = 20) and spiral (n = 20) types were common. Proximal phalanx (n = 38) was commonly involved and the common site being the base of the phalanx (n = 28). 47 (95%) patients had excellent TAM and the mean postoperative DASH score was 58.05. All patients achieved excellent and good scores proving the importance of the safe corridor concept. K-wiring through the safe corridor has proved to yield the best clinical results because of least tethering of soft tissues as evidenced by performing "on-table active finger movement test" at the time of surgery. We strongly recommend K-wiring through safe portals in all phalangeal fractures.

Safe Schools, Safe Students. Proceedings of the National Education Goals Panel/National Alliance of Pupil Services Organizations Conference on "Safe Schools, Safe Students: A Collaborative Approach to Achieving Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-free Schools Conducive to Learning" (Washington, D.C., October 28-29, 1994).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Talley, Ronda C., Ed.; Walz, Garry R., Ed.

The "Safe Schools, Safe Students" conference brought together leading researchers and practitioners in order to share knowledge about innovative safety strategies being used in America's schools. The papers here represent the thinking of scientific experts and school-based pupil service providers who are implementing programs to prevent…

Strategies for safe injections.

PubMed Central

Battersby, A.; Feilden, R.; Stoeckel, P.; Da Silva, A.; Nelson, C.; Bass, A.

1999-01-01

In 1998, faced with growing international concern, WHO set out an approach for achieving injection safety that encompassed all elements from patients' expectations and doctors' prescribing habits to waste disposal. This article follows that lead and describes the implications of the approach for two injection technologies: sterilizable and disposable. It argues that focusing on any single technology diverts attention from the more fundamental need for health services to develop their own comprehensive strategies for safe injections. National health authorities will only be able to ensure that injections are administered safely if they take an approach that encompasses the whole system, and choose injection technologies that fit their circumstances. PMID:10680247

Feeling safe and motivated to achieve better health: Experiences with a partnership-based nursing practice programme for in-home patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

PubMed

Leine, Marit; Wahl, Astrid Klopstad; Borge, Christine Råheim; Hustavenes, Magne; Bondevik, Hilde

2017-09-01

To explore chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients' experiences with a partnership-based nursing practice programme in the home setting. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease suffer from psychological and physiological problems, especially when they return home after hospitalisation from exacerbation. Many express a need for information and knowledge about chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Partnership as practice is a patient-centred framework providing an individualised practice for each patient. This study intends to achieve a nuanced and improved understanding of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients' experiences with a partnership-based nursing practice programme comprising home visits from a respiratory nurse after hospital discharge, alongside interdisciplinary collaboration. This study has a qualitative design with interviews. Six individual semi-structured interviews collected in 2012-2013 constitute the material. Interviews were recorded, transcribed to written text and analysed using systematic text condensation. Three key themes were identified: to be seen, talked with and understood; healthcare support at home-continuity, practical support and facilitation; and exchange of knowledge. However, there were two generic themes that permeated the material: feeling safe and comforted, and motivation to achieve better health. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can experience feeling safe and comforted, and be motivated to make changes in order to achieve better health after participating in a partnership-based nursing practice programme that includes home visits from a respiratory nurse and interdisciplinary cooperation after hospital discharge. To feel safe is of great importance, and how this relates to the patient's ability to cope with illness should be explored in further research. The results suggest that the partnership-based nursing practice programme that includes home visits and interdisciplinary

Inter-rater reliability of an observation-based ergonomics assessment checklist for office workers.

PubMed

Pereira, Michelle Jessica; Straker, Leon Melville; Comans, Tracy Anne; Johnston, Venerina

2016-12-01

To establish the inter-rater reliability of an observation-based ergonomics assessment checklist for computer workers. A 37-item (38-item if a laptop was part of the workstation) comprehensive observational ergonomics assessment checklist comparable to government guidelines and up to date with empirical evidence was developed. Two trained practitioners assessed full-time office workers performing their usual computer-based work and evaluated the suitability of workstations used. Practitioners assessed each participant consecutively. The order of assessors was randomised, and the second assessor was blinded to the findings of the first. Unadjusted kappa coefficients between the raters were obtained for the overall checklist and subsections that were formed from question-items relevant to specific workstation equipment. Twenty-seven office workers were recruited. The inter-rater reliability between two trained practitioners achieved moderate to good reliability for all except one checklist component. This checklist has mostly moderate to good reliability between two trained practitioners. Practitioner Summary: This reliable ergonomics assessment checklist for computer workers was designed using accessible government guidelines and supplemented with up-to-date evidence. Employers in Queensland (Australia) can fulfil legislative requirements by using this reliable checklist to identify and subsequently address potential risk factors for work-related injury to provide a safe working environment.

Study of a fail-safe abort system for an actively cooled hypersonic aircraft. Volume 1: Technical summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pirello, C. J.; Herring, R. L.

1976-01-01

Conceptual designs of a fail-safe abort system for hydrogen fueled actively cooled high speed aircraft are examined. The fail-safe concept depends on basically three factors: (1) a reliable method of detecting a failure or malfunction in the active cooling system, (2) the optimization of abort trajectories which minimize the descent heat load to the aircraft, and (3) fail-safe thermostructural concepts to minimize both the weight and the maximum temperature the structure will reach during descent. These factors are examined and promising approaches are evaluated based on weight, reliability, ease of manufacture and cost.

Reliability training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lalli, Vincent R. (Editor); Malec, Henry A. (Editor); Dillard, Richard B.; Wong, Kam L.; Barber, Frank J.; Barina, Frank J.

1992-01-01

Discussed here is failure physics, the study of how products, hardware, software, and systems fail and what can be done about it. The intent is to impart useful information, to extend the limits of production capability, and to assist in achieving low cost reliable products. A review of reliability for the years 1940 to 2000 is given. Next, a review of mathematics is given as well as a description of what elements contribute to product failures. Basic reliability theory and the disciplines that allow us to control and eliminate failures are elucidated.

Pilot testing of SHRP 2 reliability data and analytical products: Washington.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-07-30

The second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) addresses the challenges of moving people and goods efficiently and safely on the nations highways. In its Reliability focus area, the research emphasizes improving the reliability of highway ...

Novel high-density packaging of solid state diode pumped eye-safe laser for LIBS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bares, Kim; Torgerson, Justin; McNeil, Laine; Maine, Patrick; Patterson, Steve

2018-02-01

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) has proven to be a useful research tool for material analysis for decades. However, because of the amount of energy required in a few nanosecond pulse to generate a stable and reliable LIBS signal, the lasers are often large and inefficient, relegating their implementation to research facilities, factory floors, and assembly lines. Small portable LIBS systems are now possible without having to compromise on energy needs by leveraging off of advances in high-density packaging of electronics, opto-mechanics, and highly efficient laser resonator architecture. This paper explores the integration of these techniques to achieve a mJ class eye-safe LIBS laser source, while retaining a small, light-weight package suitable for handheld systems.

Updating the reference population to achieve constant genomic prediction reliability across generations.

PubMed

Pszczola, M; Calus, M P L

2016-06-01

The reliability of genomic breeding values (DGV) decays over generations. To keep the DGV reliability at a constant level, the reference population (RP) has to be continuously updated with animals from new generations. Updating RP may be challenging due to economic reasons, especially for novel traits involving expensive phenotyping. Therefore, the goal of this study was to investigate a minimal RP update size to keep the reliability at a constant level across generations. We used a simulated dataset resembling a dairy cattle population. The trait of interest was not included itself in the selection index, but it was affected by selection pressure by being correlated with an index trait that represented the overall breeding goal. The heritability of the index trait was assumed to be 0.25 and for the novel trait the heritability equalled 0.2. The genetic correlation between the two traits was 0.25. The initial RP (n=2000) was composed of cows only with a single observation per animal. Reliability of DGV using the initial RP was computed by evaluating contemporary animals. Thereafter, the RP was used to evaluate animals which were one generation younger from the reference individuals. The drop in the reliability when evaluating younger animals was then assessed and the RP was updated to re-gain the initial reliability. The update animals were contemporaries of evaluated animals (EVA). The RP was updated in batches of 100 animals/update. First, the animals most closely related to the EVA were chosen to update RP. The results showed that, approximately, 600 animals were needed every generation to maintain the DGV reliability at a constant level across generations. The sum of squared relationships between RP and EVA and the sum of off-diagonal coefficients of the inverse of the genomic relationship matrix for RP, separately explained 31% and 34%, respectively, of the variation in the reliability across generations. Combined, these parameters explained 53% of the

How close are we in achieving safe, affordable and reversible male contraceptives?

PubMed

Tulsiani, Daulat R P; Abou-Haila, Aïda

2010-06-01

The world population, currently estimated to be over six billions, is expected to double in the next forty years. The projected growth will cause severe over crowding that will have an adverse effect on the ecological health of the planet. A recent survey by the United Nations found that a majority of men in many countries are willing to participate in family planning by taking full control of their fertility. However, the available contraceptives for men have either higher failure rates or they are irreversible. Thus, the contraceptive needs of tens of millions of men go unmet every day resulting in millions of unwanted pregnancies, and hundreds of thousands of abortions. Since the introduction of oral contraceptive (pill) for women over five decades ago, there have been numerous collaborative efforts by scientists and pharmaceutical companies to improve the effectiveness and delivery of contraceptives to women who wish to safely regulate their reproductive physiology. However, the contraceptive options available to men have not changed in several decades and are still limited to the use of condoms and timely withdrawal (coitus interruptus) or under going a minor surgical procedure (vasectomy) that prevents the release of spermatozoa during ejaculation. The first two methods have relatively higher typical-use failure rates, whereas the last approach is largely irreversible and not suitable for younger men. Despite non-stop efforts worldwide, we may still be several years away from providing safe, effective and affordable male contraceptives which will allow both men and women to participate fully in family planning. In this article, we will discuss various contraceptives currently available to regulate male fertility. In addition, we will summarize potentially new contraceptives for men that are at various stages of research and development. Finally, our intention is to discuss details of two safe, reversible and affordable male contraceptive approaches that are

Glioma Surgery: Technological Advances to Achieve a Maximal Safe Resection.

PubMed

Altieri, Roberto; Zenga, Francesco; Fontanella, Marco Maria; Cofano, Fabio; Agnoletti, Alessandro; Spena, Giannantonio; Crobeddu, Emanuela; Fornaro, Riccardo; Ducati, Alessandro; Garbossa, Diego

2015-11-01

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most frequent primary central nervous system (CNS) tumor. Despite the best treatment and advances in therapy, prognosis remains poor. One of the mainstays of therapy in GBM is surgical excision. Several studies have confirmed that the extent of resection (EOR) positively influences overall survival (OS) in patients with high-grade gliomas (HGGs). A literature search was performed using PubMed to assess the useful neurosurgical tools to achieve the best neurosurgical performance. In order to achieve the major extent of resection, preserving neurological function, many tools are now available, especially neuronavigation, intraoperative fluorescence, intraoperative ultrasound, and neuromonitoring. In addition to the maximal excision of tumor, the neurosurgeon can use photodynamic therapy (PTD) and local drug delivery (LDD) to improve the local control and bridge conventional radio and chemotherapy. EOR improves OS in patients with HGGs. There are technological possibilities for achieving a complete resection preserving neurological function, and it is not acceptable to perform only biopsy of these lesions.

A reliability-based cost effective fail-safe design procedure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hanagud, S.; Uppaluri, B.

1976-01-01

The authors have developed a methodology for cost-effective fatigue design of structures subject to random fatigue loading. A stochastic model for fatigue crack propagation under random loading has been discussed. Fracture mechanics is then used to estimate the parameters of the model and the residual strength of structures with cracks. The stochastic model and residual strength variations have been used to develop procedures for estimating the probability of failure and its changes with inspection frequency. This information on reliability is then used to construct an objective function in terms of either a total weight function or cost function. A procedure for selecting the design variables, subject to constraints, by optimizing the objective function has been illustrated by examples. In particular, optimum design of stiffened panel has been discussed.

Reliability model for ductile hybrid FRP rebar using randomly dispersed chopped fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behnam, Bashar Ramzi

Fiber reinforced polymer composites or simply FRP composites have become more attractive to civil engineers in the last two decades due to their unique mechanical properties. However, there are many obstacles such as low elasticity modulus, non-ductile behavior, high cost of the fibers, high manufacturing costs, and absence of rigorous characterization of the uncertainties of the mechanical properties that restrict the use of these composites. However, when FRP composites are used to develop reinforcing rebars in concrete structural members to replace the conventional steel, a huge benefit can be achieved since FRP materials don't corrode. Two FRP rebar models are proposed that make use of multiple types of fibers to achieve ductility, and chopped fibers are used to reduce the manufacturing costs. In order to reach the most optimum fractional volume of each type of fiber, to minimize the cost of the proposed rebars, and to achieve a safe design by considering uncertainties in the materials and geometry of sections, appropriate material resistance factors have been developed, and a Reliability Based Design Optimization (RBDO), has been conducted for the proposed schemes.

Assuring reliability program effectiveness.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ball, L. W.

1973-01-01

An attempt is made to provide simple identification and description of techniques that have proved to be most useful either in developing a new product or in improving reliability of an established product. The first reliability task is obtaining and organizing parts failure rate data. Other tasks are parts screening, tabulation of general failure rates, preventive maintenance, prediction of new product reliability, and statistical demonstration of achieved reliability. Five principal tasks for improving reliability involve the physics of failure research, derating of internal stresses, control of external stresses, functional redundancy, and failure effects control. A final task is the training and motivation of reliability specialist engineers.

Enhancing healthcare process design with human factors engineering and reliability science, part 2: applying the knowledge to clinical documentation systems.

PubMed

Boston-Fleischhauer, Carol

2008-02-01

The demand to redesign healthcare processes that achieve efficient, effective, and safe results is never-ending. Part 1 of this 2-part series introduced human factors engineering and reliability science as important knowledge to enhance existing operational and clinical process design methods in healthcare organizations. In part 2, the author applies this knowledge to one of the most common operational processes in healthcare: clinical documentation. Specific implementation strategies and anticipated results are discussed, along with organizational challenges and recommended executive responses.

Asymptotically Safe Standard Model via Vectorlike Fermions.

PubMed

Mann, R B; Meffe, J R; Sannino, F; Steele, T G; Wang, Z W; Zhang, C

2017-12-29

We construct asymptotically safe extensions of the standard model by adding gauged vectorlike fermions. Using large number-of-flavor techniques we argue that all gauge couplings, including the hypercharge and, under certain conditions, the Higgs coupling, can achieve an interacting ultraviolet fixed point.

Asymptotically Safe Standard Model via Vectorlike Fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mann, R. B.; Meffe, J. R.; Sannino, F.; Steele, T. G.; Wang, Z. W.; Zhang, C.

2017-12-01

We construct asymptotically safe extensions of the standard model by adding gauged vectorlike fermions. Using large number-of-flavor techniques we argue that all gauge couplings, including the hypercharge and, under certain conditions, the Higgs coupling, can achieve an interacting ultraviolet fixed point.

Curiosity's Autonomous Surface Safing Behavior Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neilson, Tracy A.; Manning, Robert M.

2013-01-01

The safing routines on all robotic deep-space vehicles are designed to put the vehicle in a power and thermally safe configuration, enabling communication with the mission operators on Earth. Achieving this goal is made a little more difficult on Curiosity because the power requirements for the core avionics and the telecommunication equipment exceed the capability of the single power source, the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator. This drove the system design to create an operational mode, called "sleep mode", where the vehicle turns off most of the loads in order to charge the two Li-ion batteries. The system must keep the vehicle safe from over-heat and under-heat conditions, battery cell failures, under-voltage conditions, and clock failures, both while the computer is running and while the system is sleeping. The other goal of a safing routine is to communicate. On most spacecraft, this simply involves turning on the receiver and transmitter continuously. For Curiosity, Earth is above the horizon only a part of the day for direct communication to the Earth, and the orbiter overpass opportunities only occur a few times a day. The design must robustly place the Rover in a communicable condition at the correct time. This paper discusses Curiosity's autonomous safing behavior and describes how the vehicle remains power and thermally safe while sleeping, as well as a description of how the Rover communicates with the orbiters and Earth at specific times.

Reliability and Validity Evidence of Scores on the Achievement Goal Tendencies Questionnaire in a Sample of Spanish Students of Compulsory Secondary Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ingles, Candido J.; Garcia-Fernandez, Jose M.; Castejon, Juan L.; Valle, Antonio; Delgado, Beatriz; Marzo, Juan C.

2009-01-01

This study examined the reliability and validity evidence drawn from the scores of the Spanish version of the Achievement Goal Tendencies Questionnaire (AGTQ) using a sample of 2,022 (51.1% boys) Spanish students from grades 7 to 10. Confirmatory factor analysis replicated the correlated three-factor structure of the AGTQ in this sample: Learning…

Safe sex

MedlinePlus

... sex; Sexually transmitted - safe sex; GC - safe sex; Gonorrhea - safe sex; Herpes - safe sex; HIV - safe sex; ... contact. STIs include: Chlamydia Genital herpes Genital warts Gonorrhea Hepatitis HIV HPV Syphilis STIs are also called ...

Does achievement motivation mediate the semantic achievement priming effect?

PubMed

Engeser, Stefan; Baumann, Nicola

2014-10-01

The aim of our research was to understand the processes of the prime-to-behavior effects with semantic achievement primes. We extended existing models with a perspective from achievement motivation theory and additionally used achievement primes embedded in the running text of excerpts of school textbooks to simulate a more natural priming condition. Specifically, we proposed that achievement primes affect implicit achievement motivation and conducted pilot experiments and 3 main experiments to explore this proposition. We found no reliable positive effect of achievement primes on implicit achievement motivation. In light of these findings, we tested whether explicit (instead of implicit) achievement motivation is affected by achievement primes and found this to be the case. In the final experiment, we found support for the assumption that higher explicit achievement motivation implies that achievement priming affects the outcome expectations. The implications of the results are discussed, and we conclude that primes affect achievement behavior by heightening explicit achievement motivation and outcome expectancies.

Reliability and validity analysis of the transfer assessment instrument.

PubMed

McClure, Laura A; Boninger, Michael L; Ozawa, Haishin; Koontz, Alicia

2011-03-01

To describe the development and evaluate the reliability and validity of a newly created outcome measure, the Transfer Assessment Instrument (TAI), to assess the quality of transfers performed by full-time wheelchair users. Repeated measures. 2009 National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Spokane, WA. A convenience sample of full-time wheelchair users (N=40) who perform sitting pivot or standing pivot transfers. Not applicable. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for reliability and Spearman correlation coefficients for concurrent validity between the TAI and a global assessment scale (0-100 visual analog scale [VAS]). No adverse events occurred during testing. Intrarater ICCs for 3 raters ranged between .35 and .89, and the interrater ICC was .642. Correlations between the TAI and a global assessment VAS ranged between .19 (P=.285) and .69 (P>.000). Item analyses of the tool found a wide range of results, from weak to good reliability. Evaluators found the TAI to be safe and able to be completed in a short time. The TAI is a safe, quick outcome measure that uses equipment typically found in a clinical setting and does not ask participants to perform new skills. Reliability and validity testing found the TAI to have acceptable interrater and a wide range of intrarater reliability. Future work indicates the need for continued refinement including removal or modification of items found to have low reliability, improved education for clinicians, and further reliability and validity analysis with a more diverse subject population. The TAI has the potential to fill a void in assessment of transfers. Copyright © 2011 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Is "Safety" Dangerous? A Critical Examination of the Classroom as Safe Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrett, Betty J.

2010-01-01

The notion that the classroom can, indeed must, be a safe space to promote student engagement and enhance academic outcomes is pervasive in the teaching and learning literature. Despite the prevalence of this claim, there is a dearth of empirical evidence documenting the effectiveness of safe space classrooms in achieving these goals. The purpose…

Reliability and coverage analysis of non-repairable fault-tolerant memory systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cox, G. W.; Carroll, B. D.

1976-01-01

A method was developed for the construction of probabilistic state-space models for nonrepairable systems. Models were developed for several systems which achieved reliability improvement by means of error-coding, modularized sparing, massive replication and other fault-tolerant techniques. From the models developed, sets of reliability and coverage equations for the systems were developed. Comparative analyses of the systems were performed using these equation sets. In addition, the effects of varying subunit reliabilities on system reliability and coverage were described. The results of these analyses indicated that a significant gain in system reliability may be achieved by use of combinations of modularized sparing, error coding, and software error control. For sufficiently reliable system subunits, this gain may far exceed the reliability gain achieved by use of massive replication techniques, yet result in a considerable saving in system cost.

Reliability based fatigue design and maintenance procedures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hanagud, S.

1977-01-01

A stochastic model has been developed to describe a probability for fatigue process by assuming a varying hazard rate. This stochastic model can be used to obtain the desired probability of a crack of certain length at a given location after a certain number of cycles or time. Quantitative estimation of the developed model was also discussed. Application of the model to develop a procedure for reliability-based cost-effective fail-safe structural design is presented. This design procedure includes the reliability improvement due to inspection and repair. Methods of obtaining optimum inspection and maintenance schemes are treated.

Improving Safe Blood Donation in Nigeria: The Roles of the Mass Media

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oriji, Christian Chigozi

2015-01-01

The study discusses improving safe blood donation in Nigeria and the roles of the mass media in achieving same in Nigerian hospitals. In this regard, it answers the questions: What is blood? What is blood donation? And is safe blood donation adequate in Nigeria? Beyond the relevant answers given on the above questions, it also explains the roles…

Validity and Reliability of Trichotomous Achievement Goal Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ilker, Gokce Erturan; Arslan, Yunus; Demirhan, Giyasettin

2011-01-01

The Trichotomous Achievement Goal Scale was developed by Agbuga and Xiang (2008) by including selected items from the scales of Duda and Nicholls (1992), Elliot (1999), and Elliot and Church (1997) and adapting them into Turkish. The scale consists of 18 items, and students rated each item on a 7-point Likert scale. To ascertain the validity and…

Safe and Affordable Drinking Water for Developing Countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gadgil, Ashok

2008-09-01

Safe drinking water remains inaccessible for about 1.2 billion people in the world, and the hourly toll from biological contamination of drinking water is 200 deaths mostly among children under five years of age. This chapter summarizes the need for safe drinking water, the scale of the global problem, and various methods tried to address it. Then it gives the history and current status of an innovation ("UV Waterworks™") developed to address this major public health challenge. It reviews water disinfection technologies applicable to achieve the desired quality of drinking water in developing countries, and specifically, the limitations overcome by one particular invention: UV Waterworks. It then briefly describes the business model and financing option than is accelerating its implementation for affordable access to safe drinking water to the unserved populations in these countries. Thus this chapter describes not only the innovation in design of a UV water disinfection system, but also innovation in the delivery model for safe drinking water, with potential for long term growth and sustainability.

CEC's Policy on Safe and Positive School Climate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Council for Exceptional Children (NJ3), 2008

2008-01-01

The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) recognizes the important impact a safe and positive school climate has on the personal development and academic achievement of all students. Research has shown that schools implementing supportive and positive school climate strategies are more successful in creating environments conducive to learning. As…

Type Safe Extensible Programming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chae, Wonseok

2009-10-01

Software products evolve over time. Sometimes they evolve by adding new features, and sometimes by either fixing bugs or replacing outdated implementations with new ones. When software engineers fail to anticipate such evolution during development, they will eventually be forced to re-architect or re-build from scratch. Therefore, it has been common practice to prepare for changes so that software products are extensible over their lifetimes. However, making software extensible is challenging because it is difficult to anticipate successive changes and to provide adequate abstraction mechanisms over potential changes. Such extensibility mechanisms, furthermore, should not compromise any existing functionality during extension. Software engineers would benefit from a tool that provides a way to add extensions in a reliable way. It is natural to expect programming languages to serve this role. Extensible programming is one effort to address these issues. In this thesis, we present type safe extensible programming using the MLPolyR language. MLPolyR is an ML-like functional language whose type system provides type-safe extensibility mechanisms at several levels. After presenting the language, we will show how these extensibility mechanisms can be put to good use in the context of product line engineering. Product line engineering is an emerging software engineering paradigm that aims to manage variations, which originate from successive changes in software.

Anatomical Basis for Safe and Effective Volumization of the Temple.

PubMed

Breithaupt, Andrew D; Jones, Derek H; Braz, Andre; Narins, Rhoda; Weinkle, Susan

2015-12-01

One of the earliest but often unaddressed signs of facial aging is volume loss in the temple. Treatment of the area can produce satisfying results for both patient and practitioner. Safe injection requires explicit knowledge of the anatomy to avoid complications related to the multitude of vessels that course throughout the region at various depths. The authors aim to detail the anatomy of the area and provide a safe and easy-to-follow method for injection. The authors review the relevant anatomy of the temporal region and its application to cosmetic filler injections. The authors describe an easy-to-follow approach for a safe and effective injection window based on numerous anatomical studies. Injection in this area is not without risk, including potential blindness. The authors review the potential complications and their treatments. Hollowing of the temple is an early sign of aging that, when corrected, can lead to significant patient and practitioner satisfaction. Proper anatomically knowledge is required to avoid potentially severe complications. In this study, the authors present a reliable technique to safely and effectively augment this often undertreated area of the aging face.

Reliability of drivers in urban intersections.

PubMed

Gstalter, Herbert; Fastenmeier, Wolfgang

2010-01-01

The concept of human reliability has been widely used in industrial settings by human factors experts to optimise the person-task fit. Reliability is estimated by the probability that a task will successfully be completed by personnel in a given stage of system operation. Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) is a technique used to calculate human error probabilities as the ratio of errors committed to the number of opportunities for that error. To transfer this notion to the measurement of car driver reliability the following components are necessary: a taxonomy of driving tasks, a definition of correct behaviour in each of these tasks, a list of errors as deviations from the correct actions and an adequate observation method to register errors and opportunities for these errors. Use of the SAFE-task analysis procedure recently made it possible to derive driver errors directly from the normative analysis of behavioural requirements. Driver reliability estimates could be used to compare groups of tasks (e.g. different types of intersections with their respective regulations) as well as groups of drivers' or individual drivers' aptitudes. This approach was tested in a field study with 62 drivers of different age groups. The subjects drove an instrumented car and had to complete an urban test route, the main features of which were 18 intersections representing six different driving tasks. The subjects were accompanied by two trained observers who recorded driver errors using standardized observation sheets. Results indicate that error indices often vary between both the age group of drivers and the type of driving task. The highest error indices occurred in the non-signalised intersection tasks and the roundabout, which exactly equals the corresponding ratings of task complexity from the SAFE analysis. A comparison of age groups clearly shows the disadvantage of older drivers, whose error indices in nearly all tasks are significantly higher than those of the other groups

Reliability Assessment for Low-cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freeman, Paul Michael

Existing low-cost unmanned aerospace systems are unreliable, and engineers must blend reliability analysis with fault-tolerant control in novel ways. This dissertation introduces the University of Minnesota unmanned aerial vehicle flight research platform, a comprehensive simulation and flight test facility for reliability and fault-tolerance research. An industry-standard reliability assessment technique, the failure modes and effects analysis, is performed for an unmanned aircraft. Particular attention is afforded to the control surface and servo-actuation subsystem. Maintaining effector health is essential for safe flight; failures may lead to loss of control incidents. Failure likelihood, severity, and risk are qualitatively assessed for several effector failure modes. Design changes are recommended to improve aircraft reliability based on this analysis. Most notably, the control surfaces are split, providing independent actuation and dual-redundancy. The simulation models for control surface aerodynamic effects are updated to reflect the split surfaces using a first-principles geometric analysis. The failure modes and effects analysis is extended by using a high-fidelity nonlinear aircraft simulation. A trim state discovery is performed to identify the achievable steady, wings-level flight envelope of the healthy and damaged vehicle. Tolerance of elevator actuator failures is studied using familiar tools from linear systems analysis. This analysis reveals significant inherent performance limitations for candidate adaptive/reconfigurable control algorithms used for the vehicle. Moreover, it demonstrates how these tools can be applied in a design feedback loop to make safety-critical unmanned systems more reliable. Control surface impairments that do occur must be quickly and accurately detected. This dissertation also considers fault detection and identification for an unmanned aerial vehicle using model-based and model-free approaches and applies those

The Safe Yield and Climatic Variability: Implications for Groundwater Management.

PubMed

Loáiciga, Hugo A

2017-05-01

Methods for calculating the safe yield are evaluated in this paper using a high-quality and long historical data set of groundwater recharge, discharge, extraction, and precipitation in a karst aquifer. Consideration is given to the role that climatic variability has on the determination of a climatically representative period with which to evaluate the safe yield. The methods employed to estimate the safe yield are consistent with its definition as a long-term average extraction rate that avoids adverse impacts on groundwater. The safe yield is a useful baseline for groundwater planning; yet, it is herein shown that it is not an operational rule that works well under all climatic conditions. This paper shows that due to the nature of dynamic groundwater processes it may be most appropriate to use an adaptive groundwater management strategy that links groundwater extraction rates to groundwater discharge rates, thus achieving a safe yield that represents an estimated long-term sustainable yield. An example of the calculation of the safe yield of the Edwards Aquifer (Texas) demonstrates that it is about one-half of the average annual recharge. © 2016, National Ground Water Association.

NASA Applications and Lessons Learned in Reliability Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Safie, Fayssal M.; Fuller, Raymond P.

2011-01-01

Since the Shuttle Challenger accident in 1986, communities across NASA have been developing and extensively using quantitative reliability and risk assessment methods in their decision making process. This paper discusses several reliability engineering applications that NASA has used over the year to support the design, development, and operation of critical space flight hardware. Specifically, the paper discusses several reliability engineering applications used by NASA in areas such as risk management, inspection policies, components upgrades, reliability growth, integrated failure analysis, and physics based probabilistic engineering analysis. In each of these areas, the paper provides a brief discussion of a case study to demonstrate the value added and the criticality of reliability engineering in supporting NASA project and program decisions to fly safely. Examples of these case studies discussed are reliability based life limit extension of Shuttle Space Main Engine (SSME) hardware, Reliability based inspection policies for Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) turbine disc, probabilistic structural engineering analysis for reliability prediction of the SSME alternate turbo-pump development, impact of ET foam reliability on the Space Shuttle System risk, and reliability based Space Shuttle upgrade for safety. Special attention is given in this paper to the physics based probabilistic engineering analysis applications and their critical role in evaluating the reliability of NASA development hardware including their potential use in a research and technology development environment.

Ultra Reliable Closed Loop Life Support for Long Space Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Harry W.; Ewert, Michael K.

2010-01-01

Spacecraft human life support systems can achieve ultra reliability by providing sufficient spares to replace all failed components. The additional mass of spares for ultra reliability is approximately equal to the original system mass, provided that the original system reliability is not too low. Acceptable reliability can be achieved for the Space Shuttle and Space Station by preventive maintenance and by replacing failed units. However, on-demand maintenance and repair requires a logistics supply chain in place to provide the needed spares. In contrast, a Mars or other long space mission must take along all the needed spares, since resupply is not possible. Long missions must achieve ultra reliability, a very low failure rate per hour, since they will take years rather than weeks and cannot be cut short if a failure occurs. Also, distant missions have a much higher mass launch cost per kilogram than near-Earth missions. Achieving ultra reliable spacecraft life support systems with acceptable mass will require a well-planned and extensive development effort. Analysis must determine the reliability requirement and allocate it to subsystems and components. Ultra reliability requires reducing the intrinsic failure causes, providing spares to replace failed components and having "graceful" failure modes. Technologies, components, and materials must be selected and designed for high reliability. Long duration testing is needed to confirm very low failure rates. Systems design should segregate the failure causes in the smallest, most easily replaceable parts. The system must be designed, developed, integrated, and tested with system reliability in mind. Maintenance and reparability of failed units must not add to the probability of failure. The overall system must be tested sufficiently to identify any design errors. A program to develop ultra reliable space life support systems with acceptable mass should start soon since it must be a long term effort.

An Evaluation Method of Equipment Reliability Configuration Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wei; Feng, Weijia; Zhang, Wei; Li, Yuan

2018-01-01

At present, many equipment development companies have been aware of the great significance of reliability of the equipment development. But, due to the lack of effective management evaluation method, it is very difficult for the equipment development company to manage its own reliability work. Evaluation method of equipment reliability configuration management is to determine the reliability management capabilities of equipment development company. Reliability is not only designed, but also managed to achieve. This paper evaluates the reliability management capabilities by reliability configuration capability maturity model(RCM-CMM) evaluation method.

Reliability and Failure in NASA Missions: Blunders, Normal Accidents, High Reliability, Bad Luck

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Harry W.

2015-01-01

NASA emphasizes crew safety and system reliability but several unfortunate failures have occurred. The Apollo 1 fire was mistakenly unanticipated. After that tragedy, the Apollo program gave much more attention to safety. The Challenger accident revealed that NASA had neglected safety and that management underestimated the high risk of shuttle. Probabilistic Risk Assessment was adopted to provide more accurate failure probabilities for shuttle and other missions. NASA's "faster, better, cheaper" initiative and government procurement reform led to deliberately dismantling traditional reliability engineering. The Columbia tragedy and Mars mission failures followed. Failures can be attributed to blunders, normal accidents, or bad luck. Achieving high reliability is difficult but possible.

Conversations in Equity and Social Justice: Constructing Safe Schools for Queer Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Short, Donn

2010-01-01

The paper is a critique of discourse focused on at-risk behaviour and homophobic bullying. The paper argues that conversations around homophobic bullying must include discussions of doing equity and achieving social justice,in which the ultimate goal of constructing safe schools is achieved through the utter transformation of school culture.…

Developing Ultra Reliable Life Support for the Moon and Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Harry W.

2009-01-01

Recycling life support systems can achieve ultra reliability by using spares to replace failed components. The added mass for spares is approximately equal to the original system mass, provided the original system reliability is not very low. Acceptable reliability can be achieved for the space shuttle and space station by preventive maintenance and by replacing failed units, However, this maintenance and repair depends on a logistics supply chain that provides the needed spares. The Mars mission must take all the needed spares at launch. The Mars mission also must achieve ultra reliability, a very low failure rate per hour, since it requires years rather than weeks and cannot be cut short if a failure occurs. Also, the Mars mission has a much higher mass launch cost per kilogram than shuttle or station. Achieving ultra reliable space life support with acceptable mass will require a well-planned and extensive development effort. Analysis must define the reliability requirement and allocate it to subsystems and components. Technologies, components, and materials must be designed and selected for high reliability. Extensive testing is needed to ascertain very low failure rates. Systems design should segregate the failure causes in the smallest, most easily replaceable parts. The systems must be designed, produced, integrated, and tested without impairing system reliability. Maintenance and failed unit replacement should not introduce any additional probability of failure. The overall system must be tested sufficiently to identify any design errors. A program to develop ultra reliable space life support systems with acceptable mass must start soon if it is to produce timely results for the moon and Mars.

Schoolbook Texts: Behavioral Achievement Priming in Math and Language.

PubMed

Engeser, Stefan; Baumann, Nicola; Baum, Ingrid

2016-01-01

Prior research found reliable and considerably strong effects of semantic achievement primes on subsequent performance. In order to simulate a more natural priming condition to better understand the practical relevance of semantic achievement priming effects, running texts of schoolbook excerpts with and without achievement primes were used as priming stimuli. Additionally, we manipulated the achievement context; some subjects received no feedback about their achievement and others received feedback according to a social or individual reference norm. As expected, we found a reliable (albeit small) positive behavioral priming effect of semantic achievement primes on achievement in math (Experiment 1) and language tasks (Experiment 2). Feedback moderated the behavioral priming effect less consistently than we expected. The implication that achievement primes in schoolbooks can foster performance is discussed along with general theoretical implications.

Schoolbook Texts: Behavioral Achievement Priming in Math and Language

PubMed Central

Engeser, Stefan; Baumann, Nicola; Baum, Ingrid

2016-01-01

Prior research found reliable and considerably strong effects of semantic achievement primes on subsequent performance. In order to simulate a more natural priming condition to better understand the practical relevance of semantic achievement priming effects, running texts of schoolbook excerpts with and without achievement primes were used as priming stimuli. Additionally, we manipulated the achievement context; some subjects received no feedback about their achievement and others received feedback according to a social or individual reference norm. As expected, we found a reliable (albeit small) positive behavioral priming effect of semantic achievement primes on achievement in math (Experiment 1) and language tasks (Experiment 2). Feedback moderated the behavioral priming effect less consistently than we expected. The implication that achievement primes in schoolbooks can foster performance is discussed along with general theoretical implications. PMID:26938446

Development of Achievement Test: Validity and Reliability Study for Achievement Test on Matter Changing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kara, Filiz; Celikler, Dilek

2015-01-01

For "Matter Changing" unit included in the Secondary School 5th Grade Science Program, it is intended to develop a test conforming the gains described in the program, and that can determine students' achievements. For this purpose, a multiple-choice test of 48 questions is arranged, consisting of 8 questions for each gain included in the…

Cool and Safe: Multiplicity in Safe Innovation at Unilever

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Penders, Bart

2011-01-01

This article presents the making of a safe innovation: the application of ice structuring protein (ISP) in edible ices. It argues that safety is not the absence of risk but is an active accomplishment; innovations are not "made safe afterward" but "safe innovations are made". Furthermore, there are multiple safeties to be accomplished in the…

Safe delivery of optical power from space.

PubMed

Smith, M; Fork, R L; Cole, S

2001-05-07

More than a billion gigawatts of sunlight pass through the area extending from Earth out to geostationary orbit. A small fraction of this clean renewable power appears more than adequate to satisfy the projected needs of Earth, and of human exploration and development of space far into the future. Recent studies suggest safe and efficient access to this power can be achieved within 10 to 40 years. Light, enhanced in spatial and temporal coherence, as compared to natural sunlight, offers a means, and probably the only practical means, of usefully transmitting this power to Earth. We describe safety standards for satellite constellations and Earth based sites designed, respectively, to transmit, and receive this power. The spectral properties, number of satellites, and angle subtended at Earth that are required for safe delivery are identified and discussed.

Flywheel Rotor Safe-Life Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ratner, J. K. H.; Chang, J. B.; Christopher, D. A.; McLallin, Kerry L. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Since the 1960s, research has been conducted into the use of flywheels as energy storage systems. The-proposed applications include energy storage for hybrid and electric automobiles, attitude control and energy storage for satellites, and uninterruptible power supplies for hospitals and computer centers. For many years, however, the use of flywheels for space applications was restricted by the total weight of a system employing a metal rotor. With recent technological advances in the manufacturing of composite materials, however, lightweight composite rotors have begun to be proposed for such applications. Flywheels with composite rotors provide much higher power and energy storage capabilities than conventional chemical batteries. However, the failure of a high speed flywheel rotor could be a catastrophic event. For this reason, flywheel rotors are classified by the NASA Fracture Control Requirements Standard as fracture critical parts. Currently, there is no industry standard to certify a composite rotor for safe and reliable operation forth( required lifetime of the flywheel. Technical problems hindering the development of this standard include composite manufacturing inconsistencies, insufficient nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques for detecting defects and/or impact damage, lack of standard material test methods for characterizing composite rotor design allowables, and no unified proof (over-spin) test for flight rotors. As part of a flywheel rotor safe-life certification pro-ram funded b the government, a review of the state of the art in composite rotors is in progress. The goal of the review is to provide a clear picture of composite flywheel rotor technologies. The literature review has concentrated on the following topics concerning composites and composite rotors: durability (fatigue) and damage tolerance (safe-life) analysis/test methods, in-service NDE and health monitoring techniques, spin test methods/ procedures, and containment options

Embracing Safe Ground Test Facility Operations and Maintenance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunn, Steven C.; Green, Donald R.

2010-01-01

Conducting integrated operations and maintenance in wind tunnel ground test facilities requires a balance of meeting due dates, efficient operation, responsiveness to the test customer, data quality, effective maintenance (relating to readiness and reliability), and personnel and facility safety. Safety is non-negotiable, so the balance must be an "and" with other requirements and needs. Pressure to deliver services faster at increasing levels of quality in under-maintained facilities is typical. A challenge for management is to balance the "need for speed" with safety and quality. It s especially important to communicate this balance across the organization - workers, with a desire to perform, can be tempted to cut corners on defined processes to increase speed. Having a lean staff can extend the time required for pre-test preparations, so providing a safe work environment for facility personnel and providing good stewardship for expensive National capabilities can be put at risk by one well-intending person using at-risk behavior. This paper documents a specific, though typical, operational environment and cites management and worker safety initiatives and tools used to provide a safe work environment. Results are presented and clearly show that the work environment is a relatively safe one, though still not good enough to keep from preventing injury. So, the journey to a zero injury work environment - both in measured reality and in the minds of each employee - continues. The intent of this paper is to provide a benchmark for others with operational environments and stimulate additional sharing and discussion on having and keeping a safe work environment.

Complementary Reliability-Based Decodings of Binary Linear Block Codes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fossorier, Marc P. C.; Lin, Shu

1997-01-01

This correspondence presents a hybrid reliability-based decoding algorithm which combines the reprocessing method based on the most reliable basis and a generalized Chase-type algebraic decoder based on the least reliable positions. It is shown that reprocessing with a simple additional algebraic decoding effort achieves significant coding gain. For long codes, the order of reprocessing required to achieve asymptotic optimum error performance is reduced by approximately 1/3. This significantly reduces the computational complexity, especially for long codes. Also, a more efficient criterion for stopping the decoding process is derived based on the knowledge of the algebraic decoding solution.

[Safe school].

PubMed

Liberal, Edson Ferreira; Aires, Roberto Tschoepke; Aires, Mariana Tschoepke; Osório, Ana Carla de Albuquerque

2005-11-01

To review the strategies to make school a safe environment. The paper first addresses the social context of accidents and violence in the school environment, and makes recommendations, based on the literature data, for the implementation of safe schools. Articles published between 1993 and 2005 in the MEDLINE database. Brazilian epidemiological and literature data have also been searched. There is growing evidence that intervention has multiple components, focusing on health education practices, with the participation of the whole community. The aim of those interventions is to help students and community members to adopt healthy and safe behaviors. Schools are taking on an increasing role in health promotion, disease prevention, and injury prevention. In the context of prevention of external causes of morbidity and mortality, it is important to recognize a risky environment, places, and risk behaviors as favorable to injury and violence, as well as the concept of accident as something one can avoid. Implementation of safe schools represents a promising new direction for school-based preventive work. It is important to note that a safe school should intervene not only in its physical structure, but it should also make it as safe as possible by gathering the school community through health education, and mainly encouraging healthy behavior.

Investigation of safe-life fail-safe criteria for the space shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

An investigation was made to determine the effects of a safe-life design approach and a fail-safe design approach on the space shuttle booster vehicle structure, and to recommend any changes to the structural design criteria. Two configurations of the booster vehicle were considered, one incorporating a delta wing (B-9U configuration) and the other a swept wing (B-16B configuration). Several major structural components of the booster were studied to determine the fatigue life, safe-life, and fail-safe capabilities of the baseline design. Each component was investigated to determine the practicability of applying a safe-life or fail-safe design philosophy, the changes such design approaches might require, and the impact of these changes on weight, cost, development plans, and performance.

The human factor: the critical importance of effective teamwork and communication in providing safe care.

PubMed

Leonard, M; Graham, S; Bonacum, D

2004-10-01

Effective communication and teamwork is essential for the delivery of high quality, safe patient care. Communication failures are an extremely common cause of inadvertent patient harm. The complexity of medical care, coupled with the inherent limitations of human performance, make it critically important that clinicians have standardised communication tools, create an environment in which individuals can speak up and express concerns, and share common "critical language" to alert team members to unsafe situations. All too frequently, effective communication is situation or personality dependent. Other high reliability domains, such as commercial aviation, have shown that the adoption of standardised tools and behaviours is a very effective strategy in enhancing teamwork and reducing risk. We describe our ongoing patient safety implementation using this approach within Kaiser Permanente, a non-profit American healthcare system providing care for 8.3 million patients. We describe specific clinical experience in the application of surgical briefings, properties of high reliability perinatal care, the value of critical event training and simulation, and benefits of a standardised communication process in the care of patients transferred from hospitals to skilled nursing facilities. Additionally, lessons learned as to effective techniques in achieving cultural change, evidence of improving the quality of the work environment, practice transfer strategies, critical success factors, and the evolving methods of demonstrating the benefit of such work are described.

High-reliability release mechanism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paradise, J. J.

1971-01-01

Release mechanism employing simple clevis fitting in combination with two pin-pullers achieves high reliability degree through active mechanical redundancy. Mechanism releases solar arrays. It is simple and inexpensive and performs effectively. It adapts to other release-system applications with variety of pin-puller devices.

Reliability in individual monitoring service.

PubMed

Mod Ali, N

2011-03-01

As a laboratory certified to ISO 9001:2008 and accredited to ISO/IEC 17025, the Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory (SSDL)-Nuclear Malaysia has incorporated an overall comprehensive system for technical and quality management in promoting a reliable individual monitoring service (IMS). Faster identification and resolution of issues regarding dosemeter preparation and issuing of reports, personnel enhancement, improved customer satisfaction and overall efficiency of laboratory activities are all results of the implementation of an effective quality system. Review of these measures and responses to observed trends provide continuous improvement of the system. By having these mechanisms, reliability of the IMS can be assured in the promotion of safe behaviour at all levels of the workforce utilising ionising radiation facilities. Upgradation of in the reporting program through a web-based e-SSDL marks a major improvement in Nuclear Malaysia's IMS reliability on the whole. The system is a vital step in providing a user friendly and effective occupational exposure evaluation program in the country. It provides a higher level of confidence in the results generated for occupational dose monitoring of the IMS, thus, enhances the status of the radiation protection framework of the country.

Reliability Considerations for the Operation of Large Accelerator User Facilities

DOE PAGES

Willeke, F. J.

2016-01-29

The lecture provides an overview of considerations relevant for achieving highly reliable operation of accelerator based user facilities. The article starts with an overview of statistical reliability formalism which is followed by high reliability design considerations with examples. Finally, the article closes with operational aspects of high reliability such as preventive maintenance and spares inventory.

Combating the Reliability Challenge of GPU Register File at Low Supply Voltage

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tan, Jingweijia; Song, Shuaiwen; Yan, Kaige

Supply voltage reduction is an effective approach to significantly reduce GPU energy consumption. As the largest on-chip storage structure, the GPU register file becomes the reliability hotspot that prevents further supply voltage reduction below the safe limit (Vmin) due to process variation effects. This work addresses the reliability challenge of the GPU register file at low supply voltages, which is an essential first step for aggressive supply voltage reduction of the entire GPU chip. We propose GR-Guard, an architectural solution that leverages long register dead time to enable reliable operations from unreliable register file at low voltages.

Safe Zones: Creating LGBT Safe Space Ally Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poynter, Kerry John; Tubbs, Nancy Jean

2008-01-01

This article discusses model LGBT Safe Space Ally programs. These programs, often called "Safe Zones," include self selected students, faculty, and employees who publicly show support by displaying stickers, signs, and other identifiable items. Issues covered in the article include history, development, training, membership, assessment, and…

Spring-action Apparatus for Fixation of Eyeball (SAFE): a novel, cost-effective yet simple device for ophthalmic wet-lab training.

PubMed

Ramakrishnan, Seema; Baskaran, Prabu; Fazal, Romana; Sulaiman, Syed Mohammad; Krishnan, Tiruvengada; Venkatesh, Rengaraj

2016-10-01

Achieving a formed and firm eyeball which is stably fixed in a holding device is a major challenge of surgical wet-lab training. Our innovation, the 'Spring-action Apparatus for Fixation of Eyeball (SAFE)' is a robust, simple and economical device to solve this problem. It consists of a hollow iron cylinder to which a spring-action syringe is attached. The spring-action syringe generates vacuum and enables reliable fixation of a human or animal cadaveric eye on the iron cylinder. The rise in intraocular pressure due to vacuum fixation can be varied as per need or nature of surgery being practised. A mask-fixed version of this device is also designed to train surgeons for appropriate hand positioning. An experienced surgeon performed various surgeries including manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS), phacoemulsification, laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), femtosecond LASIK docking, Descemet's stripping endothelial keratoplasty, deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty, penetrating keratoplasty and trabeculectomy on this device, while a trainee surgeon practised MSICS and wound suturing. Skill-appropriate comfort level was much higher with SAFE than with conventional globe holders for both surgeons. Due to its stability, pressure adjustability, portability, cost-efficiency and simplicity, we recommend SAFE as the basic equipment for every wet lab. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Flight control electronics reliability/maintenance study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dade, W. W.; Edwards, R. H.; Katt, G. T.; Mcclellan, K. L.; Shomber, H. A.

1977-01-01

Collection and analysis of data are reported that concern the reliability and maintenance experience of flight control system electronics currently in use on passenger carrying jet aircraft. Two airlines B-747 airplane fleets were analyzed to assess the component reliability, system functional reliability, and achieved availability of the CAT II configuration flight control system. Also assessed were the costs generated by this system in the categories of spare equipment, schedule irregularity, and line and shop maintenance. The results indicate that although there is a marked difference in the geographic location and route pattern between the airlines studied, there is a close similarity in the reliability and the maintenance costs associated with the flight control electronics.

Creating Highly Reliable Accountable Care Organizations.

PubMed

Vogus, Timothy J; Singer, Sara J

2016-12-01

Accountable Care Organizations' (ACOs) pursuit of the triple aim of higher quality, lower cost, and improved population health has met with mixed results. To improve the design and implementation of ACOs we look to organizations that manage similarly complex, dynamic, and tightly coupled conditions while sustaining exceptional performance known as high-reliability organizations. We describe the key processes through which organizations achieve reliability, the leadership and organizational practices that enable it, and the role that professionals can play when charged with enacting it. Specifically, we present concrete practices and processes from health care organizations pursuing high-reliability and from early ACOs to illustrate how the triple aim may be met by cultivating mindful organizing, practicing reliability-enhancing leadership, and identifying and supporting reliability professionals. We conclude by proposing a set of research questions to advance the study of ACOs and high-reliability research. © The Author(s) 2016.

Novel, ultra-compact, high-performance, eye-safe laser rangefinder for demanding applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silver, M.; Lee, S. T.; Borthwick, A.; Morton, G.; McNeill, C.; McSporran, D.; McRae, I.; McKinlay, G.; Jackson, D.; Alexander, W.

2016-05-01

Compact eye-safe laser rangefinders (LRFs) are a key technology for future sensors. In addition to reduced size, weight and power (SWaP), compact LRFs are increasingly being required to deliver a higher repetition rate, burst mode capability. Burst mode allows acquisition of telemetry data from fast moving targets or while sensing-on-the-move. We will describe a new, ultra-compact, long-range, eye-safe laser rangefinder that incorporates a novel transmitter that can deliver a burst capability. The transmitter is a diode-pumped, erbium:glass, passively Q-switched, solid-state laser which uses design and packaging techniques adopted from the telecom components sector. The key advantage of this approach is that the transmitter can be engineered to match the physical dimensions of the active laser components and the submillimetre sized laser spot. This makes the transmitter significantly smaller than existing designs, leading to big improvements in thermal management, and allowing higher repetition rates. In addition, the design approach leads to devices that have higher reliability, lower cost, and smaller form-factor, than previously possible. We present results from the laser rangefinder that incorporates the new transmitter. The LRF has dimensions (L x W x H) of 100 x 55 x 34 mm and achieves ranges of up to 15km from a single shot, and over a temperature range of -32°C to +60°C. Due to the transmitter's superior thermal performance, the unit is capable of repetition rates of 1Hz continuous operation and short bursts of up to 4Hz. Short bursts of 10Hz have also been demonstrated from the transmitter in the laboratory.

Multidisciplinary System Reliability Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mahadevan, Sankaran; Han, Song; Chamis, Christos C. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The objective of this study is to develop a new methodology for estimating the reliability of engineering systems that encompass multiple disciplines. The methodology is formulated in the context of the NESSUS probabilistic structural analysis code, developed under the leadership of NASA Glenn Research Center. The NESSUS code has been successfully applied to the reliability estimation of a variety of structural engineering systems. This study examines whether the features of NESSUS could be used to investigate the reliability of systems in other disciplines such as heat transfer, fluid mechanics, electrical circuits etc., without considerable programming effort specific to each discipline. In this study, the mechanical equivalence between system behavior models in different disciplines are investigated to achieve this objective. A new methodology is presented for the analysis of heat transfer, fluid flow, and electrical circuit problems using the structural analysis routines within NESSUS, by utilizing the equivalence between the computational quantities in different disciplines. This technique is integrated with the fast probability integration and system reliability techniques within the NESSUS code, to successfully compute the system reliability of multidisciplinary systems. Traditional as well as progressive failure analysis methods for system reliability estimation are demonstrated, through a numerical example of a heat exchanger system involving failure modes in structural, heat transfer and fluid flow disciplines.

Learning reliable manipulation strategies without initial physical models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Christiansen, Alan D.; Mason, Matthew T.; Mitchell, Tom M.

1990-01-01

A description is given of a robot, possessing limited sensory and effectory capabilities but no initial model of the effects of its actions on the world, that acquires such a model through exploration, practice, and observation. By acquiring an increasingly correct model of its actions, it generates increasingly successful plans to achieve its goals. In an apparently nondeterministic world, achieving reliability requires the identification of reliable actions and a preference for using such actions. Furthermore, by selecting its training actions carefully, the robot can significantly improve its learning rate.

Automatic Bone Drilling - More Precise, Reliable and Safe Manipulation in the Orthopaedic Surgery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boiadjiev, George; Kastelov, Rumen; Boiadjiev, Tony; Delchev, Kamen; Zagurski, Kazimir

2016-06-01

Bone drilling manipulation often occurs in the orthopaedic surgery. By statistics, nowadays, about one million people only in Europe need such an operation every year, where bone implants are inserted. Almost always, the drilling is performed handily, which cannot avoid the subjective factor influence. The question of subjective factor reduction has its answer - automatic bone drilling. The specific features and problems of orthopaedic drilling manipulation are considered in this work. The automatic drilling is presented according the possibilities of robotized system Orthopaedic Drilling Robot (ODRO) for assuring the manipulation accuracy, precision, reliability and safety.

The reliability of a quality appraisal tool for studies of diagnostic reliability (QAREL).

PubMed

Lucas, Nicholas; Macaskill, Petra; Irwig, Les; Moran, Robert; Rickards, Luke; Turner, Robin; Bogduk, Nikolai

2013-09-09

The aim of this project was to investigate the reliability of a new 11-item quality appraisal tool for studies of diagnostic reliability (QAREL). The tool was tested on studies reporting the reliability of any physical examination procedure. The reliability of physical examination is a challenging area to study given the complex testing procedures, the range of tests, and lack of procedural standardisation. Three reviewers used QAREL to independently rate 29 articles, comprising 30 studies, published during 2007. The articles were identified from a search of relevant databases using the following string: "Reproducibility of results (MeSH) OR reliability (t.w.) AND Physical examination (MeSH) OR physical examination (t.w.)." A total of 415 articles were retrieved and screened for inclusion. The reviewers undertook an independent trial assessment prior to data collection, followed by a general discussion about how to score each item. At no time did the reviewers discuss individual papers. Reliability was assessed for each item using multi-rater kappa (κ). Multi-rater reliability estimates ranged from κ = 0.27 to 0.92 across all items. Six items were recorded with good reliability (κ > 0.60), three with moderate reliability (κ = 0.41 - 0.60), and two with fair reliability (κ = 0.21 - 0.40). Raters found it difficult to agree about the spectrum of patients included in a study (Item 1) and the correct application and interpretation of the test (Item 10). In this study, we found that QAREL was a reliable assessment tool for studies of diagnostic reliability when raters agreed upon criteria for the interpretation of each item. Nine out of 11 items had good or moderate reliability, and two items achieved fair reliability. The heterogeneity in the tests included in this study may have resulted in an underestimation of the reliability of these two items. We discuss these and other factors that could affect our results and make recommendations for the use of QAREL.

Safe Direct Current Stimulation to Expand Capabilities of Neural Prostheses

PubMed Central

Fridman, Gene Y.; Della Santina, Charles C.

2014-01-01

While effective in treating some neurological disorders, neuroelectric prostheses are fundamentally limited because they must employ charge-balanced stimuli to avoid evolution of irreversible electrochemical reactions and their byproducts at the interface between metal electrodes and body fluids. Charge-balancing is typically achieved by using brief biphasic alternating current (AC) pulses, which typically excite nearby neural tissues but cannot efficiently inhibit them. In contrast, direct current (DC) applied via a metal electrode in contact with body fluids can excite, inhibit and modulate sensitivity of neurons; however, DC stimulation is biologically unsafe because it violates “safe charge injection” limits that have long been considered unavoidable constraints. In this report, we describe the design and fabrication of a safe DC stimulator (SDCS) that overcomes this constraint. The SCDS drives DC ionic current into target tissue via salt-bridge micropipette electrodes by switching valves in phase with AC square waves applied to metal electrodes contained within the device. This approach achieves DC ionic flow through tissue while still adhering to charge-balancing constraints at each electrode-saline interface. We show the SDCS’s ability to both inhibit and excite neural activity to achieve improved dynamic range during prosthetic stimulation of the vestibular part of the inner ear in chinchillas. PMID:23476007

Using the Social, Attitudinal, Familial, and Environmental (S.A.F.E.) Acculturation Stress Scale to Assess the Adjustment Needs of Hispanic College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuertes, Jairo N.; Westbrook, Franklin D.

1996-01-01

Reexamined the validity and reliability of the 24-item S.A.F.E. scale and found it to be a reliable measure of Hispanics' acculturation stress. Also studied the effect of generational status, gender, and socioeconomic status on the levels of acculturation stress experienced by this sample. (RJM)

Modeling of a bubble-memory organization with self-checking translators to achieve high reliability.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bouricius, W. G.; Carter, W. C.; Hsieh, E. P.; Wadia, A. B.; Jessep, D. C., Jr.

1973-01-01

Study of the design and modeling of a highly reliable bubble-memory system that has the capabilities of: (1) correcting a single 16-adjacent bit-group error resulting from failures in a single basic storage module (BSM), and (2) detecting with a probability greater than 0.99 any double errors resulting from failures in BSM's. The results of the study justify the design philosophy adopted of employing memory data encoding and a translator to correct single group errors and detect double group errors to enhance the overall system reliability.

Inherently safe in situ uranium recovery

DOEpatents

Krumhansl, James L; Brady, Patrick V

2014-04-29

An in situ recovery of uranium operation involves circulating reactive fluids through an underground uranium deposit. These fluids contain chemicals that dissolve the uranium ore. Uranium is recovered from the fluids after they are pumped back to the surface. Chemicals used to accomplish this include complexing agents that are organic, readily degradable, and/or have a predictable lifetime in an aquifer. Efficiency is increased through development of organic agents targeted to complexing tetravalent uranium rather than hexavalent uranium. The operation provides for in situ immobilization of some oxy-anion pollutants under oxidizing conditions as well as reducing conditions. The operation also artificially reestablishes reducing conditions on the aquifer after uranium recovery is completed. With the ability to have the impacted aquifer reliably remediated, the uranium recovery operation can be considered inherently safe.

Safe Schools, Safe Communities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Julie E.; Pickett, Dean; Pulliam, Janet L.; Schwartz, Richard A.; St. Germaine, Anne-Marie; Underwood, Julie; Worona, Jay

Schools must work together with agencies, groups, and individuals to eliminate the forces leading children to violence. Chapter 1, "School Safety: Working Together to Keep Schools Safe," stresses the importance of community collaboration in violence prevention. Effective prevention requires sharing information about students, consistent…

A reliable data collection/control system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maughan, Thom

1988-01-01

The Cal Poly Space Project requires a data collection/control system which must be able to reliably record temperature, pressure and vibration data. It must also schedule the 16 electroplating and 2 immiscible alloy experiments so as to optimize use of the batteries, maintain a safe package temperature profile, and run the experiment during conditions of microgravity (and minimum vibration). This system must operate unattended in the harsh environment of space and consume very little power due to limited battery supply. The design of a system which meets these requirements is addressed.

Safe teleradiology: information assurance as project planning methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collmann, Jeff R.; Alaoui, Adil; Nguyen, Dan; Lindisch, David

2003-05-01

This project demonstrates use of OCTAVE, an information security risk assessment method, as an approach to the safe design and planning of a teleradiology system. By adopting this approach to project planning, we intended to provide evidence that including information security as an intrinsic component of project planning improves information assurance and that using information assurance as a planning tool produces and improves the general system management plan. Several considerations justify this approach to planning a safe teleradiology system. First, because OCTAVE was designed as a method for retrospectively assessing and proposing enhancements for the security of existing information management systems, it should function well as a guide to prospectively designing and deploying a secure information system such as teleradiology. Second, because OCTAVE provides assessment and planning tools for use primarily by interdisciplinary teams from user organizations, not consultants, it should enhance the ability of such teams at the local level to plan safe information systems. Third, from the perspective of sociological theory, OCTAVE explicitly attempts to enhance organizational conditions identified as necessary to safely manage complex technologies. Approaching information system design from the perspective of information security risk management proactively integrates health information assurance into a project"s core. This contrasts with typical approaches that perceive "security" as a secondary attribute to be "added" after designing the system and with approaches that identify information assurance only with security devices and user training. The perspective of health information assurance embraces so many dimensions of a computerized health information system"s design that one may successfully deploy a method for retrospectively assessing information security risk as a prospective planning tool. From a sociological perspective, this approach enhances the

Reliability and Maintainability (RAM) Training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lalli, Vincent R. (Editor); Malec, Henry A. (Editor); Packard, Michael H. (Editor)

2000-01-01

The theme of this manual is failure physics-the study of how products, hardware, software, and systems fail and what can be done about it. The intent is to impart useful information, to extend the limits of production capability, and to assist in achieving low-cost reliable products. In a broader sense the manual should do more. It should underscore the urgent need CI for mature attitudes toward reliability. Five of the chapters were originally presented as a classroom course to over 1000 Martin Marietta engineers and technicians. Another four chapters and three appendixes have been added, We begin with a view of reliability from the years 1940 to 2000. Chapter 2 starts the training material with a review of mathematics and a description of what elements contribute to product failures. The remaining chapters elucidate basic reliability theory and the disciplines that allow us to control and eliminate failures.

Safe routes to school (SRTS) statewide mobility assessment study : phase I report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-01-01

This report presents the results of phase one of a two phase study designed to support state-level management of the Federal Highway Administration Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program. The study aims to achieve three objectives: (1) identify and use...

Inherently Safe and Long-Life Fission Power System for Lunar Outposts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schriener, T. M.; El-Genk, Mohamed S.

Power requirements for future lunar outposts, of 10's to 100's kWe, can be fulfilled using nuclear reactor power systems. In addition to the long life and operation reliability, safety is paramount in all phases, including fabrication and assembly, launch, emplacement below grade on the lunar surface, operation, post-operation decay heat removal and long-term storage and eventual retrieval. This paper introduces the Solid Core-Sectored Compact Reactor (SC-SCoRe) and power system with static components and no single point failures. They ensure reliable continuous operation for ~21 years and fulfill the safety requirements. The SC-SCoRe nominally generates 1.0 MWth at liquid NaK-56 coolant inlet and exit temperatures of 850 K and 900 K and the power system provides 38 kWe at high DC voltage using SiGe thermoelectric (TE) conversion assemblies. In case of a loss of coolant or cooling in a reactor core sector, the power system continues to operate; generating ~4 kWe to the outpost for emergency life support needs. The post-operation storage of the reactor below grade on the lunar surface is a safe and practical choice. The total radioactivity in the reactor drops from ~1 million Ci, immediately at shutdown, to below 164 Ci after 300 years of storage. At such time, the reactor is retrieved safely with no contamination or environmental concerns.

Three brief assessments of math achievement.

PubMed

Steiner, Eric T; Ashcraft, Mark H

2012-12-01

Because of wide disparities in college students' math knowledge-that is, their math achievement-studies of cognitive processing in math tasks also need to assess their individual level of math achievement. For many research settings, however, using existing math achievement tests is either too costly or too time consuming. To solve this dilemma, we present three brief tests of math achievement here, two drawn from the Wide Range Achievement Test and one composed of noncopyrighted items. All three correlated substantially with the full achievement test and with math anxiety, our original focus, and all show acceptable to excellent reliability. When lengthy testing is not feasible, one of these brief tests can be substituted.

Electronic logic for enhanced switch reliability

DOEpatents

Cooper, J.A.

1984-01-20

A logic circuit is used to enhance redundant switch reliability. Two or more switches are monitored for logical high or low output. The output for the logic circuit produces a redundant and fail-safe representation of the switch outputs. When both switch outputs are high, the output is high. Similarly, when both switch outputs are low, the logic circuit's output is low. When the output states of the two switches do not agree, the circuit resolves the conflict by memorizing the last output state which both switches were simultaneously in and produces the logical complement of this output state. Thus, the logic circuit of the present invention allows the redundant switches to be treated as if they were in parallel when the switches are open and as if they were in series when the switches are closed. A failsafe system having maximum reliability is thereby produced.

Nuclear electric propulsion operational reliability and crew safety study: NEP systems/modeling report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karns, James

1993-01-01

The objective of this study was to establish the initial quantitative reliability bounds for nuclear electric propulsion systems in a manned Mars mission required to ensure crew safety and mission success. Finding the reliability bounds involves balancing top-down (mission driven) requirements and bottom-up (technology driven) capabilities. In seeking this balance we hope to accomplish the following: (1) provide design insights into the achievability of the baseline design in terms of reliability requirements, given the existing technology base; (2) suggest alternative design approaches which might enhance reliability and crew safety; and (3) indicate what technology areas require significant research and development to achieve the reliability objectives.

Software Reliability Issues Concerning Large and Safety Critical Software Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kamel, Khaled; Brown, Barbara

1996-01-01

This research was undertaken to provide NASA with a survey of state-of-the-art techniques using in industrial and academia to provide safe, reliable, and maintainable software to drive large systems. Such systems must match the complexity and strict safety requirements of NASA's shuttle system. In particular, the Launch Processing System (LPS) is being considered for replacement. The LPS is responsible for monitoring and commanding the shuttle during test, repair, and launch phases. NASA built this system in the 1970's using mostly hardware techniques to provide for increased reliability, but it did so often using custom-built equipment, which has not been able to keep up with current technologies. This report surveys the major techniques used in industry and academia to ensure reliability in large and critical computer systems.

Nurses' Attitudes Regarding the Safe Handling of Patients Who Are Morbidly Obese: Instrument Development and Psychometric Analysis.

PubMed

Bejciy-Spring, Susan; Vermillion, Brenda; Morgan, Sally; Newton, Cheryl; Chucta, Sheila; Gatens, Cindy; Zadvinskis, Inga; Holloman, Christopher; Chipps, Esther

2016-12-01

Nurses' attitudes play an important role in the consistent practice of safe patient handling behaviors. The purposes of this study were to develop and assess the psychometric properties of a newly developed instrument measuring attitudes of nurses related to the care and safe handling of patients who are obese. Phases of instrument development included (a) item generation, (b) content validity assessment, (c) reliability assessment, (d) cognitive interviewing, and (e) construct validity assessment through factor analysis. The final data from the exploratory factor analysis produced a 26-item multidimensional instrument that contains 9 subscales. Based on the factor analysis, a 26-item instrument can be used to examine nurses' attitudes regarding patients who are morbidly obese and related safe handling practices.

Reliable Characterization for Pyrolysis Bio-Oils Leads to Enhanced

Science.gov Websites

Upgrading Methods | NREL Reliable Characterization for Pyrolysis Bio-Oils Leads to Enhanced Upgrading Methods Science and Technology Highlights Highlights in Research & Development Reliable Characterization for Pyrolysis Bio-Oils Leads to Enhanced Upgrading Methods Key Research Results Achievement As co

The Challenge of Wireless Reliability and Coexistence.

PubMed

Berger, H Stephen

2016-09-01

Wireless communication plays an increasingly important role in healthcare delivery. This further heightens the importance of wireless reliability, but quantifying wireless reliability is a complex and difficult challenge. Understanding the risks that accompany the many benefits of wireless communication should be a component of overall risk management. The emerging trend of using sensors and other device-to-device communications, as part of the emerging Internet of Things concept, is evident in healthcare delivery. The trend increases both the importance and complexity of this challenge. As with most system problems, finding a solution requires breaking down the problem into manageable steps. Understanding the operational reliability of a new wireless device and its supporting system requires developing solid, quantified answers to three questions: 1) How well can this new device and its system operate in a spectral environment where many other wireless devices are also operating? 2) What is the spectral environment in which this device and its system are expected to operate? Are the risks and reliability in its operating environment acceptable? 3) How might the new device and its system affect other devices and systems already in use? When operated under an insightful risk management process, wireless technology can be safely implemented, resulting in improved delivery of care.

Promoting safe motherhood through the private sector in low- and middle-income countries.

PubMed Central

Brugha, Ruair; Pritze-Aliassime, Susanne

2003-01-01

The formal private sector could play a significant role in determining whether success or failure is achieved in working towards goals for safe motherhood in many low- and middle-income settings. Established private providers, especially nurses/midwives, have the potential to contribute to safe motherhood practices if they are involved in the care continuum. However, they have largely been overlooked by policy-makers in low-income settings. The private sector (mainly doctors) contributes to overprovision and high Caesarean section rates in settings where it provides care to wealthier segments of the population; such care is often funded through third-party payment schemes. In poorer settings, especially rural areas, private nurses/midwives and the women who choose to use them are likely to experience similar constraints to those encountered in the public sector - for example, poor or unaffordable access to higher level facilities for the management of obstetrical emergencies. Policy-makers at the country-level need to map the health system and understand the nature and distribution of the private sector, and what influences it. This potential resource could then be mobilized to work towards the achievement of safe motherhood goals. PMID:14576894

Safe Driving Climate among Friends (SDCaF): A new scale.

PubMed

Guggenheim, Noga; Taubman-Ben-Ari, Orit

2018-01-01

Reckless driving among young people, especially young men, is a major cause of injury and fatalities the world over. Like other aspects of this age group, young drivers' driving behaviors and norms are influenced by the accepted social discourse of their peers. Yet despite extensive existing knowledge on young drivers, very few studies have dealt specifically with their characteristic friendship relations. This lacuna in the literature may reflect the absence of specific research tools for examining driving with friends. To fill this gap, we conducted a series of studies with 706 young drivers (aged 17-24) of both sexes aimed at developing and validating a multidimensional scale designed to examine the effect of the social relations of adolescents and young adults on their driving. Entitled Safe Driving Climate among Friends (SDCaF), the final scale consists of 19 items, which tap four dimensions of driving with friends: friends' pressure; social costs of driving with friends; communication with friends about driving; and shared commitment to safe driving. The validity of the scale was established by examining associations between its four dimensions and various variables of personality, friendship, and driving. The findings indicate good reliability and validity, with the three variables of resistance to peer influence, self-disclosure, and personal responsibility for safe driving yielding positive associations with the SDCaF dimensions communication and shared commitment to safe driving, and negative associations with the dimensions friends' pressure and social costs. General tendency to respond to social pressure was positively associated with the dimensions of friends' pressure and social costs, and negatively associated with shared commitment to safe driving. Gender differences were also found, with men scoring higher than women on friends' pressure, and lower than women on shared commitment to safe driving. The SDCaF can serve as a research tool, as well as a

Safe sex self-efficacy and safe sex practice in a Southern United States College

PubMed Central

Addoh, Ovuokerie; Sng, Eveleen; Loprinzi, Paul D.

2017-01-01

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the association between safe sex self-efficacy and safe-sex practice in a Southern college setting. Methods: Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the association between safe sex self-efficacy in four domains (mechanics, partner disapproval, assertiveness, intoxicants) and safe sex practice (outcome variable). Results: For every 1-unit increase in the composite condom use self-efficacy score, there was an 8% increase in the odds of being beyond the median safe-sex practice score (odds ration [OR]: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.02-1.15). Additionally, for every 1-unit increase in intoxicants self-efficacy score, there was a 31% increase in the odds of being beyond the median safe-sex practice score (OR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.08-1.58). Conclusion: A greater degree of safe-sex self-efficacy is associated with increased odds of safe-sex practice. These findings are informative for the development of targeted approaches to foster safe-sex behavior in Southern US colleges. PMID:28326287

DroidSafe

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-01

branches of our work . 3.1 Understanding Sensitive API Call and API Information Usage Android applications are written in a type- safe language (Java...directly invoke resolved targets. Because DroidSafe works with a comprehensive model of the Android environment , it supports precise resolution of...STATEMENT. FOR THE CHIEF ENGINEER: / S / / S / MARK K. WILLIAMS WARREN H. DEBANY, JR. Work Unit Manager

A Safe Ride to School; A Safe Ride Home.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois State Board of Education, Springfield.

Text and illustrations are used to teach safe school bus riding practices. The guide begins with instructions to parents or guardians to set a good example of safe behavior, and to help children learn safety rules and be on time. Instructions to children concern obeying the bus driver, boarding the bus, riding the bus, crossing the road, and using…

Illustrated structural application of universal first-order reliability method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Verderaime, V.

1994-01-01

The general application of the proposed first-order reliability method was achieved through the universal normalization of engineering probability distribution data. The method superimposes prevailing deterministic techniques and practices on the first-order reliability method to surmount deficiencies of the deterministic method and provide benefits of reliability techniques and predictions. A reliability design factor is derived from the reliability criterion to satisfy a specified reliability and is analogous to the deterministic safety factor. Its application is numerically illustrated on several practical structural design and verification cases with interesting results and insights. Two concepts of reliability selection criteria are suggested. Though the method was developed to support affordable structures for access to space, the method should also be applicable for most high-performance air and surface transportation systems.

Evaluation of MODIS Land Surface Temperature with In Situ Snow Surface Temperature from CREST-SAFE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perez Diaz, C. L.; Lakhankar, T.; Romanov, P.; Munoz, J.; Khanbilvardi, R.; Yu, Y.

2016-12-01

This paper presents the procedure and results of a temperature-based validation approach for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Land Surface Temperature (LST) product provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Terra and Aqua Earth Observing System satellites using in situ LST observations recorded at the Cooperative Remote Sensing Science and Technology Center - Snow Analysis and Field Experiment (CREST-SAFE) during the years of 2013 (January-April) and 2014 (February-April). A total of 314 day and night clear-sky thermal images, acquired by the Terra and Aqua satellites, were processed and compared to ground-truth data from CREST-SAFE with a frequency of one measurement every 3 min. Additionally, this investigation incorporated supplementary analyses using meteorological CREST-SAFE in situ variables (i.e. wind speed, cloud cover, incoming solar radiation) to study their effects on in situ snow surface temperature (T-skin) and T-air. Furthermore, a single pixel (1km2) and several spatially averaged pixels were used for satellite LST validation by increasing the MODIS window size to 5x5, 9x9, and 25x25 windows for comparison. Several trends in the MODIS LST data were observed, including the underestimation of daytime values and nighttime values. Results indicate that, although all the data sets (Terra and Aqua, diurnal and nocturnal) showed high correlation with ground measurements, day values yielded slightly higher accuracy ( 1°C), both suggesting that MODIS LST retrievals are reliable for similar land cover classes and atmospheric conditions. Results from the CREST-SAFE in situ variables' analyses indicate that T-air is commonly higher than T-skin, and that a lack of cloud cover results in: lower T-skin and higher T-air minus T-skin difference (T-diff). Additionally, the study revealed that T-diff is inversely proportional to cloud cover, wind speed, and incoming solar radiation. Increasing the MODIS window size

Multi-Disciplinary System Reliability Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mahadevan, Sankaran; Han, Song

1997-01-01

The objective of this study is to develop a new methodology for estimating the reliability of engineering systems that encompass multiple disciplines. The methodology is formulated in the context of the NESSUS probabilistic structural analysis code developed under the leadership of NASA Lewis Research Center. The NESSUS code has been successfully applied to the reliability estimation of a variety of structural engineering systems. This study examines whether the features of NESSUS could be used to investigate the reliability of systems in other disciplines such as heat transfer, fluid mechanics, electrical circuits etc., without considerable programming effort specific to each discipline. In this study, the mechanical equivalence between system behavior models in different disciplines are investigated to achieve this objective. A new methodology is presented for the analysis of heat transfer, fluid flow, and electrical circuit problems using the structural analysis routines within NESSUS, by utilizing the equivalence between the computational quantities in different disciplines. This technique is integrated with the fast probability integration and system reliability techniques within the NESSUS code, to successfully compute the system reliability of multi-disciplinary systems. Traditional as well as progressive failure analysis methods for system reliability estimation are demonstrated, through a numerical example of a heat exchanger system involving failure modes in structural, heat transfer and fluid flow disciplines.

High-Reliability Health Care: Getting There from Here

PubMed Central

Chassin, Mark R; Loeb, Jerod M

2013-01-01

Context Despite serious and widespread efforts to improve the quality of health care, many patients still suffer preventable harm every day. Hospitals find improvement difficult to sustain, and they suffer “project fatigue” because so many problems need attention. No hospitals or health systems have achieved consistent excellence throughout their institutions. High-reliability science is the study of organizations in industries like commercial aviation and nuclear power that operate under hazardous conditions while maintaining safety levels that are far better than those of health care. Adapting and applying the lessons of this science to health care offer the promise of enabling hospitals to reach levels of quality and safety that are comparable to those of the best high-reliability organizations. Methods We combined the Joint Commission's knowledge of health care organizations with knowledge from the published literature and from experts in high-reliability industries and leading safety scholars outside health care. We developed a conceptual and practical framework for assessing hospitals’ readiness for and progress toward high reliability. By iterative testing with hospital leaders, we refined the framework and, for each of its fourteen components, defined stages of maturity through which we believe hospitals must pass to reach high reliability. Findings We discovered that the ways that high-reliability organizations generate and maintain high levels of safety cannot be directly applied to today's hospitals. We defined a series of incremental changes that hospitals should undertake to progress toward high reliability. These changes involve the leadership's commitment to achieving zero patient harm, a fully functional culture of safety throughout the organization, and the widespread deployment of highly effective process improvement tools. Conclusions Hospitals can make substantial progress toward high reliability by undertaking several specific

Astronomy Teaching Self-Efficacy Belief Scale: The Validity and Reliability Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demirci, Filiz; Ozyurek, Cengiz

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study is to develop a reliable and safe scale for determining the self-efficacy levels of science teachers in the teaching of astronomy subjects. The study used a survey approach, which is a qualitative research method. The study was conducted with a total of 106 science teachers working in the secondary schools of Ordu city…

Rollover risk prediction of heavy vehicles by reliability index and empirical modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sellami, Yamine; Imine, Hocine; Boubezoul, Abderrahmane; Cadiou, Jean-Charles

2018-03-01

This paper focuses on a combination of a reliability-based approach and an empirical modelling approach for rollover risk assessment of heavy vehicles. A reliability-based warning system is developed to alert the driver to a potential rollover before entering into a bend. The idea behind the proposed methodology is to estimate the rollover risk by the probability that the vehicle load transfer ratio (LTR) exceeds a critical threshold. Accordingly, a so-called reliability index may be used as a measure to assess the vehicle safe functioning. In the reliability method, computing the maximum of LTR requires to predict the vehicle dynamics over the bend which can be in some cases an intractable problem or time-consuming. With the aim of improving the reliability computation time, an empirical model is developed to substitute the vehicle dynamics and rollover models. This is done by using the SVM (Support Vector Machines) algorithm. The preliminary obtained results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Safety, reliability, and validity of a physiologic definition of bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

PubMed

Walsh, Michele C; Wilson-Costello, Deanna; Zadell, Arlene; Newman, Nancy; Fanaroff, Avroy

2003-09-01

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the focus of many intervention trials, yet the outcome measure when based solely on oxygen administration may be confounded by differing criteria for oxygen administration between physicians. Thus, we wished to define BPD by a standardized oxygen saturation monitoring at 36 weeks corrected age, and compare this physiologic definition with the standard clinical definition of BPD based solely on oxygen administration. A total of 199 consecutive very low birthweight infants (VLBW, 501 to 1500 g birthweight) were assessed prospectively at 36+/-1 weeks corrected age. Neonates on positive pressure support or receiving >30% supplemental oxygen were assigned the outcome BPD. Those receiving < or =30% oxygen underwent a stepwise 2% reduction in supplemental oxygen to room air while under continuous observation and oxygen saturation monitoring. Outcomes of the test were "no BPD" (saturations > or =88% for 60 minutes) or "BPD" (saturation < 88%). At the conclusion of the test, all infants were returned to their baseline oxygen. Safety (apnea, bradycardia, increased oxygen use), inter-rater reliability, test-retest reliability, and validity of the physiologic definition vs the clinical definition were assessed. A total of 199 VLBW were assessed, of whom 45 (36%) were diagnosed with BPD by the clinical definition of oxygen use at 36 weeks corrected age. The physiologic definition identified 15 infants treated with oxygen who successfully passed the saturation monitoring test in room air. The physiologic definition diagnosed BPD in 30 (24%) of the cohort. All infants were safely studied. The test was highly reliable (inter-rater reliability, kappa=1.0; test-retest reliability, kappa=0.83) and highly correlated with discharge home in oxygen, length of hospital stay, and hospital readmissions in the first year of life. The physiologic definition of BPD is safe, feasible, reliable, and valid and improves the precision of the diagnosis of BPD

Use Medicines Safely

MedlinePlus

... Medicines Safely Print This Topic En español Use Medicines Safely Browse Sections The Basics Overview Prescription Medicines ... Medicines 1 of 7 sections The Basics: Prescription Medicines There are different types of medicine. The 2 ...

Photovoltaic Reliability Group activities in USA and Brazil (Presentation Recording)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhere, Neelkanth G.; Cruz, Leila R. O.

2015-09-01

Recently prices of photovoltaic (PV) systems have been reduced considerably and may continue to be reduced making them attractive. If these systems provide electricity over the stipulated warranty period, it would be possible attain socket parity within the next few years. Current photovoltaic module qualifications tests help in minimizing infant mortality but do not guarantee useful lifetime over the warranty period. The PV Module Quality Assurance Task Force (PVQAT) is trying to formulate accelerated tests that will be useful towards achieving the ultimate goal of assuring useful lifetime over the warranty period as well as to assure manufacturing quality. Unfortunately, assuring the manufacturing quality may require 24/7 presence. Alternatively, collecting data on the performance of fielded systems would assist in assuring manufacturing quality. Here PV systems installed by home-owners and small businesses can constitute as an important untapped source of data. The volunteer group, PV - Reliable, Safe and Sustainable Quality! (PVRessQ!) is providing valuable service to small PV system owners. Photovoltaic Reliability Group (PVRG) is initiating activities in USA and Brazil to assist home owners and small businesses in monitoring photovoltaic (PV) module performance and enforcing warranty. It will work in collaboration with small PV system owners, consumer protection agencies. Brazil is endowed with excellent solar irradiance making it attractive for installation of PV systems. Participating owners of small PV systems would instruct inverter manufacturers to copy the daily e-mails to PVRG and as necessary, will authorize the PVRG to carry out review of PV systems. The presentation will consist of overall activities of PVRG in USA and Brazil.

National Athletic Trainers' Association position statement: safe weight loss and maintenance practices in sport and exercise.

PubMed

Turocy, Paula Sammarone; DePalma, Bernard F; Horswill, Craig A; Laquale, Kathleen M; Martin, Thomas J; Perry, Arlette C; Somova, Marla J; Utter, Alan C

2011-01-01

To present athletic trainers with recommendations for safe weight loss and weight maintenance practices for athletes and active clients and to provide athletes, clients, coaches, and parents with safe guidelines that will allow athletes and clients to achieve and maintain weight and body composition goals. Unsafe weight management practices can compromise athletic performance and negatively affect health. Athletes and clients often attempt to lose weight by not eating, limiting caloric or specific nutrients from the diet, engaging in pathogenic weight control behaviors, and restricting fluids. These people often respond to pressures of the sport or activity, coaches, peers, or parents by adopting negative body images and unsafe practices to maintain an ideal body composition for the activity. We provide athletic trainers with recommendations for safe weight loss and weight maintenance in sport and exercise. Although safe weight gain is also a concern for athletic trainers and their athletes and clients, that topic is outside the scope of this position statement. Athletic trainers are often the source of nutrition information for athletes and clients; therefore, they must have knowledge of proper nutrition, weight management practices, and methods to change body composition. Body composition assessments should be done in the most scientifically appropriate manner possible. Reasonable and individualized weight and body composition goals should be identified by appropriately trained health care personnel (eg, athletic trainers, registered dietitians, physicians). In keeping with the American Dietetics Association (ADA) preferred nomenclature, this document uses the terms registered dietitian or dietician when referring to a food and nutrition expert who has met the academic and professional requirements specified by the ADA's Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education. In some cases, a registered nutritionist may have equivalent credentials and be the

National Athletic Trainers' Association Position Statement: Safe Weight Loss and Maintenance Practices in Sport and Exercise

PubMed Central

Turocy, Paula Sammarone; DePalma, Bernard F.; Horswill, Craig A.; Laquale, Kathleen M.; Martin, Thomas J.; Perry, Arlette C.; Somova, Marla J.; Utter, Alan C.

2011-01-01

Objective: To present athletic trainers with recommendations for safe weight loss and weight maintenance practices for athletes and active clients and to provide athletes, clients, coaches, and parents with safe guidelines that will allow athletes and clients to achieve and maintain weight and body composition goals. Background: Unsafe weight management practices can compromise athletic performance and negatively affect health. Athletes and clients often attempt to lose weight by not eating, limiting caloric or specific nutrients from the diet, engaging in pathogenic weight control behaviors, and restricting fluids. These people often respond to pressures of the sport or activity, coaches, peers, or parents by adopting negative body images and unsafe practices to maintain an ideal body composition for the activity. We provide athletic trainers with recommendations for safe weight loss and weight maintenance in sport and exercise. Although safe weight gain is also a concern for athletic trainers and their athletes and clients, that topic is outside the scope of this position statement. Recommendations: Athletic trainers are often the source of nutrition information for athletes and clients; therefore, they must have knowledge of proper nutrition, weight management practices, and methods to change body composition. Body composition assessments should be done in the most scientifically appropriate manner possible. Reasonable and individualized weight and body composition goals should be identified by appropriately trained health care personnel (eg, athletic trainers, registered dietitians, physicians). In keeping with the American Dietetics Association (ADA) preferred nomenclature, this document uses the terms registered dietitian or dietician when referring to a food and nutrition expert who has met the academic and professional requirements specified by the ADA's Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education. In some cases, a registered nutritionist may have

Epistemological Beliefs and Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arslantas, Halis Adnan

2016-01-01

This study aimed to identify the relationship between teacher candidates' epistemological beliefs and academic achievement. The participants of the study were 353 teacher candidates studying their fourth year at the Education Faculty. The Epistemological Belief Scale was used which adapted to Turkish through reliability and validity work by…

Picture Me Safe

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Irvin, Daniel W.

1977-01-01

The validity of well-written articles can be destroyed by poor illustration, especially when the pictures show unsafe practices. The responsibility lies with the author to provide clear printable pictures showing safe working environments and safe practices. (Editor)

Exploratory Development on an Electronic Safing and Arming Device for Ordnance Fuzing

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-02-01

to the bridges. Two units were subjected to MIL-STD-331, Test 101, Jolt. The EBMs were placed in the S & A cavity of an M739 fuze body for this test...of the program was to explore a concept for a safe, reliable, general purpose, low cost, electronic, A ’ zsafing and arming ( S & A ) system for use in...breadboard model hardware of the electronic S & A device. The electronic S & A devicu consists of an explosive barrier moduls (EBM) explosive train

Composite Stress Rupture: A New Reliability Model Based on Strength Decay

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reeder, James R.

2012-01-01

A model is proposed to estimate reliability for stress rupture of composite overwrap pressure vessels (COPVs) and similar composite structures. This new reliability model is generated by assuming a strength degradation (or decay) over time. The model suggests that most of the strength decay occurs late in life. The strength decay model will be shown to predict a response similar to that predicted by a traditional reliability model for stress rupture based on tests at a single stress level. In addition, the model predicts that even though there is strength decay due to proof loading, a significant overall increase in reliability is gained by eliminating any weak vessels, which would fail early. The model predicts that there should be significant periods of safe life following proof loading, because time is required for the strength to decay from the proof stress level to the subsequent loading level. Suggestions for testing the strength decay reliability model have been made. If the strength decay reliability model predictions are shown through testing to be accurate, COPVs may be designed to carry a higher level of stress than is currently allowed, which will enable the production of lighter structures

Lessons Learned from Safe Kids/Safe Streets. Juvenile Justice Bulletin

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cronin, Roberta; Gragg, Frances; Schultz, Dana; Eisen, Karla

2006-01-01

This bulletin reports results from an evaluation of six sites of the Safe Kids/Safe Streets (SK/SS) program, which applies a comprehensive, collaborative approach to the child maltreatment field. The bulletin provides insights into collaboration building, systems reform, service options, and other strategies. Among the findings were that the SK/SS…

Methodology for Physics and Engineering of Reliable Products

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cornford, Steven L.; Gibbel, Mark

1996-01-01

Physics of failure approaches have gained wide spread acceptance within the electronic reliability community. These methodologies involve identifying root cause failure mechanisms, developing associated models, and utilizing these models to inprove time to market, lower development and build costs and higher reliability. The methodology outlined herein sets forth a process, based on integration of both physics and engineering principles, for achieving the same goals.

76 FR 12719 - Safe Schools/Healthy Students Program; Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools; Safe Schools/Healthy...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-08

... official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access... DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Safe Schools/Healthy Students Program; Office of Safe and Drug- Free... telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339...

Reliability Impacts in Life Support Architecture and Technology Selection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lange Kevin E.; Anderson, Molly S.

2012-01-01

Quantitative assessments of system reliability and equivalent system mass (ESM) were made for different life support architectures based primarily on International Space Station technologies. The analysis was applied to a one-year deep-space mission. System reliability was increased by adding redundancy and spares, which added to the ESM. Results were thus obtained allowing a comparison of the ESM for each architecture at equivalent levels of reliability. Although the analysis contains numerous simplifications and uncertainties, the results suggest that achieving necessary reliabilities for deep-space missions will add substantially to the life support ESM and could influence the optimal degree of life support closure. Approaches for reducing reliability impacts were investigated and are discussed.

Reliably detectable flaw size for NDE methods that use calibration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koshti, Ajay M.

2017-04-01

Probability of detection (POD) analysis is used in assessing reliably detectable flaw size in nondestructive evaluation (NDE). MIL-HDBK-1823 and associated mh18232 POD software gives most common methods of POD analysis. In this paper, POD analysis is applied to an NDE method, such as eddy current testing, where calibration is used. NDE calibration standards have known size artificial flaws such as electro-discharge machined (EDM) notches and flat bottom hole (FBH) reflectors which are used to set instrument sensitivity for detection of real flaws. Real flaws such as cracks and crack-like flaws are desired to be detected using these NDE methods. A reliably detectable crack size is required for safe life analysis of fracture critical parts. Therefore, it is important to correlate signal responses from real flaws with signal responses form artificial flaws used in calibration process to determine reliably detectable flaw size.

Reliably Detectable Flaw Size for NDE Methods that Use Calibration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koshti, Ajay M.

2017-01-01

Probability of detection (POD) analysis is used in assessing reliably detectable flaw size in nondestructive evaluation (NDE). MIL-HDBK-1823 and associated mh1823 POD software gives most common methods of POD analysis. In this paper, POD analysis is applied to an NDE method, such as eddy current testing, where calibration is used. NDE calibration standards have known size artificial flaws such as electro-discharge machined (EDM) notches and flat bottom hole (FBH) reflectors which are used to set instrument sensitivity for detection of real flaws. Real flaws such as cracks and crack-like flaws are desired to be detected using these NDE methods. A reliably detectable crack size is required for safe life analysis of fracture critical parts. Therefore, it is important to correlate signal responses from real flaws with signal responses form artificial flaws used in calibration process to determine reliably detectable flaw size.

Sensing and Force-Feedback Exoskeleton (SAFE) Robotic Glove.

PubMed

Ben-Tzvi, Pinhas; Ma, Zhou

2015-11-01

This paper presents the design, implementation and experimental validation of a novel robotic haptic exoskeleton device to measure the user's hand motion and assist hand motion while remaining portable and lightweight. The device consists of a five-finger mechanism actuated with miniature DC motors through antagonistically routed cables at each finger, which act as both active and passive force actuators. The SAFE Glove is a wireless and self-contained mechatronic system that mounts over the dorsum of a bare hand and provides haptic force feedback to each finger. The glove is adaptable to a wide variety of finger sizes without constraining the range of motion. This makes it possible to accurately and comfortably track the complex motion of the finger and thumb joints associated with common movements of hand functions, including grip and release patterns. The glove can be wirelessly linked to a computer for displaying and recording the hand status through 3D Graphical User Interface (GUI) in real-time. The experimental results demonstrate that the SAFE Glove is capable of reliably modeling hand kinematics, measuring finger motion and assisting hand grasping motion. Simulation and experimental results show the potential of the proposed system in rehabilitation therapy and virtual reality applications.

The application of multilayer elastic beam in MEMS safe and arming system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Guozhong, E-mail: liguozhong-bit@bit.edu.cn; Shi, Gengchen; Sui, Li

In this paper, a new approach for a multilayer elastic beam to provide a driving force and driving distance for a MEMS safe and arming system is presented. In particular this is applied where a monolayer elastic beam cannot provide adequate driving force and driving distance at the same time in limited space. Compared with thicker elastic beams, the bilayer elastic beam can provide twice the driving force of a monolayer beam to guarantee the MEMS safe and arming systems work reliably without decreasing the driving distance. In this paper, the theoretical analysis, numerical simulation and experimental verification of themore » multilayer elastic beam is presented. The numerical simulation and experimental results show that the bilayer elastic provides 1.8–2 times the driving force of a monolayer, and a method that improves driving force without reducing the driving distance.« less

Safe syringe disposal is related to safe syringe access among HIV-positive injection drug users.

PubMed

Coffin, Phillip O; Latka, Mary H; Latkin, Carl; Wu, Yingfeng; Purcell, David W; Metsch, Lisa; Gomez, Cynthia; Gourevitch, Marc N

2007-09-01

We evaluated the effect of syringe acquisition on syringe disposal among HIV-positive injection drug users (IDUs) in Baltimore, New York City, and San Francisco (N = 680; mean age 42 years, 62% male, 59% African-American, 21% Hispanic, 12% White). Independent predictors of safe disposal were acquiring syringes through a safe source and ever visiting a syringe exchange program. Weaker predictors included living in San Francisco, living in the area longer, less frequent binge drinking, injecting with an HIV+ partner, peer norms supporting safe injection, and self-empowerment. Independent predictors of safe "handling"-both acquiring and disposing of syringes safely-also included being from New York and being older. HIV-positive IDUs who obtain syringes from a safe source are more likely to safely dispose; peer norms contribute to both acquisition and disposal. Interventions to improve disposal should include expanding sites of safe syringe acquisition while enhancing disposal messages, alternatives, and convenience.

'Safe passage': pregnant Iranian Kurdish women's choice of childbirth method.

PubMed

Shahoei, Roonak; Riji, Haliza Mohd; Saeedi, Zhila Abed

2011-10-01

This article is a report of a grounded theory study of the influence of emotions on women's selection of a method of childbirth. There is substantial evidence to indicate that a pregnant woman's emotions play an important role in the decision-making process of selecting a child delivery method. Despite this, however, there is a notable lack of research about the relationship between pregnant women's emotions and their choice of a childbirth method in developing countries. A qualitative study using the grounded theory approach was conducted. The data were collected from 22 Iranian Kurdish pregnant women in their third trimester using semi-structured interviews. Concurrent data collection and analysis took place between 2008 and 2009. A cumulative process of theoretical sampling and constant comparison was used to identify concepts and then expand, validate, and clarify them. The substantive grounded theory that was identified from data analysis was 'safe passage'. 'Safe passage' involved five phases that were not mutually exclusive in their occurrence. The five phases of the 'safe passage' theory that were identified from the data analysis were: 'safety of baby', 'fear', 'previous experience', 'social support' and 'faith'. The goal of 'safe passage' was to achieve a healthy delivery and to ensure the health of the newborn. 'Safe passage' was a process used to determine how the emotions of pregnant Iranian Kurdish women influenced their choice of the mode of child delivery. More research is needed in this field to develop a body of knowledge beneficial to midwifery education and practice. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

A Novel Concept for Safe, Stiffness-Controllable Robot Links.

PubMed

Stilli, Agostino; Wurdemann, Helge A; Althoefer, Kaspar

2017-03-01

The recent decade has seen an astounding increase of interest and advancement in a new field of robotics, aimed at creating structures specifically for the safe interaction with humans. Softness, flexibility, and variable stiffness in robotics have been recognized as highly desirable characteristics for many applications. A number of solutions were proposed ranging from entirely soft robots (such as those composed mainly from soft materials such as silicone), via flexible continuum and snake-like robots, to rigid-link robots enhanced by joints that exhibit an elastic behavior either implemented in hardware or achieved purely by means of intelligent control. Although these are very good solutions paving the path to safe human-robot interaction, we propose here a new approach that focuses on creating stiffness controllability for the linkages between the robot joints. This article proposes a replacement for the traditionally rigid robot link-the new link is equipped with an additional capability of stiffness controllability. With this added feature, a robot can accurately carry out manipulation tasks (high stiffness), but can virtually instantaneously reduce its stiffness when a human is nearby or in contact with the robot. The key point of the invention described here is a robot link made of an airtight chamber formed by a soft and flexible, but high-strain resistant combination of a plastic mesh and silicone wall. Inflated with air to a high pressure, the mesh silicone chamber behaves like a rigid link; reducing the air pressure, softens the link and rendering the robot structure safe. This article investigates a number of link prototypes and shows the feasibility of the new concept. Stiffness tests have been performed, showing that a significant level of stiffness can be achieved-up to 40 N reaction force along the axial direction, for a 25-mm-diameter sample at 60 kPa, at an axial deformation of 5 mm. The results confirm that this novel concept to linkages

Adoption of the B2SAFE EUDAT replication service by the EPOS community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cacciari, Claudio; Fares, Massimo; Fiameni, Giuseppe; Michelini, Alberto; Danecek, Peter; Wittenburg, Peter

2014-05-01

B2SAFE is the EUDAT service for moving and replicating data between sites and storage systems for different purposes. The goal of B2SAFE is to keep the data from a repository safe by replicating it across different geographical and administrative zones according to a set of well-defined policies. It is also a way to store large volumes of data permanently at those sites which are providing powerful on-demand data analysis facilities. In particular, B2SAFE operates on the domain of registered data where data objects are referable via persistent identifiers (PIDs). B2SAFE is more than just copying data because the PIDs must be carefully managed when data objects are moved or replicated. The EUDAT B2SAFE Service offers functionality to replicate datasets across different data centres in a safe and efficient way while maintaining all information required to easily find and query information about the replica locations. The information about the replica locations and other important information is stored in PID records, each managed in separate administrative domains. The B2SAFE Service is implemented as an iRODS module providing a set of iRODS rules or policies to interface with the EPIC handle API and uses the iRODS middleware to replicate datasets from a source data (or community) centre to a destination data centre. The definition of the dataset(s) to replicate is flexible and up to the communities using the B2SAFE service. While the B2SAFE is internally using the EPIC handle API, communities have the choice to use any PID system they prefer to assign PIDs to their digital objects. A reference to one or more EUDAT B2SAFE PIDs is returned by the B2SAFE service when a dataset is replicated. The presentation will introduce the problem space of B2SAFE, presents the achievements that have been made during the last year for enabling communities to make use of the B2SAFE service, demonstrates a EPOS use cases, outlines the commonalities and differences between the policies

Reliability in perceptual analysis of voice quality.

PubMed

Bele, Irene Velsvik

2005-12-01

This study focuses on speaking voice quality in male teachers (n = 35) and male actors (n = 36), who represent untrained and trained voice users, because we wanted to investigate normal and supranormal voices. In this study, both substantial and methodologic aspects were considered. It includes a method for perceptual voice evaluation, and a basic issue was rater reliability. A listening group of 10 listeners, 7 experienced speech-language therapists, and 3 speech-language therapist students evaluated the voices by 15 vocal characteristics using VA scales. Two sets of voice signals were investigated: text reading (2 loudness levels) and sustained vowel (3 levels). The results indicated a high interrater reliability for most perceptual characteristics. Connected speech was evaluated more reliably, especially at the normal level, but both types of voice signals were evaluated reliably, although the reliability for connected speech was somewhat higher than for vowels. Experienced listeners tended to be more consistent in their ratings than did the student raters. Some vocal characteristics achieved acceptable reliability even with a smaller panel of listeners. The perceptual characteristics grouped in 4 factors reflected perceptual dimensions.

Transportation and aging: a research agenda for advancing safe mobility.

PubMed

Dickerson, Anne E; Molnar, Lisa J; Eby, David W; Adler, Geri; Bédard, Michel; Berg-Weger, Marla; Classen, Sherrilene; Foley, Daniel; Horowitz, Amy; Kerschner, Helen; Page, Oliver; Silverstein, Nina M; Staplin, Loren; Trujillo, Leonard

2007-10-01

We review what we currently know about older driver safety and mobility, and we highlight important research needs in a number of key areas that hold promise for achieving the safety and mobility goals for the aging baby boomers and future generations of older drivers. Through the use of a framework for transportation and safe mobility, we describe key areas of screening and assessment, remediation and rehabilitation, vehicle design and modification, technological advancements, roadway design, transitioning to nondriving, and alternative transportation to meet the goals of crash prevention and mobility maintenance for older adults. Four cross-cutting themes emerged from this review: safe transportation for older adults is important; older adults have a variety of needs, abilities, and resources; research to help meet the transportation needs of older adults may be of benefit to persons with disabilities; and transportation issues concerning older adults are multifaceted. Safe mobility is essential to continued engagement in civic, social, and community life, and to the human interactions necessary for health, well-being, and quality of life. When safe driving is no longer possible for older adults, safe and practicable alternative transportation must be available. Furthermore, older adults are individuals; they have specific needs, abilities, and resources. Not all older adults will have difficulty meeting their transportation needs and no single transportation solution will work for all people. Research and countermeasures intended to help meet the transportation needs of older adults will likely also benefit younger users of the transportation system, particularly those with disabilities. The issues surrounding the maintenance of safe transportation for older adults will require an interdisciplinary research approach if we are to make significant progress in the next decade as the baby boomers begin to reach age 70.

Reliability centered maintenance : a case study of railway transit maintenance to achieve optimal performance.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-12-01

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify the types of obstacles and patterns experienced by a single heavy rail transit agency located in North America that embedded a Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) Process. The outcome of t...

Construction of Economics Achievement Test for Assessment of Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osadebe, P. U.

2014-01-01

The study was carried out to construct a valid and reliable test in Economics for secondary school students. Two research questions were drawn to guide the establishment of validity and reliability for the Economics Achievement Test (EAT). It is a multiple choice objective test of five options with 100 items. A sample of 1000 students was randomly…

High-reliability health care: getting there from here.

PubMed

Chassin, Mark R; Loeb, Jerod M

2013-09-01

Despite serious and widespread efforts to improve the quality of health care, many patients still suffer preventable harm every day. Hospitals find improvement difficult to sustain, and they suffer "project fatigue" because so many problems need attention. No hospitals or health systems have achieved consistent excellence throughout their institutions. High-reliability science is the study of organizations in industries like commercial aviation and nuclear power that operate under hazardous conditions while maintaining safety levels that are far better than those of health care. Adapting and applying the lessons of this science to health care offer the promise of enabling hospitals to reach levels of quality and safety that are comparable to those of the best high-reliability organizations. We combined the Joint Commission's knowledge of health care organizations with knowledge from the published literature and from experts in high-reliability industries and leading safety scholars outside health care. We developed a conceptual and practical framework for assessing hospitals' readiness for and progress toward high reliability. By iterative testing with hospital leaders, we refined the framework and, for each of its fourteen components, defined stages of maturity through which we believe hospitals must pass to reach high reliability. We discovered that the ways that high-reliability organizations generate and maintain high levels of safety cannot be directly applied to today's hospitals. We defined a series of incremental changes that hospitals should undertake to progress toward high reliability. These changes involve the leadership's commitment to achieving zero patient harm, a fully functional culture of safety throughout the organization, and the widespread deployment of highly effective process improvement tools. Hospitals can make substantial progress toward high reliability by undertaking several specific organizational change initiatives. Further research

A Vision for Spaceflight Reliability: NASA's Objectives Based Strategy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Groen, Frank; Evans, John; Hall, Tony

2015-01-01

In defining the direction for a new Reliability and Maintainability standard, OSMA has extracted the essential objectives that our programs need, to undertake a reliable mission. These objectives have been structured to lead mission planning through construction of an objective hierarchy, which defines the critical approaches for achieving high reliability and maintainability (R M). Creating a hierarchy, as a basis for assurance implementation, is a proven approach; yet, it holds the opportunity to enable new directions, as NASA moves forward in tackling the challenges of space exploration.

Environmental health in China: challenges to achieving clean air and safe water

PubMed Central

Zhang, Junfeng (Jim); Mauzerall, Denise L.; Zhu, Tong; Liang, Song; Ezzati, Majid; Remais, Justin

2014-01-01

The health effects of environmental risks, especially those of air and water pollution, remain a major source of morbidity and mortality in China. Biomass fuel and coal are routinely burned for cooking and heating in almost all rural and many urban households resulting in severe indoor air pollution that contributes greatly to the burden of disease. Many communities lack access to safe drinking water and santiation, and thus the risk of waterborne disease in many regions remains high. At the same time, China is rapidly industrializing with associated increases in energy use and industrial waste. While economic growth resulting from industrialization has improved health and quality of life indicators in China, it has also increased the incidence of environmental disasters and the release of chemical toxins into the environment, with severe impacts on health. Air quality in China's cities is among the worst in the world and industrial water pollution has become a widespread health hazard. Moreover, emissions of climate-warming greenhouse gases from energy use are rapidly increasing. Global climate change will inevitably intensify China's environmental health problems, with potentially catastrophic outcomes from major shifts in temperature and precipitation. Facing the overlap of traditional, modern, and emerging environmental problems, China has committed substantial resources to environmental improvement. China has the opportunity to both address its national environmental health challenges and to assume a central role in the international effort to improve the global environment. PMID:20346817

Safe Patient Handling and Mobility: Development and Implementation of a Large-Scale Education Program.

PubMed

Lee, Corinne; Knight, Suzanne W; Smith, Sharon L; Nagle, Dorothy J; DeVries, Lori

This article addresses the development, implementation, and evaluation of an education program for safe patient handling and mobility at a large academic medical center. The ultimate goal of the program was to increase safety during patient mobility/transfer and reduce nursing staff injury from lifting/pulling. This comprehensive program was designed on the basis of the principles of prework, application, and support at the point of care. A combination of online learning, demonstration, skill evaluation, and coaching at the point of care was used to achieve the goal. Specific roles and responsibilities were developed to facilitate implementation. It took 17 master trainers, 88 certified trainers, 176 unit-based trainers, and 98 coaches to put 3706 nurses and nursing assistants through the program. Evaluations indicated both an increase in knowledge about safe patient handling and an increased ability to safely mobilize patients. The challenge now is sustainability of safe patient-handling practices and the growth and development of trainers and coaches.

Reliability systems for implantable cardiac defibrillator batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takeuchi, Esther S.

The reliability of the power sources used in implantable cardiac defibrillators is critical due to the life-saving nature of the device. Achieving a high reliability power source depends on several systems functioning together. Appropriate cell design is the first step in assuring a reliable product. Qualification of critical components and of the cells using those components is done prior to their designation as implantable grade. Product consistency is assured by control of manufacturing practices and verified by sampling plans using both accelerated and real-time testing. Results to date show that lithium/silver vanadium oxide cells used for implantable cardiac defibrillators have a calculated maximum random failure rate of 0.005% per test month.

Electricity and generator availability in LMIC hospitals: improving access to safe surgery.

PubMed

Chawla, Sagar; Kurani, Shaheen; Wren, Sherry M; Stewart, Barclay; Burnham, Gilbert; Kushner, Adam; McIntyre, Thomas

2018-03-01

Access to reliable energy has been identified as a global priority and codified within United Nations Sustainable Goal 7 and the Electrify Africa Act of 2015. Reliable hospital access to electricity is necessary to provide safe surgical care. The current state of electrical availability in hospitals in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) throughout the world is not well known. This study aimed to review the surgical capacity literature and document the availability of electricity and generators. Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, a systematic search for surgical capacity assessments in LMICs in MEDLINE, PubMed, and World Health Organization Global Health Library was performed. Data regarding electricity and generator availability were extracted. Estimated percentages for individual countries were calculated. Of 76 articles identified, 21 reported electricity availability, totaling 528 hospitals. Continuous electricity availability at hospitals providing surgical care was 312/528 (59.1%). Generator availability was 309/427 (72.4%). Estimated continuous electricity availability ranged from 0% (Sierra Leone and Malawi) to 100% (Iran); estimated generator availability was 14% (Somalia) to 97.6% (Iran). Less than two-thirds of hospitals providing surgical care in 21 LMICs have a continuous electricity source or have an available generator. Efforts are needed to improve electricity infrastructure at hospitals to assure safe surgical care. Future research should look at the effect of energy availability on surgical care and patient outcomes and novel methods of powering surgical equipment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Design of fuel cell powered data centers for sufficient reliability and availability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ritchie, Alexa J.; Brouwer, Jacob

2018-04-01

It is challenging to design a sufficiently reliable fuel cell electrical system for use in data centers, which require 99.9999% uptime. Such a system could lower emissions and increase data center efficiency, but the reliability and availability of such a system must be analyzed and understood. Currently, extensive backup equipment is used to ensure electricity availability. The proposed design alternative uses multiple fuel cell systems each supporting a small number of servers to eliminate backup power equipment provided the fuel cell design has sufficient reliability and availability. Potential system designs are explored for the entire data center and for individual fuel cells. Reliability block diagram analysis of the fuel cell systems was accomplished to understand the reliability of the systems without repair or redundant technologies. From this analysis, it was apparent that redundant components would be necessary. A program was written in MATLAB to show that the desired system reliability could be achieved by a combination of parallel components, regardless of the number of additional components needed. Having shown that the desired reliability was achievable through some combination of components, a dynamic programming analysis was undertaken to assess the ideal allocation of parallel components.

Safe Grid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chow, Edward T.; Stewart, Helen; Korsmeyer, David (Technical Monitor)

2003-01-01

The biggest users of GRID technologies came from the science and technology communities. These consist of government, industry and academia (national and international). The NASA GRID is moving into a higher technology readiness level (TRL) today; and as a joint effort among these leaders within government, academia, and industry, the NASA GRID plans to extend availability to enable scientists and engineers across these geographical boundaries collaborate to solve important problems facing the world in the 21 st century. In order to enable NASA programs and missions to use IPG resources for program and mission design, the IPG capabilities needs to be accessible from inside the NASA center networks. However, because different NASA centers maintain different security domains, the GRID penetration across different firewalls is a concern for center security people. This is the reason why some IPG resources are been separated from the NASA center network. Also, because of the center network security and ITAR concerns, the NASA IPG resource owner may not have full control over who can access remotely from outside the NASA center. In order to obtain organizational approval for secured remote access, the IPG infrastructure needs to be adapted to work with the NASA business process. Improvements need to be made before the IPG can be used for NASA program and mission development. The Secured Advanced Federated Environment (SAFE) technology is designed to provide federated security across NASA center and NASA partner's security domains. Instead of one giant center firewall which can be difficult to modify for different GRID applications, the SAFE "micro security domain" provide large number of professionally managed "micro firewalls" that can allow NASA centers to accept remote IPG access without the worry of damaging other center resources. The SAFE policy-driven capability-based federated security mechanism can enable joint organizational and resource owner approved remote

The SAFE-T assessment tool: derivation and validation of a web-based application for point-of-care evaluation of gastroenterology fellow performance in colonoscopy.

PubMed

Kumar, Navin L; Kugener, Guillaume; Perencevich, Molly L; Saltzman, John R

2018-01-01

Attending assessment is a critical part of endoscopic education for gastroenterology fellows. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a concise assessment tool to evaluate real-time fellow performance in colonoscopy administered via a web-based application. The Skill Assessment in Fellow Endoscopy Training (SAFE-T) tool was derived as a novel 5-question evaluation tool that captures both summative and formative feedback adapted into a web-based application. A prospective study of 15 gastroenterology fellows (5 fellows each from years 1 to 3 of training) was performed using the SAFE-T tool. An independent reviewer evaluated a subset of these procedures and completed the SAFE-T tool and Mayo Colonoscopy Skills Assessment Tool (MCSAT) for reliability testing. Twenty-six faculty completed 350 SAFE-T evaluations of the 15 fellows in the study. The mean SAFE-T overall score (year 1, 2.00; year 2, 3.84; year 3, 4.28) differentiated each sequential fellow year of training (P < .0001). The mean SAFE-T overall score decreased with increasing case complexity score, with straightforward cases compared with average cases (4.07 vs 3.50, P < .0001), and average cases compared with challenging cases (3.50 vs 3.08, P = .0134). In dual-observed procedures, the SAFE-T tool showed excellent inter-rater reliability with a kappa agreement statistic of 0.898 (P < .0001). Correlation of the SAFE-T overall score with the MCSAT overall hands-on and individual motor scores was excellent (each r > 0.90, P < .0001). We developed and validated the SAFE-T assessment tool, a concise and web-based means of assessing real-time gastroenterology fellow performance in colonoscopy. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Desert ants achieve reliable recruitment across noisy interactions

PubMed Central

Razin, Nitzan; Eckmann, Jean-Pierre; Feinerman, Ofer

2013-01-01

We study how desert ants, Cataglyphis niger, a species that lacks pheromone-based recruitment mechanisms, inform each other about the presence of food. Our results are based on automated tracking that allows us to collect a large database of ant trajectories and interactions. We find that interactions affect an ant's speed within the nest. Fast ants tend to slow down, whereas slow ones increase their speed when encountering a faster ant. Faster ants tend to exit the nest more frequently than slower ones. So, if an ant gains enough speed through encounters with others, then she tends to leave the nest and look for food. On the other hand, we find that the probability for her to leave the nest depends only on her speed, but not on whether she had recently interacted with a recruiter that has found the food. This suggests a recruitment system in which ants communicate their state by very simple interactions. Based on this assumption, we estimate the information-theoretical channel capacity of the ants’ pairwise interactions. We find that the response to the speed of an interacting nest-mate is very noisy. The question is then how random interactions with ants within the nest can be distinguished from those interactions with a recruiter who has found food. Our measurements and model suggest that this distinction does not depend on reliable communication but on behavioural differences between ants that have found the food and those that have not. Recruiters retain high speeds throughout the experiment, regardless of the ants they interact with; non-recruiters communicate with a limited number of nest-mates and adjust their speed following these interactions. These simple rules lead to the formation of a bistable switch on the level of the group that allows the distinction between recruitment and random noise in the nest. A consequence of the mechanism we propose is a negative effect of ant density on exit rates and recruitment success. This is, indeed, confirmed by

Types and status of high reliability practices in the federal fire community (Abstract)

Treesearch

Anne Black; Brooke McBride

2012-01-01

Since emerging in the late 1980s, the paradigm of High Reliability Organizing (HRO) has sought to describe how and why certain organizations consistently function safely under hazardous conditions. Researchers have explored a variety of industrial situations, from the early observations of nuclear aircraft carrier operations to nursing units and even high-tech IPOs....

Reliability Analysis of RSG-GAS Primary Cooling System to Support Aging Management Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deswandri; Subekti, M.; Sunaryo, Geni Rina

2018-02-01

Multipurpose Research Reactor G.A. Siwabessy (RSG-GAS) which has been operating since 1987 is one of the main facilities on supporting research, development and application of nuclear energy programs in BATAN. Until now, the RSG-GAS research reactor has been successfully operated safely and securely. However, because it has been operating for nearly 30 years, the structures, systems and components (SSCs) from the reactor would have started experiencing an aging phase. The process of aging certainly causes a decrease in reliability and safe performances of the reactor, therefore the aging management program is needed to resolve the issues. One of the programs in the aging management is to evaluate the safety and reliability of the system and also screening the critical components to be managed.One method that can be used for such purposes is the Fault Tree Analysis (FTA). In this papers FTA method is used to screening the critical components in the RSG-GAS Primary Cooling System. The evaluation results showed that the primary isolation valves are the basic events which are dominant against the system failure.

How reliable are Functional Movement Screening scores? A systematic review of rater reliability.

PubMed

Moran, Robert W; Schneiders, Anthony G; Major, Katherine M; Sullivan, S John

2016-05-01

Several physical assessment protocols to identify intrinsic risk factors for injury aetiology related to movement quality have been described. The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is a standardised, field-expedient test battery intended to assess movement quality and has been used clinically in preparticipation screening and in sports injury research. To critically appraise and summarise research investigating the reliability of scores obtained using the FMS battery. Systematic literature review. Systematic search of Google Scholar, Scopus (including ScienceDirect and PubMed), EBSCO (including Academic Search Complete, AMED, CINAHL, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition), MEDLINE and SPORTDiscus. Studies meeting eligibility criteria were assessed by 2 reviewers for risk of bias using the Quality Appraisal of Reliability Studies checklist. Overall quality of evidence was determined using van Tulder's levels of evidence approach. 12 studies were appraised. Overall, there was a 'moderate' level of evidence in favour of 'acceptable' (intraclass correlation coefficient ≥0.6) inter-rater and intra-rater reliability for composite scores derived from live scoring. For inter-rater reliability of composite scores derived from video recordings there was 'conflicting' evidence, and 'limited' evidence for intra-rater reliability. For inter-rater reliability based on live scoring of individual subtests there was 'moderate' evidence of 'acceptable' reliability (κ≥0.4) for 4 subtests (Deep Squat, Shoulder Mobility, Active Straight-leg Raise, Trunk Stability Push-up) and 'conflicting' evidence for the remaining 3 (Hurdle Step, In-line Lunge, Rotary Stability). This review found 'moderate' evidence that raters can achieve acceptable levels of inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of composite FMS scores when using live ratings. Overall, there were few high-quality studies, and the quality of several studies was impacted by poor study reporting particularly in relation to

Reliability, Safety and Error Recovery for Advanced Control Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malin, Jane T.

2003-01-01

For long-duration automated operation of regenerative life support systems in space environments, there is a need for advanced integration and control systems that are significantly more reliable and safe, and that support error recovery and minimization of operational failures. This presentation outlines some challenges of hazardous space environments and complex system interactions that can lead to system accidents. It discusses approaches to hazard analysis and error recovery for control software and challenges of supporting effective intervention by safety software and the crew.

Sociotechnical attributes of safe and unsafe work systems.

PubMed

Kleiner, Brian M; Hettinger, Lawrence J; DeJoy, David M; Huang, Yuang-Hsiang; Love, Peter E D

2015-01-01

Theoretical and practical approaches to safety based on sociotechnical systems principles place heavy emphasis on the intersections between social-organisational and technical-work process factors. Within this perspective, work system design emphasises factors such as the joint optimisation of social and technical processes, a focus on reliable human-system performance and safety metrics as design and analysis criteria, the maintenance of a realistic and consistent set of safety objectives and policies, and regular access to the expertise and input of workers. We discuss three current approaches to the analysis and design of complex sociotechnical systems: human-systems integration, macroergonomics and safety climate. Each approach emphasises key sociotechnical systems themes, and each prescribes a more holistic perspective on work systems than do traditional theories and methods. We contrast these perspectives with historical precedents such as system safety and traditional human factors and ergonomics, and describe potential future directions for their application in research and practice. The identification of factors that can reliably distinguish between safe and unsafe work systems is an important concern for ergonomists and other safety professionals. This paper presents a variety of sociotechnical systems perspectives on intersections between social--organisational and technology--work process factors as they impact work system analysis, design and operation.

Sociotechnical attributes of safe and unsafe work systems

PubMed Central

Kleiner, Brian M.; Hettinger, Lawrence J.; DeJoy, David M.; Huang, Yuang-Hsiang; Love, Peter E.D.

2015-01-01

Theoretical and practical approaches to safety based on sociotechnical systems principles place heavy emphasis on the intersections between social–organisational and technical–work process factors. Within this perspective, work system design emphasises factors such as the joint optimisation of social and technical processes, a focus on reliable human–system performance and safety metrics as design and analysis criteria, the maintenance of a realistic and consistent set of safety objectives and policies, and regular access to the expertise and input of workers. We discuss three current approaches to the analysis and design of complex sociotechnical systems: human–systems integration, macroergonomics and safety climate. Each approach emphasises key sociotechnical systems themes, and each prescribes a more holistic perspective on work systems than do traditional theories and methods. We contrast these perspectives with historical precedents such as system safety and traditional human factors and ergonomics, and describe potential future directions for their application in research and practice. Practitioner Summary: The identification of factors that can reliably distinguish between safe and unsafe work systems is an important concern for ergonomists and other safety professionals. This paper presents a variety of sociotechnical systems perspectives on intersections between social–organisational and technology–work process factors as they impact work system analysis, design and operation. PMID:25909756

Reliability analysis applied to structural tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diamond, P.; Payne, A. O.

1972-01-01

The application of reliability theory to predict, from structural fatigue test data, the risk of failure of a structure under service conditions because its load-carrying capability is progressively reduced by the extension of a fatigue crack, is considered. The procedure is applicable to both safe-life and fail-safe structures and, for a prescribed safety level, it will enable an inspection procedure to be planned or, if inspection is not feasible, it will evaluate the life to replacement. The theory has been further developed to cope with the case of structures with initial cracks, such as can occur in modern high-strength materials which are susceptible to the formation of small flaws during the production process. The method has been applied to a structure of high-strength steel and the results are compared with those obtained by the current life estimation procedures. This has shown that the conventional methods can be unconservative in certain cases, depending on the characteristics of the structure and the design operating conditions. The suitability of the probabilistic approach to the interpretation of the results from full-scale fatigue testing of aircraft structures is discussed and the assumptions involved are examined.

Human reliability in petrochemical industry: an action research.

PubMed

Silva, João Alexandre Pinheiro; Camarotto, João Alberto

2012-01-01

This paper aims to identify conflicts and gaps between the operators' strategies and actions and the organizational managerial approach for human reliability. In order to achieve these goals, the research approach adopted encompasses literature review, mixing action research methodology and Ergonomic Workplace Analysis in field research. The result suggests that the studied company has a classical and mechanistic point of view focusing on error identification and building barriers through procedures, checklists and other prescription alternatives to improve performance in reliability area. However, it was evident the fundamental role of the worker as an agent of maintenance and construction of system reliability during the action research cycle.

Characterizing reliability in a product/process design-assurance program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kerscher, W.J. III; Booker, J.M.; Bement, T.R.

1997-10-01

Over the years many advancing techniques in the area of reliability engineering have surfaced in the military sphere of influence, and one of these techniques is Reliability Growth Testing (RGT). Private industry has reviewed RGT as part of the solution to their reliability concerns, but many practical considerations have slowed its implementation. It`s objective is to demonstrate the reliability requirement of a new product with a specified confidence. This paper speaks directly to that objective but discusses a somewhat different approach to achieving it. Rather than conducting testing as a continuum and developing statistical confidence bands around the results, thismore » Bayesian updating approach starts with a reliability estimate characterized by large uncertainty and then proceeds to reduce the uncertainty by folding in fresh information in a Bayesian framework.« less

Construction of Valid and Reliable Test for Assessment of Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osadebe, P. U.

2015-01-01

The study was carried out to construct a valid and reliable test in Economics for secondary school students. Two research questions were drawn to guide the establishment of validity and reliability for the Economics Achievement Test (EAT). It is a multiple choice objective test of five options with 100 items. A sample of 1000 students was randomly…

Measuring Emotions in Students' Learning and Performance: The Achievement Emotions Questionnaire (AEQ)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pekrun, Reinhard; Goetz, Thomas; Frenzel, Anne C.; Barchfeld, Petra; Perry, Raymond P.

2011-01-01

Aside from test anxiety scales, measurement instruments assessing students' achievement emotions are largely lacking. This article reports on the construction, reliability, internal validity, and external validity of the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire (AEQ) which is designed to assess various achievement emotions experienced by students in…

The process group approach to reliable distributed computing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Birman, Kenneth P.

1992-01-01

The difficulty of developing reliable distribution software is an impediment to applying distributed computing technology in many settings. Experience with the ISIS system suggests that a structured approach based on virtually synchronous process groups yields systems that are substantially easier to develop, exploit sophisticated forms of cooperative computation, and achieve high reliability. Six years of research on ISIS, describing the model, its implementation challenges, and the types of applications to which ISIS has been applied are reviewed.

Design and Analysis of a Flexible, Reliable Deep Space Life Support System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Harry W.

2012-01-01

This report describes a flexible, reliable, deep space life support system design approach that uses either storage or recycling or both together. The design goal is to provide the needed life support performance with the required ultra reliability for the minimum Equivalent System Mass (ESM). Recycling life support systems used with multiple redundancy can have sufficient reliability for deep space missions but they usually do not save mass compared to mixed storage and recycling systems. The best deep space life support system design uses water recycling with sufficient water storage to prevent loss of crew if recycling fails. Since the amount of water needed for crew survival is a small part of the total water requirement, the required amount of stored water is significantly less than the total to be consumed. Water recycling with water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide removal material storage can achieve the high reliability of full storage systems with only half the mass of full storage and with less mass than the highly redundant recycling systems needed to achieve acceptable reliability. Improved recycling systems with lower mass and higher reliability could perform better than systems using storage.

Making Safe Surgery Affordable: Design of a Surgical Drill Cover System for Scale.

PubMed

Buchan, Lawrence L; Black, Marianne S; Cancilla, Michael A; Huisman, Elise S; Kooyman, Jeremy J R; Nelson, Scott C; OʼHara, Nathan N; OʼBrien, Peter J; Blachut, Piotr A

2015-10-01

Many surgeons in low-resource settings do not have access to safe, affordable, or reliable surgical drilling tools. Surgeons often resort to nonsterile hardware drills because they are affordable, robust, and efficient, but they are impossible to sterilize using steam. A promising alternative is to use a Drill Cover system (a sterilizable fabric bag plus surgical chuck adapter) so that a nonsterile hardware drill can be used safely for surgical bone drilling. Our objective was to design a safe, effective, affordable Drill Cover system for scale in low-resource settings. We designed our device based on feedback from users at Mulago Hospital (Kampala, Uganda) and focused on 3 main aspects. First, the design included a sealed barrier between the surgical field and hardware drill that withstands pressurized fluid. Second, the selected hardware drill had a maximum speed of 1050 rpm to match common surgical drills and reduce risk of necrosis. Third, the fabric cover was optimized for ease of assembly while maintaining a sterile technique. Furthermore, with the Drill Cover approach, multiple Drill Covers can be provided with a single battery-powered drill in a "kit," so that the drill can be used in back-to-back surgeries without requiring immediate sterilization. The Drill Cover design presented here provides a proof-of-concept for a product that can be commercialized, produced at scale, and used in low-resource settings globally to improve access to safe surgery.

Material Selection for Cable Gland to Improved Reliability of the High-hazard Industries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vashchuk, S. P.; Slobodyan, S. M.; Deeva, V. S.; Vashchuk, D. S.

2018-01-01

The sealed cable glands (SCG) are available to ensure safest connection sheathed single wire for the hazard production facility (nuclear power plant and others) the same as pilot cable, control cables, radio-frequency cables et al. In this paper, we investigate the specifics of the material selection of SCG with the express aim of hazardous man-made facility. We discuss the safe working conditions for cable glands. The research indicates the sintering powdered metals cables provide the reliability growth due to their properties. A number of studies have demonstrated the verification of material selection. On the face of it, we make findings indicating that double glazed sealed units could enhance reliability. We had evaluated sample reliability under fire conditions, seismic load, and pressure containment failure. We used the samples mineral insulated thermocouple cable.

Buying & Using Medicine Safely

MedlinePlus

... Generic Drugs - Patient Education Resources Patient and Prescriber materials: Videos, PSAs, factsheets and more. Spotlight Drugs@FDA Index to Drug-Specific Information Protecting Yourself Safe Disposal of Medicines Generic Medicines – safe, effective and ...

So What's an RTG and Are They Safe?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barret, Chris; Hughes, R. W. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

When one considers space missions to the outer edges of our solar system and far beyond, our sun cannot be relied on to produce the required spacecraft (s/c) power. Solar energy diminishes as the square of the distance from the Sun. At Mars it is only 43% of that at earth. At Jupiter, it falls off to only 3.6% of Earth's. By the time we get out to Pluto, solar energy is only .066% what it is on Earth. Beyond the orbit of Mars, it is not practical to depend on solar power for a s/c. However, the farther out we go the more power we need to heat the s/c and to transmit data back to Earth over the long distances. On Earth, knowledge is power. In the outer solar system, power is knowledge. Solar arrays only operate at 19% efficiency, are very vulnerable to damage from radiation and temperature extremes, and cannot be used for even nearby missions that operate in extended darkness, or under the surface of a planet or moon. Twenty-six U.S. space missions, from the Transit to Cassini, have used radioisotope power systems and heater units to take s/c to the far reaches of our solar system and have demonstrated an outstanding record of safety and reliability. Radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTG's) have proven to be safe, reliable, maintenance-free, and capable of providing both thermal and electrical power for decades under the harsh environments of deep space. RTG's have no problem operating in the high radiation belts of space, the extreme temperatures, or the severe dust storms of Mars, and they have proven to be the most reliable power source ever flown on U.S. s/c. For example, the two Pioneer s/c operated for more than two decades and the Voyager s/c may last for 40 years. RTG's are not nuclear reactors, they serve only as power generators and are not involved in the propulsion of the s/c. They operate on the principle of thermoelectric generation that converts heat directly into electricity, they have no moving parts, are extremely reliable, and have met or

Modern problems concerned with ensuring safe operation of heat-generating and mechanical equipment in extending its lifetime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rezinskikh, V. F.; Grin', E. A.

2013-01-01

The problem concerned with safe and reliable operation of ageing heat-generating and mechanical equipment of thermal power stations is discussed. It is pointed out that the set of relevant regulatory documents serves as the basis for establishing an efficient equipment diagnostic system. In this connection, updating the existing regulatory documents with imparting the required status to them is one of top-priority tasks. Carrying out goal-oriented scientific research works is a necessary condition for solving this problem as well as other questions considered in the paper that are important for ensuring reliable performance of equipment operating for a long period of time. In recent years, the amount of such works has dropped dramatically, although the need for them is steadily growing. Unbiased assessment of the technical state of equipment that has been in operation for a long period of time is an important aspect in solving the problem of ensuring reliable and safe operation of thermal power stations. Here, along with the quality of diagnostic activities, monitoring of technical state performed on the basis of an analysis of statistical field data and results of operational checks plays an important role. The need to concentrate efforts taken in the mentioned problem areas is pointed out, and it is indicated that successful implementation of the outlined measures requires proper organization and efficient operation of a system for managing safety in the electric power industry.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Achieving the Beginning Teacher Standards Inventory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Weiyun

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the factorial validity and reliability of the "Achieving the NASPE Standards Inventory (ANSI)" that assesses pre-service physical education teachers' perceptions of achieving the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) beginning teacher standards (2003). Four hundred fifty-two…

A forward view on reliable computers for flight control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldberg, J.; Wensley, J. H.

1976-01-01

The requirements for fault-tolerant computers for flight control of commercial aircraft are examined; it is concluded that the reliability requirements far exceed those typically quoted for space missions. Examination of circuit technology and alternative computer architectures indicates that the desired reliability can be achieved with several different computer structures, though there are obvious advantages to those that are more economic, more reliable, and, very importantly, more certifiable as to fault tolerance. Progress in this field is expected to bring about better computer systems that are more rigorously designed and analyzed even though computational requirements are expected to increase significantly.

Assessing segment- and corridor-based travel-time reliability on urban freeways : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-09-01

Travel time and its reliability are intuitive performance measures for freeway traffic operations. The objective of this project was to quantify segment-based and corridor-based travel time reliability measures on urban freeways. To achieve this obje...

Types and status of high reliability practices in the US federal wildland fire community

Treesearch

Anne E. Black

2012-01-01

Since emerging in the late 1980s, the paradigm of High Reliability Organizing (HRO) has sought to describe how and why certain organizations consistently function safely under hazardous conditions. Researchers have explored a variety of industrial situations, from the early observations of nuclear aircraft carrier operations to nursing units and even high-tech IPOs....

Reliability and Validity of the "Achievement Emotions Questionnaire": A Study of Argentinean University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paoloni, Paola Verónica; Vaja, Arabela Beatriz; Muñoz, Verónica Lilian

2014-01-01

Introduction: This paper aims at describing the psychometric features of the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire (AEQ), focusing specifically on the section that measures class emotions. From a theoretical perspective, this instrument was designed based on the control-value theory of achievement emotions. Therefore, a description of the…

Reliability of the Kinetics of British Army Foot Drill in Untrained Personnel.

PubMed

Rawcliffe, Alex J; Simpson, Richard J; Graham, Scott M; Psycharakis, Stelios G; Moir, Gavin L; Connaboy, Chris

2017-02-01

Rawcliffe, AJ, Simpson, RJ, Graham, SM, Psycharakis, SG, Moir, GL, and Connaboy, C. Reliability of the kinetics of British Army foot drill in untrained personnel. J Strength Cond Res 31(2): 435-444, 2017-The purpose of this study was to quantify the reliability of kinetic variables of British Army foot drill performance within untrained civilians and report the magnitude of vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) and vertical rate of force development (RFD) of foot drills. Fifteen recreational active males performed 3 testing sessions across a 1-week period, with each session separated by 24 hours. Within each testing session participants (mean ± SD; age 22.4 ± 1.7 years; height 177 ± 5.6 cm; weight 83 ± 8.7 kg) completed 10 trials of stand-at-attention (SaA), stand-at-ease (SaE), Halt, quick-march (QM) and a normal walking gait, with vGRF and vertical RFD measured on a force plate. Between-session and within-session reliability was calculated as systematic bias, coefficient of variation calculated from the typical error (CVte%), and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Significant (p ≤ 0.05) between-session differences were found for the vGRF SaA and SaE, and vertical RFD SaA and SaE conditions. Significant (p ≤ 0.05) within-session differences were found for the vGRF SaA and SaE conditions. A mean vGRF CVte% ≤10% was observed across all foot drills. However, the mean vertical RFD CVte% observed was ≥10% (excluding SaE) across all foot drills. The ICC analyses indicated that the vGRF Halt, QM, SaA, and Walk condition achieved moderate to large levels of test-retest reliability, with only SaE failing to achieve an ICC value ≥0.75. The vertical RFD QM, SaE, and Walk condition achieved moderate levels of test-retest reliability, with Halt and SaA failing to achieve an ICC value ≥0.75. It was determined that a single familiarization session and using the mean of 8 trials of vGRF are required to achieve acceptable levels of reliability.

Aligning Items and Achievement Levels: A Study Comparing Expert Judgments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaliski, Pamela; Huff, Kristen; Barry, Carol

2011-01-01

For educational achievement tests that employ multiple-choice (MC) items and aim to reliably classify students into performance categories, it is critical to design MC items that are capable of discriminating student performance according to the stated achievement levels. This is accomplished, in part, by clearly understanding how item design…

Fracture mechanics. [review of fatigue crack propagation and technology of constructing safe structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hardrath, H. F.

1974-01-01

Fracture mechanics is a rapidly emerging discipline for assessing the residual strength of structures containing flaws due to fatigue, corrosion or accidental damage and for anticipating the rate of which such flaws will propagate if not repaired. The discipline is also applicable in the design of structures with improved resistance to such flaws. The present state of the design art is reviewed using this technology to choose materials, to configure safe and efficient structures, to specify inspection procedures, to predict lives of flawed structures and to develop reliability of current and future airframes.

Safe Affordable Fission Engine-(SAFE-) 100a Heat Exchanger Thermal and Structural Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steeve, B. E.

2005-01-01

A potential fission power system for in-space missions is a heat pipe-cooled reactor coupled to a Brayton cycle. In this system, a heat exchanger (HX) transfers the heat of the reactor core to the Brayton gas. The Safe Affordable Fission Engine- (SAFE-) 100a is a test program designed to thermally and hydraulically simulate a 95 Btu/s prototypic heat pipe-cooled reactor using electrical resistance heaters on the ground. This Technical Memorandum documents the thermal and structural assessment of the HX used in the SAFE-100a program.

Reliability based design optimization: Formulations and methodologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agarwal, Harish

Modern products ranging from simple components to complex systems should be designed to be optimal and reliable. The challenge of modern engineering is to ensure that manufacturing costs are reduced and design cycle times are minimized while achieving requirements for performance and reliability. If the market for the product is competitive, improved quality and reliability can generate very strong competitive advantages. Simulation based design plays an important role in designing almost any kind of automotive, aerospace, and consumer products under these competitive conditions. Single discipline simulations used for analysis are being coupled together to create complex coupled simulation tools. This investigation focuses on the development of efficient and robust methodologies for reliability based design optimization in a simulation based design environment. Original contributions of this research are the development of a novel efficient and robust unilevel methodology for reliability based design optimization, the development of an innovative decoupled reliability based design optimization methodology, the application of homotopy techniques in unilevel reliability based design optimization methodology, and the development of a new framework for reliability based design optimization under epistemic uncertainty. The unilevel methodology for reliability based design optimization is shown to be mathematically equivalent to the traditional nested formulation. Numerical test problems show that the unilevel methodology can reduce computational cost by at least 50% as compared to the nested approach. The decoupled reliability based design optimization methodology is an approximate technique to obtain consistent reliable designs at lesser computational expense. Test problems show that the methodology is computationally efficient compared to the nested approach. A framework for performing reliability based design optimization under epistemic uncertainty is also developed

Strategies for safe motherhood.

PubMed

Chatterjee, A

1995-02-01

The Safe Motherhood Initiative was launched in 1988 as a global effort to halve maternal mortality and morbidity by the year 2000. The program uses a combination of health and nonhealth strategies to emphasize the need for maternal health services, extend family planning services, and improve the status of women. The maternal mortality rate (per 100,000 live births) is 390 for the world, 20-30 for developed countries, 450 for developing countries, and 420 for Asia. This translates into 308,000 maternal deaths in Asia, of which 100,000 occur in India. The direct causes of maternal mortality include sepsis, hemorrhage, eclampsia, and ruptured uterus. Indirect causes occur when associated medical conditions, such as anemia and jaundice, are exacerbated by pregnancy. Underlying causes are ineffective health services, inadequate obstetric care, unregulated fertility, infections, illiteracy, early marriage, poverty, malnutrition, and ignorance. India's Child Survival and Safe Motherhood Program seeks to achieve immediate improvements by improving health care. Longterm improvements will occur as nutrition, income, education, and the status of women improve. Improvements in health care will occur in through the provision of 1) essential obstetric care for all women (which will be essentially designed for low-risk women), 2) early detection of complications during pregnancy and labor, and 3) emergency services. Services will be provided to pregnant women at their door by field staff, at a first referral hospital, perhaps at maternity villages where high risk cases can be housed in the latter part of their pregnancies, and through the continual accessibility of government vehicles. In addition, family planning services will be improved so that fertility regulation can have its expected beneficial effect on the maternal mortality rate. The professional health organizations in India will also play a vital role in the success of this effort to reduce maternal mortality.

Reliability analysis of laminated CMC components through shell subelement techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Starlinger, A.; Duffy, S. F.; Gyekenyesi, J. P.

1992-01-01

An updated version of the integrated design program C/CARES (composite ceramic analysis and reliability evaluation of structures) was developed for the reliability evaluation of CMC laminated shell components. The algorithm is now split in two modules: a finite-element data interface program and a reliability evaluation algorithm. More flexibility is achieved, allowing for easy implementation with various finite-element programs. The new interface program from the finite-element code MARC also includes the option of using hybrid laminates and allows for variations in temperature fields throughout the component.

Making Human Spaceflight as Safe as Possible

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gregory, Frederick D.

2005-01-01

We articulated the safety hierarchy a little over two years ago, as part of our quest to be the nation s leader in safety and occupational health, and in the safety of the products and services we provide. The safety hierarchy stresses that we are all accountable for assuring that our programs, projects, and operations do not impact safety or health for the public, astronauts and pilots, employees on the ground, and high-value equipment and property. When people are thinking about doing things safely, they re also thinking about doing things right. And for the past couple of years, we ve had some pretty good results. In the time since the failures of the Mars 98 missions that occurred in late 1999, every NASA spacecraft launch has met the success objectives, and every Space Shuttle mission has safely and successfully met all mission objectives. Now I can t say that NASA s safety program is solely responsible for these achievements, but, as we like to say, "mission success starts with safety." In the future, looking forward, we will continue to make spaceflight even safer. That is NASA s vision. That is NASA s duty to both those who will travel into space and the American people who will make the journey possible.

Is expansion of artificial dermis a reliable reconstructive option?

PubMed Central

Tsoutsos, D.; Zapantioti, P.; Kakagia, D.; Salmas, M.; Marra, A.; Kyriopoulos, E.

2011-01-01

Summary Reconstruction of full-thickness defects with the use of artificial dermis has been well established in the recent literature. The capacity of artificial dermis to expand over a period of years, months, or even days is described. Three such cases are reported. Two female patients, aged 21 and 30 years, with post-burn contractures of the chest with right breast hypoplasia and abdominal wall post-burn contractures respectively, and a 14-year-old male with a giant congenital naevus on the forearm, are presented. After excision of the contractures and the congenital naevus, the patients underwent staged reconstruction with the use of artificial dermal template and split-thickness skin autografts at monthly intervals. The 21-yr-old female also had a tissue expander placed submuscularly which six months later was replaced by a permanent silicone implant. Gradual expansion of artificial dermis within three weeks resulted in reconstruction of a breast of natural shape, size, and volume. In the second patient the artificial dermis was expanded over a period of months, until full-term pregnancy, while the third patient took years to achieve expansion naturally as he grew up. In conclusion, artificial dermis can be expanded over various periods of time (days to years), providing a reliable and safe alternative reconstructive method, particularly in areas where expansion is an absolute necessity for a good functional and aesthetic result. PMID:22639566

Breastfeeding FAQs: Safely Storing Breast Milk

MedlinePlus

... Staying Safe Videos for Educators Search English Español Breastfeeding FAQs: Safely Storing Breast Milk KidsHealth / For Parents / Breastfeeding FAQs: Safely Storing Breast Milk What's in this ...

Achieving reliability - The evolution of redundancy in American manned spacecraft computers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tomayko, J. E.

1985-01-01

The Shuttle is the first launch system deployed by NASA with full redundancy in the on-board computer systems. Fault-tolerance, i.e., restoring to a backup with less capabilities, was the method selected for Apollo. The Gemini capsule was the first to carry a computer, which also served as backup for Titan launch vehicle guidance. Failure of the Gemini computer resulted in manual control of the spacecraft. The Apollo system served vehicle flight control and navigation functions. The redundant computer on Skylab provided attitude control only in support of solar telescope pointing. The STS digital, fly-by-wire avionics system requires 100 percent reliability. The Orbiter carries five general purpose computers, four being fully-redundant and the fifth being soley an ascent-descent tool. The computers are synchronized at input and output points at a rate of about six times a second. The system is projected to cause a loss of an Orbiter only four times in a billion flights.

Development and Validation of Economics Achievement Test for Secondary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eleje, Lydia Ijeoma; Abanobi, Chidiebere Christopher; Obasi, Emma

2017-01-01

Economics achievement test (EAT) for assessing senior secondary two (SS2) achievement in economics was developed and validated in the study. Five research questions guided the study. Twenty and 100 mid-senior secondary (SS2) economics students was used for the pilot testing and reliability check respectively. A sample of 250 students randomly…

The safe home project.

PubMed

Arphorn, Sara; Jiraniratisai, Sopaphan; Rungtakul, Rungsri; Phutta, Nikom

2011-12-01

The Thai Health Promotion Foundation supported the Improvement of Quality of Life of Informal Workers project in Ban Luang District, Amphur Photaram, Ratchaburi Province. There were many informal workers in Ban Luang District. Sweet-crispy fish producers in Ban Luang were the largest group among the sweet-crispy fish producers in Thailand. This project was aimed at improving living and working conditions of informal workers, with a focus on the sweet-crispy fish group. Good practices of improved living and working conditions were used to help informal workers build safe, healthy and productive work environments. These informal workers often worked in substandard conditions and were exposed to various hazards in the working area. These hazards included risk of exposure to hot work environment, ergonomics-related injuries, chemical hazards, electrical hazards etc. Ergonomics problems were commonly in the sweet-crispy fish group. Unnatural postures such as prolonged sitting were performed dominantly. One hundred and fifty informal workers participated in this project. Occupational health volunteers were selected to encourage occupational health and safety in four groups of informal workers in 2009. The occupational health volunteers trained in 2008 were farmers, beauty salon workers and doll makers. The occupational health and safety knowledge is extended to a new informal worker group: sweet-crispy fish producer, in 2009. The occupational health and safety training for sweet-crispy fish group is conducted by occupational health volunteers. The occupational health volunteers increased their skills and knowledge assist in to make safe home and safe community through participatory oriented training. The improvement of living and working condition is conducted by using a modified WISH, Work Improvement for Safe Home, checklist. The plans of improvement were recorded. The informal workers showed improvement mostly on material handling and storage. The safe uses and safe

Design and Implementation of Secure and Reliable Communication using Optical Wireless Communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saadi, Muhammad; Bajpai, Ambar; Zhao, Yan; Sangwongngam, Paramin; Wuttisittikulkij, Lunchakorn

2014-11-01

Wireless networking intensify the tractability in the home and office environment to connect the internet without wires but at the cost of risks associated with stealing the data or threat of loading malicious code with the intention of harming the network. In this paper, we proposed a novel method of establishing a secure and reliable communication link using optical wireless communication (OWC). For security, spatial diversity based transmission using two optical transmitters is used and the reliability in the link is achieved by a newly proposed method for the construction of structured parity check matrix for binary Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes. Experimental results show that a successful secure and reliable link between the transmitter and the receiver can be achieved by using the proposed novel technique.

Reliability evaluation of oil pipelines operating in aggressive environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magomedov, R. M.; Paizulaev, M. M.; Gebel, E. S.

2017-08-01

In connection with modern increased requirements for ecology and safety, the development of diagnostic services complex is obligatory and necessary enabling to ensure the reliable operation of the gas transportation infrastructure. Estimation of oil pipelines technical condition should be carried out not only to establish the current values of the equipment technological parameters in operation, but also to predict the dynamics of changes in the physical and mechanical characteristics of the material, the appearance of defects, etc. to ensure reliable and safe operation. In the paper, existing Russian and foreign methods for evaluation of the oil pipelines reliability are considered, taking into account one of the main factors leading to the appearance of crevice in the pipeline material, i.e. change the shape of its cross-section, - corrosion. Without compromising the generality of the reasoning, the assumption of uniform corrosion wear for the initial rectangular cross section has been made. As a result a formula for calculation the probability of failure-free operation was formulated. The proposed mathematical model makes it possible to predict emergency situations, as well as to determine optimal operating conditions for oil pipelines.

A prospective study assessing agreement and reliability of a geriatric evaluation.

PubMed

Locatelli, Isabella; Monod, Stéfanie; Cornuz, Jacques; Büla, Christophe J; Senn, Nicolas

2017-07-19

/cognitive/hearing impairment, osteoporosis, incontinence and mood disorders) present a good to excellent reliability and can safely be used as a reference (gold standard) to evaluate the diagnostic performance of a primary care brief assessment tool. More objective/significant measures are needed to improve reliability of malnutrition, visual impairment, and risk of fall assessment before they can serve as a safe gold standard of a primary care tool.

Reliability model of a monopropellant auxiliary propulsion system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenberg, J. S.

1971-01-01

A mathematical model and associated computer code has been developed which computes the reliability of a monopropellant blowdown hydrazine spacecraft auxiliary propulsion system as a function of time. The propulsion system is used to adjust or modify the spacecraft orbit over an extended period of time. The multiple orbit corrections are the multiple objectives which the auxiliary propulsion system is designed to achieve. Thus the reliability model computes the probability of successfully accomplishing each of the desired orbit corrections. To accomplish this, the reliability model interfaces with a computer code that models the performance of a blowdown (unregulated) monopropellant auxiliary propulsion system. The computer code acts as a performance model and as such gives an accurate time history of the system operating parameters. The basic timing and status information is passed on to and utilized by the reliability model which establishes the probability of successfully accomplishing the orbit corrections.

Approach to developing reliable space reactor power systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mondt, Jack F.; Shinbrot, Charles H.

1991-01-01

During Phase II, the Engineering Development Phase, the SP-100 Project has defined and is pursuing a new approach to developing reliable power systems. The approach to developing such a system during the early technology phase is described along with some preliminary examples to help explain the approach. Developing reliable components to meet space reactor power system requirements is based on a top-down systems approach which includes a point design based on a detailed technical specification of a 100-kW power system. The SP-100 system requirements implicitly recognize the challenge of achieving a high system reliability for a ten-year lifetime, while at the same time using technologies that require very significant development efforts. A low-cost method for assessing reliability, based on an understanding of fundamental failure mechanisms and design margins for specific failure mechanisms, is being developed as part of the SP-100 Program.

Improving patient safety: patient-focused, high-reliability team training.

PubMed

McKeon, Leslie M; Cunningham, Patricia D; Oswaks, Jill S Detty

2009-01-01

Healthcare systems are recognizing "human factor" flaws that result in adverse outcomes. Nurses work around system failures, although increasing healthcare complexity makes this harder to do without risk of error. Aviation and military organizations achieve ultrasafe outcomes through high-reliability practice. We describe how reliability principles were used to teach nurses to improve patient safety at the front line of care. Outcomes include safety-oriented, teamwork communication competency; reflections on safety culture and clinical leadership are discussed.

Reliability and failure modes of narrow implant systems.

PubMed

Hirata, Ronaldo; Bonfante, Estevam A; Anchieta, Rodolfo B; Machado, Lucas S; Freitas, Gileade; Fardin, Vinicius P; Tovar, Nick; Coelho, Paulo G

2016-09-01

Narrow implants are indicated in areas of limited bone width or when grafting is nonviable. However, the reduction of implant diameter may compromise their performance. This study evaluated the reliability of several narrow implant systems under fatigue, after restored with single-unit crowns. Narrow implant systems were divided (n = 18 each), as follows: Astra (ASC); BioHorizons (BSC); Straumann Roxolid (SNC), Intra-Lock (IMC), and Intra-Lock one-piece abutment (ILO). Maxillary central incisor crowns were cemented and subjected to step-stress accelerated life testing in water. Use level probability Weibull curves and reliability for a mission of 100,000 cycles at 130- and 180-N loads (90 % two-sided confidence intervals) were calculated. Scanning electron microscopy was used for fractography. Reliability for 100,000 cycles at 130 N was ∼99 % in group ASC, ∼99 % in BSC, ∼96 % in SNC, ∼99 % in IMC, and ∼100 % in ILO. At 180 N, reliability of ∼34 % resulted for the ASC group, ∼91 % for BSC, ∼53 % for SNC, ∼70 % for IMC, and ∼99 % for ILO. Abutment screw fracture was the main failure mode for all groups. Reliability was not different between systems for 100,000 cycles at the 130-N load. A significant decrease was observed at the 180-N load for ASC, SNC, and IMC, whereas it was maintained for BSC and ILO. The investigated narrow implants presented mechanical performance under fatigue that suggests their safe use as single crowns in the anterior region.

How Safe Are Kid-Safe Search Engines?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masterson-Krum, Hope

2001-01-01

Examines search tools available to elementary and secondary school students, both human-compiled and crawler-based, to help direct them to age-appropriate Web sites; analyzes the procedures of search engines labeled family-friendly or kid safe that use filters; and tests the effectiveness of these services to students in school libraries. (LRW)

Safe delivery and newborn care practices in Sindh, Pakistan: a community-based investigation of mothers and health workers.

PubMed

Hassan, Hamid; Jokhio, Abdul Hakeem; Winter, Heather; Macarthur, Christine

2012-08-01

to determine the prevalence of specific intrapartum practices in Sindh province, Pakistan. a cross-sectional, questionnaire based study. 6 health clinics in Mirpurkhas, Sindh province, rural Pakistan. 225 mothers and 82 health workers. outcome measures were indicators of safe delivery practices and referral following an obstetric complication. Prevalence of unhygienic and unsafe practices in deliveries attended by Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) was common. Deliveries by skilled attendants were significantly safer but with some failures in hygienic practices. 29% of women who had experienced an obstetric complication had not received emergency obstetric care. safe delivery practices and newborn care needs to be improved in rural Pakistan. This may be achieved by training health workers and TBAs in safe delivery practices, using safe delivery kits and with an effective referral system. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modern psychometrics for assessing achievement goal orientation: a Rasch analysis.

PubMed

Muis, Krista R; Winne, Philip H; Edwards, Ordene V

2009-09-01

A program of research is needed that assesses the psychometric properties of instruments designed to quantify students' achievement goal orientations to clarify inconsistencies across previous studies and to provide a stronger basis for future research. We conducted traditional psychometric and modern Rasch-model analyses of the Achievement Goals Questionnaire (AGQ, Elliot & McGregor, 2001) and the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scale (PALS, Midgley et al., 2000) to provide an in-depth analysis of the two most popular instruments in educational psychology. For Study 1, 217 undergraduate students enrolled in educational psychology courses participated. Thirty-four were male and 181 were female (two did not respond). Participants completed the AGQ in the context of their educational psychology class. For Study 2, 126 undergraduate students enrolled in educational psychology courses participated. Thirty were male and 95 were female (one did not respond). Participants completed the PALS in the context of their educational psychology class. Traditional psychometric assessments of the AGQ and PALS replicated previous studies. For both, reliability estimates ranged from good to very good for raw subscale scores and fit for the models of goal orientations were good. Based on traditional psychometrics, the AGQ and PALS are valid and reliable indicators of achievement goals. Rasch analyses revealed that estimates of reliability for items were very good but respondent ability estimates varied from poor to good for both the AGQ and PALS. These findings indicate that items validly and reliably reflect a group's aggregate goal orientation, but using either instrument to characterize an individual's goal orientation is hazardous.

Reliability analysis and utilization of PEMs in space application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Xiujie; Wang, Zhihua; Sun, Huixian; Chen, Xiaomin; Zhao, Tianlin; Yu, Guanghua; Zhou, Changyi

2009-11-01

More and more plastic encapsulated microcircuits (PEMs) are used in space missions to achieve high performance. Since PEMs are designed for use in terrestrial operating conditions, the successful usage of PEMs in space harsh environment is closely related to reliability issues, which should be considered firstly. However, there is no ready-made methodology for PEMs in space applications. This paper discusses the reliability for the usage of PEMs in space. This reliability analysis can be divided into five categories: radiation test, radiation hardness, screening test, reliability calculation and reliability assessment. One case study is also presented to illuminate the details of the process, in which a PEM part is used in a joint space program Double-Star Project between the European Space Agency (ESA) and China. The influence of environmental constrains including radiation, humidity, temperature and mechanics on the PEM part has been considered. Both Double-Star Project satellites are still running well in space now.

SOME PROBLEMS OF "SAFE DOSE" ESTIMATION

EPA Science Inventory

In environmental carcinogenic risk assessment, the usually defined "safe doses" appear subjective in some sense. n this paper a method of standardizing "safe doses" based on some objective parameters is introduced and a procedure of estimating safe doses under the competing risks...

Safe Handover : Safe Patients - The Electronic Handover System.

PubMed

Till, Alex; Sall, Hanish; Wilkinson, Jonathan

2014-01-01

Failure of effective handover is a major preventable cause of patient harm. We aimed to promote accurate recording of high-quality clinical information using an Electronic Handover System (EHS) that would contribute to a sustainable improvement in effective patient care and safety. Within our hospital the human factors associated with poor communication were compromising patient care and unnecessarily increasing the workload of staff due to the poor quality of handovers. Only half of handovers were understood by the doctors expected to complete them, and more than half of our medical staff felt it posed a risk to patient safety. We created a standardised proforma for handovers that contained specific sub-headings, re-classified patient risk assessments, and aided escalation of care by adding prompts for verbal handover. Sources of miscommunication were removed, accountability for handovers provided, and tasks were re-organised to reduce the workload of staff. Long-term, three-month data showed that each sub-heading achieved at least 80% compliance (an average improvement of approximately 40% for the overall quality of handovers). This translated into 91% of handovers being subjectively clear to junior doctors. 87% of medical staff felt we had reduced a risk to patient safety and 80% felt it increased continuity of care. Without guidance, doctors omit key information required for effective handover. All organisations should consider implementing an electronic handover system as a viable, sustainable and safe solution to handover of care that allows patient safety to remain at the heart of the NHS.

Reliability culture at La Silla Paranal Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzalez, Sergio

2010-07-01

The Maintenance Department at the La Silla - Paranal Observatory has been an important base to keep the operations of the observatory at a good level of reliability and availability. Several strategies have been implemented and improved in order to cover these requirements and keep the system and equipment working properly when it is required. For that reason, one of the latest improvements has been the introduction of the concept of reliability, which implies that we don't simply speak about reliability concepts. It involves much more than that. It involves the use of technologies, data collecting, data analysis, decision making, committees concentrated in analysis of failure modes and how they can be eliminated, aligning the results with the requirements of our internal partners and establishing steps to achieve success. Some of these steps have already been implemented: data collection, use of technologies, analysis of data, development of priority tools, committees dedicated to analyze data and people dedicated to reliability analysis. This has permitted us to optimize our process, analyze where we can improve, avoid functional failures, reduce the failures range in several systems and subsystems; all this has had a positive impact in terms of results for our Observatory. All these tools are part of the reliability culture that allows our system to operate with a high level of reliability and availability.

Survey of Software Assurance Techniques for Highly Reliable Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, Stacy

2004-01-01

This document provides a survey of software assurance techniques for highly reliable systems including a discussion of relevant safety standards for various industries in the United States and Europe, as well as examples of methods used during software development projects. It contains one section for each industry surveyed: Aerospace, Defense, Nuclear Power, Medical Devices and Transportation. Each section provides an overview of applicable standards and examples of a mission or software development project, software assurance techniques used and reliability achieved.

Validity and reliability of a new ankle dorsiflexion measurement device.

PubMed

Gatt, Alfred; Chockalingam, Nachiappan

2013-08-01

The assessment of the maximum ankle dorsiflexion angle is an important clinical examination procedure. Evidence shows that the traditional goniometer is highly unreliable, and various designs of goniometers to measure the maximum ankle dorsiflexion angle rely on the application of a known force to obtain reliable results. Hence, an innovative ankle dorsiflexion measurement device was designed to make this measurement more reliable by holding the foot in a selected posture without the application of a known moment. To report on the comprehensive validity and reliability testing carried out on the new device. Following validity testing, four different trials to test reliability of the ankle dorsiflexion measurement device were performed. These trials included inter-rater and intra-rater testings with a controlled moment, intra-rater reliability testing with knees flexed and extended without a controlled moment, intra-rater testing with a patient population, and inter-rater reliability testing between four raters of varying experience without controlling moment. All raters were blinded. A series of trials to test intra-rater and inter-rater reliabilities. Intra-rater reliability intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.98 and inter-rater reliability intraclass correlation coefficient (2,1) was 0.953 with a controlled moment. With uncontrolled moment, very high reliability for intra-tester was also achieved (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.94 with knees extended and intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.95 with knees flexed). For the trial investigating test-retest reliability with actual patients, intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.99 was obtained. In the trial investigating four different raters with uncontrolled moment, intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.91 was achieved. The new ankle dorsiflexion measurement device is a valid and reliable device for measuring ankle dorsiflexion in both healthy subjects and patients, with both controlled and

Reliability study of high-brightness multiple single emitter diode lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Jing; Yang, Thomas; Zhang, Cuipeng; Lang, Chao; Jiang, Xiaochen; Liu, Rui; Gao, Yanyan; Guo, Weirong; Jiang, Yuhua; Liu, Yang; Zhang, Luyan; Chen, Louisa

2015-03-01

In this study the chip bonding processes for various chips from various chip suppliers around the world have been optimized to achieve reliable chip on sub-mount for high performance. These chip on sub-mounts, for examples, includes three types of bonding, 8xx nm-1.2W/10.0W Indium bonded lasers, 9xx nm 10W-20W AuSn bonded lasers and 1470 nm 6W Indium bonded lasers will be reported below. The MTTF@25 of 9xx nm chip on sub-mount (COS) is calculated to be more than 203,896 hours. These chips from various chip suppliers are packaged into many multiple single emitter laser modules, using similar packaging techniques from 2 emitters per module to up to 7 emitters per module. A reliability study including aging test is performed on those multiple single emitter laser modules. With research team's 12 years' experienced packaging design and techniques, precise optical and fiber alignment processes and superior chip bonding capability, we have achieved a total MTTF exceeding 177,710 hours of life time with 60% confidence level for those multiple single emitter laser modules. Furthermore, a separated reliability study on wavelength stabilized laser modules have shown this wavelength stabilized module packaging process is reliable as well.

Promoting Safe Schools and Academic Success: Moving Your School from Punitive Discipline to Effective Discipline

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olley, Rivka I.; Cohn, Andrea; Cowan, Katherine C.

2010-01-01

Effective discipline is essential to creating safe, supportive learning environments for all students, which is critical to academic achievement. Since the passage of zero tolerance policies in the early 1990s, many school districts have relied on punitive discipline focused on harsh strategies such as using suspension and expulsion as primary…

Integrating Resource-Based and Person-Based Approaches to Understanding Wealth Effects on School Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Destin, Mesmin

2013-01-01

Wealth and assets have a reliable positive relationship with the achievement outcomes of students. Various approaches to understanding student achievement may inform the understanding of how wealth seems to influence children's educational experiences. This paper describes several perspectives from the student achievement literature within the…

Crystalline-silicon reliability lessons for thin-film modules

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ross, R. G., Jr.

1985-01-01

The reliability of crystalline silicon modules has been brought to a high level with lifetimes approaching 20 years, and excellent industry credibility and user satisfaction. The transition from crystalline modules to thin film modules is comparable to the transition from discrete transistors to integrated circuits. New cell materials and monolithic structures will require new device processing techniques, but the package function and design will evolve to a lesser extent. Although there will be new encapsulants optimized to take advantage of the mechanical flexibility and low temperature processing features of thin films, the reliability and life degradation stresses and mechanisms will remain mostly unchanged. Key reliability technologies in common between crystalline and thin film modules include hot spot heating, galvanic and electrochemical corrosion, hail impact stresses, glass breakage, mechanical fatigue, photothermal degradation of encapsulants, operating temperature, moisture sorption, circuit design strategies, product safety issues, and the process required to achieve a reliable product from a laboratory prototype.

The Americleft Speech Project: A Training and Reliability Study.

PubMed

Chapman, Kathy L; Baylis, Adriane; Trost-Cardamone, Judith; Cordero, Kelly Nett; Dixon, Angela; Dobbelsteyn, Cindy; Thurmes, Anna; Wilson, Kristina; Harding-Bell, Anne; Sweeney, Triona; Stoddard, Gregory; Sell, Debbie

2016-01-01

To describe the results of two reliability studies and to assess the effect of training on interrater reliability scores. The first study (1) examined interrater and intrarater reliability scores (weighted and unweighted kappas) and (2) compared interrater reliability scores before and after training on the use of the Cleft Audit Protocol for Speech-Augmented (CAPS-A) with British English-speaking children. The second study examined interrater and intrarater reliability on a modified version of the CAPS-A (CAPS-A Americleft Modification) with American and Canadian English-speaking children. Finally, comparisons were made between the interrater and intrarater reliability scores obtained for Study 1 and Study 2. The participants were speech-language pathologists from the Americleft Speech Project. In Study 1, interrater reliability scores improved for 6 of the 13 parameters following training on the CAPS-A protocol. Comparison of the reliability results for the two studies indicated lower scores for Study 2 compared with Study 1. However, this appeared to be an artifact of the kappa statistic that occurred due to insufficient variability in the reliability samples for Study 2. When percent agreement scores were also calculated, the ratings appeared similar across Study 1 and Study 2. The findings of this study suggested that improvements in interrater reliability could be obtained following a program of systematic training. However, improvements were not uniform across all parameters. Acceptable levels of reliability were achieved for those parameters most important for evaluation of velopharyngeal function.

Solid Insulated Switchgear and Investigation of its Mechanical and Electrical Reliability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, Junichi; Kinoshita, Susumu; Sakaguchi, Osamu; Miyagawa, Masaru; Shimizu, Toshio; Homma, Mitsutaka

SF6 gas is applied widely to medium voltage switchgear because of its high insulation reliability and down-sizing ability. However, SF6 gas was placed on the list of greenhouse gases under the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. Since then, the investigation and development concerning SF6-free or less has carried out activity. Therefore, we paid attention to the solid material which has higher dielectric strength than SF6, and we have newly developed solid insulated switchgear (SIS) achieved by molding all main circuit. A new epoxy casting material is applied, which contains a great deal of spherical silica and a small amount of rubber particles. This new material has the high mechanical strength, high thermal resistance, high toughness, and also high dielectric strength because of directly molding the vacuum bottle, down-sizing and reliability. This paper describes about the technology of a new epoxy casting material which achieves the SIS. In addition, the mechanical and electrical reliability test of SIS applied a new epoxy resin are carried out, and effectiveness of the development material and the mechanical and electrical reliability of SIS are verified.

Teamwork as an Essential Component of High-Reliability Organizations

PubMed Central

Baker, David P; Day, Rachel; Salas, Eduardo

2006-01-01

Organizations are increasingly becoming dynamic and unstable. This evolution has given rise to greater reliance on teams and increased complexity in terms of team composition, skills required, and degree of risk involved. High-reliability organizations (HROs) are those that exist in such hazardous environments where the consequences of errors are high, but the occurrence of error is extremely low. In this article, we argue that teamwork is an essential component of achieving high reliability particularly in health care organizations. We describe the fundamental characteristics of teams, review strategies in team training, demonstrate the criticality of teamwork in HROs and finally, identify specific challenges the health care community must address to improve teamwork and enhance reliability. PMID:16898980

Using Opioids Safely After Surgery

MedlinePlus

... Adult , Geriatric Using Opioids Safely After Surgery Using Opioids Safely After Surgery Stick to the lowest dose ... need opioid pain medicine. If your doctor says opioids aren’t necessary. If your doctor thinks you ...

Changing pattern of landslide risk in Europe - The SafeLand project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nadim, F.; Kalsnes, B. G.; SafeLand Research Consortium

2011-12-01

The changing pattern of landslide hazard and risk caused by climate change and changes in demography, the need to protect people and property, the reality for society in Europe to live with hazard and risk and the need to manage risk were the motives for the project SafeLand: "Living with landslide risk in Europe: Assessment, effects of global change, and risk management strategies." SafeLand is a large, integrating research project under the European Commission's 7th Framework Programme (FP7). It started on 1 May 2009 and will go on for 3 years, ending on 30 April 2012. There project involves 27 partners from 12 European countries, and has international collaborators and advisers from China, India, USA, Japan and Hong Kong. SafeLand also involves 25 End-Users from 11 countries. SafeLand is coordinated by the International Centre for Geohazards (ICG) at Norwegian Geotechnical Institute in Norway. Further information on the SafeLand project can be found at its web site http://www.safeland-fp7.eu/ . SafeLand is an ongoing project, which results will be finalized in 2012. This lecture summarizes the SafeLand's activities and achievements until November 2011. The main results achieved so far include: - Development and testing of several empirical methods for predicting the characteristics of threshold rainfall events for triggering of precipitation-induced landslides. - Identification of landslide hazard and risk hotspots by an objective, GIS-based analysis for Europe. The results show clearly where landslides pose the largest hazard in Europe and the objective approach allows a ranking of the countries by exposed area and population. - Different regional climate model simulations over Europe (from the EU FP6 project ENSEMBLES) at a spatial resolution of 25 x 25 km have been used to perform an extreme value analysis for trends in heavy precipitation events. In winter a general trend towards more heavy precipitation events across all analyzed regional climate model

How Safe Is Safe Enough for Self-Driving Vehicles?

PubMed

Liu, Peng; Yang, Run; Xu, Zhigang

2018-05-21

Self-driving vehicles (SDVs) promise to considerably reduce traffic crashes. One pressing concern facing the public, automakers, and governments is "How safe is safe enough for SDVs?" To answer this question, a new expressed-preference approach was proposed for the first time to determine the socially acceptable risk of SDVs. In our between-subject survey (N = 499), we determined the respondents' risk-acceptance rate of scenarios with varying traffic-risk frequencies to examine the logarithmic relationships between the traffic-risk frequency and risk-acceptance rate. Logarithmic regression models of SDVs were compared to those of human-driven vehicles (HDVs); the results showed that SDVs were required to be safer than HDVs. Given the same traffic-risk-acceptance rates for SDVs and HDVs, their associated acceptable risk frequencies of SDVs and HDVs were predicted and compared. Two risk-acceptance criteria emerged: the tolerable risk criterion, which indicates that SDVs should be four to five times as safe as HDVs, and the broadly acceptable risk criterion, which suggests that half of the respondents hoped that the traffic risk of SDVs would be two orders of magnitude lower than the current estimated traffic risk. The approach and these results could provide insights for government regulatory authorities for establishing clear safety requirements for SDVs. © 2018 Society for Risk Analysis.

Evaluation of English Achievement Test: A Comparison between High and Low Achievers amongst Selected Elementary School Students of Pakistan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haider, Zubair; Latif, Farah; Akhtar, Samina; Mushtaq, Maria

2012-01-01

Validity, reliability and item analysis are critical to the process of evaluating the quality of an educational measurement. The present study evaluates the quality of an assessment constructed to measure elementary school student's achievement in English. In this study, the survey model of descriptive research was used as a research method.…

Reliability analysis of instrument design of noninvasive bone marrow disease detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Yu; Li, Ting; Sun, Yunlong

2016-02-01

Bone marrow is an important hematopoietic organ, and bone marrow lesions (BMLs) may cause a variety of complications with high death rate and short survival time. Early detection and follow up care are particularly important. But the current diagnosis methods rely on bone marrow biopsy/puncture, with significant limitations such as invasion, complex operation, high risk, and discontinuous. It is highly in need of a non-invasive, safe, easily operated, and continuous monitoring technology. So we proposed to design a device aimed for detecting bone marrow lesions, which was based on near infrared spectrum technology. Then we fully tested its reliabilities, including the sensitivity, specificity, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), stability, and etc. Here, we reported this sequence of reliability test experiments, the experimental results, and the following data analysis. This instrument was shown to be very sensitive, with distinguishable concentration less than 0.002 and with good linearity, stability and high SNR. Finally, these reliability-test data supported the promising clinical diagnosis and surgery guidance of our novel instrument in detection of BMLs.

Implementing AORN recommended practices for a safe environment of care, part II.

PubMed

Kennedy, Lynne

2014-09-01

Construction in and around a working perioperative suite is a challenge beyond merely managing traffic patterns and maintaining the sterile field. The AORN "Recommended practices for a safe environment of care, part II" provides guidance on building design; movement of patients, personnel, supplies, and equipment; environmental controls; safety and security; and control of noise and distractions. Whether the OR suite evolves through construction, reconstruction, or remodeling, a multidisciplinary team of construction experts and health care professionals should create a functional plan and communicate at every stage of the project to maintain a safe environment and achieve a well-designed outcome. Emergency preparedness, a facility-wide security plan, and minimization of noise and distractions in the OR also help enhance the safety of the perioperative environment. Copyright © 2014 AORN, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Is It Really Possible to Test All Educationally Significant Achievements with High Levels of Reliability?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Andrew

2015-01-01

PISA claims that it can extend its reach from its current core subjects of Reading, Science, Maths and problem-solving. Yet given the requirement for high levels of reliability for PISA, especially in the light of its current high stakes character, proposed widening of its subject coverage cannot embrace some important aspects of the social and…

How to Safely Give Acetaminophen

MedlinePlus

... Educators Search English Español How to Safely Give Acetaminophen KidsHealth / For Parents / How to Safely Give Acetaminophen ... without getting a doctor's OK first. What Is Acetaminophen Also Called? Acetaminophen is the generic name of ...

A cost assessment of reliability requirements for shuttle-recoverable experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, J. W.

1975-01-01

The relaunching of unsuccessful experiments or satellites will become a real option with the advent of the space shuttle. An examination was made of the cost effectiveness of relaxing reliability requirements for experiment hardware by allowing more than one flight of an experiment in the event of its failure. Any desired overall reliability or probability of mission success can be acquired by launching an experiment with less reliability two or more times if necessary. Although this procedure leads to uncertainty in total cost projections, because the number of flights is not known in advance, a considerable cost reduction can sometimes be achieved. In cases where reflight costs are low relative to the experiment's cost, three flights with overall reliability 0.9 can be made for less than half the cost of one flight with a reliability of 0.9. An example typical of shuttle payload cost projections is cited where three low reliability flights would cost less than $50 million and a single high reliability flight would cost over $100 million. The ratio of reflight cost to experiment cost is varied and its effect on the range in total cost is observed. An optimum design reliability selection criterion to minimize expected cost is proposed, and a simple graphical method of determining this reliability is demonstrated.

The Americleft Speech Project: A Training and Reliability Study

PubMed Central

Chapman, Kathy L.; Baylis, Adriane; Trost-Cardamone, Judith; Cordero, Kelly Nett; Dixon, Angela; Dobbelsteyn, Cindy; Thurmes, Anna; Wilson, Kristina; Harding-Bell, Anne; Sweeney, Triona; Stoddard, Gregory; Sell, Debbie

2017-01-01

Objective To describe the results of two reliability studies and to assess the effect of training on interrater reliability scores. Design The first study (1) examined interrater and intrarater reliability scores (weighted and unweighted kappas) and (2) compared interrater reliability scores before and after training on the use of the Cleft Audit Protocol for Speech–Augmented (CAPS-A) with British English-speaking children. The second study examined interrater and intrarater reliability on a modified version of the CAPS-A (CAPS-A Americleft Modification) with American and Canadian English-speaking children. Finally, comparisons were made between the interrater and intrarater reliability scores obtained for Study 1 and Study 2. Participants The participants were speech-language pathologists from the Americleft Speech Project. Results In Study 1, interrater reliability scores improved for 6 of the 13 parameters following training on the CAPS-A protocol. Comparison of the reliability results for the two studies indicated lower scores for Study 2 compared with Study 1. However, this appeared to be an artifact of the kappa statistic that occurred due to insufficient variability in the reliability samples for Study 2. When percent agreement scores were also calculated, the ratings appeared similar across Study 1 and Study 2. Conclusion The findings of this study suggested that improvements in interrater reliability could be obtained following a program of systematic training. However, improvements were not uniform across all parameters. Acceptable levels of reliability were achieved for those parameters most important for evaluation of velopharyngeal function. PMID:25531738

Two-phase anaerobic digestion of partially acidified sewage sludge: a pilot plant study for safe sludge disposal in developing countries.

PubMed

Passio, Luca; Rizzoa, Luigi; Fuchs, Stephan

2012-09-01

The unsafe disposal of wastewater and sludge in different areas of developing countries results in significant environmental pollution, particularly for groundwater, thus increasing the risk of waterborne diseases spreading. In this work, a two-phase anaerobic digestion process for post-treatment of partially acidified sewage sludge was investigated to evaluate its feasibility as a safe sludge disposal system. Pilot tests showed that an effective sludge stabilization can be achieved (total volatile solids content <65%, organic acid concentration <200 mg/L at flow rate = 50 L/d and hydraulic residence time = 18 d) as well as a relative low faecal coliform density (<1000 most probable number per g total solids), showing that land application of the sludge without restrictions is possible according to US Environmental Protection Agency criteria for safe sludge disposal. A biogas production as high as 390 L/d with a 60% methane content by volume was achieved, showing that energy production from biogas may be achieved as well.

The optimal duration of frequency-volume charts related to compliance and reliability.

PubMed

van Haarst, Ernst P; Bosch, J L H Ruud

2014-03-01

To assess Frequency-volume charts (FVCs) for the yield of additional recorded days and the ideal duration of recording related to compliance and reliability. Of 500 consecutive urologic outpatients willing to complete a 7-day FVC, 378 FVCs were evaluable. During seven consecutive days every voiding time and volume were recorded. Missed entries were indicated with a coded letter, thereby assessing the true frequency and compliance. Reliability is the agreement of the day-to-day FVC parameters with the 7-day FVC pattern. Single-day reliability was assessed and used in the Spearman-Brown formula. FVCs of 228 male and 150 females were evaluated. Mean age was 55.2 years (standard deviation [SD]: 16.2 years), and mean 24-hr urine production was 1,856 ml (SD: 828 ml). The percentage of patients with complete FVCs decreased from 78% on day 2 to 58% on day 7, and dropped below 70% after 4 days. Single-day reliability was r = 0.63 for nocturnal urine production, r = 0.72 for 24-hr urine production, and r = 0.80 for mean voided volume. At 5 days, reliability of 90% was achieved for all parameters. With each additional day, FVCs showed a decrease in compliance and an increase in reliability. At day 3, reliability of 80% was achieved for all FVC parameters, but compliance dropped to 73%. Beyond 5 days, the yield of additional recorded days was limited. We advocate an FVC duration of 3 days, but the duration may be shortened or extended depending on the goal of the FVC. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

InaSAFE applications in disaster preparedness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pranantyo, Ignatius Ryan; Fadmastuti, Mahardika; Chandra, Fredy

2015-04-01

Disaster preparedness activities aim to reduce the impact of disasters by being better prepared to respond when a disaster occurs. In order to better anticipate requirements during a disaster, contingency planning activities can be undertaken prior to a disaster based on a realistic disaster scenario. InaSAFE is a tool that can inform this process. InaSAFE is a free and open source software that estimates the impact to people and infrastructure from potential hazard scenarios. By using InaSAFE, disaster managers can develop scenarios of disaster impacts (people and infrastructures affected) to inform their contingency plan and emergency response operation plan. While InaSAFE provides the software framework exposure data and hazard data are needed as inputs to run this software. Then InaSAFE can be used to forecast the impact of the hazard scenario to the exposure data. InaSAFE outputs include estimates of the number of people, buildings and roads are affected, list of minimum needs (rice and clean water), and response checklist. InaSAFE is developed by Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) and the Australian Government, through the Australia-Indonesia Facility for Disaster Reduction (AIFDR), in partnership with the World Bank - Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). This software has been used in many parts of Indonesia, including Padang, Maumere, Jakarta, and Slamet Mountain for emergency response and contingency planning.

Development and Reliability Evaluation of the Movement Rating Instrument for Virtual Reality Video Game Play.

PubMed

Levac, Danielle; Nawrotek, Joanna; Deschenes, Emilie; Giguere, Tia; Serafin, Julie; Bilodeau, Martin; Sveistrup, Heidi

2016-06-01

Virtual reality active video games are increasingly popular physical therapy interventions for children with cerebral palsy. However, physical therapists require educational resources to support decision making about game selection to match individual patient goals. Quantifying the movements elicited during virtual reality active video game play can inform individualized game selection in pediatric rehabilitation. The objectives of this study were to develop and evaluate the feasibility and reliability of the Movement Rating Instrument for Virtual Reality Game Play (MRI-VRGP). Item generation occurred through an iterative process of literature review and sample videotape viewing. The MRI-VRGP includes 25 items quantifying upper extremity, lower extremity, and total body movements. A total of 176 videotaped 90-second game play sessions involving 7 typically developing children and 4 children with cerebral palsy were rated by 3 raters trained in MRI-VRGP use. Children played 8 games on 2 virtual reality and active video game systems. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) determined intra-rater and interrater reliability. Excellent intrarater reliability was evidenced by ICCs of >0.75 for 17 of the 25 items across the 3 raters. Interrater reliability estimates were less precise. Excellent interrater reliability was achieved for far reach upper extremity movements (ICC=0.92 [for right and ICC=0.90 for left) and for squat (ICC=0.80) and jump items (ICC=0.99), with 9 items achieving ICCs of >0.70, 12 items achieving ICCs of between 0.40 and 0.70, and 4 items achieving poor reliability (close-reach upper extremity-ICC=0.14 for right and ICC=0.07 for left) and single-leg stance (ICC=0.55 for right and ICC=0.27 for left). Poor video quality, differing item interpretations between raters, and difficulty quantifying the high-speed movements involved in game play affected reliability. With item definition clarification and further psychometric property evaluation, the MRI

Development and Reliability Evaluation of the Movement Rating Instrument for Virtual Reality Video Game Play

PubMed Central

Nawrotek, Joanna; Deschenes, Emilie; Giguere, Tia; Serafin, Julie; Bilodeau, Martin; Sveistrup, Heidi

2016-01-01

Background Virtual reality active video games are increasingly popular physical therapy interventions for children with cerebral palsy. However, physical therapists require educational resources to support decision making about game selection to match individual patient goals. Quantifying the movements elicited during virtual reality active video game play can inform individualized game selection in pediatric rehabilitation. Objective The objectives of this study were to develop and evaluate the feasibility and reliability of the Movement Rating Instrument for Virtual Reality Game Play (MRI-VRGP). Methods Item generation occurred through an iterative process of literature review and sample videotape viewing. The MRI-VRGP includes 25 items quantifying upper extremity, lower extremity, and total body movements. A total of 176 videotaped 90-second game play sessions involving 7 typically developing children and 4 children with cerebral palsy were rated by 3 raters trained in MRI-VRGP use. Children played 8 games on 2 virtual reality and active video game systems. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) determined intra-rater and interrater reliability. Results Excellent intrarater reliability was evidenced by ICCs of >0.75 for 17 of the 25 items across the 3 raters. Interrater reliability estimates were less precise. Excellent interrater reliability was achieved for far reach upper extremity movements (ICC=0.92 [for right and ICC=0.90 for left) and for squat (ICC=0.80) and jump items (ICC=0.99), with 9 items achieving ICCs of >0.70, 12 items achieving ICCs of between 0.40 and 0.70, and 4 items achieving poor reliability (close-reach upper extremity-ICC=0.14 for right and ICC=0.07 for left) and single-leg stance (ICC=0.55 for right and ICC=0.27 for left). Conclusions Poor video quality, differing item interpretations between raters, and difficulty quantifying the high-speed movements involved in game play affected reliability. With item definition clarification and

Study of complete interconnect reliability for a GaAs MMIC power amplifier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Qian; Wu, Haifeng; Chen, Shan-ji; Jia, Guoqing; Jiang, Wei; Chen, Chao

2018-05-01

By combining the finite element analysis (FEA) and artificial neural network (ANN) technique, the complete prediction of interconnect reliability for a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) power amplifier (PA) at the both of direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) operation conditions is achieved effectively in this article. As a example, a MMIC PA is modelled to study the electromigration failure of interconnect. This is the first time to study the interconnect reliability for an MMIC PA at the conditions of DC and AC operation simultaneously. By training the data from FEA, a high accuracy ANN model for PA reliability is constructed. Then, basing on the reliability database which is obtained from the ANN model, it can give important guidance for improving the reliability design for IC.

Mass and Reliability System (MaRS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnes, Sarah

2016-01-01

The Safety and Mission Assurance (S&MA) Directorate is responsible for mitigating risk, providing system safety, and lowering risk for space programs from ground to space. The S&MA is divided into 4 divisions: The Space Exploration Division (NC), the International Space Station Division (NE), the Safety & Test Operations Division (NS), and the Quality and Flight Equipment Division (NT). The interns, myself and Arun Aruljothi, will be working with the Risk & Reliability Analysis Branch under the NC Division's. The mission of this division is to identify, characterize, diminish, and communicate risk by implementing an efficient and effective assurance model. The team utilizes Reliability and Maintainability (R&M) and Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) to ensure decisions concerning risks are informed, vehicles are safe and reliable, and program/project requirements are realistic and realized. This project pertains to the Orion mission, so it is geared toward a long duration Human Space Flight Program(s). For space missions, payload is a critical concept; balancing what hardware can be replaced by components verse by Orbital Replacement Units (ORU) or subassemblies is key. For this effort a database was created that combines mass and reliability data, called Mass and Reliability System or MaRS. The U.S. International Space Station (ISS) components are used as reference parts in the MaRS database. Using ISS components as a platform is beneficial because of the historical context and the environment similarities to a space flight mission. MaRS uses a combination of systems: International Space Station PART for failure data, Vehicle Master Database (VMDB) for ORU & components, Maintenance & Analysis Data Set (MADS) for operation hours and other pertinent data, & Hardware History Retrieval System (HHRS) for unit weights. MaRS is populated using a Visual Basic Application. Once populated, the excel spreadsheet is comprised of information on ISS components including

Childhood vaccination: achievements and challenges.

PubMed

Ndumbe, P

1996-09-01

As the goal of eradicating smallpox was being met, the World Health Organization created its Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) in 1974 and reached its initial goal of achieving full vaccination of 80% of the world's children by 1990. This effort was aided by the creation of "cold chain" delivery systems and resulted in the annual saving of 3.5 million children in less-developed countries. Current EPI vaccination goals include 1) eradication of poliomyelitis by the year 2000, 2) elimination of neonatal tetanus by the year 1995, 3) control of measles and hepatitis B, and 4) immunization of 90% of the world's children 1 year or younger by the year 2000. Goals of the Children's Vaccine Initiative (formed in 1991) include 1) provision of an adequate supply of affordable, safe, and effective vaccines; 2) production of improved and new vaccines; and 3) simplification of the logistics of vaccine delivery. Future challenges are to sustain high vaccination coverage, reach the unreached, achieve proper storage of vaccines and reduce waste, integrate new vaccines into national programs, and achieve vaccine self-sufficiency. The fact that these challenges will be difficult to achieve is illustrated by the situation in Africa where the high immunization levels achieved in 1990 have dropped dramatically. Those who must act to implement immunization programs are health personnel, families, governments, and development partners. In order to achieve equity in health, every child must be reached, governments must be made accountable for programs, health workers must convince families of the importance of vaccination, delivery systems must be in place to take advantage of the new vaccines being delivered, and a multisectoral approach must be taken to assure sustainability.

Cooperation and dialogical modeling for designing a safe Human space exploration mission to Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grès, Stéphane; Tognini, Michel; Le Cardinal, Gilles; Zalila, Zyed; Gueydan, Guillaume

2014-11-01

This paper proposes an approach for a complex and innovative project requiring international contributions from different communities of knowledge and expertise. Designing a safe and reliable architecture for a manned mission to Mars or the Asteroids necessitates strong cooperation during the early stages of design to prevent and reduce risks for the astronauts at each step of the mission. The stake during design is to deal with the contradictions, antagonisms and paradoxes of the involved partners for the definition and modeling of a shared project of reference. As we see in our research which analyses the cognitive and social aspects of technological risks in major accidents, in such a project, the complexity of the global organization (during design and use) and the integration of a wide and varie d range of sciences and innovative technologies is likely to increase systemic risks as follows: human and cultural mistakes, potential defaults, failures and accidents. We identify as the main danger antiquated centralized models of organization and the operational limits of interdisciplinarity in the sciences. Beyond this, we can see that we need to take carefully into account human cooperation and the quality of relations between heterogeneous partners. Designing an open, self-learning and reliable exploration system able to self-adapt in dangerous and unforeseen situations implies a collective networked intelligence led by a safe process that organizes interaction between the actors and the aims of the project. Our work, supported by the CNES (French Space Agency), proposes an innovative approach to the coordination of a complex project.

Strategies for Countering Terrorist Safe Havens

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-02-20

within safe havens, tactical containment, pseudo operations, and surrogate security forces. The thesis draws from four historical case studies to...leadership targeting within safe havens, tactical containment, pseudo operations, and surrogate security forces. The thesis draws from four historical case ...surrogate forces and pseudo operations—provide viable potential options for USSOF to counter the complex problem of safe havens. Overall, the case

Training and Maintaining System-Wide Reliability in Outcome Management.

PubMed

Barwick, Melanie A; Urajnik, Diana J; Moore, Julia E

2014-01-01

The Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS) is widely used for outcome management, for providing real time client and program level data, and the monitoring of evidence-based practices. Methods of reliability training and the assessment of rater drift are critical for service decision-making within organizations and systems of care. We assessed two approaches for CAFAS training: external technical assistance and internal technical assistance. To this end, we sampled 315 practitioners trained by external technical assistance approach from 2,344 Ontario practitioners who had achieved reliability on the CAFAS. To assess the internal technical assistance approach as a reliable alternative training method, 140 practitioners trained internally were selected from the same pool of certified raters. Reliabilities were high for both practitioners trained by external technical assistance and internal technical assistance approaches (.909-.995, .915-.997, respectively). 1 and 3-year estimates showed some drift on several scales. High and consistent reliabilities over time and training method has implications for CAFAS training of behavioral health care practitioners, and the maintenance of CAFAS as a global outcome management tool in systems of care.

Reliability of anthropometric measurements in European preschool children: the ToyBox-study.

PubMed

De Miguel-Etayo, P; Mesana, M I; Cardon, G; De Bourdeaudhuij, I; Góźdź, M; Socha, P; Lateva, M; Iotova, V; Koletzko, B V; Duvinage, K; Androutsos, O; Manios, Y; Moreno, L A

2014-08-01

The ToyBox-study aims to develop and test an innovative and evidence-based obesity prevention programme for preschoolers in six European countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Poland and Spain. In multicentre studies, anthropometric measurements using standardized procedures that minimize errors in the data collection are essential to maximize reliability of measurements. The aim of this paper is to describe the standardization process and reliability (intra- and inter-observer) of height, weight and waist circumference (WC) measurements in preschoolers. All technical procedures and devices were standardized and centralized training was given to the fieldworkers. At least seven children per country participated in the intra- and inter-observer reliability testing. Intra-observer technical error ranged from 0.00 to 0.03 kg for weight and from 0.07 to 0.20 cm for height, with the overall reliability being above 99%. A second training was organized for WC due to low reliability observed in the first training. Intra-observer technical error for WC ranged from 0.12 to 0.71 cm during the first training and from 0.05 to 1.11 cm during the second training, and reliability above 92% was achieved. Epidemiological surveys need standardized procedures and training of researchers to reduce measurement error. In the ToyBox-study, very good intra- and-inter-observer agreement was achieved for all anthropometric measurements performed. © 2014 World Obesity.

IRCAD recommendation on safe laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

PubMed

Conrad, Claudius; Wakabayashi, Go; Asbun, Horacio J; Dallemagne, Bernard; Demartines, Nicolas; Diana, Michele; Fuks, David; Giménez, Mariano Eduardo; Goumard, Claire; Kaneko, Hironori; Memeo, Riccardo; Resende, Alexandre; Scatton, Olivier; Schneck, Anne-Sophie; Soubrane, Olivier; Tanabe, Minoru; van den Bos, Jacqueline; Weiss, Helmut; Yamamoto, Masakazu; Marescaux, Jacques; Pessaux, Patrick

2017-11-01

An expert recommendation conference was conducted to identify factors associated with adverse events during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) with the goal of deriving expert recommendations for the reduction of biliary and vascular injury. Nineteen hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) surgeons from high-volume surgery centers in six countries comprised the Research Institute Against Cancer of the Digestive System (IRCAD) Recommendations Group. Systematic search of PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase was conducted. Using nominal group technique, structured group meetings were held to identify key items for safer LC. Consensus was achieved when 80% of respondents ranked an item as 1 or 2 (Likert scale 1-4). Seventy-one IRCAD HPB course participants assessed the expert recommendations which were compared to responses of 37 general surgery course participants. The IRCAD recommendations were structured in seven statements. The key topics included exposure of the operative field, appropriate use of energy device and establishment of the critical view of safety (CVS), systematic preoperative imaging, cholangiogram and alternative techniques, role of partial and dome-down (fundus-first) cholecystectomy. Highest consensus was achieved on the importance of the CVS as well as dome-down technique and partial cholecystectomy as alternative techniques. The put forward IRCAD recommendations may help to promote safe surgical practice of LC and initiate specific training to avoid adverse events. © 2017 Japanese Society of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery.

Safe Handover : Safe Patients – The Electronic Handover System

PubMed Central

Till, Alex; Sall, Hanish; Wilkinson, Jonathan

2014-01-01

Failure of effective handover is a major preventable cause of patient harm. We aimed to promote accurate recording of high-quality clinical information using an Electronic Handover System (EHS) that would contribute to a sustainable improvement in effective patient care and safety. Within our hospital the human factors associated with poor communication were compromising patient care and unnecessarily increasing the workload of staff due to the poor quality of handovers. Only half of handovers were understood by the doctors expected to complete them, and more than half of our medical staff felt it posed a risk to patient safety. We created a standardised proforma for handovers that contained specific sub-headings, re-classified patient risk assessments, and aided escalation of care by adding prompts for verbal handover. Sources of miscommunication were removed, accountability for handovers provided, and tasks were re-organised to reduce the workload of staff. Long-term, three-month data showed that each sub-heading achieved at least 80% compliance (an average improvement of approximately 40% for the overall quality of handovers). This translated into 91% of handovers being subjectively clear to junior doctors. 87% of medical staff felt we had reduced a risk to patient safety and 80% felt it increased continuity of care. Without guidance, doctors omit key information required for effective handover. All organisations should consider implementing an electronic handover system as a viable, sustainable and safe solution to handover of care that allows patient safety to remain at the heart of the NHS. PMID:26734244

Recent advances in computational structural reliability analysis methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thacker, Ben H.; Wu, Y.-T.; Millwater, Harry R.; Torng, Tony Y.; Riha, David S.

1993-10-01

The goal of structural reliability analysis is to determine the probability that the structure will adequately perform its intended function when operating under the given environmental conditions. Thus, the notion of reliability admits the possibility of failure. Given the fact that many different modes of failure are usually possible, achievement of this goal is a formidable task, especially for large, complex structural systems. The traditional (deterministic) design methodology attempts to assure reliability by the application of safety factors and conservative assumptions. However, the safety factor approach lacks a quantitative basis in that the level of reliability is never known and usually results in overly conservative designs because of compounding conservatisms. Furthermore, problem parameters that control the reliability are not identified, nor their importance evaluated. A summary of recent advances in computational structural reliability assessment is presented. A significant level of activity in the research and development community was seen recently, much of which was directed towards the prediction of failure probabilities for single mode failures. The focus is to present some early results and demonstrations of advanced reliability methods applied to structural system problems. This includes structures that can fail as a result of multiple component failures (e.g., a redundant truss), or structural components that may fail due to multiple interacting failure modes (e.g., excessive deflection, resonate vibration, or creep rupture). From these results, some observations and recommendations are made with regard to future research needs.

Recent advances in computational structural reliability analysis methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thacker, Ben H.; Wu, Y.-T.; Millwater, Harry R.; Torng, Tony Y.; Riha, David S.

1993-01-01

The goal of structural reliability analysis is to determine the probability that the structure will adequately perform its intended function when operating under the given environmental conditions. Thus, the notion of reliability admits the possibility of failure. Given the fact that many different modes of failure are usually possible, achievement of this goal is a formidable task, especially for large, complex structural systems. The traditional (deterministic) design methodology attempts to assure reliability by the application of safety factors and conservative assumptions. However, the safety factor approach lacks a quantitative basis in that the level of reliability is never known and usually results in overly conservative designs because of compounding conservatisms. Furthermore, problem parameters that control the reliability are not identified, nor their importance evaluated. A summary of recent advances in computational structural reliability assessment is presented. A significant level of activity in the research and development community was seen recently, much of which was directed towards the prediction of failure probabilities for single mode failures. The focus is to present some early results and demonstrations of advanced reliability methods applied to structural system problems. This includes structures that can fail as a result of multiple component failures (e.g., a redundant truss), or structural components that may fail due to multiple interacting failure modes (e.g., excessive deflection, resonate vibration, or creep rupture). From these results, some observations and recommendations are made with regard to future research needs.

High Reliability Engine Control Demonstrated for Aircraft Engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guo, Ten-Huei

1999-01-01

For a dual redundant-control system, which is typical for short-haul aircraft, if a failure is detected in a control sensor, the engine control is transferred to a safety mode and an advisory is issued for immediate maintenance action to replace the failed sensor. The safety mode typically results in severely degraded engine performance. The goal of the High Reliability Engine Control (HREC) program was to demonstrate that the neural-network-based sensor validation technology can safely operate an engine by using the nominal closed-loop control during and after sensor failures. With this technology, engine performance could be maintained, and the sensor could be replaced as a conveniently scheduled maintenance action.

Improved switching reliability achieved in HfOx based RRAM with mountain-like surface-graphited carbon layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Ye; Ding, Wentao; Wang, Zhongqiang; Xu, Haiyang; Zhao, Xiaoning; Li, Xuhong; Liu, Weizhen; Ma, Jiangang; Liu, Yichun

2018-05-01

In this work, we demonstrated an effective method to improve the switching reliability of HfOx based RRAM device by inserting mountain-like surface-graphited carbon (MSGC) layer. The MSGC layer was fabricated through thermal annealing of amorphous carbon (a-C) film with high sp2 proportion (49.7%) under 500 °C on Pt substrate, whose characteristics were validated by XPS and Raman spectrums. The local electric-field (LEF) was enhanced around the nanoscale tips of MSGC layer due to large surface curvature, which leads to simplified CFs and localization of resistive switching region. It takes responsibility to the reduction of high/low resistance states (HRS/LRS) fluctuation from 173.8%/64.9% to 23.6%/6.5%, respectively. In addition, the resulting RRAM devices exhibited fast switching speed (<65 ns), good retention (>104 s at 85 °C) and low cycling degradation. This method could be promising to develop reliable and repeatable high-performance RRAM for practical applications.

77 FR 59414 - Application From Marys River Ranch, Elko County, NV, for an Enhancement of Survival Permit; Safe...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-27

... Safe Harbor Agreement for Lahontan cutthroat trout The primary objective of this proposed SHA is to... cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi). The SHA would cover conservation activities to create, maintain, restore, or enhance habitat for Lahontan cutthroat trout and achieve species' recovery goals...

Generating political will for safe motherhood in Indonesia.

PubMed

Shiffman, Jeremy

2003-03-01

In 1987 an international conference brought global attention to an issue that previously had been ignored: the world's alarmingly high number of maternal deaths in childbirth. The conference ended with a declaration calling for a reduction in maternal mortality by at least half by the year 2000. As the deadline approached, safe motherhood activists lamented the fact that the world was nowhere near to achieving this objective. They attributed this failure to a variety of causes, but were in agreement that the medical technology was available to prevent maternal deaths in childbirth, and the key was generating the political will to make such technology widely available to women in developing countries.What 'political will' means, however, has been left as an unopened black box. What causes governments to give priority to the issue of safe motherhood, given that national political systems are burdened with thousands of issues to sort through each year? In marked contrast to our extensive knowledge about the medical interventions necessary to prevent maternal death, we know little about the political interventions necessary to increase the likelihood that national leaders pay meaningful attention to the issue. Drawing from a scholarly literature on agenda setting, this paper identifies four factors that heighten the likelihood that an issue will rise to national-level attention: the existence of clear indicators showing that a problem exists; the presence of effective political entrepreneurs to push the cause; the organization of attention-generating focusing events that promote widespread concern for the issue; and the availability of politically palatable policy alternatives that enable national leaders to understand that the problem is surmountable. The paper presents a case study of the emergence, waning and re-generation of political priority for safe motherhood in Indonesia over the decade 1987-1997, to highlight how these four factors interacted to raise safe

A Framework for Action To Make Private Housing Lead-Safe: A Proposal To Focus National Attention.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alliance to End Childhood Lead Poisoning, Washington, DC.

This framework sets forth detailed proposals that are crucial to eliminating the epidemic of childhood lead poisoning in the United States. Private housing units can and must be made lead-safe, and this framework is designed to achieve that goal through specific requirements for property owners, a workable schedule, and mechanisms that reinforce…

Steering teens safe: a randomized trial of a parent-based intervention to improve safe teen driving.

PubMed

Peek-Asa, Corinne; Cavanaugh, Joseph E; Yang, Jingzhen; Chande, Vidya; Young, Tracy; Ramirez, Marizen

2014-07-31

Crashes are the leading cause of death for teens, and parent-based interventions are a promising approach. We assess the effectiveness of Steering Teens Safe, a parent-focused program to increase safe teen driving. Steering Teens Safe aimed to improve parental communication with teens about safe driving using motivational interviewing techniques in conjunction with 19 safe driving lessons. A randomized controlled trial involved 145 parent-teen dyads (70 intervention and 75 control). Intervention parents received a 45-minute session to learn the program with four follow-up phone sessions, a DVD, and a workbook. Control parents received a standard brochure about safe driving. Scores were developed to measure teen-reported quantity and quality of parental communication about safe driving. The main outcome measure was a previously validated Risky Driving Score reported by teens. Because the Score was highly skewed, a generalized linear model based on a gamma distribution was used for analysis. Intervention teens ranked their parent's success in talking about driving safety higher than control teens (p = 0.035) and reported that their parents talked about more topics (non-significant difference). The Risky Driving Score was 21% lower in intervention compared to control teens (85% CI = 0.60, 1.00). Interaction between communication quantity and the intervention was examined. Intervention teens who reported more successful communication had a 42% lower Risky Driving Score (95% CI = 0.37, 0.94) than control parents with less successful communication. This program had a positive although not strong effect, and it may hold the most promise in partnership with other programs, such as Driver's Education or Graduated Driver's License policies. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01014923. Registered Nov. 16, 2009.

The F-12 series aircraft approach to design for control system reliability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schenk, F. L.; Mcmaster, J. R.

1976-01-01

The F-12 series aircraft control system design philosophy is reviewed as it pertains to functional reliability. The basic control system, i.e., cables, mixer, feel system, trim devices, and hydraulic systems are described and discussed. In addition, the implementation of the redundant stability augmentation system in the F-12 aircraft is described. Finally, the functional reliability record that has been achieved is presented.

Safe biodegradable fluorescent particles

DOEpatents

Martin, Sue I [Berkeley, CA; Fergenson, David P [Alamo, CA; Srivastava, Abneesh [Santa Clara, CA; Bogan, Michael J [Dublin, CA; Riot, Vincent J [Oakland, CA; Frank, Matthias [Oakland, CA

2010-08-24

A human-safe fluorescence particle that can be used for fluorescence detection instruments or act as a safe simulant for mimicking the fluorescence properties of microorganisms. The particle comprises a non-biological carrier and natural fluorophores encapsulated in the non-biological carrier. By doping biodegradable-polymer drug delivery microspheres with natural or synthetic fluorophores, the desired fluorescence can be attained or biological organisms can be simulated without the associated risks and logistical difficulties of live microorganisms.

Safe Haven.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bush, Gail

2003-01-01

Discusses school libraries as safe havens for teenagers and considers elements that foster that atmosphere, including the physical environment, lack of judgments, familiarity, leisure, and a welcoming nature. Focuses on the importance of relationships, and taking the time to listen to teens and encourage them. (LRW)

A Novel Ontology Approach to Support Design for Reliability considering Environmental Effects

PubMed Central

Sun, Bo; Li, Yu; Ye, Tianyuan

2015-01-01

Environmental effects are not considered sufficiently in product design. Reliability problems caused by environmental effects are very prominent. This paper proposes a method to apply ontology approach in product design. During product reliability design and analysis, environmental effects knowledge reusing is achieved. First, the relationship of environmental effects and product reliability is analyzed. Then environmental effects ontology to describe environmental effects domain knowledge is designed. Related concepts of environmental effects are formally defined by using the ontology approach. This model can be applied to arrange environmental effects knowledge in different environments. Finally, rubber seals used in the subhumid acid rain environment are taken as an example to illustrate ontological model application on reliability design and analysis. PMID:25821857

A novel ontology approach to support design for reliability considering environmental effects.

PubMed

Sun, Bo; Li, Yu; Ye, Tianyuan; Ren, Yi

2015-01-01

Environmental effects are not considered sufficiently in product design. Reliability problems caused by environmental effects are very prominent. This paper proposes a method to apply ontology approach in product design. During product reliability design and analysis, environmental effects knowledge reusing is achieved. First, the relationship of environmental effects and product reliability is analyzed. Then environmental effects ontology to describe environmental effects domain knowledge is designed. Related concepts of environmental effects are formally defined by using the ontology approach. This model can be applied to arrange environmental effects knowledge in different environments. Finally, rubber seals used in the subhumid acid rain environment are taken as an example to illustrate ontological model application on reliability design and analysis.

The safe zone for avoiding suprascapular nerve injury during shoulder arthroscopy: an anatomical study on 500 dry scapulae.

PubMed

Gumina, Stefano; Albino, Paolo; Giaracuni, Marco; Vestri, Annarita; Ripani, Maurizio; Postacchini, Franco

2011-12-01

Suprascapular nerve injury may be a complication during shoulder arthroscopy. Our aim was to verify the reliability of the existing data, assess the differences between scapulae in the 2 genders and in the same subject, obtain a safe zone useful to avoid iatrogenic nerve lesions, and analyze the existing correlations between the scapular dimensions and the safe zone. We examined 500 dried scapulae, measuring 6 distances for each one, referring to the scapular body, glenoid, and the course of the suprascapular nerve, also catalogued according to gender and side. Differences due to gender were assessed comparing mean ± sd of each distance in males and females; paired t test was used to compare distances deriving from each couple. Successively, we calculated our safe zone and Pearson's correlation. We found nonsignificant differences between the right and left distances deriving from each couple; differences due to gender were stated. We defined 3 kinds of safe zones referring to: 500 scapulae; males (139 scapulae) and females (147 scapulae). The correlation indexes calculated between the axis of the scapular body and glenoid, and the posterosuperior distance (referring to the suprascapular nerve) were 0.624, 0.694, 0.675, 0.638; while those with the posterior distance were 0.230, 0.294, 0.232, 0.284. Knowledge of the safe zone, for avoiding suprascapular nerve injury, is important; gender and specific scapular dimensions should be evaluated, as they influence the dimensions of the safe zone. The linear predictors should be used to obtain specific values of the posterosuperior limit in each patient. Copyright © 2011 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of a reliable estimation procedure of radioactivity inventory in a BWR plant due to neutron irradiation for decommissioning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanaka, Ken-ichi; Ueno, Jun

2017-09-01

Reliable information of radioactivity inventory resulted from the radiological characterization is important in order to plan decommissioning planning and is also crucial in order to promote decommissioning in effectiveness and in safe. The information is referred to by planning of decommissioning strategy and by an application to regulator. Reliable information of radioactivity inventory can be used to optimize the decommissioning processes. In order to perform the radiological characterization reliably, we improved a procedure of an evaluation of neutron-activated materials for a Boiling Water Reactor (BWR). Neutron-activated materials are calculated with calculation codes and their validity should be verified with measurements. The evaluation of neutron-activated materials can be divided into two processes. One is a distribution calculation of neutron-flux. Another is an activation calculation of materials. The distribution calculation of neutron-flux is performed with neutron transport calculation codes with appropriate cross section library to simulate neutron transport phenomena well. Using the distribution of neutron-flux, we perform distribution calculations of radioactivity concentration. We also estimate a time dependent distribution of radioactivity classification and a radioactive-waste classification. The information obtained from the evaluation is utilized by other tasks in the preparatory tasks to make the decommissioning plan and the activity safe and rational.

More than a Safe Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadowski, Michael

2016-01-01

Over the past three decades, much of the conversation about LGBTQ students in schools has centered on safety--anti-bullying policies, the "safe space" of gay-straight alliances, and "safe zones" marked by rainbow-colored stickers on classroom doors. In this article, Michael Sadowski argues that it's time to move beyond safety…

Data Analysis and Data-Driven Decision-Making Strategies Implemented by Elementary Teachers in Selected Exited Program Improvement Safe Harbor Schools in Southern California

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Senger, Karen

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to investigate and describe how elementary teachers in exited Program Improvement-Safe Harbor schools acquire student achievement data through assessments, the strategies and reflections utilized to make sense of the data to improve student achievement, ensure curriculum and instructional goals are aligned,…

Modified personal interviews: resurrecting reliable personal interviews for admissions?

PubMed

Hanson, Mark D; Kulasegaram, Kulamakan Mahan; Woods, Nicole N; Fechtig, Lindsey; Anderson, Geoff

2012-10-01

Traditional admissions personal interviews provide flexible faculty-student interactions but are plagued by low inter-interview reliability. Axelson and Kreiter (2009) retrospectively showed that multiple independent sampling (MIS) may improve reliability of personal interviews; thus, the authors incorporated MIS into the admissions process for medical students applying to the University of Toronto's Leadership Education and Development Program (LEAD). They examined the reliability and resource demands of this modified personal interview (MPI) format. In 2010-2011, LEAD candidates submitted written applications, which were used to screen for participation in the MPI process. Selected candidates completed four brief (10-12 minutes) independent MPIs each with a different interviewer. The authors blueprinted MPI questions to (i.e., aligned them with) leadership attributes, and interviewers assessed candidates' eligibility on a five-point Likert-type scale. The authors analyzed inter-interview reliability using the generalizability theory. Sixteen candidates submitted applications; 10 proceeded to the MPI stage. Reliability of the written application components was 0.75. The MPI process had overall inter-interview reliability of 0.79. Correlation between the written application and MPI scores was 0.49. A decision study showed acceptable reliability of 0.74 with only three MPIs scored using one global rating. Furthermore, a traditional admissions interview format would take 66% more time than the MPI format. The MPI format, used during the LEAD admissions process, achieved high reliability with minimal faculty resources. The MPI format's reliability and effective resource use were possible through MIS and employment of expert interviewers. MPIs may be useful for other admissions tasks.

Design and reliability analysis of DP-3 dynamic positioning control architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Fang; Wan, Lei; Jiang, Da-Peng; Xu, Yu-Ru

2011-12-01

As the exploration and exploitation of oil and gas proliferate throughout deepwater area, the requirements on the reliability of dynamic positioning system become increasingly stringent. The control objective ensuring safety operation at deep water will not be met by a single controller for dynamic positioning. In order to increase the availability and reliability of dynamic positioning control system, the triple redundancy hardware and software control architectures were designed and developed according to the safe specifications of DP-3 classification notation for dynamically positioned ships and rigs. The hardware redundant configuration takes the form of triple-redundant hot standby configuration including three identical operator stations and three real-time control computers which connect each other through dual networks. The function of motion control and redundancy management of control computers were implemented by software on the real-time operating system VxWorks. The software realization of task loose synchronization, majority voting and fault detection were presented in details. A hierarchical software architecture was planed during the development of software, consisting of application layer, real-time layer and physical layer. The behavior of the DP-3 dynamic positioning control system was modeled by a Markov model to analyze its reliability. The effects of variation in parameters on the reliability measures were investigated. The time domain dynamic simulation was carried out on a deepwater drilling rig to prove the feasibility of the proposed control architecture.

Evolution of the Hubble Space Telescope Safing Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pepe, Joyce; Myslinski, Michael

2006-01-01

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was launched on April 24 1990, with an expected lifespan of 15 years. Central to the spacecraft design was the concept of a series of on-orbit shuttle servicing missions permitting astronauts to replace failed equipment, update the scientific instruments and keep the HST at the forefront of astronomical discoveries. One key to the success of the Hubble mission has been the robust Safing systems designed to monitor the performance of the observatory and to react to keep the spacecraft safe in the event of equipment anomaly. The spacecraft Safing System consists of a range of software tests in the primary flight computer that evaluate the performance of mission critical hardware, safe modes that are activated when the primary control mode is deemed inadequate for protecting the vehicle, and special actions that the computer can take to autonomously reconfigure critical hardware. The HST Safing System was structured to autonomously detect electrical power system, data management system, and pointing control system malfunctions and to configure the vehicle to ensure safe operation without ground intervention for up to 72 hours. There is also a dedicated safe mode computer that constantly monitors a keep-alive signal from the primary computer. If this signal stops, the safe mode computer shuts down the primary computer and takes over control of the vehicle, putting it into a safe, low-power configuration. The HST Safing system has continued to evolve as equipment has aged, as new hardware has been installed on the vehicle, and as the operation modes have matured during the mission. Along with the continual refinement of the limits used in the safing tests, several new tests have been added to the monitoring system, and new safe modes have been added to the flight software. This paper will focus on the evolution of the HST Safing System and Safing tests, and the importance of this evolution to prolonging the science operations of the

Managing Cassini Safe Mode Attitude at Saturn

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burk, Thomas A.

2010-01-01

The Cassini spacecraft was launched on October 15, 1997 and arrived at Saturn on June 30, 2004. It has performed detailed observations and remote sensing of Saturn, its rings, and its satellites since that time. In the event safe mode interrupts normal orbital operations, Cassini has flight software fault protection algorithms to detect, isolate, and recover to a thermally safe and commandable attitude and then wait for further instructions from the ground. But the Saturn environment is complex, and safety hazards change depending on where Cassini is in its orbital trajectory around Saturn. Selecting an appropriate safe mode attitude that insures safe operation in the Saturn environment, including keeping the star tracker field of view clear of bright bodies, while maintaining a quiescent, commandable attitude, is a significant challenge. This paper discusses the Cassini safe table management strategy and the key criteria that must be considered, especially during low altitude flybys of Titan, in deciding what spacecraft attitude should be used in the event of safe mode.

Component Reliability Testing of Long-Life Sorption Cryocoolers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bard, S.; Wu, J.; Karlmann, P.; Mirate, C.; Wade, L.

1994-01-01

This paper summarizes ongoing experiments characterizing the ability of critical sorption cryocooler components to achieve highly reliable operation for long-life space missions. Test data obtained over the past several years at JPL are entirely consistent with achieving ten year life for sorption compressors, electrical heaters, container materials, valves, and various sorbent materials suitable for driving 8 to 180 K refrigeration stages. Test results for various compressor systems are reported. Planned future tests necessary to gain a detailed understanding of the sensitivity of cooler performance and component life to operating constraints, design configurations, and fabrication, assembly and handling techniques, are also discussed.

Reliability Impacts in Life Support Architecture and Technology Selection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lange, Kevin E.; Anderson, Molly S.

2011-01-01

Equivalent System Mass (ESM) and reliability estimates were performed for different life support architectures based primarily on International Space Station (ISS) technologies. The analysis was applied to a hypothetical 1-year deep-space mission. High-level fault trees were initially developed relating loss of life support functionality to the Loss of Crew (LOC) top event. System reliability was then expressed as the complement (nonoccurrence) this event and was increased through the addition of redundancy and spares, which added to the ESM. The reliability analysis assumed constant failure rates and used current projected values of the Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) from an ISS database where available. Results were obtained showing the dependence of ESM on system reliability for each architecture. Although the analysis employed numerous simplifications and many of the input parameters are considered to have high uncertainty, the results strongly suggest that achieving necessary reliabilities for deep-space missions will add substantially to the life support system mass. As a point of reference, the reliability for a single-string architecture using the most regenerative combination of ISS technologies without unscheduled replacement spares was estimated to be less than 1%. The results also demonstrate how adding technologies in a serial manner to increase system closure forces the reliability of other life support technologies to increase in order to meet the system reliability requirement. This increase in reliability results in increased mass for multiple technologies through the need for additional spares. Alternative parallel architecture approaches and approaches with the potential to do more with less are discussed. The tall poles in life support ESM are also reexamined in light of estimated reliability impacts.

"Safe Schools within Safe Communities: A Regional Summit in the Heartland." Policy Briefs Special Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huertas, Aurelio, Jr.; Sullivan, Carol

This report documents the proceedings of a regional policy seminar hosted by the Iowa Department of Education with support from the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL) and the Midwest Regional Center for Drug-Free Schools and Communities (MRC). The seminar, "Safe Schools Within Safe Communities," was held on September 19-20,…

The United States Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program - Over 151 Million Miles Safely Steamed on Nuclear Power

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None, None

NNSA’s third mission pillar is supporting the U.S. Navy’s ability to protect and defend American interests across the globe. The Naval Reactors Program remains at the forefront of technological developments in naval nuclear propulsion and ensures a commanding edge in warfighting capabilities by advancing new technologies and improvements in naval reactor performance and reliability. In 2015, the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program pioneered advances in nuclear reactor and warship design – such as increasing reactor lifetimes, improving submarine operational effectiveness, and reducing propulsion plant crewing. The Naval Reactors Program continued its record of operational excellence by providing the technical expertise requiredmore » to resolve emergent issues in the Nation’s nuclear-powered fleet, enabling the Fleet to safely steam more than two million miles. Naval Reactors safely maintains, operates, and oversees the reactors on the Navy’s 82 nuclear-powered warships, constituting more than 45 percent of the Navy’s major combatants.« less

Safe Use Practices for Pesticides

Science.gov Websites

; Environment Human Health Animal Health Safe Use Practices Food Safety Environment Air Water Soil Wildlife Ingredients Low-Risk Pesticides Organic Pesticide Ingredients Pesticide Incidents Human Exposure Pet Exposure Home Page Pesticide Health and Safety Information Safe Use Practices for Pesticides Related Topics

Is Prevent a Safe Space?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramsay, Peter

2017-01-01

In this article, I test the claims of the UK government and universities that the Prevent programme aims to create a safe space for the discussion of "extremist" ideas in universities. I do this by comparing the main elements of the Prevent duty that has been imposed on universities with those of safe spaces as imagined by student…

75 FR 29391 - National Safe Boating Week, 2010

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-26

... Safe Boating Week, 2010 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Our Nation's... National Safe Boating Week to practicing safe techniques so boaters of all ages can enjoy this pastime... annually the 7-day period prior to Memorial Day weekend as ``National Safe Boating Week.'' NOW, THEREFORE...

Reliability analysis of airship remote sensing system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Jun

1998-08-01

Airship Remote Sensing System (ARSS) for obtain the dynamic or real time images in the remote sensing of the catastrophe and the environment, is a mixed complex system. Its sensor platform is a remote control airship. The achievement of a remote sensing mission depends on a series of factors. For this reason, it is very important for us to analyze reliability of ARSS. In first place, the system model was simplified form multi-stage system to two-state system on the basis of the result of the failure mode and effect analysis and the failure tree failure mode effect and criticality analysis. The failure tree was created after analyzing all factors and their interrelations. This failure tree includes four branches, e.g. engine subsystem, remote control subsystem, airship construction subsystem, flying metrology and climate subsystem. By way of failure tree analysis and basic-events classing, the weak links were discovered. The result of test running shown no difference in comparison with theory analysis. In accordance with the above conclusions, a plan of the reliability growth and reliability maintenance were posed. System's reliability are raised from 89 percent to 92 percent with the reformation of the man-machine interactive interface, the augmentation of the secondary better-groupie and the secondary remote control equipment.

Exploring varieties of knowledge in safe work practices - an ethnographic study of surgical teams

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Within existing research in health and medicine, the nature of knowledge on how teams conduct safe work practices has yet to be properly explored. Methods We address this concern by exploring the varieties in which knowledge is expressed during interdisciplinary surgical operations. Specifically, the study was conducted in a surgical section of a Norwegian regional general hospital, between January and April of 2010, by means of an ethnographic design combining detailed non-participant observations, conversations and semi-structured interviews. Results Based on an analysis of the gathered data, we identify three particular themes in how knowledge is expressed by operating room personnel: (i) the ability and variety individuals demonstrate in handling multiple sources of information, before reaching a particular decision, (ii) the variety of ways awareness or anticipation of future events is expressed, and (iii) the different ways sudden and unexpected situations are handled by the individual team members. Conclusions We conclude that these facets of knowledge bring different insights into how safe work practices are achieved at an individual and team level in surgical operations, thus adding to the existing understanding of the nature of knowledge in safe work practices in surgical operations. Future research should focus on exploring and documenting the relationships between various elements of knowledge and safe work practices, in different surgical settings and countries. PMID:21914183

Progress in GaN devices performances and reliability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saunier, P.; Lee, C.; Jimenez, J.; Balistreri, A.; Dumka, D.; Tserng, H. Q.; Kao, M. Y.; Chowdhury, U.; Chao, P. C.; Chu, K.; Souzis, A.; Eliashevich, I.; Guo, S.; del Alamo, J.; Joh, J.; Shur, M.

2008-02-01

With the DARPA Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Technology RF Thrust Contract, TriQuint Semiconductor and its partners, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, IQE-RF, II-VI, Nitronex, M.I.T., and R.P.I. are achieving great progress towards the overall goal of making Gallium Nitride a revolutionary RF technology ready to be inserted in defense and commercial applications. Performance and reliability are two critical components of success (along with cost and manufacturability). In this paper we will discuss these two aspects. Our emphasis is now operation at 40 V bias voltage (we had been working at 28 V). 1250 µm devices have power densities in the 6 to 9 W/mm with associated efficiencies in the low- to mid 60 % and associated gain in the 12 to 12.5 dB at 10 GHz. We are using a dual field-plate structure to optimize these performances. Very good performances have also been achieved at 18 GHz with 400 µm devices. Excellent progress has been made in reliability. Our preliminary DC and RF reliability tests at 40 V indicate a MTTF of 1E6hrs with1.3 eV activation energy at 150 0C channel temperature. Jesus Del Alamo at MIT has greatly refined our initial findings leading to a strain related theory of degradation that is driven by electric fields. Degradation can occur on the drain edge of the gate due to excessive strain given by inverse piezoelectric effect.

Reliability analysis of laminated CMC components through shell subelement techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Starlinger, Alois; Duffy, Stephen F.; Gyekenyesi, John P.

1992-01-01

An updated version of the integrated design program Composite Ceramics Analysis and Reliability Evaluation of Structures (C/CARES) was developed for the reliability evaluation of ceramic matrix composites (CMC) laminated shell components. The algorithm is now split into two modules: a finite-element data interface program and a reliability evaluation algorithm. More flexibility is achieved, allowing for easy implementation with various finite-element programs. The interface program creates a neutral data base which is then read by the reliability module. This neutral data base concept allows easy data transfer between different computer systems. The new interface program from the finite-element code Matrix Automated Reduction and Coupling (MARC) also includes the option of using hybrid laminates (a combination of plies of different materials or different layups) and allows for variations in temperature fields throughout the component. In the current version of C/CARES, a subelement technique was implemented, enabling stress gradients within an element to be taken into account. The noninteractive reliability function is now evaluated at each Gaussian integration point instead of using averaging techniques. As a result of the increased number of stress evaluation points, considerable improvements in the accuracy of reliability analyses were realized.

Approximation of reliabilities for multiple-trait model with maternal effects.

PubMed

Strabel, T; Misztal, I; Bertrand, J K

2001-04-01

Reliabilities for a multiple-trait maternal model were obtained by combining reliabilities obtained from single-trait models. Single-trait reliabilities were obtained using an approximation that supported models with additive and permanent environmental effects. For the direct effect, the maternal and permanent environmental variances were assigned to the residual. For the maternal effect, variance of the direct effect was assigned to the residual. Data included 10,550 birth weight, 11,819 weaning weight, and 3,617 postweaning gain records of Senepol cattle. Reliabilities were obtained by generalized inversion and by using single-trait and multiple-trait approximation methods. Some reliabilities obtained by inversion were negative because inbreeding was ignored in calculating the inverse of the relationship matrix. The multiple-trait approximation method reduced the bias of approximation when compared with the single-trait method. The correlations between reliabilities obtained by inversion and by multiple-trait procedures for the direct effect were 0.85 for birth weight, 0.94 for weaning weight, and 0.96 for postweaning gain. Correlations for maternal effects for birth weight and weaning weight were 0.96 to 0.98 for both approximations. Further improvements can be achieved by refining the single-trait procedures.

A computer-based measure of resultant achievement motivation.

PubMed

Blankenship, V

1987-08-01

Three experiments were conducted to develop a computer-based measure of individual differences in resultant achievement motivation (RAM) on the basis of level-of-aspiration, achievement motivation, and dynamics-of-action theories. In Experiment 1, the number of atypical shifts and greater responsiveness to incentives on 21 trials with choices among easy, intermediate, and difficult levels of an achievement-oriented game were positively correlated and were found to differentiate the 62 subjects (31 men, 31 women) on the amount of time they spent at a nonachievement task (watching a color design) 1 week later. In Experiment 2, test-retest reliability was established with the use of 67 subjects (15 men, 52 women). Point and no-point trials were offered in blocks, with point trials first for half the subjects and no-point trials first for the other half. Reliability was higher for the atypical-shift measure than for the incentive-responsiveness measure and was higher when points were offered first. In Experiment 3, computer anxiety was manipulated by creating a simulated computer breakdown in the experimental condition. Fifty-nine subjects (13 men, 46 women) were randomly assigned to the experimental condition or to one of two control conditions (an interruption condition and a no-interruption condition). Subjects with low RAM, as demonstrated by a low number of typical shifts, took longer to choose the achievement-oriented task, as predicted by the dynamics-of-action theory. The difference was evident in all conditions and most striking in the computer-breakdown condition. A change of focus from atypical to typical shifts is discussed.

Challenges for achieving safe and effective radical cure of Plasmodium vivax: a round table discussion of the APMEN Vivax Working Group.

PubMed

Thriemer, Kamala; Ley, Benedikt; Bobogare, Albino; Dysoley, Lek; Alam, Mohammad Shafiul; Pasaribu, Ayodhia P; Sattabongkot, Jetsumon; Jambert, Elodie; Domingo, Gonzalo J; Commons, Robert; Auburn, Sarah; Marfurt, Jutta; Devine, Angela; Aktaruzzaman, Mohammad M; Sohel, Nayeem; Namgay, Rinzin; Drukpa, Tobgyel; Sharma, Surender Nath; Sarawati, Elvieda; Samad, Iriani; Theodora, Minerva; Nambanya, Simone; Ounekham, Sonesay; Mudin, Rose Nanti Binti; Da Thakur, Garib; Makita, Leo Sora; Deray, Raffy; Lee, Sang-Eun; Boaz, Leonard; Danansuriya, Manjula N; Mudiyanselage, Santha D; Chinanonwait, Nipon; Kitchakarn, Suravadee; Nausien, Johnny; Naket, Esau; Duc, Thang Ngo; Do Manh, Ha; Hong, Young S; Cheng, Qin; Richards, Jack S; Kusriastuti, Rita; Satyagraha, Ari; Noviyanti, Rintis; Ding, Xavier C; Khan, Wasif Ali; Swe Phru, Ching; Guoding, Zhu; Qi, Gao; Kaneko, Akira; Miotto, Olivo; Nguitragool, Wang; Roobsoong, Wanlapa; Battle, Katherine; Howes, Rosalind E; Roca-Feltrer, Arantxa; Duparc, Stephan; Bhowmick, Ipsita Pal; Kenangalem, Enny; Bibit, Jo-Anne; Barry, Alyssa; Sintasath, David; Abeyasinghe, Rabindra; Sibley, Carol H; McCarthy, James; von Seidlein, Lorenz; Baird, J Kevin; Price, Ric N

2017-04-05

The delivery of safe and effective radical cure for Plasmodium vivax is one of the greatest challenges for achieving malaria elimination from the Asia-Pacific by 2030. During the annual meeting of the Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network Vivax Working Group in October 2016, a round table discussion was held to discuss the programmatic issues hindering the widespread use of primaquine (PQ) radical cure. Participants included 73 representatives from 16 partner countries and 33 institutional partners and other research institutes. In this meeting report, the key discussion points are presented and grouped into five themes: (i) current barriers for glucose-6-phosphate deficiency (G6PD) testing prior to PQ radical cure, (ii) necessary properties of G6PD tests for wide scale deployment, (iii) the promotion of G6PD testing, (iv) improving adherence to PQ regimens and (v) the challenges for future tafenoquine (TQ) roll out. Robust point of care (PoC) G6PD tests are needed, which are suitable and cost-effective for clinical settings with limited infrastructure. An affordable and competitive test price is needed, accompanied by sustainable funding for the product with appropriate training of healthcare staff, and robust quality control and assurance processes. In the absence of quantitative PoC G6PD tests, G6PD status can be gauged with qualitative diagnostics, however none of the available tests is currently sensitive enough to guide TQ treatment. TQ introduction will require overcoming additional challenges including the management of severely and intermediately G6PD deficient individuals. Robust strategies are needed to ensure that effective treatment practices can be deployed widely, and these should ensure that the caveats are outweighed by  the benefits of radical cure for both the patients and the community. Widespread access to quality controlled G6PD testing will be critical.

30 CFR 77.312 - Fail safe monitoring systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Fail safe monitoring systems. 77.312 Section 77... Thermal Dryers § 77.312 Fail safe monitoring systems. Thermal dryer systems and controls shall be protected by a fail safe monitoring system which will safely shut down the system and any related equipment...

30 CFR 77.312 - Fail safe monitoring systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Fail safe monitoring systems. 77.312 Section 77... Thermal Dryers § 77.312 Fail safe monitoring systems. Thermal dryer systems and controls shall be protected by a fail safe monitoring system which will safely shut down the system and any related equipment...

30 CFR 77.312 - Fail safe monitoring systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Fail safe monitoring systems. 77.312 Section 77... Thermal Dryers § 77.312 Fail safe monitoring systems. Thermal dryer systems and controls shall be protected by a fail safe monitoring system which will safely shut down the system and any related equipment...

30 CFR 77.312 - Fail safe monitoring systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Fail safe monitoring systems. 77.312 Section 77... Thermal Dryers § 77.312 Fail safe monitoring systems. Thermal dryer systems and controls shall be protected by a fail safe monitoring system which will safely shut down the system and any related equipment...

30 CFR 77.312 - Fail safe monitoring systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Fail safe monitoring systems. 77.312 Section 77... Thermal Dryers § 77.312 Fail safe monitoring systems. Thermal dryer systems and controls shall be protected by a fail safe monitoring system which will safely shut down the system and any related equipment...

29 CFR 1915.15 - Maintenance of safe conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Enclosed Spaces and Other Dangerous Atmospheres in Shipyard Employment § 1915.15 Maintenance of safe... into spaces that have been certified “Safe for Workers” or “Safe for Hot Work” shall be disconnected... certificates. A competent person shall visually inspect and test each space certified as “Safe for Workers” or...

29 CFR 1915.15 - Maintenance of safe conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Enclosed Spaces and Other Dangerous Atmospheres in Shipyard Employment § 1915.15 Maintenance of safe... into spaces that have been certified “Safe for Workers” or “Safe for Hot Work” shall be disconnected... certificates. A competent person shall visually inspect and test each space certified as “Safe for Workers” or...

Investigation of the impact of main control room digitalization on operators cognitive reliability in nuclear power plants.

PubMed

Zhou, Yong; Mu, Haiying; Jiang, Jianjun; Zhang, Li

2012-01-01

Currently, there is a trend in nuclear power plants (NPPs) toward introducing digital and computer technologies into main control rooms (MCRs). Safe generation of electric power in NPPs requires reliable performance of cognitive tasks such as fault detection, diagnosis, and response planning. The digitalization of MCRs has dramatically changed the whole operating environment, and the ways operators interact with the plant systems. If the design and implementation of the digital technology is incompatible with operators' cognitive characteristics, it may have negative effects on operators' cognitive reliability. Firstly, on the basis of three essential prerequisites for successful cognitive tasks, a causal model is constructed to reveal the typical human performance issues arising from digitalization. The cognitive mechanisms which they impact cognitive reliability are analyzed in detail. Then, Bayesian inference is used to quantify and prioritize the influences of these factors. It suggests that interface management and unbalanced workload distribution have more significant impacts on operators' cognitive reliability.

Staying Healthy and Safe at Work

MedlinePlus

... The Prematurity Campaign About us Annual report Our work Community impact Global programs Research Need help? Frequently ... safe at work Staying healthy and safe at work E-mail to a friend Please fill in ...

Heroic Reliability Improvement in Manned Space Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Harry W.

2017-01-01

System reliability can be significantly improved by a strong continued effort to identify and remove all the causes of actual failures. Newly designed systems often have unexpected high failure rates which can be reduced by successive design improvements until the final operational system has an acceptable failure rate. There are many causes of failures and many ways to remove them. New systems may have poor specifications, design errors, or mistaken operations concepts. Correcting unexpected problems as they occur can produce large early gains in reliability. Improved technology in materials, components, and design approaches can increase reliability. The reliability growth is achieved by repeatedly operating the system until it fails, identifying the failure cause, and fixing the problem. The failure rate reduction that can be obtained depends on the number and the failure rates of the correctable failures. Under the strong assumption that the failure causes can be removed, the decline in overall failure rate can be predicted. If a failure occurs at the rate of lambda per unit time, the expected time before the failure occurs and can be corrected is 1/lambda, the Mean Time Before Failure (MTBF). Finding and fixing a less frequent failure with the rate of lambda/2 per unit time requires twice as long, time of 1/(2 lambda). Cutting the failure rate in half requires doubling the test and redesign time and finding and eliminating the failure causes.Reducing the failure rate significantly requires a heroic reliability improvement effort.

Anatase TiO2 ultrathin nanobelts derived from room-temperature-synthesized titanates for fast and safe lithium storage

PubMed Central

Wen, Wei; Wu, Jin-ming; Jiang, Yin-zhu; Yu, Sheng-lan; Bai, Jun-qiang; Cao, Min-hua; Cui, Jie

2015-01-01

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are promising energy storage devices for portable electronics, electric vehicles, and power-grid applications. It is highly desirable yet challenging to develop a simple and scalable method for constructions of sustainable materials for fast and safe LIBs. Herein, we exploit a novel and scalable route to synthesize ultrathin nanobelts of anatase TiO2, which is resource abundant and is eligible for safe anodes in LIBs. The achieved ultrathin nanobelts demonstrate outstanding performances for lithium storage because of the unique nanoarchitecture and appropriate composition. Unlike conventional alkali-hydrothermal approaches to hydrogen titanates, the present room temperature alkaline-free wet chemistry strategy guarantees the ultrathin thickness for the resultant titanate nanobelts. The anatase TiO2 ultrathin nanobelts were achieved simply by a subsequent calcination in air. The synthesis route is convenient for metal decoration and also for fabricating thin films of one/three dimensional arrays on various substrates at low temperatures, in absence of any seed layers. PMID:26133276

Multiple objective optimization in reliability demonstration test

DOE PAGES

Lu, Lu; Anderson-Cook, Christine Michaela; Li, Mingyang

2016-10-01

Reliability demonstration tests are usually performed in product design or validation processes to demonstrate whether a product meets specified requirements on reliability. For binomial demonstration tests, the zero-failure test has been most commonly used due to its simplicity and use of minimum sample size to achieve an acceptable consumer’s risk level. However, this test can often result in unacceptably high risk for producers as well as a low probability of passing the test even when the product has good reliability. This paper explicitly explores the interrelationship between multiple objectives that are commonly of interest when planning a demonstration test andmore » proposes structured decision-making procedures using a Pareto front approach for selecting an optimal test plan based on simultaneously balancing multiple criteria. Different strategies are suggested for scenarios with different user priorities and graphical tools are developed to help quantify the trade-offs between choices and to facilitate informed decision making. As a result, potential impacts of some subjective user inputs on the final decision are studied to offer insights and useful guidance for general applications.« less

33 CFR 83.06 - Safe speed (Rule 6).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Safe speed (Rule 6). 83.06... Safe speed (Rule 6). Every vessel shall at all times proceed at a safe speed so that she can take... prevailing circumstances and conditions. In determining a safe speed the following factors shall be among...

33 CFR 83.06 - Safe speed (Rule 6).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Safe speed (Rule 6). 83.06... Safe speed (Rule 6). Every vessel shall at all times proceed at a safe speed so that she can take... prevailing circumstances and conditions. In determining a safe speed the following factors shall be among...

A study of the longevity and operational reliability of Goddard Spacecraft, 1960-1980

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shockey, E. F.

1981-01-01

Compiled data regarding the design lives and lifetimes actually achieved by 104 orbiting satellites launched by the Goddard Spaceflight Center between the years 1960 and 1980 is analyzed. Historical trends over the entire 21 year period are reviewed, and the more recent data is subjected to an examination of several key parameters. An empirical reliability function is derived, and compared with various mathematical models. Data from related studies is also discussed. The results provide insight into the reliability history of Goddard spacecraft an guidance for estimating the reliability of future programs.

Reliability Assessment Approach for Stirling Convertors and Generators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shah, Ashwin R.; Schreiber, Jeffrey G.; Zampino, Edward; Best, Timothy

2004-01-01

Stirling power conversion is being considered for use in a Radioisotope Power System for deep-space science missions because it offers a multifold increase in the conversion efficiency of heat to electric power. Quantifying the reliability of a Radioisotope Power System that utilizes Stirling power conversion technology is important in developing and demonstrating the capability for long-term success. A description of the Stirling power convertor is provided, along with a discussion about some of the key components. Ongoing efforts to understand component life, design variables at the component and system levels, related sources, and the nature of uncertainties is discussed. The requirement for reliability also is discussed, and some of the critical areas of concern are identified. A section on the objectives of the performance model development and a computation of reliability is included to highlight the goals of this effort. Also, a viable physics-based reliability plan to model the design-level variable uncertainties at the component and system levels is outlined, and potential benefits are elucidated. The plan involves the interaction of different disciplines, maintaining the physical and probabilistic correlations at all the levels, and a verification process based on rational short-term tests. In addition, both top-down and bottom-up coherency were maintained to follow the physics-based design process and mission requirements. The outlined reliability assessment approach provides guidelines to improve the design and identifies governing variables to achieve high reliability in the Stirling Radioisotope Generator design.

Multi-mode reliability-based design of horizontal curves.

PubMed

Essa, Mohamed; Sayed, Tarek; Hussein, Mohamed

2016-08-01

Recently, reliability analysis has been advocated as an effective approach to account for uncertainty in the geometric design process and to evaluate the risk associated with a particular design. In this approach, a risk measure (e.g. probability of noncompliance) is calculated to represent the probability that a specific design would not meet standard requirements. The majority of previous applications of reliability analysis in geometric design focused on evaluating the probability of noncompliance for only one mode of noncompliance such as insufficient sight distance. However, in many design situations, more than one mode of noncompliance may be present (e.g. insufficient sight distance and vehicle skidding at horizontal curves). In these situations, utilizing a multi-mode reliability approach that considers more than one failure (noncompliance) mode is required. The main objective of this paper is to demonstrate the application of multi-mode (system) reliability analysis to the design of horizontal curves. The process is demonstrated by a case study of Sea-to-Sky Highway located between Vancouver and Whistler, in southern British Columbia, Canada. Two noncompliance modes were considered: insufficient sight distance and vehicle skidding. The results show the importance of accounting for several noncompliance modes in the reliability model. The system reliability concept could be used in future studies to calibrate the design of various design elements in order to achieve consistent safety levels based on all possible modes of noncompliance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reliable Decentralized Control of Fuzzy Discrete-Event Systems and a Test Algorithm.

PubMed

Liu, Fuchun; Dziong, Zbigniew

2013-02-01

A framework for decentralized control of fuzzy discrete-event systems (FDESs) has been recently presented to guarantee the achievement of a given specification under the joint control of all local fuzzy supervisors. As a continuation, this paper addresses the reliable decentralized control of FDESs in face of possible failures of some local fuzzy supervisors. Roughly speaking, for an FDES equipped with n local fuzzy supervisors, a decentralized supervisor is called k-reliable (1 ≤ k ≤ n) provided that the control performance will not be degraded even when n - k local fuzzy supervisors fail. A necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of k-reliable decentralized supervisors of FDESs is proposed by introducing the notions of M̃uc-controllability and k-reliable coobservability of fuzzy language. In particular, a polynomial-time algorithm to test the k-reliable coobservability is developed by a constructive methodology, which indicates that the existence of k-reliable decentralized supervisors of FDESs can be checked with a polynomial complexity.

A Monte Carlo Simulation Study of the Reliability of Intraindividual Variability

PubMed Central

Estabrook, Ryne; Grimm, Kevin J.; Bowles, Ryan P.

2012-01-01

Recent research has seen intraindividual variability (IIV) become a useful technique to incorporate trial-to-trial variability into many types of psychological studies. IIV as measured by individual standard deviations (ISDs) has shown unique prediction to several types of positive and negative outcomes (Ram, Rabbit, Stollery, & Nesselroade, 2005). One unanswered question regarding measuring intraindividual variability is its reliability and the conditions under which optimal reliability is achieved. Monte Carlo simulation studies were conducted to determine the reliability of the ISD compared to the intraindividual mean. The results indicate that ISDs generally have poor reliability and are sensitive to insufficient measurement occasions, poor test reliability, and unfavorable amounts and distributions of variability in the population. Secondary analysis of psychological data shows that use of individual standard deviations in unfavorable conditions leads to a marked reduction in statistical power, although careful adherence to underlying statistical assumptions allows their use as a basic research tool. PMID:22268793

Realistic Testing of the Safe Affordable Fission Engine (SAFE-100) Thermal Simulator Using Fiber Bragg Gratings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stinson-Bagby, Kelly L.; Fielder, Robert S.; Van Dyke, Melissa K.

2004-02-04

The motivation for the reported research was to support NASA space nuclear power initiatives through the development of advanced fiber optic sensors for space-based nuclear power applications. Distributed high temperature measurements were made with 20 FBG temperature sensors installed in the SAFE-100 thermal simulator at the NASA Marshal Space Flight Center. Experiments were performed at temperatures approaching 800 deg. C and 1150 deg. C for characterization studies of the SAFE-100 core. Temperature profiles were successfully generated for the core during temperature increases and decreases. Related tests in the SAFE-100 successfully provided strain measurement data.

The reliability of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measurements of bone mineral density in the metatarsals.

PubMed

Fuller, Joel T; Archer, Jane; Buckley, Jonathan D; Tsiros, Margarita D; Thewlis, Dominic

2016-01-01

To investigate the reliability of a simple, efficient technique for measuring bone mineral density (BMD) in the metatarsals using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). BMD of the right foot of 32 trained male distance runners was measured using a DXA scanner with the foot in the plantar position. Separate regions of interest (ROI) were used to assess the BMD of each metatarsal shaft (1st-5th) for each participant. ROI analysis was repeated by the same investigator to determine within-scan intra-rater reliability and by a different investigator to determine within-scan inter-rater reliability. Repeat DXA scans were undertaken for ten participants to assess between-scan intra-rater reliability. Assessment of BMD was consistently most reliable for the first metatarsal across all domains of reliability assessed (intra-class correlation coefficient [ICC] ≥0.97; coefficient of variation [CV] ≤1.5%; limits of agreement [LOA] ≤4.2%). Reasonable levels of intra-rater reliability were also achieved for the second and fifth metatarsals (ICC ≥0.90; CV ≤4.2%; LOA ≤11.9%). Poorer levels of reliability were demonstrated for the third (ICC ≥0.64; CV ≤8.2%; LOA ≤23.6%) and fourth metatarsals (ICC ≥0.67; CV ≤9.6%; LOA ≤27.5%). BMD was greatest in the first and second metatarsals (P < 0.01). Reliable measurements of BMD were achieved for the first, second and fifth metatarsals.

Inherently Safe Fission Power System for Lunar Outposts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schriener, Timothy M.; El-Genk, Mohamed S.

2013-09-01

This paper presents the Solid Core-Sectored Compact Reactor (SC-SCoRe) and power system for future lunar outposts. The power system nominally provides 38 kWe continuously for 21 years, employs static components and has no single point failures in reactor cooling or power generation. The reactor core has six sectors, each has a separate pair of primary and secondary loops with liquid NaK-56 working fluid, thermoelectric (TE) power conversion and heat-pipes radiator panels. The electromagnetic (EM) pumps in the primary and secondary loops, powered with separate TE power units, ensure operation reliability and passive decay heat removal from the reactor after shutdown. The reactor poses no radiological concerns during launch, and remains sufficiently subcritical, with the radial reflector dissembled, when submerged in wet sand and the core flooded with seawater, following a launch abort accident. After 300 years of storage below grade on the Moon, the total radioactivity in the post-operation reactor drops below 164 Ci, a low enough radioactivity for a recovery and safe handling of the reactor.

33 CFR 62.27 - Safe water marks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Safe water marks. 62.27 Section 62.27 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AIDS TO NAVIGATION UNITED STATES AIDS TO NAVIGATION SYSTEM The U.S. Aids to Navigation System § 62.27 Safe water marks. Safe...

Reliability and validity of the adolescent health profile-types.

PubMed

Riley, A W; Forrest, C B; Starfield, B; Green, B; Kang, M; Ensminger, M

1998-08-01

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the preliminary reliability and validity of a set 13 profiles of adolescent health that describe distinct patterns of health and health service requirements on four domains of health. Reliability and validity were tested in four ethnically diverse population samples of urban and rural youths aged 11 to 17-years-old in public schools (N = 4,066). The reliability of the classification procedure and construct validity were examined in terms of the predicted and actual distributions of age, gender, race, socioeconomic status, and family type. School achievement, medical conditions, and the proportion of youths with a psychiatric disorder also were examined as tests of construct validity. The classification method was shown to produce consistent results across the four populations in terms of proportions of youths assigned with specific sociodemographic characteristics. Variations in health described by specific profiles showed expected relations to sociodemographic characteristics, family structure, school achievement, medical disorders, and psychiatric disorders. This taxonomy of health profile-types appears to effectively describe a set of patterns that characterize adolescent health. The profile-types provide a unique and practical method for identifying subgroups having distinct needs for health services, with potential utility for health policy and planning. Such integrative reporting methods are critical for more effective utilization of health status instruments in health resource planning and policy development.

High-reliability gas-turbine combined-cycle development program: Phase II. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hecht, K.G.; Sanderson, R.A.; Smith, M.J.

This three-volume report presents the results of Phase II of the multiphase EPRI-sponsored High-Reliability Gas Turbine Combined-Cycle Development Program whose goal is to achieve a highly reliable gas turbine combined-cycle power plant, available by the mid-1980s, which would be an economically attractive baseload generation alternative for the electric utility industry. The Phase II program objective was to prepare the preliminary design of this power plant. This volume presents information of the reliability, availability, and maintainability (RAM) analysis of a representative plant and the preliminary design of the gas turbine, the gas turbine ancillaries, and the balance of plant including themore » steam turbine generator. To achieve the program goals, a gas turbine was incorporated which combined proven reliability characteristics with improved performance features. This gas turbine, designated the V84.3, is the result of a cooperative effort between Kraftwerk Union AG and United Technologies Corporation. Gas turbines of similar design operating in Europe under baseload conditions have demonstrated mean time between failures in excess of 40,000 hours. The reliability characteristics of the gas turbine ancillaries and balance-of-plant equipment were improved through system simplification and component redundancy and by selection of component with inherent high reliability. A digital control system was included with logic, communications, sensor redundancy, and mandual backup. An independent condition monitoring and diagnostic system was also included. Program results provide the preliminary design of a gas turbine combined-cycle baseload power plant. This power plant has a predicted mean time between failure of nearly twice the 3000-hour EPRI goal. The cost of added reliability features is offset by improved performance, which results in a comparable specific cost and an 8% lower cost of electricity compared to present market offerings.« less

Improvement of the Reliability of Dielectrics for MLCC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakamura, Tomoyuki; Yao, Takayuki; Ikeda, Jun; Kubodera, Noriyuki; Takagi, Hiroshi

2011-10-01

To achieve enough reliability of monolithic ceramic capacitor, it is important to know the contribution of grain boundary and grain interior to its reliability and insulation resistance. As the number of grain boundaries per layer increased, mean time to failure (MTTF) increased. In addition, as the number of grain boundaries per layer increased, samples showed lower current leakage in the measured electric field range. Using these data, the grain boundary E-J curves were determined by simulation. As a result, temperature and electric field dependence of insulation resistance of grain boundary were very low. The insulation characteristics of one BaTiO3 grain per layer were examined. The resistance and reliability of grain interior were very low. To improve the degradation resistance of grain interior, Ca-doped BaTiO3-based dielectrics were developed. The influence of Ca substitution on MTTF was investigated and it was found out that MTTF increased with the increase of Ca substitution.

75 FR 1734 - Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule Safe Harbor Proposed Self-Regulatory Guidelines; i-SAFE...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-13

...The Federal Trade Commission publishes this notice and request for public comment concerning proposed self-regulatory guidelines submitted by i-SAFE, Inc. under the safe harbor provision of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule.

Reliability assessment of serviceability performance of braced retaining walls using a neural network approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goh, A. T. C.; Kulhawy, F. H.

2005-05-01

In urban environments, one major concern with deep excavations in soft clay is the potentially large ground deformations in and around the excavation. Excessive movements can damage adjacent buildings and utilities. There are many uncertainties associated with the calculation of the ultimate or serviceability performance of a braced excavation system. These include the variabilities of the loadings, geotechnical soil properties, and engineering and geometrical properties of the wall. A risk-based approach to serviceability performance failure is necessary to incorporate systematically the uncertainties associated with the various design parameters. This paper demonstrates the use of an integrated neural network-reliability method to assess the risk of serviceability failure through the calculation of the reliability index. By first performing a series of parametric studies using the finite element method and then approximating the non-linear limit state surface (the boundary separating the safe and failure domains) through a neural network model, the reliability index can be determined with the aid of a spreadsheet. Two illustrative examples are presented to show how the serviceability performance for braced excavation problems can be assessed using the reliability index.

A novel bio-safe phase separation process for preparing open-pore biodegradable polycaprolactone microparticles.

PubMed

Salerno, Aurelio; Domingo, Concepción

2014-09-01

Open-pore biodegradable microparticles are object of considerable interest for biomedical applications, particularly as cell and drug delivery carriers in tissue engineering and health care treatments. Furthermore, the engineering of microparticles with well definite size distribution and pore architecture by bio-safe fabrication routes is crucial to avoid the use of toxic compounds potentially harmful to cells and biological tissues. To achieve this important issue, in the present study a straightforward and bio-safe approach for fabricating porous biodegradable microparticles with controlled morphological and structural features down to the nanometer scale is developed. In particular, ethyl lactate is used as a non-toxic solvent for polycaprolactone particles fabrication via a thermal induced phase separation technique. The used approach allows achieving open-pore particles with mean particle size in the 150-250 μm range and a 3.5-7.9 m(2)/g specific surface area. Finally, the combination of thermal induced phase separation and porogen leaching techniques is employed for the first time to obtain multi-scaled porous microparticles with large external and internal pore sizes and potential improved characteristics for cell culture and tissue engineering. Samples were characterized to assess their thermal properties, morphology and crystalline structure features and textural properties. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optimal Implementations for Reliable Circadian Clocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasegawa, Yoshihiko; Arita, Masanori

2014-09-01

Circadian rhythms are acquired through evolution to increase the chances for survival through synchronizing with the daylight cycle. Reliable synchronization is realized through two trade-off properties: regularity to keep time precisely, and entrainability to synchronize the internal time with daylight. We find by using a phase model with multiple inputs that achieving the maximal limit of regularity and entrainability entails many inherent features of the circadian mechanism. At the molecular level, we demonstrate the role sharing of two light inputs, phase advance and delay, as is well observed in mammals. At the behavioral level, the optimal phase-response curve inevitably contains a dead zone, a time during which light pulses neither advance nor delay the clock. We reproduce the results of phase-controlling experiments entrained by two types of periodic light pulses. Our results indicate that circadian clocks are designed optimally for reliable clockwork through evolution.

The quadruple squeeze: defining the safe operating space for freshwater use to achieve a triply green revolution in the anthropocene.

PubMed

Rockström, Johan; Karlberg, Louise

2010-05-01

Humanity has entered a new phase of sustainability challenges, the Anthropocene, in which human development has reached a scale where it affects vital planetary processes. Under the pressure from a quadruple squeeze-from population and development pressures, the anthropogenic climate crisis, the anthropogenic ecosystem crisis, and the risk of deleterious tipping points in the Earth system-the degrees of freedom for sustainable human exploitation of planet Earth are severely restrained. It is in this reality that a new green revolution in world food production needs to occur, to attain food security and human development over the coming decades. Global freshwater resources are, and will increasingly be, a fundamental limiting factor in feeding the world. Current water vulnerabilities in the regions in most need of large agricultural productivity improvements are projected to increase under the pressure from global environmental change. The sustainability challenge for world agriculture has to be set within the new global sustainability context. We present new proposed sustainability criteria for world agriculture, where world food production systems are transformed in order to allow humanity to stay within the safe operating space of planetary boundaries. In order to secure global resilience and thereby raise the chances of planet Earth to remain in the current desired state, conducive for human development on the long-term, these planetary boundaries need to be respected. This calls for a triply green revolution, which not only more than doubles food production in many regions of the world, but which also is environmentally sustainable, and invests in the untapped opportunities to use green water in rainfed agriculture as a key source of future productivity enhancement. To achieve such a global transformation of agriculture, there is a need for more innovative options for water interventions at the landscape scale, accounting for both green and blue water, as well

33 CFR 62.27 - Safe water marks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Safe water marks. 62.27 Section... UNITED STATES AIDS TO NAVIGATION SYSTEM The U.S. Aids to Navigation System § 62.27 Safe water marks. Safe water marks indicate that there is navigable water all around the mark. They are often used to indicate...

33 CFR 62.27 - Safe water marks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Safe water marks. 62.27 Section... UNITED STATES AIDS TO NAVIGATION SYSTEM The U.S. Aids to Navigation System § 62.27 Safe water marks. Safe water marks indicate that there is navigable water all around the mark. They are often used to indicate...

33 CFR 62.27 - Safe water marks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Safe water marks. 62.27 Section... UNITED STATES AIDS TO NAVIGATION SYSTEM The U.S. Aids to Navigation System § 62.27 Safe water marks. Safe water marks indicate that there is navigable water all around the mark. They are often used to indicate...

Removing Hair Safely

MedlinePlus

... For Consumers Home For Consumers Consumer Updates Removing Hair Safely Share Tweet Linkedin Pin it More sharing ... related to common methods of hair removal. Laser Hair Removal In this method, a laser destroys hair ...

easyCBM Beginning Reading Measures: Grades K-1 Alternate Form Reliability and Criterion Validity with the SAT-10. Technical Report #1403

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wray, Kraig; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Sáez, Leilani; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2013-01-01

We report the results of an alternate form reliability and criterion validity study of kindergarten and grade 1 (N = 84-199) reading measures from the easyCBM© assessment system and Stanford Early School Achievement Test/Stanford Achievement Test, 10th edition (SESAT/SAT-­10) across 5 time points. The alternate form reliabilities ranged from…

A fail-safe CMOS logic gate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bobin, V.; Whitaker, S.

1990-01-01

This paper reports a design technique to make Complex CMOS Gates fail-safe for a class of faults. Two classes of faults are defined. The fail-safe design presented has limited fault-tolerance capability. Multiple faults are also covered.

Safe mobility for older people notebook

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-04-01

The Safe Mobility for Older People Notebook is a research product of the "Model Driver Screening and Evaluation Program" project sponsored by NHTSA, and is intended as a resource to support program initiatives promoting the safe mobility of older per...

Modeling and Simulation Reliable Spacecraft On-Board Computing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, Nohpill

1999-01-01

The proposed project will investigate modeling and simulation-driven testing and fault tolerance schemes for Spacecraft On-Board Computing, thereby achieving reliable spacecraft telecommunication. A spacecraft communication system has inherent capabilities of providing multipoint and broadcast transmission, connectivity between any two distant nodes within a wide-area coverage, quick network configuration /reconfiguration, rapid allocation of space segment capacity, and distance-insensitive cost. To realize the capabilities above mentioned, both the size and cost of the ground-station terminals have to be reduced by using reliable, high-throughput, fast and cost-effective on-board computing system which has been known to be a critical contributor to the overall performance of space mission deployment. Controlled vulnerability of mission data (measured in sensitivity), improved performance (measured in throughput and delay) and fault tolerance (measured in reliability) are some of the most important features of these systems. The system should be thoroughly tested and diagnosed before employing a fault tolerance into the system. Testing and fault tolerance strategies should be driven by accurate performance models (i.e. throughput, delay, reliability and sensitivity) to find an optimal solution in terms of reliability and cost. The modeling and simulation tools will be integrated with a system architecture module, a testing module and a module for fault tolerance all of which interacting through a centered graphical user interface.

Bonfire-safe low-voltage detonator

DOEpatents

Lieberman, M.L.

1988-07-01

A column of explosive in a low-voltage detonator which makes it bonfire-safe includes a first layer of an explosive charge of CP, or a primary explosive, and a second layer of a secondary organic explosive charge, such as PETN, which has a degradation temperature lower than the autoignition temperature of the CP or primary explosives. The first layer is composed of a pair of increments disposed in a bore of a housing of the detonator in an ignition region of the explosive column and adjacent to and in contact with an electrical ignition device at one end of the bore. The second layer is composed of a plurality of increments disposed in the housing bore in a transition region of the explosive column next to and in contact with the first layer on a side opposite from the ignition device. The first layer is loaded under a sufficient high pressure, 25 to 40 kpsi, to achieve ignition, whereas the second layer is loaded under a sufficient low pressure, about 10 kpsi, to allow occurrence of DDT. Each increment of the first and second layers has an axial length-to-diameter ratio of one-half. 2 figs.

Bonfire-safe low-voltage detonator

DOEpatents

Lieberman, Morton L.

1990-01-01

A column of explosive in a low-voltage detonator which makes it bonfire-safe includes a first layer of an explosive charge of CP, or a primary explosive, and a second layer of a secondary organic explosive charge, such as PETN, which has a degradation temperature lower than the autoignition temperature of the CP or primary explosives. The first layer is composed of a pair of increments disposed in a bore of a housing of the detonator in an ignition region of the explosive column and adjacent to and in contact with an electrical ignition device at one end of the bore. The second layer is composed of a plurality of increments disposed in the housing bore in a transition region of the explosive column next to and in contact with the first layer on a side opposite from the ignition device. The first layer is loaded under a sufficient high pressure, 25 to 40 kpsi, to achieve ignition, whereas the second layer is loaded under a sufficient low pressure, about 10 kpsi, to allow occurrence of DDT. Each increment of the first and second layers has an axial length-to-diameter ratio of one-half.

33 CFR 62.27 - Safe water marks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Safe water marks. 62.27 Section 62.27 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AIDS TO NAVIGATION UNITED STATES AIDS TO NAVIGATION SYSTEM The U.S. Aids to Navigation System § 62.27 Safe water marks. Safe water marks indicate that there is...

Developing Safe Schools Partnerships with Law Enforcement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosiak, John

2009-01-01

Safe schools are the concern of communities throughout the world. If a school is safe, and if children feel safe, students "are better able to learn. But what are the steps to make" this happen? First, it is important to understand the problem: What are the threats to school safety? These include crime-related behaviors that find their way to…

Construct validity and reliability of the Single Checking Administration of Medications Scale.

PubMed

O'Connell, Beverly; Hawkins, Mary; Ockerby, Cherene

2013-06-01

Research indicates that single checking of medications is as safe as double checking; however, many nurses are averse to independently checking medications. To assist with the introduction and use of single checking, a measure of nurses' attitudes, the thirteen-item Single Checking Administration of Medications Scale (SCAMS) was developed. We examined the psychometric properties of the SCAMS. Secondary analyses were conducted on data collected from 503 nurses across a large Australian health-care service. Analyses using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported by structural equation modelling resulted in a valid twelve-item SCAMS containing two reliable subscales, the nine-item Attitudes towards single checking and three-item Advantages of single checking subscales. The SCAMS is recommended as a valid and reliable measure for monitoring nurses' attitudes to single checking prior to introducing single checking medications and after its implementation. © 2013 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Reliability Generalization (RG) Analysis: The Test Is Not Reliable

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warne, Russell

2008-01-01

Literature shows that most researchers are unaware of some of the characteristics of reliability. This paper clarifies some misconceptions by describing the procedures, benefits, and limitations of reliability generalization while using it to illustrate the nature of score reliability. Reliability generalization (RG) is a meta-analytic method…

Amorphous Silica Based Nanomedicine with Safe Carrier Excretion and Enhanced Drug Efficacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Silu

With recent development of nanoscience and nanotechnology, a great amount of efforts have been devoted to nanomedicine development. Among various nanomaterials, silica nanoparticle (NP) is generally accepted as non-toxic, and can provide a versatile platform for drug loading. In addition, the surface of the silica NP is hydrophilic, being favorable for cellular uptake. Therefore, it is considered as one of the most promising candidates to serve as carriers for drugs. The present thesis mainly focuses on the design of silica based nanocarrier-drug systems, aiming at achieving safe nanocarrier excretion from the biological system and enhanced drug efficacy, which two are considered as most important issues in nanomedicine development. To address the safe carrier excretion issue, we have developed a special type of selfdecomposable SiO2-drug composite NPs. By creating a radial concentration gradient of drug in the NP, the drug release occurred simultaneously with the silica carrier decomposition. Such unique characteristic was different from the conventional dense SiO2-drug NP, in which drug was uniformly distributed and can hardly escape the carrier. We found that the controllable release of the drug was primarily determined by diffusion, which was caused by the radial drug concentration gradient in the NP. Escape of the drug molecules then triggered the silica carrier decomposition, which started from the center of the NP and eventually led to its complete fragmentation. The small size of the final carrier fragments enabled their easy excretion via renal systems. Apart from the feature of safe carrier excretion, we also found the controlled release of drugs contribute significantly to the drug efficacy enhancement. By loading an anticancer drug doxorubicin (Dox) to the decomposable SiO 2-methylene blue (MB) NPs, we achieved a self-decomposable SiO 2(MB)-Dox nanomedicine. The gradual escape of drug molecules from NPs and their enabled cytosolic release by optical

Safe haven laws as crime control theater.

PubMed

Hammond, Michelle; Miller, Monica K; Griffin, Timothy

2010-07-01

This article examines safe haven laws, which allow parents to legally abandon their infants. The main objective is to determine whether safe haven laws fit the criteria of crime control theater, a term used to describe public policies that produce the appearance, but not the effect, of crime control, and as such are essentially socially constructed "solutions" to socially constructed crime "problems." The analysis will apply the principles of crime control theater to safe haven laws. Specifically, the term crime control theater applies to laws that are reactionary responses to perceived criminal threats and are often widely supported as a way to address the crime in question. Such laws are attractive because they appeal to mythic narratives (i.e., saving an innocent child from a predator); however they are likely ineffective due to the complexity of the crime. These laws can have deleterious effects when policymakers make false claims of success and stunt public discourse (e.g., drawing attention away from more frequent and preventable crimes). This analysis applies these criteria to safe haven laws to determine whether such laws can be classified as crime control theater. Many qualities inherent to crime control theater are present in safe haven laws. For example, the laws are highly publicized, their intentions lack moral ambiguity, rare cases of success legitimize law enforcement and other agencies, and they appeal to the public sense of responsibility in preventing crime. Yet the goal of saving infant lives may be unattainable. These qualities make the effectiveness of the laws questionable and suggest they may be counterproductive. This analysis determined that safe haven laws are socially constructed solutions to the socially constructed problem of child abandonment. Safe haven laws are appropriately classified as crime control theater. It is imperative that further research be conducted to examine the effectiveness and collateral effects of safe haven laws

Safe Sleep Practices of Kansas Birthing Hospitals

PubMed Central

Ahlers-Schmidt, Carolyn R.; Schunn, Christy; Sage, Cherie; Engel, Matthew; Benton, Mary

2018-01-01

Background Sleep-related death is tied with congenital anomalies as the leading cause of infant mortality in Kansas, and external risk factors are present in 83% of these deaths. Hospitals can impact caregiver intentions to follow risk-reduction strategies. This project assessed the current practices and policies of Kansas hospitals with regard to safe sleep. Methods A cross-sectional survey of existing safe sleep practices and policies in Kansas hospitals was performed. Hospitals were categorized based on reported delivery volume and data were compared across hospital sizes. Results Thirty-one of 73 (42%) contacted hospitals responded. Individual survey respondents represented various hospital departments including newborn/well-baby (68%), neonatal intensive care unit (3%) and other non-nursery departments or administration (29%). Fifty-eight percent of respondents reported staff were trained on infant safe sleep; 44% of these held trainings annually. High volume hospitals tended to have more annual training than low or mid volume birth hospitals. Thirty-nine percent reported a safe sleep policy, though most of these (67%) reported never auditing compliance. The top barrier to safe sleep education, regardless of delivery volume, was conflicting patient and family member beliefs. Conclusions Hospital promotion of infant safe sleep is being conducted in Kansas to varying degrees. High and mid volume birth hospitals may need to work more on formal auditing of safe sleep practices, while low volume hospitals may need more staff training. Low volume hospitals also may benefit from access to additional caregiver education materials. Finally, it is important to note hospitals should not be solely responsible for safe sleep education. PMID:29844848

Using Medications Safely

MedlinePlus

... health systems play an important role in preventing medication errors. To make sure you use medicines safely and effectively, ASHP recommends that you: Keep a list of all medications that you take (prescribed drugs, nonprescription medicines, herbal ...

Understanding Interrater Reliability and Validity of Risk Assessment Tools Used to Predict Adverse Clinical Events.

PubMed

Siedlecki, Sandra L; Albert, Nancy M

This article will describe how to assess interrater reliability and validity of risk assessment tools, using easy-to-follow formulas, and to provide calculations that demonstrate principles discussed. Clinical nurse specialists should be able to identify risk assessment tools that provide high-quality interrater reliability and the highest validity for predicting true events of importance to clinical settings. Making best practice recommendations for assessment tool use is critical to high-quality patient care and safe practices that impact patient outcomes and nursing resources. Optimal risk assessment tool selection requires knowledge about interrater reliability and tool validity. The clinical nurse specialist will understand the reliability and validity issues associated with risk assessment tools, and be able to evaluate tools using basic calculations. Risk assessment tools are developed to objectively predict quality and safety events and ultimately reduce the risk of event occurrence through preventive interventions. To ensure high-quality tool use, clinical nurse specialists must critically assess tool properties. The better the tool's ability to predict adverse events, the more likely that event risk is mediated. Interrater reliability and validity assessment is relatively an easy skill to master and will result in better decisions when selecting or making recommendations for risk assessment tool use.

Developing Achievement Test: A Research for Assessment of 5th Grade Biology Subject

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sener, Nilay; Tas, Erol

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to prepare a multiple-choice achievement test with high reliability and validity for the "Let's Solve the Puzzle of Our Body" unit. For this purpose, a multiple choice achievement test consisting of 46 items was applied to 178 fifth grade students in total. As a result of the test and material analysis…

Measuring User Compliance and Cost Effectiveness of Safe Drinking Water Programs: A Cluster-Randomized Study of Household Ultraviolet Disinfection in Rural Mexico.

PubMed

Reygadas, Fermín; Gruber, Joshua S; Dreizler, Lindsay; Nelson, Kara L; Ray, Isha

2018-03-01

Low adoption and compliance levels for household water treatment and safe storage (HWTS) technologies have made it challenging for these systems to achieve measurable health benefits in the developing world. User compliance remains an inconsistently defined and poorly understood feature of HWTS programs. In this article, we develop a comprehensive approach to understanding HWTS compliance. First, our Safe Drinking Water Compliance Framework disaggregates and measures the components of compliance from initial adoption of the HWTS to exclusive consumption of treated water. We apply this framework to an ultraviolet (UV)-based safe water system in a cluster-randomized controlled trial in rural Mexico. Second, we evaluate a no-frills (or "Basic") variant of the program as well as an improved (or "Enhanced") variant, to test if subtle changes in the user interface of HWTS programs could improve compliance. Finally, we perform a full-cost analysis of both variants to assess their cost effectiveness (CE) in achieving compliance. We define "compliance" strictly as the habit of consuming safe water. We find that compliance was significantly higher in the groups where the UV program variants were rolled out than in the control groups. The Enhanced variant performed better immediately postintervention than the Basic, but compliance (and thus CE) degraded with time such that no effective difference remained between the two versions of the program.

Improved inhalation technology for setting safe exposure levels for workplace chemicals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stuart, Bruce O.

1993-01-01

Threshold Limit Values recommended as allowable air concentrations of a chemical in the workplace are often based upon a no-observable-effect-level (NOEL) determined by experimental inhalation studies using rodents. A 'safe level' for human exposure must then be estimated by the use of generalized safety factors in attempts to extrapolate from experimental rodents to man. The recent development of chemical-specific physiologically-based toxicokinetics makes use of measured physiological, biochemical, and metabolic parameters to construct a validated model that is able to 'scale-up' rodent response data to predict the behavior of the chemical in man. This procedure is made possible by recent advances in personal computer software and the emergence of appropriate biological data, and provides an analytical tool for much more reliable risk evaluation and airborne chemical exposure level setting for humans.

Managing drugs safely.

PubMed

van den Anker, John N

2005-02-01

There is hard data to show that newborn infants are more likely than adults to experience adverse reactions to drugs. Paradoxically, drug-related legislation to ensure safe and effective drug use in humans neglected neonates until 2002, when the Best Pharmaceuticals Act for Children was signed into law in the USA. The situation for neonates should now catch up with that for adults and neonates will be prescribed more licensed drugs in the near future. If we are to be able to analyze the underlying system errors to improve the safe use of drugs in the studied patient population, reporting of adverse drug events and reactions needs to happen in a blame free environment. In addition, computerized physician order entry will certainly further improve the current situation by preventing errors in ordering, transcribing, verifying, and transmitting medication orders.

Preliminary study of the reliability of imaging charge coupled devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beall, J. R.; Borenstein, M. D.; Homan, R. A.; Johnson, D. L.; Wilson, D. D.; Young, V. F.

1978-01-01

Imaging CCDs are capable of low light level response and high signal-to-noise ratios. In space applications they offer the user the ability to achieve extremely high resolution imaging with minimum circuitry in the photo sensor array. This work relates the CCD121H Fairchild device to the fundamentals of CCDs and the representative technologies. Several failure modes are described, construction is analyzed and test results are reported. In addition, the relationship of the device reliability to packaging principles is analyzed and test data presented. Finally, a test program is defined for more general reliability evaluation of CCDs.

Increasing the Reliability of Ability-Achievement Difference Scores: An Example Using the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caruso, John C.; Witkiewitz, Katie

2002-01-01

As an alternative to equally weighted difference scores, examined an orthogonal reliable component analysis (RCA) solution and an oblique principal components analysis (PCA) solution for the standardization sample of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (KABC; A. Kaufman and N. Kaufman, 1983). Discusses the practical implications of the…

Reliable bonding using indium-based solders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheong, Jongpil; Goyal, Abhijat; Tadigadapa, Srinivas; Rahn, Christopher

2004-01-01

Low temperature bonding techniques with high bond strengths and reliability are required for the fabrication and packaging of MEMS devices. Indium and indium-tin based bonding processes are explored for the fabrication of a flextensional MEMS actuator, which requires the integration of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) substrate with a silicon micromachined structure at low temperatures. The developed technique can be used either for wafer or chip level bonding. The lithographic steps used for the patterning and delineation of the seed layer limit the resolution of this technique. Using this technique, reliable bonds were achieved at a temperature of 200°C. The bonds yielded an average tensile strength of 5.41 MPa and 7.38 MPa for samples using indium and indium-tin alloy solders as the intermediate bonding layers respectively. The bonds (with line width of 100 microns) showed hermetic sealing capability of better than 10-11 mbar-l/s when tested using a commercial helium leak tester.

Reliable bonding using indium-based solders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheong, Jongpil; Goyal, Abhijat; Tadigadapa, Srinivas; Rahn, Christopher

2003-12-01

Low temperature bonding techniques with high bond strengths and reliability are required for the fabrication and packaging of MEMS devices. Indium and indium-tin based bonding processes are explored for the fabrication of a flextensional MEMS actuator, which requires the integration of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) substrate with a silicon micromachined structure at low temperatures. The developed technique can be used either for wafer or chip level bonding. The lithographic steps used for the patterning and delineation of the seed layer limit the resolution of this technique. Using this technique, reliable bonds were achieved at a temperature of 200°C. The bonds yielded an average tensile strength of 5.41 MPa and 7.38 MPa for samples using indium and indium-tin alloy solders as the intermediate bonding layers respectively. The bonds (with line width of 100 microns) showed hermetic sealing capability of better than 10-11 mbar-l/s when tested using a commercial helium leak tester.

Reliability of risk-adjusted outcomes for profiling hospital surgical quality.

PubMed

Krell, Robert W; Hozain, Ahmed; Kao, Lillian S; Dimick, Justin B

2014-05-01

reliability was lower, and even fewer hospitals met the thresholds for minimum reliability. Most commonly reported outcome measures have low reliability for differentiating hospital performance. This is especially important for clinical registries that sample rather than collect 100% of cases, which can limit hospital case accrual. Eliminating sampling to achieve the highest possible caseloads, adjusting for reliability, and using advanced modeling strategies (eg, hierarchical modeling) are necessary for clinical registries to increase their benchmarking reliability.

Safe places for pedestrians: using cognitive work analysis to consider the relationships between the engineering and urban design of footpaths.

PubMed

Stevens, Nicholas; Salmon, Paul

2014-11-01

Footpaths provide an integral component of our urban environments and have the potential to act as safe places for people and the focus for community life. Despite this, the approach to designing footpaths that are safe while providing this sense of place often occurs in silos. There is often very little consideration given to how designing for sense of place impacts safety and vice versa. The aim of this study was to use a systems analysis and design framework to develop a design template for an 'ideal' footpath system that embodies both safety and sense of place. This was achieved through using the first phase of the Cognitive Work Analysis framework, Work Domain Analysis, to specify a model of footpaths as safe places for pedestrians. This model was subsequently used to assess two existing footpath environments to determine the extent to which they meet the design requirements specified. The findings show instances where the existing footpaths both meet and fail to meet the design requirements specified. Through utilising a systems approach for footpaths, this paper has provided a novel design template that can inform new footpath design efforts or be used to evaluate the extent to which existing footpaths achieve their safety and sense of place requirements. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Shuttle processing contractors (SPC) reliability program at the Kennedy Space Center - The real world

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCrea, Terry

The Shuttle Processing Contract (SPC) workforce consists of Lockheed Space Operations Co. as prime contractor, with Grumman, Thiokol Corporation, and Johnson Controls World Services as subcontractors. During the design phase, reliability engineering is instrumental in influencing the development of systems that meet the Shuttle fail-safe program requirements. Reliability engineers accomplish this objective by performing FMEA (failure modes and effects analysis) to identify potential single failure points. When technology, time, or resources do not permit a redesign to eliminate a single failure point, the single failure point information is formatted into a change request and presented to senior management of SPC and NASA for risk acceptance. In parallel with the FMEA, safety engineering conducts a hazard analysis to assure that potential hazards to personnel are assessed. The combined effort (FMEA and hazard analysis) is published as a system assurance analysis. Special ground rules and techniques are developed to perform and present the analysis. The reliability program at KSC is vigorously pursued, and has been extremely successful. The ground support equipment and facilities used to launch and land the Space Shuttle maintain an excellent reliability record.

Reliability model generator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cohen, Gerald C. (Inventor); McMann, Catherine M. (Inventor)

1991-01-01

An improved method and system for automatically generating reliability models for use with a reliability evaluation tool is described. The reliability model generator of the present invention includes means for storing a plurality of low level reliability models which represent the reliability characteristics for low level system components. In addition, the present invention includes means for defining the interconnection of the low level reliability models via a system architecture description. In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a reliability model for the entire system is automatically generated by aggregating the low level reliability models based on the system architecture description.

Feeling safe during an inpatient hospitalization: a concept analysis.

PubMed

Mollon, Deene

2014-08-01

This paper aims to explore the critical attributes of the concept feeling safe. The safe delivery of care is a high priority; however; it is not really known what it means to the patient to 'feel safe' during an inpatient hospitalization. This analysis explores the topic of safety from the patient's perspective. Concept analysis. The data bases of CINAHL, Medline, PsychInfo and Google Scholar for the years 1995-2012 were searched using the terms safe and feeling safe. The eight-step concept analysis method of Walker and Avant was used to analyse the concept of feeling safe. Uses and defining attributes, as well as identified antecedents, consequences and empirical referents, are presented. Case examples are provided to assist in the understanding of defining attributes. Feeling safe is defined as an emotional state where perceptions of care contribute to a sense of security and freedom from harm. Four attributes were identified: trust, cared for, presence and knowledge. Relationship, environment and suffering are the antecedents of feeling safe, while control, hope and relaxed or calm are the consequences. Empirical referents and early development of a theory of feeling safe are explored. This analysis begins the work of synthesizing qualitative research already completed around the concept of feeling safe by defining the key attributes of the concept. Support for the importance of developing patient-centred models of care and creating positive environments where patients receive high-quality care and feel safe is provided. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Department of Defense meteorological and environmental inputs to aviation systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Try, P. D.

1983-01-01

Recommendations based on need, cost, and achievement of flight safety are offered, and the re-evaluation of weather parameters needed for safe landing operations that lead to reliable and consistent automated observation capabilities are considered.

Tangential gunshot wound with MagSafe ammunition.

PubMed

Rapkiewicz, Amy V; Tamburri, Robert; Basoa, Mark E; Catanese, Charles A

2005-09-01

MagSafe ammunition is a type of unconventional prefragmented ammunition. A fatal tangential gunshot wound involving MagSafe ammunition is presented. The ammunition and wound characteristics are discussed.

Safe Maritime Autonomous Path Planning in a High Sea State

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ono, Masahiro; Quadrelli, Marco; Huntsberger, Terrance L.

2014-01-01

This paper presents a path planning method for sea surface vehicles that prevents capsizing and bow-diving in a high sea-state. A key idea is to use response amplitude operators (RAOs) or, in control terminology, the transfer functions from a sea state to a vessel's motion, in order to find a set of speeds and headings that results in excessive pitch and roll oscillations. This information is translated to arithmetic constraints on the ship's velocity, which are passed to a model predictive control (MPC)-based path planner to find a safe and optimal path that achieves specified goals. An obstacle avoidance capability is also added to the path planner. The proposed method is demonstrated by simulations.

Creating Safe Spaces for Music Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hendricks, Karin S.; Smith, Tawnya D.; Stanuch, Jennifer

2014-01-01

This article offers a practical model for fostering emotionally safe learning environments that instill in music students a positive sense of self-belief, freedom, and purpose. The authors examine the implications for music educators of creating effective learning environments and present recommendations for creating a safe space for learning,…

Asymptotically safe standard model extensions?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pelaggi, Giulio Maria; Plascencia, Alexis D.; Salvio, Alberto; Sannino, Francesco; Smirnov, Juri; Strumia, Alessandro

2018-05-01

We consider theories with a large number NF of charged fermions and compute the renormalization group equations for the gauge, Yukawa and quartic couplings resummed at leading order in 1 /NF. We construct extensions of the standard model where SU(2) and/or SU(3) are asymptotically safe. When the same procedure is applied to the Abelian U(1) factor, we find that the Higgs quartic can not be made asymptotically safe and stay perturbative at the same time.

76 FR 30495 - National Safe Boating Week, 2011

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-25

... Safe Boating Week, 2011 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation As Americans... to watergoers. National Safe Boating Week is an opportunity to highlight the importance of safety... can save lives. Each year for National Safe Boating Week, the United States Coast Guard partners with...

Reliability of Fault Tolerant Control Systems. Part 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, N. Eva

2000-01-01

This paper reports Part II of a two part effort that is intended to delineate the relationship between reliability and fault tolerant control in a quantitative manner. Reliability properties peculiar to fault-tolerant control systems are emphasized, such as the presence of analytic redundancy in high proportion, the dependence of failures on control performance, and high risks associated with decisions in redundancy management due to multiple sources of uncertainties and sometimes large processing requirements. As a consequence, coverage of failures through redundancy management can be severely limited. The paper proposes to formulate the fault tolerant control problem as an optimization problem that maximizes coverage of failures through redundancy management. Coverage modeling is attempted in a way that captures its dependence on the control performance and on the diagnostic resolution. Under the proposed redundancy management policy, it is shown that an enhanced overall system reliability can be achieved with a control law of a superior robustness, with an estimator of a higher resolution, and with a control performance requirement of a lesser stringency.

Safe teleoperation based on flexible intraoperative planning for robot-assisted laser microsurgery.

PubMed

Mattos, Leonardo S; Caldwell, Darwin G

2012-01-01

This paper describes a new intraoperative planning system created to improve precision and safety in teleoperated laser microsurgeries. It addresses major safety issues related to real-time control of a surgical laser during teleoperated procedures, which are related to the reliability and robustness of the telecommunication channels. Here, a safe solution is presented, consisting in a new planning system architecture that maintains the flexibility and benefits of real-time teleoperation and keeps the surgeon in control of all surgical actions. The developed system is based on our virtual scalpel system for robot-assisted laser microsurgery, and allows the intuitive use of stylus to create surgical plans directly over live video of the surgical field. In this case, surgical plans are defined as graphic objects overlaid on the live video, which can be easily modified or replaced as needed, and which are transmitted to the main surgical system controller for subsequent safe execution. In the process of improving safety, this new planning system also resulted in improved laser aiming precision and improved capability for higher quality laser procedures, both due to the new surgical plan execution module, which allows very fast and precise laser aiming control. Experimental results presented herein show that, in addition to the safety improvements, the new planning system resulted in a 48% improvement in laser aiming precision when compared to the previous virtual scalpel system.

Design for Assured Safe Jettison Operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herd, Andrew; Shea, Matt

2010-09-01

The International Space Station is coming toward the end of the assembly process and will enter "steady state" operations. During this time and also in the future, there arises the need for removing items from station, and in some instances this is achieved through jettison, either robotic or crew initiated. To control this practice at the ISS Partner level, a policy document has been developed. The policy states: "While there are risks inherent in jettisoning objects, the ISS Program recognizes that there may be significant benefits in terms of operational flexibility, crew safety, etc. A thorough assessment of the risks vs. the benefits will be conducted whenever a proposal to jettison an object is made. It is the intent of the ISS Program to limit the number of objects that are jettisoned from the ISS ...". The policy addresses hardware that: "may fall into one or more of the following categories: 1. Items that pose a safety issue for the ISS or for return onboard a visiting vehicle(contamination, materials degradation, etc.) 2. Items that negatively impact ISS utilization, return or on-orbit stowage manifests 3. Items that represent an Extravehicular Activity(EVA) timeline savings large enough to reduce the sum of the risks of EVA exposure time and the orbital environment’s hazardous debris population, compared to the sum of such risks without a jettison. 4. Items that are designed for jettison ". [1] Through the use of jettison to date, as a disposal means, operational experiences have been gained during and as a result of post-disposal event analysis. The data collected has allowed a generic assessment of issues(and best practices) and the proposal of ways in which process corrective action can be taken to assure future safe jettison operations. The improvements proposed emphasize the ways in which design can offer key interface and hardware response characteristics to the jettison event and the subsequent orbital and re-entry profile. There exist simple

Safe injection practice among health care workers, Gharbiya, Egypt.

PubMed

Ismail, Nanees A; Aboul Ftouh, Aisha M; El Shoubary, Waleed H

2005-01-01

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 25 health care facilities in Gharbiya governorate to assess safe injection practices among health care workers (HCWs). Two questionnaires, one to collect information about administrative issues related to safe injection and the other to collect data about giving injections, exposure to needle stick injuries, hepatitis B vaccination status and safe injection training. Practices of injections were observed using a standardized checklist. The study revealed that there was lack of both national and local infection control policies and lack of most of the supplies needed for safe injection practices. Many safe practices were infrequent as proper needle manipulation before disposal (41%), safe needle disposal (47.5%), reuse of used syringe & needle (13.2%) and safe syringe disposal (0%). Exposure to needle stick injuries were common among the interviewed HCWs (66.2%) and hand washing was the common post exposure prophylaxis measure (63.4%). Only 11.3% of HCWs had full course hepatitis B vaccination. Infection control -including safe injections- training programs should be afforded to all HCWs.

Safe handling of antineoplastic drugs.

PubMed

Harrison, B R

1994-07-01

Managers should be aware of the hazardous properties of antineoplastic drugs and of the procedures and equipment commonly recommended to provide a safe working environment for employees, patients, and visitors. Compliance with the many published guidelines should help ensure passage of the inevitable Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or Joint Commission inspection. Acute and chronic toxicities of the antineoplastic drugs, the potential for exposure in the workplace, and the basic guidelines for safe handling of these agents are reviewed.

Master/slave clock arrangement for providing reliable clock signal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbey, Duane L. (Inventor)

1977-01-01

The outputs of two like frequency oscillators are combined to form a single reliable clock signal, with one oscillator functioning as a slave under the control of the other to achieve phase coincidence when the master is operative and in a free-running mode when the master is inoperative so that failure of either oscillator produces no effect on the clock signal.

The military operator's experience of reliability and maintainability characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, R. Mcc.

An account is given of the British Army's approach to the achievement of high reliability and maintainability in rotorcraft during the procurement process. Attention is given to experience accumulated to date with the Gazelle, Scout, Agusta A109A, and Lynx helicopters; these offer lessons with respect to the Gem engine, fuel filtering, vibration, and an aircraft flight control system.

SafeNet: a methodology for integrating general-purpose unsafe devices in safe-robot rehabilitation systems.

PubMed

Vicentini, Federico; Pedrocchi, Nicola; Malosio, Matteo; Molinari Tosatti, Lorenzo

2014-09-01

Robot-assisted neurorehabilitation often involves networked systems of sensors ("sensory rooms") and powerful devices in physical interaction with weak users. Safety is unquestionably a primary concern. Some lightweight robot platforms and devices designed on purpose include safety properties using redundant sensors or intrinsic safety design (e.g. compliance and backdrivability, limited exchange of energy). Nonetheless, the entire "sensory room" shall be required to be fail-safe and safely monitored as a system at large. Yet, sensor capabilities and control algorithms used in functional therapies require, in general, frequent updates or re-configurations, making a safety-grade release of such devices hardly sustainable in cost-effectiveness and development time. As such, promising integrated platforms for human-in-the-loop therapies could not find clinical application and manufacturing support because of lacking in the maintenance of global fail-safe properties. Under the general context of cross-machinery safety standards, the paper presents a methodology called SafeNet for helping in extending the safety rate of Human Robot Interaction (HRI) systems using unsafe components, including sensors and controllers. SafeNet considers, in fact, the robotic system as a device at large and applies the principles of functional safety (as in ISO 13489-1) through a set of architectural procedures and implementation rules. The enabled capability of monitoring a network of unsafe devices through redundant computational nodes, allows the usage of any custom sensors and algorithms, usually planned and assembled at therapy planning-time rather than at platform design-time. A case study is presented with an actual implementation of the proposed methodology. A specific architectural solution is applied to an example of robot-assisted upper-limb rehabilitation with online motion tracking. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Self-Assembled Peptide-Lanthanide Nanoclusters for Safe Tumor Therapy: Overcoming and Utilizing Biological Barriers to Peptide Drug Delivery.

PubMed

Yan, Jin; He, Wangxiao; Yan, Siqi; Niu, Fan; Liu, Tianya; Ma, Bohan; Shao, Yongping; Yan, Yuwei; Yang, Guang; Lu, Wuyuan; Du, Yaping; Lei, Bo; Ma, Peter X

2018-02-27

Developing a sophisticated nanomedicine platform to deliver therapeutics effectively and safely into tumor/cancer cells remains challenging in the field of nanomedicine. In particular, reliable peptide drug delivery systems capable of overcoming biological barriers are still lacking. Here, we developed a simple, rapid, and robust strategy to manufacture nanoclusters of ∼90 nm in diameter that are self-assembled from lanthanide-doped nanoparticles (5 nm), two anticancer peptides with different targets (BIM and PMI), and one cyclic peptide iNGR targeted to cancer cells. The peptide-lanthanide nanoclusters (LDC-PMI-BIM-iNGR) enhanced the resistance of peptide drugs to proteolysis, disassembled in response to reductive conditions that are present in the tumor microenvironment and inhibited cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Notably, LDC-PMI-BIM-iNGR exhibited extremely low systemic toxicity and side effects in vivo. Thus, the peptide-lanthanide nanocluster may serve as an ideal multifunctional platform for safe, targeted, and efficient peptide drug delivery in cancer therapy.

How safe is deep sedation or general anesthesia while providing dental care?

PubMed

Bennett, Jeffrey D; Kramer, Kyle J; Bosack, Robert C

2015-09-01

Deep sedation and general anesthesia are administered daily in dental offices, most commonly by oral and maxillofacial surgeons and dentist anesthesiologists. The goal of deep sedation or general anesthesia is to establish a safe environment in which the patient is comfortable and cooperative. This requires meticulous care in which the practitioner balances the patient's depth of sedation and level of responsiveness while maintaining airway integrity, ventilation, and cardiovascular hemodynamics. Using the available data and informational reports, the authors estimate that the incidence of death and brain injury associated with deep sedation or general anesthesia administered by all dentists most likely exceeds 1 per month. Airway compromise is a significant contributing factor to anesthetic complications. The American Society of Anesthesiology closed claim analysis also concluded that human error contributed highly to anesthetic mishaps. The establishment of a patient safety database for anesthetic management in dentistry would allow for a more complete assessment of morbidity and mortality that could direct efforts to further increase safe anesthetic care. Deep sedation and general anesthesia can be safely administered in the dental office. Optimization of patient care requires appropriate patient selection, selection of appropriate anesthetic agents, utilization of appropriate monitoring, and a highly trained anesthetic team. Achieving a highly trained anesthetic team requires emergency management preparation that can foster decision making, leadership, communication, and task management. Copyright © 2015 American Dental Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

77 FR 31147 - National Safe Boating Week, 2012

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-24

... Safe Boating Week, 2012 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation For generations... friends and family a well- loved tradition. During National Safe Boating Week, we renew our commitment to... mark National Safe Boating Week, let us reflect on that important mission and resolve to do our part to...

Petroleum Jelly: Safe for a Dry Nose?

MedlinePlus

... dryness. Is this safe? Answers from Lawrence E. Gibson, M.D. Petroleum jelly is generally safe to ... several hours of lying down. With Lawrence E. Gibson, M.D. Marchiori E, et al. Exogenous lipoid ...

Taking Medicines Safely: At Your Doctor's Office

MedlinePlus

... on. Feature: Taking Medicines Safely At Your Doctor's Office Past Issues / Summer 2013 Table of Contents Download ... Articles Medicines: Use Them Safely / At Your Doctor's Office / Ask Your Pharmacist / Now, It's Your Turn: How ...

Time and Space Partition Platform for Safe and Secure Flight Software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esquinas, Angel; Zamorano, Juan; de la Puente, Juan A.; Masmano, Miguel; Crespo, Alfons

2012-08-01

There are a number of research and development activities that are exploring Time and Space Partition (TSP) to implement safe and secure flight software. This approach allows to execute different real-time applications with different levels of criticality in the same computer board. In order to do that, flight applications must be isolated from each other in the temporal and spatial domains. This paper presents the first results of a partitioning platform based on the Open Ravenscar Kernel (ORK+) and the XtratuM hypervisor. ORK+ is a small, reliable realtime kernel supporting the Ada Ravenscar Computational model that is central to the ASSERT development process. XtratuM supports multiple virtual machines, i.e. partitions, on a single computer and is being used in the Integrated Modular Avionics for Space study. ORK+ executes in an XtratuM partition enabling Ada applications to share the computer board with other applications.

Probabilistic Methods for Structural Design and Reliability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chamis, Christos C.; Whitlow, Woodrow, Jr. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

This report describes a formal method to quantify structural damage tolerance and reliability in the presence of a multitude of uncertainties in turbine engine components. The method is based at the material behavior level where primitive variables with their respective scatter ranges are used to describe behavior. Computational simulation is then used to propagate the uncertainties to the structural scale where damage tolerance and reliability are usually specified. Several sample cases are described to illustrate the effectiveness, versatility, and maturity of the method. Typical results from this method demonstrate, that it is mature and that it can be used to probabilistically evaluate turbine engine structural components. It may be inferred from the results that the method is suitable for probabilistically predicting the remaining life in aging or in deteriorating structures, for making strategic projections and plans, and for achieving better, cheaper, faster products that give competitive advantages in world markets.

Addressing Uniqueness and Unison of Reliability and Safety for a Better Integration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huang, Zhaofeng; Safie, Fayssal

2016-01-01

Over time, it has been observed that Safety and Reliability have not been clearly differentiated, which leads to confusion, inefficiency, and, sometimes, counter-productive practices in executing each of these two disciplines. It is imperative to address this situation to help Reliability and Safety disciplines improve their effectiveness and efficiency. The paper poses an important question to address, "Safety and Reliability - Are they unique or unisonous?" To answer the question, the paper reviewed several most commonly used analyses from each of the disciplines, namely, FMEA, reliability allocation and prediction, reliability design involvement, system safety hazard analysis, Fault Tree Analysis, and Probabilistic Risk Assessment. The paper pointed out uniqueness and unison of Safety and Reliability in their respective roles, requirements, approaches, and tools, and presented some suggestions for enhancing and improving the individual disciplines, as well as promoting the integration of the two. The paper concludes that Safety and Reliability are unique, but compensating each other in many aspects, and need to be integrated. Particularly, the individual roles of Safety and Reliability need to be differentiated, that is, Safety is to ensure and assure the product meets safety requirements, goals, or desires, and Reliability is to ensure and assure maximum achievability of intended design functions. With the integration of Safety and Reliability, personnel can be shared, tools and analyses have to be integrated, and skill sets can be possessed by the same person with the purpose of providing the best value to a product development.

A study on the real-time reliability of on-board equipment of train control system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yong; Li, Shiwei

2018-05-01

Real-time reliability evaluation is conducive to establishing a condition based maintenance system for the purpose of guaranteeing continuous train operation. According to the inherent characteristics of the on-board equipment, the connotation of reliability evaluation of on-board equipment is defined and the evaluation index of real-time reliability is provided in this paper. From the perspective of methodology and practical application, the real-time reliability of the on-board equipment is discussed in detail, and the method of evaluating the realtime reliability of on-board equipment at component level based on Hidden Markov Model (HMM) is proposed. In this method the performance degradation data is used directly to realize the accurate perception of the hidden state transition process of on-board equipment, which can achieve a better description of the real-time reliability of the equipment.

Challenges and Achievements in Prevention and Treatment of Smallpox

PubMed Central

Melamed, Sharon; Israely, Tomer; Paran, Nir

2018-01-01

Declaration of smallpox eradication by the WHO in 1980 led to discontinuation of the worldwide vaccination campaign. The increasing percentage of unvaccinated individuals, the existence of its causative infectious agent variola virus (VARV), and the recent synthetic achievements increase the threat of intentional or accidental release and reemergence of smallpox. Control of smallpox would require an emergency vaccination campaign, as no other protective measure has been approved to achieve eradication and ensure worldwide protection. Experimental data in surrogate animal models support the assumption, based on anecdotal, uncontrolled historical data, that vaccination up to 4 days postexposure confers effective protection. The long incubation period, and the uncertainty of the exposure status in the surrounding population, call for the development and evaluation of safe and effective methods enabling extension of the therapeutic window, and to reduce the disease manifestations and vaccine adverse reactions. To achieve these goals, we need to evaluate the efficacy of novel and already licensed vaccines as a sole treatment, or in conjunction with immune modulators and antiviral drugs. In this review, we address the available data, recent achievements, and open questions. PMID:29382130

Towards clinical use of a laser-induced microjet system aimed at reliable and safe drug delivery.

PubMed

Jang, Hun-jae; Yu, Hyeonju; Lee, Seonggeun; Hur, Eugene; Kim, Yoonkwan; Lee, Seol-Hoon; Kang, Naegyu; Yoh, Jack J

2014-05-01

An Er:YAG laser with 2940-nm wavelength and 250-μs pulse duration is used to generate a microjet that is ejected at ∼50 m/s in air. The strength of the microjet depends on the bubble dynamics from the beam-water interaction within the driving chamber as well as the discharging of the drug solution underneath the elastic membrane that separates the drug from the driving liquid. The jet characteristics, such as velocity, volume, and level of atomization, are obtained by high-speed camera images taken at 42,000 fps. The enhancements in jet volume (dosage) and repeated jet generation, which are aimed at making the injector suitable for general clinical applications, are achieved. The generation of repeated microjets is achieved with the help of a stepping motor that provides a uniform pressure within the drug reservoir before an ejection occurs through a micro nozzle. Also, two types of human growth hormones are used for monitoring any potential thermal damage to the drug solution due to a repeated laser ablation when driving the microjet. We provide strong evidence to support that the drugs, as they are injected to porcine skins, are free of the damage associated with the present delivery method.

Towards clinical use of a laser-induced microjet system aimed at reliable and safe drug delivery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jang, Hun-jae; Yu, Hyeonju; Lee, Seonggeun; Hur, Eugene; Kim, Yoonkwan; Lee, Seol-Hoon; Kang, Naegyu; Yoh, Jack J.

2014-05-01

An Er:YAG laser with 2940-nm wavelength and 250-μs pulse duration is used to generate a microjet that is ejected at ˜50 m/s in air. The strength of the microjet depends on the bubble dynamics from the beam-water interaction within the driving chamber as well as the discharging of the drug solution underneath the elastic membrane that separates the drug from the driving liquid. The jet characteristics, such as velocity, volume, and level of atomization, are obtained by high-speed camera images taken at 42,000 fps. The enhancements in jet volume (dosage) and repeated jet generation, which are aimed at making the injector suitable for general clinical applications, are achieved. The generation of repeated microjets is achieved with the help of a stepping motor that provides a uniform pressure within the drug reservoir before an ejection occurs through a micro nozzle. Also, two types of human growth hormones are used for monitoring any potential thermal damage to the drug solution due to a repeated laser ablation when driving the microjet. We provide strong evidence to support that the drugs, as they are injected to porcine skins, are free of the damage associated with the present delivery method.

Strategies for Countering Terrorist Safe Havens

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-01

tactical containment, pseudo operations, and surrogate security forces. The thesis draws from four historical case studies to examine these strategies...safe havens, tactical containment, pseudo operations, and surrogate security forces. The thesis draws from four historical case studies to examine...pseudo operations—provide viable potential options for USSOF to counter the complex problem of safe havens. Overall, the case studies will demonstrate

Scheduling for energy and reliability management on multiprocessor real-time systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Xuan

Scheduling algorithms for multiprocessor real-time systems have been studied for years with many well-recognized algorithms proposed. However, it is still an evolving research area and many problems remain open due to their intrinsic complexities. With the emergence of multicore processors, it is necessary to re-investigate the scheduling problems and design/develop efficient algorithms for better system utilization, low scheduling overhead, high energy efficiency, and better system reliability. Focusing cluster schedulings with optimal global schedulers, we study the utilization bound and scheduling overhead for a class of cluster-optimal schedulers. Then, taking energy/power consumption into consideration, we developed energy-efficient scheduling algorithms for real-time systems, especially for the proliferating embedded systems with limited energy budget. As the commonly deployed energy-saving technique (e.g. dynamic voltage frequency scaling (DVFS)) will significantly affect system reliability, we study schedulers that have intelligent mechanisms to recuperate system reliability to satisfy the quality assurance requirements. Extensive simulation is conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithms on reduction of scheduling overhead, energy saving, and reliability improvement. The simulation results show that the proposed reliability-aware power management schemes could preserve the system reliability while still achieving substantial energy saving.

Reliability Based Design for a Raked Wing Tip of an Airframe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patnaik, Surya N.; Pai, Shantaram S.; Coroneos, Rula M.

2011-01-01

A reliability-based optimization methodology has been developed to design the raked wing tip of the Boeing 767-400 extended range airliner made of composite and metallic materials. Design is formulated for an accepted level of risk or reliability. The design variables, weight and the constraints became functions of reliability. Uncertainties in the load, strength and the material properties, as well as the design variables, were modeled as random parameters with specified distributions, like normal, Weibull or Gumbel functions. The objective function and constraint, or a failure mode, became derived functions of the risk-level. Solution to the problem produced the optimum design with weight, variables and constraints as a function of the risk-level. Optimum weight versus reliability traced out an inverted-S shaped graph. The center of the graph corresponded to a 50 percent probability of success, or one failure in two samples. Under some assumptions, this design would be quite close to the deterministic optimum solution. The weight increased when reliability exceeded 50 percent, and decreased when the reliability was compromised. A design could be selected depending on the level of risk acceptable to a situation. The optimization process achieved up to a 20-percent reduction in weight over traditional design.

Implementation of Safe-by-Design for Nanomaterial Development and Safe Innovation: Why We Need a Comprehensive Approach

PubMed Central

Kraegeloh, Annette; Suarez-Merino, Blanca; Sluijters, Teun; Micheletti, Christian

2018-01-01

Manufactured nanomaterials (MNMs) are regarded as key components of innovations in various fields with high potential impact (e.g., energy generation and storage, electronics, photonics, diagnostics, theranostics, or drug delivery agents). Widespread use of MNMs raises concerns about their safety for humans and the environment, possibly limiting the impact of the nanotechnology-based innovation. The development of safe MNMs and nanoproducts has to result in a safe as well as functional material or product. Its safe use, and disposal at the end of its life cycle must be taken into account too. However, not all MNMs are similarly useful for all applications, some might bear a higher hazard potential than others, and use scenarios could lead to different exposure probabilities. To improve both safety and efficacy of nanotechnology, we think that a new proactive approach is necessary, based on pre-regulatory safety assessment and dialogue between stakeholders. On the basis of the work carried out in different European Union (EU) initiatives, developing and integrating MNMs Safe-by-Design and Trusted Environments (NANoREG, ProSafe, and NanoReg2), we present our point of view here. This concept, when fully developed, will allow for cost effective industrial innovation, and an exchange of key information between regulators and innovators. Regulators are thus informed about incoming innovations in good time, supporting a proactive regulatory action. The final goal is to contribute to the nanotechnology governance, having faster, cheaper, effective, and safer nano-products on the market. PMID:29661997

Implementation of Safe-by-Design for Nanomaterial Development and Safe Innovation: Why We Need a Comprehensive Approach.

PubMed

Kraegeloh, Annette; Suarez-Merino, Blanca; Sluijters, Teun; Micheletti, Christian

2018-04-14

Manufactured nanomaterials (MNMs) are regarded as key components of innovations in various fields with high potential impact (e.g., energy generation and storage, electronics, photonics, diagnostics, theranostics, or drug delivery agents). Widespread use of MNMs raises concerns about their safety for humans and the environment, possibly limiting the impact of the nanotechnology-based innovation. The development of safe MNMs and nanoproducts has to result in a safe as well as functional material or product. Its safe use, and disposal at the end of its life cycle must be taken into account too. However, not all MNMs are similarly useful for all applications, some might bear a higher hazard potential than others, and use scenarios could lead to different exposure probabilities. To improve both safety and efficacy of nanotechnology, we think that a new proactive approach is necessary, based on pre-regulatory safety assessment and dialogue between stakeholders. On the basis of the work carried out in different European Union (EU) initiatives, developing and integrating MNMs Safe-by-Design and Trusted Environments (NANoREG, ProSafe, and NanoReg2), we present our point of view here. This concept, when fully developed, will allow for cost effective industrial innovation, and an exchange of key information between regulators and innovators. Regulators are thus informed about incoming innovations in good time, supporting a proactive regulatory action. The final goal is to contribute to the nanotechnology governance, having faster, cheaper, effective, and safer nano-products on the market.

Environmentally safe fluid extractor

DOEpatents

Sungaila, Zenon F.

1993-01-01

An environmentally safe fluid extraction device for use in mobile laboratory and industrial settings comprising a pump, compressor, valving system, waste recovery tank, fluid tank, and a exhaust filtering system.

Environmentally safe fluid extractor

DOEpatents

Sungaila, Zenon F.

1993-07-06

An environmentally safe fluid extraction device for use in mobile laboratory and industrial settings comprising a pump, compressor, valving system, waste recovery tank, fluid tank, and a exhaust filtering system.

End-to-End Demonstrator of the Safe Affordable Fission Engine (SAFE) 30: Power Conversion and Ion Engine Operation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hrbud, Ivana; VanDyke, Melissa; Houts, Mike; Goodfellow, Keith; Schafer, Charles (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The Safe Affordable Fission Engine (SAFE) test series addresses Phase 1 Space Fission Systems issues in particular non-nuclear testing and system integration issues leading to the testing and non-nuclear demonstration of a 400-kW fully integrated flight unit. The first part of the SAFE 30 test series demonstrated operation of the simulated nuclear core and heat pipe system. Experimental data acquired in a number of different test scenarios will validate existing computational models, demonstrated system flexibility (fast start-ups, multiple start-ups/shut downs), simulate predictable failure modes and operating environments. The objective of the second part is to demonstrate an integrated propulsion system consisting of a core, conversion system and a thruster where the system converts thermal heat into jet power. This end-to-end system demonstration sets a precedent for ground testing of nuclear electric propulsion systems. The paper describes the SAFE 30 end-to-end system demonstration and its subsystems.

Results of 30 kWt Safe Affordable Fission Engine (SAFE-30) primary heat transport testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pedersen, Kevin; van Dyke, Melissa; Houts, Mike; Godfroy, Tom; Martin, James; Dickens, Ricky; Williams, Eric; Harper, Roger; Salvil, Pat; Reid, Bob

2001-02-01

The use of resistance heaters to simulate heat from fission allows extensive development of fission systems to be performed in non-nuclear test facilities, saving time and money. Resistance heated tests on the Safe Affordable Fission Engine-30 kilowatt (SAFE30) test article are being performed at the Marshall Space Flight Center. This paper discusses the results of these experiments to date, and describes the additional testing that will be performed. Recommendations related to the design of testable space fission power and propulsion systems are made. .

Keeping Campuses Safe.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kennedy, Mike

1999-01-01

Describes how colleges and universities are using technology, as well as traditional methods, to keep campuses safe and reduce crime. Topics include using free pizza in a successful contest to teach students about campus safety, installing security cameras, using access-control cards, providing adequate lighting, and creating a bicycle patrol…

Comprehensive Engineering Approach to Achieving Safe Neighborhoods.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-09-01

Steady increases in travel demand coupled with minimal increases in arterial street capacity have led to an increase in traffic-related safety problems in residential neighborhoods. These problems stem from the significant number of motorists that di...

Reliability and Validity Evidence for Achievement Goal Models in High School Physical Education Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guan, Jianmin; McBride, Ron; Xiang, Ping

2007-01-01

Although empirical research in academic areas provides support for both a 3-factor as well as a 4-factor achievement goal model, both models were proposed and tested with a collegiate sample. Little is known about the generalizability of either model with high school level samples. This study was designed to examine whether the 3-factor model…

The reliability of in-training assessment when performance improvement is taken into account.

PubMed

van Lohuizen, Mirjam T; Kuks, Jan B M; van Hell, Elisabeth A; Raat, A N; Stewart, Roy E; Cohen-Schotanus, Janke

2010-12-01

During in-training assessment students are frequently assessed over a longer period of time and therefore it can be expected that their performance will improve. We studied whether there really is a measurable performance improvement when students are assessed over an extended period of time and how this improvement affects the reliability of the overall judgement. In-training assessment results were obtained from 104 students on rotation at our university hospital or at one of the six affiliated hospitals. Generalisability theory was used in combination with multilevel analysis to obtain reliability coefficients and to estimate the number of assessments needed for reliable overall judgement, both including and excluding performance improvement. Students' clinical performance ratings improved significantly from a mean of 7.6 at the start to a mean of 7.8 at the end of their clerkship. When taking performance improvement into account, reliability coefficients were higher. The number of assessments needed to achieve a reliability of 0.80 or higher decreased from 17 to 11. Therefore, when studying reliability of in-training assessment, performance improvement should be considered.

Enhancing healthcare process design with human factors engineering and reliability science, part 1: setting the context.

PubMed

Boston-Fleischhauer, Carol

2008-01-01

The design and implementation of efficient, effective, and safe processes are never-ending challenges in healthcare. Less than optimal performance levels and rising concerns about patient safety suggest that traditional process design methods are insufficient to meet design requirements. In this 2-part series, the author presents human factors engineering and reliability science as important knowledge to enhance existing operational and clinical process design methods in healthcare. An examination of these theories, application approaches, and examples are presented.

Safe Hazmat Storage Tips.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neville, Angela

1996-01-01

Provides a list of recommendations for safely managing hazardous waste containers. Encourages training of employees on the hazards of the wastes they handle and the correct procedures for managing containers. (DDR)

Newly developed double neural network concept for reliable fast plasma position control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeon, Young-Mu; Na, Yong-Su; Kim, Myung-Rak; Hwang, Y. S.

2001-01-01

Neural network is considered as a parameter estimation tool in plasma controls for next generation tokamak such as ITER. The neural network has been reported to be so accurate and fast for plasma equilibrium identification that it may be applied to the control of complex tokamak plasmas. For this application, the reliability of the conventional neural network needs to be improved. In this study, a new idea of double neural network is developed to achieve this. The new idea has been applied to simple plasma position identification of KSTAR tokamak for feasibility test. Characteristics of the concept show higher reliability and fault tolerance even in severe faulty conditions, which may make neural network applicable to plasma control reliably and widely in future tokamaks.

What Safe Zone? The Vast Majority of Dislocated THAs Are Within the Lewinnek Safe Zone for Acetabular Component Position.

PubMed

Abdel, Matthew P; von Roth, Philipp; Jennings, Matthew T; Hanssen, Arlen D; Pagnano, Mark W

2016-02-01

Numerous factors influence total hip arthroplasty (THA) stability including surgical approach and soft tissue tension, patient compliance, and component position. One long-held tenet regarding component position is that cup inclination and anteversion of 40° ± 10° and 15° ± 10°, respectively, represent a "safe zone" as defined by Lewinnek that minimizes dislocation after primary THA; however, it is clear that components positioned in this zone can and do dislocate. We sought to determine if these classic radiographic targets for cup inclination and anteversion accurately predicted a safe zone limiting dislocation in a contemporary THA practice. From a cohort of 9784 primary THAs performed between 2003 and 2012 at one institution, we retrospectively identified 206 THAs (2%) that subsequently dislocated. Radiographic parameters including inclination, anteversion, center of rotation, and limb length discrepancy were analyzed. Mean followup was 27 months (range, 0-133 months). The majority (58% [120 of 206]) of dislocated THAs had a socket within the Lewinnek safe zone. Mean cup inclination was 44° ± 8° with 84% within the safe zone for inclination. Mean anteversion was 15° ± 9° with 69% within the safe zone for anteversion. Sixty-five percent of dislocated THAs that were performed through a posterior approach had an acetabular component within the combined acetabular safe zones, whereas this was true for only 33% performed through an anterolateral approach. An acetabular component performed through a posterior approach was three times as likely to be within the combined acetabular safe zones (odds ratio [OR], 1.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-1.6) than after an anterolateral approach (OR, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.2-0.7; p < 0.0001). In contrast, acetabular components performed through a posterior approach (OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.2-1.9) had an increased risk of dislocation compared with those performed through an anterolateral approach (OR, 0.8; 95% CI, 0.7-0.9; p

The establisment of an achievement test for determination of primary teachers’ knowledge level of earthquake

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aydin, Süleyman, E-mail: yupul@hotmail.com; Haşiloğlu, M. Akif, E-mail: mehmet.hasiloglu@hotmail.com; Kunduraci, Ayşe, E-mail: ayse-kndrc@hotmail.com

In this study it was aimed to improve an academic achievement test to establish the students’ knowledge about the earthquake and the ways of protection from earthquakes. In the method of this study, the steps that Webb (1994) was created to improve an academic achievement test for a unit were followed. In the developmental process of multiple choice test having 25 questions, was prepared to measure the pre-service teachers’ knowledge levels about the earthquake and the ways of protection from earthquakes. The multiple choice test was presented to view of six academics (one of them was from geographic field andmore » five of them were science educator) and two expert teachers in science Prepared test was applied to 93 pre-service teachers studying in elementary education department in 2014-2015 academic years. As a result of validity and reliability of the study, the test was composed of 20 items. As a result of these applications, Pearson Moments Multiplication half-reliability coefficient was found to be 0.94. When this value is adjusted according to Spearman Brown reliability coefficient the reliability coefficient was set at 0.97.« less

Thin-film module circuit design: Practical and reliability aspects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daiello, R. V.; Twesme, E. N.

1985-01-01

This paper will address several aspects of the design and construction of submodules based on thin film amorphous silicon (a-Si) p i n solar cells. Starting from presently attainable single cell characteristics, and a realistic set of specifications, practical module designs are discussed from the viewpoints of efficient designs, the fabrication requirements, and reliability concerns. The examples center mostly on series interconnected modules of the superstrate type with detailed discussions of each portion of the structure in relation to its influence on module efficiency. Emphasis is placed on engineering topics such as: area coverage, optimal geometries, and cost and reliability. Practical constraints on achieving optimal designs, along with some examples of potential pitfalls in the manufacture and subsequent performance of a-Si modules are discussed.

Estimate of the Reliability in Geological Forecasts for Tunnels: Toward a Structured Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perello, Paolo

2011-11-01

In tunnelling, a reliable geological model often allows providing an effective design and facing the construction phase without unpleasant surprises. A geological model can be considered reliable when it is a valid support to correctly foresee the rock mass behaviour, therefore preventing unexpected events during the excavation. The higher the model reliability, the lower the probability of unforeseen rock mass behaviour. Unfortunately, owing to different reasons, geological models are affected by uncertainties and a fully reliable knowledge of the rock mass is, in most cases, impossible. Therefore, estimating to which degree a geological model is reliable, becomes a primary requirement in order to save time and money and to adopt the appropriate construction strategy. The definition of the geological model reliability is often achieved by engineering geologists through an unstructured analytical process and variable criteria. This paper focusses on geological models for projects of linear underground structures and represents an effort to analyse and include in a conceptual framework the factors influencing such models. An empirical parametric procedure is then developed with the aim of obtaining an index called "geological model rating (GMR)", which can be used to provide a more standardised definition of a geological model reliability.

Reliability of Pseudotyped Influenza Viral Particles in Neutralizing Antibody Detection

PubMed Central

Yang, Jinghui; Li, Weidong; Long, Yunfeng; Song, Shaohui; Liu, Jing; Zhang, Xinwen; Wang, Xiaoguang; Jiang, Shude; Liao, Guoyang

2014-01-01

Background Current influenza control strategies require an active surveillance system. Pseudotyped viral particles (pp) together with the evaluation of pre-existing immunity in a population might satisfy this requirement. However, the reliability of using pp in neutralizing antibody (nAb) detection are undefined. Methodology/Principal Findings Pseudotyped particles of A(H1N1)pmd09 (A/California/7/2009) and HPAI H5N1 (A/Anhui/1/2005), as well as their reassortants, were generated. The reliability of using these pp in nAb detection were compared concurrently with the corresponding viruses by a hemagglutination inhibition test, as well as ELISA-, cytopathic effect-, and fluorescence-based microneutralization assays. In the qualitative detection on nAbs, the pp and their corresponding viruses were in complete agreement, with an R2 value equal to or near 1 in two different populations. In the quantitative detection on nAbs, although the geometric mean titers (95% confidence interval) differed between the pp and viruses, no significant difference was observed. Furthermore, humoral immunity against the reassortants was evaluated; our results indicated strong consistency between the nAbs against reassortant pp and those against naïve pp harboring the same hemagglutinin. Conclusion/Significance The pp displayed high reliability in influenza virus nAb detection. The use of reassortant pp is a safe and convenient strategy for characterizing emerging influenza viruses and surveying the disease burden. PMID:25436460

Inertial sensing microelectromechanical (MEM) safe-arm device

DOEpatents

Roesler, Alexander W [Tijeras, NM; Wooden, Susan M [Sandia Park, NM

2009-05-12

Microelectromechanical (MEM) safe-arm devices comprise a substrate upon which a sense mass, that can contain an energetic material, is constrained to move along a pathway defined by a track disposed on the surface of the substrate. The pathway has a first end comprising a "safe" position and a second end comprising an "armed" position, whereat the second end the sense mass can be aligned proximal to energetic materials comprising the explosive train, within an explosive component. The sense mass can be confined in the safe position by a first latch, operable to release the sense mass by an acceleration acting in a direction substantially normal to the surface of the substrate. A second acceleration, acting in a direction substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate, can cause the sense mass to traverse the pathway from the safe position to the armed position.

75 FR 71613 - Mandatory Reliability Standards for Interconnection Reliability Operating Limits

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-24

... Reliability Standards. The proposed Reliability Standards were designed to prevent instability, uncontrolled... Reliability Standards.\\2\\ The proposed Reliability Standards were designed to prevent instability... the SOLs, which if exceeded, could expose a widespread area of the bulk electric system to instability...

SafeCare: An Innovative Approach for Improving Quality Through Standards, Benchmarking, and Improvement in Low- and Middle- Income Countries.

PubMed

Johnson, Michael C; Schellekens, Onno; Stewart, Jacqui; van Ostenberg, Paul; de Wit, Tobias Rinke; Spieker, Nicole

2016-08-01

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), patients often have limited access to high-quality care because of a shortage of facilities and human resources, inefficiency of resource allocation, and limited health insurance. SafeCare was developed to provide innovative health care standards; surveyor training; a grading system for quality of care; a quality improvement process that is broken down into achievable, measurable steps to facilitate incremental improvement; and a private sector-supported health financing model. Three organizations-PharmAccess Foundation, Joint Commission International, and the Council for Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa-launched SafeCare in 2011 as a formal partnership. Five SafeCare levels of improvement are allocated on the basis of an algorithm that incorporates both the overall score and weighted criteria, so that certain high-risk criteria need to be in place before a facility can move to the next SafeCare certification level. A customized quality improvement plan based on the SafeCare assessment results lists the specific, measurable activities that should be undertaken to address gaps in quality found during the initial assessment and to meet the nextlevel SafeCare certificate. The standards have been implemented in more than 800 primary and secondary facilities by qualified local surveyors, in partnership with various local public and private partner organizations, in six sub-Saharan African countries (Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zambia). Expanding access to care and improving health care quality in LMICs will require a coordinated effort between institutions and other stakeholders. SafeCare's standards and assessment methodology can help build trust between stakeholders and lay the foundation for country-led quality monitoring systems.

Karate: Keep It Safe.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jordan, David

1981-01-01

Safety guidelines for each phase of a karate practice session are presented to provide an accident-free and safe environment for teaching karate in a physical education or traditional karate training program. (JMF)

Limitations of Reliability for Long-Endurance Human Spaceflight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Owens, Andrew C.; de Weck, Olivier L.

2016-01-01

Long-endurance human spaceflight - such as missions to Mars or its moons - will present a never-before-seen maintenance logistics challenge. Crews will be in space for longer and be farther way from Earth than ever before. Resupply and abort options will be heavily constrained, and will have timescales much longer than current and past experience. Spare parts and/or redundant systems will have to be included to reduce risk. However, the high cost of transportation means that this risk reduction must be achieved while also minimizing mass. The concept of increasing system and component reliability is commonly discussed as a means to reduce risk and mass by reducing the probability that components will fail during a mission. While increased reliability can reduce maintenance logistics mass requirements, the rate of mass reduction decreases over time. In addition, reliability growth requires increased test time and cost. This paper assesses trends in test time requirements, cost, and maintenance logistics mass savings as a function of increase in Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) for some or all of the components in a system. In general, reliability growth results in superlinear growth in test time requirements, exponential growth in cost, and sublinear benefits (in terms of logistics mass saved). These trends indicate that it is unlikely that reliability growth alone will be a cost-effective approach to maintenance logistics mass reduction and risk mitigation for long-endurance missions. This paper discusses these trends as well as other options to reduce logistics mass such as direct reduction of part mass, commonality, or In-Space Manufacturing (ISM). Overall, it is likely that some combination of all available options - including reliability growth - will be required to reduce mass and mitigate risk for future deep space missions.

Reliability Growth and Its Applications to Dormant Reliability

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-12-01

ability to make projection about future reli- ability (Rof 9:41-42). Barlow and Scheuer Model. Richard E. Barlow and Ernest M. Sch~uvr, of the University...Reliability Growth Prediction Models," Operations Research, 18(l):S2-6S (January/February 1970). 7. Bauer, John, William Hadley, and Robert Dietz... Texarkana , Texas, May 1973. (AD 768 119). 10. Bonis, Austin J. "Reliability Growth Curves for One Shot Devices," Proceedings 1977 Annual Reliability and

Prepare to protect: Operating and maintaining a tornado safe room.

PubMed

Herseth, Andrew; Goldsmith-Grinspoon, Jennifer; Scott, Pataya

2017-06-01

Operating and maintaining a tornado safe room can be critical to the effective continuity of business operations because a firm's most valuable asset is its people. This paper describes aspects of operations and maintenance (O&M) for existing tornado safe rooms as well as a few planning and design aspects that affect the ultimate operation of a safe room for situations where a safe room is planned, but not yet constructed. The information is based on several Federal Emergency Management Agency safe room publications that provide guidance on emergency management and operations, as well as the design and construction of tornado safe rooms.

Review of "Successful, Safe, and Healthy Students"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glass, Gene V.; Barnett, Steven; Welner, Kevin G.

2010-01-01

The research summary "Successful, Safe, and Healthy Students" presents the research background for the Obama administration's proposals for comprehensive, community-wide services in high-poverty neighborhoods, extended learning time, family engagement and safe schools. While these policies have broad and common-sense appeal, the research…

Safe motherhood -- from advocacy to action.

PubMed

Tinker, A

1991-12-01

Every minute a woman dies from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth. That translates to 500,000 annually, of which, 99% live in developing countries. A woman in Africa has a 1:18 lifetime chance of dying from pregnancy-related causes, compared with a northern European woman who has a 1:10,000 chance. Thus, in 1987 international and regional agencies and national governments started a global program titled the Safe Motherhood Initiative. Its goal is to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality 50% by 2000. The death of a woman during pregnancy or child birth means that her surviving children are much more likely to die. In a bangladesh study it was found that the death of the mother was associated with a 200% increase in mortality for her sons and 350% for her daughters for children up to 10. Family planning is the key, since it is the single best tool of preventing these deaths, by reducing the number of times a woman gets pregnant. Family planning also reduces the number of abortions which are estimated to kill 200,000 women annually in developing countries. Trained midwives who can provide obstetrical emergency assistance will also make a large impact. Risk assessment was once considered very important, but studies have shown that the majority of pregnancy complications develop without being detected. Further, the number of women with risk factors that develop complications is much lower than the number of women who develop complications during pregnancy. So monitoring women with risk factors misses most complications. Regular monitoring and medical examinations are much more effective for preventing complications. Safe motherhood can only be achieved if each program is tailored to the needs of the community. Donor nations are necessary for this program to succeed, but ultimate success rests in the hands of each country. National priorities must be set, resources must be allocated, and programs must be designed to be effective.

Taking multiple medicines safely

MedlinePlus

... medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000883.htm Taking multiple medicines safely To use the sharing features on this ... directed. Why You May Need More Than One Medicine You may take more than one medicine to ...

Monitoring Moving Queries inside a Safe Region

PubMed Central

Al-Khalidi, Haidar; Taniar, David; Alamri, Sultan

2014-01-01

With mobile moving range queries, there is a need to recalculate the relevant surrounding objects of interest whenever the query moves. Therefore, monitoring the moving query is very costly. The safe region is one method that has been proposed to minimise the communication and computation cost of continuously monitoring a moving range query. Inside the safe region the set of objects of interest to the query do not change; thus there is no need to update the query while it is inside its safe region. However, when the query leaves its safe region the mobile device has to reevaluate the query, necessitating communication with the server. Knowing when and where the mobile device will leave a safe region is widely known as a difficult problem. To solve this problem, we propose a novel method to monitor the position of the query over time using a linear function based on the direction of the query obtained by periodic monitoring of its position. Periodic monitoring ensures that the query is aware of its location all the time. This method reduces the costs associated with communications in client-server architecture. Computational results show that our method is successful in handling moving query patterns. PMID:24696652

Reprint of "Safe places for pedestrians: using cognitive work analysis to consider the relationships between the engineering and urban design of footpaths".

PubMed

Stevens, Nicholas; Salmon, Paul

2015-01-01

Footpaths provide an integral component of our urban environments and have the potential to act as safe places for people and the focus for community life. Despite this, the approach to designing footpaths that are safe while providing this sense of place often occurs in silos. There is often very little consideration given to how designing for sense of place impacts safety and vice versa. The aim of this study was to use a systems analysis and design framework to develop a design template for an 'ideal' footpath system that embodies both safety and sense of place. This was achieved through using the first phase of the Cognitive Work Analysis framework, Work Domain Analysis, to specify a model of footpaths as safe places for pedestrians. This model was subsequently used to assess two existing footpath environments to determine the extent to which they meet the design requirements specified. The findings show instances where the existing footpaths both meet and fail to meet the design requirements specified. Through utilising a systems approach for footpaths, this paper has provided a novel design template that can inform new footpath design efforts or be used to evaluate the extent to which existing footpaths achieve their safety and sense of place requirements. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reliable vision-guided grasping

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nicewarner, Keith E.; Kelley, Robert B.

1992-01-01

Automated assembly of truss structures in space requires vision-guided servoing for grasping a strut when its position and orientation are uncertain. This paper presents a methodology for efficient and robust vision-guided robot grasping alignment. The vision-guided grasping problem is related to vision-guided 'docking' problems. It differs from other hand-in-eye visual servoing problems, such as tracking, in that the distance from the target is a relevant servo parameter. The methodology described in this paper is hierarchy of levels in which the vision/robot interface is decreasingly 'intelligent,' and increasingly fast. Speed is achieved primarily by information reduction. This reduction exploits the use of region-of-interest windows in the image plane and feature motion prediction. These reductions invariably require stringent assumptions about the image. Therefore, at a higher level, these assumptions are verified using slower, more reliable methods. This hierarchy provides for robust error recovery in that when a lower-level routine fails, the next-higher routine will be called and so on. A working system is described which visually aligns a robot to grasp a cylindrical strut. The system uses a single camera mounted on the end effector of a robot and requires only crude calibration parameters. The grasping procedure is fast and reliable, with a multi-level error recovery system.

Lipoabdominoplasty: An exponential advantage for a consistently safe and aesthetic outcome.

PubMed

Kanjoor, J R; Singh, A K

2012-01-01

Extensive liposuction along with limited dissection of abdominal flaps is slowly emerging as a well proven advantageous method over standard abdominoplasty. A retrospective study analyzed 146 patients managed for the abdominal contour deformities from March 2004 to February 2010. A simple method to project the post operative outcome by rotation of a supine lateral photograph to upright posture in 46 patients prospectively has succeeded in projecting a predictable result. All patients were encouraged to practice chest physiotherapy in 'tummy tuck' position during the preoperative counseling. Aggressive liposuction of entire upper abdomen, a limited dissection in the midline, plication of diastasis of rectus whenever indicated, panniculectomy and neoumblicoplasty were done in all patients. The patients had a mean age of 43, youngest being 29 and oldest 72 years. Majority were of normal weight (94%). Twelve were morbidly obese; 57 patients had undergone previous abdominal surgeries; 49 patients had associated hernias. Lipoabdominoplasty yielded a satisfactory result in 110 (94%) patients. The postoperative patient had a definitely less heavy harmonious abdomen with improved waistline. The complications were more with higher BMI, fat thickness of more than 7 cm and prolonged operating time when other procedures were combined. Extensive liposuction combined with limited dissection method applied to all abdominoplasty patients yielded consistently safe, reliable and predictable aesthetic results with less complications and faster recovery. The simple photographic manipulation has helped project the postoperative outcome reliably. The preoperative chest physiotherapy in tummytuck position helped prevent chest complications.

Safe speed limits for a safe system: The relationship between speed limit and fatal crash rate for different crash types.

PubMed

Doecke, Sam D; Kloeden, Craig N; Dutschke, Jeffrey K; Baldock, Matthew R J

2018-05-19

The objective of this article is to provide empirical evidence for safe speed limits that will meet the objectives of the Safe System by examining the relationship between speed limit and injury severity for different crash types, using police-reported crash data. Police-reported crashes from 2 Australian jurisdictions were used to calculate a fatal crash rate by speed limit and crash type. Example safe speed limits were defined using threshold risk levels. A positive exponential relationship between speed limit and fatality rate was found. For an example fatality rate threshold of 1 in 100 crashes it was found that safe speed limits are 40 km/h for pedestrian crashes; 50 km/h for head-on crashes; 60 km/h for hit fixed object crashes; 80 km/h for right angle, right turn, and left road/rollover crashes; and 110 km/h or more for rear-end crashes. The positive exponential relationship between speed limit and fatal crash rate is consistent with prior research into speed and crash risk. The results indicate that speed zones of 100 km/h or more only meet the objectives of the Safe System, with regard to fatal crashes, where all crash types except rear-end crashes are exceedingly rare, such as on a high standard restricted access highway with a safe roadside design.

Safe clinical practice for patients hospitalised in a suicidal crisis: a study protocol for a qualitative case study

PubMed Central

Berg, Siv Hilde; Rørtveit, Kristine; Walby, Fredrik A; Aase, Karina

2017-01-01

Introduction Suicide prevention in psychiatric care is arguably complex and incompletely understood as a patient safety issue. A resilient healthcare approach provides perspectives through which to understand this complexity by understanding everyday clinical practice. By including suicidal patients and healthcare professionals as sources of knowledge, a deeper understanding of what constitutes safe clinical practice can be achieved. Methods This planned study aims to adopt the perspective of resilient healthcare to provide a deeper understanding of safe clinical practice for suicidal patients in psychiatric inpatient care. It will describe the experienced components and conditions of safe clinical practice and the experienced practice of patient safety. The study will apply a descriptive case study approach consisting of qualitative semistructured interviews and focus groups. The data sources are hospitalised patients in a suicidal crisis and healthcare professionals in clinical practice. Ethics and dissemination This study was approved by the Regional Ethics Committee (2016/34). The results will be disseminated through scientific articles, a PhD dissertation, and national and international conferences. These findings can generate knowledge to be integrated into the practice of safety for suicidal inpatients in Norway and to improve the feasibility of patient safety measures. Theoretical generalisations can be drawn regarding safe clinical practice by taking into account the experiences of patients and healthcare professionals. Thus, this study can inform the conceptual development of safe clinical practice for suicidal patients. PMID:28132001

Fast and safe gas detection from underground coal fire by drone fly over.

PubMed

Dunnington, Lucila; Nakagawa, Masami

2017-10-01

Underground coal fires start naturally or as a result of human activities. Besides burning away the important non-renewable energy resource and causing financial losses, burning coal seams emit carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur oxide and methane, and is a leading cause of smog, acid rain, global warming, and air toxins. In the U.S. alone, the combined cost of coal-fire remediation projects that have been completed, budgeted, or projected by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining Remediation and Enforcement (OSM), exceeds $1 billion. It is estimated that these fires generate as much as 3% of the world's annual carbon dioxide emissions and consume as much as 5% of its minable coal. Considering the magnitude of environmental impact and economic loss caused by burning underground coal seams, we have developed a new, safe, reliable surface measurement of coal fire gases to assess the nature of underground coal fires. We use a drone mounted with gas sensors. Drone collected gas concentration data provides a safe alternative for evaluating the rank of a burning coal seam. In this study, a new method of determining coal rank by gas ratios is developed. Coal rank is valuable for defining parameters of a coal seam such as burn temperature, burn rate, and volume of burning seam. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reliabilities of Intraindividual Variability Indicators with Autocorrelated Longitudinal Data: Implications for Longitudinal Study Designs.

PubMed

Du, Han; Wang, Lijuan

2018-04-23

Intraindividual variability can be measured by the intraindividual standard deviation ([Formula: see text]), intraindividual variance ([Formula: see text]), estimated hth-order autocorrelation coefficient ([Formula: see text]), and mean square successive difference ([Formula: see text]). Unresolved issues exist in the research on reliabilities of intraindividual variability indicators: (1) previous research only studied conditions with 0 autocorrelations in the longitudinal responses; (2) the reliabilities of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] have not been studied. The current study investigates reliabilities of [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and the intraindividual mean, with autocorrelated longitudinal data. Reliability estimates of the indicators were obtained through Monte Carlo simulations. The impact of influential factors on reliabilities of the intraindividual variability indicators is summarized, and the reliabilities are compared across the indicators. Generally, all the studied indicators of intraindividual variability were more reliable with a more reliable measurement scale and more assessments. The reliabilities of [Formula: see text] were generally lower than those of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], the reliabilities of [Formula: see text] were usually between those of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] unless the scale reliability was large and/or the interindividual standard deviation in autocorrelation coefficients was large, and the reliabilities of the intraindividual mean were generally the highest. An R function is provided for planning longitudinal studies to ensure sufficient reliabilities of the intraindividual indicators are achieved.

Performances achieved to the Grid by a Full Power Converter Used in a Variable Speed Pumped Storage Plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Claude, Jean-Michel

2017-04-01

The growth of renewable energies likes wind and solar requires pumped-storage plants to increase their performances to stabilize grid frequency and voltage. The introduction of a full-power converter constitutes the ultimate step forward to meet the requirement in a safe, reliable and sustainable manner. This article quickly introduces the converter topology and technology before describing the performances it aims to deliver to the grid. Finally, converter bypass is discussed.

Maintaining access to safe abortion and reducing sex ratio imbalances in Asia.

PubMed

Ganatra, Bela

2008-05-01

High sex ratios at birth (108 boys to 100 girls or higher) are seen in China, Taiwan, South Korea and parts of India and Viet Nam. The imbalance is the result of son preference, accentuated by declining fertility. Prenatal sex detection with ultrasound followed by second trimester abortion is one of the ways sex selection manifests itself, but it is not the causative factor. Advocates and governments seeking to reverse this imbalance have largely prohibited sex detection tests and/or sex selective abortion, assuming these measures would reverse the trend. Such policies have been difficult to enforce and have met with only limited success. At the same time, such policies are starting to have adverse effects on the already limited access to safe and legal second trimester abortion for reasons other than sex selection. Moreover, the sex selection issue is being used as a platform for anti-abortion rhetoric by certain groups. Maintaining access to safe abortion and achieving a decline in high sex ratios are both important goals. Both are possible if the focus shifts to addressing the conditions that drive son preference.

Beth Reis and the Safe Schools Coalition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaught, Sabina E.

2007-01-01

This article chronicles the formation and organization of the Safe Schools Coalition (SCC) through the experiences of Beth Reis, co-founder and co-Chair. The article suggests ways in which the SCC can serve as a model for both collective and individual work in promoting safe schools.

A Laboratory Study on the Reliability Estimations of the Mini-CEX

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Lima, Alberto Alves; Conde, Diego; Costabel, Juan; Corso, Juan; Van der Vleuten, Cees

2013-01-01

Reliability estimations of workplace-based assessments with the mini-CEX are typically based on real-life data. Estimations are based on the assumption of local independence: the object of the measurement should not be influenced by the measurement itself and samples should be completely independent. This is difficult to achieve. Furthermore, the…

Overview of RICOR's reliability theoretical analysis, accelerated life demonstration test results and verification by field data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vainshtein, Igor; Baruch, Shlomi; Regev, Itai; Segal, Victor; Filis, Avishai; Riabzev, Sergey

2018-05-01

The growing demand for EO applications that work around the clock 24hr/7days a week, such as in border surveillance systems, emphasizes the need for a highly reliable cryocooler having increased operational availability and optimized system's Integrated Logistic Support (ILS). In order to meet this need, RICOR developed linear and rotary cryocoolers which achieved successfully this goal. Cryocoolers MTTF was analyzed by theoretical reliability evaluation methods, demonstrated by normal and accelerated life tests at Cryocooler level and finally verified by field data analysis derived from Cryocoolers operating at system level. The following paper reviews theoretical reliability analysis methods together with analyzing reliability test results derived from standard and accelerated life demonstration tests performed at Ricor's advanced reliability laboratory. As a summary for the work process, reliability verification data will be presented as a feedback from fielded systems.

Visual Inspection Reliability for Precision Manufactured Parts.

PubMed

See, Judi E

2015-12-01

Sandia National Laboratories conducted an experiment for the National Nuclear Security Administration to determine the reliability of visual inspection of precision manufactured parts used in nuclear weapons. Visual inspection has been extensively researched since the early 20th century; however, the reliability of visual inspection for nuclear weapons parts has not been addressed. In addition, the efficacy of using inspector confidence ratings to guide multiple inspections in an effort to improve overall performance accuracy is unknown. Further, the workload associated with inspection has not been documented, and newer measures of stress have not been applied. Eighty-two inspectors in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise inspected 140 parts for eight different defects. Inspectors correctly rejected 85% of defective items and incorrectly rejected 35% of acceptable parts. Use of a phased inspection approach based on inspector confidence ratings was not an effective or efficient technique to improve the overall accuracy of the process. Results did verify that inspection is a workload-intensive task, dominated by mental demand and effort. Hits for Nuclear Security Enterprise inspection were not vastly superior to the industry average of 80%, and they were achieved at the expense of a high scrap rate not typically observed during visual inspection tasks. This study provides the first empirical data to address the reliability of visual inspection for precision manufactured parts used in nuclear weapons. Results enhance current understanding of the process of visual inspection and can be applied to improve reliability for precision manufactured parts. © 2015, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Safe reading of chemical pathology reports: the RCPAQAP Report Assessment Survey.

PubMed

Koetsier, Sabrina; Jones, Graham Ross Dallas; Badrick, Tony

2016-06-01

Pathology reports are a vital component of the request-test-report cycle communicating pathology results to doctors to support clinical decision making. This should be done in a comprehensive, safe and time-efficient manner. As doctors may receive reports from different laboratories these goals can be achieved more readily if reports are formatted in the same way. This study evaluates the formatting of paper reports produced by Australian laboratories for numerical biochemistry results. As part of the RCPAQAP Liquid Serum Chemistry program in 2015, laboratories were invited to supply a routine paper report displaying the results. A total of 37 reports were received for analysis. These reports were assessed for variation in a range of components and, where possible, against relevant Australian standards and guidelines. In summary, there was a wide variation in most of the report components assessed including test names, result alignment, result flagging, sequence of data elements on the page, date formatting and patient name formatting. In most components there was also variation from the Standards. In order to ensure safe result transmission by printed reports there is a need to promote the adoption of current reporting standards and monitor compliance with similar external quality assurance programs. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Towards the new urban agenda of safe cities: urban crimes in four Indonesian cities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setiawan, B.

2017-12-01

As has stated in the Habitat III agreement, named as The New Urban Agenda/NUA, signed in Quito, Ecuador, October 2016, safe cities is one among important global goals that should be achieved in the next twenty years - safe city is defined generally by city that is equated with reduced violence on the one hand, and on the other, with reduced uncertainty. The fact that under a rapid urbanization and urban transformation in Indonesia, urban crimes tend to increase in many Indonesian cities questions whether Indonesian cities are ready to ensure the idea of safe city. This paper aims to document the incidents of urban crimes, spatial dimensions, the socio-factors and how local community responses to such crimes. It utilised a multiple case studies of four cities in Indonesia which are: Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Makasar, and Manado, Data and information for the paper were primarily collected through secondary data, but some field observations and interviews with stakeholders related to urban crimes in four cities were also conducted. The paper could be considered as a preliminary study to understand the urban crimes phenomena in Indonesia and finds that the incidents of urban crimes are fluctuated in four cities explored. It argues that there is a significant correlation between urban crimes incidents and spatial characteristics of the city.

Software Reliability 2002

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wallace, Dolores R.

2003-01-01

In FY01 we learned that hardware reliability models need substantial changes to account for differences in software, thus making software reliability measurements more effective, accurate, and easier to apply. These reliability models are generally based on familiar distributions or parametric methods. An obvious question is 'What new statistical and probability models can be developed using non-parametric and distribution-free methods instead of the traditional parametric method?" Two approaches to software reliability engineering appear somewhat promising. The first study, begin in FY01, is based in hardware reliability, a very well established science that has many aspects that can be applied to software. This research effort has investigated mathematical aspects of hardware reliability and has identified those applicable to software. Currently the research effort is applying and testing these approaches to software reliability measurement, These parametric models require much project data that may be difficult to apply and interpret. Projects at GSFC are often complex in both technology and schedules. Assessing and estimating reliability of the final system is extremely difficult when various subsystems are tested and completed long before others. Parametric and distribution free techniques may offer a new and accurate way of modeling failure time and other project data to provide earlier and more accurate estimates of system reliability.

Virus Alert: Ten Steps to Safe Computing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gunter, Glenda A.

1997-01-01

Discusses computer viruses and explains how to detect them; discusses virus protection and the need to update antivirus software; and offers 10 safe computing tips, including scanning floppy disks and commercial software, how to safely download files from the Internet, avoiding pirated software copies, and backing up files. (LRW)

16 CFR 312.11 - Safe harbor programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Safe harbor programs. 312.11 Section 312.11 Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION REGULATIONS UNDER SPECIFIC ACTS OF CONGRESS CHILDREN'S ONLINE PRIVACY PROTECTION RULE § 312.11 Safe harbor programs. (a) In general. Industry groups or other persons...

Safe Sleep for Babies

MedlinePlus

... Every year, there are thousands of sleep-related deaths among babies. View large image and text description ... 2AZh9Bn Supporting research to better understand sleep-related deaths and strategies to improve safe sleep practices. Healthcare ...

Simultaneous determination of spirotetramat and its four metabolites in fruits and vegetables using a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Zhu, Yulong; Liu, Xingang; Xu, Jun; Dong, Fengshou; Liang, Xuyang; Li, Minmin; Duan, Lifang; Zheng, Yongquan

2013-07-19

A modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method for the simultaneous determination of spirotetramat and its four metabolites in fruits (apple, peach) and vegetables (cabbage, tomato, potato, cucumber), based on the use of liquid extraction/partition and dispersive solid phase extraction (dispersive-SPE) followed by ultrahigh-performance chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS), was established. Acidified acetonitrile (containing 1% (v/v) acetic acid) as the extraction solvent and simultaneous liquid-liquid partitioning formed by adding anhydrous magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) and anhydrous sodium acetate (NaOAc). The extract was then cleaned up by dispersive-SPE using graphitized carbon black (GCB) as selective sorbent. Further optimization of sample preparation and determination achieved recoveries of between 82 and 110% for all analytes with RSD values lower than 14% in apple, peach, cabbage, tomato, potato and cucumber at three levels (10, 100 and 1000μg/kg). The method showed excellent linearity (R(2)≥0.9895) for all studied analytes. The determination of the target compounds was achieved in less than 6.0min using an electrospray ionization source in positive mode (ESI+). The method is demonstrated to be convenient and reliable for the routine monitoring of spirotetramat and its metabolites in fruits and vegetables. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical cardioversion of recent-onset atrial fibrillation in the emergency department using vernakalant hydrochloride achieves safe and rapid restoration of sinus rhythm and facilitates same day discharge.

PubMed

Stoneman, P; Gilligan, P; Mahon, P; Sheahan, R

2017-11-01

Vernakalant hydrochloride is a rapid-acting antiarrhythmic drug licensed in the EU since 2010 for the conversion of recent-onset atrial fibrillation with proven efficacy and safety when compared with placebo and amiodarone in randomized clinical trials. The aim of our study was to determine the feasibility of same day discharge (following 2 h monitoring) from the emergency department after successful cardioversion using vernakalant hydrochloride. Patients with recent-onset atrial fibrillation treated in the emergency department of a large Dublin academic teaching hospital. Patients received a maximum of two weight based 10 min infusions of vernakalant. Hypotensive events (>30% initial blood pressure), arrhythmias, conversion rates, and time to conversion were recorded. Sinus rhythm was restored in 35 out of 42 patients (83%) in an average of 8.8 min (median 8 min), average CHA2DS2-VASc of 0.92, HAS-BLED of 0.21 and average symptoms duration of 12 h. There were no hypotensive or arrhythmogenic events. 41 out of 42 patients were discharged after 2 h of monitoring. Vernakalant hydrochloride has provided a quick, safe, and practical means of achieving rapid restoration of sinus rhythm in our ED population with stable recent-onset AF who would otherwise not have undergone routine electrically cardioversion and same day discharge.

Safe Use of Hydrogen and Hydrogen Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maes, Miguel

2006-01-01

This is a viewgraph presentation that is a course for teaching the safe use of hydrogen. The objectives of the course are 1. To familiarize the student with H2 safety properties 2. To enable the identification, evaluations and addressing of H2 system hazards 3. To teach: a. Safe practices for, b. Design, c. Materials selection, d. H2 system operation, e. Physical principles and empirical observations on which these safe practices are based, f. How to respond to emergency situations involving H2, g How to visualize safety concepts through in-class exercises, h. Identify numerous parameters important to H2 safety.

Reliable assessment of general surgeons' non-technical skills based on video-recordings of patient simulated scenarios.

PubMed

Spanager, Lene; Beier-Holgersen, Randi; Dieckmann, Peter; Konge, Lars; Rosenberg, Jacob; Oestergaard, Doris

2013-11-01

Nontechnical skills are essential for safe and efficient surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of an assessment tool for surgeons' nontechnical skills, Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons dk (NOTSSdk), and the effect of rater training. A 1-day course was conducted for 15 general surgeons in which they rated surgeons' nontechnical skills in 9 video recordings of scenarios simulating real intraoperative situations. Data were gathered from 2 sessions separated by a 4-hour training session. Interrater reliability was high for both pretraining ratings (Cronbach's α = .97) and posttraining ratings (Cronbach's α = .98). There was no statistically significant development in assessment skills. The D study showed that 2 untrained raters or 1 trained rater was needed to obtain generalizability coefficients >.80. The high pretraining interrater reliability indicates that videos were easy to rate and Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons dk easy to use. This implies that Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons dk (NOTSSdk) could be an important tool in surgical training, potentially improving safety and quality for surgical patients. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

12 CFR 350.11 - Safe harbor provision.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Safe harbor provision. 350.11 Section 350.11 Banks and Banking FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION REGULATIONS AND STATEMENTS OF GENERAL POLICY DISCLOSURE OF FINANCIAL AND OTHER INFORMATION BY FDIC-INSURED STATE NONMEMBER BANKS § 350.11 Safe harbor...

Training Support Staff to Modify Fluids to Appropriate Safe Consistencies for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities and Dysphagia: An Efficacy Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chadwick, D. D.; Stubbs, J.; Fovargue, S.; Anderson, D.; Stacey, G.; Tye, S.

2014-01-01

Background: Modifying the consistency of food and drink is a strategy commonly used in the management of dysphagia for people with intellectual disabilities (ID). People with ID often depend on others for the preparation of food and drink and therefore depend on those caregivers achieving the correct consistency to keep them safe and avoid…

Asymmetric programming: a highly reliable metadata allocation strategy for MLC NAND flash memory-based sensor systems.

PubMed

Huang, Min; Liu, Zhaoqing; Qiao, Liyan

2014-10-10

While the NAND flash memory is widely used as the storage medium in modern sensor systems, the aggressive shrinking of process geometry and an increase in the number of bits stored in each memory cell will inevitably degrade the reliability of NAND flash memory. In particular, it's critical to enhance metadata reliability, which occupies only a small portion of the storage space, but maintains the critical information of the file system and the address translations of the storage system. Metadata damage will cause the system to crash or a large amount of data to be lost. This paper presents Asymmetric Programming, a highly reliable metadata allocation strategy for MLC NAND flash memory storage systems. Our technique exploits for the first time the property of the multi-page architecture of MLC NAND flash memory to improve the reliability of metadata. The basic idea is to keep metadata in most significant bit (MSB) pages which are more reliable than least significant bit (LSB) pages. Thus, we can achieve relatively low bit error rates for metadata. Based on this idea, we propose two strategies to optimize address mapping and garbage collection. We have implemented Asymmetric Programming on a real hardware platform. The experimental results show that Asymmetric Programming can achieve a reduction in the number of page errors of up to 99.05% with the baseline error correction scheme.

Asymmetric Programming: A Highly Reliable Metadata Allocation Strategy for MLC NAND Flash Memory-Based Sensor Systems

PubMed Central

Huang, Min; Liu, Zhaoqing; Qiao, Liyan

2014-01-01

While the NAND flash memory is widely used as the storage medium in modern sensor systems, the aggressive shrinking of process geometry and an increase in the number of bits stored in each memory cell will inevitably degrade the reliability of NAND flash memory. In particular, it's critical to enhance metadata reliability, which occupies only a small portion of the storage space, but maintains the critical information of the file system and the address translations of the storage system. Metadata damage will cause the system to crash or a large amount of data to be lost. This paper presents Asymmetric Programming, a highly reliable metadata allocation strategy for MLC NAND flash memory storage systems. Our technique exploits for the first time the property of the multi-page architecture of MLC NAND flash memory to improve the reliability of metadata. The basic idea is to keep metadata in most significant bit (MSB) pages which are more reliable than least significant bit (LSB) pages. Thus, we can achieve relatively low bit error rates for metadata. Based on this idea, we propose two strategies to optimize address mapping and garbage collection. We have implemented Asymmetric Programming on a real hardware platform. The experimental results show that Asymmetric Programming can achieve a reduction in the number of page errors of up to 99.05% with the baseline error correction scheme. PMID:25310473

Reliability Issues and Solutions in Flexible Electronics Under Mechanical Fatigue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, Seol-Min; Choi, In-Suk; Kim, Byoung-Joon; Joo, Young-Chang

2018-07-01

Flexible devices are of significant interest due to their potential expansion of the application of smart devices into various fields, such as energy harvesting, biological applications and consumer electronics. Due to the mechanically dynamic operations of flexible electronics, their mechanical reliability must be thoroughly investigated to understand their failure mechanisms and lifetimes. Reliability issue caused by bending fatigue, one of the typical operational limitations of flexible electronics, has been studied using various test methodologies; however, electromechanical evaluations which are essential to assess the reliability of electronic devices for flexible applications had not been investigated because the testing method was not established. By employing the in situ bending fatigue test, we has studied the failure mechanism for various conditions and parameters, such as bending strain, fatigue area, film thickness, and lateral dimensions. Moreover, various methods for improving the bending reliability have been developed based on the failure mechanism. Nanostructures such as holes, pores, wires and composites of nanoparticles and nanotubes have been suggested for better reliability. Flexible devices were also investigated to find the potential failures initiated by complex structures under bending fatigue strain. In this review, the recent advances in test methodology, mechanism studies, and practical applications are introduced. Additionally, perspectives including the future advance to stretchable electronics are discussed based on the current achievements in research.

Reliability Issues and Solutions in Flexible Electronics Under Mechanical Fatigue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, Seol-Min; Choi, In-Suk; Kim, Byoung-Joon; Joo, Young-Chang

2018-03-01

Flexible devices are of significant interest due to their potential expansion of the application of smart devices into various fields, such as energy harvesting, biological applications and consumer electronics. Due to the mechanically dynamic operations of flexible electronics, their mechanical reliability must be thoroughly investigated to understand their failure mechanisms and lifetimes. Reliability issue caused by bending fatigue, one of the typical operational limitations of flexible electronics, has been studied using various test methodologies; however, electromechanical evaluations which are essential to assess the reliability of electronic devices for flexible applications had not been investigated because the testing method was not established. By employing the in situ bending fatigue test, we has studied the failure mechanism for various conditions and parameters, such as bending strain, fatigue area, film thickness, and lateral dimensions. Moreover, various methods for improving the bending reliability have been developed based on the failure mechanism. Nanostructures such as holes, pores, wires and composites of nanoparticles and nanotubes have been suggested for better reliability. Flexible devices were also investigated to find the potential failures initiated by complex structures under bending fatigue strain. In this review, the recent advances in test methodology, mechanism studies, and practical applications are introduced. Additionally, perspectives including the future advance to stretchable electronics are discussed based on the current achievements in research.

Approaching Suspicious Substances Safely

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

A mineral identification tool that was developed for NASA's Mars Rover Technology Development program is now serving as a powerful tool for U.S. law enforcement agencies and military personnel to identify suspicious liquid and solid substances. The tool can measure unknown substances through glass and plastic packaging materials with the RamanProbe(TradeMark) focused fiber-optic probe. The probe length can be extended up to 200 meters to enable users to analyze potentially dangerous substances at a safe distance. In many cases, the spectrometer and personnel are kept in a safe zone while the probe is positioned next to the sample being analyzed. Being able to identify chemicals in remote locations also saves users time and labor, since otherwise the samples would need to be collected, transported, and prepared prior to measurement in the laboratory.

Microelectromechanical safe arm device

DOEpatents

Roesler, Alexander W [Tijeras, NM

2012-06-05

Microelectromechanical (MEM) apparatus and methods for operating, for preventing unintentional detonation of energetic components comprising pyrotechnic and explosive materials, such as air bag deployment systems, munitions and pyrotechnics. The MEM apparatus comprises an interrupting member that can be moved to block (interrupt) or complete (uninterrupt) an explosive train that is part of an energetic component. One or more latching members are provided that engage and prevent the movement of the interrupting member, until the one or more latching members are disengaged from the interrupting member. The MEM apparatus can be utilized as a safe and arm device (SAD) and electronic safe and arm device (ESAD) in preventing unintentional detonations. Methods for operating the MEM apparatus include independently applying drive signals to the actuators coupled to the latching members, and an actuator coupled to the interrupting member.

Validity and reliability assessment of a peer evaluation method in team-based learning classes.

PubMed

Yoon, Hyun Bae; Park, Wan Beom; Myung, Sun-Jung; Moon, Sang Hui; Park, Jun-Bean

2018-03-01

Team-based learning (TBL) is increasingly employed in medical education because of its potential to promote active group learning. In TBL, learners are usually asked to assess the contributions of peers within their group to ensure accountability. The purpose of this study is to assess the validity and reliability of a peer evaluation instrument that was used in TBL classes in a single medical school. A total of 141 students were divided into 18 groups in 11 TBL classes. The students were asked to evaluate their peers in the group based on evaluation criteria that were provided to them. We analyzed the comments that were written for the highest and lowest achievers to assess the validity of the peer evaluation instrument. The reliability of the instrument was assessed by examining the agreement among peer ratings within each group of students via intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) analysis. Most of the students provided reasonable and understandable comments for the high and low achievers within their group, and most of those comments were compatible with the evaluation criteria. The average ICC of each group ranged from 0.390 to 0.863, and the overall average was 0.659. There was no significant difference in inter-rater reliability according to the number of members in the group or the timing of the evaluation within the course. The peer evaluation instrument that was used in the TBL classes was valid and reliable. Providing evaluation criteria and rules seemed to improve the validity and reliability of the instrument.

An Interaction-Based Approach to Enhancing Secondary School Instruction and Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Joseph; Pianta, Robert; Gregory, Anne; Mikami, Amori; Lun, Janetta

2011-01-01

Improving teaching quality is widely recognized as critical to addressing deficiencies in secondary school education, yet the field has struggled to identify rigorously evaluated teacher-development approaches that can produce reliable gains in student achievement. A randomized controlled trial of My Teaching Partner-Secondary--a Web-mediated…

A safe and accurate method to perform esthetic mandibular contouring surgery for Far Eastern Asians.

PubMed

Hsieh, A M-C; Huon, L-K; Jiang, H-R; Liu, S Y-C

2017-05-01

A tapered mandibular contour is popular with Far Eastern Asians. This study describes a safe and accurate method of using preoperative virtual surgical planning (VSP) and an intraoperative ostectomy guide to maximize the esthetic outcomes of mandibular symmetry and tapering while mitigating injury to the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN). Twelve subjects with chief complaints of a wide and square lower face underwent this protocol from January to June 2015. VSP was used to confirm symmetry and preserve the IAN while maximizing the surgeon's ability to taper the lower face via mandibular inferior border ostectomy. The accuracy of this method was confirmed by superimposition of the perioperative computed tomography scans in all subjects. No subjects complained of prolonged paresthesia after 3 months. A safe and accurate protocol for achieving an esthetic lower face in indicated Far Eastern individuals is described. Copyright © 2016 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High reliability linear drive device for artificial hearts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Jinghua; Zhao, Wenxiang; Liu, Guohai; Shen, Yue; Wang, Fangqun

2012-04-01

In this paper, a new high reliability linear drive device, termed as stator-permanent-magnet tubular oscillating actuator (SPM-TOA), is proposed for artificial hearts (AHs). The key is to incorporate the concept of two independent phases into this linear AH device, hence achieving high reliability operation. The fault-tolerant teeth are employed to provide the desired decoupling phases in magnetic circuit. Also, as the magnets and the coils are located in the stator, the proposed SPM-TOA takes the definite advantages of robust mover and direct-drive capability. By using the time-stepping finite element method, the electromagnetic characteristics of the proposed SPM-TOA are analyzed, including magnetic field distributions, flux linkages, back- electromotive forces (back-EMFs) self- and mutual inductances, as well as cogging and thrust forces. The results confirm that the proposed SPM-TOA meets the dimension, weight, and force requirements of the AH drive device.

Damage Tolerance and Reliability of Turbine Engine Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chamis, Christos C.

1999-01-01

This report describes a formal method to quantify structural damage tolerance and reliability in the presence of a multitude of uncertainties in turbine engine components. The method is based at the material behavior level where primitive variables with their respective scatter ranges are used to describe behavior. Computational simulation is then used to propagate the uncertainties to the structural scale where damage tolerance and reliability are usually specified. Several sample cases are described to illustrate the effectiveness, versatility, and maturity of the method. Typical results from this method demonstrate that it is mature and that it can be used to probabilistically evaluate turbine engine structural components. It may be inferred from the results that the method is suitable for probabilistically predicting the remaining life in aging or deteriorating structures, for making strategic projections and plans, and for achieving better, cheaper, faster products that give competitive advantages in world markets.

Memorial Hermann: high reliability from board to bedside.

PubMed

Shabot, M Michael; Monroe, Douglas; Inurria, Juan; Garbade, Debbi; France, Anne-Claire

2013-06-01

In 2006 the Memorial Hermann Health System (MHHS), which includes 12 hospitals, began applying principles embraced by high reliability organizations (HROs). Three factors support its HRO journey: (1) aligned organizational structure with transparent management systems and compressed reporting processes; (2) Robust Process Improvement (RPI) with high-reliability interventions; and (3) cultural establishment, sustainment, and evolution. The Quality and Safety strategic plan contains three domains, each with a specific set of measures that provide goals for performance: (1) "Clinical Excellence;" (2) "Do No Harm;" and (3) "Saving Lives," as measured by the Serious Safety Event rate. MHHS uses a uniform approach to performance improvement--RPI, which includes Six Sigma, Lean, and change management, to solve difficult safety and quality problems. The 9 acute care hospitals provide multiple opportunities to integrate high-reliability interventions and best practices across MHHS. For example, MHHS partnered with the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare in its inaugural project to establish reliable hand hygiene behaviors, which improved MHHS's average hand hygiene compliance rate from 44% to 92% currently. Soon after compliance exceeded 85% at all 12 hospitals, the average rate of central line-associated bloodstream and ventilator-associated pneumonias decreased to essentially zero. MHHS's size and diversity require a disciplined approach to performance improvement and systemwide achievement of measurable success. The most significant cultural change at MHHS has been the expectation for 100% compliance with evidence-based quality measures and 0% incidence of patient harm.

78 FR 30733 - Modernizing Federal Infrastructure Review and Permitting Regulations, Policies, and Procedures

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-22

... Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies Reliable, safe, and resilient infrastructure is the backbone... and agencies (agencies) have achieved better outcomes for communities and the environment and realized... major infrastructure projects by half, while also improving outcomes for communities and the environment...

High-reliability gas-turbine combined-cycle development program: Phase II, Volume 3. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hecht, K.G.; Sanderson, R.A.; Smith, M.J.

This three-volume report presents the results of Phase II of the multiphase EPRI-sponsored High-Reliability Gas Turbine Combined-Cycle Development Program whose goal is to achieve a highly reliable gas turbine combined-cycle power plant, available by the mid-1980s, which would be an economically attractive baseload generation alternative for the electric utility industry. The Phase II program objective was to prepare the preliminary design of this power plant. The power plant was addressed in three areas: (1) the gas turbine, (2) the gas turbine ancillaries, and (3) the balance of plant including the steam turbine generator. To achieve the program goals, a gasmore » turbine was incorporated which combined proven reliability characteristics with improved performance features. This gas turbine, designated the V84.3, is the result of a cooperative effort between Kraftwerk Union AG and United Technologies Corporation. Gas turbines of similar design operating in Europe under baseload conditions have demonstrated mean time between failures in excess of 40,000. The reliability characteristics of the gas turbine ancillaries and balance-of-plant equipment were improved through system simplification and component redundancy and by selection of component with inherent high reliability. A digital control system was included with logic, communications, sensor redundancy, and manual backup. An independent condition monitoring and diagnostic system was also included. Program results provide the preliminary design of a gas turbine combined-cycle baseload power plant. This power plant has a predicted mean time between failure of nearly twice the 3000-h EPRI goal. The cost of added reliability features is offset by improved performance, which results in a comparable specific cost and an 8% lower cost of electricty compared to present market offerings.« less

Safe Haven Laws as "Crime Control Theater"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hammond, Michelle; Miller, Monica K.; Griffin, Timothy

2010-01-01

Objectives: This article examines safe haven laws, which allow parents to legally abandon their infants. The main objective is to determine whether safe haven laws fit the criteria of "crime control theater", a term used to describe public policies that produce the appearance, but not the effect, of crime control, and as such are essentially…

78 FR 41339 - Electric Reliability Organization Proposal To Retire Requirements in Reliability Standards

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-10

...] Electric Reliability Organization Proposal To Retire Requirements in Reliability Standards AGENCY: Federal... Reliability Standards identified by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), the Commission-certified Electric Reliability Organization. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kevin Ryan (Legal Information...

Personnel reliability impact on petrochemical facilities monitoring system's failure skipping probability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kostyukov, V. N.; Naumenko, A. P.

2017-08-01

The paper dwells upon urgent issues of evaluating impact of actions conducted by complex technological systems operators on their safe operation considering application of condition monitoring systems for elements and sub-systems of petrochemical production facilities. The main task for the research is to distinguish factors and criteria of monitoring system properties description, which would allow to evaluate impact of errors made by personnel on operation of real-time condition monitoring and diagnostic systems for machinery of petrochemical facilities, and find and objective criteria for monitoring system class, considering a human factor. On the basis of real-time condition monitoring concepts of sudden failure skipping risk, static and dynamic error, monitoring systems, one may solve a task of evaluation of impact that personnel's qualification has on monitoring system operation in terms of error in personnel or operators' actions while receiving information from monitoring systems and operating a technological system. Operator is considered as a part of the technological system. Although, personnel's behavior is usually a combination of the following parameters: input signal - information perceiving, reaction - decision making, response - decision implementing. Based on several researches on behavior of nuclear powers station operators in USA, Italy and other countries, as well as on researches conducted by Russian scientists, required data on operator's reliability were selected for analysis of operator's behavior at technological facilities diagnostics and monitoring systems. The calculations revealed that for the monitoring system selected as an example, the failure skipping risk for the set values of static (less than 0.01) and dynamic (less than 0.001) errors considering all related factors of data on reliability of information perception, decision-making, and reaction fulfilled is 0.037, in case when all the facilities and error probability are under

Titanium dioxide in our everyday life; is it safe?

PubMed Central

Skocaj, Matej; Filipic, Metka; Petkovic, Jana; Novak, Sasa

2011-01-01

Background Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is considered as an inert and safe material and has been used in many applications for decades. However, with the development of nanotechnologies TiO2 nanoparticles, with numerous novel and useful properties, are increasingly manufactured and used. Therefore increased human and environmental exposure can be expected, which has put TiO2 nanoparticles under toxicological scrutiny. Mechanistic toxicological studies show that TiO2 nanoparticles predominantly cause adverse effects via induction of oxidative stress resulting in cell damage, genotoxicity, inflammation, immune response etc. The extent and type of damage strongly depends on physical and chemical characteristics of TiO2 nanoparticles, which govern their bioavailability and reactivity. Based on the experimental evidence from animal inhalation studies TiO2 nanoparticles are classified as “possible carcinogenic to humans” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and as occupational carcinogen by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The studies on dermal exposure to TiO2 nanoparticles, which is in humans substantial through the use of sunscreens, generally indicate negligible transdermal penetration; however data are needed on long-term exposure and potential adverse effects of photo-oxidation products. Although TiO2 is permitted as an additive (E171) in food and pharmaceutical products we do not have reliable data on its absorption, distribution, excretion and toxicity on oral exposure. TiO2 may also enter environment, and while it exerts low acute toxicity to aquatic organisms, upon long-term exposure it induces a range of sub-lethal effects. Conclusions Until relevant toxicological and human exposure data that would enable reliable risk assessment are obtained, TiO2 nanoparticles should be used with great care. PMID:22933961

Sun Safe Mode Controller Design for LADEE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fusco, Jesse C.; Swei, Sean S. M.; Nakamura, Robert H.

2015-01-01

This paper presents the development of sun safe controllers which are designed to keep the spacecraft power positive and thermally balanced in the event an anomaly is detected. Employed by NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE), the controllers utilize the measured sun vector and the spacecraft body rates for feedback control. To improve the accuracy of sun vector estimation, the least square minimization approach is applied to process the sensor data, which is proven to be effective and accurate. To validate the controllers, the LADEE spacecraft model engaging the sun safe mode was first simulated and then compared with the actual LADEE orbital fight data. The results demonstrated the applicability of the proposed sun safe controllers.

76 FR 42534 - Mandatory Reliability Standards for Interconnection Reliability Operating Limits; System...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-19

... Reliability Operating Limits; System Restoration Reliability Standards AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory... data necessary to analyze and monitor Interconnection Reliability Operating Limits (IROL) within its... Interconnection Reliability Operating Limits, Order No. 748, 134 FERC ] 61,213 (2011). \\2\\ The term ``Wide-Area...

Working with Self-Injurious Adolescents Using the Safe Kit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moyer, Michael

2008-01-01

This article offers a guide for using the Safe Kit when working with clients who self-injure. The Safe Kit can be used as a supplement to more traditional approaches to counseling and offers clients alternatives to self-injury when they need alternatives the most. The Safe Kit works under the assumption that individuals differ in the meaning they…

National CPS Certification | A Program of Safe Kids Worldwide

Science.gov Websites

the Tech! ABOUT THE PROGRAM National CPS Certification Training is a program of Safe Kids Worldwide ; E-Vouchers FAQS/HELP FAQs Fees Forms Policies & Procedures Who We Are NHTSA Safe Kids CPS-board State Farm Follow us on Facebook Copyright © 2017 by Safe Kids Worldwide - Child Passenger Safety

Reliability of the ECHOWS Tool for Assessment of Patient Interviewing Skills.

PubMed

Boissonnault, Jill S; Evans, Kerrie; Tuttle, Neil; Hetzel, Scott J; Boissonnault, William G

2016-04-01

History taking is an important component of patient/client management. Assessment of student history-taking competency can be achieved via a standardized tool. The ECHOWS tool has been shown to be valid with modest intrarater reliability in a previous study but did not demonstrate sufficient power to definitively prove its stability. The purposes of this study were: (1) to assess the reliability of the ECHOWS tool for student assessment of patient interviewing skills and (2) to determine whether the tool discerns between novice and experienced skill levels. A reliability and construct validity assessment was conducted. Three faculty members from the United States and Australia scored videotaped histories from standardized patients taken by students and experienced clinicians from each of these countries. The tapes were scored twice, 3 to 6 weeks apart. Reliability was assessed using interclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and repeated measures. Analysis of variance models assessed the ability of the tool to discern between novice and experienced skill levels. The ECHOWS tool showed excellent intrarater reliability (ICC [3,1]=.74-.89) and good interrater reliability (ICC [2,1]=.55) as a whole. The summary of performance (S) section showed poor interrater reliability (ICC [2,1]=.27). There was no statistical difference in performance on the tool between novice and experienced clinicians. A possible ceiling effect may occur when standardized patients are not coached to provide complex and obtuse responses to interviewer questions. Variation in familiarity with the ECHOWS tool and in use of the online training may have influenced scoring of the S section. The ECHOWS tool demonstrates excellent intrarater reliability and moderate interrater reliability. Sufficient training with the tool prior to student assessment is recommended. The S section must evolve in order to provide a more discerning measure of interviewing skills. © 2016 American Physical Therapy

Safe Haven Laws and School Social Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kopels, Sandra

2012-01-01

"Safe haven" laws are designed to protect infants from being killed or otherwise harmed. This article examines the safe haven laws from the states that comprise the Midwest School Social Work Council and the variations between these laws regarding the age of the infant, where the infant can be left, who is allowed to leave the infant, whether…

Ethylene oxide sterilisation--is it safe?

PubMed Central

Gillespie, E H; Jackson, J M; Owen, G R

1979-01-01

Tests show that ethylene oxide penetrates and can sterilise long narrow tubes in a hospital ethylene oxide steriliser. Residual ethylene oxide levels in plastic tubing after sterilisation have been estimated. Although initially the levels were very high, storage for four days at room temperature reduced them to a safe level. If adequate controls of the sterilising process and storage are carried out, sterilisation by ethylene oxide is considered to be safe for new plastics and clean equipment. Images Figure PMID:512032

Validity and reliability of the Questionnaire for Compliance with Standard Precaution

PubMed Central

Valim, Marília Duarte; Marziale, Maria Helena Palucci; Hayashida, Miyeko; Rocha, Fernanda Ludmilla Rossi; Santos, Jair Lício Ferreira

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE : To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Questionnaire for Compliance with Standard Precaution for nurses. METHODS : This methodological study was conducted with 121 nurses from health care facilities in Sao Paulo’s countryside, who were represented by two high-complexity and by three average-complexity health care facilities. Internal consistency was calculated using Cronbach’s alpha and stability was calculated by the intraclass correlation coefficient, through test-retest. Convergent, discriminant, and known-groups construct validity techniques were conducted. RESULTS : The questionnaire was found to be reliable (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.80; intraclass correlation coefficient: (0.97) In regards to the convergent and discriminant construct validity, strong correlation was found between compliance to standard precautions, the perception of a safe environment, and the smaller perception of obstacles to follow such precautions (r = 0.614 and r = 0.537, respectively). The nurses who were trained on the standard precautions and worked on the health care facilities of higher complexity were shown to comply more (p = 0.028 and p = 0.006, respectively). CONCLUSIONS : The Brazilian version of the Questionnaire for Compliance with Standard Precaution was shown to be valid and reliable. Further investigation must be conducted with nurse samples that are more representative of the Brazilian reality. The use of the questionnaire may support the creation of educational measures considering the possible gaps that can be identified, focusing on the workers’ health and on the patients’ safety. PMID:26759967

New developments in short-pulse eye safe lasers pay the way for future LADARs and 3D mapping performances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pasmanik, Guerman; Latone, Kevin; Shilov, Alex; Shklovsky, Eugeni; Spiro, Alex; Tiour, Larissa

2005-06-01

We have demonstrated that direct excitation of 3rd Stokes Raman emission in crystal can produce short (few nanosecond) eye-safe pulses. Produced beam has very high quality and the pulse energy can be as high as tens of millijoules. For pulsed diode pumped solid state lasers the demonstrated repetition rate was 250 Hz but higher repetition rates are certainly achievable. It is important that tested schemes do not have strict requirements on laser pump parameters, namely beam divergence and frequency bandwidth. The obtained results are very relevant to the development of eye-safe lasers, such as the new generation of rangefinders, target designators, and laser tracking and pin-pointing devices, as well as remote 2D and 3D imaging systems.

Safe clinical practice for patients hospitalised in a suicidal crisis: a study protocol for a qualitative case study.

PubMed

Berg, Siv Hilde; Rørtveit, Kristine; Walby, Fredrik A; Aase, Karina

2017-01-27

Suicide prevention in psychiatric care is arguably complex and incompletely understood as a patient safety issue. A resilient healthcare approach provides perspectives through which to understand this complexity by understanding everyday clinical practice. By including suicidal patients and healthcare professionals as sources of knowledge, a deeper understanding of what constitutes safe clinical practice can be achieved. This planned study aims to adopt the perspective of resilient healthcare to provide a deeper understanding of safe clinical practice for suicidal patients in psychiatric inpatient care. It will describe the experienced components and conditions of safe clinical practice and the experienced practice of patient safety. The study will apply a descriptive case study approach consisting of qualitative semistructured interviews and focus groups. The data sources are hospitalised patients in a suicidal crisis and healthcare professionals in clinical practice. This study was approved by the Regional Ethics Committee (2016/34). The results will be disseminated through scientific articles, a PhD dissertation, and national and international conferences. These findings can generate knowledge to be integrated into the practice of safety for suicidal inpatients in Norway and to improve the feasibility of patient safety measures. Theoretical generalisations can be drawn regarding safe clinical practice by taking into account the experiences of patients and healthcare professionals. Thus, this study can inform the conceptual development of safe clinical practice for suicidal patients. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Test-Retest Reliability of the Short-Form Survivor Unmet Needs Survey.

PubMed

Taylor, Karen; Bulsara, Max; Monterosso, Leanne

2018-01-01

Reliable and valid needs assessment measures are important assessment tools in cancer survivorship care. A new 30-item short-form version of the Survivor Unmet Needs Survey (SF-SUNS) was developed and validated with cancer survivors, including hematology cancer survivors; however, test-retest reliability has not been established. The objective of this study was to assess the test-retest reliability of the SF-SUNS with a cohort of lymphoma survivors ( n = 40). Test-retest reliability of the SF-SUNS was conducted at two time points: baseline (time 1) and 5 days later (time 2). Test-retest data were collected from lymphoma cancer survivors ( n = 40) in a large tertiary cancer center in Western Australia. Intraclass correlation analyses compared data at time 1 (baseline) and time 2 (5 days later). Cronbach's alpha analyses were performed to assess the internal consistency at both time points. The majority (23/30, 77%) of items achieved test-retest reliability scores 0.45-0.74 (fair to good). A high degree of overall internal consistency was demonstrated (time 1 = 0.92, time 2 = 0.95), with scores 0.65-0.94 across subscales for both time points. Mixed test-retest reliability of the SF-SUNS was established. Our results indicate the SF-SUNS is responsive to the changing needs of lymphoma cancer survivors. Routine use of cancer survivorship specific needs-based assessments is required in oncology care today. Nurses are well placed to administer these assessments and provide tailored information and resources. Further assessment of test-retest reliability in hematology and other cancer cohorts is warranted.

Reliability of bounce drop jump parameters within elite male rugby players.

PubMed

Costley, Lisa; Wallace, Eric; Johnston, Michael; Kennedy, Rodney

2017-07-25

The aims of the study were to investigate the number of familiarisation sessions required to establish reliability of the bounce drop jump (BDJ) and subsequent reliability once familiarisation is achieved. Seventeen trained male athletes completed 4 BDJs in 4 separate testing sessions. Force-time data from a 20 cm BDJ was obtained using two force plates (ensuring ground contact < 250 ms). Subjects were instructed to 'jump for maximal height and minimal contact time' while the best and average of four jumps were compared. A series of performance variables were assessed in both eccentric and concentric phases including jump height, contact time, flight time, reactive strength index (RSI), peak power, rate of force development (RFD) and actual dropping height (ADH). Reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and coefficient of variation (CV) while familiarisation was assessed using a repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). The majority of DJ parameters exhibited excellent reliability with no systematic bias evident, while the average of 4 trials provided greater reliability. With the exception of vertical stiffness (CV: 12.0 %) and RFD (CV: 16.2 %) all variables demonstrated low within subject variation (CV range: 3.1 - 8.9 %). Relative reliability was very poor for ADH, with heights ranging from 14.87 - 29.85 cm. High levels of reliability can be obtained from the BDJ with the exception of vertical stiffness and RFD, however, extreme caution must be taken when comparing DJ results between individuals and squads due to large discrepancies between actual drop height and platform height.

The Lead-Safe Certified Guide to Renovate Right

MedlinePlus

... for information about courses and resources on lead-safe work practices. 1 RENOVAT ING, REPA IRING, OR PA ... child care facility or school. • Always use lead-safe work practices when renovation or repair will disturb painted ...

Can three-dimensional patient-specific cutting guides be used to achieve optimal correction for high tibial osteotomy? Pilot study.

PubMed

Munier, M; Donnez, M; Ollivier, M; Flecher, X; Chabrand, P; Argenson, J-N; Parratte, S

2017-04-01

the HKA and 0.96 [0.79-0.99] for the tibial slope. There were no surgical site infections; one patient had a postoperative hematoma that resolved spontaneously. The results of this study showed that use of PSCGs in HTO procedures helps to achieve optimal correction in a safe and reliable manner. IV - Prospective cohort study. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

The fire-safe cigarette: a burn prevention tool.

PubMed

Barillo, D J; Brigham, P A; Kayden, D A; Heck, R T; McManus, A T

2000-01-01

Cigarettes are the most common ignition source for fatal house fires, which cause approximately 29% of the fire deaths in the United States. A common scenario is the delayed ignition of a sofa, chair, or mattress by a lit cigarette that is forgotten or dropped by a smoker whose alertness is impaired by alcohol or medication. Cigarettes are designed to continue burning when left unattended. If they are dropped on mattresses, upholstered furniture, or other combustible material while still burning, their propensity to start fires varies depending on the cigarette design and content. The term "fire-safe" has evolved to describe cigarettes designed to have a reduced propensity for igniting mattresses and upholstered furniture. Legislative interest in the development of fire-safe smoking materials has existed for more than 50 years. Studies that showed the technical and economic feasibility of commercial production of fire-safe cigarettes were completed more than 10 years ago. Despite this, commercial production of fire-safe smoking materials has not been undertaken. The current impasse relates to the lack of consensus on a uniform test method on which to base a standard for fire-safe cigarettes. Although the fire-safe cigarette is a potentially important burn prevention tool, commercial production of such cigarettes will not occur until a standard against which fire-starting performance can be measured has been mandated by law at the state or federal level. The burn care community can play a leadership role in such legislative efforts.

Is praziquantel therapy safe during pregnancy?

PubMed

Adam, Ishag; Elwasila, El Taib; Homeida, Mamoun

2004-09-01

Schistosomiasis control programmes are generally based on mass distribution of praziquantel (PZQ). This approach has been further strengthened by studies that demonstrated reduction in schistosomiasis-related morbidity following regular use of PZQ. Many women were excluded from this therapy when pregnant. Since a high degree of parity is achieved in many schistosomiasis-endemic regions, excluded women often miss treatment and consequently the beneficial effect of this therapy. This study investigated the effect of PZQ therapy on pregnancy in the Gezira region of Sudan. As part of the Blue Nile Health Project, more than 320,000 individuals received annual treatment with PZQ from 1980 to 1990. The present study reviewed the treatment records of all women between 1990 and 1995 in four villages. Eighty-eight of 637 women interviewed had received PZQ during their pregnancy. The outcome and the effect of PZQ therapy on their offspring were compared with a group of 549 women who had not received the drug during pregnancy. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the rate of abortion or preterm deliveries. No congenital abnormalities were noted by clinical examination in any of the babies born to either group. This retrospective study suggested that PZQ therapy is safe during pregnancy.

Improving Stochastic Communication Network Performance: Reliability vs. Throughput

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-12-01

increased to one. 2) arc survivabil.. ities will be increased in increments of one tenths. and 3) the costs to increase- arc si’rvivabilities were equal and...This reliability value is leni used to maximize the associated expected flow. For Net work A. a bIdget of (8)() pro(duces a tradcoff point at (.58.37...Network B for a buidgel of 2000 which allows a nel \\\\ork relial)ilitv of one to be achieved and a bidget of 1200 which allows for ;, maximum 57

A Mechanism for Reliable Mobility Management for Internet of Things Using CoAP

PubMed Central

Chun, Seung-Man; Park, Jong-Tae

2017-01-01

Under unreliable constrained wireless networks for Internet of Things (IoT) environments, the loss of the signaling message may frequently occur. Mobile Internet Protocol version 6 (MIPv6) and its variants do not consider this situation. Consequently, as a constrained device moves around different wireless networks, its Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity may be frequently disrupted and power can be drained rapidly. This can result in the loss of important sensing data or a large delay for time-critical IoT services such as healthcare monitoring and disaster management. This paper presents a reliable mobility management mechanism in Internet of Things environments with lossy low-power constrained device and network characteristics. The idea is to use the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) retransmission mechanism to achieve both reliability and simplicity for reliable IoT mobility management. Detailed architecture, algorithms, and message extensions for reliable mobility management are presented. Finally, performance is evaluated using both mathematical analysis and simulation. PMID:28085109

A Mechanism for Reliable Mobility Management for Internet of Things Using CoAP.

PubMed

Chun, Seung-Man; Park, Jong-Tae

2017-01-12

Under unreliable constrained wireless networks for Internet of Things (IoT) environments, the loss of the signaling message may frequently occur. Mobile Internet Protocol version 6 (MIPv6) and its variants do not consider this situation. Consequently, as a constrained device moves around different wireless networks, its Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity may be frequently disrupted and power can be drained rapidly. This can result in the loss of important sensing data or a large delay for time-critical IoT services such as healthcare monitoring and disaster management. This paper presents a reliable mobility management mechanism in Internet of Things environments with lossy low-power constrained device and network characteristics. The idea is to use the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) retransmission mechanism to achieve both reliability and simplicity for reliable IoT mobility management. Detailed architecture, algorithms, and message extensions for reliable mobility management are presented. Finally, performance is evaluated using both mathematical analysis and simulation.

Do dimensional psychopathology measures relate to creative achievement or divergent thinking?

PubMed Central

Zabelina, Darya L.; Condon, David; Beeman, Mark

2014-01-01

Previous research provides disparate accounts of the putative association between creativity and psychopathology, including schizotypy, psychoticism, hypomania, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorders. To examine these association, healthy, non-clinical participants completed several psychopathology-spectrum measures, often postulated to associate with creativity: the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, the Psychoticism scale, the Personality Inventory for DSM-5, the Hypomanic Personality Scale, the Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Autism-Spectrum Quotient. The goal of Study 1 was to evaluate the factor structure of these dimensional psychopathology measures and, in particular, to evaluate the case for a strong general factor(s). None of the factor solutions between 1 and 10 factors provided a strong fit with the data based on the most commonly used metrics. The goal of Study 2 was to determine whether these psychopathology scales predict, independently, two measures of creativity: 1. a measure of participants' real-world creative achievements, and 2. divergent thinking, a laboratory measure of creative cognition. After controlling for academic achievement, psychoticism and hypomania reliably predicted real-world creative achievement and divergent thinking scored with the consensual assessment technique. None of the psychopathology-spectrum scales reliably predicted divergent thinking scored with the manual scoring method. Implications for the potential links between several putative creative processes and risk factors for psychopathology are discussed. PMID:25278919

Do dimensional psychopathology measures relate to creative achievement or divergent thinking?

PubMed

Zabelina, Darya L; Condon, David; Beeman, Mark

2014-01-01

Previous research provides disparate accounts of the putative association between creativity and psychopathology, including schizotypy, psychoticism, hypomania, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorders. To examine these association, healthy, non-clinical participants completed several psychopathology-spectrum measures, often postulated to associate with creativity: the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, the Psychoticism scale, the Personality Inventory for DSM-5, the Hypomanic Personality Scale, the Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Autism-Spectrum Quotient. The goal of Study 1 was to evaluate the factor structure of these dimensional psychopathology measures and, in particular, to evaluate the case for a strong general factor(s). None of the factor solutions between 1 and 10 factors provided a strong fit with the data based on the most commonly used metrics. The goal of Study 2 was to determine whether these psychopathology scales predict, independently, two measures of creativity: 1. a measure of participants' real-world creative achievements, and 2. divergent thinking, a laboratory measure of creative cognition. After controlling for academic achievement, psychoticism and hypomania reliably predicted real-world creative achievement and divergent thinking scored with the consensual assessment technique. None of the psychopathology-spectrum scales reliably predicted divergent thinking scored with the manual scoring method. Implications for the potential links between several putative creative processes and risk factors for psychopathology are discussed.

Reliability and maintainability assessment factors for reliable fault-tolerant systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bavuso, S. J.

1984-01-01

A long term goal of the NASA Langley Research Center is the development of a reliability assessment methodology of sufficient power to enable the credible comparison of the stochastic attributes of one ultrareliable system design against others. This methodology, developed over a 10 year period, is a combined analytic and simulative technique. An analytic component is the Computer Aided Reliability Estimation capability, third generation, or simply CARE III. A simulative component is the Gate Logic Software Simulator capability, or GLOSS. The numerous factors that potentially have a degrading effect on system reliability and the ways in which these factors that are peculiar to highly reliable fault tolerant systems are accounted for in credible reliability assessments. Also presented are the modeling difficulties that result from their inclusion and the ways in which CARE III and GLOSS mitigate the intractability of the heretofore unworkable mathematics.